Operations Manual: IPC2115A

Getting Started

Unpacking the Unit

Carefully unpack the Industrial Box PC. Check all material in the container against the packing list. Maple Systems will not accept responsibility for shortages against the packing list unless notified within 30 days. The equipment and accessories were inspected and tested by Maple Systems before shipment.

Examine the equipment carefully; if any shipping damage is evident, notify the carrier immediately. Maple Systems is not responsible for claim negotiations with the carrier.

Save the shipping container and packing material in case the equipment needs to be stored, returned to Maple Systems, or transported for any reason.

Packing List
IPC2115A Series Industrial Box PC unit
VESA Mounting Kit (VESA plate, 4x standoffs, 4x 75mm VESA Screws)
24 VDC to 12 VDC Step Down Power Converter (Up to 10A, 120W)
DIN Rail Mounting Kit for Step Down Power Converter
DC Power Cable
12-Pin GPIO Terminal Connector & Remote Power Switch Connector
Warranty Statement Insert

Safety Precautions

Please observe the following precautions when installing the Industrial Box PC Series. Failure to comply with these restrictions could result in loss of life, serious personal injury, or equipment damage.

Overview of IPC2115A

The IPC2115A Series Industrial Box PC is powerful yet fanless, powered by the Intel® Quad-Core Alder Lake-N^® N100 processors running up to 3.4GHz. Memory options include 8 GB to 16 GB of DDR5 SO-DIMM RAM. Solid State Drive options include sizes from 128 GB to 2 TB.

IPC2115A Series units feature I/O ports on both the front and rear panels. The front panel provides the power button, 2 DE-9P Serial ports (2x RS232/485 configurable),1 12 pin GPIO connector, 3 USB 2.0 ports, and 1 USB 3.0 ports.

Rear panels feature 3.5mm Headphone Out and Mic-in ports, 4 USB 2.0 ports, 2 Gigabit LAN ports, 4 DE-9P Serial ports (4x RS232), 2 HDMI 2.0 output ports, and a 12 VDC Power input jack.

All IPC2115A Series units can be equipped with an optional Wi-Fi kit, enabling access to existing 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax wireless networks and Bluetooth 5.2 support. Wireless antennas are mounted to the rear panel when the Wi-Fi option is chosen.

External Monitors & Mounting

External Monitors

IPC2115A Series units operate with an external display or touch-capable monitor via HDMI interface. This flexibility greatly enhances the options for usage in the field; the monitor (or monitors) can be in a completely different room than the Industrial Box PC if needed. Touch screen monitor functionality may require installation of drivers – consult your monitor’s documentation.

Since the Industrial Box PC units run the Microsoft Windows® family of Operating Systems (Linux® Ubuntu® OS options are also available – contact Maple Systems for more details), users will see a familiar operating environment and usage. Windows® allows for many customizable viewing options; multiple monitor functionality, duplicate desktop / desktop extension, desktop rotation and more.

Maple Systems offers several monitor options that seamlessly integrate with your Box PC – visit our website at www.maplesystems.com or contact your Maple Systems Sales Engineer for additional information.

Industrial Box PC Mounting

The Box PC can be VESA mounted using the four (4) threaded holes located on the unit’s bottom plate. Maple Systems provides four (4) threaded standoffs for attachment of the IPC2115A to the VESA mounting plate. Simply attach the threaded standoffs to the bottom plate of your unit, secure the VESA plate to your selected VESA-75 or VESA-100 mounting fixture, and then align the standoffs to the VESA plate and slide down to secure.

Please note that Maple Systems provides the mounting bracket and hardware. Use mounting hardware appropriate to and suitable for the application; Maple Systems is not responsible for damage to unit, mounting surface or any other components caused by improper mounting.

Mounting example shown below illustrates mounting your IPC2115A unit to the back side of a Monitor, but the same process applies to VESA stand mounts.

Please note that Maple Systems only provides the mounting bracket; hardware to mount the bracket to your selected VESA fixture is not included. Use mounting hardware appropriate to and suitable for the application; Maple Systems is not responsible for damage to unit, mounting surface or any other components caused by improper mounting.

