Overview of the Radxa Rock 2 Square and SoM debugging kit
An overview of one of the most productive debug boards - Radxa Rock2 Square . Under the cut photo, design features, planned improvements and use.
The board manufacturer is Radxa.com, which is led by Tom Cubie, who is also the leader of the Cubieboard team. For your understanding - Cubieboard is a series of four boards on Allwinner chips, including the fresh, productive A80. Radxa is a series of boards based on Rockchip chips. Radxa Rock are several options for motherboards on the RK3188, Rock2 are motherboards on the RK3288. Recently there was a Rock Lite promotion selling for $ 39, 18,000 parrots in Antutu.
More details on the boards on AllWinner are here , and on the boards on Rockchip, you can start here , and then go to the manufacturers of the boards.
Rock2 was probably planned as a modular board from day one. This is SoM with RK3288 itself, NAND, RAM, PM, RTL8211E and binding. And two motherboard options where SoM can be put: Rock2 Square and Rock2 Full. I have not looked in detail yet, but from the experience of other manufacturers EVB should be two-sided without inner layers.
The meaning of this separation is the complexity of creating SoM and the simplicity of creating motherboards (hereinafter EVB), as well as the mercantile factor - if the debugging board is successful with consumers, the number of orders of boards without identification marks ( white label solution) or a modified board design will significantly exceed the production of conventional retail kits. Therefore, to be closer to a real solvent industrial client, and to make your life easier in adding components to the board at the request of the client, SoM + EVB look very justified. It will be much easier for me personally to assemble my board without difficulties with the DDR frequencies, check everything that is needed, and then put into production.
The Rock2 SoM kit is installed in Rock2 Square EVB, a WiFi antenna, a SATA cable with power (only a 5 volt line from the board, you need to add external 12 volts to connect 3.5 drives), a power cable with USB Type A on one side and its own connector on the other side. Moreover, the source below 1A does not make sense to try, 3A is recommended. From experience with the RK3188, at maximum load and a connected drive, this recommendation is justified. Power supply 220V -> 5V is not included.
Black matte varnish on the PCB of the module and the board attracts attention, but the tracks are much less visible than with transparent color varnish. Connectors and buttons are signed. The boards are made in quality compared to the first Cubieboard and Chinese tablets.
Out of the box on the device, Android 4.4.2 is flashed. Firmware 5.0, SDK 4.4.2 are freely available here . SDK 5.0 has not yet been searched, but I think there is - Rockchip does not officially support Lollipop for RK3188 and supports 5.0 for RK3288. Most likely, we will get SDK 5.0 from the board manufacturer in the near future, and in the future manufacturers of the device in limited circles will post SDK 5.0 for their tablets. That was with Pipo.
Processor - Rockchip RK3288 , 4 core ARM Cortex-A17 1.8Ghz
Graphic core - Mali-T764 GPU, support for OpenGL ES1.1 / 2.0 / 3.0, OpenCL 1.1, DirectX 11
Memory and storage - three options:
- 1GB RAM and 4GB eMMC
- 2GB RAM and 16GB eMMC (my version)
- 4GB RAM and 32GB eMMC
Memory specifications - 64bit DDR3 @ 800Mhz
Wired network - Realtek RTL8211E
Connector - MXM, 314 pins
Dimensions:
- EVB 110mm x 110mm
- SoM 83mm x 63mm
- Full-size HDMI (claim to be 2.0 )
- 3x USB 2.0 Host (thanks to the GL850G USB hub)
- 1x USB 2.0 OTG
- Optical SPDIF
- GigaLAN
- Wi-Fi with external antenna + Bluetooth 4.0 with BLE support in Chinese AP6335
- SATA (received) using JM20329 from USB 2.0)
- 5V power supply for SATA drive
- UART 3.3V separately and GPIO, I2C, UART, SPI on 40 pin connector with standard pitch
- Infrared receiver
- CR1220 battery space for clock power supply
- MicroSD up to 128Gb
- Connector headphone and, according to the manufacturer, line-in input ( ES8388 codec on the board )
- The microphone is soldered to the board
- Power / Reset / Recovery buttons
- LVDS on a 50-pin connector with 2.0 mm pitch
- 5V 3A power connector
- eDP (could not be found on which connector)
- three more connectors on the back of the board were not recognized
There is a manufacturer’s website and a section with files . I guess that there will be more voluminous SDKs and datasheets there. And other, more relevant sources should be searched on github . There is a forum in English. In addition to the Radxa SDK (I guess this is the Rockchip SDK mod) on github there is an instruction for collecting CyanogenMod 11 for Rock, for fans.
