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Category: Know How

What is SMA?

The abbreviation SMA stands for “SubMiniature Version A” and refers to a coaxial connector for high-frequency applications, which was developed in 1960. As this connector is screwed together, it is mechanically very robust and also offers good electrical shielding.

It is used in microwaves (to connect the high-frequency cables that transmit microwaves), portable radios and cell phone antennas. In our mini PCs, SMA is used for connecting WLAN or GPS antennas. An SMA connector is used in frequency ranges from 1 GHz to 18/26.5 GHz. From 27 GHz, more modern connectors, so-called “Super SMA”, are used. SSMA (Small SMA) was developed for use in space and can be used up to 40 GHz.

What does an SMA plug look like?

The SMA connector consists of a plug and a socket. The connector is the SMA antenna connection, which consists of a union nut with an internal thread and a metal pin as the inner conductor. In this case, this is the so-called “male” connection. The corresponding “female” SMA socket is located on the housing of the PC, with an external thread and a metal tube into which the pin of the plug fits.

What is RP-SMA?

RP-SMA stands for “Reverse Polarity” (sometimes just referred to as Reverse-SMA or “R-SMA” for short). It was developed to prevent unauthorized connection of an external antenna to increase the range. The gender of an RP-SMA connector has been swapped, so to speak. The RP-SMA male is also the connector with the union nut, but it has the metal tube as the inner conductor. The RP-SMA female connector has an external thread and a pin on the inside.

When plugged in, the two are indistinguishable and the signal quality is also the same. An RP-SMA plug fits mechanically into an SMA socket, but not electronically. Such a connection is therefore not functional. If the socket and plug do not match, adapters can provide a simple solution to equip these mini PCs with antennas.

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USB 4 and its compatibility with Thunderbolt 3

The USB Promoter Group announced USB 4 back in March 2019. A good six months later, on September 3rd, the final specification was finally published. According to the USB-IF press release, this update complements the existing USB 3.2 and USB 2.0 to create a “next generation” USB architecture.

As USB 4 is based on Intel’s Thunderbolt protocol specification, the bandwidth is doubled, enabling 40 Gb/s, and multiple data and display protocols can be processed simultaneously. The USB Type-C socket, which has established itself as an external display output for host devices since its market launch, also remains with USB 4. So far, so good. But now the big disadvantage: manufacturers are not obliged to implement the functionality of Thunderbolt 3 in their USB 4 specification. In short: USB 4-capable devices are not necessarily compatible with Thunderbolt 3. As not all USB devices can achieve the promised 40 Gb/s, USB 4 devices may have to reduce their speed to adapt to the hardware. USB 4 will be available in speeds of 10, 20 and 40 Gb/s – although you can expect to find cheap and small devices only with the lower speeds.

heise.de also explains the underlying hub of USB 4 in their article. You can read more about intelligent bandwidth sharing and the power supply of USB 4 in this article.

The published specifications can already be downloaded from the USB-IF website. It will probably be the end of 2020 before products with USB 4 are available on the market.

Nervana NNP-T and NNP-I: Intel’s AI processors

The topic of artificial intelligence is getting bigger and bigger, that’s no secret. In order to meet the demand for special chips in this segment, Intel presented the Nervana processors at the Hot Chips HC31 conference at the end of August. With these, the chip company is competing with Google’s Tensor processors, Nvidia’s NVDLA and Amazon’s AWL Inferentia chips.

The processor combination of the NNP-T and NNP-I chips is primarily intended for the field of machine learning. NNP stands for Nervana Neural Processor, but the chips are also known under the codenames “Spring Crest” and “Spring Hill”. In a closed application environment, they are used in complementary ways: the NNP-T chip is intended for training an AI model with big data, while the NNP-I chip is responsible for inferencing, i.e. implementing the training results in the AI workflow. The SoCs are manufactured in Intel’s in-house 10 nm process, NNP-T in the 16 nm process.

With the introduction of Nervana, the Xeon CPUs that were previously responsible for AI tasks will be replaced. Although these still offer sufficient power, they are less effective and efficient than Nervana.

Sources: t3n, heise

AMD’s market share grows, Ryzen prices fall

We already reported on AMD’s latest business figures in our last news. In the second quarter of 2019, both AMD and Nvidia recorded lower sales of graphics cards for desktop PCs, workstations and servers – but Nvidia significantly more than AMD. AMD succeeded in increasing its market share from 22.7 to 32.1 percent.

