VersaLogic Blackbird VL-EPU4562, Blackbird VL-EPU4462 Hardware Reference Manual

Blackbird

Trusted Platform Module

Hardware
Reference

Manual

REV. August 2018

(VL-EPU­4562/4462)

Intel® Core™-based Embedded
Processing Unit with SATA, Dual
Ethernet, USB, Digital I/O, Serial,
Video, Mini PCIe Sockets, SPX,

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual i

WWW.VERSALOGIC.COM

12100 SW Tualatin Road
Tualatin, OR 97062-7341

[phone]

Fax [phone]

Copyright © 2017-2018 VersaLogic Corp. All rights reserved.

Notice:

Although every effort has been made to ensure this document is error-free, VersaLogic makes no
representations or warranties with respect to this product and specifically disclaims any implied warranties
of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose.

VersaLogic reserves the right to revise this product and associated documentation at any time without
obligation to notify anyone of such changes.

* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual ii

Product Revision Notes

Revision 1.00 Initial release

Revision 1.01 Replaced block diagram

Revision 1.02 Updated Web links and WDT information

Revision 1.03 Updated Power Connector Pinout diagram (Figure 7)

Revision 1.04 Replaced Power Connector Pinout diagram (Figure 7)

Support Page

The Blackbird Support Page contains additional information and resources for this product
including:

 Operating system information and software drivers
 Data sheets and manufacturers links for chips used in this product
 BIOS information and upgrades

VersaTech KnowledgeBase

The VersaTech KnowledgeBase contains useful technical information about VersaLogic
products, along with product advisories.

Customer Support

If you are unable to solve a problem after reading this manual, visiting the product support page,
or searching the KnowledgeBase, contact VersaLogic Technical Support at [phone].
VersaLogic support engineers are also available via e-mail at [e-mail].

Repair Service

If your product requires service, you must obtain a Returned Material Authorization (RMA)
number by calling 503-747-2261. Be ready to provide the following information:

 Your name, the name of your company, your phone number, and e-mail address

 The name of a technician or engineer that can be contacted if any questions arise

 The quantity of items being returned

 The model and serial number (barcode) of each item

 A detailed description of the problem

 Steps you have taken to resolve or recreate the problem

 The return shipping address

Warranty Repair All parts and labor charges are covered, including return shipping

Non-warranty Repair All approved non-warranty repairs are subject to diagnosis and labor

charges for UPS Ground delivery to United States addresses.

charges, parts charges and return shipping fees. Specify the shipping
method you prefer and provide a purchase order number for invoicing
the repair.

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual iii

Note:

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can damage circuit boards, disk drives, and other

not slide the board over any surface.

After removing the board from its protective wrapper, place the board on a grounded,
static-free surface, component side up. Use an antistatic foam pad if available.

The board should also be protected inside a closed metallic antistatic envelope during

Avoid touching the exposed circuitry with your fingers when handling the board. Though

defaults.

All mounting standoffs should be connected to earth ground (chassis ground). This
provides proper grounding for EMI purposes.

Mark the RMA number clearly on the outside of the box before returning.

Cautions

Electrostatic Discharge

Note: The exterior coating on some metallic antistatic bags is sufficiently conductive to cause

excessive battery drain if the bag comes in contact with the bottom side of the Blackbird.

CAUTION:

components. The circuit board must only be handled at an ESD workstation. If an
approved station is not available, some measure of protection can be provided by
wearing a grounded antistatic wrist strap. Keep all plastic away from the board, and do

shipment or storage.

Handling Care

CAUTION:

it will not damage the circuitry, it is possible that small amounts of oil or perspiration on
the skin could have enough conductivity to cause the contents of CMOS RAM to
become corrupted through careless handling, resulting in CMOS resetting to factory

Earth Ground Requirement

CAUTION:

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual iv

Contents

Cautions ............................................................................................................................. iv

Electrostatic Discharge ......................................................................................... iv

Handling Care ....................................................................................................... iv

Earth Ground Requirement ................................................................................... iv

Introduction ................................................................................................................... 9

Features ............................................................................................................................... 9

Technical Specifications ................................................................................................... 10

Block Diagram .................................................................................................................. 11

Dimensions and Mounting ................................................................................................ 12

Blackbird Dimensions ......................................................................................... 12

Configuration and Setup ............................................................................................. 13

Initial Configuration ......................................................................................................... 13

Basic Setup ....................................................................................................................... 13

BIOS Setup Utility ............................................................................................................ 15

Default BIOS Setup Values ................................................................................. 15

Operating System Installation ........................................................................................... 15

Jumper Blocks .................................................................................................................. 16

Jumper As-Shipped Configuration ...................................................................... 16

Jumper Configuration Summary .......................................................................... 16

Board Features ............................................................................................................ 18

CPU ................................................................................................................................... 18

CPU Die Temperature ......................................................................................... 18

System RAM ..................................................................................................................... 19

I/O Interfaces .................................................................................................................... 19

Real-Time Clock (RTC) ................................................................................................... 19

External Connectors ......................................................................................................... 20

Baseboard Connector Locations .......................................................................... 20

Power Delivery ................................................................................................................. 22

Main Power Connector ........................................................................................ 22

Cabling ................................................................................................................. 23

Power Requirements ............................................................................................ 23

Power Delivery Considerations ........................................................................... 23

Power Button ....................................................................................................... 24

Supported Power States ....................................................................................... 24

Battery Power Options ......................................................................................... 25

External Speaker ............................................................................................................... 26

Push-button Reset ............................................................................................................. 26

CPU Fan Connector .......................................................................................................... 27

Cabling ................................................................................................................. 28

LEDs ................................................................................................................................. 28

Power-Good/Fault Indicator LEDs ...................................................................... 30

Mass Storage Interfaces ............................................................................................. 31

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual v

SATA Interface ................................................................................................................. 31

Multi-purpose I/O ......................................................................................................... 33

USB Interfaces .................................................................................................................. 33

Mini PCIe Sockets ............................................................................................................ 34

W_DISABLE# Signal .......................................................................................... 36

Mini PCIe Card Status LEDs ............................................................................... 37

User I/O Connector ........................................................................................................... 38

Cabling ................................................................................................................. 39

Analog-to-Digital and Digital to Analog Converter Interface .......................................... 40

Cabling ................................................................................................................. 41

SPX™ Expansion Bus ...................................................................................................... 42

Cabling ................................................................................................................. 43

Serial I/O ...................................................................................................................... 44

Serial Ports ........................................................................................................................ 44

Serial Port Connector Pinout ............................................................................... 45

Cabling ................................................................................................................. 45

COM Port Configuration ..................................................................................... 46

Console Redirection ......................................................................................................... 46

Video Interfaces ........................................................................................................... 47

Mini DisplayPort++ (DP++) Connectors ......................................................................... 47

VGA Output......................................................................................................... 49

LVDS Interface ................................................................................................................. 50

LVDS Flat Panel Display Connector ................................................................... 50

LVDS Backlight Connector ................................................................................. 52

Network Interfaces ...................................................................................................... 53

Ethernet Connector .............................................................................................. 53

Cabling ................................................................................................................. 54

Ethernet Status LEDs ........................................................................................... 55

VL-CBR-4005B Paddleboard ....................................................................................... 56

VL-CBR-4005B Connectors and Indicators ........................................................ 56

User I/O Connector .............................................................................................. 57

Cabling ................................................................................................................. 58

On-board Battery ................................................................................................. 58

Auxiliary I/O Connector ...................................................................................... 59

Dimensions and Mounting Holes ........................................................................ 60

Digital and Analog I/O Paddleboards ......................................................................... 61

Analog I/O (Using VL-CBR-2004) .................................................................................. 61

Digital I/O (Using VL-CBR-2005) ................................................................................... 62

Dimensions and Mounting Holes ..................................................................................... 63

Thermal Considerations ............................................................................................. 64

Selecting the Correct Thermal Solution for Your Application ........................................ 64

Heat Plate ............................................................................................................. 64

System-level Considerations ............................................................................... 64

CPU Thermal Trip Points .................................................................................... 65

Thermal Specifications, Restrictions, and Conditions ........................................ 67

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual vi

Overall Restrictions and Conditions: ................................................................... 67

Heat Plate Only Restrictions and Conditions: ..................................................... 67

Heat Sink Only Considerations: .......................................................................... 67

Heat Sink with Fan Considerations: .................................................................... 67

EPU-4562/4462 Thermal Characterization ...................................................................... 68

Test Results.......................................................................................................... 69

Hardware Assembly ............................................................................................. 71

Installing the VL-HDW-417 Passive Heat Sink .................................................. 72

Installing the VL-HDW-418 Heat Sink Fan ........................................................ 73

KNOWN ISSUES .......................................................................................................... 74

Figures

Figure 1. Blackbird (VL-EPU-4562/4462) Block Diagram .......................................................................... 11

Figure 2. Blackbird Dimensions and Mounting Holes .................................................................................. 12

Figure 3. Typical Development Configuration .............................................................................................. 14

Figure 4. Jumpers As-Shipped Configuration................................................................................................ 16

Figure 5. Top Baseboard Connector Locations ............................................................................................. 20

Figure 6. Bottom Baseboard Connector Locations ....................................................................................... 21

Figure 7. Main Power Connector Pin Orientation ......................................................................................... 22

Figure 8. Location and Pin Orientation of the Battery Connector ................................................................. 25

Figure 9. VL-CBR-0203 Latching Battery Module ....................................................................................... 26

Figure 10. Location and Pin Orientation of the CPU Fan Connector ............................................................ 27

Figure 11. Location of Status Indicator LEDs ............................................................................................... 28

Figure 12. Location of the SATA Connectors ............................................................................................... 31

Figure 13. Location of the USB Ports ........................................................................................................... 33

Figure 14. Location of Mini PCIe Sockets .................................................................................................... 34

Figure 15. Mini PCIe Status LEDs ................................................................................................................ 37

Figure 16. Location and Pin Orientation of the User I/O Connector ............................................................. 38

Figure 17. Location and Pin Orientation of the Analog-to-Digital Input Connector ..................................... 40

Figure 18. SPX Connector Location and Pin Configuration ......................................................................... 42

Figure 19. Location and Pin Orientation of the Serial I/O Connectors .......................................................... 44

Figure 20. Location of the Mini DisplayPort++ Connector ........................................................................... 48

Figure 21. VL-CBR-2032 Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter ...................................................................... 49

Figure 22. Location of the LVDS Connectors ............................................................................................... 50

Figure 23. Location and Pin Orientation of the Ethernet Connector ............................................................. 53

Figure 24. Onboard Ethernet Status LEDs .................................................................................................... 55

Figure 25. VL-CBR-4005B Connectors, Switches, and LEDs ...................................................................... 56

Figure 26. Location and Pin Orientation of the User I/O Connector ............................................................. 57