There are Android 4.4.2 and 5.0 for ready-made images in the board. A Debian Jessie image was found on the site. There are python and node.js libraries for GPIO. For older motherboards on RK3188, a dual-boot image of Android or Ubuntu 14.04 was found, maybe it will be the same here.
Rock2 Square EVB is equipped with a powerful AP6335 WiFi chip, a topic was lost in two pine trees on the Chinese forum threadfrom one message with a demonstration of broadcasting images from a phone to Rock2 via WiFi. There was also a topic that clarified the purpose of one of the connectors on the back of Square EVB - this is an eDP connector for connecting a 9.7 display from iPad 3 Retina.
Rock2 is steadily gaining 37,000 parrots in Antutu in the stock firmware 4.4.2. Only Qualcomm Snapdragon 8xx and expensive Samsung Exynos are faster. No one has ever seen Intel Atom Z3735F motherboards and fast MTK chips.
There is also a competitors site on the same chip, there you can also look for documentation.
1. Out of curiosity. First, I plan to get a VGA using a DAC chip and make an expansion card. Then I will connect GPS with the gpsd assembly (if it is not in the firmware). Next, I want to try to organize image input (I want skype video at 40 "in maximum quality), etc. Of course I2C is capacitive, by all rules. As a result, you need to assemble your EVB with the necessary set of functions.
2. Run the board as a replacement for desktop computers in an office environment with a server and remote clients.To get rid of Windows and its administration issues in the workplace, save on licenses in the future.
3. If all else fails, it will become boring, a cooler board will come out, atom z3735f will defeat everyone - Rock2 is still a smart media player with a NAS out. XBMC is installed in the flashed android, and thanks to its excellent performance and fast eMMC, everything flies just fine. By the way, the manufacturer sells an IR remote for $ 5.
Cost - 130 US dollars. Rock2 is absolutely not worth buying if you do not know how you will use it. This applies to all debugging kits. Despite their prevalence and popularity, 90% of them remain lying in drawers. Buyers are gaining experience slowly, it is difficult to learn from scratch, new boards come out, they are boring. The main function of this iron is tablets and media players, and manufacturers did not go far making debugging kits. Now, if you made a tablet with extra interfaces and gave it in the source - this could move the market, but not much.
Manufacturer
The board manufacturer is Radxa.com, which is led by Tom Cubie, who is also the leader of the Cubieboard team. For your understanding - Cubieboard is a series of four boards on Allwinner chips, including the fresh, productive A80. Radxa is a series of boards based on Rockchip chips. Radxa Rock are several options for motherboards on the RK3188, Rock2 are motherboards on the RK3288. Recently there was a Rock Lite promotion selling for $ 39, 18,000 parrots in Antutu.
More details on the boards on AllWinner are here , and on the boards on Rockchip, you can start here , and then go to the manufacturers of the boards.
Rock2 Series
Rock2 was probably planned as a modular board from day one. This is SoM with RK3288 itself, NAND, RAM, PM, RTL8211E and binding. And two motherboard options where SoM can be put: Rock2 Square and Rock2 Full. I have not looked in detail yet, but from the experience of other manufacturers EVB should be two-sided without inner layers.
The meaning of this separation is the complexity of creating SoM and the simplicity of creating motherboards (hereinafter EVB), as well as the mercantile factor - if the debugging board is successful with consumers, the number of orders of boards without identification marks ( white label solution) or a modified board design will significantly exceed the production of conventional retail kits. Therefore, to be closer to a real solvent industrial client, and to make your life easier in adding components to the board at the request of the client, SoM + EVB look very justified. It will be much easier for me personally to assemble my board without difficulties with the DDR frequencies, check everything that is needed, and then put into production.
Rock2 Square + SoM
Photos of packaging, board, configuration
The Rock2 SoM kit is installed in Rock2 Square EVB, a WiFi antenna, a SATA cable with power (only a 5 volt line from the board, you need to add external 12 volts to connect 3.5 drives), a power cable with USB Type A on one side and its own connector on the other side. Moreover, the source below 1A does not make sense to try, 3A is recommended. From experience with the RK3188, at maximum load and a connected drive, this recommendation is justified. Power supply 220V -> 5V is not included.
Black matte varnish on the PCB of the module and the board attracts attention, but the tracks are much less visible than with transparent color varnish. Connectors and buttons are signed. The boards are made in quality compared to the first Cubieboard and Chinese tablets.