Looking at the entire GPU market, which includes graphics units integrated into processors, Intel remains the market leader with a 66.9 percent market share. But AMD also scores here: In contrast to Intel and Nvidia, the group was the only one to increase its shipments and thus raise its market share to 17.2 percent.

Source: heise, winfuture

AMD’s success is due not least to its successful Ryzen APUs. The Ryzen 3000 processors are already seeing significant price reductions just two months after their launch. The largest ones measure the Ryzen 7 3800X and Ryzen 5 3600X models, whose price-performance ratio was previously considered poor. You can find a price history of the Ryzen 7 3800X on giga.de.

Source: heise

Discover our spo-comm Mini-PCs

Multimedia interfaces

There are various options for transferring graphic content from a mini PC to a display. Our Mini PCs are equipped with the following connections:

 

So far, so good. But what are the differences between the multimedia interfaces mentioned? We have compiled the answer to this in a separate blog article:

VGA, DisplayPort, HDMI or DVI?

Audio connections

Some of the multimedia interfaces mentioned above transmit sound as well as video content. Our mini PCs are equipped with various sound inputs and outputs for transmitting sound in other ways:

Connection of external peripherals

Serial interfaces are used to connect external peripherals, including printers, keyboards and USB sticks…

 

… and secondly, the most well-known and ubiquitous bus system:

Additional storage media

In addition to the internal memory of a Mini PC (HDD or SSD), some of our systems can be equipped with SD cards. These offer the advantage of being able to back up data externally thanks to a large amount of storage space, but also score points for their compactness and low power consumption.

Internet and network

If you want to connect your Mini PC to the Internet or an (internal) network, you have various options:

Power supply

Without moss, er electricity, nothing happens. That’s why our Mini PCs are equipped with them:

Security

Some of our mini PCs can be easily protected against theft:

Special applications

Our Mini PCs are characterized by their flexible application options. It is precisely for this reason that a little support is needed from time to time in order to mount the PC optimally and in the shortest possible time:

Kensington Lock as theft protection

In 1992, the Kensington company launched the first laptop lock called the Kensington Lock. This is a lock for securing devices such as notebooks or even mini PCs against theft. The term “Kensington Lock” has now become established for all locks that work according to the same principle.

The lock is usually fitted with a wire rope and an eyelet at the end. When open, it can be looped around objects such as a piece of furniture and then locked with a key or even a combination lock.

A Kensington Lock is a good choice for deterring opportunist thieves. Professional thieves with the right equipment will probably not be deterred by this lock either. It is also essential that the lock is used correctly and sensibly. For example, care should be taken to only attach the lock to furniture that is difficult to move or similar.

The Kensington security slot

To be able to use such a lock, the Mini PC or the device used must be equipped with the standardized standard connection. This is called the Kensington security slot and is used by many major brands. The slot is approx. 3 x 7 mm in size and is often secured with a metal in plastic housings so that the lock cannot simply be broken out. On some devices, the slot is even connected to system-relevant components that render the system unusable in the event of theft.

spo-comm Mini-PCs with Kensington security slot:

  • CORE 2: Our smallest digital signage player available with 8th generation Intel CPUs
  • KUMO V: THE digital signage PC par excellence thanks to Nvidia RTX 2060 and Intel® Core i5 CPU
  • KUMO Ryzen: Perfect for the high-end digital signage sector thanks to AMD® Ryzen CPU and AMD® VEGA GPU

More spo-comm Mini-PCs

Before we get to how a mini PC can be protected at software level, let us briefly explain what dangers are lurking.

What is malware? Viruses, ransomware, Trojans

Malware is short for “malicious software” and stands for any type of programmed malicious software that accesses a device, such as a mini PC, without the user’s knowledge. The different types of malware include viruses, Trojans, ransomware and spyware. You can read about the differences, what malware is intended for and how it spreads here.

Protection against malware with antivirus programs

To protect a device from malware attacks, it is essential to install an antivirus program. It is important to only use programs from trustworthy companies, as they may otherwise be malware in disguise. Many companies also offer ransomware protection, which prevents files from being taken hostage and money being demanded.