Figure 27. Location and Pin Orientation of Auxiliary I/O Connector ........................................................... 59

Figure 28. VL-CBR-4005B Dimensions and Mounting Holes ...................................................................... 60

Figure 29. Analog I/O and Ground Terminal Block Pinouts ......................................................................... 62

Figure 30. Digital I/O and Ground Terminal Block Pinouts.......................................................................... 63

Figure 31. CBR-2004B Dimensions and Mounting Holes ............................................................................ 63

Figure 32. EPU-4562-EBP Quad Core Temperature Relative to Ambient Temperature .............................. 69

Figure 33. EPU-4562-ECP Quad Core Temperature Relative to Ambient Temperature .............................. 70

Figure 34. Hardware Assembly with Heat Plate Down ................................................................................. 71

Figure 35. Installing the Passive Heat Sink ................................................................................................... 72

Figure 36. Installing the Heat Sink Fan ......................................................................................................... 73

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual vii

Tables

Table 1: Jumper Block Configurations .......................................................................................................... 16

Table 2: Blackbird Memory Characteristics .................................................................................................. 19

Table 3: Main Power Connector Pinout ........................................................................................................ 23

Table 4: Supported Power States ................................................................................................................... 24

Table 5: CPU Fan Connector Pinout ............................................................................................................. 27

Table 6. SATA Port Configuration................................................................................................................ 32

Table 7: Mini PCIe / mSATA Socket Pinout ................................................................................................ 35

Table 8: Mini PCIe Card Status LEDs .......................................................................................................... 37

Table 9: User I/O Connector Pinout and Pin Orientation .............................................................................. 39

Table 10: Analog-to-Digital and Digital to Analog Input Connector Pinout ................................................. 41

Table 11: SPX Connector Pinout .................................................................................................................. 43

Table 12: COM1/COM2 Connector Pinout ................................................................................................... 45

Table 13: COM3/COM4 Connector Pinout ................................................................................................... 45

Table 14: Mini DisplayPort++ Connector Pinout .......................................................................................... 48

Table 15: LVDS Flat Panel Display Connector Pinout ................................................................................. 50

Table 16: LVDS Backlight Connector Pinout ............................................................................................... 52

Table 17: Ethernet Connector Pinout ............................................................................................................ 54

Table 18. Ethernet Status LED Details .......................................................................................................... 55

Table 19: User I/O Connector Pinout ............................................................................................................ 57

Table 20: Auxiliary I/O Connector Pinout .................................................................................................... 59

Table 21. CBR-2004B Pinouts ...................................................................................................................... 61

Table 22: CPU Thermal Trip Points .............................................................................................................. 65

Table 23: Temperature Monitoring Programs ............................................................................................... 66

Table 24: Absolute Minimum and Maximum Air Temperatures ................................................................... 67

Table 25: EPU-4562/4462 Thermal Testing Setup ....................................................................................... 68

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual viii

 Options for Intel Core* “SkyLake”

 Trusted Platform Module

1

Features

The Blackbird (VL-EPU-4562/4462) is a compact, rugged x86 type board-level embedded
computer. It is designed and tested to meet military and medical requirements for smaller, lighter,
low power embedded systems. The Blackbird is a member of the VersaLogic family of ultra­rugged embedded x86 computers. This embedded computer, equipped with a 6th Generation
Intel Core
vibration.

This embedded computer, equipped with an Intel Core processor, is designed to withstand
extreme temperature, impact, and vibration. Its features include:

Introduction

Introduction

* “Skylake” processor, is designed to withstand extreme temperature, impact, and

dual and quad core processors with
clock rates up to 2.0 GHz

 Integrated high-performance video.

Intel HD 520 and 530 - Gen-9
compute architecture, 24 execution
units, and GPU Turbo Boost.
Supports DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.4,
OpenCL 2.0.

 Dual Mini DisplayPort and LVDS

video outputs. LVDS backlight
control

 Up to 32 GB DDR4 memory

 Dual Gigabit Ethernet ports

 Dual USB 3.0 port and four USB 2.0

ports support keyboard, mouse, and
other devices

 Four RS-232/422/485 serial ports,

audio output, and I

The Blackbird is compatible with popular operating systems including Microsoft
Windows

*

10/WES7, and Linux (see the VersaLogic OS Compatibility Chart).

2

C support

 Three 8254 timer/counters

 On-board data acquisition support.

Eight multi-range analog inputs, four
analog outputs, and twenty four 3.3V
digital I/O lines

 Dual 6 Gb/s SATA ports support

bootable SATA hard drives

 Two Full and one half-sized Mini PCIe

Card sockets. Supports Wi-Fi modems,
GPS, MIL-STD-1553, Ethernet, flash
data storage with auto-detect mSATA
flash storage support, and other mini
PCIe modules.

 Support for SPI and SPX devices,

including low cost analog and digital
modules.

 Customization available

*

Blackbird EPUs receive 100% functional testing and are backed by a limited five-year warranty.
Careful parts sourcing and US-based technical support ensure the highest possible quality,
reliability, service, and product longevity for this exceptional EPU.

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 9

Technical Specifications

Refer to the Blackbird Data Sheet for complete specifications. Specifications are subject to
change without notification.

Introduction

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 10

PCIe Port 1

Ethernet

InterfaceOn-Board

Key :

COMc-44/COMb-45

COMe Type 6 AB,CD Conn

P08-P13

PCIe Port 0

DualLVDS (A,B)

USB 2.0 Port 2
USB 2.0 Port 3
USB 2.0 Port 4
USB 2.0 Port 5

USB 2.0 Port 6

USB_OC01#
USB_OC23#
USB_OC45#
USB_OC67#

SATAPort 0,1

LPC

SMBus

LID#

BATTLOW#

SPI
BIOS_DIS0#
BIOS_DIS1#

Express Card Port 0
Express Card Port 1

HDA

UART Port 0
UART Port 1

I

2

C Bus

SPKR
VBATT

CB_WDT
SLEEP#

Pwr Mgmt
(SLP_S3#, et al)

Not Used

PCIe Ref Clk

Clock

Fanout

(1:4)

Debug Port

ToMinicard #1
ToMinicard #2
ToMinicard #3

ToI210

Minicard #2

(Full Size)

Minicard #1

(Full Size)

DP++ (DP/HDMI)

mini-DP #2

1mm Hirose

USB VBUS

Power

Switches

V12_COME

V5SB

LVDSBacklight

SATAConn

LPC Clock

Mag

Mag

E-Mux

USB0

2.0

USB2

2.0

USB1

2.0

USB3

2.0

Pico-Clasp

Not Used

Ethernet 0

GigE MAC/PHY

2 On-board Link/Activity Ethernet LEDs & 2 Off-Board

2x8
Clik-Mate
Connector

USB 2.0 Port 7

Not Used

GPIOs/SDIO

User I/O

PLED

On/Off

PB

Reset

PB

RST_BTN# PWR_BTN#

CBR-4005 Paddleboard

AUX

Connector

Batt

I

2

C

BATT
CONN

Power Input

Regulators, Power
Switches(5V, 3.3V,

1.5V)

PCIe/SATA

PCIe

USB

FPGA

A3P600-FG256

(17x17FBGA)

SMBus

Multifunction 3.3V GPIO (x8)

Ethernet Link/Status LEDs (x2)

USB0
USB1
USB2
USB3

PCIe Buffer

FAN_TACHIN
FAN_PWMOUT

PCIE_WAKE#

Not Used

USBAudio

Audio Conn

Wide-Range

Boost/Buck
Regulator

Clock

Fanout

(1:2)

TPM

SPX

SPI SS0/1

Analog I/O

Conn

A/D

Converter

(8 ch)

SPI

XCVR

COM

CONN

9-Pin PicoClasp

FAN

CONN

SUS_S3#
SUS_S4#
SUS_STAT#
THRMTRIP#

PWROK

PWR_BTN#
SYS_RST#

USB 3.0 Ports 2,3

USB 3.0 Ports 0,1

USB 2.0 Ports 0,1

USB 3.0

PCIe Port 4
PCIe Port 5 PCIe
Port 6 (CD) PCIe
Port 7 (CD)

Not Used

Not Used

D/A

Converter

(4 ch)

RAID Drives 0,1

SATAPort 3 (COMb-45)

DDI2 (CD)

3-Port
USB

Hub

Minicard #3

(Half Size)

USB

PCIe Port 2

PCIe

DDI3 (CD)

x16 PEG (CD)

CRT (VGA)

Not Used

BIOS Flash

Not Used

I2C-to-GPIO

DIO Conn

Not Used

Watchdog Reset

2x 10-pin Pico-Clasp (CBR-2004)

2x 10-pin Pico-Clasp (CBR-2005)

SMBus

Res Mux

PCIe Port 3

To FPGA

TVS, RF Filters,
OVP/UVP Circuit

Breaker

24Mhz

Not Used

Not using TPM on COM

Not Used

enables

OC

SATAPort 2

DDI1 (CD)

DP++ (DP/HDMI)

mini-DP #1

Not Used

Block Diagram

Figure 1. Blackbird (VL-EPU-4562/4462) Block Diagram

Introduction

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 11

125.00

4.00

121.00

95.00

4.00

91.00

34.00

45.00

Dimensions and Mounting

Blackbird Dimensions

The figure below provides the board’s dimensions (COM Express Basic size base).

Figure 2. Blackbird Dimensions and Mounting Holes

(Not to scale. All dimensions in millimeters.)

Introduction

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 12

2

Initial Configuration

The following components are recommended for a typical development system with the
Blackbird EPU:

 ATX power supply

 VL-CBR-4005B paddleboard and VL-CBR-4005A cable. Refer to the chapter titled “VL-

CBR-4005B Paddleboard”, beginning on page 56 for details on the VL-CBR-4005B
paddleboard.

 USB keyboard and mouse

 SATA hard drive

 USB CD-ROM drive

Configuration and Setup

 VGA monitor and a VL-CBR-2032 Mini DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter

 A thermal solution (using either VersaLogic accessories or a customer-designed solution)

You will also need an operating system (OS) installation CD-ROM.

Basic Setup

The following steps outline the procedure for setting up a typical development system. The
Blackbird should be handled at an ESD workstation or while wearing a grounded antistatic wrist
strap.

Before you begin, unpack the Blackbird and accessories. Verify that you received all the items
you ordered. Inspect the system visually for any damage that may have occurred in shipping.
Contact [e-mail]

Gather all the peripheral devices you plan to attach to the Blackbird as well as their interface and
power cables. Attach standoffs to the board to stabilize it and make it easier to work with.

The next figure shows a typical setup for the Blackbird in the development environment.

immediately if any items are damaged or missing.

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 13

Figure 3. Typical Development Configuration

Configuration and Setup

1. Attach Cables and Peripherals

 Attach a VGA monitor to either of the baseboard’s Mini DisplayPort++ connectors using a

VL-CBR-2032.

