Safety & Compliance

ALPON X5 AI · Safety Critical · Read before deployment

Safety guidelines, handling rules, and regulatory certifications for the ALPON X5 AI industrial edge AI computer. Review every section before powering, mounting, or deploying the device in the field.

Quick Answer

The ALPON X5 AI is a fanless, industrial edge AI computer rated for -20 to +60 °C, IP40, and powered by one of three inputs: DC 12–32 V, USB-C PD (27 W minimum), or PoE+ (IEEE 802.3at, ETHERNET 0 only). Do not connect Ethernet or PoE cables to the ADDON (GPIO) port. The device is certified for CE, FCC, IC, UKCA, RoHS, WEEE, and REACH.

The ADDON (GPIO) port uses an RJ45 physical socket but is not an Ethernet or PoE port. Connecting an Ethernet cable or PoE source to this port will cause permanent hardware damage. Use it only for Sixfab add-on modules.

Safety Reference at a Glance

The key environmental and electrical limits for safe operation of the ALPON edge AI computer.

Operating Temp

-20 to +60 °C

Ambient, fanless

Storage Temp

-40 to +85 °C

Non-operating

Humidity

Up to 95%

Non-condensing

Protection

IP40

Dust protected

DC Input

12–32 V DC

Reverse polarity protected

USB-C PD

27 W min.

15 V PD, 45 W recommended

PoE+

IEEE 802.3at

Class 4, ETHERNET 0 only

Enclosure

Aluminum

Fanless, passive cooling

General Safety

The ALPON is designed for industrial edge computing deployments in unattended environments. The following rules apply to every installation regardless of power source, mounting orientation, or connectivity configuration.

The aluminum enclosure acts as a heatsink and may reach high temperatures during sustained AI inference. Do not touch the top cooling surface during extended operation or immediately after shutdown.

Do not expose the device to extreme temperatures, condensing humidity, or direct sunlight beyond the rated operating envelope of -20 to +60 °C.

The device is rated IP40. Keep it away from liquids, condensation, and flammable materials. It is not suitable for direct outdoor exposure without a protective enclosure.

Do not insert metal or conductive objects into ports, vents, or connectors. Avoid impact damage to the aluminum housing and the SMA antenna connectors.

Always apply standard ESD precautions (wrist strap, grounded mat) when opening the enclosure, swapping NVMe SSDs, or handling the AI Accelerator M.2 module.

The ALPON contains no user-serviceable parts beyond the NVMe SSD and DEEPX DX-M1 M.2 module. Opening the enclosure for any other purpose voids the warranty.

Power Safety

The ALPON accepts three independent power inputs: DC Terminal Block, USB-C PD, and PoE+. The device always draws from the input with the highest voltage. Each input has its own electrical envelope and safety constraints.

How do I power the ALPON safely?

Input	Range	Minimum Wattage	Notes
DC Terminal Block	12–32 V DC	45 W at full load	Reverse polarity protected. Voltage below 12 V enters restricted mode.
USB-C PD	15 V PD (sink only)	27 W min. (45 W recommended)	Sink-only. No data or power output. Standard 5 V chargers are insufficient.
PoE+	37–57 V (IEEE 802.3at)	25 W delivered	Class 4 injector required. Available on `ETHERNET 0` only.

Power Source Selection

All three power inputs can be connected simultaneously. The device automatically draws from the input with the highest voltage. There is no software-configurable priority.

Although the hardware tolerates simultaneous power inputs, using only one power source at a time is recommended to simplify diagnostics and avoid unintended voltage precedence.

Never supply voltage below 9 V or above 32 V through the terminal block. Doing so will not damage the device due to protection circuitry, but operation is undefined outside the rated range.

DC Terminal Block Wiring

The DC terminal block uses a 3-pin layout. Wire it exactly as shown to avoid tripping the reverse polarity protection.

Pin	Function
Pin 1	Chassis Ground (PE)
Pin 2	DC Negative (−)
Pin 3	DC Positive (+), 12–32 V

For DC power over long cable runs, prefer a 24 V adapter with a sufficiently thick conductor to compensate for voltage drop and deliver enough current at the device. A 12 V source at the other end of a long cable can drop the input below the restricted-mode threshold.

USB-C PD Requirements

Use a USB-C PD adapter that delivers 15 V at ≥1.8 A (27 W) at minimum. A 45 W (15 V / 3.0 A) adapter is recommended for full performance under AI load.

Standard 5 V USB-C chargers are not supported for normal operation. The USB-C port accepts 5 V only in Burn (image flashing) mode when connected to a host computer. Attempting to run the device under full load from a 5 V source will trigger restricted mode.

