Embedded computing specialist Hardkernel is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary with a brand new single-board laptop launch, taking its present ODROID-M1 design and chopping each the scale and the value to make the ODROID-M1S.
“ODROID-M1S is an inexpensive Arm Cortex-A55 quad-core single board laptop with increased vitality effectivity, slimmer type issue, and lots of enter/output ports,” Hardkernel writes of its newest design, dropped at our consideration by CNX Software program. “Due to the built-in quick 64GB eMMC storage, 4GB or 8GB LPDDR4 RAM, bundled energy adapter, and bundled case, you’ll be able to construct your individual embedded system at low value straight away.”
The ODROID-M1S shrinks final yr’s ODROID-M1 right down to measurement, and comes with or with out (pictured) pre-populated GPIO headers. (📷: Hardkernel)
The ODROID-M1S is an replace to, however not a replica of, the year-old ODROID-M1 — taking into consideration, Hardkernel says, buyer suggestions which included a want for a smaller, extra energy-efficient design — which, ideally, would additionally value much less. Because of this, the reminiscence pace has been knocked down just a little, the SATA 3.0 port is gone, there isn’t any MIPI Digicam Serial Interface (CSI) connector, and fewer USB ports.
The system-on-chip, too, has modified: the Rockchip RK3568 with its quad-core Arm Cortex-A55 processor, Arm Mali-G52 MP2 graphics processor, and 0.8 TOPS neural community coprocessor has been changed by the Rockchip RK3566 — dropping the processor efficiency from 2GHz to 1.8GHz, however in any other case retaining the specs of its predecessor. The ODROID-M1’s 16MB of on-board SPI flash, apparently, has been swapped out for a 64GB eMMC benchmarking, Hardkernel claims, at 180MB/s throughput.
The smaller board packs fewer ports, providing just one USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0 port plus a micro-USB 2.0 On-The-Go (OTG) port, plus a USB Kind-C port for energy. There are two general-purpose enter/output (GPIO) headers, a 40-pin Raspberry Pi-style header and a 14-pin header, a UART header for a devoted serial console, 3.5mm analog audio output, gigabit Ethernet, microSD and M.2 M-key NVMe storage choices — the latter dropping from a theoretical most throughput of 1.6GB/s on the ODROID-M1 to 400MB/s on the M1S — and an HDMI 2.0 port with 4k60 assist and a four-lane MIPI Show Serial Interface (CSI) connector.
The corporate has additionally introduced a variety of suitable equipment, together with the Multi IO Coaching Board. (📷: Hardkernel)
In different phrases, the board delivers an inexpensive collection of ports and connections regardless of its smaller measurement — and the transfer to a special system-on-chip means it additionally delivers on the effectivity entrance. In line with Hardkernel’s inner testing, the ODROID-M1S attracts 1.1W at idle and three.52W below heavy CPU load — down from 1.3W idle and 4.5W loaded for the unique ODROID-M1.
Hardkernel is taking orders for the brand new ODROID-M1S on its web site, beginning at $49 for the 4GB mannequin with unpopulated GPIO headers; the corporate has additionally confirmed a variety of equipment, together with a plastic case, eight- and five-inch touchscreen shows, an uninterruptible energy provide (UPS) equipment, and a “Multi IO Coaching Board” which connects to each GPIO headers and gives an OLED show, CAN FD, RS232, and SPI buses, five-key keypad, and extra.