Shenzhen MilkV Technology’s Duo S is a tiny SBC based on the 1 GHz Sophgo SG2000 Arm Cortex-A53 and RISC-V SoC with 512MB DDR3 (SiP), Fast Ethernet, WiFi 6, and Bluetooth 5 connectivity, and a switch to select Arm or RISC-V architecture before powering the board.
We already had covered SG2002 Arm/RISC-V boards with 256MB RAM, namely the LicheeRV Nano and Duo 256M, but for people needing more memory, the Duo S provides another option that also features two 2-lane MIPI CSI connectors, a USB 2.0 host port, and two 26-pin headers for expansion. Its form factor reminds me of FriendlyELEC’s NanoPi NEO and family powered by Allwinner processors that were introduced a few years ago.
Duo S specifications:
- SoC – SOPHGO SG2000
- Main core – 1 GHz 64-bit RISC-V C906 or Arm Cortex-A53 core (selectable)
- Minor core – 700 MHz 64-bit RISC-V C906 core
- Low-power core – 25 to 300 MHz 8051 MCU core with 8KB SRAM
- NPU – 0.5 TOPS INT8, supports BF16
- Integrated 512MB DDR3 (SiP)
- Storage
- MicroSD card slot
- Optional 8GB eMMC flash
- Display – 4-lane MIPI DSI via GPIO header
- Camera Interfaces
- 16-pin FPC connector for 2-lane MIPI CSI
- 15-pin FPC connector for 2-lane MIPI CSI
- Support for 5MP camera sensors
- Audio – Built-in microphone
- Networking
- 100Mbps Ethernet RJ45 jack with optional PoE support via expansion board
- Optional WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5
- USB – 1x USB Type-C port for power and programming, 1x USB 2.0 host port (Note: USB-C and USB 2.0 ports are multiplexed, so only one can be used at a time)
- Expansion – 2x 26-pin 2.54 pitch headers with access to up to 39x GPIO, PWM, I2C, SPI, UART, MIPI DSI, JTAG, SD, Audio, power signals
- Debugging – 4-pin UART header
- Misc – BOOT Switch (Arm vs RISC-V selection), Recovery Key, Reset Key
- Power Supply – 5V via USB-C port
- Dimensions – 43 x 43mm
Linux and RTOS are said to be supported on the Duo S, and you’ll find buildroot-built OS images on GitHub to boot from either the microSD card or the eMMC flash. As of the current v1.0.9 image, Duo S does not yet support wiringX (C) and pinpong (Python) GPIO libraries, and Arduino support is not implemented either. The latter means the board will eventually be programmable like a microcontroller using the Arduino IDE as is already possible on the Duo 256M with SG2002. Some instructions to get started can be found in the wiki.
The Duo S SBC can be purchased for $9.99 to $18.99 on Arace depending on the options such as WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5 module, 8GB eMMC flash module, PoE support, etc… It can also be bought on Aliexpress for $16 and up. More details may be found on the product page.
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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