OLinuXino

OLinuXino Open Source Hardware Linux computer

OLinuXino is an open hardware single-board computer capable of running Android or Linux designed by OLIMEX Ltd in Bulgaria.

The project's goal was to design DIY friendly industrial grade Linux board which everyone can reproduce at home, using widely available components that are easy to solder by hand, being housed in e.g. TQFP packages. The project's CAD files are hosted on GitHub, allowing everyone to study and customize them according to their needs. Initially OLinuXino was designed with EAGLE. In March 2016 the first boards designed with KiCAD became available as OLIMEX Ltd announced plans on switching development to Open Source CAD tools.^[1]

iMX233

The OLinuxino development started on 7 March 2012.^[2] The PCB routing was complete by 23 March ^[3] and first 10 prototypes were ready on 17 April.^[4]

Four types of iMX233-OLinuXino were developed:

iMX233-OLinuXino-NANO

Features:

• i.MX233 ARM926J processor at 454Mhz
• 64 MB RAM
• MicroSD-card connector for booting the Linux image
• 1 USB High Speed Host
• Three buttons
• UEXT connector for connection of different peripheral modules
• 2x24 pin GPIO for connection of other hardware
• U_DEBUG pin headers
• 3.7V Li-Po battery connector and built-in battery charger
• Breadboard compatible
• JTAG pads for bare-board programming
• PCB dimensions: 3.00" x 0.8" (76.2 mm x 20.3 mm)
• Nominal dimensions: 3.40 x 0.8 (86.4 mm x 20.3 mm)
• Weight: 0.5 ounce (~14 grams)

iMX233-OLinuXino-MICRO

Features:

• i.MX233 ARM926J processor at 454Mhz
• 64 MiB RAM
• SD-card connector for booting the Linux image
• TV PAL/NTSC video output
• 1 USB High Speed Host
• Three buttons
• 2x30 pin GPIO for connection of other hardware
• PCB dimensions: 3.00" x 1.70" (76.2 mm x 43.2 mm)
• Nominal dimensions: 3.40" x 1.70" (86.4 mm x 43.2 mm)

iMX233-OLinuXino-MINI

Features:

• iMX233 ARM926J processor at 454 MHz
• 64 MB RAM
• SD-card connector for booting the Linux image
• TV PAL/NTSC video output
• 3 USB Hi-Speed host
• Stereo Audio Input
• Stereo Headphones Audio Output
• Two buttons
• UEXT connector for connection of different peripheral modules
• 40 pin GPIO for connection of other hardware
• Board is in shape for fit inside Pactec JM42 plastic box
• Power supply input 6-16 VDC
• PCB dimensions: 3.70" x 2.15" (94.0 mm x 54.6 mm)
• Nominal dimensions: 3.70" x 2.65" (94.0 mm x 67.3 mm)

iMX233-OLinuXino-MINI-WIFI

Features:

• iMX233 ARM926J processor at 454 MHz
• 64 MB RAM
• SD card connector for booting the Linux image
• TV PAL/NTSC video output
• 3 USB Hi-Speed host
• WIFI RTL8188CU module
• Stereo Audio Input
• Stereo Headphones Audio Output
• Two buttons
• UEXT connector for connection of different peripheral modules
• 40 pin GPIO for connection of other hardware
• Board is in shape for fit inside Pactec JM42 plastic box
• Power supply input 6-16 VDC
• PCB dimensions: 3.70" x 2.15" (94.0 mm x 54.6 mm)
• Nominal dimensions: 3.70" x 2.65" (94.0 mm x 67.3 mm)

iMX233-OLinuXino-MAXI

Features:

• iMX233 ARM926J processor at 454 MHz
• 64 MB RAM
• SD-card connector for booting the Linux image
• TV PAL/NTSC video output
• 2 USB High Speed Hosts
• Ethernet 100 Mbit/s
• Stereo Audio Input
• Stereo Headphones Audio Output
• Two buttons
• UEXT connector for connection of different peripheral modules
• 40 pin GPIO for connection of other hardware
• The board is shaped to fit inside a Pactec JM42 plastic box
• Power supply input 6-16 VDC
• PCB dimensions: 3.70" x 2.15" (94.0 mm x 54.6 mm)
• Nominal dimensions: 3.70" x 2.65" (94.0 mm x 67.3 mm)

A13

The Chinese company Allwinner released in April 2012 Cortex-A8 SoC in TQFP package, this was spotted immediately by OLinuXino developers and they start working on OLinuXino board based on A13 ^[5] Three OLinuXino boards with A13 processor were released:

A13-OLinuXino-MICRO

Features:

• Allwinner A13 SoC with Cortex-A8 @ 1 GHz CPU and a Mali-400 GPU.
• 256 MiB RAM (128 Mbit x 16)
• 5 VDC input power supply with own ICs, noise immune design
• 1 USB host
• 1 USB OTG which can power the board
• SD-card connector for booting the Linux image
• VGA video output
• LCD signals available on connector so LCD can still be used if VGA/HDMI is disabled
• Audio output
• Microphone input pads (no connector)
• 1 User key
• 4 Mount holes
• UEXT connector for connecting additional UEXT modules like Zigbee, Bluetooth, Relays, etc.
• GPIO connector with 68/74 pins and these signals:
• 17 for adding NAND flash;
• 22 for connecting LCDs;
• 20+4 including 8 GPIOs which can be input, output, interrupt sources;
• 3x I2C;
• 2x UARTs;
• SDIO2 for connecting SDcards and modules;
• 5 system pins: +5 V, +3.3 V, GND, RESET, NMI
• Dimensions: 100 x 85 mm (3.950 x 3.350 in)

A13-OLinuXino

Features:

• A13 Cortex A8 processor at 1 GHz, 3D Mali 400 GPU
• 512 MB RAM (2 x 256Mbit x 8)
• 6-16 VDC input power supply, noise immune design
• 3 + 1 USB hosts, 3 available for users, 1 leads to onboard pinout
• 1 USB OTG which can power the board
• SD-card connector for booting optional Linux images
• VGA video output
• Battery option and connector
• LCD signals available on connector so LCD can still be used if VGA/HDMI is disabled
• Audio output
• Microphone input
• 4 mount holes
• RTC PCF8536 on board for real time clock and alarms
• 5 keys on board for Android navigation
• UEXT connector for connecting additional UEXT modules like Zigbee, Bluetooth, Relays, etc.
• GPIO connector with 68/74 pins and these signals:
• 17 for adding NAND flash;
• 22 for connecting LCDs;
• 20+4 including 8 GPIOs which can be input, output, interrupt sources;
• 3x I2C;
• 2x UARTs;
• SDIO2 for connecting SD cards and modules;
• 5 system pins: +5 V, +3.3 V, GND, RESET, NMI
• Dimensions: 120 x 120 mm (4.7"x4.7")

A13-OLinuXino-WIFI

Features:

• A13 Cortex A8 processor at 1 GHz, 3D Mali 400 GPU
• 512 MB RAM (2 x 256Mbit x 8)
• 6-16 VDC input power supply, noise immune design
• 4 GB NAND flash
• 3 + 1 USB hosts, 3 available for users 1 for WIFI RTL8188CU 802.11n 150 Mbit module on-board
• 1 USB OTG which can power the board
• Battery option and connector
• Android OS ready to use in the NAND memory
• SD-card connector for booting optional Linux image
• VGA video output
• LCD signals are available on the connector so LCD can still be used if VGA/HDMI is disabled
• Audio Output
• Microphone Input
• 4 Mount holes
• RTC PCF8536 on board for real time clock and alarms
• 5 Keys on board for android navigation
• UEXT connector for connecting additional UEXT modules like Zigbee, Bluetooth, Relays, etc.
• GPIO connector with 68/74 pins and these signals:
• 17 for adding another NAND flash;
• 22 for connecting LCDs;
• 20+4 including 8 GPIOs which can be input, output, interrupt sources;
• 3x I2C;
• 2x UARTs;
• SDIO2 for connecting SD cards and modules;
• 5 system pins: +5 V, +3.3 V, GND, RESET, NMI
• Dimensions: 120 x 120 mm (4.7"x4.7")

A10S

A13 have no native Ethernet, so when Allwinner announced in November 2012 new A10S processor with HDMI and Ethernet and dual core A20 processor they were chosen for new OLinuXino boards ^[6]

A10S-OLinuXino-MICRO

Features:

• A10S Cortex-A8 processor at 1 GHz, 3D Mali 400 GPU, NEON
• 512 MB RAM
• USB High-speed host with power control and current limiter
• USB-OTG with power control and current limiter
• HDMI output with ESD protectors
• 100 Mbit/s native Ethernet
• Audio Line-input
• Audio Headphones output
• UEXT connector
• LCD connector to work with 4.3, 7.0, 10.1" LCD modules from Olimex
• 50 GPIOs on three GPIO connectors
• MicroSD card connector
• SD/MMC card connector
• DEBUG-UART connector for console debug with USB-SERIAL-CABLE-F
• STATUS LED
• Power LED
• 2 KB EEPROM for MAC address and other storage
• 5 BUTTONS with ANDROID functionality + BOOT/REC and POWER buttons
• Microphone input on connector (not populated)
• Composite TV-output on connector (not populated)
• JTAG-DEBUG connector (not populated)
• UART1 connector (not populated)
• +5 V input power supply, noise immune design
• 4 mounting holes
• PCB dimensions: 4.0 x 3.2" (101.6 x 81.28 mm)

A10S-OLinuXino-MICRO-4GB

Same features as A10S-OlinuXino-MICRO + 4 GB NAND Flash memory.

A20

A20-OLinuXino-MICRO

Features:

• A20 is not industrial grade (-25 to +85 °C) but 0 to +70 °C
• A20 Cortex-A7 dual-core ARM Cortex-A7 CPU and dual-core Mali 400 GPU
• 1 GB DDR3 RAM memory
• SATA connector with 5 V SATA power jack
• Built-in FullHD support (1080p)
• 2 x USB High-speed host with power control and current limiter
• USB-OTG with power control and current limiter
• HDMI output with ESD protectors
• VGA output on 6-pin 1.25 mm (0.05") step connector
• 100 Mbit/s native Ethernet
• LiPo Battery connector with battery-charging capabilities
• Audio headphones output
• Microphone input on connector
• 2 x UEXT connectors
• LCD connector compatible with 4.3", 7.0", 10.1" LCD modules from Olimex
• 160 GPIOs on three GPIO connectors
• MicroSD card connector
• SD/MMC card connector
• DEBUG-UART connector for console debug with USB-SERIAL-CABLE-F
• GPIO LED
• Battery charge status LED
• Power LED
• 2 KB EEPROM for MAC address storage and more
• 10 BUTTONS with ANDROID functionality + RESET button
• 4 mount holes
• 6-16 V input power supply, noise immune design
• PCB dimensions: 5.6 x 3.250" (142.24 x 82.55 mm)

A20-OLinuXino-MICRO-4GB

Same features as A20-OLinuXino-MICRO-4GB + 4 GB NAND Flash memory.

A20-OlinuXino-LIME

• Allwinner A20 dual core Cortex-A7 processor, each core typically running at 1 GHz and dual-core Mali 400 GPU
• 512 MB DDR3 RAM memory
• SATA connector with 5 V SATA power jack
• HDMI connector with FullHD support (1080p)
• 2 x USB High-speed host with power control and current limiter
• USB-OTG with power control and current limiter
• 100 Mbit/s native Ethernet (FastEthernet)
• LiPo Battery connector with battery-charging capabilities
• LCD connector compatible with 4.3", 7.0", 10.1" LCD modules from Olimex
• 160 GPIOs on four GPIO connectors
• MicroSD card connector
• DEBUG-UART connector for console debug with USB-SERIAL-CABLE-F
• GPIO LED
• Battery charge status LED
• Power LED
• 2 KB EEPROM for MAC address storage and more
• 3 buttons with Android functionality including RESET button
• 4 mount holes
• 5 V input power supply, noise immune design
• PCB dimensions: 84x60 mm

A20-OlinuXino-LIME-4GB

Same features as A20-OlinuXino-LIME + 4 GB NAND Flash memory.

A20-OlinuXino-LIME2

• Allwinner A20 dual core Cortex-A7 processor, each core typically running at 1 GHz and dual-core Mali 400 GPU
• 1 GB DDR3 RAM memory
• SATA connector with 5 V SATA power jack
• HDMI connector with FullHD support (1080p)
• 2 x USB High-speed host with power control and current limiter
• USB-OTG with power control and current limiter
• 1000 MBit/s native Ethernet (GigaBit Ethernet)
• LiPo Battery connector with battery-charging capabilities
• LCD connector compatible with 4.3", 7.0", 10.1" LCD modules from Olimex
• 160 GPIOs on four GPIO connectors
• MicroSD card connector
• DEBUG-UART connector for console debug with USB-SERIAL-CABLE-F
• GPIO LED
• Battery charge status LED
• Power LED
• 2 KB EEPROM for MAC address storage and more
• 3 buttons with Android functionality including RESET button
• 4 mount holes
• 5 V input power supply, noise immune design
• PCB dimensions: 84x60 mm

A20-OlinuXino-LIME2-4GB

Same features as A20-OlinuXino-LIME2 + 4 GB NAND Flash memory.

Operating systems

Officially supported:

• Debian
• Android

Third party:

• Arch Linux ARM

See also

• Comparison of single-board computers
• List of open-source hardware projects

References

1. Our first two small KiCAD OSHW boards are ready!
2. OLinuXino Development started today
3. OLinuXino routing is complete
4. OLinuXino first 10 prototypes are ready
5. Allwinner A13 SoC Cortex-A8 processor
6. New processors from Allwinner A10S Cortex-A8 with HDMI and Ethernet and A20 Dual core Cortex-A7 with HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet and SATA

External links

• OLinuXino web site
• GitHub with the project files
• Olimex blog
• OLinuXino forums
• IRC developer discussions
• OLinuXino looks to take on the Raspberry Pi
• Meet the iMX233 OLinuXino Nano
• Element14 Olimex A10S/A20-OLinuXino boards quite BBB-like
• Linux Sunxi Community Open Source Hardware
• Hackaday article - OLinuXino booting Android
• CNX-Software OLinuXino unboxing and review
• Slashdot Fully open OLinuXino computer
• PC Magazine - PC like the Raspberry Pi but faster and fully open
• Dangerous Prototypes - OLinuXino single board computer
• How to use the Olinuxino