User guide

User Guide CC8-BLUES • Multi-Processing CompactPCI CPU
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EKF Elektronik GmbH • Philipp-Reis-Str. 4 • 59065 HAMM • Germany
Tel. [phone] • Fax. [phone] • E-Mail [e-mail] • Internet http://www.ekf.de
Thermal Considerations
In order to avoid malfunctioning of the CC8-BLUES, take care of appropriate cooling of the
processor and system, e.g. by a cooling fan suitable to the maximum power consumption of the
CPU chip actually in use. Please note, that the processors temperature is steadily measured by a
special controller (MAX1617), attached to the onboard SMBus
®
(System Management Bus). The
processor core (die) temperature is signalled by the forward voltage of a CPU integrated diode.
A second diode internal to the MAX1617 allows for acquisition of the boards surface
temperature. The programmable overtemperature alarm allows to trigger the SMBus alert line
in order to avoid overheating. A suitable software to display both, the die temperature, as well
as the board temperature, is MBM (Motherboard Monitor), which can be downloaded from the
web. After installation, both temperatures can be observed permanently from the Windows
taskbar.
By default, the CC8-BLUES is equipped with a passive heatsink, covering not only the processor
chip itself but also major areas on the board, for an optimum thermal conduction. In addition,
a forced vertical air flow trough the system enclosure (e.g. bottom mount fan unit) is strongly
recommended. Be sure to thoroughly discuss your actual cooling needs with EKF. Generally, the
faster the CPU speed the higher is its power consumption.
The maximum power consumption and operating temperature of a particular processor can be
derived from the tables below. Fortunately, the power consumption is by far lower when
executing typical Windows or Linux tasks. The heat dissipation increases especially when
rendering software is executed, e.g. the Acrobat Distiller. EKF tests the CC8-BLUES by running
'kpower.exe', a proprietary Intel tool for generating the maximum stress to the processor.