The USB-C port is sink-only. It cannot be used as a USB host, USB peripheral output, or power output.

PoE+ Requirements

PoE+ is available only on variants that include the built-in PoE module. The module cannot be added in the field.

Use a PoE+ (IEEE 802.3at) Class 4 injector or switch that supplies 37–57 V. Legacy PoE (IEEE 802.3af) does not deliver enough power for AI workloads.

Power is sourced only through ETHERNET 0. Do not connect PoE to ETHERNET 1. That port is a USB-bridged Ethernet interface and cannot deliver power to the system.

Restricted Mode

If any power input supplies less than 12 V (for example, a 5 V USB-C source), the ALPON automatically enters restricted mode. In this mode high-power peripherals are disabled to keep the base system operational.

State	Components
Active	CM5 module, LTE modem, ETHERNET 0, ETHERNET 1
Disabled	USB ports, PCIe (NVMe SSD & DEEPX DX-M1 NPU), ADDON port, Camera port

Restricted mode prevents brownouts at low input voltage by routing power only to the core compute and networking blocks. AI inference is not available in this mode because the DEEPX DX-M1 NPU sits on the disabled PCIe bus.

Thermal Safety & Mounting Orientation

The ALPON is fanless by design to eliminate moving parts that fail over time. The entire top aluminum surface acts as the primary heatsink for the CM5, DEEPX DX-M1 NPU, and voltage regulators. Mounting orientation directly affects sustained AI throughput.

Recommended Mount the device upright or with the cooling surface facing up. This maximizes natural convection.

Avoid Do not place the device upside down on a flat surface with the cooling surface facing down. This blocks airflow across the heatsink.

Ceiling mount Ceiling or overhead mounting with the cooling surface facing down is acceptable, provided there is open air below the heatsink.

Never cover Never place objects on top of the cooling surface. When wall or panel mounting, leave clearance so nothing touches the heatsink.

Keep the device away from direct sources of heat (ovens, motors, boilers) and steam. Radiant heat raises the ambient temperature near the enclosure and reduces headroom against the +60 °C operating limit.

When enclosing the ALPON in a cabinet, provide at least 25 mm of clearance around the cooling surface and ensure cabinet ventilation is adequate for the combined heat load.

Antenna & RF Safety

The ALPON exposes four SMA antenna ports for LTE (×2), Wi-Fi, and GNSS. Connector genders are not uniform across ports, which matters when sourcing replacement antennas or extension cables.

ALPON X5 AI Antenna Ports - G GNSS W Wi-Fi L LTE — G = GNSS · W = Wi-Fi · L (×2) = LTE

The Wi-Fi port uses a male SMA connector, while the GNSS and LTE ports use female SMA connectors. Match the antenna connector gender to the port when ordering replacements.

Antenna	Label	SMA Connector	Optimal Position
Wi-Fi	W	Male	90° or 180°
GNSS	G	Female	Upright, top facing sky
LTE (×2)	L	Female	90° or 180°

Optimal antenna positions for ALPON X5 AI — Optimal antenna positions: 90° or 180°

How should I handle the antennas?

Never install, remove, or service antennas while the device is powered on. Turn off and unplug all power sources before connecting or disconnecting antennas to prevent electric shock and RF transmitter damage.

Do not swap antennas between ports. The LTE, Wi-Fi, and GNSS ports are tuned for different frequency bands; mis-matching antennas degrades link quality and can overload the RF front-end.

Hand-tighten SMA connectors firmly but do not over-torque. Loose connections cause signal loss; over-tightening cracks the connector body. Use a 6 mm SMA torque wrench (0.5–0.7 N·m) for field installations.

Inspect connectors for corrosion, debris, or damage before each reattachment. Replace compromised connectors rather than forcing a fit.

Keep antennas clear of metal surfaces, reinforced concrete, and other sources of electromagnetic interference (microwave ovens, cordless phones, large motors).

The GNSS antenna must be placed in an open area with the top facing the sky. Obstructed or ground-level placement degrades time-to-first-fix and position accuracy.

Port & Connector Safety

Several ALPON ports share physical form factors with unrelated standards. Read the port-specific rules below before cabling.

ADDON (GPIO) Port: Not an Ethernet Port

The ADDON port uses an RJ45 jack but exposes 3.3 V GPIO, SPI, UART, and I2C signals. It delivers up to 5 V @ 1 A to attached modules and has overcurrent protection that triggers on GPIO 20. It is not wired for Ethernet or PoE.

Connecting an Ethernet or PoE cable to the ADDON (GPIO) port can permanently damage the device. The GPIO lines run at 3.3 V logic; PoE voltage (up to 57 V) will destroy the signal pins and the level shifter. Use the ADDON port only with Sixfab add-on modules.

Port Function Quick Reference

Port	Function	Do Not Use For
ETHERNET 0	Gigabit Ethernet + PoE+ input	Power output
ETHERNET 1	Gigabit Ethernet (USB bridged)	PoE input, power sourcing
ADDON (RJ45)	GPIO / SPI / UART / I2C @ 3.3 V, 5 V @ 1 A out	Ethernet, PoE, any network cable
USB-C	Power input (15 V PD sink) and image flashing	USB host, power output, data peripherals
Mini HDMI (Camera)	2-lane MIPI CSI-2 via Sixfab Camera Board v1.0	Standard HDMI display, third-party Mini HDMI devices

USB Port Overcurrent Behavior

The two USB 3.0 ports share a 1800 mA combined current limit through a single AP22653 power switch. If combined draw exceeds this limit, the hardware trips thermal protection and cuts power to both ports.

Power restores automatically when the fault is cleared (problematic device removed or short resolved). No reboot or command is required.

When attaching high-draw USB peripherals (SSDs, cellular dongles, external hubs), budget current across both ports together, not per port.

Watchdog & Boot/Burn Switches

Two hardware switches are accessible from inside the enclosure: SW1 (Watchdog disable) and SW2 (Boot/Burn selector).

Fully disconnect all power sources before changing the SW2 (Boot/Burn) position. Toggling SW2 under power leaves the bootloader in an undefined state.

SW1 (Watchdog): The hardware watchdog can only be disabled physically via SW1. There is no software command to disable it. When enabled (SW1 OFF), the host must strobe GPIO 16 within a 5-minute window or the device hard-resets.

SW2 (Boot/Burn): Set SW2 to ON only for image flashing via Raspberry Pi Imager. Return SW2 to OFF before resuming normal boot, and power-cycle the device after toggling.

Regulatory Compliance & Certifications

The ALPON X5 AI is certified and marked for sale in major markets. The certifications below cover safety, electromagnetic compatibility, radio conformity, and environmental restrictions on hazardous substances.

Conformité Européenne

European Union

FCC

Federal Communications Commission

United States

Innovation, Science & Economic Development

Canada

UKCA

UK Conformity Assessed

United Kingdom

RoHS

Restriction of Hazardous Substances

EU Directive 2011/65/EU

WEEE

Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment

EU Directive 2012/19/EU

REACH

Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation of Chemicals

EU Regulation 1907/2006

Applicable Standards

EMC (EU)	EN 55032, EN 55035, EN IEC 61000-3-2, EN 61000-3-3
Radio (EU)	EN 300 328, EN 301 511, EN 301 908-1, EN 301 908-13 (RED 2014/53/EU)
Safety	EN IEC 62368-1 (Audio/video, information and communication technology equipment)
RF Exposure	EN 62311, EN 50665
FCC Part	47 CFR Part 15 Subpart B, Subpart C (unlicensed radio)
IC Standard	ICES-003 (Class B), RSS-247, RSS-130

The full EU Declaration of Conformity and supporting test reports are available on request from [email protected]. Reference the device model and serial number from the label on the enclosure.

FCC Class B Notice

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

This device may not cause harmful interference.
This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

Changes or modifications not expressly approved by Sixfab can void the user's authority to operate the equipment under FCC and IC rules.

Environmental & End-of-Life

The ALPON is designed to meet the EU RoHS, WEEE, and REACH directives. Follow the rules below when the device reaches end-of-life.

Do not dispose of the device in unsorted household waste. Return it through an authorized WEEE collection point, a local electronics recycler, or back to Sixfab for responsible processing.

The ALPON contains no user-replaceable battery. The RTC is backed by a small lithium cell accessible only through authorized service.

Retain the original packaging for return shipping. Before disposal or return, erase sensitive data from the NVMe SSD and any connected add-on storage.

Warranty

The ALPON X5 AI ships with a 2-year limited warranty against manufacturing defects. The warranty does not cover damage caused by:

Power input outside the rated envelope (below 9 V, above 32 V, or non-compliant PoE injectors)
Connecting Ethernet or PoE cables to the ADDON (GPIO) port
Unauthorized modification of firmware, enclosure, or internal modules
Operation outside the rated environmental envelope (-20 to +60 °C, 95% non-condensing humidity, IP40)
Physical damage from impact, liquid ingress, or electrostatic discharge

Submit warranty claims through sixfab.com/contact with the device serial number, purchase date, and a description of the fault.