FriendlyARM has released a bunch of Allwinner based NanoPi Allwinner boards recently, but they also have some Samsung/Nexcell S5P ARM Cortex A9 boards in their portfolio, and the latest is NanoPi S2 with Samsung S5P4418 quad core processor, three display interfaces, a camera interface, wireless connectivity through WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0, a 40-pin “Raspberry Pi” header, and more.
NanoPi S2 specifications:
- SoC – Samsung/Nexcell S5P4418 quad core Cortex A9 processor @ 400 MHz to 1.4 GHz with Mali-400MP GPU
- System Memory – 1 GB DDR3
- Storage – 8GB eMMC flash + micro SD slot
- Video Output / Display I/F – micro HDMI port up to 1080p60, 24-pin LCD RGB interface, 24-pin LVDS interface
- Audio – 3.5mm audio jack, micro HDMI
- Camera – 24-pin DVP camera interface
- Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n WiFi + Bluetooth 4.0 classic & LE (AP6212 module); IPEX/u.FL antenna connector
- USB – 1x USB 2.0 Host, 1x micro USB port for data and power
- Expansion Headers
- 40-pin Raspberry compatible header with GPIOs, UART, SPI, I2C, PWM, etc..
- Unpopulated ADC header
- Debugging – 4-pin serial header
- Misc – 1x power LED, 1x system LED, 2x user keys, unpopulated RTC header, heatsink mounting holes
- Power Supply – 5V/2A via micro USB port; AXP228 PMU with software shutdown and wake-up functions.
- Dimensions – 75 x40 mm (8-layer PCB)
The hardware is quite similar to NanoPi 2 board, but it replaces one of the micro SD slot by an eMMC flash, adds an LVDS connector, an audio jack, an ADC header, and mounting holes with an heatsink.
Software support for NanoPi S2 is basically the same as for NanoPi 2 with Android 5.1 and Debian 8 images provided, both relying on Linux 3.4. You’ll find hardware and software documentation on the Wiki.
NanoPi S2 board sells for $45 plus shipping directly on FriendlyARM website. Bear in mind that it does not sell with an heatsink, and I could find one in the “optional accessories” section (yet). [Update: The company confirmed it works with the heat sink for T2/T3]
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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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