Out of the box on the device, Android 4.4.2 is flashed. Firmware 5.0, SDK 4.4.2 are freely available here . SDK 5.0 has not yet been searched, but I think there is - Rockchip does not officially support Lollipop for RK3188 and supports 5.0 for RK3288. Most likely, we will get SDK 5.0 from the board manufacturer in the near future, and in the future manufacturers of the device in limited circles will post SDK 5.0 for their tablets. That was with Pipo.
Rock2 SoM Specifications
Processor - Rockchip RK3288 , 4 core ARM Cortex-A17 1.8Ghz
Graphic core - Mali-T764 GPU, support for OpenGL ES1.1 / 2.0 / 3.0, OpenCL 1.1, DirectX 11
Memory and storage - three options:
- 1GB RAM and 4GB eMMC
- 2GB RAM and 16GB eMMC (my version)
- 4GB RAM and 32GB eMMC
Memory specifications - 64bit DDR3 @ 800Mhz
Wired network - Realtek RTL8211E
Connector - MXM, 314 pins
Dimensions:
- EVB 110mm x 110mm
- SoM 83mm x 63mm
Interfaces Rock2 Square EVB
- Full-size HDMI (claim to be 2.0 )
- 3x USB 2.0 Host (thanks to the GL850G USB hub)
- 1x USB 2.0 OTG
- Optical SPDIF
- GigaLAN
- Wi-Fi with external antenna + Bluetooth 4.0 with BLE support in Chinese AP6335
- SATA (received) using JM20329 from USB 2.0)
- 5V power supply for SATA drive
- UART 3.3V separately and GPIO, I2C, UART, SPI on 40 pin connector with standard pitch
- Infrared receiver
- CR1220 battery space for clock power supply
- MicroSD up to 128Gb
- Connector headphone and, according to the manufacturer, line-in input ( ES8388 codec on the board )
- The microphone is soldered to the board
- Power / Reset / Recovery buttons
- LVDS on a 50-pin connector with 2.0 mm pitch
- 5V 3A power connector
- eDP (could not be found on which connector)
- three more connectors on the back of the board were not recognized
Software, sources, documentation
There is a manufacturer’s website and a section with files . I guess that there will be more voluminous SDKs and datasheets there. And other, more relevant sources should be searched on github . There is a forum in English. In addition to the Radxa SDK (I guess this is the Rockchip SDK mod) on github there is an instruction for collecting CyanogenMod 11 for Rock, for fans.
There are Android 4.4.2 and 5.0 for ready-made images in the board. A Debian Jessie image was found on the site. There are python and node.js libraries for GPIO. For older motherboards on RK3188, a dual-boot image of Android or Ubuntu 14.04 was found, maybe it will be the same here.
Rock2 Square EVB is equipped with a powerful AP6335 WiFi chip, a topic was lost in two pine trees on the Chinese forum threadfrom one message with a demonstration of broadcasting images from a phone to Rock2 via WiFi. There was also a topic that clarified the purpose of one of the connectors on the back of Square EVB - this is an eDP connector for connecting a 9.7 display from iPad 3 Retina.
Rock2 is steadily gaining 37,000 parrots in Antutu in the stock firmware 4.4.2. Only Qualcomm Snapdragon 8xx and expensive Samsung Exynos are faster. No one has ever seen Intel Atom Z3735F motherboards and fast MTK chips.
There is also a competitors site on the same chip, there you can also look for documentation.
Why is all this necessary?
1. Out of curiosity. First, I plan to get a VGA using a DAC chip and make an expansion card. Then I will connect GPS with the gpsd assembly (if it is not in the firmware). Next, I want to try to organize image input (I want skype video at 40 "in maximum quality), etc. Of course I2C is capacitive, by all rules. As a result, you need to assemble your EVB with the necessary set of functions.
2. Run the board as a replacement for desktop computers in an office environment with a server and remote clients.To get rid of Windows and its administration issues in the workplace, save on licenses in the future.
3. If all else fails, it will become boring, a cooler board will come out, atom z3735f will defeat everyone - Rock2 is still a smart media player with a NAS out. XBMC is installed in the flashed android, and thanks to its excellent performance and fast eMMC, everything flies just fine. By the way, the manufacturer sells an IR remote for $ 5.
Price and purchase justification
Cost - 130 US dollars. Rock2 is absolutely not worth buying if you do not know how you will use it. This applies to all debugging kits. Despite their prevalence and popularity, 90% of them remain lying in drawers. Buyers are gaining experience slowly, it is difficult to learn from scratch, new boards come out, they are boring. The main function of this iron is tablets and media players, and manufacturers did not go far making debugging kits. Now, if you made a tablet with extra interfaces and gave it in the source - this could move the market, but not much.