Even if an antivirus program is installed and can detect and remove viruses, everyone should pay attention to a few basic things:

  • Don’t click on every link that comes from friends via social media, for example.
  • Do not open any e-mail attachments where it is not 100% clear what they are.
  • Do not activate macros in Microsoft Office. Internet criminals often try to persuade users to activate macros when they receive an infected e-mail.

Removing viruses from PCs

An infected PC can be recognized by various warning signs. These include constantly recurring pop-up messages, computer programs that start by themselves and a computer that runs very slowly.

Step-by-step instructions for removing malware

Software for monitoring a mini PC

In addition to software designed to protect against malware, monitoring software can ensure the health of a mini PC.

If such software is installed, various sensors are located on the components to be monitored, such as RAM or CPU. These sensors continuously measure certain values, such as the CPU temperature, and issue an alarm if the value changes too much.

With this software, it is possible to define the limit values yourself and to be alerted and act proactively long before a component fails. This means that unforeseen system failures due to broken components can no longer occur. This is a huge advantage, especially in areas where systems have to run 24/7.

And the best thing about it is that we at spo-comm are currently working on such software. Soon all our Mini PCs can be equipped with it. More information will be available shortly.

Serial and parallel interfaces

Both serial and parallel interfaces are used for the physical exchange of data between computers and peripheral devices. The term “serial” comes from the fact that the data bits are transmitted one after the other on a line during this process.

With parallel interfaces, the bits are not transmitted one after the other but – as the name suggests – in parallel. Nowadays, the term parallel interface usually refers to the IEEE 1284 connection, which is often also called the printer interface.

The RS-232 or COM interface

If we now look at the serial interfaces of a (mini) PC, the term usually refers to an RS-232 interface. However, this is better known by its English name COM port. RS-232 was developed back in 1960 for the telecommunications and IT sectors. Thanks to its simple implementation and reliability, the interface was also used in the field of consumer electronics. The RS-232 specifications were last updated in 1997. On PCs and laptops, the RS-232 was used for a long time to connect keyboards or mice, but has since been replaced by the faster and smaller USB port.

As is usual for serial interfaces, RS-232 also transmits the bits one after the other via the connection line. With RS-232, data is transmitted word by word and asynchronously. You can find out exactly how this works here.

Originally, the RS-232 interface is a 25-pin Sub-D connector. However, as not all signals provided by this standard are required in IT, the 9-pin Sub-D connector has become established (see Fig. 1). If several of these ports are installed on a PC, the physical interfaces are assigned a logical designation, COM 1, COM 2, and so on, by the BIOS and the operating system (see Fig. 1).

RS-232 data transfer rates  

As with other cables, such as HDMI, the speed of data transmission depends on the cable length, among other things. No maximum cable length has been defined for the RS-232 standard, only its maximum capacity. This 2500 pF is achieved with a cable length of approx. 15 meters. If cables with an extremely low capacitance are used, even up to 45 meters can be achieved. 

Table of cable lengths and data rates

The RS-232 in the age of Industry 4.0

Even today, in the age of Industry 4.0, many technical devices in the industrial sector cannot do without a serial interface. The RS-232 is convincing in this area with its functionality, which can be implemented easily and inexpensively, and also because the interface is supported by most manufacturers and users.

In contrast to the Universal Serial Bus (USB), RS-232 as a communication interface does not require a special driver for the operating system used. This results in lower support costs and protection against system crashes in the event of possible programming errors in the driver. Problems with the COM port are rare in practice. If problems do occur, it is possible to simply replace the hardware without having to intervene in the sensitive software environment.

Safety plays a key role in the industrial sector anyway. The COM port can also score points here: The cable gland protects the inside of the PC from dust or moisture in production halls, which in turn can improve the health of a Mini PC and increase its service life.

Difference between RS-232, RS-422 and RS-485

In addition to the COM port, there are also other serial interfaces that have a place in some of our Mini PCs. On the one hand there is the RS-422 standard, also known as EIA-422, and on the other hand the RS-485 or EIA-485 standard.

The RS-422 stands for wired differential and serial data transmission. In contrast to RS-232 with unbalanced signal transmission, RS-422 requires balanced transmission.

The RS-485 or EIA-485 standard stands for asynchronous serial data transmission like RS-232, but also for symmetrical data transmission like RS-422.

As mentioned above, the maximum distance for RS-232 is 15 meters. In addition, this serial interface can only have one transmitter and one receiver, whereas the RS-422 can address up to 10 receivers and have a maximum line length of up to 1200 meters. The RS-485 goes one better with up to 32 receivers and up to 4000 meters of cable.