I/O Ports

Front Panel

USB 2.0 Type A Host Ports – Maximum transfer speed 480Mbps

USB 3.0 Type A Host Ports – Maximum transfer speed 5.0GB/s

Pinout Configuration RS-232 by default

Pin #	COM1 / COM2 RS232 (Default)	RS485* (Optional)
1	DCD	Data-
2	RXD	Data+
3	TXD	NC
4	DTR	NC
5	GND	GND
6	DSR	NC
7	RTS	NC
8	CTS	NC
9	RI	NC

* Refer to “Setting Serial COM Function” section to set the communication mode.

4 general-purpose output (GPO) and 4 general-purpose input (GPI)

Rear Panel

3.5mm Audio Jacks

USB 2.0 Type A Host Ports – Maximum transfer speed 480Mbps

Standard Gigabit RJ-45 Ethernet ports

High Definition 4K resolution output – Maximum resolution of 4096 x 2160 pixels @60Hz

Pinout Configuration RS-232 by default

Pin #	COM3 / COM4 / COM5 / COM6 RS232
1	DCD
2	RXD
3	TXD
4	DTR
5	GND
6	DSR
7	RTS
8	CTS
9	RI

Setting Serial COM Function

The IPC2115A Series’ COM1 and COM2 Serial Ports are configured by default for RS232 operation, but can be configured for RS485 (2-wire) operation if so desired. COM port configuration is managed through the BIOS; see the below table for instructions on changing COM port mode.

Note: COM3, COM4, COM5, and COM6 are exclusively configured for RS232 operation, COM1 and COM2 are the only ports that can be configured for RS485 operation.

Operating System Options

Windows^® 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC

Windows^® IoT Enterprise LTSC is a full Professional version of Windows^® 10 available on all Industrial Box PC models. This powerful operating system delivers enterprise manageability and security to IoT solutions. Additionally, all of the features and functionality that customers expect to find on their desktop PC are available in this version. The Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) version ensures long term stability that critical production systems require by updating only necessary operating system components, with significantly fewer update interruptions.

Included Apps with all Windows OS options:

• Microsoft Edge Web Browser
• LibreOffice Suite (Compatible with the following document types:)
  • MS Word
  • MS Excel
  • MS PowerPoint
  • Adobe PDF
• Media Player

Windows^® 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC

Windows^® IoT Enterprise LTSC is a full Professional version of Windows^® 11 available on all Industrial Box PC models. This powerful operating system delivers enterprise manageability and security to IoT solutions. Additionally, all of the features and functionality that customers expect to find on their desktop PC are available in this version. The Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) version ensures long term stability that critical production systems require by updating only necessary operating system components, with significantly fewer update interruptions.

Included Apps with all Windows OS options:

• Microsoft Edge Web Browser
• LibreOffice Suite (Compatible with the following document types:)
  • MS Word
  • MS Excel
  • MS PowerPoint
  • Adobe PDF
• Media Player

LINUX^® UBUNTU^® SERVER / DESKTOP

Linux® Ubuntu^® Server is perfect for web interface and other server type application; this option saves hard drive space by skipping the desktop.

Linux® Ubuntu^® Desktop includes the intuitive Gnome desktop environment and is great for display panels, kiosk applications, or for those that prefer the ease of use of a desktop interface.

For a Quick Setup Guide outlining the initial setup process of the Ubuntu® OS equipped Box PCs, see the Linux^® / Ubuntu^® Quick Start section below.

LINUX^® / UBUNTU^® Quick Start

This section is not meant as a detailed guide to the intricacies of the Linux® Operating System. The scope of this section is for initial setup purposes of your new Maple Systems Industrial Box PC unit.

Initial Setup

To complete the setup requires the following:

• Monitor (HDMI or DisplayPort connection)
• USB Keyboard
• (Server OS Only: TCP/IP network with a DHCP server)
• (Server OS Only: An external computer on the same subnet of the box pc with SSH enabled terminal emulator)

Server OS

It is recommended to create a regular user account with access to the sudo command to perform administrative tasks. Maple Systems STRONGLY RECOMMENDS at minimum changing the password from the default.

Power up and log in:

Connect the monitor, USB Keyboard, Ethernet Cable and power supply to the Box PC. Once the login prompt is displayed enter the following credentials:

Username: root

Password: 111111

This will log you in as the root user. The root user has complete access to the system. To change the root user’s password, enter:

# passwdCode language: PHP (php)

Follow the prompts to complete the password change process.

