FAQ:Intense PC

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Hardware

Which power supplies can power the Intense PC?

Intense PC 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 ~60W from 12Vdc source will be fine.

What are power capabilities of Intense PC USB ports?

Each VBUS pair supplied via onboard power switch with current limit settings of 2.1A, meaning either each VBUS capable sourcing up to 1.05A in case two bus powered devices connected, or sourcing 2.1A in case single bus powered device connected.

Sourcing current from FACE Module connectors

Both 12V and 5V routed to FACE Module are operational power rails:

  • 12V rail supplied to FACE Module via 8 pins of the B2B connector (EXT1) unregulated directly from the main power supply.
  • 5V rail supplied to FACE Module via 6 pins of the B2B connectors (EXT1/2) and is a regulated output from BUCK (12V input).
  • Each B2B connector pin rated for 0.5A max current.
  • 5V rail let you use much more than 2A, but it should be remembered that it is sourced from 12V/5V BUCK. Refer to below explanations.
  • EXT1: P58; EXT2: P59

Under 90% OS load conditions without USB bus powered devices attached, Intense consumes ~26W (12V @ 2.16A). Attaching USB bus powered devices may increase this value (can be calculated from 12V to 5V DC/DC conversion with 90% efficiency). Under nominal conditions 3A from 12V won't be exceeded.

USB ports power behavior

Intense PC USB port power behavior:

  1. FACE Module ports – USB power always on (S0, S3, S4, S5).
  2. Motherboard back panel ports – USB power on in S0, S3 but off in S4, S5.

S0 – active
S3 – sleep
S4 – hibernate
S5 – shutdown

Core frequency cannot go beyond 800MHz

Do you experience slow down in performance due to low core frequency?

  1. Enter the BIOS
  2. Browse to the Advanced -> System Agent (SA) Configuration - > CPU PCIEx8 Port Configuration
  3. Change the Always Enable CPU PCIE(x8,x1) option from Enabled to Disabled
  4. Save the changes and exit from BIOS menu

CMOS/RTC battery facts

Rechargeable Li coin battery:

  1. ML1220 3V 18mAh
  2. In constantly powered system holds almost unlimited lifetime
  3. In powered off system or depleted battery holds 3-5 months. Then, recharging of 24 hours required
  4. Systems that are not able to store data either should be recharged (as noted), or replaced (RMA)
  5. You can also measure battery voltage. When fully charged its voltage is ~3.0V

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.

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.

Unterminated-DC-cable.png

Software

Call for one-time boot selection menu

Phoenix BIOS offers one-time boot selection menu by pressing F5 during boot. To make it work user has to make sure Windows Boot Manager is not blocking its operation - it depends if OS installed in Legacy or UEFI mode.

OS in Legacy mode:
1. On computer start clicking F5 will bring you into one-time boot selection menu


OS in UEFI mode:
1. Configure Windows Boot Manager to be the last boot order option

a. Enter BIOS menu:
i. If Windows 8 or Windows 10 enter the BIOS from the OS:
1. Do steps b, c, d below
ii. If Windows 7:
1. Remove the HDD/SSD storage
2. Boot the computer without it
3. Once shell appears type exit
4. You are in the menu. Click Tab and enter Setup
5. Do steps b, c, d below
6. Install the HDD/SSD
b. Go to boot order
c. Change Windows Boot Manager to be the last in sequence
d. Save and Exit

2. On computer start Clicking F5 will bring you into one-time boot selection menu

Does Intense PC support pfSense?

pfSense works well on Intense PC.

Links