The wait is over: Intel’s 10 nm chips are coming

After years of delay, Intel has finally started production of processors using 10-nanometer technology. The first Ice Lake CPUs are to be installed in notebooks and will be launched on the market in fall 2019. What can the newcomers do? In contrast to chips from 14 nm production, they are more energy-efficient and at the same time much more powerful. These include better graphics, WiFi 6 support, the option to connect four Thunderbolt 3 ports and integrated AI. The previously produced CPUs of the Ice Lake generation belong to the U and Y series, but Intel makes it a little more complicated for us and no longer names them clearly. Find out more at Tom’s Hardware. Incidentally, Intel is already planning 7 nm chips, which are due to arrive from 2021.

Sources: wired.com, intel.de, heise.de.

Success for AMD Ryzen: Higher demand than expected

AMD’s latest business figures are impressive. The Ryzen 3000 CPUs, which were launched for the desktop segment at the beginning of July, have got off to a successful start. Not least thanks to their good performance and low power consumption. However, demand for the Ryzen 9 3900X and Ryzen 7 3800X processors is so high that they are currently barely available. AMD stated that it had not expected this success. A subsequent delivery should be made shortly. AMD also announced that a high-end graphics chip based on the RDNA architecture (which also includes the current “Navi” chips) is currently being developed and that mobile CPUs from 7-nanometer production will also be released in the near future.

Sources: PC Games Hardware, Gamestar.

Moon landing proven: Ray tracing with Nvidia Turing

To show the possibilities of the new Turing graphics cards, Nvidia has come up with something special. The demo video of the moon landing published back in 2014, with which Nvidia wanted to prove that the Apollo 11 mission really took place, has been enhanced with ray tracing and now also shows what the lighting conditions were actually like at the time of the moon landing. The graphics card manufacturer has examined various details, such as the material of the spacesuits and the dust on the lunar surface. Ray tracing was used to calculate several million virtual sunbeams for the video, which are reflected by the moon and cast shadows.

Sources: Techcrunch.com, golem.de, Computerbase.de.

More acceptance for the Internet of Things: The Microsoft IoT Signals Report

In its IoT Signals research report, Microsoft gives us a great overview of the spread of IoT. Over 3,000 decision-makers worldwide were surveyed and the results speak for themselves: Of the 85 percent of respondents who already carry out their own IoT projects, 88 percent consider them to be crucial to the success of their business. However, 97 percent of respondents also expressed security concerns. Other challenges include the complexity of the technology, the shortage of skilled workers and, in some cases, excessively high costs. Nevertheless, IDC market researchers expect around 41.6 billion devices to be networked by 2025.

Source: blogs.microsoft.com, Computerwelt.

More spo-comm news

Whether for connecting to the Internet or connecting external peripherals: Cables are always involved. If they are not selected and fitted correctly, they can easily tear out or break and damage the Mini PC. What options are there to protect the mini PC against this?

Strain relief

For flexible electrical lines, including cables, there is a mechanical protective device known as a strain relief. This is mandatory for portable electrical equipment(e.g. cables, circuit boards, audio connectors) and is standardized in accordance with EN 62444.

The strain relief consists of metal or plastic clamps that prevent the cable from being pulled out by clamping it.

Strain relief in use

Cable gland

Another option is the use of screwable cables, which also provide strain relief. The advantages are manifold. A screwed-in power supply unit, for example (see Fig. 3), can no longer be pulled out easily or accidentally. This keeps the PC supplied with power and protects the operating system from possible damage caused by a sudden reset. Another advantage of screwable cables is better insulation, especially on the housing of a Mini PC. External influences such as dust or moisture in production halls can no longer reach the inside of the system thanks to the firm and sealed connection, thus extending the service life of a Mini PC.

Nowadays, metric threads are prescribed for the cable gland in accordance with DIN EN 60423, as well as a minimum protection rating of IP54. However, to protect people from potential hazards when using the devices, protection ratings of IP65, which is declared as dust and water jet protected, and IP68, which is declared as dust and waterproof, are common.

Which cables and connections can be screwed in?

After all the theory, let’s move on to the practice: Which cables can actually be screwed together? The RS-232 serial interface, better known as COM, and the VGA and DVI multimedia interfaces are probably the most common (see Fig. 2). Their sockets and plugs are equipped with threads as standard and can therefore not be removed so easily.

