ADLINK AmITX-AL-I Embedded Motherboard Deployment and SEMA Management Guide

ADLINK AmITX-AL-I Thin Mini ITX Embedded Motherboard Deployment and SEMA Management Guide

In the fields of digital signage, self-service terminals, medical equipment, and industrial automation, the Thin Mini ITX board type is an ideal choice for space constrained applications due to its compact 170mm × 170mm size, machine thickness below 25mm, and standardized installation hole positions. The AmITX-AL-I launched by ADLINK is a low-power Thin Mini ITX embedded motherboard based on Intel ®  Atom ™  X7/x5-E3900 series Pentium ®  N4200 and Celeron ®  N3350 SoC（Braswell）， Integrated with Intel ®  Gen9 LP graphics core, supporting three independent display outputs and 4K video hardware encoding and decoding. This board is equipped with a variety of I/O interfaces, including dual gigabit Ethernet ports, 6 serial ports, 4 USB 3.0 ports, PCIe x1, and Mini PCIe/mSATA expansion slots. It also features ADLINK's unique SEMA (Smart Embedded Management Agent) onboard management controller, which enables hardware monitoring, watchdog, dual BIOS, and remote management. This article will provide a detailed deployment and debugging reference for system integration engineers from the aspects of hardware architecture, interface definition, jumper configuration, installation points, SEMA functions, BIOS tuning, and system resource allocation.

Product positioning and technical specifications overview

AmITX-AL-I follows the Thin Mini ITX specification (170mm × 170mm), is compatible with Micro ATX and standard ATX chassis, and uses 12V DC power supply (screw type DC in or 4-pin internal ATX power interface). SoC processors can be selected in quad core or dual core models, with a TDP range of 6.5W~12W, and support for fanless passive cooling (requiring reasonable chassis air ducts). The key specifications are as follows:

Processor: Intel Braswell SoC（Atom x7‑E3950 / x5‑E3940 / x5‑E3930 / Pentium N4200 / Celeron N3350），2MB L2  Cache, integrated with Intel ®  Gen9 LP graphics card;

Memory: Dual SODIMM slots, supporting DDR3L 1600/1866 MHz non ECC memory, maximum 16GB;

Display: 1 x HDMI (mutually exclusive with DP), 1 x DisplayPort (optional dual DP), optional dual channel 18/24 bit LVDS or eDP, supporting independent display of three screens;

Network: Dual Intel ®  I211AT Gigabit Ethernet Controller (optional i210 supports wide temperature range);

Storage: 2 x SATA 6Gb/s (shared between SATA1 and mSATA, choose one); 1 x mSATA slot; Optional microSD;

Expansion: 1 x PCIe x1 slot, 2 x Mini PCIe (one supports PCIe+USB, the other supports mSATA);

I/O interfaces: 4 x USB 3.0 (rear), 2 x USB 2.0 pin sockets (onboard), 1 x USB 2.0 (front panel); 6 × COM (COM1/2 supports RS-232/422/485 and comes with 0V/5V/12V power supply selection); PS/2 KB/MS； Parallel mouth; HD Audio；

Management functions: The SEMA onboard controller (BMC) provides voltage/current monitoring, watchdog, dual BIOS fault recovery, temperature monitoring, fan speed regulation, runtime statistics, reset source recording, etc;

Environment: Standard operating temperature range of 0-60 ℃; Atom SKU optional -40 ℃~85 ℃ extreme wide temperature version (customization required).

This board supports Windows 10 Enterprise 64 bit and mainstream Linux distributions.

Detailed explanation of board layout and connectors

1. Rear I/O

DC power input: screw type 2-pin interface (12V ± 5%, maximum 10A).

DisplayPort (DP): Supports DP 1.2, up to 4096 × 2160@24Hz (Optional dual DP instead of HDMI).

HDMI：1.4b， Up to 3840 x 2160@30Hz (Mutually exclusive in the same position as DP).

Dual Gigabit Ethernet ports (LAN1/LAN2): RJ-45, built-in speed/link LED.

USB 3.0 ports (4, USB1-4): Blue Type-A.

Audio interface: Line out (green)+Mic in (pink), ALC888S codec.

2. Onboard internal connectors (Component Side)

SODIMM: Two angled plug-in memory slots.

SATA (SATA1/SATA2): 7P L-type, supporting 6Gb/s; SATA1 is shared with mSATA (selected by jumper).

SATA power supply (ST-PWR): 5-pin power interface, providing 12V/5V/3.3V.

USB 2.0 Pin (CN17): Dual port, supports wake-up (SB5V).

PS/2 (CN19): 6-pin pin arrangement, requires optional Y-wire.