 Attach a SATA hard disk to the either of the baseboard’s SATA connectors using a VL-

CBR-0701 or VL-CBR-0702 cable.

 Attach a VL-CBR-4005B paddleboard to the baseboard’s User I/O connector.

 Connect a USB keyboard and USB mouse to one of the USB Type-A connectors on the VL-

CBR-4005B paddleboard.

 Attach a USB CD-ROM drive to one of the USB Type-A connectors on the VL-CBR-4005B

paddleboard.

2. Connect Power Source

 Plug the power adapter cable VL-CBR-0809 into the main power connector on the

baseboard. Attach the motherboard connector of the ATX power supply to the adapter.

 Attach an ATX power cable to any 3.5-inch drive that is not already attached to the power

supply (hard drive or CD-ROM drive).

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 14

3. Install Thermal Solution

CAUTION: If BIOS default settings make the system unbootable and prevent the user

from entering the BIOS Setup utility, the Blackbird must be serviced by the factory.

 See Installing VersaLogic Thermal Solutions.

4. Review Configuration

 Before you power up the system, double-check all the connections. Make sure all cables are

oriented correctly, that adequate power is supplied to the Blackbird and all attached
peripheral devices.

5. Power On

 Turn on the ATX power supply and the video monitor. If the system is correctly configured,

a video signal should be present.

6. Install Operating System

 Install the operating system according to the instructions provided by the operating system

manufacturer.

BIOS Setup Utility

Configuration and Setup

Refer to the VersaLogic System Utility Reference Manual for information on how to configure
the Blackbird BIOS.

The Blackbird permits you to store user-defined BIOS settings. This enables you to retrieve those
settings from cleared or corrupted CMOS RAM, or battery failure. All BIOS defaults can be
changed, except the time and date. BIOS defaults can be updated with the BIOS Update Utility.

Default BIOS Setup Values

After CMOS RAM clears, the system loads default BIOS parameters the next time the board
powers on. The default CMOS RAM setup values are used in order to boot the system whenever
the main CMOS RAM values are blank, or when the system battery is dead or has been removed
from the board.

Operating System Installation

The standard PC architecture used on the Blackbird makes the installation and use of most of the
standard x86-based operating systems very simple. The operating systems listed on the

VersaLogic Software Support

maker of the operating system. Special optimized hardware drivers for a particular operating
system, or a link to the drivers, are available on the

page use the standard installation procedures provided by the

Blackbird Support Page.

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 15

Jumper Blocks

Jumper

Block

Jumper Out: Not terminated (RS-232) (default)

Jumper Out: Not terminated (RS-232) (default)

 Jumper Out: Not terminated (RS-232) (default)

Jumper Out: Not terminated (RS-232) (default)

Jumper As-Shipped Configuration

Figure 4. Jumpers As-Shipped Configuration

Configuration and Setup

Jumper Configuration Summary

Table 1: Jumper Block Configurations

Pins Function Description

1-2

V1

3-4

1-2

V2

3-4

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 16

COM1 Endpoint

Termination

COM2 Endpoint

termination

COM3 Endpoint

Termination

COM4 Endpoint

termination



Jumper In: Endpoint termination (for RS-485 or RS-422)




Jumper In: Endpoint termination (for RS-485 or RS-422)




Jumper In: Endpoint termination (for RS-485 or RS-422)



Jumper In: Endpoint termination (for RS-485 or RS-422)



Configuration and Setup

Jumper



Module (default)

 Jumper Out: Backup BIOS is not write-protected

Block

V3 1-2

V4 1-2

Pins Function Description

Primary/Backup

BIOS Select

Backup BIOS

Write Protect

Jumper In: Use Backup BIOS on the base board

 Jumper Out: Use Primary BIOS on the COM Express



Jumper In: Backup BIOS is write-protected (default)

Note: Backup BIOS write protection is not currently implemented

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 17

CPU

3

Board Features

Board Features

The Intel Core* SoC features integrated 3D graphics, video encode and decode, and memory and
display controllers in one package. The following CPU configurations are available:

 VL-EPU-4462-SAP-08: Intel Core i3-6100U – 2.3 GHz, Dual Core (8 GB memory support)

 VL-EPU-4462-SBP-16: Intel Core i5-6300U – 2.4 GHz, Dual Core (16 GB memory support)

 VL-EPU-4462-SCP-16 **: Intel Core i7-6600U – 2.6 GHz, Dual Core (16 GB memory

support)

 VL-EPU-4462-EAP-08: Intel Core i3-6100U – 2.3 GHz, Dual Core (8 GB memory support)

 VL-EPU-4462-EBP-16: Intel Core i5-6300U – 2.4 GHz, Dual Core (16 GB memory support)

 VL-EPU-4462-EBP-16: Intel Core i5-6300U – 2.4 GHz, Dual Core (16 GB memory support)

 VL-EPU-4462-EBP-16: Intel Core i5-6300U – 2.4 GHz, Dual Core (16 GB memory support)

 VL-EPU-4462-EBP-16**: Intel Core i7-6600U – 2.6 GHz, Dual Core (16 GB memory

support)

 VL-EPU-4562-ECP-16: Intel Core i7-6822EQ – 2.0 GHz, Quad Core (16 GB memory

support)

 VL-EPU-4562-ECP-32: Intel Core i7-6822EQ – 2.0 GHz, Quad Core (32 GB memory

support)

 VL-EPU-4562-SBP-16: Intel Core i5-6442EQ – 1.9 GHz, Quad Core (16 GB memory

support)

 VL-EPU-4562-SCP-16: Intel Core i7-6822EQ – 2.0 GHz, Quad Core (16 GB memory

support)

 VL-EPU-4562-SCP-32: Intel Core i7-6822EQ – 2.0 GHz, Quad Core (32 GB memory

support)

** Note: Special Order Product – Contact VersaLogic Sales for more information

CPU Die Temperature

The CPU die temperature is affected by numerous conditions, such as CPU utilization, CPU
speed, ambient air temperature, airflow, thermal effects of adjacent circuit boards, external heat
sources, and many others.

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 18

The thermal management for the Intel Core series of processors consists of a sensor located in

VL-EPU-4462-SAP-08

VL-EPU-4462-SBP-16

VL-EPU-4462-EBP-16**

VL-EPU-4562-SBP-16

VL-EPU-4562-SCP-16

DDR4

VL-EPU-4562-SCP-32

DDR4

VL-EPU-4462-EAP-08

DDR4

VL-EPU-4462-EBP-16

DDR4

2133 MT/s – Single Channel

VL-EPU-4562-EBP-16

DDR4

2133 MT/s – Single Channel

VL-EPU-4562-ECP-16

DDR4

2133 MT/s – Single Channel

VL-EPU-4562-ECP-32

DDR4

2133 MT/s – Dual Channel

the core processor area. The processor contains multiple techniques to help better manage
thermal attributes of the processor. It implements thermal-based clock throttling and thermal­based speed step transitions. There is one thermal sensor on the processor that triggers Intel's
thermal monitor (the temperature at which the thermal sensor triggers the thermal monitor is set
during the fabrication of the processor). Triggering of this sensor is visible to software by means
of the thermal interrupt LVT entry in the local APIC.

System RAM

The Blackbird has DDR4 memory with the following characteristics:

Table 2: Blackbird Memory Characteristics

Board Model Memory Type Capacity Data Rate

VL-EPU-4462-EBP-16**:

** Note: Special Order Product – Contact VersaLogic Sales for more information

Board Features

DDR4 8 GB 2133 MT/s – Single Channel

DDR4 16 GB 2133 MT/s – Single Channel

DDR4 16 GB 2133 MT/s – Single Channel

DDR4 16 GB 2133 MT/s – Single Channel

16 GB 2133 MT/s – Single Channel

32 GB 2133 MT/s – Dual Channel

8 GB 2133 MT/s – Single Channel

DDR4

16 GB

16 GB

16 GB

16 GB

32 GB

2133 MT/s – Single Channel

I/O Interfaces

Later chapters describe the Blackbird’s I/O interfaces and their associated connectors as follows:

 Mass Storage Interfaces (SATA) beginning on page 31

 Multi-purpose I/O (USB, Mini PCIe / mSATA, User I/O), beginning on page 33

 Serial I/O, beginning on page 44

 Video Interfaces (Mini DisplayPort++ and LVDS), beginning on page 47

 Network Interfaces, beginning on page 53

Real-Time Clock (RTC)

The Blackbird features a real-time clock/calendar (RTC) circuit. The Blackbird supplies RTC
voltage in S5, S3, and S0 states, but requires an external +2.75 V to +3.3 V battery connection.
Refer to the section titled Battery Power Options on page 25 for more information. The BIOS
Setup utility sets the RTC.

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 19

External Connectors

Baseboard Connector Locations

Figure 5. Top Baseboard Connector Locations

Board Features

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 20

Figure 6. Bottom Baseboard Connector Locations

Board Features

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 21

Power Delivery

Main Power Connector

An 8-pin power connector applies the Main input power to the Blackbird. The figure below
shows the location and the pin orientation of the main power connector. Table 3 lists the pinout
of the main power connector.

Figure 7. Main Power Connector Pin Orientation

Board Features

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 22

Table 3: Main Power Connector Pinout

Main input voltage

(+8V to +30V)

Main input voltage

(+8V to +30V)

Main input voltage

(+8V to +30V)

An open-drain signal

power fault (Note)

The power input is under or over-voltage (not in the 8 - 30V range).

Board Features

Pin Signal Description

1 PWRIN_POS

3 EARTH_GND Earth ground

5 POWER_FAULT

7 PWRIN_NEG Power return

Note: A power fault can be due any of the following conditions:

• The input power is off.

• The main input regulator has failed.

•

• Low if power is OK

• Open if there is a

Pin Signal Description

2 PWRIN_POS

4 PWRIN_POS

6 PWRIN_NEG Power return

8 PWRIN_NEG Power return

Cabling

An adapter cable, part number VL-CBR-0809, is available for connecting the Blackbird to an
ATX power supply.

If your application requires a custom cable, the following information will be useful:

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Board Connector Mating Connector

Molex 055959-0830 Molex 051353-0800

Power Requirements

The Blackbird requires a single +8 to +30 VDC supply capable of providing at least 35 W
average power that can also provide a peak power of 60 W. The input DC supply creates both the
standby and payload voltages provided to the CPU module.

The exact power requirements for the Blackbird depend on several factors, including CPU
configuration (the number of cores, CPU clock rate), memory configuration, peripheral
connections, and attached devices, and others.

The VersaLogic VL-PS-ATX12-300A is a 1U size ATX power supply suitable for use with the
Blackbird. Use the VL-CBR-0809 adapter cable to attach the power supply to the main power
connector.

Power Delivery Considerations

Using the VersaLogic approved power supply (VL-PS-ATX12-300A) and power cable
(VL-CBR-0809) will ensure high quality power delivery to the board. Customers who design
their own power delivery methods should take into consideration the guidelines below to ensure
good power connections.

