Thin Mini-ITX Based PC System Design Guide - Intel

1 Thin Mini-ITX Based PC System Design Guide All In One, Tiny PC December 2012 Revision 2 Thin Mini-ITX Based PC System Design Guide INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH Intel PRODUCTS IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND NO LICENSE, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, BY ESTOPPEL OR OTHERWISE, TO ANY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IS GRANTED BY THIS DOCUMENT. EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN Intel 'S TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE FOR SUCH PRODUCTS, Intel ASSUMES NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER, AND Intel DISCLAIMS ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY, RELATING TO SALE AND/OR USE OF Intel PRODUCTS INCLUDING LIABILITY OR WARRANTIES RELATING TO FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, MERCHANTABILITY, OR INFRINGEMENT OF ANY PATENT, COPYRIGHT OR OTHER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHT. Intel products are not intended for use in medical, life saving, or life sustaining applications. Intel may make changes to its specifications, release dates and product descriptions at any time, without notice.

2 The Thin Mini-ITX Based PC System Design Guide may contain Design defects or errors known as errata which may cause the product to deviate from published specifications. Current characterized errata are available on request. All dates and plans specified are target dates, are provided for planning purposes only and are subject to change. Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. *Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others. Copyright 2012, Intel Corporation. Thin Mini-ITX Based PC System Design Guide 3 Contents 1 Introduction .. 8 Purpose / Scope .. 8 Overview .. 8 All In One PCs .. 9 Tiny PCs .. 10 Terminology .. 11 Reference Documents .. 12 2 Thin Mini-ITX Internal Electrical Interfaces .. 13 Common Connector List .. 13 Flat Panel Display .. 14 LVDS .. 14 eDP (VESA Embedded Display Port ) .. 17 Flat Panel Display Brightness.

3 19 On Screen Display (OSD) .. 20 Audio .. 21 Front Panel Audio .. 21 Internal Stereo Speakers .. 22 Digital Microphone .. 23 SATA .. 24 Internal USB .. 24 Front Panel Dual USB Header .. 24 Internal Dual USB Header .. 25 Internal Single USB Header .. 26 Internal USB Header .. 26 Front Panel (Buttons, LEDs) .. 28 Internal Power Input .. 29 Fans .. 31 CPU Fan .. 31 System Fan .. 31 Consumer Infrared Receiver .. 32 Wireless Bluetooth .. 32 Monitor Switch .. 32 3 Power Supply .. 34 External AC Adapter .. 34 External Power Connector for Socketed CPU Based 34 4 Thermals & Acoustics .. 36 General Thermal-Acoustics Considerations .. 36 Blowers .. 37 Fan Speed Control and CPU Throttling .. 37 Vent Free Area Ratio .. 40 Dust Considerations .. 40 Environmental and Skin Temperature Limit Recommendations .. 40 Motherboard Component Cooling .. 40 Memory Cooling .. 40 4 Thin Mini-ITX Based PC System Design Guide Platform Controller Hub (PCH) Cooling.

4 41 Voltage Regulator Cooling .. 41 Acoustics .. 42 5 Mechanical .. 44 CPU Mechanicals .. 44 Internal Motherboard Header Locations .. 45 System Cables and Connectors .. 46 System Cable Kitting .. 46 CPU Thermal Solution and System Fan Mechanical Interface .. 46 Thin Mini-ITX I/O Shield .. 50 Industrial Design , System Layout, and Usability Considerations .. 51 AIO Specific System Mechanicals .. 52 6 Low Profile Reference Heat Pipe Thermal Solution .. 53 General Volumetrics / Requirements .. 53 Reference Design CPU Thermal Solution .. 53 7 Reference System Layouts .. 55 Thin mini ITX Based System Design .. 55 General System Design Considerations .. 55 Reference Core Components Layouts .. 56 Thermal Test Method .. 65 Components Used for Testing .. 65 Stress Software .. 66 Temperature Measurement Locations .. 67 Figures Figure 1-1. Thin Mini-ITX Applications .. 9 Figure 1-2. Mini-ITX (left) vs Thin Mini-ITX (right) .. 11 Figure 2-1. 40-pin LVDS Header.

5 15 Figure 2-2. 40-pin eDP MB Header .. 17 Figure 2-3. PC & Software Brightness Control: .. 19 Figure 2-4. FPD Brightness Header .. 19 Figure 2-5. Front Panel Audio Header .. 21 Figure 2-6. Internal Stereo Speakers Header .. 22 Figure 2-7. DMIC MB Header .. 23 Figure 2-8. 2x5 USB Header (Keyed at Pin 9) .. 24 Figure 2-9. 2x5 USB Header (Keyed at Pins 9 and 10) .. 25 Figure 2-10. 1x5 USB Header .. 26 Figure 2-11. 2x10 USB Header .. 26 Figure 2-12. USB Header Orientation .. 28 Figure 2-13. Front Panel Main Header .. 28 Figure 2-14. Internal Power Header .. 29 Figure 2-15. 4-Pin CPU Fan Header .. 31 Figure 2-16. CIR Receiver Header .. 32 Figure 2-17. Monitor Switch Header .. 32 Figure 3-1. External Power Connector for Socketed CPU Based Systems .. 35 Figure 4-1. Example of Voltage Regulator Induced Throttling .. 38 Figure 4-2. Example of a Typical CPU DTS Readout When Not Throttling .. 38 Thin Mini-ITX Based PC System Design Guide 5 Figure 4-3. CPU Die Temperature Induced Throttling.

