Banana Pi BPI-M64 board was launched with Allwinner A64 processor, but a few days ago, I noticed the board got an option for Allwinner R18. Both processors are likely very similar since they are pin-to-pin compatible, and Pine64 was first seen with Allwinner R18, so I did not really feel it was newsworthy. But today, Google announced Google Cloud IoT Core cloud service working with a few app partners such as Helium and Losant, as well as several device partners including ARM, Marvell, Microchip, Mongoose OS, NXP… and Allwinner, having just announced the release of an Allwinner R18 SDK with libraries supporting Google Cloud IoT Core.
Let’s go through the board specifications first which are exactly the same as for the original BPI-M64 board, except for the processor:
- SoC – Allwinner R18 quad core ARM Cortex A53 processor with Mali-400MP2 GPU
- System Memory – 2GB DDR3
- Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (16, 32 and 64GB options), micro SD slot up to 256 GB
- Video Output / Display interface – HDMI 1.4 up to 4K resolution @ 30 Hz, MIPI DSI interface
- Audio – HDMI, 3.5 mm headphone jack, built-in microphone
- Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet + 802.11 b/g/n WiFi & Bluetooth 4.0 (AP6212)
- USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x micro USB OTG port
- Camera – MIPI CSI interface (which I guess you support parallel cameras via some kind of bridge)
- Security – Hardware security enables ARM TrustZone, Digital Rights Management (DRM), information encryption/decryption, secure boot, secure JTAG and secure efuse
- Expansion – 40-pin Raspberry Pi 2 somewhat-compatible header
- Debugging – 3-pin UART header
- Misc – IR receiver; U-boot, reset and power buttons;
- Power – 5V via power barrel; 3.7V Lithium battery header; AXP803 PMIC
So from hardware perspective, there’s no advantage of getting the board with the new R18 processor. But the SDKs are somehow different, and based on Allwinner’s press release, only R18 processor gets Google Cloud IoT Core support.
Some of the key benefits of Cloud IoT Core include:
- End-to-end security – Enable end-to-end security using certificate-based authentication and TLS; devices running Android Things or ones supporting the Cloud IoT Core security requirements can deliver full stack security.
- Out-of-box data Insights – Use downstream analytic systems by integrating with Google Big Data Analytics and ML services.
- Serverless infrastructure: Scale instantly without limits using horizontal scaling on Google’s serverless platform.
- Role-level data control – Apply IAM roles to devices to control access to devices and data.
- Automatic device deployment – Use REST APIs to automatically manage the registration, deployment and operation of devices at scale.
Both Foxconn/SinoVoIP and Pine64 can offer Allwinner R18 platforms compatible with Google Cloud IoT Core via their Banana Pi BPI-M64 and Pine A64+ boards respectively.
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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