Serial ports (CN29~CN34): COM1~COM6, 2 × 5 pin rows (2.0mm pitch). COM1/COM2 supports RS-232/422/485 mode switching and power supply selection.

LVDS interface (CN13): 30 pin FFC (1mm pitch), supports single/dual channel 18/24 bit, maximum 1920 × 1200@60Hz .

LVDS auxiliary interface (CN14): backlight control (PWM), backlight enable, backlight power supply (5V/12V optional).

Audio Pin (CN16): Share signal with rear audio, 2 × 16 pin 2.0mm pitch.

Front panel pin arrangement (CN27): 2 × 12 pin 2.0mm pitch, providing USB 2.0, audio input/output PWRBTN、 Reset HDD LED、SUS LED。

Feature Connector (CN28): 2 × 14 pin 2.0mm pitch, providing signals such as Case Open, I ² C, SMBus, 10 GPIO, SUS_S3/S4/S5, PWR_OK, etc.

SPI Pin (CN40): Used for BIOS Flash programming.

Fan interface (CPU: CN36, SYS: CN37): 4-pin PWM speed regulation, controlled by SEMA.

ATX power interface (ATX_PWR1): 4-pin internal power supply (choose one from DC in).

DB-40 Debugging Interface (CN8): 40 pin FPC, used in conjunction with debugging modules to implement POST code, SPI programming, LPC bus monitoring, etc.

3. Jumpers and switches

JP1: ATX/AT mode selection (1-2=ATX, 2-3=AT).

JP6: Clear CMOS (1-2=normal, 2-3=clear).

JP11: SATA1/mSATA selection (1-2=SATA, 2-3=mSATA).

JP2: LVDS backlight power supply (1-2=12V, 2-3=5V).

JP3/JP5: LVDS panel power supply (5V/3.3V/12V combination).

JP4: Backlight enable polarity (1-2=Active High, 2-3=Active Low).

JP7/JP8 (COM1 power supply), JP9/JP10 (COM2 power supply): Select+12V,+5V, GND, or RI.

SWS1M/SWS2M: COM1/COM2 mode switch (RS-232/422/485).

BSW1: Dual BIOS selection and mode (select SPI0/SPI1 for positions 1-4 and Normal/Folsafe for positions 2-3).

Jumper configuration and key installation points

1. AT/ATX mode selection (JP1)

ATX mode (default 1-2): supports soft switching, ACPI power management (S3/S4/S5), and remote wake-up.

AT mode (2-3): Power on and start immediately, suitable for traditional applications that require forced self start.

2. Power input (choose one)

Only one of DC-in or ATX_PWR1 can be used for power supply. It is strictly prohibited to connect two power sources at the same time, otherwise the board may be damaged.

The maximum current is 10A, 12V ± 5%, and it is necessary to ensure that the adapter has sufficient power (recommended ≥ 60W).

3. Storage Configuration (JP11)

If using an mSATA solid-state drive, JP11 needs to be set to 2-3 (mSATA), at which point the SATA1 interface is disabled.

If using SATA hard drive/SSD, set JP11 to 1-2 (SATA), mSATA slot cannot be used for storage.

4. COM1/COM2 mode and power supply (key)

Use DIP switches SWS1M/SWS2M to select RS-232 (default), RS-422, or RS-485.

Select the power supply or signal for pin 1/9 through JP7/JP8 (COM1) and JP9/JP10 (COM2):

JP7/JP9：1‑2=+12V，3‑4=+5V；

JP8/JP10:1-2=GND, 3-4=RI (default).

This feature allows the board to directly provide power to external serial devices such as touch screens and scanners, simplifying wiring.

5. LVDS display settings

Panel voltage (JP3/JP5): Select 3.3V (default), 5V, or 12V according to the LCD specifications. JP3 and JP5 must be set simultaneously.

Backlight voltage (JP2): 5V (default) or 12V.

Backlight enable polarity (JP4): Active High (default) or Active Low.

The backlight brightness can be adjusted in BIOS (0~255).

Maximum load: The total current of panel power supply shall not exceed 1A (total of two circuits), and the backlight power supply shall not exceed 1A per circuit.

6. Dual BIOS Function (BSW1)

Position 1-4: Choose to start SPI0 (default) or SPI1.

Position 2-3: Normal BIOS (default) or Fail safe BIOS.

Failed safe mode is used to restore the system when the main BIOS is damaged, in conjunction with SEMA's automatic switching mechanism.

In depth analysis of SEMA onboard management function

The built-in SEMA (Smart Embedded Management Agent) in AmITX-AL-I enables industrial grade system management through BMC microcontrollers, without relying on an OS, providing the following key capabilities:

1. Running status statistics

Total runtime (accumulated S0 status in minutes).

This runtime (second level timing, power off reset).

