I’ve been informed of a new AllWinner A10 development board which is marketed as some sort of Raspberry Pi “clone”, although the hardware is different. The UPuter Pi is a small board designed by QuickEmbed Technology, a Shanghai based company, that features AllWinner A10 processor @ 1.5 GHz, 512 to 1 GB RAM, and 4 to 8 GB Flash.
Here are the specs as mentioned on the company website:
- CPU 1.5GHz ARM Cortex-A8 multi-core Mali400 graphic engine
- Memory 512M/1GB DDR3
- Flash 4G/8G
- DC 5V USB power
- working temperature -10 to 70C
- storage temperature -20 to 80C
- Android 4.0
- WIFI/RJ45 network
- USB/Wireless keyboard/mouse
- 3G usb card
- TF card, U-disk, usb harddisk
- 720P/1080P/2160P
I must have gone blind because I don’t see any RJ45 connector (for Ethernet). The board will support Android 4.0 and all the usual Linux distros supported by Allwinner A10 processor. QuickEmbed may have pushed the clone concept a bit too far as their slogan “If you want to know how UPuter Pi taste, please take a bite by yourself.” and their 2 models may sound familiar to some:
- UPuter Pi module A board – bare PCBA
- UPuter Pi module B board – It looks the same but a case is included, and it’s very much like a mini PC.
They do provide 6 GPIOs, UART and JTAG access which makes it an interesting hacker board. However, at $69, the price is OK, but not really aggressive, especially as I’m expecting a $49 AllWinner A10 development board with features similar to the Mele A1000 plus an expansion header (GPIO, I2C, SPI…) very shortly, possibly as soon as next week…
Have a look at QuickEmbed UPuter Pi page for details.
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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Without a Mali 400 driver for linux these boards are not very usable except as a server. In this situation you’d be better with a mele as you get a case and other features.
There is a Mali 400 driver for Linux, the main problem is X11 support. Some people claim to have made it work (http://blog.dryft.net/2012/07/working-mali-x11-driver-on-mk802-a10.html), but the performance improvements appears to be disappointing.
I don’t know how the the latest compiz/open gles announcement (http://smspillaz.wordpress.com/2012/08/22/delivering-compiz-and-unity-on-the-next-wave-of-embedded-form-factors/) could improve that.
You’re right the Mele A1000 is more interesting that this board.
Isn’t this just a USB stick without the case?
@Kim
Yes, but they say they provide access to GPIOs, although I can’t see header or through holes for that.
Edit: OK, I can see on there website they have “test points” where you could solder wires to access the GPIOs.
This $49 board you mention has SATA like the Mele?
@Onebir
Yes. it does.
the board youre expecting .. remember if comparing to the mele to add the cost of the additional bits necessary for sata nand etc (and case/caddy etc).
were likely to be getting in to sub $100 quad core territory soon so the A10’s days may very well be short lived and added to that its linux distro (particularly video and sata drivers) are still a partially (non) working mess … hopefully if olimex do an A10 board they will have the wherewithall to get particularly the SATA and video srivers sorted out
@mac me
Where’s the best place to get info on the state of the Linux A10 video & sata drivers?
I think this is it on Taobao (Chinese Ebay):
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=15301429836&ali_trackid=2:mm_14507416_2297358_8935934:1346002929_4k5_1872883273
No built-in RJ45 – cnxsoft’s eyesight’s ok 🙂 – but there’s a big picture of an ethernet adapter (& they say it supports them easily). Chinese base price is USD44 (512mb, 4GB) – USD55 (1GB, 8GB).
@Onebir
Thanks. Yes, but then all devices with a USB host port can support Ethernet (as long as the kernel is compiled for it).
It appears to be version II, wonder what version I is.
Indeed – the ethernet claim’s just Chinese electronics seller exaggeration.
There are links to ‘树每派 I’ and ‘树每派 III’ at the side of the page, under the 2nd blue box with “>>”. But they click through to a page with “没有对应的宝贝” – “there is no corresponding product” buried in the middle.
now it is with case by model B, case is ready! pretty nice!
There is a heat sink on the top of the A10 , So it must be more stable .