Super I/O: Difference between revisions

'''Super I/O''' (sometimes Multi-IO)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Leonhardt |first=Frank |url=http://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerWorldMagazine |title=Personal Computer World |publisher=VNU Business Publications |year=1995 |pages=347 |language=English}}</ref> is a class of [[Input/output|I/O]] controller [[integrated circuit]]s that began to be used on [[personal computer]] [[motherboard]]s in the late 1980s, originally as [[Expansion card|add-in cards]], later embedded on the motherboards. A super I/O chip combines interfaces for a variety of low-[[Bandwidth (computing)|bandwidth]] devices. Now it is mostly merged with [[Embedded controller|'''EC''', especially on mobile platforms（such as laptop）]].

* [[Keyboard controller (computing)|Keyboard controller]] for [[PS/2 port|PS/2]] [[Computer keyboard|keyboard]] and/or [[Mouse (computing)|mouse]].

* Thermal Zone

* Mainboard power management, including control [[voltage regulator module]]

* A [[game port|GAME port]] (not provided by recent super I/O chips anymore because [[Windows XP]] is the last Windows OS to supportnatively asupport game portports, unlessrequiring thevendors vendorto hassupply atheir customown [[deviceDevice driver|driverdrivers]] infor thelater futureWindows [[operating systemsystems){{Citation needed|OS]])date=June 2024}}

* aA [[MIDI]] port<!--e.g. vt1211 -->

The original super I/O chips communicated with the [[central processing unit]] (CPU) via the [[Industry Standard Architecture|ISA]] bus.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Budruk |first1=Ravi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IA-5TR1RgXQC&dq=super+io+chip&pg=PA16 |title=PCI Express System Architecture |last2=Anderson |first2=Don |last3=Shanley |first3=Tom |date=2004 |publisher=Addison-Wesley |isbn=978-0-321-15630-3 |pages=16 |language=en}}</ref> With the evolution away from ISA towards use of the [[Peripheral Component Interconnect|PCI]] bus, the Super I/O chip was often the biggest remaining reason for continuing inclusion of ISA on the motherboard.

Later super I/O chips use the [[Low Pin Count|LPC]] bus instead of ISA for communication with the central processing unit. This normally occurs through an LPC interface on the [[Southbridge (computing)|SBSouthbridge]] chip of the motherboard.

Companies that make super I/O controllers include [[Nuvoton|Nuvoton Technology]] Technology(hasspun incorporatedoff from [[Winbond|Winbond Electronics]] ),<ref name=examples/> {{Ill|ITE Tech. Inc.|zh|聯陽半導體}},<ref name=examples/><ref name=ite/> Fintek Tech. Inc. ,<ref name=fintek/>[[ENE Tech.]] (for laptop) and [[Microchip Technology]] (haswhich incorporatedbought SMSC™).(American) [[National Semiconductor]] (Now [[Texas Instruments]])used to make super I/O controllers but sold that business to Winbond at 2005, which already had a competing super I/O controller business. In 2008, Winbond then spun off its logic businesses to a wholly owned subsidiary, Nuvoton. SMSC made super I/O chips and then got acquired by Microchip Technology.

==Common ModelsCommon &models Brief==

* KB3930

* KB930QF

* [[Embedded Controllercontroller]] (EC)