Power on and startup times (including hardware/software reset and power on startup).

Startup reason: Record the last reset source (power failure, BIOS failure, watchdog reset, internal/external reset, etc.).

2. Voltage and current monitoring

BMC samples multiple voltages in real-time and provides numerical values through SEMA API (16 bit ADC conversion):

Calculation formula for monitoring object voltage

CPU‑Vcore (MSB<<8+LSB)×3.3/1024

GFX‑Vcore (MSB<<8+LSB)×3.3/1024

Vmem (MSB<<8+LSB)×3.3/1024

5VSB (MSB<<8+LSB)×1.826×3.3/1024

VIN(12V) (MSB<<8+LSB)×6.000×3.3/1024

5V (MSB<<8+LSB)×1.826×3.3/1024

3.3V (MSB<<8+LSB)×1.100×3.3/1024

Main current monitoring: Sample every 250ms and return the last 4 current values (unit: 8.06mA/LSB), which can be used for power consumption trend analysis.

3. Temperature monitoring and intelligent fan

Real time reading of CPU temperature and board temperature, recording startup value, minimum value, and maximum value.

Smart Fan supports multi-level temperature control curves (trigger temperature+PWM percentage), and can set temperature sources (CPU Sensor/Board Sensor) for both the CPU and system fans separately.

4. Watchdog Timer (Type-II)

The timeout value (in seconds or minutes) can be set through SEMA API or BIOS.

Automatically trigger system reset after timeout.

Support Power Up Watchdog, which can be temporarily disabled during startup by pressing F12 for easy debugging.

5. Dual BIOS fault recovery

BMC monitors the BIOS boot process. If the main BIOS fails to start, the hardware signal will automatically switch to Fail safe BIOS startup to ensure system recovery.

Users can manually select the boot BIOS and mode through BSW1.

6. Exception Codes

BMC outputs error codes through flashing blue status LED and records them in BMC Flags register:

Explanation of Code Error Messages

0 NO ERROR is normal

2 NOSUSCLK SUSCLK signal missing

3 NOSLP_S4_S5 SLP_S4/S5 signal missing

4 NOSLP_S3 SLP_S3 signal missing

5 BIOs_FAIL BIOS startup failure

Resetting 6 RESET_SAIL failed

7 RESITIN_FAIL External reset input failed

8 NOCB-PWRGD power supply good signal missing

9 CRITICAL_TEMP temperature critical

10 POWER_SAIL power failure

11 VOLTAGE-FAIL voltage abnormality

PG missing in power domains 12~17-

18 NOV12 without 12V input

19 Memoriy_Error Memory Error

7. User flash storage area

Provide a 1kB read-write Flash area (customer data).

Provide a 128 byte protected Flash area (write protected, clear protected), suitable for storing keys, IDs, and other information.

Core points of BIOS settings

BIOS is based on AMI EFI, press<Del>to enter when booting up. Main menus and key settings:

1. Main Menu

System information: BIOS version, MRC version, GOP version, TXE FW version.

Board information: serial number, production date, MAC address.

Run time statistics: total running time, current running time, power on times, startup times, startup reasons (from SEMA).

2. Advanced

CPU configuration: Virtualization (VT-x/VT-d), Thermal Monitor, C-States, EIST (SpeedStep), Turbo Mode, etc. can be enabled/disabled.

Graphic configuration: LVDS data format (VESA/JEIDA 18/24 bpp), output mode (single/dual channel), DE/VSYNC/HSYNC polarity, backlight brightness adjustment.

Power management: ACPI sleep state (S3), AC power failure recovery (Last State/S0/S5), ECO mode (reduces standby power consumption).

System Management (SEMA): View BMC firmware version, SEMA feature support list, BMC Flags (exception codes, BIOS selection, AT/ATX mode).

Thermal management: View temperature/fan speed, Smart Fan multi-level temperature control configuration (4 trigger points, each point can set temperature and PWM percentage).

Watchdog: Enable/disable Power Up Watchdog, F12 can be temporarily disabled.

CSM configuration: Supports Legacy/UEFI boot mode switching.

Super IO configuration: Each serial port is independently enabled/disabled, address/IRQ selection, RS-485 direction control (RTS automatic switching).

Serial console redirection: Supports remote access from COM1 to COM6, with settings for baud rate, data bits, parity, flow control, etc.

USB configuration: Legacy USB support XHCI Hand‑off、 Transmission timeout, device reset timeout, power on delay.

Network: Onboard LAN controller enabled/disabled, UEFI Network Stack enabled/disabled.

3. Chipset

North Bridge: Memory information, TOLUD (Top of Low Usable DRAM) settings, MMIO allocation of 4GB or more.

South Bridge: Serial IRQ mode, SMBus support, OS selection (Windows/Android/Linux), CLKRUN logic.