The specifications for typical operating current do not include any off-board power usage that
fed through the Blackbird power connector. Expansion boards and USB devices plugged into the
board will source additional power through the Blackbird power connector.

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 23

Board Features

All processor caches are flushed and the CPUs stop executing instructions. Power to

may be powered down.

Hibernation or Suspend-to-Disk. All content of main memory is saved to non-volatile
memory, such as a hard drive, and is powered down.

Soft Off. Almost the same as G3 Mechanical Off, except that the power supply still

A full reboot is

device.

 Do not use wire smaller than 22 AWG. Use high quality UL 1007 compliant stranded wire.

 The length of the wire should not exceed 18 inches.

 Avoid using any additional connectors in the power delivery system.

 The power and ground leads should be twisted together, or as close together as possible to

reduce lead inductance.

 A separate conductor must be used for each of the power pins.

 All power input pins and all ground pins must be independently connected between the

power source and the power connector.

 Use a high quality power supply that can supply a stable voltage while reacting to widely

varying current draws.

Power Button

The User I/O connector (shown in Figure 16 on page 38) includes an input for a power button. A
momentary short to ground or assertion of pin 17 will cause a power button ACPI event. The
button event can be configured in Windows to enter an S3 power state (Sleep, Standby, or
Suspend-to-RAM), an S4 power state (Hibernate or Suspend-to-Disk), or an S5 power state
(Shutdown or Soft-Off). This connector uses IEC 61000-4-2-rated TVS components to help
protect against ESD damage.

A power button is provided on the VL-CBR-4005B paddleboard. Refer to the chapter titled VL­CBR-4005B Paddleboard, beginning on page 56 for more information.

Supported Power States

The next table lists the Blackbird’s supported power states.

Table 4: Supported Power States

Power State Description

S0 (G0) Working

S1 (G1-S1)

S3 (G1-S3) Commonly referred to as Standby, Sleep, or Suspend-to-RAM. RAM remains powered.

S4 (G1-S4)

S5 (G2)

G3 Mechanical off (ATX supply switch turned off).

the CPUs and RAM is maintained. Devices that do not indicate they must remain on

provides power, at a minimum, to the power button to allow return to S0.
required. No previous content is retained. Other components may remain powered so
the computer can "wake" on input from the keyboard, clock, modem, LAN, or USB

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 24

Board Features

Battery Power Options

The battery circuit on the Blackbird provides power for the Real-Time Clock (RTC) and power
to store BIOS Setup utility settings in non-volatile RAM.

The Blackbird has multiple options for providing battery power:

 Use an external battery (the VL-CBR-0203, for example) connected to the board through the

battery connector.

 Use the battery supplied with the CBR-4005B paddleboard

The figure below shows the location and pin orientation of the battery connector.

Figure 8. Location and Pin Orientation of the Battery Connector

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 25

Board Features

Cabling

If your application requires a custom cable, the following information will be useful:

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Board Connector Mating Connector

Molex 501331-0207 Molex 501330-0200

VL-CBR-0203 External Battery Module

The VL-CBR-0203 external battery module is compatible with the Blackbird. For more
information, contact [e-mail]

Figure 9. VL-CBR-0203 Latching Battery Module

.

External Speaker

The User I/O connector (shown in Figure 16 on page 38) includes a speaker output signal at pin

15. The VL-CBR-4005B paddleboard provides a piezoelectric speaker. Figure 25 on page 56
shows the location of the piezoelectric speaker on the VL-CBR-4005B paddleboard.

Push-button Reset

The User I/O connector (shown in Figure 16 on page 38) includes an input for a push-button
reset switch. Shorting pin 18 to ground causes the Blackbird to reboot. This must be a
mechanical switch or an open-collector or open-drain active switch with less than a 0.5V low­level input when the current is 1 mA. There must be no pull-up resistor on this signal. This
connector uses IEC 61000-4-2-rated TVS components to help protect against ESD damage.

A reset button on the VL-CBR-4005B paddleboard is provided. Refer to the chapter titled VL­CBR-4005B Paddleboard, beginning on page 56 for more information.

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 26

CPU Fan Connector

Pin

Signal

1

Ground

2

+12 VDC (Note)

3

FAN_TACH

4

FAN_CONTROL

Note: There is a stuffing option to change

Pin 2 to V12_S0 for custom products

The Blackbird provides a four-pin CPU fan connector. The figure below shows the location and
pin orientation of the CPU fan connector.

Figure 10. Location and Pin Orientation of the CPU Fan Connector

Board Features

The table below provides the pinout of the CPU fan connector.

Table 5: CPU Fan Connector Pinout

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 27

Cabling

LED

Status Indication

Position

If your application requires a custom cable, the following information will be useful:

LEDs

The figure below shows the locations of the status indicator LEDs

Figure 11. Location of Status Indicator LEDs

EPU-4562/4462 Board Connector Mating Connector

Molex 502386-0470 Molex 502380-0400

Wireless WAN/LAN activity for module installed in Mini

D7

PCIe Socket #3 (WWAN is Green, WLAN is Yellow)

Board Features

D8 SATA/mSATA (blue) activity

D9 Power good (green) and fault indicator (yellow) dual-LED

D10 Link activity (green) for Ethernet port 0

D11 Link activity (green) for Ethernet port 1

D12

Wireless WAN/LAN activity for module installed in Mini
PCIe Socket #1 (WWAN is Green, WLAN is Yellow)

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 28

Board Features

Wireless WAN/LAN activity for module installed in Mini
PCIe Socket #2 (WWAN is Green, WLAN is Yellow)

LED Status Indication Position

Status of power and wireless PAN activity for module

D13

installed in Mini PCIe Socket #1 (Power Status is yellow,
wireless PAN activity is green)

D14

Status of power and wireless PAN activity for module

D15

installed in Mini PCIe Socket #2 (Power Status is yellow,
wireless PAN activity is green)

D16

Status of power and wireless PAN activity for module
installed in Mini PCIe Socket #3 (Power Status is yellow,
wireless PAN activity is green)

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 29

Board Features

Power-Good/Fault Indicator LEDs

A dual-color (green/yellow) LED (D9) provides the following status:

 Green – indicates power good when the Blackbird in an S0 state. When in sleep modes, the

LED pulses every 2 seconds.

 Yellow – indicates a fault. If this LED remains lit after power-cycling the Blackbird, contact

VersaLogic Customer Support.

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 30

SATA Interface

4

The Blackbird provides three serial ATA 3.0 (SATA 3.0) ports that communicate at a rate of up
to 6.0 Gbits/s. Two ports connect to right-angle SATA connectors with latching capability. The
third port connects to Minicard #1 when an mSATA module is installed.

The ATX power supplies Power to the SATA drive. Note that the standard SATA drive power
connector is different from the common 4-pin Molex connector used on IDE drives. Most current
ATX power supplies provide SATA connectors, and many SATA drives provide both types of
power connectors. If the power supply you are using does not provide SATA connectors,
adapters are available.

Figure 12. Location of the SATA Connectors

Mass Storage Interfaces

Mass Storage Interfaces

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 31

Mass Storage Interfaces

Table 6. SATA Port Configuration

COM Port Port Speed Destination

0 SATA 3.0 On-board SATA right-angle latching connector J1 (VL P/N

XE1SATASA)

1 SATA 3.0 On-board SATA right-angle latching connector J3 (VL P/N

XE1SATASA)

2 SATA 3.0 Electronically mux’d to the minicard #1 when selected for mSATA

mode (otherwise this port is not used).

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 32

USB Interfaces

5

As shown below, the Blackbird supports four USB 2.0 Host ports and two USB 3.0 Super-Speed
ports.

Figure 13. Location of the USB Ports

Multi-purpose I/O

Multi-purpose I/O

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 33

Mini PCIe Sockets

The figure below shows the location of the three Mini PCIe sockets. All three minicards support
USB and SMBus interfaces. Minicard 1 is full-size and supports either a PCIe Minicard or an
mSATA module. Minicard 2 is also full-size and supports PCIe. Minicard 3 is half-size and
supports PCIe. For information on Mini PCIe modules available from VersaLogic, contact

[e-mail]

The VL-MPEs-F1E series of mSATA modules provide flash storage of 4 GB, 16 GB, or 32 GB.

To secure a Mini PCIe card or mSATA module to the on-board standoffs, use two M2.5 x 6 mm
pan head Philips nylon screws. These screws are available in quantities of 10 in the VL-HDW­108 hardware kit from VersaLogic.

Figure 14. Location of Mini PCIe Sockets

Multi-purpose I/O

.

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 34

Mini PCIe

Signal Name

mSATA

Signal Name

Table 7: Mini PCIe / mSATA Socket Pinout

Multi-purpose I/O

Pin

1 WAKE# Wake Reserved Not connected

2 3.3VAUX 3.3 V auxiliary source +3.3V 3.3 V source

3 NC Not connected Reserved Not connected

4 GND Ground GND Ground

5 NC Not connected Reserved Not connected

6 1.5V 1.5 V power +1.5V 1.5 V power

7 CLKREQ# Reference clock request Reserved Not connected

8 NC Not connected Reserved Not connected

9 GND Ground GND Ground

10 NC Not connected Reserved Not connected

11 REFCLK- Reference clock input – Reserved Not connected

12 NC Not connected Reserved Not connected

13 REFCLK+ Reference clock input + Reserved Not connected

14 NC Not connected Reserved Not connected

15 GND Ground GND Ground

16 NC Not connected Reserved Not connected

17 NC Not connected Reserved Not connected

18 GND Ground GND Ground

19 NC Not connected Reserved Not connected

20 W_DISABLE# Wireless disable Reserved Not connected

21 GND Ground GND Ground

22 PERST# Card reset Reserved Not connected

23 PERn0 PCIe receive – +B Host receiver diff. pair +

24 3.3VAUX 3.3 V auxiliary source +3.3V 3.3 V source

25 PERp0 PCIe receive + -B Host receiver diff. pair –

26 GND Ground GND Ground

27 GND Ground GND Ground

28 1.5V 1.5 V power +1.5V 1.5 V power

29 GND Ground GND Ground

30 SMB_CLK SMBus clock Two Wire I/F Two wire I/F clock

31 PETn0 PCIe transmit –

32 SMB_DATA SMBus data Two Wire I/F Two wire I/F data

33 PETp0 PCIe transmit +

34 GND Ground GND Ground

35 GND Ground GND Ground

36 USB_D- USB data – Reserved Not connected

Mini PCIe Function

mSATA Function

-A Host transmitter diff. pair
–

+A Host transmitter diff. pair

+

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 35

Multi-purpose I/O

Mini PCIe

Signal Name

mSATA

Signal Name

Pin

37 GND Ground GND Ground

38 USB_D+ USB data + Reserved Not connected

39 3.3VAUX 3.3V auxiliary source +3.3V 3.3 V source

40 GND Ground GND Ground

41 3.3VAUX 3.3 V auxiliary source +3.3V 3.3 V source

42

43 GND

44 LED_WLAN# Wireless LAN LED Reserved Not connected

45 NC Not connected Vendor Not connected

46 LED_WPAN# Wireless PAN LED Reserved Not connected

47 NC Not connected Vendor Not connected

48 1.5V 1.5 V power +1.5V 1.5 V power

49 Reserved Reserved DA/DSS Device activity

50 GND Ground GND Ground

51 Reserved Reserved

52 3.3VAUX 3.3 V auxiliary source +3.3V 3.3 V source

LED_WW AN
#

Mini PCIe Function

Wireless WAN LED

mSATA Detect (Note 1)

mSATA Function

Reserved Not connected

GND/NC Ground/Not connected

GND

Ground (Note 2)

Notes:

1. Some mSATA modules do not leave Pin 43 open.

2. Some Mini PCIe cards use this signal as a second Mini PCIe card wireless disable input. On the
Blackbird, this signal is available for use for mSATA versus Mini PCIe card detection. There is an
option on the VersaLogic Features BIOS Setup utility screen for setting the mSATA detection
method.

