DFI AL9A2 User manual

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AL9A2
COM Express Mini Module
User’s Manual
A46200902

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Copyright
This publication contains information that is protected by copyright. No part of it may be re-
produced in any form or by any means or used to make any transformation/adaptation without
the prior written permission from the copyright holders.
This publication is provided for informational purposes only. The manufacturer makes no
representations or warranties with respect to the contents or use of this manual and specifi-
cally disclaims any express or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular
purpose. The user will assume the entire risk of the use or the results of the use of this docu-
ment. Further, the manufacturer reserves the right to revise this publication and make changes
to its contents at any time, without obligation to notify any person or entity of such revisions
or changes.
Changes after the publication’s first release will be based on the product’s revision. The website
will always provide the most updated information.
© 2019. All Rights Reserved.
Trademarks
Product names or trademarks appearing in this manual are for identification purpose only and
are the properties of the respective owners.
COM Express Specification Reference
PICMG®COM Express®Module Base Specification.
http://www.picmg.org/
FCC and DOC Statement on Class B
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital
device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reason-
able protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a residential
installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not
installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference
to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a
particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television
reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encour-
aged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver
is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio TV technician for help.
Notice:
1. The changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compli-
ance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
2. Shielded interface cables must be used in order to comply with the emission limits.

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Table of Contents
Copyright........................................................................................................... ..2
Trademarks ........................................................................................................2
COM Express Specification Reference...................................................2
FCC and DOC Statement on Class B..................................................... 2
Warranty.............................................................................................................. 4
Static Electricity Precautions......................................................................4
Safety Measures ..............................................................................................4
About the Package......................................................................................... 5
Optional Items..................................................................................................5
Before Using the System Board...............................................................5
Chapter 1 - Introduction .............................................................................6
Specifications ................................................................................................6
Features.......................................................................................................... 7
Chapter 2 - Concept....................................................................... 8
COM Express Module Standards.............................................................. 8
Specification Comparison Table ...............................................................9
Chapter 3 - Hardware Installation.............................................. 10
Board Layout............................................................................................... 10
Block Diagram............................................................................................. 10
System Memory.......................................................................................... 11
Connectors................................................................................................... 12
COM Express Connector.............................................................................. 12
COM Express Connector Signal Discription ................................................... 15
Cooling Option............................................................................................ 21
Heat Sink ................................................................................................... 21
Installing AL9A2 onto a Carrier Board................................................. 21
Installing the COM Express Debug Card............................................. 22
Chapter 4 - BIOS Setup............................................................... 25
Overview....................................................................................................... 25
AMI BIOS Setup Utility............................................................................. 26
Main .......................................................................................................... 26
Advanced ................................................................................................... 26
Security...................................................................................................... 33
Boot........................................................................................................... 34
Save & Exit ................................................................................................ 35
Updating the BIOS .................................................................................... 36
Notice: BIOS SPI ROM ............................................................................. 36
Chapter 5 - Supported Software........................................................... 37
Chapter 6 - GPIO Programming Code................................................ 44
Appendix A - Watchdog Sample Code................................................ 45
Appendix B - System Error Message................................................... 46
Appendix C - Troubleshooting ................................................................ 48