Uncore configuration:

GOP configuration: LFP panel type (Auto/various predefined resolutions), backlight brightness, DDI port type (DP/HDMI).

IGD configuration: integrated graphics card enabled, main display selection (IGD/PCIe/HG), Aperture Size (128/256/512MB), DVMT pre allocation (64~512MB), DVMT total memory (128M/256M/MAX).

South Cluster configuration:

HD Audio: Enable/Disable.

PCIe configuration: Each Root Port (3/4/5/6) independently controls Auto/Enable/Disable, supports ASPM, L1 States, hot swapping Speed（Gen1/Gen2）。

SATA configuration: Enable/disable controller, mode (AHCI), speed (Gen1/Gen2/Gen3), aggressive LPM, hot swappable ports, and DevSlp.

SCC configuration: SD card support.

USB configuration: XHCI Pre Boot Driver, each port is independently disabled.

Miscellaneous: HPET high-precision timer State After G3（S0/S5/Last State）、Wake on LAN。

4. Security

Administrator/user password settings.

Secure Boot control (requires disabling CSM and registering PK).

5. Boot

Set waiting time, NumLock status Quiet/Fast Boot、 Startup mode (Legacy/UEFI), priority for starting devices.

6. Save&Exit

Save changes and exit, discard changes, restore default values, user default values, start EFI Shell, etc.

System resource allocation reference

1. System memory mapping

0~1MB: DOS compatible area (including video buffer and PCI extension ROM).

1MB~15MB: Main memory.

15MB~16MB: ISA cavity.

FEC00000~FECFFFFF: APIC configuration space.

FEE00000~FEEFFFFF: MSI interrupt space.

FFE00000~FFFFFF: High BIOS area.

2. I/O mapping key addresses

Serial port: COM1=3F8h（IRQ4），COM2=2F8h（IRQ3），COM3=3E8h（IRQ5），COM4=2E8h（IRQ7），COM5=2F0h（IRQ6），COM6=2E0h（IRQ10）。

LPT1 (parallel port): 378h (IRQ7).

PCI configuration space: CF8~CFB (address registers), CFCs~CFF (data registers).

SMBus controllers: F040~F05F.

SATA controllers: F060~F097.

3. IRQ allocation (APIC mode)

Typical IRQs 3/4/5/7/10/12 are assigned to COM2/COM1/COM3/COM4/COM6/PS2 mice, which can be reused by PCI devices (when onboard devices are disabled).

High numbered IRQs (such as 25, 39, 54~511) are used for HD Audio, SD controllers, ACPI systems, etc.

4. PCI configuration space

Bus 0：Host Bridge、VGA、HD Audio、USB、SATA、PCIe Root Ports、ISA Bridge、SMBus。

Bus 2/3: Dual Gigabit Ethernet controller (specific bus number may vary with PEG/PCIe device insertion).

5. SMBus from device address

DIMM A：A0h

DIMM B：A4h

BMC（SEMA）：58h

Extended GPIO: 40h

Common troubleshooting and engineering recommendations

Possible causes and solutions for the fault phenomenon

There is no display when powered on. The power supply is not connected or the voltage is insufficient; Check the DC in or ATX_PWR connection if the memory is not properly plugged in, ensuring 12V ± 5%; Re plug and unplug SODIMM

SATA hard drive does not recognize JP11 and mistakenly sets it to mSATA mode. Check if JP11 is 1-2 (SATA)

MSATA does not recognize JP11 and is not set to mSATA mode. Change JP11 to 2-3

COM1/COM2 communication abnormal jumper mode does not match external device; Power supply setting error check SWS1M/SWS2M mode switch, verify JP7~JP10 power supply selection

LVDS shows no display or backlight does not light up. Panel voltage/backlight voltage/polarity settings are incorrect. Check JP2/JP3/JP5/JP4 to confirm consistency with LCD specifications

The system does not start automatically (after AC power failure). In the BIOS, State After G3 is set to S5 and changed to S0 State or Last State

Watchdog not triggered Power Up Watchdog disabled by F12 or not enabled in BIOS to check watchdog settings, does not press F12 when restarting

SEMA status LED flashes with specific code BMC detects hardware abnormality and checks against the abnormal code table (such as BIOD_FAIL, NOV12, Memoriy_ERROR)

Dual BIOS cannot switch BSW1 switch not set correctly. Confirm that the jumper caps at positions 1-4 and 2-3 are in good contact

USB keyboard is invalid under DOS. Legacy USB Support is not enabled. Enable Legacy USB Support in BIOS

Remote serial port cannot connect Console redirection. Parameter inconsistency check for baud rate, data bits, stop bits, flow control, and terminal matching