HX520 / K520

1- Product Overview

1.1- Introduction

The Helix and Karbon 520 Series computers harness the advanced power and integrated edge AI capabilities of Intel® Core™ Ultra processors, delivering highly scalable performance in a fanless, robust design. Engineered for the evolved edge, these systems offer versatile connectivity, including ModBay™ expansion, and robust reliability within their 0°C to 50°C and -40º to 70ºC operating temperature ranges, to meet the demands of diverse industrial applications. Comprehensive features like cable retention and remote management capabilities (including Intel vPro®) ensure streamlined deployment and long-term operational efficiency.

For more information on accessories and additional features, visit the following product pages:

• https://www.onlogic.com/store/computers/industrial/fanless/helix-500/

• https://www.onlogic.com/store/computers/rugged/karbon-520

1.2- Safety

警告:為避免電磁干擾，本產品不應安裝或使用於住宅環境

Warning: To avoid electromagnetic interference, this product should not be installed or used in a residential environment

1.3- Box Contents & Accessories

Any included or additional accessories, such as mounting brackets, power supplies, or antennas, are located in the accessory box at the bottom of the system box. All drivers and product guides can be found on the product's dedicated webpage.

1.4- Product Specifications

2- Technical Specifications

2.1- External Features

Front I/O (HX521)

Front I/O (K521)

Front I/O (HX522 / K522 Only)

Front I/O (HX523 / K523 Only)

Top I/O

Top I/O (HX521 / K521 Only)

Top I/O (HX525 / K525 Only)

Bottom I/O

2.2- I/O Definitions

Serial Ports

Note: Pin 6 and 12 are motherboard GND pins.

Remote Switch

Note: Pin 2 or the "-" label is the motherboard GND pin.

External Fan

Terminal Block Power (HX520 Series)

Terminal Block Power (K520 Series)

Optional Isolated DIO Expansion

Note: Pin 1 and pin 20 are isolated DIO ground pins, which are different from the motherboard GND. It is not recommended to connect them directly to the motherboard GND unless your application requires it.

Optional Isolated CAN Expansion

Notes:

1. The CAN H pins are labeled "+" on the system.

2. The CAN L pins are labeled "-" on the system.

3. The ISO GND pins are labeled with the GND symbol on the system, however both are independent isolated grounds. It is not recommended to connect them together if both CAN bus channels are not on the same network.

Optional 2x DB9 Serial Breakout Cable

The ADP122 serial breakout cable converts an HX520/K520 serial connector to two DB9 connectors.

LEDs

Status LEDs

Power LED Definition

• Off: Power off.

• Slow Blink (1/3Hz): Low/Standby Power State.

• On: Power On/Normal Power State.

• Fast blink (25Hz): GPU Power Brake Active.

Drive Activity LED

• Blinking: Read/Write activity on m.2 storage device.

Error LED Definition

• Slow Blinking (0.5Hz): Boot Issue (no boot device found).

• Fast Blinking (4Hz): Voltage fault.

• Solid: Memory Fault or no DIMMs installed.

Status LEDs (HX522/K522 Only)

Network Activity LEDs

USB Ports (Type A)

The Helix and Karbon 520 Series have six USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A ports (10 Gbps, 5V @ 900mA). Optional ModBay cards can add up to eight more USB 3.2 Gen2 Ports.

Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) (HX520 Series Only)

The Helix 520 Series has two Thunderbolt Gen 4 compliant ports (40 Gbps). Maximum 5V@3A/port or [email protected] total for 2 ports. Single port maximum power is 15W and 2 ports maximum power is 22.5W.

USB 4 (USB-C) (K520 Series Only)

The Karbon 520 Series has two USB 4 ports (40 Gbps). Maximum 5V@3A/port or [email protected] total for 2 ports. Single port maximum power is 15W and 2 ports maximum power is 22.5W.

DisplayPort

The Helix and Karbon 520 Series have two full-size DisplayPorts, both supporting DP 2.1 up to UHBR20. Please refer to Intel documentation for additional Core Ultra Series 1 and Core Ultra Series 2 display output specifications: https://ark.intel.com/.

