Orange Pi 2 is a board powered by Allwinner H3 quad core processor that sells for $25. Shenzhen Xunlong Software has now launched a lower cost version with Orange Pi PC, still based on Allwinner H3 SoC, but getting ridiculously cheap at $15 + shipping ($3.43 in my case).
Orange Pi PC specifications:
- SoC – Allwinner H3 quad core Cortex A7 @ 1.6 GHz (likely 1.2 GHz instead) with an ARM Mali-400MP2 GPU up to 600 MHz
- System Memory – 1GB DDR3
- Storage – micro SD card slot (up to 64GB)
- Video Output – HDMI with CEC and HDCP support, AV port
- Audio I/O – HDMI, AV port, on-board microphone
- Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet
- USB – 3x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x micro USB OTG port
- Camera – CSI Interface
- Expansions – 40-pin Raspberry Pi compatible header with 28 GPIOs, UART, I2C, SPI, PWM, CAN, I2S, SPDIF, LRADC, ADC, LINE-IN, FM-IN, and HP-IN
- Debugging – 3-pin UART header for serial console
- Misc – IR receiver; Power button; Power and status LEDs
- Power Supply – 5V/2A via barrel jack (micro USB OTG cannot be used to power the board).
- Dimensions – 85 x 55 mm (vs 93 x 60 mm for Orange Pi 2)
- Weight – 38 grams
Compared to Orange Pi 2, Orange Pi PC is smaller, and it loses one USB port, reset and u-boot keys, and the WiFi module.
The new Orange Pi board should be fully software compatible with the previous H3 versions, and you can find firmware images for Lubuntu, Android 4.4, Raspbian, Debian server, as well as the Linux and Android SDK on the Download page. Bear in mind that the company is good a launching ultra low cost hardware, but seems under staffed, so if you expect support and regularly updated images, this board won’t be for you, and instead you need to be prepared to rely on others in the forums, and most likely do the job yourself. Good luck! There’s also a product page, but not with much more information.
Thank to Brian for the tip.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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Can’t wait to get my hands on this, compare it with the raspi2 and Odroid C1
I”ll compare it for you!
NO (support+gigabit ethernet+bluetooth+ eMMC+WiFi), enjoy!
Different people has different needs.
Well this price is no surprise really, remember the Yuan is devalued ??
I wonder if others will follow act…
@Peter And companies also(have different needs) like looking for fools to buy their shitty products
@Demetris
“NO (support+gigabit ethernet+bluetooth+ eMMC+WiFi)”
Raspi2 has support/community… but AFAIK none of the rest.
@JotaMG
Yuan devaluation was too small to have much role in this. My guess is they’ve realised marketing/support is not their strong suite, so have to compete on price. And can make a profit at this price, given bulk purchasing components (& near zero development costs, since they’re just stripping down the other version).
He WAS asking for both rasp2+c1 so lets just take out emmc and bluetooth and be done with it.
For running some simple application in networked environment this is enough I think. For it’s price.
They also have a cheap $6 camera, so it can be used for cheap networked camera applications too. Although IP cam are already very cheap now, but at least that one should be more easily customizable.
One reader sent me an Orange Pi 2 Mini with that camera since he did not need it anymore, so I’ll give it a try.
That price! :O
What about HW video ? Bananas suffer that issue for a long time and it still doesn’t work
Is there any plastic case for this?
Anyone know if it can boot from USB? Or is it boot from SD card only?
Boot from SD card only.
understaffed like odroid?
Actually i must retract my previous comments.
Looks like it supports Openwrt and with my Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTL8191SU 802.11n WLAN Adapter makes a powerful router for WiFi-AP on the living room.
Shame it doesn’t support Gigabit or i would connect a gbit switch to make this a full blown Quad core router oh so cheaply LOL
Sorry guys my deepest apologies for the misleading posts.
@Gabe
i see from their taobao page, that there is a board + case bundel for 24cny (~4usd) available
@kucho
There are rumors that Xunlong Software is a one man operation on the forums, since only one person from the company is answering requests… 🙂
@milkboy
case + orange pi pc bundle is for ~19 USD
IMO better than the aliexpress deal but for those who can read chinese; having a hard time translating it 😀
Maybe I’ll just ask my friends to do it for me.
@sky770
hahahaha……..
my bad. i want to write additional $4, i was in a hurry and didnt proof read before submitting the comment.
i can read chinese. which part do you need translating?
