Hardware description

This page describes the hardware specifications and functionality of the expansion ports and how to use them.

Performance specification

The Mono Gateway Development Kit is an extremely versatile device, and its design enables user recovery in an abnormally wide range of scenarios. Even if rendered ‘bricked’ and unbootable, the device can still be recovered via a separate JTAG hardware debugger probe (e.g. TC2050).

Port description

USB PD Type-C (Power)

Use the included 65W GaN power supply. Alternatively, any USB PD 3.0 compliant PSU rated for 15V 3A (45W) or 20V 2A (40W) or more will work. If the board doesn’t power up with a third-party adapter, it likely failed to negotiate sufficient power - this is indicated by the Power Fail LED diode.

Power Fail LED

Turned ON: Insufficient external USB power supply
Turned OFF: External power supply meets the required power needs. It is normal for the Power Fail LED to momentarily turn ON during the power up process.

USB 3.1 Type-C (Data)

A standard USB 3.1 host port. Use it to connect a thumb drive for backups, transfer files to/from the device, or attach external storage. Data speed 5Gbps. This port is designed to power an external device with 5V, up to 3A (15W).

UART/Console Type-C (Serial)

Your primary interface for communicating with the device, especially during initial setup. Connect this to your computer’s USB 2.0 port and use a serial terminal at 115200 baud. We recommend tio on macOS/Linux or PuTTY on Windows.

Reset Button

Resets the device by pulling the reset pin to ground on most chips. Note that this performs a reset, not a full power cycle. There are two reset buttons on the PCB, one located near the USB and network ports and the second one is located on the bottom side of the board near the RTC coin backup battery.

1 Gb RJ-45

Standard gigabit Ethernet ports, compatible with typical home networking equipment.

10 Gb SFP+

High-speed 10 gigabit ports for fiber or DAC connections. These should be compatible with a wide array of modules. If a particular module doesn’t work, it’s usually not a hardware limitation—the retimer chip is fully configurable via I2C, and our kernel configuration is open source.

Status LED

An onboard RGBW LED located on the top side of the board is directly controlled by the main processor. It is intended for system status indication and user defined signaling. More information about its behavior and control is provided in Getting started

Cooling Fan ports [F_1] & [F_2]

The cooling fan driver provides two fully independent channels designed to support 4-wire, 5 V cooling fans. These channels are labeled [F_1] and [F_2]. Channel 1 (CH1) has two physical connectors, one on the top side and one on the bottom side of the PCB, both labeled [F_1].

Connector type

Pinout

From the Gateway port’s perspective

GPIO Expansion port [GPIO_1]

The GPIO header can be found on the top side of the board and has 1.27mm pin pitch.

Connector type

Pinout

A GPIO pin configured as an output pin can be set to high (1.8V) or low (0V).
A GPIO pin configured as an input pin can be read as high (1.8V) or low (0V). This is made easier with the use of internal pull-up or pull-down resistors. This can be configured in software.

From the Gateway port’s perspective

Voltage specifications

M2 wireless card ports [M2_1] & [M2_2]

The Gateway includes two M.2 Key-E expansion ports that support two different categories of wireless cards:

Supported cards

Pinout Tri-radio card [M2_1]

From the Gateway port’s perspective

Pinout Dual-radio card [M2_2]

From the Gateway port’s perspective

Wireless card installation

TBD

RTC backup battery

The Real-Time Clock (RTC) circuit uses a coin cell battery to maintain time and date information when the device is powered off or disconnected from the main power source.

If the battery is removed or fully discharged, the RTC will lose its stored time and date, and the clock will need to be reset after the next power-up.

Replacing the battery

To replace the battery, the PCB must first be removed from the enclosure. Follow the disassembly instructions provided below.

Once the PCB is accessible, use a flathead screwdriver to carefully lever the battery out of the holder, as shown in the image.

Disassembly instructions

Since the expansion features are not accessible with the enclosure installed, it is mandatory to remove the printed circuit board (PCB) from the enclosure.

Before disassembling the device, ensure that proper ESD safety precautions are followed to prevent damage to the electronics.

PCB removal guide

Required tools

Torx T10 screwdriver

Steps

• Power off the device and disconnect all cables.
• Place the device on a clean, flat, and ESD-safe surface.
• Using a Torx T10 screwdriver, remove the four screws securing the top cover of the enclosure.
• Carefully lift and remove the top cover.
• Using the same Torx T10 screwdriver, remove the five screws that secure the PCB to the enclosure.
• Gently lift the PCB out of the enclosure, holding it by the edges only.

ESD safety notes

• Work on an ESD-safe surface whenever possible.
• Wear a grounded ESD wrist strap, or regularly touch a grounded metal object to discharge static electricity.
• Avoid touching components, connectors, or exposed contacts on the PCB.
• Store the PCB in an ESD-safe bag when it is not installed in the enclosure.

PCB mechanical properties

PCB thickness is 1.6mm [63 mil]

Download 10G_GW_DK_PCB_3D-STEP.zip

Development Kit enclosure

Here you can download the 3D step models of the Development Kit enclosure (top and bottom part).

Download 10G_GW_DK_ENC_A1.zip