SIM Cards

The Helix and Karbon 520 Series have one 3FF Micro-SIM card slot on the top panel that works with 4G LTE and 5G cellular modems. The SIM card is mapped to the M.2 B-key slot. The SIM slot is push-push; push to insert and push to remove.

Factory Reset

The Helix and Karbon 520 Series allow the enablement of a factory reset switch accessible through the front I/O face of the system that, when depressed, resets system BIOS settings back to factory defaults or custom set values.

LAN 4 (vPRO) - i226-LM / i226-IT

The Intel i226 LAN Port on the Helix 520 (i226-LM) and Karbon 520 (i226-IT) Series support up to 2.5Gbps link speeds over standard shielded CAT5e or CAT6 cables. The connector is the industry standard RJ45 connector. This port also features Intel’s vPro® technology enabling remote out-of-band management and security features (supported on motherboards with Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and Intel Core Ultra 7 165h/265H Processors). The LAN link state is shown by the two LEDs on the port. The description of LED activity is shown in section 6.4.3 above.

For instructions on enabling vPro/AMT on the Helix 520 and Karbon 520 Series of systems, refer to the HX520/K520 Series BIOS Manual.

DIO Labeling

Description

The Helix 520 Series top plate DIO labeling has “-” and “GND” labels for pins that both connect to the DIO expansion isolated ground (ISO_GND). The other ground pins indicated by the system labeling are tied to the non-isolated DC GND. There is no functional impact to system performance, but some users may find this labelling confusing.

Resolution

GND label on the DIO connector will be changed to ISO_GND on a future revision.

Expansion Port Pinouts

M.2 B-key Pinout

M.2 M-key Pinout

M.2 E-key Pinout

2.3- Motherboard Connectors

Motherboard Features

Please Note: There is a difference in labeling of front USB C ports between the HX520 series and K520 series. The HX520 series carries a Thunderbolt 4 logo while the K520 Series carries a USB 4 logo.

M.2 2260/2280 M-key

This slot supports PCIe Gen 4 x4 and is designed for NVMe or storage drives. A full pinout table for this expansion slot is provided in the Expansion Port Pinouts.

M.2 3042/3052/2280 B-key

This expansion slot is capable of supporting PCIe Gen 4 x2, SATA III, USB 3.2 Gen 2, USB 2.0, and one SIM card input from the external I/O. This slot is designed to support various expansion cards such as SATA storage drives and 4G LTE or 5G cellular cards. A full pinout table for this expansion slot is provided in the Expansion Port Pinouts.

M.2 2230 E-key

This slot supports PCIe Gen 4 x1 and USB 2.0 signals and is designed for M.2 2230 Wi-Fi expansion cards.

PCIe Gen 5.0 Connector (x16 Physical/x8 Electrical)

The systems have one PCIe x16 connector on the motherboard. It is used with OnLogic risers for various PCIe configurations in models HX/K522/3/4/5.

PCIe x16 (x16 Physical/x8 Electrical) for HX/K523/4/5

This riser supports a dual slot, full height, half length PCIe Gen 5 (x16 Physical/ x8 Electrical) expansion card in the HX524. There are two fan headers on the riser as well to support the fan in the chassis.

DDR5 SO-DIMM Slots

The Helix 520 series supports up to two DDR5 SO-DIMM slots rated up to 5600MTUs (MTL) and 6400MTUs (ARL).

2.4- Power Management

Power Consumption

The power consumption of the Helix 520 Series was measured for various system configurations, workloads, and power states at a 24V system input voltage. Tests were conducted using Furmark and Burnintest v9.0 to stress system components. These tests were performed with Intel Turbo Boost Enabled. The build configurations and power consumption are listed in the tables below. The power consumption listed below is the average power draw over a 5 minute window from the test start. This includes a brief period of PL2 power levels (Intel turbo Boost) where the power consumption is elevated. The highest power consumption seen during the period of turbo PL2 is shown at the bottom of each table. The data collected is similarly representative of systems in the Karbon 520 series.

The power consumption for each system configuration is recorded below.

