Firefly ROC-RK3588-RT Rockchip RK3588(J) SBC comes with three 2.5Gbps/gigabit Ethernet ports

Firefly ROC-RK3588-RT is a Rockchip RK3588(J) SBC suitable for networking applications such as routers and firewalls thanks to one 2.5GbE port and two gigabit Ethernet ports and available in both commercial and industrial temperature grades.

But the board is likely to be used for more complex workloads since it also comes with three video output interfaces (2x HDMI and USB-C DisplayPort), M.2 sockets for a SATA or NVMe SSD, a WiFi 6/Bluetooth 5.2 module, a 6 TOPS NPU embedded in the Rockchip processor, and a (non-standard) expansion connector with PCIe Gen 3 and other interfaces.

Firefly ROC-RK3588-RT specifications:

SoC (one or the other)
- Rockchip RK3588 octa-core processor with
  - CPU – 4x CortexA76 cores @ up to 2.4 GHz, 4x CortexA55 core @ 1.8 GHz
  - GPU – Arm Mali-G610 MP4 “Odin” GPU @ 1.0 GHz
  - Video decoder – 8Kp60 H.265, VP9, AVS2, 8Kp30 H.264 AVC/MVC, 4Kp60 AV1, 1080p60 MPEG-2/-1, VC-1, VP8
  - Video encoder – 8Kp30 H.265/H.264 video encoder
  - AI accelerator – 6 TOPS NPU
- Rockchip RK3588J – Same as above but the Cortex-A76 cores are up to 2.2 GHz for the industrial temperature range
System Memory – 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB LPDDR4/LPDDR4x/LPDDR5
Storage
- 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB eMMC flash
- M.2 SATA / PCIe 2242 NVMe SSD
- MicroSD card slot
Video Output
- HDMI 2.1 up to 8Kp60
- HDMI 2.0 up to 4Kp60
- USB-C port for DisplayPort 1.4 up to 8Kp30
Audio – 3.5mm audio jack, digital audio via HDMI
Networking
- 2.5GbE RJ45 ports
- 2x gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports
- Optional WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 via M.2 E-Key 2230 socket
USB – 1x USB 3.0 port (up to 1A), 1x USB 2.0 port (up to 500mA), 1x USB-C 3.0 OTG port with DisplayPort Alt mode
Expansion
- M.2 SATA/PCIe 2242 socket for SSD
- M.2 E-Key 2230 socket for WiFI and Bluetooth module
- 60-pin “BTB” connector with 2x 4-lane PCIe 3.0, 2x UART, 1x USB 2.0, 1x CAN bus, 1x SARADC, GPIOs
  - PCIe configurations:
    - 1x 4-lane PCIe 3.0 (RC (Root Complex) or EP (End Point)) or
    - 1x 2-lane PCIe3.0 (RC or EP) + 1x 2-lane PCIe 3.0 (RC) or
    - 1x 2-lane PCIe 3.0 (RC or EP) + 1x 1-lane PCIe 3.0 (RC) or
    - 4x 1-lane PCIe 3.0 (RC)
Power Supply – 12V DC via 5.5/2.1mm power barrel jack
Dimensions – 108.48 x 74.98mm
Temperature Range
- Commercial: -20°C to +60°C (RK3588)
- Industrial: -40°C to 85°C (RK3588J)
Humidity – 10% to 90% RH non-condensing

The board ships with Android 12 by default, which feels like an odd choice of a board with networking capabilities, but the company also offers Ubuntu 20.04 and Debian 11 images for the board, as well as corresponding Android and Linux SDKs. Documentation to get started can be found in the wiki and builds upon their earlier Rockchip RK3588(S) boards so it’s quite detailed.

Firefly expects the ROC-RK3588-RT to power Arm PCs, mini PCs, NAS, edge computing systems, cloud servers, smart NVRs, and industrial control systems which may benefit from multiple Ethernet interfaces. The company is selling the board for $229 with 8GB RAM and 64GB eMMC flash, a 12V/2A power adapter, and a USB-A to USB-C cable. Additional information may be found on the product page.

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

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.