Friday, September 18, 2015

MinnowBoard Max is an open source development board. It runs on 64 bit Intel Atom E38xx Series SOC. It supports multiple I/O options like Micro SD, USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports, Ethernet etc.

More information can be found here:
http://www.minnowboard.org/meet-minnowboard-max/

I am playing around with MBM since couple of weeks now, and working on a POC. Board doesn’t come with an OS installed, so the first step is to setup one. So, here are the steps, to get your MBM, up and running.


Step 1: Update the firmware


Before installing any OS, it is essential to update the firmware to latest release. More info on updating the firmware can be found here:

https://firmware.intel.com/content/minnowboard-uefi-firmware-download

Once your MBM is running latest firmware, you can proceed ahead with installing Windows 8.1.


Although it is safe to install from a USB to a USB/SD Card, but running an OS from a USB drive is not a great idea. USB drive/SD cards suffer from relatively low read/write speeds, as well as number of reads/writes is limited. This brings the idea of hooking up a SSD with MBM for installing OS.

Step 2: Choosing correct power supply



Before connecting a SSD, it is important to review power supplied to MinnowBoard. Generally, MBM runs fine with a power supply of 5V 2A, but to carry additional load of a SSD, it is advisable to use 5V 4A power supply.

I was able to get a 5V 4A adapter online from Shopclues.com, here is the URL:
http://www.shopclues.com/power-adaptor-5-volt-4-amp-charger-ac-input-100-240v-dc-output-5v-4a-14.html

Power adapter from ShopClues was of good quality, but connector did not fit in power input socket of MBM. Luckily, I was able to find a connector that fit well on MBM, so I replaced the connector.
(If you get into similar situation, don’t forget to check the polarity. Ensure that polarity doesn’t get reversed when you replace the connector)

Step 3: Hook up a SSD to MinnowBoard Max



MinnowBoard comes with a SATA I/O port, but doesn’t come with power port, but you can still power your SSD using MinnowBoard.

Powering the SSD: Prepare the cable that powers SSD from MBM Pins
Pins 1 and 3 can be used to supply required 5V power the SSD. Following is the pin-out of MBM:


In order to neatly connect the pins to get the power, I got relimate connector from CktPlus.com, here is the URL:
http://cktplus.com/Relimate-Connector-with-Polarized-Header-4pin-2.54mm-Pitch

Here is how my power cable looks like, it has relimate connector on one side, and a SATA power supply pin on other side.


Here again, pay attention to polarity. Connect ground to ground.

Once your power cable is ready, hook up the SSD data cable to SATA port, and connect the power cable to SSD’s power port.

Step 4: Putting it all together 


This is how the setup looks like (Top view, and side view of SSD power connection from pinout)





Step 5: Prepare the USB installer media (USB drive)


Windows 8.1 Embedded Industry Pro is available for download as an ISO file. Download  ‘ISO to USB’ from http://www.isotousb.com/, to make a bootable USB drive (containing Windows 8.1 Embedded)

Step 6: Begin OS installation.


Plug Windows 8.1 installation media to a USB port, and connect a USB keyboard to 2nd USB port.
Power on the board. Press F2/Del to enter setup, and select your USB drive (not SSD) from boot menu. After this, OS installation is similar to any regular OS installation.

Step 7: Download essential drivers


Once OS is installed successfully, download ‘Intel Embedded Drivers’ and ‘HD Graphics drivers’ from following links:

Step 8: Install the drivers


Follow the instructions provided on Intel’s website on installing* the drivers downloaded at step 7.
URL: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/dn781278(v=vs.85).aspx

(*You can jump directly to step 5 of article mentioned above, where it describes the steps and sequence of installing these drivers)