So much talk about how this compares to foo … it’s a good board for $15… if you need more there are better options out there but for $15 there’s nothing that I’m aware of.
@milkboy
Hahaa..it’s alright :>
I basically need someone to order for me; sick of using google translator for each word.
I’ll ask my local friends to do it for me 😀
For me it’s $3.43 for shipping so final price is ~$19
Sweet deal!
Does anybody know where case for this can found?
Perhaps this one is going to be my first embedded board, only ~ 20$ , for further cost reduction they should drop IR receiver, MIC, CSI camera interface etc. etc. But every board is missing one important thing , a gigabit ethernet port !
Off topic:
@Demetris, AFAIK RTL81XXSU open source drivers only support managed and monitor modes. Can Realtek proprietary drivers work with OpenWRT?
IMHO you must look for a board with gigabit ethernet MAC (and make sure that the drivers can take advantage of the hardware).
very cheap:).
@sky770
hahahaha…….
i know how you feel. the positive side of living in china
dirt cheap electronics
@shik
the case only available in china, for now (i think)
for now, if you want a case, it is easier with DIY route (3d printing or acrylic case)
i got the orage pi 2, and they dont even have a case for that,
so i just use acrylic board and sandwich my board with it.
@cnxsoft
Going to try to visit them tomorrow, Ill let ya know what I find. I can’t get mine to boot, so there’s that….. :/
@shik
Shameless plug: we build laser cut cases for embedded boards. Currently building 50 custom cases for FOSDEM video gear.
Get in touch if you’re in the EU and you have difficulties buying an Orange Pi PC case. We’re adapting our raspberry pi 2 acrylic case design to it.
Does anyone got benchmarks for Allwinner H3 vs Amlogic S805?
I am trying to get myself a makeshift desktop and thinking of getting either of them (in case of s805 I found a deal of ~34 USD for an MXQ).
From what I recall having a Mali 450-MP2(s805) > mali 400-MP2 (h3)?
@sky770
I have no done direct comparison between the two, but you can get the benchmarks on reviews for Zidoo X1 (http://www.cnx-software.com/2015/08/04/zidoo-x1-review/) and ATV586 (http://www.cnx-software.com/2015/08/27/review-of-mygica-atv586-android-set-top-box-with-dvb-t2-tuner/)
Direct link to Antutu scores:
http://www.cnx-software.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Zidoo_X1_Antutu.jpg (16.948 points)
http://www.cnx-software.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/ATV586_Antutu_5.jpg (18,071 points)
Please note that S805 devices I benchmarked last year got around 16,500 points, so both platforms have similar performance. I have not check the details line by line though.
@sky770
I forgot to reply to the second part. Yes Mali-450MP2 will be faster than Mali-400MP2 (or even MP4).
@cnxsoft
That. was. fast! 😀
Thanks a lot; this will surely clear a lot ^^
What??? Did I understand correctly that no OS will work correctly with this Orange Pi? What’s about theAndroid 4.4.2 Custom by Loboris?
I hope this Orange Pi (Allwinner H3) will be capable of decoding H265 4k videos… Thats the advantage compare to Amlogic S805
@Loïc
That’s no exactly what I said, but if you go to the download page, the images are all dated May 2015, and there don’t seem to be updates, with people complaining. When I tried Orange Pi image on Zidoo X1, I was later told I should have tried Image xxx posted by some user in the forums instead, just like you mention a custom Android 4.4.2 image for the board. Yesterday, I also checked about support for the “official” Orange Pi camera, and guessed what? It’s not working out of the box with the provided firmware, and you need to modify the FEX file, as well as a modify driver source code and build it yourself…
So there might be images that work fine, but you may not find then via the “official” channel.
Could someone point me to a website where I can buy Orange Pi PC + Case + Power supply? I’m having hard time finding the case.
@Alberts00
Only on Taobao for now: http://world.taobao.com/item/521546134400.htm?fromSite=main&spm=a1z3o.7695460.14.103.Z4zvsh&initiative_new=1
Maybe try to contact the guy on Aliexpress @ http://www.aliexpress.com/store/1553371 (via chat or message) to see if he can list that kit on Aliexpress.
@Gabe
In “Set 5”, you also get a case. I assume, it can be purchased separately as well.
