Earlier this year we wrote about Mutantc V3 DIY Raspberry PI UMPC after noticing a talk about it at FOSDEM 2021 online conference. MutantC V4 is a new version of the Raspberry Pi handheld PC that is both easier to build and cheaper.
The new model replaces the Arduino Pro Micro board with a more compact ESP32-S2 module and offers a Lite version with even fewer parts (notification LED, IR blaster, IMU, etc..) to make it easier to build.
The new MutantC v4 shares many of the same features of the previous versions:
- Supported SBCs – Raspberry Pi Zero, 2, 3, 4 and compatible.
- Wireless module for keyboard and other controls – Ai. Thinker ESP-12K module based on ESP32-S2 single-core WiFi microcontroller @ 240 MHz with 8MB flash
- Display – 2.8-inch, 3.5-inch, or 4-inch “GPIO” LCD such as AdaFruit PiTFT 480×320 display
- Keyboard – 56-key customizable keyboard with 2x shoulder buttons for navigation
- Three custom PCBs for display, mainboard, and thumbstick
- Expansion
- USB-C Nurolink “docking” connector with UART and I2C
- Internal header with power I2C, UART, and GPIOs for add-on boards (e.g. GPS)
- Sensors – BME280 (3V) pressure, temperature and humidity sensors, MPU6050 accelerator and gyroscope,
- Misc – Various buttons and tactile switches, Joystick, RTC + CR1220 battery, 13x LEDs, 2x RGB LEDs, buzzer, vibration motor, IR transmitter
- Power Supply
- 5V via USB-C port
- 2-pin header for 18650 Li-ion battery
Besides ordering the boards and soldering components, you’ll also need to print the 5 pieces for the housing, and install Raspberry Pi OS, or other OS of your choice, together with the LCD drivers. You’ll find details on the project’s website and Gitlab. Right now the boards are designed with EAGLE, and the enclosure with Fusion360, but the developer plans to switch to KiCad and FreeCAD open-source tools in the next iteration of the design, possibly with the help of the community.
Via Liliputing
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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The big cores are 2 generations better than the RK3588. Wonder if MediaTek got a good ARM Linux support.
AFAIK, Cortex A-77 is not that good. So we could say that it’s 1 generation better than RK3588’s Cortex A-76. Too bad it’s Mediatek SoC. Meaning: no linux for you.
> Too bad it’s Mediatek SoC. Meaning: no linux for you
Not true for all MediaTek business units. See the upstreaming efforts around their router SoCs and for exampling them partnering with BayLibre for their ‘AIoT’ offerings…
Also their Chromebook SoCs have pretty good upstreaming efforts. The MT8395 looks very similar to their MT8195 Chromebook SoC; I think many drivers will be usable without significant changes. The word Android is a bit of a red flag, though.
I see. But from what i heard, the jump from A76 to A77 is some of the biggest generational jump. While the jump from A75 to A76 and A77 to A78 are more of a standard/ordinary jump. But i maybe wrong. Anyway, hope we can get better support for Linux from MediaTek and others in the future. The more chip vendors supporting Linux, the merrier.
It does seem like a bunch o’ work to compile Android 13 on it. Is there a RealTek N00B pack like Capstone/Unicorn to flush out all the undisclosed opcodes and whatnot, or is the idea to license the boxed RealTek CN Rust compiler…or simply use GPT3 and hope it’s trained?
Is there no true optimized binary (say, LibC or LINPAC20) for these chips?
It always depends on how you want to characterize the changes. The way I’d describe them, there were significant changes in the previous generations (new microarchitecture in Cortex-A73, new ISA and bus interface in Cortex-A75, new microarchitecture again in Cortex-A76), but between Cortex-A76, -A77, -A78 -X1 and Neoverse N1 I only see optimizations of the same basic design instead of generational jumps.