Getting Started
3 minute read
This guide walks you through the initial setup of your Interceptor Carrier Board.
What You’ll Need
- Interceptor Carrier Board
- Raspberry Pi CM4, CM5, or Banana Pi CM4 compute module
- ATX Power Supply (with stable +3.3V rail)
- Micro SD card or eMMC module with OS image
- SATA drives (optional)
- Interceptor PoE Board (optional)
Step 1: Power Supply Selection
You must use a standard ATX Power Supply Unit (PSU) with a 20 or 24-pin connector.
The PSU must provide a stable +3.3V rail. Many cheaper supplies fail to maintain voltage under low load, which causes the Raspberry Pi to crash.
Recommendations:
- Minimum 270W for basic configuration, 350W+ if using PoE boards
- Flex ATX PSUs (270W, 350W) available in the Exaviz Store
- Or use a quality brand (Corsair, EVGA, Seasonic)
Step 2: Front Panel Wiring (Header J2)
The J2 header (8 pins) handles the power button and LEDs. Pins 1 & 2 are at the bottom left.
| Pin | Function | Wire Color (typical) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Power LED (+) | Green |
| 2 | Power LED (-) | Black |
| 3 | Power Button | Red |
| 4 | Power Button | White |
| 5 | UART TX | - |
| 6 | UART RX | - |
| 7 | Ground | - |
| 8 | Ground | - |
The UART pins (5 & 6) are useful for debugging boot issues. Connect a 3.3V USB-to-Serial adapter to access the console.
Step 3: Installing the Compute Module
Raspberry Pi CM4
- Locate the two high-density connectors on the carrier board
- Align the CM4 with the connectors (components facing up)
- Press down firmly until the module snaps into place
- The CM4 should sit flat against the board
Raspberry Pi CM5
The CM5 is compatible with the Interceptor Carrier Board with some limitations:
- USB boot is not supported - The board uses USB 2.0, but CM5 only enables boot on USB 3.0
- Use eMMC or SD card for the boot partition
- See the FAQ for detailed CM5 guidance
Banana Pi CM4
The Banana Pi CM4 is compatible with these notes:
- HDMI1 is unsupported - Only one HDMI output will function
- Use the same installation procedure as RPi CM4
Step 4: Storage Configuration
Connect SATA drives to connectors J11-J15. The JMB585 controller supports:
- Up to 5 SATA drives
- RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 (software RAID via mdadm)
- Hot-plug capable
The Raspberry Pi cannot boot directly from SATA. The boot partition must reside on eMMC or SD card. The root filesystem can be on a SATA drive.
Step 5: Network Configuration
The 4-port Gigabit switch (J8) is managed by the RTL8367RB chip. All ports are active by default and can be configured via the Exaviz OS.
Step 6: Optional - PoE Board Installation
If adding Interceptor PoE Boards:
- Use the provided 40-pin FFC cables
- Connect to J9 and/or J10 on the carrier board
- Push clips out to open, insert cable (contacts up, blue tape down, printing visible on top), push clips to lock
- Install the VOITA 48Vdc Power Converter
- Connect the converter to the PoE board’s terminal block
See Expansion for detailed PoE setup.
Step 7: First Boot
- Flash Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit) to your SD card or eMMC using Raspberry Pi Imager
- Connect power to the ATX connector
- Press the power button
- The power LED should illuminate
- Connect via SSH or HDMI to complete setup
- Add the Exaviz repository and install packages
Pre-built Exaviz OS images are no longer being developed. Use standard Raspberry Pi OS with the Exaviz Debian packages instead — this is the recommended and supported path. See the Software page for package installation instructions.
Next Steps
- Specifications - Complete hardware specs
- Hardware Interface - All connector pinouts
- Software - OS configuration and drivers
- Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions
Last modified February 25, 2026