@ everyone Xunlong have only one public interface person. It’s Steven. We have more than 10 employees. We have released Orange OS and Lubuntu for Orange Pi PC. Orange Pi PC have ABS case in aliexpress shop.
@Pteridium
RTL8188SU/RTL8191SU/RTL8192SU use the same driver and is supported by openwrt
@cnxsoft
Ah, just found this on aliexpress, thank you anyway 🙂
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Orange-Pi-PC-set-5-Orange-Pi-PC-Transparent-ABS-Case-Power-Supply/1553371_32451114550.html
@nofun
HW video only on android 🙁
Getting started guide with Debian / Ubuntu: http://www.cnx-software.com/2015/09/01/getting-started-with-orange-pi-pc-pi-2-and-pi-plus-development-boards/
I ordered Orange Pi last week and seller yet doesn’t ship it.
Should the power of this device be OK to make it an automatic cd-ripper + squeeze server, vortexbox style?
@Demetris
lol so funny!
look updape date .
Easy to say we have 1 000 000 employees but if they do nothing…..
1 or 2 employees max
No support at all scam
So I’ve tried 2 different micro-SD cards with the Orange Pi PC. It won’t boot. Only the red LED is lit up, along with the Ethernet jack LEDs. Tried to register on the forums – never get the confirmation e-mail. Tried two email accounts. Nada. So, there’s no support, and I got what appears to be a DOA board. Anyone else having trouble with this thing?
I also bought orange pi pc and when it arrived I thought it’s dead – red LED and nothing on screen. Then i attached serial console and saw that device is booting actually. I connect network cable, but I assume you can use this thing as NAS or something networky only, cause I really have no idea how to make it output anything through HDMI.
Sorry, I meant “I did not connect network cable”. Just a typo
Just got mine, will be testing it soon. Why I like the configuration of Orange Pi PC? because it doesn’t have a bunch of stuff that I don’t need, including WIFI and Gigabit… Seriously, does anyone really expect this processor to PROCESS more than 10MB/s of data? Watching video in excess of 100Mbps? Get a nVidia Shield TV and hook it to your gigabit switch!
Plan to use it for audio streaming, WIFI and stuff are just going to be interference onboard…
hopefully mine will boot without glitch…
My Orange Pi PC turned up this week – and does not work – nothing but the ETHERNET lights come on – and two others who visit my blog at http://tech.scargill.net have written in to say that they have received theirs – and have EXACTLY the same problem. I cannot get a response form the supplier via Aliexpress where I bought the Orange Pi from – and I tried to register for their forums and I am “pending” after 2 days.
This does NOT look good.
@Peter Scargill
Did you use the official images, or loboris image?
I don’t have the Pi PC, but Pi 2 mini, and I have tried the images as explained at http://www.cnx-software.com/2015/09/01/getting-started-with-orange-pi-pc-pi-2-and-pi-plus-development-boards/
These images also have u-boot and kernel for Orange Pi PC.
These reports of boards not booting are worrying though.
They are a very small company (10+ employees), and based on their Aliexpress sales number, + taobao, they may well have over 10,000 individual customers to handle… So it’s likely there will be some serious delays with regards to support.
Ethernet in Android on OrangePI_PC do not work. Can you help please!
On Ubuntu ethernet works fine, so OrangePI hardware seems to be good.
Radiator attached (under 50*Celsius), power from PC power supply (5V max 21.0A).
Android image downloaded from here:
http://www.orangepi.org/downloadresources/orangepipc/oragepipc_6ace8597a2051c8bcf2b9e7b63.html
The image was written to TF card via PhoenixCard.
Android starts, plays music and video from USB flash drive on HDMI monitor.
But does not work Ethernet. I tried in android GUI static IP and DHCP.
GUI detects MAC but does not change IP settings. Reboot did not help.