W_DISABLE# Signal

The W_DISABLE# signal is for use with optional wireless Ethernet Mini PCIe cards. The signal
enables you to disable a wireless card’s radio operation in order to meet public safety regulations
or when otherwise desired. W_DISABLE# is an active low signal that when driven low (shorted
to ground) disables radio operation on the Mini PCIe card wireless device. When W_DISABLE#
is not asserted, or in a high impedance state, the radio may transmit if not disabled by other
means such as software. The W_DISABLE# signals for each of the three Minicards are
controlled by registers in the FPGA.

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 36

Multi-purpose I/O

Mini PCIe Card Status LEDs

These LEDs provide status for modules installed in the Mini PCIe sockets. The table below lists
the states of the LEDs. The Power On LED is an important warning to not hot-plug the minicard.
It is intentionally yellow to indicate “caution”. Figure 15 shows their location on the Blackbird.

Table 8: Mini PCIe Card Status LEDs

LED Ref Des State Description

Green (WWAN) D12 (#1)

D14 (#2)

D7 (#3)

Yellow (WLAN) D12 (#1)

D14 (#2)

D7 (#3)

Green (WPAN) D13 (#1)

D15 (#2)

D16 (#3)

Yellow

(Power On)

D13 (#1)

D15 (#2)

D16 (#3)

On WWAN active

Off W WAN inactive

On WLAN active

Off W LAN inactive

On W PAN active

Off W PAN inactive

On Minicard Power is On

Off Minicard Power is Off

Figure 15. Mini PCIe Status LEDs

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 37

User I/O Connector

The 40-pin user I/O connector incorporates the signals for the following:

 Four USB ports

 Eight GPIO lines (these are functionally muxed with six timer I/O signals per FPGA

registers). There are eight timer signals and they share digital I/Os 16-9. The eight GPIO
lines on the paddleboard each have an alternate mode, accessible using the FPGA’s
AUXMODE1 register. Refer to the EPU-4562/4462 Programmer’s Reference Manual for
more information on FPGA registers.

 Three LEDs (two Ethernet link status LEDs and a programmable LED)

 Two I

 Push-button power switch

 Push-button reset switch

 Speaker output

2

C signals (clock and data)

Multi-purpose I/O

This connector uses IEC 61000-4-2-rated TVS components to help protect against ESD damage.

The following figure shows the location and pin orientation of the user I/O connector.

Figure 16. Location and Pin Orientation of the User I/O Connector

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 38

The following table provides the pinout of the user I/O connector.

Pin

Signal

Pin

Signal

1

+5 V (Note 1)

2

GND

3

USB1_P

4

USB2_P

5

USB1_N

6

USB2_N

7

+5V (Note 2)

8

GND

9

USB3_P

10

USB4_P

11

USB3_N

12

USB4_N

13

+3.3 V (Note 3)

14

GND

15

SPKR#

16

PLED#

17

PWR_BTN#

18

RST_BTN#

19

GND

20

GND

21

I2C Clock

22

V_BATT

23

I2C Data

24

V_BATT Return

25

GND

26

GND

27

GPIO1

28

GPIO2

29

GPIO3

30

GPIO4

31

GND

32

GND

33

GPIO5

34

GPIO6

35

GPIO7

36

GPIO8

37

+3.3 V (Note 4)

38

GND

39

ETH LED0

40

ETH LED1

Notes:

be powered by a 3.3 V power source.

Table 9: User I/O Connector Pinout and Pin Orientation

Multi-purpose I/O

1. This is the +5V VBUS power for USB Port 1 and 2.

2. This is the +5V VBUS power for USB Port 3 and 4.

3. This 3.3 V power goes off in sleep modes. The SPKR# uses this power as
should the PLED# (there is no requirement for PLED# to use this power, but the
VL-CBR-4005B paddleboard does).

4. This 3.3 V power can be turned on or off similar to the 3.3V power to the Mini
Card via the FPGA (can go off in sleep modes or always stay on; by default it
goes off in sleep modes). It is used for the 10 kΩ pullup resistor power on the 8x
GPIOs and usually for the 2x Ethernet LEDs, however, the Ethernet LEDs can

Cabling

An adapter cable, part number VL-CBR-4005A, is available for connecting the CBR-4005B
paddleboard to the VL-EPU-4562/4462. This is a 12-inch, Pico-Clasp 40-pin to 40-pin cable.

If your application requires a custom cable, the following information will be useful:

EPU-4562/4462 Board Connector Mating Connector

Molex 501571-4007 Molex 501189-4010

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 39

Multi-purpose I/O

Analog-to-Digital and Digital to Analog Converter Interface

The Analog-to-Digital and Digital to Analog converter interface provides eight single-ended
analog input channels. The figure below shows the location and pin orientation of the Analog-to­Digital and Digital to Analog connector.

The 20-pin I/O connector (J30) incorporates 16 Digital I/O (DIO) lines that are independently
configurable as an input or output. DIO inputs can be set for normal or inverted level. DIO
outputs can be set to be normal HIGH or LOW state. There are pull-up resistors to +3.3 V on all
DIO lines. The pull-ups implemented — in the FPGA — can range in value from 20 kΩ to 40
kΩ. After reset, the DIO lines are set as inputs with pull-ups that will be detected as a HIGH state
to external equipment.

VersaLogic provides a set of application programming interface (API) calls for managing the
DIO lines. See the VersaAPI Support Page for information

Figure 17. Location and Pin Orientation of the Analog-to-Digital Input Connector

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 40

Multi-purpose I/O

±0.64 V

0 to 1.28 V

±1.28 V

0 to 2.56 V

±2.56 V

0 to 5.12 V

±5.12 V

0 to 10.24 V

±10.24 V

The EPU-4562/4462 uses a Texas Instruments ADS8668 eight-channel 12-bit A/D converter.
The converter has a 500 kilo-samples-per-second (ksps) aggregate sampling rate, with a 1.115 μs
acquisition time, high-impedance The converter is per-channel programmable for the following
input ranges:



















Communications with the A/D converter are handled by the FPGA, which uses the SPX slave
selection signal for SPI device 5 to enable the A/D read strobe for the SPI interface. Refer to the
VL-EPU-4562/4462 Programmer’s Reference Manual (available on the EPU-4562/4462 Product
Support Web Page) for information on configuring the SPX registers for A/D access.

Refer to the Texas Instruments ADS8668 A/D Converter Datasheet

for programming

information.

This table provides the pinout of the Analog-to-Digital and Digital to Analog Input connector.

Table 10: Analog-to-Digital and Digital to Analog Input Connector Pinout

Pin Signal Pin Signal

1 Analog Input 1 2 Analog Input 2

3 Analog Ground 4 Analog Ground

5 Analog Input 3 6 Analog Input 4

7 Analog Ground 8 Analog Ground

9 Analog Input 5 10 Analog Input 6

11 Analog Ground 12 Analog Ground

13 Analog Input 7 14 Analog Input 8

15 Analog Ground 16 Analog Ground

17 Analog Output #1 18 Analog Output #2

19 Analog Output #3 20 Analog Output #4

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 41

Cabling

The VL-CBR-2004 paddleboard is bundled with an adapter cable for connecting the Blackbird to
the VL-CBR-2004 paddleboard. This is a 12-inch, Pico-Clasp 20-pin to 20-pin cable.

If your application requires a custom cable, the following information will be useful:

EPU-4562/4462 Board Connector Mating Connector

Molex 501571-2007 Molex 501189-2010

SPX™ Expansion Bus

Up to two serial peripheral expansion (SPX) devices can be attached to the Blackbird at
connector using a CBR-0901 cable. The SPX interface provides the standard serial peripheral
interface (SPI) signals: CLK, MISO, and MOSI, as well as two chip selects, SS0# and SS1#. The
+5 V power provided to pin 1 of the SPX connector is protected by a 1 A resettable fuse.

The figure below shows the location and pin orientation of the SPX connector.

Figure 18. SPX Connector Location and Pin Configuration

Multi-purpose I/O

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 42

Multi-purpose I/O

Note)

The table below lists the pinout of the SPX connector.

Table 11: SPX Connector Pinout

Pin Signal Function

1 VCC

2 CLK SPX Clock

3 GND Ground

4 MISO Master input, Slave output

5 GND Ground

6 MOSI Master output, Slave input

7 GND Ground

8 SS0# Chip Select 0

9 SS1# Chip Select 1

Note. This power is off in sleep mode

+5.0 V (

SPI is, in its simplest form, a three wire serial bus. One signal is a clock, driven only by the
permanent master device on-board. The others are Data In and Data Out with respect to the
master. The SPX implementation on the Blackbird supports chip selects. The master device
initiates all SPI transactions. A slave device responds when its chip select is asserted and it
receives clock pulses from the master. All four common SPI modes are supported through the use
of clock polarity and clock idle state controls.

Cabling

An adapter cable, part number CBR-0901, is available. This is a 9-inch, 9-pin Pico-Clasp to Dual
SPX cable.

If your application requires a custom cable, the following information will be useful:

EPU-4562/4462 Board Connector Mating Connector

Molex 501568-0907 Molex 501330-0900

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 43

Serial Ports

6

The Blackbird provides four serial ports. All ports can operate in either RS-232, RS-422, or RS­485 mode. IRQ interrupts are chosen in the BIOS Setup utility. The UARTs are 16550-based
serial ports implemented in the FPGA.

The figure below shows the location and pin orientation of the two serial I/O connectors.