Wake-Up Events

The Helix and Karbon 520 Series support multiple power states. The wake-up events can be configured in the MCU and BIOS. This section describes the power management functions you can perform and gives information on protection circuitry for power adapters.

*Only supports legacy S3

Protection Circuitry

The DC voltage levels specified are the absolute maximum allowable values for the system to function safely. The protection circuitry allows for brief transient voltages above these levels.

GPU Power Brake

When an external GPU card is installed, the MCU will start monitoring the input voltage. The GPU power brake will be asserted when the input voltage is less than 15.6V to avoid excessive current draw from the power source in order to protect the power cable and input connector from damage. This GPU power brake will be de-asserted when the input voltage is higher than 17.1V.

Assertion of the GPU Power Brake is necessary at low voltages where high power draw from CPU, GPU, and platform devices would result in high input currents that may exceed ratings of the power connectors. The GPU brake will limit GPU power power at these voltages until input voltage is returned to safe levels.

When the power brake is activated, the power LED blinks at 25 Hz.

2.5- Add-in Modules

ModBay Expansion

ModBay 4x LAN Expansion

The 4x LAN Expansion (MODBAY-4LAN02) adds additional RJ45 GbE LAN ports to the HX523 and K523. This ModBay uses dedicated Intel I210-IT network controllers for each port which support speeds up to 1 Gbps.

Operating Temperature: HX523 0ºC to 50°C Operating Temperature: K523 -40ºC to 70ºC

ModBay 4x PoE Expansion

The 4x PoE Expansion (MODBAY-4POE01) adds RJ45 GbE PoE LAN ports to the HX523 and K523. Each port supports up to 1 Gbps and PoE output. PoE power budget depends on system power input.

Operating Temperature: HX523 0ºC to 50°C Operating Temperature: K523 -40ºC to 70ºC

ModBay 3x M12 LAN Expansion

The 3x M12 LAN Expansion (MODBAY-M12LAN01) adds additional M12 X-coded GbE LAN ports to the HX523 and K523. This ModBay uses dedicated Intel I210-IT network controllers for each port which support speeds up to 1 Gbps.

Supported cables:

• CABLE-M12-RJ45-5M (5 Meter X-coded M12 to RJ45)

• CABLE-M12-RJ45-10M (10 Meter X-coded M12 to RJ45)

Operating Temperature: HX523 0ºC to 50°C Operating Temperature: K523 -40ºC to 70ºC

ModBay 3x M12 PoE Expansion

The 3x M12 PoE Expansion (MODBAY-M12POE01) adds additional M12 X-coded GbE PoE LAN ports to the HX523. This ModBay uses dedicated Intel I210-IT network controllers for each port which support speeds up to 1 Gbps. Additionally, each port supports PoE output. The power budget for PoE is dependent on the voltage of the system power input. Refer to Appendix C for PoE power budgets.

Supported cables:

• CABLE-M12-RJ45-5M (5 Meter X-Coded RJ45 to M12)

• CABLE-M12-RJ45-10M (10 Meter X-Coded RJ45 to M12)

Operating Temperature: HX523 0ºC to 50°C Operating Temperature: K523 -40ºC to 70ºC

ModBay 2x 10Gb LAN Expansion

The 2x 10Gb LAN Expansion (MODBAY-10GLAN01) adds RJ45 10 GbE LAN ports to the HX523. This ModBay uses a single X550 network controller which supports individual port speeds up to 10 Gbps and a maximum combined speed up to 15 Gbps across both ports.

Operating Temperature: HX523 0ºC to 40°C Operating Temperature: K523 -40ºC to 40ºC

ModBay 4x USB3 Expansion

The 4x USB3 Expansion (MODBAY-04USB-02) adds additional USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports to the HX523. This ModBay uses two USB controllers which support individual port speeds up to 10 Gbps and a maximum combined speed up to ~26 Gbps across all ports. The controllers are the PCI11400 (PCIe Gen 3 x2 to 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2) and the USB7206i (1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 to 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2). Each port is rated to 5V @ 900mA of power delivery per USB-IF specification. These ports can only wake in sleep and are not active in Hibernate system states.