I attached UART_ttl console cable and tried this:
(as you can see, error when interface is DOWN and did not set UP)
root@dolphin-fvd-p1:/ # ip a
1: lo: mtu 16436 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN
link/loopback 00:00:00:00:00:00 brd 00:00:00:00:00:00
inet 127.0.0.1/8 scope host lo
inet6 ::1/128 scope host
valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever
2: eth0: mtu 1500 qdisc noop state DOWN qlen 1000
link/ether 1e:80:f4:53:6f:12 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
3: tunl0: mtu 1480 qdisc noop state DOWN
link/ipip 0.0.0.0 brd 0.0.0.0
4: gre0: mtu 1476 qdisc noop state DOWN
link/gre 0.0.0.0 brd 0.0.0.0
5: sit0: mtu 1480 qdisc noop state DOWN
link/sit 0.0.0.0 brd 0.0.0.0
6: ip6tnl0: mtu 1452 qdisc noop state DOWN
link/tunnel6 :: brd ::
root@dolphin-fvd-p1:/ #
root@dolphin-fvd-p1:/ # ip addr add dev eth0 192.168.120.197/24
root@dolphin-fvd-p1:/ # ip a
1: lo: mtu 16436 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN
link/loopback 00:00:00:00:00:00 brd 00:00:00:00:00:00
inet 127.0.0.1/8 scope host lo
inet6 ::1/128 scope host
valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever
2: eth0: mtu 1500 qdisc noop state DOWN qlen 1000
link/ether 1e:80:f4:53:6f:12 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
inet 192.168.120.197/24 scope global eth0
3: tunl0: mtu 1480 qdisc noop state DOWN
link/ipip 0.0.0.0 brd 0.0.0.0
4: gre0: mtu 1476 qdisc noop state DOWN
link/gre 0.0.0.0 brd 0.0.0.0
5: sit0: mtu 1480 qdisc noop state DOWN
link/sit 0.0.0.0 brd 0.0.0.0
6: ip6tnl0: mtu 1452 qdisc noop state DOWN
link/tunnel6 :: brd ::
root@dolphin-fvd-p1:/ #
root@dolphin-fvd-p1:/ # ip link set eth0 up
[ 275.046308] gmac0: probed
[ 275.049750] gmac0 gmac0: eth0: eth0: PHY ID 0000ffff at 0 IRQ poll (gmac0-0:00)
[ 275.068120] gmac0 gmac0: eth0: Initialize hardware error
root@dolphin-fvd-p1:/ #
root@dolphin-fvd-p1:/ # ip a
1: lo: mtu 16436 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN
link/loopback 00:00:00:00:00:00 brd 00:00:00:00:00:00
inet 127.0.0.1/8 scope host lo
inet6 ::1/128 scope host
valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever
2: eth0: mtu 1500 qdisc noop state DOWN qlen 1000
link/ether 1e:80:f4:53:6f:12 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
inet 192.168.120.197/24 scope global eth0
3: tunl0: mtu 1480 qdisc noop state DOWN
link/ipip 0.0.0.0 brd 0.0.0.0
4: gre0: mtu 1476 qdisc noop state DOWN
link/gre 0.0.0.0 brd 0.0.0.0
5: sit0: mtu 1480 qdisc noop state DOWN
link/sit 0.0.0.0 brd 0.0.0.0
6: ip6tnl0: mtu 1452 qdisc noop state DOWN
link/tunnel6 :: brd ::
root@dolphin-fvd-p1:/ #
Could you please help me make Ethernet work on Android?
@Jannyun
Check that post and comments: http://www.cnx-software.com/2015/10/02/orange-pi-pc-not-booting-you-are-not-alone/.
Better use Loboris image, and make sure you are using Orange Pi script.bin and the correct uImage.
Edit: Sorry… I read too fast, missed it was specific to Android.Check this out instead: http://www.orangepi.org/orangepibbsen/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=363
@cnxsoft
I tried Loboris Ubuntu images – network works fine, but video plays bad (on DivX files artefacts, mp4 1 frame per second, fullscreen freezes SMplayer).
I can play video on Android, but have no network.
Thanks for the link, I will read it when my profile on that forum will be checked.
I got one. The software is alpha. 100% of the images on the official site do not boot stably. I did find one someone else had compiled that worked for me. Many people are reporting mixed results here with some having good success and no clear reason for the difference. However it appears that it is very finicy about what monitor is plugged in. Unless you recompile the image you must use an HDMI monitor, not a dongle converting hdmi to something else. It is also extremely (to the point of absurdity) picky about the power supply. I have four power supplies that meet its required specs but it will only boot with one of them. I have no idea why but it’s 100% reproducible. The only difference in the supplies that I can measure are small tenth volt differences in the their nominal 5 volt output. they all are supplying enough current.
so basically, buy a banana pi or raspberry pi at this time if your time has any value.