Figure 19. Location and Pin Orientation of the Serial I/O Connectors

Serial I/O

Serial I/O

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 44

Serial Port Connector Pinout

Table 12: COM1/COM2 Connector Pinout

Serial I/O

Pin RS-232 Signal

1 RTS1 TXD1_P

2 TXD1# TXD1_N

3 CTS1 RXD1_P

4 RXD1# RXD1_N

5 GND GND —

6 RTS2 TXD2_P

7 TXD2# TXD2_N

8 CTS2 RXD2_P

9 RXD2# RXD2_N

10 GND GND —

Table 13: COM3/COM4 Connector Pinout

Pin RS-232 Signal

1 RTS3 TXD3_P

2 TXD3# TXD3_N

3 CTS3 RXD3_P

4 RXD3# RXD3_N

5 GND GND —

6 RTS4 TXD4_P

7 TXD4 TXD4_N

8 CTS4 RXD4_P

9 RXD4# RXD4_N

10 GND GND —

RS-422/RS-485

Signal

RS-422/RS-485

Signal

Port

COM1

COM2

Port

COM3

COM4

Cabling

An adapter cable, part number CBR-1014, is available for routing the serial I/O signals to 9-pin
D-sub connectors. This is a 12-inch, Pico-Clasp 10-pin to two 9-pin D-sub connector cable.

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 45

If your application requires a custom cable, the following information will be useful:

EPU-4562/4462 Board Connector Mating Connector

Molex 501331-1007 Molex 501330-1000

COM Port Configuration

Jumper blocks V1 and V2 configure the serial ports for RS-232 or RS-485/RS-422 operation. See
the section titled “Jumper Blocks” on page 16 for details. The termination resistor should only be
enabled for RS-485 or RS-422 endpoint stations and not for intermediate stations. Termination
must not be used for RS-232.

Console Redirection

The Blackbird can be configured for remote access by redirecting the console to a serial
communications port. The BIOS Setup utility and some operating systems (such as MS-DOS)
can use this console for user interaction. The default settings for the redirected console are as
follows:

 115,200 baud rate

Serial I/O

 8 data bits, No parity, 1 stop bit (that is, 8-None-1)

 No flow control

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 46

Video Interfaces

7

The Intel Core processor series contains an integrated graphics engine with advanced 2D/3D
graphics, video decode and encode capabilities, and a display controller. The Blackbird provides
the following video interfaces:

 Two Mini DisplayPort++ connectors

 One LVDS display connector; a 4-pin LVDS backlight control connector is also provided

Mini DisplayPort++ (DP++) Connectors

DisplayPort consists of three interfaces:

 Main Link – transfers high-speed isochronous video and audio data

 Auxiliary channel – used for link management and device control; the EDID is read over this

interface

Video Interfaces

 Hot Plug Detect – indicates that a cable is plugged in

The DisplayPort interface supports:

 Audio signaling

 DP++ mode allowing connection to an HDMI device through a passive adapter. “Passive”

means that the adapter does not do any protocol conversion from DP to HDMI (the upstream
processor switches to HDMI mode after it detects the adapter) and as a result it does not
require software drivers.

The next figure shows the location of the 20-pin Mini DisplayPort++connector. Table 14 lists the
pinout of these Mini DisplayPort++ connectors.

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 47

Figure 20. Location of the Mini DisplayPort++ Connector

Pin

Signal

Pin

Signal

1

GND 2

HOT PLUG DETECT

3

ML_LANE0_P

4 CONFIG 1

5

ML_LANE0_N

6 CONFIG 2

7

GND 8

GND

9

ML_LANE1_P

10

ML_LANE3_P

11

ML_LANE1_N

12

ML_LANE3_N

13

GND 14

GND

15

ML_LANE2_P

16

AUX_CH_P

17

ML_LANE2_N

18

AUX_CH_N

Note

Video Interfaces

Table 14: Mini DisplayPort++ Connector Pinout

19 GND

20 DP_POWER (3.3V)

Note: Power is off in sleep modes and the maximum current is 500mA and has a 1A resettable fuse.

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 48

Video Interfaces

VGA Output

A VGA monitor can be attached to either Mini DisplayPort++ connector using the VL-CBR­2032 Mini DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter, similar to the one below.

Figure 21. VL-CBR-2032 Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 49

LVDS Interface

1

GD1

Guard (tie to Earth Ground).

2

LVDS_ODD0_N

LVDS Odd Lane 0 Neg Diff Signal

3

LVDS_ODD0_P

LVDS Odd Lane 0 Pos Diff Signal

4

LVDS_ODD1_N

LVDS Odd Lane 1 Neg Diff Signal

5

LVDS_ODD1_P

LVDS Odd Lane 1 Pos Diff Signal

6

LVDS_ODD2_N

LVDS Odd Lane 2 Neg Diff Signal

7

LVDS_ODD2_P

LVDS Odd Lane 2 Pos Diff Signal

8

GND1

Signal/Power Ground

9

LVDS_ODDCLK_N

LVDS Odd Clock Neg Diff Signal

10

LVDS_ODDCLK_P

LVDS Odd Clock Pos Diff Signal

11

LVDS_ODD3_N

LVDS Odd Lane 3 Neg Diff Signal

12

LVDS_ODD3_P

LVDS Odd Lane 3 Pos Diff Signal

13

LVDS_EVEN0_N

LVDS Even Lane 0 Neg Diff Signal

LVDS Flat Panel Display Connector

The integrated LVDS flat panel display in the Blackbird is an ANSI/TIA/EIA-644-1995
specification-compliant interface. It can support 18 or 24 bits of RGB pixel data plus 3 bits of
timing control (HSYNC/VSYNC/DE) on the 4 differential data output pairs. The LVDS interface
supports a maximum resolution of 1920x1080 (60 Hz). The figure below shows the location of
the LVDS display connector as well as the location and pin orientation of the LVDS back light
connector.

The BIOS Setup utility provides several options for standard LVDS flat panel types. If these
options do not match the requirements of the panel you are using, contact

[e-mail]

Figure 22. Location of the LVDS Connectors

Video Interfaces

for a custom video BIOS.

Table 15: LVDS Flat Panel Display Connector Pinout

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 50

Pin Signal Name Function

Pin Signal Name Function

14

LVDS_EVEN0_P

LVDS Even Lane 0 Pos Diff Signal

15

GND2

Signal/Power Ground

16

LVDS_EVEN1_N

LVDS Even Lane 1 Neg Diff Signal

17

LVDS_EVEN1_P

LVDS Even Lane 1 Pos Diff Signal

18

GND3

Signal/Power Ground

19

LVDS_EVEN2_N

LVDS Even Lane 2 Neg Diff Signal

20

LVDS_EVEN2_P

LVDS Even Lane 2 Pos Diff Signal

21

LVDS_EVENCLK_N

LVDS Even Clock Neg Diff Signal

22

LVDS_EVENCLK_P

LVDS Even Clock Pos Diff Signal

23

LVDS_EVEN3_N

LVDS Even Lane 3 Neg Diff Signal

24

LVDS_EVEN3_P

LVDS Even Lane 3 Pos Diff Signal

25

GND4

Signal/Power Ground

26

GND5

Signal/Power Ground

27

VCC1

Panel Power (3.3V) Note

28

GND6

Signal/Power Ground

29

VCC2

Panel Power (3.3V)

30

VCC3

Panel Power (3.3V)

31

VCC4

Panel Power (3.3V)

32

GD2

Guard (tie to Earth Ground).

Mounting pad on Pin1 end connected
to Guard pins (tie to Earth Ground).

Mounting pad on Pin 32 end

Ground).

33 MP1

Video Interfaces

34 MP2

Note: Panel power goes off in sleep modes.

connected to Guard pins (tie to Earth

The +3.3V power provided to pins 19 and 20 is protected by a software-controllable power
switch (1 Amp max.). The LVDD_EN signal controls this switch from the LVDS interface
controller in the CPU.

Cabling

The following LVDS cables are available for use with the Blackbird board:

VL-CBR-3001 – 20” 2-Ch LVDS 30-pin JAE to 30-pin JAE, RoHS

VL-CBR-3002 – 20” 1-Ch LVDS 30-pin JAE to 1.25mm 20-pin Hirose, RoHS

VL-CBR-3003 – 20” 1-Ch LVDS 30-pin JAE to 20-pin JAE, RoHS

If your application requires a custom cable, the following information will be useful:

EPU-4562/4462 Board Connector Mating Connector

Hirose DF19G-20P-1H(54)

• Hirose DF19G-20S-1C (housing)

• Hirose DF19-2830SCFA x19 (crimp socket)

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 51

Video Interfaces

LVDS backlight enable output. (5V TTL-level signal by default
but will operate at higher voltages if the LVDS_BKLT_PWR is

High = enabled, Low = disabled.

LVDS backlight control output. (5V TTL-level signal by default
but will operate at higher voltages if the LVDS_BKLT_PWR is

set in the BIOS Setup utility.

Optional backlight logic power input. (Can range from +5V to

On-board +5V power is used when this is not connected.

LVDS Backlight Connector

Figure 22 shows the location and pin orientation of the LVDS back light connector. The table
below lists the pinout of the LVDS backlight connector.

Table 16: LVDS Backlight Connector Pinout

Pin Signal Name Function

1 LVDS_BKLT_EN

2 Signal Ground Ground

3 LVDS_BKLT_CTRL

4 LVDS_BKLT_LOGIC_PWR

provided).

provided). This is a PWM signal and the duty cycle can be

+14V and sets the high-value on the LVDS_BKLT_EN and
LVDS_BKLT_CTRL signals.)

Cabling

An adapter cable, part number CBR-0404, is available for powering the LVDS backlight from
the Blackbird board.

If your application requires a custom cable, the following information will be useful:

EPU-4562/4462 Board Connector Mating Connector

Molex 501568-0407 Molex 501330-0400

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 52

Network Interfaces



8

Network Interfaces

The Blackbird provides two Gigabit Ethernet interfaces with one from an Intel I210-IT Gigabit
Ethernet controller on the baseboard and the second from an Intel I219-LM Gigabit Phy on the
COM Express module (connected to the internal MAC in the Skylake processor). They both
provide a standard IEEE 802.3 Ethernet interface for 1000Base-T, 100Base-TX, and 10Base-T
applications. Both auto-negotiate connection speed. Drivers are readily available to support a
variety of operating systems. For more information on these devices, refer to

Controller datasheet or Intel I219 Ethernet Controller datasheet.

Integrator’s Note: Ethernet Port 1 supports network boot; Port 0 does not.

Ethernet Connector

The Ethernet connector provides access to the Ethernet ports 0 and 1. Ethernet Port 0 connects to
the I210-IT Ethernet controller on the baseboard and Ethernet Port 1 connects to the I219-LM
Ethernet Phy on the COM Express module. The connector uses IEC 61000-4-2-rated TVS
components to help protect against ESD damage. The figure below shows the location and pin
orientation of the Ethernet connector.

Intel I210 Ethernet

Figure 23. Location and Pin Orientation of the Ethernet Connector

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 53

The following table lists the pinout of the Ethernet connector.