Operating Temperature: HX523 0ºC to 50°C Operating Temperature: K523 -40ºC to 70ºC

PoE Power Budget

The nominal power budget for all PoE ports on the Helix 520 and Karbon 520 Series is provided below. These values are provided for room temperature operating conditions. Please contact OnLogic for specific derating information for your installation.

2.6- System Thermals

Motherboard Temperature Sensor Locations

System Thermal Results (HX520)

Testing Conditions

• Temperature Range: 0ºC to 50ºC

• Step size: 5ºC / 10ºC

• Stress Levels

  • CPU (100% - Intel PTAT)

  • SSD, and RAM (80% - Passmark BiT)

  • GPU (100% if applicable - Furmark)

Results Summary

System Thermal Results (K520)

Testing Conditions

• Temperature Range: -40ºC to 70ºC

• Step size: 5ºC / 10ºC / 20ºC

• Stress Levels

  • CPU (100% - Intel PTAT)

  • SSD, and RAM (80% - Passmark BiT)

  • GPU (100% if applicable - Furmark)

3- Installation & Mechanical

3.1- Dimensions

HX521 / K521 System

HX522/K522, HX523/K523, HX524/K523, HX525/K525 Expanded Systems

3.2- Mounting

HX521/K521 DIN Clip (MTD103/MTD109)

Step 1: Remove the two screws in the rear of the system.

Step 2: Align the two screw holes on the back of the system with the holes in the DIN clip.

Step 3: Fasten the din clip with the screws removed in step 1 (M3X0.5 Flathead Screw, 6mm Long) WARNING: Using a screw longer than 6mm may damage the system.

Step 4: Hook the spring side of the DIN clip onto the DIN rail, then press firmly until the clip snaps over the other side of the rail.

HX522-HX525 / K522-K525 DIN Clip (MTD110)

Step 1: Remove the four screws in the rear of the system.

Step 2: Align the four screw holes on the back of the system with the holes in the DIN clip.

Step 3: Fasten the DIN clip with the screws removed in step 1 (M3X0.5 Flathead Screw, 6mm Long) WARNING: Using a screw longer than 6mm may damage the system.

Step 4: Hook the spring side of the DIN clip onto the DIN rail, then press firmly until the clip snaps over the other side of the rail.

HX522-HX525 / K522-K525 Dual DIN Clip (2x MTD103)

Step 1: Remove the four screws in the rear of the system.

Step 2: Align the first 2 screw holes on the back of the system with the holes in the DIN clip.

Step 3: Fasten the DIN clip with the screws removed in step 1 (M3X0.5 Flathead Screw, 6mm Long) WARNING: Using a screw longer than 6mm may damage the system.

Step 4: Repeat steps 2-3 for the second DIN clip. Ensure the second DIN clip is oriented in the same direction as the first DIN clip

Step 5: Hook the spring side of the DIN clip onto the DIN rail, then press firmly until the clip snaps over the other side of the rail.

Wall Mount Bracket (MTW101)

Step 1: Align the four screw holes on the bottom of the system with the respective holes on the mounting brackets.

Step 2: Attach wall mounting brackets (MTW101) or DIN mount Bracket (MTD102-K), to the system using the supplied M3 screws (M3X0.5 Flathead Screw, 4mm Long).

Step 3 (Wall Mount only): Install system to surface using keyhole slots on wall mount brackets and appropriate hardware for the surface (not provided).

Step 4 (DIN Bracket only): Align the mounting holes of the din clip bracket to the three mounting holes on the wall mount bracket. Install the 6x M4 screws (M4x0.7 Self Tapping, Philips Head, 6mm Long) to secure the DIN clip.

Step 5 (DIN Bracket only): Hook the solid side of the DIN clip onto the DIN rail, then press firmly until the clip snaps over the other side of the rail.

Rubber Feet (MTF100)

Step 1: Peel feet from adhesive.

Step 2: Align feet with markings on Secondary Heatsink as shown.

VESA (VMPL-2022)

Step 1: Align the four screw holes on the bottom of the system with the respective holes on the VESA bracket.

