Firefly recently launched the ROC-RK3566-PC Mini computer, which is the latest addition to their series of Industrial boards. The SBC is powered by their RK3566 quad-core 64-bit processor, which offers high performance with low power consumption. It also comes with a massive 8 GB RAM and supports M.2 interface which enables expansion with a large hard drive. With a form factor of a Raspberry Pi, the ROC-RK3566-PC Mini computer surely delivers superior performance in its category. Hence, the ROC-RK3566-PC Mini computer offers beast-like performance on a Raspberry-sized board.
The ROC-RK3566-PC Mini computer is targeted for use as a TV multimedia streaming box, more can be done with the device. With the heavenly performance and the peripherals it offers in its size, the board is ideal for Industrial purposes. Hence, it falls under the category of Single Board Computers(SBC). The ROC-RK3566-PC Mini computer comes up as a good alternative for boards like the BeagleV Development Board where power efficiency is crucial. So, the board is ideal for using to deploy your own servers as it supports a wide range of operating systems.
An Outline of the ROC-RK3566-PC Mini Computer
ROC-RK3566-PC Mini computer is based on their RockChip RK3566 quad-core 64-bit Cortex-A55 processor and clocks in at 1.8GHz. Cortex-A55 is well known for its balance between high performance and power efficiency in its class. With its 22nm lithography process, the chip comes up as a strong competitor in the area of power efficiency. The RK3566 also offers numerous integrated co-processors, which further adds to the performance of the ROC-RK3566-PC Mini computer.
The board features a dual-core Mali-G52 GPU similar to the Bifrost architecture. This GPU offers high-performance 2D acceleration and supports OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0/3.2. OpenCL 2.0. Vulkan 1.1. Along with this, there’s also one high-performance VPU and a high-efficiency NPU. The VPU can achieve 4K 60fps H.265/H.264/VP9 video decoding and 1080P 100fps H.265/ H.264 video encoding. So, the high-performance AI accelerator RKNN NPU supports one-click switching of mainstream frameworks like Caffe or TensorFlow.
Talking about other features, the ROC-RK3566-PC Mini computer can be configured with 2GB, 4GB, or a maximum of 8GB of LPDDR4 RAM. For internal storage, you have options of 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB of eMMC storage. If you need more space, then there’s a slot for an M.2 PCIe 2.0 for connection with an NVMe SSD. With this, high-speed reading and writing are possible in sizeable external storage. Also, the board also features a Micro SD card slot if you need one.
A Look at its Peripherals and Software Support
The ROC-RK3566-PC Mini computer also offers a plethora of peripherals in a small form factor of 90×60 mm. The full list of peripherals are as follows:
- Ethernet: Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45. 1000 Mbps)
- Camera: 1 × MIPI-CSI camera interface
- Interfaces: HDMI2.0, USB3.0, USB2.0, MIPI DSI, MIPI CSI, I2C, SPI, UART, ADC, PWM, GPIO, PCIe, I2S, etc.
- Display:
- 1 × HDMI2.0. Supports 4K@60fps output
- 1 × MIPI DSI. Supports 1920*1080@60fps output
- Audio:
- 1 × HDMI audio output
- 1 × Earphone output
For powering the board, 5V input through a USB type C port can be given. The board also features dual-band WiFi (802.11 a/b/g/n), an edge over the single-band Wi-Fi on its competitors like the BeagleV Development Board. Additionally, the board also supports Bluetooth 5.0.
Talking about the software support of the ROC-RK3566-PC Mini computer, it is compatible with a wide range of systems and boot ways. These include Android 11.0, Ubuntu 18.04, Buildroot + QT, and Station OS. By default, it comes with Station OS, which is Firefly’s very own Geek System. Hence, this OS has the flexibility to switch between media mode and desktop mode. “Station OS (Firefly Geek System) brings you a living room playing experience. So, just connect the TV or display at home to build a home entertainment center to enjoy movies and games with high-definition and big-screen viewing,” says Firefly on its product page.
The ROC-RK3566-PC Mini computer isn’t available for sale till now, but we’re expecting it to be in the range of $80-$150 looking at its predecessors. We’ll update the links for the same as soon as it is available so keep a tab on this post. You can visit the product page to know more about the board.
The product page is the source of all the images and technical specifications.
Harsh Chaudhary is an engineering student currently pursuing Electrical Engineering. He’s a robotics and tech enthusiast and likes to write about stuff related to IoT and embedded systems. His vision is to use Robotics to make the life of humans easier.
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