ADLINK Technology EGX-TBT-A500 User manual

EGX-TBT-A500
Pocket AI Portable GPU
User’s Manual
Manual Rev.: 1.0
Revision Date: July 13, 2023
Part No: 50M-7C007-1000

ii
Leading EDGE COMPUTING
Revision History
Revision Release Date Description of Change(s)
1.0 2023-07-13 Initial Release

iii
EGX-TBT-A500
Preface
Copyright © 2023 ADLINK Technology Inc.
This document contains proprietary information protected by copy-
right. All rights are reserved. No part of this manual may be repro-
duced by any mechanical, electronic, or other means in any form
without prior written permission of the manufacturer.
Disclaimer
The information in this document is subject to change without prior
notice in order to improve reliability, design, and function and does
not represent a commitment on the part of the manufacturer.
In no event will the manufacturer be liable for direct, indirect, spe-
cial, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the use or
inability to use the product or documentation, even if advised of
the possibility of such damages.
Environmental Responsibility
ADLINK is committed to fulfill its social responsi-
bility to global environmental preservation
through compliance with the European Union's
Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS)
directive and Waste Electrical and Electronic
Equipment (WEEE) directive. Environmental pro-
tection is a top priority for ADLINK. We have
enforced measures to ensure that our products,
manufacturing processes, components, and raw
materials have as little impact on the environment as possible.
When products are at their end of life, our customers are encour-
aged to dispose of them in accordance with the product disposal
and/or recovery programs prescribed by their nation or company.
Battery Labels (for products with battery)
ᘄ㟁ụㄳᅇᨲ

iv
California Proposition 65 Warning
WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals
including acrylamide, arsenic, benzene, cadmium,
Tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP), 1,4-
Dioxane, formaldehyde, lead, DEHP, styrene, DINP,
BBP, PVC, and vinyl materials, which are known to the State of
California to cause cancer, and acrylamide, benzene, cadmium,
lead, mercury, phthalates, toluene, DEHP, DIDP, DnHP, DBP,
BBP, PVC, and vinyl materials, which are known to the State of
California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. For
more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.
Trademarks
Product names mentioned herein are used for identification pur-
poses only and may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks
of their respective companies.
Conventions
Take note of the following conventions used throughout this
manual to make sure that users perform certain tasks and
instructions properly.
NOTE:
NOTE:
Additional information, aids, and tips that help users perform
tasks.
CAUTION:
Information to prevent minor physical injury, component dam-
age, data loss, and/or program corruption when trying to com-
plete a task.
WARNING:
Information to prevent serious physical injury, component
damage, data loss, and/or program corruption when trying to
complete a specific task.

v
EGX-TBT-A500
Table of Contents
Revision History...................................................................... ii
Preface .................................................................................... iii
List of Tables......................................................................... vii
List of Figures ........................................................................ ix
1 About your Pocket AI......................................................... 1
1.1 Overview.............................................................................. 1
1.2 Features............................................................................... 2
1.3 Specifications....................................................................... 3
1.3.1 Graphics Module ........................................................ 3
1.3.2 Software Support........................................................ 3
1.4 Mechanical Layout............................................................... 4
1.5 Pocket AI Ports .................................................................... 6
1.6 Thermal Policy ..................................................................... 7
1.7 Unpacking Checklist ............................................................ 7
2 System Requirements........................................................ 9
2.1 Connecting your Pocket AI .................................................. 9
2.2 Windows Driver Installation ............................................... 10
2.3 Verifying Windows Driver Installation ................................ 13
2.4 Linux Driver Installation ..................................................... 15
2.5 Verifying Linux Driver Installation ...................................... 18
2.6 Certifications & Agencies................................................... 20
Important Safety Instructions .............................................. 21
Getting Service...................................................................... 23

