Firefly-RK3288 Reload Board Features a SoM + Baseboard Design, Supports SATA, Three HDMI Ports, and More

Firefly-RK3288 was one the first boards powered by Rockchip RK3288 quad core Cortex A17 processor, and now Firefly team, part of T-Chip technology, has provided a new version called Firefly-RK3288 Reload with the same processor, but more features, and thanks to design comprised of a carrier board and system-on-module (SoM) – connected via an MXM connector – suitable to people or companies wanting to create their own board without handing the complexity of the processor, memory, and storage part.

Firefly-RK3288_ReloadThe table below shows Firefly-RK3288 and Firefly RK3288 Reload specifications side-by side.

Parameter Firefly-RK3288 (Plus) Firefly-RK3288 Reload
SoC Rockchip RK3288 ARM Cortex-A17 quad core processor up to 1.8GHz
with ARM Mali-T760 MP4 GPU
RAM 2GB Dual-Channel DDR3 (Plus version is 4GB) 2GB Dual-Channel DDR3
Storage 16GB eMMC (Plus version is 32GB)
MicroSD (TF) Card Slot
16GB eMMC
MicroSD (TF) Card Slot
SATA 2.0 (Suggest 2.5 inch SSD or HDD)
PMU ACT8846 PMU Chip
Ethernet 10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet (Realtek RTL8211E)
Wireless Integrated WiFi Combo Module ( AP6335 ) :
WiFi 2.4GHz/5GHz Dual-Band Support 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 4.0 (Support BLE)
Display
  • 1x HDMI 2.0 up to 4K @ 60Hz
  • 1x VGA up to 1080p
  • 1x MIPI, 1x eDP, 2x LVDS display interfaces for LCD panels  via expansion headers
  • 1x HDMI 2.0 up to 4K @ 60Hz
  • 1x HDMI 1.4 up to  1080p @ 60Hz
  • 1x MIPI, 1x eDP, 2x LVDS display interfaces for LCD panels via expansion headers
  • 1x HDMI-IN with support for PiP (Picture-in-picture) and video recording functions
Audio
  • 1x HDMI audio output
  • 1x Analog audio (via 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack for audio input and output)
  • 1x optical S/PDIF output
  • 1x on-board microphone
  • 1x I2S for audio input and output
  • 2x HDMI audio outputs
  • 1x Analog audio (via 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack for audio input and output)
  • 1x optical S/PDIF output
  • 1x on-board microphone
  • 1x I2S for audio input and output
Camera 1x MIPI-CSI interface (13MP max.) 1x MIPI-CSI interface (13MP max.)
1x DVP Interface (5MP max.)
USB 2x USB 2.0 host ports,1 x USB 2.0 OTG port
4x USB 2.0 via headers
3x USB 2.0 host ports,1x USB 2.0 OTG port
IR 1x IR receiver module
LED 1x Power Status LED (Blue)
1x User Defined LED (Green)
Button 1x Reset button,1x Power button,1x Recover button
Debugging 1x serial Console for debugging
Reserved Interface 84-pin expansion header with MIPI DSI, MIPI-CSI, dual LVDS, eDP, PWM, SPI, UART, ADC, GPIO, I2C, and I2S 184-pin expansion header with MIPI CSI, MIPI DSI, dual LVDS, eDP, PWM, SPI, UART, ADC, GPIO, I2C, I2S, etc…
Power DC5V – 2.5A ( via DC 4.0×1.7mm Jack ) DC12V – 1.5A ( via DC 5.5×2.1mm Jack )
OS Android 4.4 or 5.1 / Ubuntu 14.04 Android 5.1 / Ubuntu 14.04
Dimensions 118mm × 85mm MainBoard -178mm x 117mm
Core-Board – 82mm x 60mm
Weight 77g 176g

Since RK3288 did not suddenly grow SATA or USB 3.0 support, the SATA implementation is based on JMicron JM20329 a USB 2.0 to SATA bridge which should limit data transfer to around 35 to 40 MB/s at best. The system-on-module includes the processor, memory, storage, and PMIC, with signals routed to an 314-pin MXM connector, and most other features are placed in the baseboard.  Software supports is basically the same between the two boards, except the Reload version does not support the older Android 4.4 Kitkat firmware. You can find  documentation in Firefly-RK3288 Wiki,  and download firmware, source code (SDK), and hardware design files (PDF schematics and CAD files) in the Download section of the website.

Click to Enlarge
Click to Enlarge

 

Firefly-RK3288 Reload can be purchased for $189 including shipping via DHL on Aliexpress. I can’t find Rockchip RK3288 SoM anymore, so you’d have to contact the company to get pricing for the module.

Thanks to Nanik for the tip.

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4 Comments
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Andreas
Andreas
8 years ago

I wonder how standardized the MXM3 connector is: Would it be possible to use this Firefly RK3288 module on the Landingship baseboard and the GeekBox RK3368 module on this Reload baseboard? Neither seem to publicly document the exact connector layout.

Background: http://lists.infradead.org/pipermail/linux-rockchip/2016-February/007194.html

TLS
TLS
8 years ago

@Andreas
The connector is “standard” but as MXM was designed for graphics cards, it’s not as if there’s going to be a standard solution for other types of uses, such as these modules.

DEPX
DEPX
6 years ago

Firefly-RK3288 Reload looks the full featured board of Firefly RK3288. Core board and backplane combination, more powerful. I want to use it to develop the advertising machine.

Khadas VIM4 SBC