Further security options

However, there are also cables that stay securely and firmly in place without having to be screwed in. This applies to the LAN cable on the one hand and the DisplayPort multimedia interface on the other. Both rely on the principle of latching hooks, so-called locking lugs, which ensure that the cable really holds. When disconnecting the cable, the lug on the top of the plug is simply pressed down.

The HDMI cable is a thing in itself. As it does not actually have any security to remain firmly connected, there are now various options to ensure this. These include silicone cable covers or individually available HDMI cables that are equipped with a mechanism that can be used to manually engage and disengage a type of locking system.

AMD Ryzen™ with Radeon™ Vega graphics card

The first AMD Ryzen™ desktop processors with integrated Radeon™ Vega graphics cards were released at the beginning of 2018. Thanks to this all-in-one solution, the user no longer needs separate processors and graphics cards – perfect for all those who rely on desktop systems and require high performance. According to AMD, the Ryzen™ processors with Radeon™ Vega graphics card offer “powerful multiprocessing out-of-the-box” thanks to 4 cores and up to 8 threads. They should also offer even greater responsiveness for applications that use GPU acceleration.  (Source: amd.com)

Duplicate & extend: Multi-monitor via Windows settings

The easiest way to duplicate or expand a display when using an AMD graphics card is – as with Intel and Nvidia – via the Windows settings. These can be found by right-clicking on the desktop either under the name “Screen resolution” (Windows 7) or “Display settings” (Windows 10). If you want it even faster, use the Windows key and P shortcut.

Eyefinity technology: AMD Catalyst and Crimson

AMD also offers a special feature in the area of multi-monitoring. It goes by the name of “
Eyefinity
” and is a technology that multiplies the screen. This technology is primarily intended for gamers and professional users and developers. Up to six screens can be connected using the Radeon™ graphics cards.

However, the settings for Eyefinity are not in the standard Windows settings, but in AMD’s own graphics card driver tool. This was once called “Catalyst Control Center” – CCC for short – but was replaced by the AMD Radeon software “Crimson” in 2015. This can also be called up by right-clicking on the desktop. This video shows exactly how to set up an Eyefinity display group.

Non-embedded AMD GPUs

Of course, in addition to embedded GPUs, there are also graphics processors that are not embedded in the system. An overview of these desktop and mobile graphics processors can be found here. Thanks to a native AGP interface, the GPUs can be used on PCI graphics cards without any problems. The settings for multi-monitor operation with non-embedded graphics cards are also identical to those described above.

AMD systems at spo-comm

The spo-comm product portfolio also offers two AMD-based Mini-PCs. Firstly, our passively cooled RUGGED Ryzen, which can play content in a resolution of 4K@60Hz on four screens simultaneously thanks to its Ryzen V1807B CPU with integrated Vega 11 GPU and a total of four DisplayPorts. The second system is the AMD counterpart to our bestseller in the digital signage sector, KUMO V. The KUMO Ryzen is also equipped with the powerful Ryzen V1807B processor, which comes with the Vega 11 graphics unit. Thanks to the four DisplayPort 1.4 interfaces, the system is perfectly suited for use in high-end digital signage applications.

Discover the KUMO range

SmartFan with active cooling in the Mini-PC

If you opt for a Mini PC with active cooling, i.e. a system with a fan, there are various methods to ensure that the PC has a longer life expectancy. Because whoever says activecooling must also say BIOS settings.

Good to know: What is BIOS?

What is SmartFan?

Active cooling cools a Mini PC with the help of fans. Thanks to SmartFan technology, the rotation speed of the fans is adapted to the necessary requirements. These depend, for example, on the utilization of the PC. As the name “SmartFan” suggests, these adjustments are made completely automatically. The various values, including the current CPU or system temperature, can be viewed in the BIOS under “PChealth” (see Fig. 1).

Manual setting of SmartFan values

However, it may be that an actively cooled mini PC is used in an office and is too loud due to the high rotational speed. In such cases, the “CPU Fan Smart Mode” can also be set to “Manual Mode” in the BIOS (see Fig. 2). This allows all previously automatically adjusted values to be set manually. Figure 3 shows what it can look like if the “Fan Start Temperature”, i.e. the temperature at which the fan starts to rotate, is set manually.