Table 17: Ethernet Connector Pinout

Network Interfaces

Pin 10/100 Signals

1 - Auto Switch (Tx or Rx) BI_DD- 2 + Auto Switch (Tx or Rx) BI_DD+

3 - Auto Switch (Tx or Rx) BI_DB- 4 + Auto Switch (Tx or Rx) BI_DB+

5 - Auto Switch (Tx or Rx) BI_DC- 6 + Auto Switch (Tx or Rx) BI_DC+

Port 0

7 - Auto Switch (Tx or Rx) BI_DA- 8 + Auto Switch (Tx or Rx) BI_DA+

9 - Auto Switch (Tx or Rx) BI_DD- 10 + Auto Switch (Tx or Rx) BI_DD+

11 - Auto Switch (Tx or Rx) BI_DB- 12 + Auto Switch (Tx or Rx) BI_DB+

13 - Auto Switch (Tx or Rx) BI_DC- 14 + Auto Switch (Tx or Rx) BI_DC+

Port 1

15 - Auto Switch (Tx or Rx) BI_DA- 16 + Auto Switch (Tx or Rx) BI_DA+

10/100/1000

Signals

Pin 10/100 Signals

10/100/1000

Signals

Cabling

An adapter cable, part number CBR-1604, is available. This is a 12-inch, 16-pin Click-Mate to
two RJ-45 connector cables.

If your application requires a custom cable, the following information will be useful:

EPU-4562/4462 Board Connector Mating Connector

Molex 503148-1690 Molex 503149-1600

Port 0

Port 1

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 54

Ethernet Status LEDs

The figure below shows the location of the Ethernet status LED.

Table 18. Ethernet Status LED Details

LED Ref Des State Description

Green (Activity)

Figure 24. Onboard Ethernet Status LEDs

D10 (Eth 0)

D11 (Eth 1)

On Link Good (pulses with activity)

Off Link is not good or cable is not

connected

Network Interfaces

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 55

VL-CBR-4005B Paddleboard

9

VL-CBR-4005B Paddleboard

VL-CBR-4005B Connectors and Indicators

This figure shows the locations of the connectors, switches, and LEDs on the VL-CBR-4005B
paddleboard.

Figure 25. VL-CBR-4005B Connectors, Switches, and LEDs

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 56

VL-CBR-4005B Paddleboard

Pin

Signal

Pin

Signal

3

USB1_P

4

USB2_P

5

USB1_N

6

USB2_N

7

+5V

8

GND

9

USB3_P

10

USB4_P

11

USB3_N

12

USB4_N

13

+3.3 V (Note 1)

14

GND

27

GPIO1

28

GPIO2

29

GPIO3

30

GPIO4

31

GND

32

GND

33

GPIO5

34

GPIO6

35

GPIO7

36

GPIO8

37

+3.3 V (Note 2)

38

GND

User I/O Connector

The figure below shows the location and pin orientation of the user I/O connector.

Figure 26. Location and Pin Orientation of the User I/O Connector

Table 19: User I/O Connector Pinout

1 +5 V 2 GND

15 SPKR# 16 PLED#

17 PWR_BTN# 18 RST_BTN#

19 GND 20 GND

21 I2C Clock 22 V_BATT

23 I2C Data 24 V_BATT RETURN

25 GND 26 GND

39 ETH0 LED 40 ETH1 LED

Notes:

1. This 3.3 V power goes off in sleep modes. The SPKR# uses this power as should the PLED#

(there is no requirement for PLED# to use this power, but the VL-CBR-4005B paddleboard does).

2. This 3.3 V power can be turned on or off similar to the 3.3V power to the Mini Card via the FPGA

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 57

VL-CBR-4005B Paddleboard

To prevent shorting, premature failure or damage to the Lithium battery, do not

battery in fire. Dispose of used batteries promptly.

(can go off in sleep modes or always stay on; by default it goes off in sleep modes). It is used for

the 10 kΩ pullup resistor power on the 8x GPIOs and usually for the 2x Ethernet LEDs, however,

the Ethernet LEDs can be powered by a 3.3 V power source.

Cabling

An adapter cable, part number CBR-4005A, is available for connecting the VL-CBR-4005B
paddleboard to the EPU-4562/4462. This is a 12-inch, Pico-Clasp 40-pin to 40-pin cable

If your application requires a custom cable, the following information will be useful:

CBR-4005B Board Connector Mating Connector

Molex 501571-4007 Molex 501189-4010

On-board Battery

CAUTION:

place the board on a conductive surface such as metal, black conductive foam
or the outside surface of a metalized ESD protective pouch. The Lithium battery
may explode if mistreated. Do not recharge, disassemble, or dispose of the

Nominal battery voltage is 3.0 V. If the voltage drops below 2.7 V, contact the factory for a
replacement. The life expectancy under normal use is approximately five years.

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 58

VL-CBR-4005B Paddleboard

Pin

Signal

Pin

Signal

1

I2C Clock

2

V_BATT

3

I2C Data

4 V_BATT_RETURN

5

GND

6

GND

7

GPIO1

8

GPIO2

9

GPIO3

10

GPIO4

11

GND

12

GND

13

GPIO5

14

GPIO6

15

GPIO7

16

GPIO8

17

+3.3 V (Note)

18

GND

19

Ethernet Port 0 LED

20

Ethernet Port 1 LED

Auxiliary I/O Connector

The next figure shows the location and pin orientation of the auxiliary I/O connector.

Figure 27. Location and Pin Orientation of Auxiliary I/O Connector

Table 20: Auxiliary I/O Connector Pinout

Note. Pin 17 connects to the 3.3V power on the main connector Pin 37.

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 59

Dimensions and Mounting Holes

Figure 28. VL-CBR-4005B Dimensions and Mounting Holes

VL-CBR-4005B Paddleboard

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 60

Digital and Analog I/O Paddleboards

Pin

Signal

Description

1

ADC_CH1

Analog Input #1

2

ADC_CH2

Analog Input #2

3

AGND

Analog Ground

4

AGND

Analog Ground

5

ADC_CH3

Analog Input #3

6

ADC_CH4

Analog Input #4

7

AGND

Analog Ground

8

AGND

Analog Ground

9

ADC_CH5

Analog Input #5

10

ADC_CH6

Analog Input #6

11

AGND

Analog Ground

12

AGND

Analog Ground

13

ADC_CH7

Analog Input #7

14

ADC_CH8

Analog Input #8

15

AGND

Analog Ground

16

AGND

Analog Ground

17

DAC_OUT1

Analog Output #1

18

DAC_OUT2

Analog Output #2

19

DAC_OUT3

Analog Output #3

20

DAC_OUT4

Analog Output #4

10

Analog I/O (Using VL-CBR-2004)

To access the eight analog-to-digital inputs and four digital-to-analog outputs on the Blackbird, a
paddleboard and 12-inch cable are available from VersaLogic, part number VL-CBR-2004. This
section shows the locations and pin orientations of the connectors on the CBR-2004B
paddleboard.

Table 21. CBR-2004B Pinouts

Digital and Analog I/O Paddleboards

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 61

Figure 29. Analog I/O and Ground Terminal Block Pinouts

Pin

Signal

Description

Pin

Signal

Description

1

DIO1

Digital I/O

2

DIO2

Digital I/O

3

DIO3

Digital I/O

4

DIO4

Digital I/O

5

DGND

Digital Signal Ground

6

DIO5

Digital I/O

7

DIO6

Digital I/O

8

DIO7

Digital I/O

9

DIO8

Digital I/O

10

DGND

Digital Signal Ground

11

DIO9/OCTC5

Digital I/O (optional Timer Chan
5 Output)

12

DIO10/ICTC5

Digital I/O (optional
Timer Chan 5 Output)

13

DIO11/GCTC3

3 Gate Input)

14

DIO12/GCTC4

Digital I/O (optional

Input)

15

DGND

Digital Signal Ground

16

DIO13/OCTC3

Digital I/O (optional
Timer 3 Output)

17

DIO14/ICTC3

Digital I/O (optional Timer 3
Input)

18

DIO15/OCTC4

Digital I/O (optional
Timer 4 Output)

19

DIO16/ICTC4

Digital I/O (optional Timer 4
Input)

20

DGND

Digital Signal Ground

Digital and Analog I/O Paddleboards

Digital I/O (Using VL-CBR-2005)

The table below shows the specific Digital I/O and ground connections when using the VL-CBR­2004 paddleboard and cable VL-CBR-2005 with the Blackbird.

Digital I/O (optional Timer Chan

Timer Chan 4 Gate

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 62

Figure 30. Digital I/O and Ground Terminal Block Pinouts

Digital and Analog I/O Paddleboards

Dimensions and Mounting Holes

Figure 31. CBR-2004B Dimensions and Mounting Holes

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 63

Thermal Considerations

By itself, the heat plate is not a complete thermal solution. Integrators should either implement a

below 85 ºC.

The heat plate is permanently affixed to the Blackbird and must not be removed. Removal of the

voids the product warranty and can damage the CPU.

11

Thermal Considerations

This chapter discusses the following topics related to thermal issues:

 Selecting the correct thermal solution for your application

 EPU-4562/4462 thermal characterization

 Installing the passive (HDW-417 heat sink), the active (HDW-418 fan), and the heat pipe

block (HDW-408) thermal solutions available from VersaLogic

Selecting the Correct Thermal Solution for Your Application

This section provides guidelines for the overall system thermal engineering effort.

Heat Plate

The heat plate supplied with the Blackbird is the basis of the thermal solution. The heat plate
draws heat away from the CPU chip as well as other critical components. Some components rely
on the ambient air temperature at or below the maximum specified 85 ºC temperature.

The design of the heat plate assumes that the user’s thermal solution will maintain the top surface
of the heat plate at 90 ºC or less. If that temperature threshold is maintained, the CPU will remain
safely within its operating temperature limits.

CAUTION:

thermal solution using the accessories available from VersaLogic or develop their own thermal
solution that attaches to the heat plate, suitable for environments in which the EPU-4562/4462
will be used. As stated above, the thermal solution must be capable of keeping the top surface of
the heat place at or below 90 ºC and the air surrounding the components in the assembly at or

heat plate voids the product warranty. Attempting to operate the Blackbird without the heat plate

System-level Considerations

The Blackbird is often mounted directly to another thermally controlled surface via its heat plate
(that is, the inside surface of an enclosure). In this case, the user needs to maintain the heat plate
at or below 90 ºC by controlling the mounting surface temperature. The EPU-4562/4462 thermal
solutions available from VersaLogic – the HDW-417 heat sink with or without the HDW-418
fan, or the HDW-408 heat pipe block – can be used in the user’s final system or only used during
product development as a temporary bench-top solution.

The ambient air surrounding the EPU-4562/4462 needs to be maintained at 85 ºC or below. This
may prove to be challenging depending on how and where the EPU-4562/4462 is mounted in the
end user system.