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List of Tables vii
EGX-MXM-A4500
List of Tables
Table 1-1: Pocket AI Ventilation .................................................. 5
Table 1-2: Pocket AI IO ............................................................... 6
Table 1-3: Thermal Policy............................................................ 7

viii List of Tables
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List of Figures ix
EGX-MXM-A4500
List of Figures
Figure 1-1: EGX-TBT-A500 Top View .......................................... 4
Figure 1-2: EGX-TBT-A500 Front View ........................................ 4
Figure 1-3: EGX-TBT-A500 Bottom and Back Views ................... 5
Figure 1-4: Pocket AI ports ........................................................... 6
Figure 2-1: Connecting Pocket AI to power .................................. 9
Figure 2-2: Connecting Pocket AI to your computer ..................... 9
Figure 2-3: Opening Device Manager......................................... 10
Figure 2-4: Checking Device Manager ....................................... 10
Figure 2-5: Agreeing to the license ............................................. 11
Figure 2-6: Choosing Installation type ........................................ 11
Figure 2-7: Closing the installer .................................................. 12
Figure 2-8: Opening Device Manager......................................... 13
Figure 2-9: Locating Pocket AI in Device Manager..................... 13
Figure 2-10: Opening command prompt as an administrator ....... 14
Figure 2-11: Running NVIDIA Software Management Interface ... 14
Figure 2-12: GRUB Bootloader Configuration File........................ 15
Figure 2-13: Modifying the GRUB Bootloader Configuration ........ 16
Figure 2-14: Adding NVIDIA Driver Repository............................. 17
Figure 2-15: Accessing the Ubuntu Thunderbolt Settings Menu .. 18
Figure 2-16: Running NVIDIA Software Management Interface ... 19
Figure 2-17: Verifying nvidia Module ............................................ 19

x List of Figures
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About your Pocket AI 1
EGX-TBT-A500
1 About your Pocket AI
1.1 Overview
Pocket AI is an external graphic processing unit (eGPU) with a
Thunderbolt 3 interface and powered by an external USB-PD
adapter. The device is designed to enhance the processing capa-
bility of existing computers, allowing users to develop AI applica-
tions or use graphics-intensive rendering without having to replace
their hardware.
The EGX-TBT-A500 is equipped with the latest Ampere GPU
architecture using the 7 nanometer (nm) chip process, third gener-
ation Tensor Cores with structural sparsity to improve AI perfor-
mance. With its 2048 CUDA core Ampere GPU and Thunderbolt
Interface, the EGX-TBT-A500 supports numerous existing com-
puters, delivering the latest leading-edge GPU performance for
your system and enabling AI capabilities.

2 About your Pocket AI
1.2 Features
External Thunderbolt™ 3 GPU
2048 CUDA cores
9.3 TFLOPS SP peak performance
4 GB GDDR6 memory
Thunderbolt™ 3
1 year standard warranty, extendable to 1.5 years with
optional registration
NVIDIA RTX A500 GPU
Base Clock @435 MHz
Boost Clock @1335 MHz

About your Pocket AI 3
EGX-TBT-A500
1.3 Specifications
1.3.1 Graphics Module
1.3.2 Software Support
CUDA Toolkit 8.6 and higher
OpenCL™ 3.0
DirectX® 12.2
OpenGL 4.6
Vulkan 1.3
Graphics Core
Architecture NVIDIA® Ampere GA107
GPU RTX A500
Signal Interface Thunderbolt™ 3 (PCI Express 3.0 x 4)
GPGPU Computing
CUDA Support
2048 CUDA cores, 9.3 TFLOPS FP32 Performance
CUDA Toolkit 8.6, OpenCL™ 3.0, DirectX® 12.2
OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.3 and above
Memory
GDDR6 Memory 4GB
Bandwidth 64-bit
96 GB/s data rate
Status LED
Color Green: Normal
Red: Abnormal
Physical
Dimensions w/case 110 mm x 76 mm x 32 mm
Dimensions w/o case 106 mm x 72 mm x 25 mm
Environmental
Operating Temp. 0 to 40˚C
Storage Temp. -40˚C to 85˚C
Operating Systems
Supported OS Windows 10, Windows 11 & Linux Drivers, 64-bit

4 About your Pocket AI
1.4 Mechanical Layout
Figure 1-1: EGX-TBT-A500 Top View
Figure 1-2: EGX-TBT-A500 Front View
NOTE:
NOTE:
All dimensions shown are in mm
110
76
76
23

