A33-OLinuXino OSHW Quad Core Linux SBC prototypes ready for test

We just assembled our A33-OLinuXino prototypes, these have PMU and should not overheat so badly as H3.

The advantage to have PMU is also that it have LiPo charger and can run from LiPo battery.

The features are:

• A33 Quad core Cortex-A7 SoC
• AXP223 PMU
• 1/2GB RAM
• optional 4GB NAND Flash
• Audion Input
• Audio Output
• CSI/DSI connector
• 40 pin LCD connector for LCD-OLinuXino-XX LCD modules
• USB-OTG
• GPIO 40 pin connector

Both H3 and A33 support dual CS DDR memories, this means they can work with the new 8Gb DDR3 ram chips which have two CS lines and H3-OLinuXino and A33-OLinuXino could have 1GB or 2GB RAM as option.

A33 have no Ethernet and HDMI, would be good for handheld video/audio processing devices.

The next revision of H3 and A33 OLinuXino will have eMMC option too.

 

EDIT: 18.00 o’clock update A33-OLinuXino is booting and working fine. As we expected although with same Quad Core Cortex-A7 it do not overheats at all compared to H3. Something is really broken in the H3 Linux clock/power configuration!!!

OLinuXino roadmap 2015 :)

Many people ask us about what we do with Open Source Hardware OLinuXino project. Indeed we didn’t blog about OLinuXino boards often, but this doesn’t mean we do not have fun and working on them.

So let’s make brief update:

RT5350F – the DIN rail version is already complete and wait for assembly, the issue is trivial the plastic box, it will take us most of the time to complete.

Other OpenWRT boards:

We completed and now prototype MT7620N @580Mhz with some more RAM – 64MB and two WIFI bands 2.4G + 5G and 5 10/100Mb Ethernet and prepare board with MT7620A @580Mhz and little bit more RAM 256MB, x2 Gigabit and x4 10/100Mb Ethernets.

When these will be released – we don’t know, RT5350F software took us about year to get NDA info about WiFi tunning, we don’t know what it will be with MT7620, so do not hold your breath 🙂

Allwinner:

A33-OLinuXino (Quad Cortex-A7) now is complete and on prototype stage, still had no time to check if Linux-Sunxi community have Linux for A33 and at what stage it is.

Now we route H3-OLinuXino (with Quad Cortex-A7 and which have Ethernet and HDMI) and A64-OLinuXino (with Quad Cortex-A53, HDMI, Camera, MIPI/LVDS/RGB, Gigabit Ethernet).

Why we stopped to blog or announce so often the new boards we working on?

Because when we blog that we start working on new OLinuXino board many people start to make commercial plans with them and how they will obtain OSHW designs for free for their commercial idea/project. Sure this have nothing wrong, if some of them didn’t became too impatient, annoying and noisy if the release time do not match their expectations. They forget that we do this for fun and we do not have any firm release dates, so they try any forms of social engineering posting challenging or abusive messages thinking they would influence us somehow this way, well soon or later they realize they can’t but anyway this is annoying for us as we want to work in rest calm environment and enjoy what we do.

We learn while we do this stuff, AM3352 software support took us year and half, we couldn’t find vital info for RT5350F for more than year, I have no idea when MT7620, A33, H3 or A64 will have proper Linux support, so please do not hold your breath, these boards will be released when they are ready, if you are capable to help with Linux on these please let me know, we can send you preliminary prototypes, so we can work together to speed up the release.

 

A33-OLinuXino Open Source Hardware Linux SBC with Quad Core Cortex-A7 ARM processor running at 1.5Ghz

While we stopped the work on A31, we decided that A33 is promising device as it have Mali video and there is chance to have open source drivers and Linux support with hardware acceleration.

A33-OLinuXino is OSHW project and you can see the preliminary files at GitHub.

With size of 70×76 mm it’s small SOM like board, you can see the component arrangement above:

There are two 40 pin 0.1″ connectors: upped for LCD connector, lower for GPIOs, I2C, SPI, etc

A33-OLinuXino have PMU AXP223, A33 Quad core Cortex A7 running at 1.5Ghz, 4/8GB NAND Flash, 1GB RAM

On the left side you can see USB-OTG, LiPo battery connector, debug UART, button, micro SD card on the bottom

On the right side there are Audio IN and OUT connectors and flat cable connector with MIPI and CSI signals.

We still have no idea what it will cost when released as we don’t know how many layers will be the PCB, but we guess it will be in the LIME range i.e. about EUR 30

Quad Core Cortex-A7 for $4

Allwinner just announced that in July they start the mass production of their A33 Quad core Cortex-A7 processor targeting low end tablets and media players.

With 1080p playback, MALI400MP2, integrated HIFI Audio codec, low power consumption the target is clear – handheld media player devices and tablets, so far nothing new.

The new is that A33 comes from the very beginning at shocking low price of only $4 i.e. $1 per core or about same price as ATmega328 in single quantity in Digikey 🙂

So either 8-bit processors are overpriced either the competition of these tablet SoC is so crazy that it drives the vendors to fall on the rock bottom from the start.

Allwinner used to keep the prices of the newly released chips high at the beginning then to decrease them at half after a year. A31 was something like $20 when they start selling it now is under $10.

Unfortunately A33 have no Ethernet connectivity, so not quite good choice for Linux computer.

So far A20 is Allwinner best solution with both SATA and Ethernet interfaces, even their newest and most powerful A80 missing SATA.