@Demetris
I got one too. The software is alpha and will cost you hours and hours of time. 100% of the images on the official site do not boot stably. I did find one someone else had compiled that worked for me. Many people are reporting mixed results here with some having good success and no clear reason for the difference. However it appears that it is very finicy about what monitor is plugged in. Unless you recompile the image you must use an HDMI monitor, not a dongle converting hdmi to something else. It is also extremely (to the point of absurdity) picky about the power supply. I have four power supplies that meet its required specs but it will only boot with one of them. I have no idea why but it’s 100% reproducible. The only difference in the supplies that I can measure are small tenth volt differences in the their nominal 5 volt output. they all are supplying enough current.
so basically, buy a banana pi or raspberry pi at this time if your time has any value.
My orange just arrived, but…
its not even close to a raspberry pi,
Compatibility???
Not even close to it.
Mine does not even power up…. so I feel like I just wasted $15 for a sh1t
@carlos empinada
100% true if you have a life forget about orange pi
@cnxsoft
Forum does not sending me any verification mails, so I can not see any threads until I’m not verified….
even orange pi forum does not work for me…
pece of sh1t
Does anybody know the polarity of J1 the 5v power input!
Is the pin positive?
BEWARE
This will NOT RUN Raspberry Pi OS Images You have to download Raspbian OS Image from a Chinese Web site No English Translation and it requires you to install a download manger. Also uses a odd Standard DC Connector. Have since found it’s a 4mm x 1.7mm x 10mm. So at the moment I have a Orange pi that powers on network leds lite up and nothing else.
SAVE YOUR MONEY AND BUY A GENUINE RASPBERRY PI
Does anybody have a working image of Rasplex that that can be installed on Orange Pi PC?
@GStott
You may want to checkout that post: http://www.cnx-software.com/2015/10/02/orange-pi-pc-not-booting-you-are-not-alone/
It may help solving your issue.
I’ve seen many people believe it would run Raspberry Pi OS images, but where did you read that?
@GStott
If Rasplex is some sort of Home Theater running in Linux, it won’t work in Orange Pi PC, because video hardware decoding is not there in Linux, so you’d need to use Android.
Orange Pi PC can can play videos in Linux, but you’d need to rely on software decoding, so it won’t always play smoothly at 1080p.
This is being sold on Aliexpress as being able to run Raspberry Pi images.
Rasplex is a Plex client specifically tuned for the raspberry Pi, which according the Aliexpress advert should run as it states it runs Raspberry Pi Images.
aliexpress.com/item/Orange-Pi-PC-set-2-Orange-Pi-PC-Transparent-ABS-Case/32450169921.html
Regards
@GStott
OK. I see now “It can run Android 4.4, Ubuntu, Debian, Rasberry Pi Image.” Poor choice of words.. What they meant was that they made a Raspbian image for the board.
So far in the ARM world, there’s no unified image that will work on different brands of processor. This will come, at least for ARM servers, but it’s still work in progress.
“Poor choice of words…”
_Poor_ ??
THIS IS PURE SCAM, and should be advertised as that.
One thing is mistakes from time to time, another thing is continued and probably intentional misleading of people!!
All that “steven” or anyone responsible for the OrangePi operation is doing is just attracting more bad reputation to china devices….
Ok guys as promised here is my openwrt firmware as posted in Orange Pi forums
For Orange Pi PC
http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=06335986125282675376
@Demetris
thx, just hopping it will run well
Let me know here:
http://www.orangepi.org/orangepibbsen/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=1112&extra=page%3D1
I’ve just noticed Orange Pi PC is now on Banggood. http://www.banggood.com/Orange-Pi-PC-H3-Quad-core-Learning-Development-Board-p-1010455.html
Price is higher @ $2299 shipped, but it could be an options for people who don’t like to use credit card online, or simply don’t have one.
For Orange Pi PC’s bigger sibling, the Orange Pi PC Plus adding 8GM fast eMMC and the new RTL8189FTV WiFi, new Armbian 5.13 images have been released fully supporting all features: http://www.armbian.com/orange-pi-pc-plus/
OpenELEC users can rely on the build for Orange Pi Lite and simply exchange script.bin to get all PC Plus features supported. Users of older Orange Pi Linux distributions might also take Armbian’s fex/script.bin for PC Plus but have to adjust some details in the fex file (since Armbian is using a way more recent kernel) and would of course need the new driver to be able to use WiFi on this board.