About your Pocket AI 5
EGX-TBT-A500
Figure 1-3: EGX-TBT-A500 Bottom and Back Views
Table 1-1: Pocket AI Ventilation
Item Description
1 Ventilation intake
2 Ventilation outlet
NOTE:
NOTE:
Make sure that Pocket AI is placed on a hard, flat surface to
allow airflow, and that the vents are not blocked. Avoid place-
ment on soft surfaces like bedding or clothing.
BURN HAZARD
Touching this surface could result in bodily injury.
To reduce risk, allow the surface to cool before
touching.
RISQUE DE BRÛLURES
Ne touchez pas cette surface, cela pourrait
entraîner des blessures.
Pour éviter tout danger,
laissez la surface refroidir avant de la toucher.
1
2

6 About your Pocket AI
1.5 Pocket AI Ports
Figure 1-4: Pocket AI ports
Table 1-2: Pocket AI IO
Item Description
1 USB Type C Power Delivery (Input 15V DC/3A or 20V DC/2.25A)
2 Thunderbolt 3 Port
NOTE:
NOTE:
Some multi-mode power supplies may support 45 watts
at voltages lower than 15 volts, which may not be suit-
able for Pocket AI. Use a USB Power Delivery (USB-
PD) power supply with a minimum output of at least 45W
and a voltage of at least 15V to ensure compatibility.
NOTE:
NOTE:
Pocket AI’s Thunderbolt 3 port also works with Thunder-
bolt 4 computers and cables, but continues to operate at
Thunderbolt 3 speeds.
12

About your Pocket AI 7
EGX-TBT-A500
1.6 Thermal Policy
The GPU core clock throttles at temperatures (TJ) past the thresh-
olds shown with the behaviors as listed. Thermal throttling ensures
that the highest temperature on the die does not exceed the sense
temperature for prolonged periods of time.
Table 1-3: Thermal Policy
1.7 Unpacking Checklist
Before unpacking, check the shipping carton for any damage. If
the shipping carton and/or contents are damaged, inform your
dealer immediately. Retain the shipping carton and packing
materials for inspection. Obtain authorization from your dealer
before returning any product to ADLINK. Ensure that the fol-
lowing items are included in the package.
EGX-TBT-A500 Pocket AI
Parameter Value Units
Thermal Resistance (Junction to Case, RJC) 0.042 °C/W
Thermal Resistance (Junction to PCB Board, RJB) 2.36 °C/W
GPU Maximum Operating Temperature 89 °C
GPU Slowdown Temperature (THERM_ALERT) 98 °C
GPU Shutdown Temperature (OVERT) 100 °C
NOTE:
NOTE:
Max.GPU operating temperature is the maximum at
which the GPU is guaranteed to operate at target perfor-
mance (base clock) under total board power level
THERM_ALERT generates a 50% (÷2) hardware clock
slowdown.
OVERT generates a 87.5% (÷8) hardware clock slow-
down

8 About your Pocket AI
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System Requirements 9
EGX-TBT-A500
2 System Requirements
2.1 Connecting your Pocket AI
To set up your pocket AI for the first time:
1. Plug the USB-PD power adapter into the USB-PD port
on the Pocket AI. The green LED will illuminate.
Figure 2-1: Connecting Pocket AI to power
2. Power on your computer, and then connect Pocket AI
directly to your computer with the Thunderbolt™ cable.
Figure 2-2: Connecting Pocket AI to your computer
3. Follow the instructions in the next section to install the
driver.
NOTE:
NOTE:
Pocket AI does not support daisy-chaining or hubs/docks, and
should be directly connected to your computer.

10 System Requirements
2.2 Windows Driver Installation
Your Pocket AI needs a driver to function properly.
Before you begin, make sure that you’ve fully uninstalled any
existing NVIDIA drivers from your computer.
To install the driver:
1. Connect the Pocket AI to power as well as the Thunder-
bolt 3 port on your computer.
2. Open your Device Manager. Click Start and then type
Device Manager in the search prompt. Click Device
Manager or press the Enter key.
Figure 2-3: Opening Device Manager
3. In Device Manager, verify that 3D Video Controller is
listed under Other Devices.
Figure 2-4: Checking Device Manager
NOTE:
NOTE:
Always connect power to Pocket AI first before connecting the
Thunderbolt cable. If you accidentally connect the Thunderbolt
cable first, disconnect it before connecting power.