CompuPro - History

CompuPro started out as a company call Godbout Electronics founded by one of the legends of the early micro-computer era, Bill Godbout.  Unlike some of the other S-100 computer founders Bill had quite a bit of experience in building and selling computer/electronic equipment. He started in the business working as a manager and buyer for a guy named Mike Quinn who had a legendry electronics equipment store near Oakland Airport in California. Mike's store in the early 70's was a hive of activity where pioneers in the field like Lee Felsenstein, Bob Marsh  & Gordon French (Processor Tech) , George Morrow (ThinkerToys, Morrow Designs) , Chuck Grant & Mark Greenberg (Northstar Computers) , Howard Fulmer  (Equinox-100), Brent Wright (Fulcrum)  and many others hung out.  Eventually Bill started his own mail order business in the early 1970's selling electronic experimenter kits.  He setup in the building behind Mike Quinn -- thereby always being in contact with new products, ideas and people. 
 
Bill started in the S-100 board business in 1976 by selling RAM memory boards out of his Godbout Electronics mail order business. His contacts and experience in getting chips fast and at good prices help him get going quickly and allowed Godbout Electronics to fill a market need for boards that Altair, IMASI and even Processor Technologies could not meet in those early days.  In the end Godbout/CopmuPro had more different types of S-100 RAM boards than anybody else in the business. All their boards were static RAM boards. As the business grew the evolved into most other S-100 board types eventually putting together complete S-100 systems. Their S-100 boxes were arguably the most solid and reliable ever made. His innovative products played a large part in the success of the S-100. Bill played a major role in setting the specs for the S-100 bus IEEE-696 standard, being one of its authors.

CompuPro made a number of complete systems over the years.  The CompuPro 8/16 came in various forms of capability and probably represented the best example of a S-100 boards cooperating with each other. It was one of the last commercial systems to come out for the S-100 bus. There are still some of these boxes around still working! At a late point in the companies history CompuPro started to call themselves Viasyn.  Late boards were labeled with this name.

The CompuPro 8/16 was probably the last commercial system to come out for the S-100 that was marketed to both hobbyists and commercial users in the mid to  late 1980s.  However like Cromemco, Compupro designed and sold even more advanced systems based on the S-100 bus to commercial users up until they went out of business in 1990/91. These systems were of little interest to hobbyists because of their extreme cost, and the fact they were primarily designed to support connections to multiple users each working at a “dumb terminal”.

A note of caution: some of the later Viasyn boards and systems were run without the voltage regulators on the boards. Instead, 5V was supplied on a non-standard S-100 bus.  If you put these boards into a standard S-100 system without the regulators reattached, you will fry the board IC's.

Desktop Motherboard Power Sequence Pdf Exclusive

: The user presses the physical power button on the PC case.

This guide provides an exclusive breakdown of the power-on sequence for modern desktop motherboards. Understanding this sequence is critical for diagnosing "no power" and "no post" issues. We break down the process into three distinct phases: , Power On , and Runtime .

What (Intel or AMD) you are targeting. If you need a breakdown of SVID communication protocol . desktop motherboard power sequence pdf exclusive

Unstable power rail, bad voltage monitoring resistor divider. PLTRST# / CPURST#

[AC Power In] ➔ [+5VSB / +3.3V_Dual] ➔ [EC/SIO Initialization] ➔ [RTCRST# / Crystal Oscillator] │ [SLP_S3# High] 🡨 [SLP_S4# High] 🡨 [Power Button Pressed (PWRBTN#)] 🡨───────┘ │ ▼ [PS_ON# Low to PSU] ➔ [Main Rails Active (+12V, +5V, +3.3V)] ➔ [PWROK / VRM Enable] │ [CPU Reset Asserted/Deasserted (CPURST#)] 🡨 [All Power Goods Verified] 🡨┘ │ ▼ [BIOS ROM Read via SPI Bus] ➔ [POST Code Sequence Begins] ➔ [S0 Working State] : The user presses the physical power button on the PC case

Unlike free forum threads that contradict each other, this PDF is logically sequenced and error-checked. I’ve already fixed two “dead” boards by tracing missing SLP_S3 using their reference table.

The Super I/O then mirrors this signal to the PCH by pulling the PM_PWRBTN# (Power Button Management) line low. 2. The PCH Releases Sleep States ( SLP_S4# and SLP_S3# ) We break down the process into three distinct

| Document Title / Description | Key Contents & Exclusive Value | | :--- | :--- | | | This is the exact power sequencing flowchart for a specific Gigabyte motherboard from 2019. It provides an invaluable model-specific example of how the theoretical sequence applies to a real-world product, complete with signal names and timing. Great for learning by concrete example. | | Intel Advanced Board Bring-Up Guide | A first-party Intel whitepaper that walks you through the power sequencing process from initial power-on to BIOS execution. It includes detailed timing diagrams and signal block diagrams (Figures 2 & 3) that are essential for understanding Intel's implementation of power sequencing. This is an "official" manual for engineers and advanced hardware hackers. | | ASUS Power & Reset Sequence Handout | A rare, likely internal training document from ASUS , detailing the power and reset sequences for older Pentium 4-era platforms. It serves as a fantastic historical artifact and technical lesson in the evolution of power sequencing, covering ICH5 power sequences and power-up/down requirements. | | Full Schematic & BoardView Files | For the true exclusive, this includes not just a PDF but also BoardView (.fz) files . These files allow you to visually explore the exact physical layout of components on the board, which is indispensable for pinpointing test points and tracing signals on your multimeter or oscilloscope. | | Comprehensive Laptop & Desktop Sequence | A massive, 40+ page manual designed for beginners. It's a one-stop shop that combines theoretical explanations with detailed circuit diagrams and thorough analyses of the power-on sequence. It's perfect for those who need a complete educational package before diving into hands-on work. | | Pinpoint Diagnosis & Power Sequence Charts | This newer guide (from 2025) focuses on modern repair techniques like cold-test impedance and includes visual charts for power sequencing. At the end, you can request a free download of these charts and diagrams, making it an actively maintained and accessible resource for today's technicians. |

Finally, the PCH releases the , followed by the CPU Reset (CPURST) , allowing the processor to begin executing BIOS code. Troubleshooting Benchmarks

Do you have the or boardview (.cad/.brd) file for this specific model? Share public link

This is where the CPU comes alive. The PCH sends (Voltage Regulator Enable) to the main Vcore controller. The VRM then: