Intel D54250WYK NUC Custom Solutions Header (CSH) 3.3V Flaw

I was really excited when I found out Intel had placed the HDMI-CEC enabling Custom Solutions Header (CSH) on the D54250WYK NUC. It was exactly the kind of feature that belongs on this near-perfect mini-HTPC. Unfortunately, as we can see in the gallery, something isn’t right with its ability to maintain 3.3V under load.

What this means in practice is that we can’t use the 3.3V pin on the D54250WYK’s CSH for Pulse-Eight’s Internal CEC adapter – disappointing would be an understatement. Now it is possible to find 3.3V elsewhere on the board; I was able to pull it from the SATA power connector, but since that only powered when the system is in S0 (on) it’s less than ideal. Intel has been contacted with these findings. Hopefully it’s something that can be addressed with a BIOS update, but I’m not confident.