pcDuino Mini PC

Open-hardware Linux/Android mini PC with Arduino-compatible I/O pins

pcDuino is a mini PC platform that runs full-featured operating systems such as Ubuntu and Android ICS. It has a built-in HDMI audio/video output interface. It is specially targeted for the fast-growing demands of the open-source community: a platform that can run a full-blown PC OS with an easy-to-use toolchain and is compatible with the popular Arduino ecosystem such as Arduino Shields (with a bridge shield) and open-source projects, etc.

An API has been developed for the pcDuino that gives you access to all of the functions that you would expect using simple Arduino-style language.

It comes with Ubuntu already installed, and is powered by 5V via a micro-USB port. All you need to do is to plug in a USB keyboard and USB mouse, then connect an HDMI monitor/receiver, and finally connect a 5V @ 2A DC input (note that the power connector is micro-USB).

A10-based Mini PC Platform Board Features

• CPU: Allwinner A10, ARM Cortex-A8 core operating at 1 GHz
• GPU: OpenGL ES2.0, OpenVG 1.1 Mali 400 core

• DRAM: 1GB
• On-board Storage: 2GB Flash, plus microSD card slot for up to 32GB
• OS: Linux3.0 + Ubuntu12.10, Android (Ubuntu pre-installed)
• Video and Audio Output: HDMI
• RJ45 Ethernet connection
• Arduino-style peripheral headers, 2.54mm spacing (not Arduino Shield form factor, but compatible with Arduino code)
• API access to UART, ADC, PWM, GPIO, I2C
• Power requirement: 5V, 2A DC in via micro-USB connector
• