Nokia 1680 phone gets new PCB with MIPS SoC, runs mainline Linux

Reimu NotMoe has designed the “Notkia” PCB based on Ingenic X1000E MIPS processor with 64MB built-in RAM and following the exact same dimensions as the PCB found in Nokia 168x phones (1680, 1681, 1682), and allowing the phone to run mainline Linux.

The board also comes with 32MB NOR flash, a 4GB SLC NAND flash, and supports LoRa, 2.4 GHz WiFi, Bluetooth, and GNSS connectivity, but no cellular modem.

Combining Nokia 168x phone with Notkia PCBA creates a phone with the following specifications:

• SoC – Ingenic X1000E single-core XBurst MIPS processor @ 1.0 GHz (2200+ CoreMark) with 64MB RAM
• Storage – 32MB NOR flash + 4GB SLC NAND flash
• Display – 2.0-inch 240×320 IPS LCD, 3/4 visible (Replaces the original 128×160 TFT screen in the phone)
• Camera – 5MP camera with auto focus (only available in the Nokia 1680 case)
• Audio – Yamaha MA-3 (YMU762) music synthesizer and regular I2S PCM codec
• Wireless connectivity – LoRa, 2.4 GHz WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS + GLONASS.
• USB – 1x USB Type-C port
• Misc – RGB LED, temperature & humidity sensor
• Power Management – BL-5C battery, battery management solution from Texas Instruments
• Dimensions – Nokia 168x shape

The Ingenic processor was selected because of its low power consumption (0.3W running the CoreMark benchmark), slightly better performance than a Raspberry Pi Zero, mainline Linux support, and built-in RAM to save PCB space, as well as publicly available datasheets. The Notkia phone can be seen in action with demos showing Bad Apple animation and the LVGL music player, but more software is needed and a desktop environment based on LVGL appears to be in the works.

A project log can be found on Hackaday.io, and the design will eventually be made open-source under the CERN-OHL2-S license, but only after an upcoming Crowd Supply campaign has been completed. Some early prototypes with the Notkia PCB only should be made available beforehand. One challenge will be to find Nokia 1680 enclosures to house the PCB in the future, but the related patents are scheduled to expire on June 23, 2023, at which point, it will become legal to make cases with this design.

Via Hackster.io

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.

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