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 64

Thermal Considerations

At this temperature, the CPU cores throttle back to a lower speed. This

speed.

At this temperature, the operating system typically puts the board into a
sleep or other low-power state.

The CPU turns itself off when this temperature is reached. This is a fixed
trip point and cannot be adjusted.

Notes:

2. The default value in the BIOS Setup utility for this trip point is 100 ºC.

The decision which thermal solution to use relies on several factors including:

 Number of CPU cores in the SoC (single, dual, or quad)

 CPU and video processing utilization by the user application

 Temperature range within which the EPU-4562/4462 will be operated

 Air movement (or lack of air movement)

Most of these factors involve the demands of the user application on the EPU-4562/4462 and
cannot be isolated from the overall thermal performance. Due to the interaction of the user
application, the Blackbird thermal solution, and the overall environment of the end system,
thermal performance cannot be rigidly defined.

The ambient air surrounding the EPU-4562/4462 needs to be maintained at 85 ºC or below. This
would include the space between the two main boards as well as the space beneath an installed
Mini PCIe expansion board. Standard methods for addressing this requirement include the
following:

 Provide a typical airflow of 100 linear feet per minute (LFM) / 0.5 linear meters per second

(as described in the section titled EPU-4562/4462 Thermal Characterization, beginning on
page 68) within the enclosure

 Position the EPU-4562/4462 board to allow for convective airflow

 Lower the system level temperature requirement as needed

CPU Thermal Trip Points

The CPU cores in the Blackbird have their own thermal sensors. Coupled with these sensors are
specific reactions to three thermal trip points. The table below describes the three thermal trip
points. Note that these are internal temperatures that are about 10 ºC above the heat plate
temperature.

Table 22: CPU Thermal Trip Points

Trip Point Description

Passive (Note 1)

Critical (Note 2)

Maximum core temperature

1. The default value in the BIOS Setup utility for this trip point is 90 ºC.

reduces the power draw and heat dissipation, but lowers the processing

These trip points allow maximum CPU operational performance while maintaining the lowest
CPU temperature possible. The long-term reliability of any electronic component degrades when
it is continually run near its maximum thermal limit. Ideally, the CPU core temperatures will be
kept well below 100 ºC with only brief excursions above.

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 65

Thermal Considerations

Operating System

Program Type

Description

Linux

lm-sensors

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lm_sensors

CPU temperature monitoring programs are available to run under both Windows and Linux. The
next table lists some of these hardware monitoring programs.

Table 23: Temperature Monitoring Programs

Core Temperature http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/

Windows

Hardware Monitor http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

Open Hardware Monitor http://openhardwaremonitor.org/

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 66

Thermal Considerations

With Heat Sink

(HDW-417)

With Heat Sink + Fan

(HDW-417 + HDW-418)

4562/4462

EBP

VL-EPU-4562/4462

ECP



Integrator’s Note: The ambient air surrounding the EPU-4562/4462 needs to be
maintained at 85 °C or below.

Thermal Specifications, Restrictions, and Conditions

Graphical test data is in the section titled EPU-4562/4462 Thermal Characterization, beginning
on page 68. Refer to that section for the details behind these specifications. These specifications
are the thermal limits for using the EPU-4562/4462 with one of the defined thermal solutions.

Due to the unknown nature of the entire thermal system, or the performance requirement of the
application, VersaLogic cannot recommend a particular thermal solution. This information is
intended to provide guidance in the design of an overall thermal system solution.

Table 24: Absolute Minimum and Maximum Air Temperatures

Board With Heat Plate

VL-EPU-

-40 ° to +85 °C -40 ° to +85 °C -40 ° to +85 °C

-40 ° to +85 °C -40 ° to +85 °C -40 ° to +85 °C

Overall Restrictions and Conditions:

 Ranges shown assume less than 90% CPU utilization.

 Keep the maximum CPU core temperature below 100ºC.

 The ambient air surrounding the EPU-4562/4462 needs to be maintained at 85 ºC or below.

This includes the space between the two main boards as well as the space beneath an
installed Mini PCIe expansion board. A recommended overall airflow of 100 linear feet per
minute (LFM) / 0.5 linear meters per second (LMS) addresses this requirement. If this air
flow is not provided, other means must be implemented to keep the adjacent air at 85 ºC or
below.

Heat Plate Only Restrictions and Conditions:

 The heat plate must be kept below 90 °C. This applies to a heat plate mounted directly to

another surface as well as when the HDW-408 heat pipe block is used.

Heat Sink Only Considerations:

 At 85°C air temperature and 90% CPU utilization, there will be little if any thermal margin

to a CPU core temperature of 100 °C or the passive trip point (see test data). If this is the use
case, consider adding a fan or other additional airflow.

Heat Sink with Fan Considerations:

 The heat sink and fan combination cools the CPU when it is running in high temperature

environments, or when the application software is heavily utilizing the CPU or video
circuitry. The fan assists in cooling the heat sink and provides additional air movement
within the system.

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 67

EPU-4562/4462 Thermal Characterization

EPU-4562/4462 (Blackbird) dual/quad core CPU with:

 USB keyboard and mouse (Note)

 Critical thermal trip point setting: 111 ºC

Operating system

Microsoft Windows* 10 Enterprise

- Primarily used to read the CPU core temperature

The EPU-4562/4462 board underwent the following thermal characterization tests:

 Test Scenario 1: Core i5 EPU-4562-EBP – active and passive thermal characterization.

 Test Scenario 2: Core i7 EPU-4562-ECP – active and passive thermal characterization.

 The table below describes the thermal testing setup for the board.

Table 25: EPU-4562/4462 Thermal Testing Setup

 16 GB of DDR4 DRAM
 HDW-417 (passive heat sink)
 HDW-418 (heat sink fan)
 One VGA display device (connected through the LVDS interface), one

Hardware
configuration

display for monitor

 Two SATA hard disk drives
 Two RS-232 ports in loopback configuration
 One VersaLogic VL-MPEe-E3 Mini PCIe Gigabit Ethernet module
 Two active Ethernet ports in loopback configuration
 Two USB 2.0 ports in loopback configuration (Note)

Thermal Considerations

BIOS

Test software

Test environment

Note: This device connects through a VersaLogic VL-CBR-4005B paddleboard.

The test results reflect the test environment within the temperature chamber used. The airflow of
this particular chamber is about 0.5 linear meters per second (~100 linear feet per minute).
Thermal performance improves by increasing the airflow beyond 0.5 linear meters per second.

The system power dissipation is primarily dependent on the application program; that is, its use
of computing or I/O resources. The stress levels used in this testing are at the top of the range of
a typical user’s needs.



ID string: VER2A000

 Passive thermal trip point setting: 105 ºC




Passmark BurnIn* Test v8.1 b1018

- CPU utilization ~90%

 Intel Thermal Analysis Tool* (TAT) v5.0.1026



Thermal chamber

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 68

Thermal Considerations

Test Results

Test Scenario 1: Dual Core EPU-4562-EBP – Passive and Active Thermal Characterization

Shown in in the figure below, running the test scenario with just the heat sink, the core
temperature is slightly above 100 ºC at maximum ambient temperature. This will be less in most
applications that require less than 90% CPU utilization. Adding the fan provides an additional 5­6 ºC of margin. For long-term reliability, ensure the CPU cores are predominately running with
their temperatures below 100 ºC.

Figure 32. EPU-4562-EBP Quad Core Temperature Relative to Ambient Temperature

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 69

Thermal Considerations

Test Scenario 2: Core i7 EPU-4562- ECP – Passive and Active Thermal Characterization

As shown below, the quad core version of the Blackbird will typically require a heat sink + fan
for operation above 80 ºC, at >90% CPU utilization.

Figure 33. EPU-4562-ECP Quad Core Temperature Relative to Ambient Temperature

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 70

Thermal Considerations

Installing VersaLogic Thermal Solutions

The following thermal solution accessories are available from VersaLogic:

 VL-HDW-401 Thermal Compound Paste – used to mount the heat sink to the heat plate

 VL-HDW-417 Passive Heat Sink – mounts to standard product.

 VL-HDW-418 Fan Assembly – Cooling fan for the HDW-417 passive heatsink. Operates at

+12 V and includes an EPU-4562/4462 compatible connector

 VL-HDW-408 Heat Pipe Block – mounts to heat plate

Hardware Assembly

There are two basic assembly methods:

 Heat plate down (in relation to the enclosure)

 Heat plate up

These assembly methods are shown in Figure 35 and Figure 36 respectively.

Heat Plate Down

The figure below (a representative image of a similar VersaLogic product) shows the assembly.
Use this assembly method if you are attaching the Blackbird to a larger thermal solution such as a
metal chassis/enclosure.

Figure 34. Hardware Assembly with Heat Plate Down

A thermal interface compound must be applied to the heat plate to thermally bond it to the
mounting plate or other surface to which the Blackbird is mounted. Spread the compound thinly
and evenly across the entire heat plate surface before mounting. The compound is supplied in the
VL-CKR-BLACKBIRD cable kit or sold separately as part number VL-HDW-401.

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 71

Thermal Considerations

Installing the VL-HDW-417 Passive Heat Sink

1. Apply the Arctic Silver* Thermal Compound (VL-HDW-401)

 Apply the thermal compound to the heat plate using the method described on the Arctic

Silver website - http://www.arcticsilver.com/

2. Position the passive heat sink

 Using the next figure as a guide, align the seven mounting holes of the heat sink with the

heat plate.

 Orient the heat sink fins in the direction of the system airflow to maximize CPU cooling.

3. Secure the passive heat sink to the heat plate

 Affix the passive heat sink to the heat plate using seven M2.5 pan head screws.

 Using a torque screwdriver, tighten the screws to 4.0 inch-pounds.

Figure 35. Installing the Passive Heat Sink

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 72

Thermal Considerations

Installing the VL-HDW-418 Heat Sink Fan

1. Position the fan assembly

 Using the figure below as a guide, align the mounting holes of the heat sink fan with the

four holes in the passive heat sink. Position the fan so that its power cable can easily
reach its mating connector (J18).

2. Secure the fan to the heat sink

 Affix the heat sink fan using four M3 pan head screws.

 Using a torque screwdriver, tighten the screws to 4.0 inch-pounds.

3. Connect power to the fan

 Connect the fan’s power cable to J18 on the EPU-4562/4462.

Figure 36. Installing the Heat Sink Fan

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 73

13

KNOWN ISSUES

Operating Systems

 In Linux, a dual-display configuration (using both the LVDS and the Mini DisplayPort++

connectors) will fail to show output on the LVDS port unless the operating system is
configured to boot in UEFI mode. Single display configurations do not have an issue.

 In Ubuntu 14.04, if an LVDS monitor goes into power saving mode or the operating system

goes into suspend or hibernate mode, the LVDS monitor will fail to come back on.

*** End of document ***

VL-EPU-4562/4462 Reference Manual 74