Add New User:

Use the adduser command:

# adduser <username>Code language: HTML, XML (xml)

Follow the prompts to give the new user a password and other information. To grant the new user sudo privileges enter:

# usermod -aG sudo <username>Code language: HTML, XML (xml)

Now logout (# logout) and enter the credentials for the new user. Make sure that the new user can execute commands with sudo. Try:

$ sudo ls -la

This should prompt for the password and then print the contents of the new user’s home directory.

Access and Password Management for Root User:

For security and better tracking, disabling direct login for the root user is recommended. To do this enter:

$ sudo passwd -l root

To retain (or re-enable) access to the root login, run:

$ sudo passwd

Follow the prompts to set a new password for root. You can then logout and login as root using the new password.

Localization

By default, the system is set to Pacific Time (America/Los_Angeles). To change to a different time zone, enter:

$ sudo timedatectl set-timezone <time zone>Code language: HTML, XML (xml)

Where <time zone> is the zone to use. To get a list of available zones use:

$ timedatectl list-timezonesCode language: PHP (php)

After updating, the current settings can be printed with:

$ timedatectl

Setting the PC Hostname

The hostname is set to bpc, to update this run:

$ sudo hostnamectl set-hostname
<new hostname>Code language: HTML, XML (xml)

To print the updated hostname run:

$ hostnamectl

You will need to logout and back in to see the new name on the terminal.

Software Updates

To install any software updates, enter:

$ sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Use:

$ sudo apt install <package name>Code language: HTML, XML (xml)

to install new software.

SSH Access

Accessing the server can be done over the network using the preinstalled Open SSH Daemon. You will need to know what IP address has been assigned to the PC to access it. Print the network settings with:

$ ip a

Note the ipv4 address (inet) for the interface you are going to use. You can then log in via SSH from any networked computer that has a terminal emulator and SSH client. Simply enter:

$ ssh <username>@<ip address>Code language: HTML, XML (xml)

Where <username> is for the user created above. The system will ask for the password, display a login message and provide another prompt. Commands can be entered on the networked device as if being run locally on the server.

Desktop OS

Initial Setup

Connect the monitor, USB Keyboard, and power supply to the Industrial Box PC. The Ubuntu® Automatic Setup Wizard will begin. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the setup process.

Display Configuration

• Right-click on the desktop and select Display Settings.
• Select Display Mode in this new window, and select the Single Display tab.
• There are two display options on this tab; select the display the PC is physically connected to and ensure the resolution settings match the monitor’s optimal settings.
• Click Apply, the screen will flicker and adjust to the new settings.

Serial Port Names

See the below table to cross reference the names of the DE-9 Serial Ports on your PC:

PC Chassis Label	IPC2115A
COM1:	Ttys0
COM2:	Ttys1
COM3:	Ttys2
COM4:	Ttys3

Touchscreen

• Capacitive touchscreen monitors are supported by Ubuntu® in single-touch configuration.
• Resistive touchscreen monitors may require touch calibration to be performed on system startup.

Troubleshooting

Driver Installation (Windows OS Only)

Your Box PC comes with all necessary drivers pre-installed. As such, driver installation is not normally needed. However, there may be times when a driver requires re-installation. If a driver re-installation is required, please visit the Support Center of the Maple Systems website for driver download instructions.

Windows^® Operating System Updates or Reinstallation

In the event that you wish to update your Windows Operating System (Non-Embedded Operating Systems only), simply connect the Box PC to the Internet and run the Windows Update utility.

In the unlikely event of a system failure requiring reinstallation of the Windows Operating System, you can reinstall Windows as it arrived to you from Maple Systems. For OS recovery installation media, please contact your Maple Systems Sales Engineer.

After OS reinstallation, you will need to re-activate Windows using the Product Key located on the bottom panel of your PC, adjacent to the product label.

Embedded Operating Systems do not allow for OS reinstallation; in the extremely unlikely event the Windows OS needs to be reinstalled, contact your Maple Systems Sales Engineer for instructions on obtaining a Return Material Authorization (RMA) form.