6 39 Figure 4-4. Air Temperature Increase Across 41 Figure 4-5. ECMA-74 Extract Figure .. 42 Figure 4-6. ECMA-74 Extract Figure .. 43 Figure 4-7. ECMA-74 Extract Figure .. 43 Figure 5-1. CPU Location and Additional Keep In Zones .. 44 Figure 5-2. Header Zones .. 45 Figure 5-3. Blower and Heat Exchanger Retention Locations for Two Blower Configuration Option 1 .. 47 Figure 5-4. Blower and Heat Exchanger Retention Locations for Two Blower Configuration Option 2 .. 48 Figure 5-5. Blower and Heat Exchanger Retention Locations for a Single Blower Configuration .. 49 Figure 5-6. Minimum Blower Gap .. 50 Figure 5-7. Example Thin Mini-ITX I/O Shield .. 51 Figure 6-1. Reference Side and Top View Dimensions for Low Profile Reference Thermal Solution .. 54 Figure 6-2. Reference Blower Mounting Flange Standoff Height as Measured from the Bottom of the Flange .. 54 Figure 7-1. Core Component Layout Example A .. 56 Figure 7-2. Core Component Layout Example B.

7 57 Figure 7-3. Core Component Layout Example C .. 58 Figure 7-4. Core Component Layout Example D .. 59 Figure 7-5. Core Component Layout Example E .. 60 Figure 7-6. Core Component Layout Example 61 Figure 7-7. Core Component Layout Example G (Effective Single Blower Option) .. 62 Figure 7-8. Core Component Layout Example H (Effective Single Blower Option) .. 63 Figure 7-9. Core Component Layout Example H (Effective Single Blower Option) .. 64 Figure 7-10. Power Thermal Utility Example .. 66 Tables Table 1-1. Common AIO Features in Thin Mini-ITX Based AIO PCs .. 10 Table 1-2. Terms and Descriptions .. 11 Table 1-3. Reference Documents .. 12 Table 2-1. Internal Motherboard Connectors .. 13 Table 2-2. 40-pin LVDS Header Pin-Out .. 15 Table 2-3. 40-pin eDP Header Pin-Out .. 18 Table 2-4. 8-pin FPD Brightness Header Pin-Out .. 19 Table 2-5. Passive AC 97 Front Panel Audio Header Pin-Out .. 21 Table 2-6. HD Audio Front Panel Audio Header Pin-Out .. 21 Table 2-7.

8 Internal Stereo Speakers Header Pin-Out .. 23 Table 2-8. DMIC Header Pin-Out .. 23 Table 2-9. 2x5 USB Header (Keyed at Pin 9) Pin-Out .. 24 Table 2-10. 2x5 USB Header (Keyed at Pins 9 and 10) Pin-Out .. 25 Table 2-11. 1x5 USB Header Pin-Out .. 26 Table 2-12. 2x10 USB Header Pin-Out .. 27 Table 2-13. Front Panel Main Header Pin-Out .. 29 Table 2-14. Internal Power Header Pin-Out .. 30 Table 2-15. Monitor Switch Header Pin-Out .. 33 Table 4-1. Environmental and Skin Temperature Limit Recommendations .. 40 6 Thin Mini-ITX Based PC System Design Guide Thin Mini-ITX Based PC System Design Guide 7 Revision History Revision Number Description Revision Date USB added eDP section added General clarifications in Section 2 December 2012 Minor updates to align with Compliance Requirements Section LVDS Section SATA Section USB Section Front Panel Section Internal Power Input Section 3 Power Supply August 2012 Initial release April 2012 Introduction 8 Thin Mini-ITX Based PC System Design Guide 1 Introduction Purpose / Scope This document outlines possible solutions to creating a System utilizing a Thin Mini-ITX motherboard, as specified in the Mini-ITX Addendum To The microATX Motherboard Interface Specification Version It will focus on the electrical, mechanical and thermal interfaces between a Sandy Bridge/Ivy Bridge or Cedar Trail Based Thin Mini-ITX motherboard.

9 And its enclosure and peripherals Compliance with the guidance outlined in this document enables chassis and Thin Mini-ITX motherboards that can be interchangeably used between systems. This increases the System Design options using a building block approach, while mitigating the need for custom solutions. Revision of this document Design Guide includes changes that are intended to improve the interoperability and System integration experience Based on the thin mini ITX motherboard standard. When designing a chassis Based on this revision of the Design Guide , a chassis manufacturer should take into consideration whether to accommodate motherboards in production prior to this document revision. Motherboard designs Based on revision of this document are generally expected to be compatible with Chassis designs Based on later revisions, however issues could include cable length mismatch due to tightening of the connector placement zones in revision Refer to the Channel AIO (Thin Mini-ITX Form Factor) Compatibility Matrix for Revision Based motherboards.

10 Overview Thin Mini-ITX motherboards evolve the standard Mini-ITX form factor in to even smaller System designs. They are especially useful in segments that place a premium on small, slim chassis. Typical usages of such chassis are: All In One (AIO) PCs Stackable home theater PC to be size compatible with the standard width of AV components such as DVD players and receivers VESA mountable Thin PC Digital signage PC (Built inside or behind a TV or other display) In this Design Guide , particular attention is given to slim, sub-4 liter Tiny PCs, and All In One PCs. Introduction Thin Mini-ITX Based PC System Design Guide 9 Figure 1-1. Thin Mini-ITX Applications All In One PCs The business model for AIO that works for System integrators is when they can buy inter-changeable components and Design their own custom System configurations, just like the white box desktop business model. For this business model to work the following building blocks will be sourced separately: AIO Enclosure or Chassis Kit (includes flat panel display, AIO metal and plastics of the chassis, power adapter and thermal solution if custom) Motherboard will ship with low profile IO shield, cables to power the HDD and ODD Other standard components: CPU, Memory, HDD, ODD All In One PCs which tightly integrate a flat panel display with PC components have traditionally been Based on custom motherboard and chassis designs.