FAQ:fitlet

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General

Does fitlet-iA10 consume more power than fitlet-i?

The A10-Micro 6700T CPU in fitlet-iA10 is actually more efficient, so for a given workload it will consume less power. If you run fitlet at its max performance then the iA10 may consume a little more power than -i and will provide higher performance. Please note that you can limit the power consumption of fitlet. Limiting iA10 and -i to the same power - iA10 will provide higher performance.

Hardware

fitlet USB power behavior

Some ports designed to keep USB power during low power state:

  1. Two back panel ports: On during S0, Off during S3-S5
  2. Front panel ports: On during S0-S5
  3. Combo port (not on MintBox mini): On during S0 only

Power states:

  • S0 - active
  • S3 - sleep
  • S4 - hibernate
  • S5 - Shut down (SW off)

Why I get black screen when powering up Barebone fitlet?

You must install RAM first to get display signal from fitlet.

What kind of RAM can I install in fitlet?

DDR3L-1333 1.35V SODIMM (DDR3L-1066 for fitlet-B). See also tested RAM modules list

Why does fitlet freeze when I am trying to run Memtest86+?

Memtest86+ (as of version 5.01) does not support AMD Mullins SOC http://www.memtest.org/#change

We recommend the commercial version of the Passmark Memtest86 Pro. http://www.memtest86.com/

Which power supplies can power the fitlet?

fitlet bundle comes with external AC/DC wall power supply, providing unregulated 10–15Vdc input voltage range, 12Vdc nominal. However, any power supply able to supply 36W output 12VDC @ 3A source will be fine.

Pigtail unterminated DC cable

Pigtail DC cable - unterminated on one end and on the other uses standard 5.5mm x 2.5mm barrel plug with mechanical twist-lock.
Can be used with IPC2, Intense PC, fit-PC4/3 and fitlet computers.

  • Order from Compulab accessories
  • Order info:
    • Compulab PN: 504F010040
    • L=150cm, 5.5/2.5 plug diameters, tinned ends, #16AWG
    • Negative - outer (-): have word | Positive - inner (+): blank

Unterminated-DC-cable dong guan.jpg

What are power capabilities of fitlet USB ports?

USB ports VBUS (5V) pair supplied via onboard power switch with current limit set to 2.3A, which means either each USB port capable sourcing up to 1.15A in case two bus powered devices are connected, or sourcing 2.3A in case single bus powered device is connected.

My SSD inside fitlet reports high temperature. Is it normal?

SSDs vary in the power they dissipate. See for example this Tom's Hardware article.

It is recommended to opt for a low power SSD.

fitlet thermal envelope is quite tight due to its small size and fanless operation, so high temperature of an internal heat-dissipating component is to be expected. However, SSDs are very temperature tolerant so the reported temperature is not expected to affect reliability.

Is it OK for fitlet to run hot?

Yes. fitlet is very tolerant to high temperatures. The small form factor and passive cooling may result in operation temperature that is higher than the temperature of computers with fans. Users that are not familiar with miniature fanless PCs are often concerned about temperature, but the operation temperature does not have effect on reliability and safety. Actual temperature varies depending on ambient temperature, ambient airflow, workload and devices - both internal and connected.

Unlike computers with fans that experience degradation in thermal performance over time and may overheat and fail catastrophically in case of fan failure, fitlet thermal performance is uniform and is not subject to aging.

Setting fitlet power consumption limit

fitlet BIOS allows users to set processor's maximum power consumption limit. Power setting APU TDP option accept values between 1-25000 [mW], when default value is 4500 [mW]. Higher value means better performance, and hence higher temperature. For more refer to fitlet BIOS guide.

Audible noise

In very rare cases a weak high frequency audible noise can be heard from computer system -
“Coil whine” and piezo noise from ceramic capacitors is a documented phenomenon that cannot be 100% eliminated. It is unlikely to be as loud as the fans found in most computers, and is usually less audible than the noise emitted by hard disks.
An interesting phenomenon is that this electronic noise is often reduced under load (due to less power switching/trimming). Some users apply less aggressive power management and report reduction in noise.

GPIO drive capabilities

GPIO drive strength value is configured via GPIO control registers and have 4 possible configurations: 4mA, 8mA, 12mA, 16mA

Software

Will fitlet run off-the-shelf, common apps under Windows 7 and Linux? I read in a few places that Linux on Media boxes could leave users very disappointed, even if they get the desktop environ up, because of the few apps that run on SoCs

fitlet is a VERY standard PC in that respect. All Windows and Linux applications should be 100% compatible.

Where are the "gotcha's" with other small systems?
Architecture (mostly ARM) - fitlet is AMD x86.
Non-standard BIOS - fitlet has AMI BIOS with both UEFI and legacy support.
Insufficient RAM - fitlet supports up to 8 gb
Insufficient storage / no SATA - fitlet has mSATA up to 1 TB or so.
Limited graphics, no DirectX / openGL - this was in fact a limitation with fit-PC2, but fitlet has Radeon built-in.

Bottom line - performance might not always be high, but compatibility is perfect.

Does FreeBSD run on fitlet?

FreeBSD works on fitlet in command line mode. Graphics is not supported.

Does fitlet support pfSense?

pfSense works well on fitlet.

Does fitlet support IPFire?

IPFire works well on fitlet.

Does fitlet support VMWare ESXi

ESXi is reported to work on fitlet, however a known issue with I211 NIC driver in ESXi software exist and addressed in few articles:

Note: The issue appeared on both ESXi 5.5 and 6.0 (VMware-VMvisor-Installer-5.5.0.update02-2068190.x86_64.iso).
      It is also reported that VMware ESXi v6.5 operate with fitlet NICs with no issues whatsoever.

What are the supported boot modes?

Both UEFI and Legacy boot modes are supported.

How can I monitor CPU temperature in Linux?

See Getting fitlet CPU temperature in Linux

Using fitlet GPIOs under Python

Refer to Forum example shared by DaveLangstaff.
fitlet GPIO SDK information can be found here in Fitlet GPIO Connector User Guide