Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments on MINIX NEO S2 USB-C SSD Hub Review in Ubuntu 18.04 with Khadas Edge

MINIX NEO S2 USB-C SSD Hub Review in Ubuntu 18.04 with Khadas Edge

MINIX NEO S2 Khadas Edge

MINIX NEO S1 & S2 are USB-C hubs with the usual HDMI and USB outputs, but also a built-in 120 GB & 240 GB SSD respectively. The company has sent me a sample of each, and in order to test the platform, I decided to do on a Khadas board running Ubuntu 18.04 with LXDE desktop environment (aka Lubuntu). I’ll start by checking out the packages’ content, before going through my experience with the MINIX NEO S2 USB-C hub in Ubuntu 18.04 with LXDE desktop environment. MINIX NEO S1 & S2 Unboxing Both packages are basically identical except for the different color, and one shows 120GB SSD capacity, while the other has 240GB The back side has some more details about the USB-C hub. I’ll focus on the 240GB model since it’s just the same, but around $13 to $20 more expensive, and it offers double the capacity, as well as slightly higher performance. The USB-C hub ships with a […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 43 Comments on NanoPi M4 Raspberry Pi Inspired RK3399 Board Launched for $65 and Up

NanoPi M4 Raspberry Pi Inspired RK3399 Board Launched for $65 and Up

NanoPi M4 Heatsink

As expected, FriendlyELEC has now launched NanoPi M4 board, a lower cost version of NanoPC-T4 Rockchip RK3399 SBC, and mostly following Raspberry Pi form factor. How much you may ask? That would be $65 plus shipping for the 2GBRAM version, and $95 for the 4GB RAM version, which means it sells in the same ballpark as RockPro64 board. NanoPi M4 board specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3399 big.LITTLE hexa-core processor with  2x Arm Cortex-A72 @ up to 2.0GHz, 4x Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.5GHz, a Mali-T864 GPU with support OpenGL ES1.1/2.0/3.0/3.1, OpenVG1.1, OpenCL, DX11, and AFBC, and a VPU with 4K VP9 and 4K 10-bit H265/H264 6decoding System Memory – Dual-channel 4GB LPDDR3-1866, or dual-channel 2GB DDR3-1866 Storage – eMMC module socket, micro SD card slot Video Output HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60 Hz with HDCP 1.4/2.2 support 4-Lane MIPI-DSI connector Audio – 3.5mm headphone jack, HDMI digital audio output, microphone header Camera – one or two 4-lane MIPI-CSI […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 25 Comments on FriendlyELEC NanoPC-T4 Board Kit Unboxing and Assembly

FriendlyELEC NanoPC-T4 Board Kit Unboxing and Assembly

NanoPC T4 Case

FriendlyELEC introduced NanoPC-T4 RK3399 SBC (Single Board Computer) last May for $129. The board comes with a Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core processor, 4GB RAM, 16GB eMMC flash, dual-band WiFi module and an M.2 socket with NVME (PCIe) SSD support. The company has now sent me the device with accessories for review / evaluation. In this post, I’ll check out all items received, and show how to assemble all components. NanoPC-T4 Board Kit Unboxing Let’s getting started, and open the package… I received two identical kits with two NanoPC-T4 boards, acrylic enclosure with spacers, screws and nuts, 12V/2A power supply, heatsink, and an RC-100 IR remote control. In theory, I also expected two WiFi antennas per kit since that’s part fo the kit in their website, but I did not see any. The remote control is an optional item. [Update: Ooops. I found the antennas inside the package for NanoPC-T4 board.] I’ve already gone through all specifications in the announcement post, but […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments on FriendlyElec Launches Smart6818 Samsung S5P6818 CPU Module

FriendlyElec Launches Smart6818 Samsung S5P6818 CPU Module

Smart4418 S5P4418 SoM Development Kit

Yesterday, we covered Core4418 low profile board based on Samsung S5P4418 quad core Cortex A9 processor, but that’s not the only product launched by FriendlyElec this week, as the company also introduced Smart6818, a Samsung S5P6818 CPU module following Smart4418 module design, and equipped with 1GB DDR3, and 8 to 32 GB eMMC flash. Smart6818 specifications: SoC – Samsung S5P6818 octa core Cortex A53 processor @ up to 1.4GHz, Arm Mali-400MP GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 up to 800 MHz Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (16GB and 32GB optional) Connectivity – Realtek RTL8211E Gigabit Ethernet transceiver Audio – ES8316 Audio codec Board to Board Headers 2x 70-pin 2.0mm pitch headers with RGB LCD, LVDS, HDMI Tx, I2C, PWM, USB host, UART, SPI, GPIOs, SDIO, Gigabit Ethernet, Audio input/output, Camera I/F 1x 34-pin 2.0mm pitch unpopulated header with GPIOs, MIPI CSI, ADC, PWM Power Supply – 5V Power Management – Dynamic voltage scaling, software power on, RTC alarm power-on Dimensions […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 24 Comments on FriendlyELEC Core4418 is a Low Profile Samsung S5P4418 Board

FriendlyELEC Core4418 is a Low Profile Samsung S5P4418 Board

Core4412-LCD-Display

Samsung (Nexell) S5P4418 & S5P6818 quad/octa core Cortex A9 processors used to have dismal Linux support with a very old & unsecure Linux 3.4 kernel, but in the last year or so software support has greatly improved, likely because those processors are used in some Samsung Artik IoT modules. FriendlyELEC has been manufacturing several S5P boards starting from their NanoPi2 board launched in 2015, and more recently they introduced NanoPi Fire2A & Fire3 boards based on S5P4418 & S5P6818 processor respectively. But this month, they’ve launched two more S5P platforms, and today I’ll look at Core4418 board, which has a lower profile than any of their previous board since the RJ45 Ethernet jack and USB type A ports are not included. FriendlyELEC Core4418 specifications: SoC – Samsung S5P4418 quad core Cortex A9 processor @ up to 1.4GHz, Arm Mali-400MP GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash, micro SD Slot up to 128 GB Connectivity – Gigabit […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 28 Comments on FriendlyELEC Launches a Rockchip RK3399 SBC for $129. Meet NanoPC-T4

FriendlyELEC Launches a Rockchip RK3399 SBC for $129. Meet NanoPC-T4

Earlier this year, we have a number of SBCs based on Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core processor from Orange Pi RK3399 to ODROID-N1, or Pine64 RockPro64 boards. FriendlyELEC has joined the fray with their NanoPC-T4, which they claim is the  the smallest RK3399 based high-performance ARM board. The SBC comes with 4GB RAM, 16GB eMMC flash,  dual-band WiFi module and an  M.2 PCIe interface with  NVME SSD support. NanoPC-T4 board specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3399 hexa core big.LITTLE processor with two Arm Cortex-A72 cores up to 2.0GHz, four Cortex-A53 cores up to 1.5GHz, and a Mali-T864 GPU withsupport for OpenGL ES1.1/2.0/3.0/3.1, OpenVG1.1, OpenCL, DX11, and AFBC System Memory – 4GB dual channel LPDDR3 Storage –  16GB eMMC 5.1 flash, M.2 slot for NVMe SSD,  1x microSD slot Display / Video Output HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60Hz withHDCP 1.4/2.2 DisplayPort 1.2 Alt Mode on USB Type-C LCD I/F – 1x eDP 1.3（4 lane，10.8Gbps）, 1x 4-Lane MIPI-DSI Video – 4K VP9 and […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments on MiQi Dual Boot Android & Ubuntu Development Board Crowdfunding Campaign Has Launched

MiQi Dual Boot Android & Ubuntu Development Board Crowdfunding Campaign Has Launched

MiQi is a development board using a form factor similar to Raspberry Pi boards, but based on a more powerful Rockchip RK3288 Cortex A17 processor combined with 1 or 2 GB. I had the change to test an early sample pre-loaded with a dual boot image with Android 5.1 and Lubuntu 14.04, and found it to be one the fastest sub $100 development board in Linux, behind Hardkernel ODROID-XU4, as well as better CPU & GPU performance compared to recent Android TV boxes based on Amlogic S905, Rockchip RK3368, and so on. MQMaker has now launched a flexible funding crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to raise funds for mass production. Let’s remind us of MiQi hardware specifications first: SoC – Rockchip 3288 quad core ARM Cortex A17 up to 1.8 GHz with Mali-T764 GPU supporting OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0 /3.0, and OpenCL 1.1 System Memory – 1 or 2G DDR3 depending on model Storage – 8 or 32 GB eMMC flash depending on model + micro SD slot […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 31 Comments on MiQi Rockchip RK3288 Development Board using Raspberry Pi Form Factor to Sell for $35 and Up

MiQi Rockchip RK3288 Development Board using Raspberry Pi Form Factor to Sell for $35 and Up

Rockchip RK3288 processor may have launched in 2014, but it’s still one of the most powerful processor found in TV boxes for example, and in the past we’ve seen higher end board based on the processor such as Firefly-RK3288 or Radxa Rock 2 Square selling for well above $100. But MQMaker, the company that previously made WiTi router board, is bringing a smaller and cheaper RK3288 development board with MiQi, which definitely looks similar to the Raspberry Pi. MiQi board specifications: SoC – Rockchip 3288 quad core ARM Cortex A17 up to 1.8 GHz with Mali-T764 GPU supporting OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0 /3.0, and OpenCL 1.1 System Memory – 1 or 2G DDR3 depending on model Storage – 8 or 32 GB eMMC flash depending on model + micro SD slot Video & Audio output – HDMI 2.0 up to 3840×[email protected] Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet USB – 4x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x micro USB port Debugging – Serial console header Expansion Headers – 16-pin header, and […]

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