Step 2: Attach VESA Bracket to the system using the supplied M3 screws (M3X0.5 Flathead Screw, 4mm Long) Use a torque of at least 200 N-cm (18 in-lbs) to attach the bracket.

Step 3: Install the system to VESA 75 or VESA 100 mounting pattern using provided VESA Mount screws.

VESA In-Series (VMPL-2024/VMPL-HX52x)

Step 1: Separate the two bracket segments by first removing the M4 screw on either side of the bracket (M4X0.7 Phillips head, 6 mm long). With the screws removed, the bracket segments can be separated by removing the smaller bracket from the hooked tabs on the top edge of the larger bracket.

Step 2: Align the screw holes indicated with “1” marking with the bottom holes of the system. Secure the system using the 4x supplied M3 screws (M3X0.5 Flathead Screw, 6mm Long). Use a torque of at least 200 N-cm (18 in-lbs) to attach the bracket.

Step 3: Install the large bracket/system assembly to a VESA 75 or VESA 100 mounting pattern on a monitor stand/arm using the provided M4x0.7 8mm length screws. Note the arrow marking on the bracket indicating which side of the bracket should be facing UP.

Step 4: Install the remaining smaller bracket to a monitor VESA 75 or VESA 100 mounting pattern using the provided M4x0.7 8mm long screws. Note the arrow marking on the bracket indicating which side of the bracket should be facing UP.

Step 5: Install the small bracket/monitor assembly to the large bracket/system assembly on the mounting arm by aligning the hooks/tabs and slot the pieces together. Secure the bracket segments together using the 2x M4 screws removed in Step 1.

3.3- Internal Access

Properly opening OnLogic systems does not void the warranty in most cases, however, some precautions are necessary to avoid damaging the system.

• Perform this disassembly in an area free of static discharge.

• Disconnect power, video, and any other connections to the system. It should be fully unplugged.

• Ideally, wear a grounding strap. If that is not available, regularly touch a grounded metal surface to discharge your body of static electricity.

All of the different system models in this series begin their disassembly by removing the bottom plate:

• Remove x4 screws from the bottom of the system

Note: Remove any/all mounting hardware.

HX521

After removing the bottom plate, you will ahve access to the motherboard. The motherboard used is the same for all variants in the series. Here is the layout:

HX522

• You will now have access to the hot swap bay section of your system

• Further Disassembly is possible but not recommended. Please contact technical support before continuing.

HX523

• You will now have access to the modbay section of your system

• Further disassembly is possible but not recommended. Please contact Technical support before continuing

HX524

• You will now have access to the PCIe expansion section of your system

• Further disassembly is possible but not recommended. Please contact Technical support before continuing

HX525

• You will now have access to the MXM expansion section of your system

• Further disassembly is possible but not recommended. Please contact Technical support before continuing

3.4- CAD & Drawings

HX520 Series Dimensional Drawings

Contact Technical Support for additional CAD drawings

4- Software & Firmware

4.1- BIOS

BIOS Manual

Reference the full BIOS Manual here.

BIOS Updates

4.2- Drivers & Downloads

LPMCU Tool

Windows

Ubuntu

DIO Python Package

Repository Link - onlogic-m031-manager

Download Instructions

1. Download .zip File - For a simple copy of the files, use this direct download link:

   • https://github.com/onlogic/onlogic-m031-manager/archive/refs/heads/main.zip

2. Clone with Git - Use a terminal to clone the repository.

   • HTTPS:

     • git clone https://github.com/onlogic/onlogic-m031-manager.git

   • SSH:

     • git clone [email protected]:onlogic/onlogic-m031-manager.git

Drivers

Drivers are available in INF formats, which can be installed via a Windows deployment server, or through the Device Manager. Follow our guide for Installing via Device Manager here.

Windows 11 - Download

4.3- MCU Documentation

Reference the full HX520/K520 MCU Manaul.

5- Support & Compliance

5.1- Troubleshooting & FAQ

FAQs

Clear CMOS

If the system fails to power on or is unresponsive, clearing the CMOS may help. It will also restore the BIOS to factory defaults.

