When Vocore WiFi module launched in 2014 on Indiegogo, it quickly became popular as at the time it was hard to find cost effective and small WiFi modules with GPIOs, and its compact Ethernet dock solution was also a hit. The developer has now been working on VoCore2 for several months, and recently announced a beta testing program.
Vocore2 preliminary specifications:
- SoC – Mediatek MT7628AN MIPS processor @ 580 MHz
- System Memory – 64 or 128 MB DDR2
- Storage – 16MB NOR FLASH, 1x SDXC via I/O pins
- Connectivity – WiFi 802.11n 2T2R up to 300 Mbps with either 2 u.FL connector or 1 u.FL connector + on-board chip antenna (Max signal output >19.5dbm peak); 2x 10/100M Ethernet interfaces via I/O pins
- I/Os – About 30 GPIOs multiplexed with 3x UARTs, 1x I2C, 1x I2S, 1x reference clock, 1x USB 2.0, 1x PCIe 1.1, 1x high speed SPI (40Mbps max), 1x SPI slave, 2x hardware PWM
- Power Supply – Input: 3.6~6.0V; output: 1.8V, 3.3V.
- Power Consumption – 74mA @ 5V (wifi on, no data transfer); 233mA @ 5V (max speed cpu and wireless)
- Dimensions – 25×25 mm
Compare to the first version of VoCore, VoCore2 has a faster processor, more memory, a lower power consumption, a better WiFi signal, and more I/Os. While the software (OpenWrt) will be open source, the hardware won’t be.
VoCore2 is eventually expected to sell for $20 + shipping, For the beta program however, the board is sold for $50 including $20 for DHL shipping, and developers who commit patchsets for VoCore2 to openwrt.org will get a $30 refund. While the hardware is now complete, and OpenWrt runs on the board, there are still many bugs to fix, and the final release is expected in two months time. If you have questions, you can head over VoCore2 forums.
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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