Interceptor Carrier Board on exaviz encyclopedia

Getting Started

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Specifications

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Physical Specifications

Parameter	Value
Form Factor	Mini-ITX compatible (with adapter)
Dimensions	100mm x 110mm

Environmental Specifications

Parameter	Value
Storage Temperature	-40°C to +85°C
Operating Temperature	0°C to +70°C
Humidity	10% to 90% (non-condensing)

Compute Module Compatibility

Module	Status	Notes
Raspberry Pi CM4	✅ Full Support	All variants (with/without eMMC, WiFi)
Raspberry Pi CM5	✅ Supported	USB boot not available
Banana Pi CM4	✅ Supported	HDMI1 not functional

Storage

Parameter	Value
SATA Ports	5x SATA III (6 Gbps)
Controller	JMicron JMB585
RAID Support	0, 1, 5, 6, 10 (software via mdadm)
Hot-Plug	Yes
SD Card	Micro SD card slot

Networking

Parameter	Value
Ethernet Ports	4x RJ-45
Speed	10/100/1000 Mbps (Gigabit)
Switch Controller	Realtek RTL8367RB
Switch Type	Managed (via software)
MAC Address	Software-assigned

Video Output

Parameter	Value
HDMI Ports	2x Full-size HDMI 2.0
Resolution	Up to 4K @ 60Hz
HDCP	Supported

Note

When using Banana Pi CM4, only one HDMI port (HDMI0) is functional due to compatibility limitations.

Hardware Interface

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

This page provides detailed pinout information for all connectors on the Interceptor Carrier Board v2.0.

Board Layout Overview

The board layout (100mm × 110mm) has the following major areas:

Rear I/O - HDMI (J4, J5), USB (J6), Ethernet (J8)
Power Section - ATX connector (J1), fan headers (M1-M4)
Storage - SATA connectors (J11-J15)
Expansion - FFC connectors for PoE boards (J9, J10)
Compute Module - Central location (Module1)
Front Panel - Power button, LEDs, serial (J2)

J1 - ATX Power Connector (24-pin)

Standard ATX 24-pin power connector. Compatible with 20-pin PSUs (pins 11-14, 23-24 optional).

Expansion

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The Interceptor Carrier Board supports expansion via two FFC (Flat Flexible Cable) connectors for adding Interceptor PoE Boards.

PoE Expansion Overview

Configuration	PoE Ports	Connectors Used
Single PoE Board	8 ports	J9 or J10
Dual PoE Boards	16 ports	J9 + J10

What You’ll Need

Interceptor PoE Board(s)
40-pin FFC cable(s) (included with PoE board)
VOITA 48Vdc Power Converter
ATX PSU with adequate 12V capacity

Installing PoE Boards

Step 1: Prepare the FFC Connectors

Locate J9 (and J10 for dual configuration) on the carrier board
Pull the brown locking clips outward gently - they should pivot open

Step 2: Connect the FFC Cable

Hold the FFC cable with contacts up (printing visible on top), blue reinforcement tape down
Insert the cable contacts into the connector - push in as far as possible
Check alignment: The cable should be seated evenly - left and right sides at the same depth. If one side is deeper than the other, remove and reinsert.
Push the locking clips inward to secure the cable

Critical

Always lock the cable before powering on. Moving an unlocked FFC cable while power is applied can burn out the cable, permanently damaging it.

Software

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The Interceptor Carrier Board works with standard Linux distributions. The SATA controller (JMB585) and Ethernet switch (RTL8367RB) drivers are included in the mainline kernel and work out of the box.

Software Options

Option 1: Standard Raspberry Pi OS + Exaviz Packages (Recommended)

Use standard Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit) and install the Exaviz Debian packages for full hardware support. No custom OS image is required.

# Add the Exaviz repository
curl -fsSL https://apt.exaviz.com/exaviz-repo-key.asc | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/exaviz-archive-keyring.gpg

DISTRO=$(lsb_release -cs 2>/dev/null || (grep VERSION_CODENAME /etc/os-release 2>/dev/null | cut -d= -f2) || echo "bookworm")
echo "deb [arch=arm64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/exaviz-archive-keyring.gpg] https://apt.exaviz.com ${DISTRO} main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/exaviz.list

sudo apt update
sudo apt install exaviz-dkms exaviz-pse-dkms exaviz-netplan exaviz-poe-tool

Package	Description
exaviz-dkms	Kernel modules: RTL8367RB switch driver, device tree overlays
exaviz-pse-dkms	IP808AR PoE (PSE) driver — required for PoE port control
exaviz-netplan	Network configuration for WAN port and switch ports
exaviz-poe-tool	GTK3 GUI for PoE port monitoring and control

Cruiser with Interceptor PoE Add-on Board

If you are using a Cruiser carrier board with the Interceptor PoE Add-on Board, install exaviz-pse-dkms on the Cruiser as well. This provides the IP808AR driver needed to control the add-on board’s PoE ports via /proc/pse.

Troubleshooting

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

This guide covers common issues encountered with the Interceptor Carrier Board and their solutions.

Power Issues

System won’t power on

Symptoms: Power LED doesn’t illuminate, no activity.

Solutions:

Verify ATX PSU is switched on (check rear switch)
Check that 24-pin ATX connector is fully seated
Verify PSU is functional (test with another system or PSU tester)
Check front panel power button wiring on J2

System powers off randomly / crashes

Symptoms: System runs for a while then shuts down or freezes.

FAQ

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Compute Module Compatibility

Can I use a Raspberry Pi CM5?

Yes, with limitations. The Raspberry Pi CM5 is compatible with the Interceptor Carrier Board, but USB boot is not supported.

Why: The Interceptor Carrier Board uses USB 2.0 ports. The CM5 only enables boot capability on USB 3.0 ports.

Solutions:

SD Card Boot: If your CM5 has a blank eMMC (never written to), it will automatically try to boot from the SD card slot
eMMC Boot: If your CM5’s eMMC has been initialized, you must flash the OS to the eMMC using:
- A separate Raspberry Pi IO Board (CM4 IO Board or CM5 IO Board both work)
- The rpiboot utility to expose the eMMC as a mass storage device
- Your favorite imaging tool (Raspberry Pi Imager, dd, etc.)

Important

You cannot flash a CM5 with eMMC directly on the Interceptor board. The USB boot path is incompatible. You must remove the CM5, place it on a Raspberry Pi IO Board, flash it there, then reinstall on the Interceptor.