ADLINK MXE-230 series Alder Lake platform industrial computer deployment and maintenance manual

Key interface definition and signal integrity

4.1 DB9 serial port (COM1/COM2)

Independently switch between RS-232/422/485 modes through BIOS without the need for jumper wires:

Pin RS-232 RS-422 RS-485

1 DCD# TXD- 485-

2 Rx TXD+ 485+

3 Tx RXD+ N/C

4 DTR# RXD- N/C

5 GND GND GND

RS-485: Two wire half duplex, requires 120 Ω terminal resistors to be connected at both ends of the bus (physical head and tail), and shielded twisted pair cables are recommended for long distances (>100 meters).

In the isolated SKU: 4COM/6COM versions, some serial ports are equipped with 2.5KV isolation, which is suitable for connecting field devices with high voltage or large ground potential difference.

4.2 Isolated Digital I/O (only 4COM/6COM SKUs)

Provide 8 isolated DI channels and 8 isolated DO channels, with an isolation voltage of 2.5KV (optocoupler isolation).

DI electrical parameters:

Logic low (0): 0~1V

Logic high (1): 10~30V

Built in input resistor, can be directly connected to industrial sensors (PNP/NPN should pay attention to common ground).

DO electrical parameters:

Power supply voltage: 5-30V DC (externally provided)

Current injection: 500mA/channel (continuous), suitable for driving small relays, solenoid valves, or indicator lights.

Internally equipped with a flyback diode, when driving inductive loads (relay coils), the positive terminal of the external power supply needs to be connected to the VDD pin to form a flyback circuit and protect the MOSFET.

Typical application circuit of DO: The manual provides a reference circuit diagram - the external power supply is connected to the DO output terminal through the load (relay), and the internal MOSFET of DO conducts to form a circuit, and the load is powered on.

4.3 M.2 AFM Expansion Interface

Internally provides AFM (Additional Function Module) interface, which leads to PCIe, USB 2.0, SMBus, and LPC buses for customized functional board development (such as additional serial ports, CAN, dedicated protocol conversion, etc.). This provides ODM customers with extremely high flexibility.

BIOS Deep Configuration Guide

Enter BIOS: Press the Del key during power on POST.

5.1 Main (Main Menu)

Display read-only information such as BIOS version, CPU model, frequency, memory capacity and frequency (e.g. 4800MHz), PCH SKU, etc. At the same time, the system time/date can be set.

5.2 Advanced Core Settings

CPU Configuration：

Active Efficiency cores: can reduce the number of active energy efficiency cores (All/3/2/1) to lower power consumption (suitable for low load scenarios).

Intel SpeedStep/Turbo Mode: Enable dynamic frequency adjustment (default enabled); Turbo Mode can improve burst performance.

Intel Speed Shift: Hardware controlled P-state to improve response speed (enabled by default).

Intel Virtualization Technology/VT-d: Enable hardware virtualization (default enabled) for containers or virtual machines.

C-state: Enable CPU power-saving state (disabled by default, recommended to keep disabled to avoid real-time fluctuations).

Power Management：

Enable Hibernation: Enable S4 hibernation (default enabled).

ACPI Sleep State: Select the highest sleep state (default S3 Suspend to RAM).

State After G3: Configure the behavior after AC power failure recovery - S0 (automatic startup), S5 (keep shutdown). S0 is usually chosen for industrial sites.

Hardware Monitor：

Real time display of motherboard temperature and fan speed.

Support for SMART FAN IV: Four temperature points can be set to correspond to different PWM duty cycles, achieving on-demand speed regulation.

BIOS Watchdog Timer：

BIOS POST Watchdog: can be set to disabled, second mode, or minute mode. If the BIOS self-test freezes, it will automatically reset after timeout to prevent the device from waiting indefinitely.

Onboard Device Configuration：

COM1/COM2 Mode Control: Independently select RS-232/RS-422/RS-485.

LAN # 1/# 2: Network ports can be disabled (for security isolation or power saving).

Serial Console Redirection：

Support redirecting BIOS POST and operating system console to COM port for headless debugging.

Configurable baud rate (default 115200), data bits, parity bits, stop bits, hardware flow control (RTS/CTS), and terminal type (VT100/ANSI, etc.).

TPM 2.0 Configuration：

Built in TPM security chip (Nuvoton), supporting enable/disable, PCR Bank management, and TPM Clear operation, used for disk encryption and secure boot.

Network Stack Configuration：

Enable UEFI network stack to support PXE/HTTP network boot (disabled by default).

5.3 Chipset

Memory Configuration: Display the RC version, frequency, and timing of the memory (such as 40-39-39-77).

PCI Express Configuration: It can control the enable/disable of each Root Port separately and configure PCIe Speed (Auto/Gen1/Gen2/Gen3) for compatibility with older expansion cards.

SATA Configuration: Enable/disable SATA controllers and ports.

USB Configuration: Supports disabling USB by physical port (Select Per Pin) for securely restricting external storage access.

Security Configuration: BIOS Lock (default enabled) protects flash memory from malicious writes.

5.4 Security & Boot

Administrator/User Password: Set BIOS password to prevent unauthorized modification.