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Warranty
1. Warranty does not cover damages or failures that arised from misuse of the product,
inability to use the product, unauthorized replacement or alteration of components and
product specifications.
2. The warranty is void if the product has been subjected to physical abuse, improper instal-
lation, modification, accidents or unauthorized repair of the product.
3. Unless otherwise instructed in this user’s manual, the user may not, under any circum-
stances, attempt to perform service, adjustments or repairs on the product, whether in or
out of warranty. It must be returned to the purchase point, factory or authorized service
agency for all such work.
4. We will not be liable for any indirect, special, incidental or consequencial damages to the
product that has been modified or altered.
Static Electricity Precautions
It is quite easy to inadvertently damage your PC, system board, components or devices even
before installing them in your system unit. Static electrical discharge can damage computer
components without causing any signs of physical damage. You must take extra care in han-
dling them to ensure against electrostatic build-up.
1. To prevent electrostatic build-up, leave the system board in its anti-static bag until you are
ready to install it.
2. Wear an antistatic wrist strap.
3. Do all preparation work on a static-free surface.
4. Hold the device only by its edges. Be careful not to touch any of the components, contacts
or connections.
5. Avoid touching the pins or contacts on all modules and connectors. Hold modules or con-
nectors by their ends.
Safety Measures
To avoid damage to the system:
• Use the correct AC input voltage range.
To reduce the risk of electric shock:
• Unplug the power cord before removing the system chassis cover for installation or servic-
ing. After installation or servicing, cover the system chassis before plugging the power
cord.
Important:
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can damage your processor, disk drive and other com-
ponents. Perform the upgrade instruction procedures described at an ESD worksta-
tion only. If such a station is not available, you can provide some ESD protection by
wearing an antistatic wrist strap and attaching it to a metal part of the system chas-
sis. If a wrist strap is unavailable, establish and maintain contact with the system
chassis throughout any procedures requiring ESD protection.

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About the Package
The package contains the following items. If any of these items are missing or damaged,
please contact your dealer or sales representative for assistance.
• 1 AL9A2 board
• 1 Heat sink
Optional Items
• COM100-B carrier board kit
• Heat spreader
The board and accessories in the package may not come similar to the information listed
above. This may differ in accordance with the sales region or models in which it was sold. For
more information about the standard package in your region, please contact your dealer or
sales representative.
Before Using the System Board
Before using the system board, prepare basic system components.
If you are installing the system board in a new system, you will need at least the following
internal components.
• Storage devices such as hard disk drive, etc.
You will also need external system peripherals you intend to use which will normally include at
least a keyboard, a mouse and a video display monitor.

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Chapter 1 - Introduction
Specifications
Chapter 1
SYSTEM Processor Intel Atom
®
Processor E3900 Series, BGA 1296
Intel Atom
®
x7-E3950 Processor, Quad Core, 2M Cache, 1.6GHz (2.0GHz), 12W
Intel Atom
®
x5-E3940 Processor, Quad Core, 2M Cache, 1.6GHz (1.8GHz), 9.5W
Intel Atom
®
x5-E3930 Processor, Dual Core, 2M Cache, 1.3GHz (1.8GHz), 6.5W
Intel
®
Pentium
®
Processor N4200, Quad Core, 2M Cache, 1.1GHz (2.5GHz), 6W (without ECC
function)
Intel
®
Celeron
®
Processor N3350, Dual Core, 2M Cache, 1.1GHz (2.4GHz), 6W (without ECC
function)
Memory 4GB/8GB DDR3L Memory Down (ECC support only for 8GB)
Single Channel DDR3L 1600MHz
BIOS AMI SPI 128Mbit (supports UEFI boot only)
GRAPHICS Controller Intel®HD Graphics
Feature OpenGL 5.0, DirectX 12, OpenCL 2.1
HW Decode: AVC/H.264, MPEG2, VC1, WMV9, JPEG/MJPEG, HEVC/H.265, VP8, VP9, MVC
HW Encode: AVC/H.264, JPEG/MJPEG, HEVC/H.265, VP8, VP9, MVC
Display 1 x DDI (HDMI/DVI/DP++)
1 x LVDS/eDP
LVDS: single channel 24-bit, resolution up to 1366x768 @ 60Hz
HDMI: resolution up to 3840x2160 @ 30Hz
DP++: resolution up to 4096x2160 @ 60Hz
eDP: resolution up to 3840x2160 @ 60Hz
Dual
Display
DDI + LVDS
DDI + eDP
EXPANSION Interface 4 x PCIe x1 (Gen 2)
1 x SDIO (available upon request)
1 x LPC
2 x I²C
1 x SMBus
1 x SPI
2 x UART (TX/RX)
AUDIO Interface HD Audio
ETHERNET Controller 1 x Intel®I210AT PCIe (10/100/1000Mbps) (0 to 60°C) or
1 x Intel®I210IT PCIe (10/100/1000Mbps) (-40 to 85°C)
I/O USB 2 x USB 3.0
8 x USB 2.0
SATA 2 x SATA 3.0 (up to 6Gb/s)
eMMC 1 x 8GB/16GB/32GB/64GB eMMC (available upon request)
GPIO 1 x 8-bit GPIO
WATCHDOG
TIMER
Output &
Interval
System Reset, Programmable via Software from 1 to 255 Seconds
POWER Type 4.75V~20V, 5VSB, VCC_RTC (ATX mode)
4.75V~20V, VCC_RTC (AT mode)
OS SUPPORT
(UEFI ONLY) Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 64-bit
Ubuntu 15.10 (Intel®graphic driver available)
ENVIRONMENT Temperature Operating: 0 to 60°C/-40 to 85°C
Storage: -40 to 85°C
Humidity Operating: 5 to 90% RH
Storage: 5 to 90% RH
MECHANICAL Dimensions COM Express®Mini
84mm (3.30") x 55mm (2.16")
Compliance PICMG COM Express®R2.1, Type 10

