X5000

A-EON Technology Cyrus motherboard

Introduction

This page provides information repository about the X5000 computer from A-EON Technology Ltd.

Motherboard Variants

The X5000's CPU features a 64-bit PowerPC e5500 Architecture-based microprocessor core from Freescale Semiconductor.

It has two main variants of motherboard:

X5000/020 with P5020 Dual Core CPU running at a clockspeed of 2Ghz
X5000/040 with P5040 Rev C Quad Core CPU running at a clockspeed of 2.2Ghz

Motherboard Connectors

Back panel from left to right:

serial RS-232
ethernet RJ-45 10/100/1000 mbps
2x USB 2.0 type A female
2x USB 2.0 type A female
2x USB 2.0 type A female

On board:

2x USB 2.0 header
SATA 0
SATA 1
DIMM 0 DDR3
DIMM 1 DDR3
micro SD card ROM
CR2032 battery for real time clock
PCI-E x16 slot
PCI-E x4
PCI-E x1 / Xorro
PCI-E x1
PCI-E x1
PCI 5v 32-bit 33Mhz
PCI 5v 32-bit 33Mhz
Haze Xorro Header

Memory Configuration

X5000/20 requires a minimum specification of DDR3 1333Mhz standard 1.5v DIMM
X5000/40 requires a minimum specification of DDR3 1600Mhz standard 1.5v DIMM

It is recommended to use DIMMs in matched pairs. The total physical maximum size of memory that the memory controllers can address is 64GB, however the practical memory size limit will depend on software.

Memory Compatibility
size	speed	manufacturer	part number	X5000/20	X5000/40
2GB	1333Mhz	Corsair	VS2GB1333D3	Yes	No
4GB	1600Mhz	Kingston	HX316C10F/A	Yes	Yes
4GB	1600Mhz	Kingston	HX316C10FW/4	Yes	Yes

Hardware Revision History

Version 1.0: micro-ATX form factor produced in early 2012
Version 2.0: full ATX form factor produced in early 2013
Version 2.1: full ATX form factor supplied to beta testers in 2014-15
Version 2.2: full ATX form factor consumer release produced in 2015

The revision number is written on the X5000's Cyrus motherboard above the DIMM memory slot.

Firmware

The X5000 uses a 4GB micro SD card as it's ROM. This contains the system's firmware and is removable for reflashing. The card does not have a filesystem so only RAW data maybe copied to it.

The system uses a modified Uboot firmware which includes a graphical front end that is displayed if the user presses the Escape key on system startup. The firmware is developed and distributed by A-EON Technology.

Click here for a guide to writing your firmware from OS4 and Uboot.

Removal of the X5000's micro SD card ROM
Description	Picture
The ROM is installed on the X5000 motherboard as shown select thumbnail image on the right for larger view
Gently push back on the metal clip in the direction of memory slots as shown select thumbnail image on the right for larger view Important: before performing this operation ensure you are electrostatically discharged
Once the metal clip is fully pushed back, it will release and rotate upwards select thumbnail image on the right for larger view
Once the metal clip is fully pushed back, it will release and rotate upwards select thumbnail image on the right for larger view
The micro SD card can then be removed from the socket select thumbnail image on the right for larger view

Restoring the MAC addresses after flashing firmware

To reset your ethernet MAC addresses correctly after a firmware update, perform the following steps:

1. Whilst the animated ball title screen is being played, press the ESC key to display the Early StartUp Control menu

2. Select the Command Line option or press the m shortcut key

3. At the X5000> prompt enter the following (pressing enter after each line):

setenv ethaddr
setenv eth1addr
setenv eth2addr
saveenv

4. Once this is saved, reset the system. This will now force the motherboard to retrieve the correct MAC addresses and record them.

All future firmware updates have empty MAC addresses so this process can be performed to retrieve the correct values.

Additional UBoot Options

The new Uboot includes the options to reduce or eliminate the rotating ball animation. Additionally it also includes a special default time-out option.

Three new environment firmware variables are included:

   amigabootmenu_animate default 1: Set to 0 to disable the boot animation. Set to 1 to enable the animation.

   amigabootmenu_animcycles default 10: Specifies how many times the animation should be played before the default boot selection is booted. Only has an effect if amigabootmenu_animate is set to 1.

   amigabootmenu_timeout default 0: If set to a non-zero value, it specifies how many seconds should elapse before the deafult boot selection is booted. This mechanism overrides amigabootmenu_animcycles, so if both are set, this one takes preference.

The result is the boot-up time can be greatly reduced. e.g. ~30+ seconds from power-up to Workbench if amigabootmenu_animcycles=1 and amigaboot_quiet=y

Motherboard LED Status

LED Information
label	colour	description
LED1	green	standby power indicator
LED3	red	CPU Platform voltage power good (CPLD controlled)
LED4	red	CPU Core A voltage power good (CPLD controlled)
LED13	red	CPU Core B voltage power good (CPLD controlled)
LED14	red	DDR 3 voltages power good (CPLD controlled)
LED15	red	IO voltages power good (CPLD controlled)
LED5	red	PORESET state indicator (CPLD controlled)
LED6	red	HRESET state indicator(CPLD controlled)
LED7	red	ASEELP state indicator (CPLD controlled)
LED16	red	STANDBY state indicator (CPLD controlled)
LED8	red	MCU temperature warning LED
LED9	red	MCU error LED

Technical Reference Manual

The official Technical Reference Manual can be downloaded from the AmiSphere server (an AmiSphere account is required)

Technical Reference Manual v1.1.1 PDF

Note: this copyrighted document should not be distributed on any other website

Emergency USB Flash Drive

Some suppliers may offer and supply a complimentary X5000 Emergency Boot USB with the X5000 system. The USB flash drive is designed to make it easy for a user to boot their X5000 and setup/restore a hard drive without the frustrations of manually copying across files from different locations.

Trivia

There is a long running tradition, started originally by Commodore engineers, on having The B-52s song titles on Amiga compatible hardware. The X5000 motherboard is no exception to this tradition as it features Breezin' on the silkscreen.

The motherboard is codenamed Cyrus in homage to the character Cyrus Smith (named Cyrus Harding in some English translations) who is one of the protagonists of Jules Verne's novel The Mysterious Island.