Logo

IGEL M310C: Hardware 

Igel M310C Thin Client

The M310C was part of Igel's Universal Desktop range and appeared in the UD3 line of thin clients. I think it may have been launched end of 2010/start of 2011 and reached EOL in November 2013.

The M310C had the CPU upgraded at some point in its life. The first iteration was fitted with a VIA Nano U3400 @ 800MHz which was subsequently upgraded to a VIA Nano U3500 @ 1GHz. I don't know if there is any external indication that allows you to identify which model it is without first powering it up.

Specifications

The basic specs are:

Processor
   Type &
   Speed
VIA Nano U3400 @ 800 MHz or
VIA Nano U3500 @ 1GHz
Memory
   Flash
   RAM
1GB
1GB (max 2GB)
Video
   Chip
   Max resolution
VIA VX855 (Chrome 9)
1920 x 1200 (Dual view)
Ports
   Video
   Network
   USB

   Serial
   Parallel
   PS/2
DVI-I
10/100/1000
1 x USB2.0 front
4 x USB2.0 rear
1
none
Kybd
Power
   Supply
   Plug
   Off
   Idle
   Running
12V 3A (label)
Coax 5.5mm/2.1mm
1W
8W
11W
Dimensions
W x H x D4.75cm x 19.1cm x 20.3cm

The M310C could be running:

  • IGEL Linux (LX)
  • Microsoft Windows Embedded Standard 2009 (ES)
  • Microsoft Windows Embedded Standard 7 (W7)

Mine was the LX version.

CPU

For those to whom it matters here is some detail from Linux's /proc/cpuinfo

vendor_id:CentaurHauls
cpu family:6
model:15
model name:VIA Nano U3500@1000MHz
stepping:10
flags:fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat clflush acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss tm syscall nx lm constant_tsc rep_good cpuid pni monitor vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr sse4_1 popcnt rng rng_en ace ace_en ace2 phe phe_en pmm pmm_en lahf_lm ida

PCI

00:00.0 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875 Host Bridge: Host Control (rev 03)
00:00.1 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875 Error Reporting
00:00.2 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875 Host Bus Control
00:00.3 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875 DRAM Bus Control
00:00.4 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875 Power Management Control
00:00.5 PIC: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875 APIC and Central Traffic Control
00:00.6 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875 Scratch Registers
00:00.7 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875 North-South Module Interface Control
00:01.0 VGA compatible controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875 Chrome 9 HCM Integrated Graphics
00:0f.0 IDE interface: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875 EIDE Controller
00:10.0 USB controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xx/62xx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev a0)
00:10.1 USB controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xx/62xx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev a0)
00:10.2 USB controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xx/62xx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev a0)
00:10.4 USB controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. USB 2.0 (rev 90)
00:11.0 ISA bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875 Bus Control and Power Management
00:11.7 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX8xx South-North Module Interface Control
00:13.0 PCI bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VX855/VX875/VX900 PCI to PCI Bridge
00:14.0 Audio device: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8237A/VT8251 HDA Controller (rev 20)
01:03.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8110SC/8169SC Gigabit Ethernet (rev 10)

Power Supply

The IGEL M310C uses an external 12V supply with a conventional 5.5mm x 2.1mm coaxial type connector. Although the M310C data sheet says it comes with an "36W External Power Adapter" I find that the M310C I actually runs at a very modest power consumption of 11W.

Expansion

The motherboard is shown on the right. Click on the photo for a larger version. click for larger image

Memory

Both the Flash memory and the RAM in the M310C are easily replaceable.

Flash: The standard flash memory is a Compact Flash card plugged into a socket adjacent to a 44-pin IDE connector.

RAM: There is a single 200-pin DDR2 SODIMM socket for the RAM. The 1GB SODIMM supplied with the unit is labelled: 1GB DDR2 800 SODIMM and carries the part number 632333-1961 and is manufactured by Transcend. The M310C data sheet says: "DDR2 533-800 SO-DIMM x 1 (up to 2GB)". I did try a 2GB SODIMM that worked fine.

USB: There are two small 4-pin connectors near the battery - CN1 & CN2. Krzysztof has found that they are USB ports.

Smartcard Reader

Smartcard reader

This is the smartcard reader that mounts behind the slot in the front panel.

Smartcard reader

It connects to one of the internal USB ports by the backup battery.

Jumpers

Igel M310C Jumpers There are two jumpers on the board adjacent to the 44-pin IDE connector and two elsewhere.

JP1 next to the IDE interface: With it in place the Compact Flash card appears as the IDE Channel 0 Master. With it removed the card appears as the Slave device.

JP2 is a three-pin header by the backup battery. In normal use the jumper sits across pins 1 & 2. Briefly move it to pins 2 & 3 to clear the CMOS.

JP3 is a five-pin header by the serial port socket. I haven't researched exactly what it does but I've seen similar arrangements for selecting exactly what appears on some of the control pins on the serial interface.

JP4 is a three-pin header by the IDE interface and is clearly marked as supplying either 3.3V or 5V to the interface.

Connectivity Foot

Igel M310C expansion On the underside of the unit (if mounted vertically) is a 44-pin plug. The M3x0C range all carry this connector - referred to as a 'connectivity foot' or 'connectivity bar' - which provides a way of adding additional legacy ports. This accessory seems to be quite rare.

Igel M310C expansion In December 2020 I heard from Peter in Hungary who had one for the M310C. This provided another USB port concealed within the foot along with a serial port. I couldn't find any literature on it, but I did find mention of a similar foot (but with two serial ports on it) for the M340C. This referred to a hidden / anti-theft USB port. I take it that the anti-theft refers to the fact that what ever is plugged into the USB port is hidden from sight and can't just be yanked out by somebody passing by.

Igel M310C expansion hidden USB port Here's a view of the inside of the foot. In this example a 16GB flash drive has been fitted. Igel's literature suggests that it is a good location for a wireless dongle. You can see the connector for the serial port at the right-hand end of the circuit board.

My thanks to Peter for the photos.

 


Any comments? email me. Added May 2018    Last update December 2020