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Features
• Watchdog Timer
The Watchdog Timer function allows your application to regularly “clear” the system at the set
time interval. If the system hangs or fails to function, it will reset at the set time interval so
that your system will continue to operate.
• DDR3L
DDR3L is a higher performance DDR3 SDRAM interface providing less voltage and higher
speed successor. DDR3L SDRAM modules support 1600MHz for DDR modules. DDR3L delivers
increased system bandwidth and improved performance to provide its higher bandwidth and its
increase in performance at a lower power.
• Graphics
The integrated Intel®HD graphics engine delivers an excellent blend of graphics performance
and features to meet business needs. It provides excellent video and 3D graphics with out-
standing graphics responsiveness. These enhancements deliver the performance and compat-
ibility needed for today’s and tomorrow’s business applications. Supports 1 x DDI (HDMI/DVI/
DP++) and 1 x LVDS/eDP interfaces for display outputs.
• Serial ATA
Serial ATA is a storage interface that is compliant with SATA 1.0a specification. With speed of
up to 6Gb/s (SATA 3.0), it improves hard drive performance faster than the standard parallel
ATA whose data transfer rate is 100MB/s.
• Gigabit LAN
The Intel®I210AT Gigabit LAN controller or the Intel®I210IT Gigabit LAN controller supports
up to 1Gbps data transmission.
• USB
The system board supports the new USB 3.0. It is capable of running at a maximum transmis-
sion speed of up to 5 Gbit/s (625 MB/s) and is faster than USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/s, or 60 MB/s)
and USB 1.1 (12Mb/s). USB 3.0 reduces the time required for data transmission, reduces
power consumption, and is backward compatible with USB 2.0. It is a marked improvement in
device transfer speeds between your computer and a wide range of simultaneously accessible
external Plug and Play peripherals.
Chapter 1

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Chapter 2
Chapter 2 - Concept
COM Express Module Standards
The figure below shows the dimensions of the different types of COM Express modules.
AL9A2 is a COM Express Mini. The dimension is 84mm x 55mm.
106.00
91.00
70.00
51.00
4.00
18.00
6.00
0.00
16.50 4.00 0.00
Extended
BasicCompact
Mini
74.20 80.00 91.00 121.00 151.00
Common for all Form Factors
Extended only
Basic only
Compact only
Compact and Basic only
Mini only