• The CMOS reset button on all HX52X systems can be found next to the power button, as indicated here

• To perform the reset, begin by powering off the system

• While holding the reset button, press power button to power the system on

• After 5 seconds, release the button

• The screen will show "System will reboot to reset to default." and will prompt the user to press “ok”

• The system will reset

• The reset to default completes

Windows Serial Port Number Collisions

Description

Some Windows installation methods may result in serial port number collisions.

The Helix 520 Series systems implement three serial port types - PCH UART, SIO COM, and USB VCOM. Depending on the order of driver installation, Windows may assign duplicate serial port numbers (in the format COM[n]).

Resolution

Serial port numbers can be changed from the Windows Device Manager after driver installation, or drivers can be injected via enterprise deployment methods prior to first boot to mitigate this issue.

Windows installations performed by OnLogic are shipped with unique serial interface numbers.

Windows Ethernet Interface Numbering

Description

Ethernet port assignments in Windows may not be issued consistently between configurations due to Windows port enumeration rules, meaning that the indicated port numbers on the front of the system may not match the numbers assigned by Windows.

Resolution

Users/installers may associate external Ethernet port numbers with the Windows-assigned scheme using the Powershell command Get-NetAdapterHardwareInfo.

In the results generated by the command, adapter names and PCIe Bus numbers are displayed. The external port numbers from the plate label are equivalent to the PCIe Bus numbers (Port 1 = Bus 1, etc.). The Powershell command Rename-NetAdapter can then be used to rename Ethernet ports to user preference.

Boot Failure with Intel VMD Enabled

Description

Intel VMD is a technology allowing for internal storage to be added to RAID configurations without a discrete RAID controller. While OnLogic is not currently offering configurations that are VMD-compatible, the BIOS options for VMD are available for future use.

When VMD is enabled via the BIOS configuration menu, and drives are added to the VMD controller by enabling either VMD Global Mapping or adding individual drives to the VMD controller from the same menu page, systems may fail to boot after the configuration is applied.

Resolution

Users are advised to keep VMD and VMD Global Mapping disabled. There is no workaround.

RAID support is offered via a discrete controller in the Helix 522 model and is not affected by this issue.

“PCIxxxx GPIO Controller Driver” Yellow Bang

Description

The Windows driver for the GPIO subsystem of the Microchip PCI11000 family IO controllers used on the Helix 523 model and MODBAY-04USB-02 expansion card is not signed, so Windows will not load it. A yellow bang ( ! ) warning indicator and error message is displayed in the Windows Device Manager.

This error message has no effect on system performance and may be ignored. The GPIO subsystem is required to be enabled on-chip for full function, but no direct driver/OS interaction is required.

Resolution

A signed driver release is in progress, and will be made available when it is complete.

5.2- Regulatory

CE

This device has been tested to the relevant EMC and Safety standards. Modifications by the user may invalidate certifications. Testing included EN 55032, EN 55035, EN 60601-1-2, IEC 62368-1, IEC 60945 Ed. 4, and many others, please see specifications for details.

FCC Statement

This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules as a Class A device. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

ISED

This device complies with Industry Canada license-exempt RSS standard(s). Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device.

Le présent appareil est conforme aux CNR d'Industrie Canada applicables aux appareils radio exempts de licence. L'exploitation est autorisée aux deux conditions suivantes: (1) l'appareil ne doit pas produire de brouillage, et (2) l'utilisateur de l'appareil doit accepter tout brouillage radioélectrique subi, même si le brouillage est susceptible d'en compromettre le fonctionnement.

CAN ICES-003(A) / NMB-003(A)

UKCA

The computer system was evaluated for medical and IT equipment EMC standards as a class A device. The computer complies with the relevant IT equipment directives for the UKCA mark.

VCCI

This is a Class A product based on the standard of the Voluntary Control Council for Interference (VCCI). If this equipment is used in a domestic environment, radio interference may occur, in which case the user may be required to take corrective actions.

5.3- Security Advisory

For the latest security advisories concerning OnLogic products, including vulnerability disclosures and necessary updates, please refer to our official Security Advisories page. It is recommended to regularly check this resource for critical security information. Access Security Advisories