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Chapter 2
Specification Comparison Table
The table below shows the COM Express standard specifications and the corresponding specifications supported on the AL9A2 module.
Module Pin-out - Required and Optional Features C-D Connector. PICMG®COM Express®
Revision 2.1
Note:
• 5 Indicates 12V-tolerant features on former VCC_12V signals.
• 6 Cells in the connected columns spanning rows provide a rough approximation of
features sharing connector pins.
Connector Feature
COM Express Module Base
Specification Type 10
(Single Connector) Min / Max
DFI AL9A2
Type 10
A-B
A-B PCI Express Lanes 0 - 5 1 / 4 4
A-B LVDS Channel A 0 / 1 1
A-B LVDS Channel B NA NA
A-B eDP on LVDS CH A pins 0 / 1 1(option)
A-B VGA Port NA NA
A-B TV-Out NA NA
A-B DDI 0 0 / 1 1
A-B
5
Serial Ports 1 - 2 0 / 2 2
A-B CAN interface on SER1 0 / 1 1
A-B SATA / SAS Ports 1 / 2 2
A-B AC’97 / HDA Digital Interface 0 / 1 1
A-B USB 2.0 Ports 4 / 8 8
A-B USB Client 0 / 1 0
A-B USB 3.0 Ports 0 / 2 2
A-B LAN Port 0 1 / 1 1
A-B Express Card Support 0 / 2 2
A-B LPC Bus 1 / 1 1
A-B SPI 1 / 2 1
A-B
SDIO (muxed on GPIO) 0 / 1 1(option)
General Purpose I/O 8 / 8 8
A-B SMBus 1 / 1 1
A-B I2C 1 / 1 1
A-B Watchdog Timer 0 / 1 1
A-B Speaker Out 1 / 1 1
A-B External BIOS ROM Support 0 / 2 1
A-B Reset Functions 1 / 1 1
System I/O
System Management
A-B
6
Connector Feature
COM Express Module Base
Specification Type 10
(Single Connector) Min / Max
DFI AL9A2
Type 10
A-B
A-B Thermal Protection 0 / 1 1
A-B Battery Low Alarm 0 / 1 1
A-B Suspend/Wake Signals 0 / 3 3
A-B Power Button Support 1 / 1 1
A-B Power Good 1 / 1 1
A-B VCC_5V_SBY Contacts 4 / 4 4
A-B
5
Sleep Input 0 / 1 1
A-B
5
Lid Input 0 / 1 1
A-B
5
Fan Control Signals 0 / 2 2
A-B Trusted Platform Modules 0 / 1 0
A-B
A-B VCC_12V Contacts 12 / 12 12
Power
Power Management
q p
Connector Feature
COM Express Module Base
Specification Type 10
(Single Connector) Min / Max
DFI AL9A2
Type 10
C-D
PCI Express Lanes 16 - 31 NA NA
PCI Express Graphics (PEG) NA NA
Muxed SDVO Channels 1 - 2 NA NA
PCI Express Lanes 6 - 15 NA NA
PCI Bus - 32 Bit NA NA
PATA Port NA NA
LAN Ports 1 - 2 NA NA
DDIs 1 - 3 NA NA
USB 3.0 Ports NA NA
C-D
C-D VCC_12V Contacts NA NA
System I/O
C-D
6
C-D
6
Power

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Chapter 3
Chapter 3 - Hardware Installation
Board Layout
Top View
Bottom View
Block Diagram
EEPROM
USB 2.0 8x
SATA 3.0 2x
A / B
USB
2
.
0
8x
SATA
3
.
0
2x
Intel Atom®Processor
E3900 Series
Intel
®
I210AT
Intel
®
I210IT
MDI
Channel A
DDI Port 0
DDI
Port
0
HD Audio
LPC Bus
HD
Audio
LPC
Bus
WDT
I2C Bus 1, 2
Serial Port 1, 2
Fan PWM/
TACH IN
SLP/LID
WDT
S/
USB 3.0 2x
USB
20
8x
USB
3
.
0
2x
PCIe x1 4x
PCIe
x1
4x
8GB DDR3L
Memory Down
(ECC support)
I
2
CB 1 2
Serial Port 1, 2
S
I
C Bus 1, 2
SMBus
SMBus
8-bit GPIO
TCA6408A
eMMC
(Optional)
MMC Bus
eDP/DDI
(optional)
(p )
PTN3460
LVDS
(optional)
(p )
SPI Bus
SPI
Bus
SPI BIOS
2
2
2
2
2
Embedded
Controller
S
SDIO
MDI
PCIe x1
EEPROM
EEPROM
SMBu
s
-
bit GPIO8
-
TCA640
8A
TCA640
8A
TCA6408A
T
T
T
DDR3L DDR3L DDR3L DDR3L
PTN3460
Intel Atom
E3900 Series
SPI Flash BIOS
Intel
I210AT or
I210IT
DDR3L
DDR3L DDR3L DDR3L DDR3L
IT8528VG
eMMC
(optional)
B110 B1
A110 A1
COM Express Connector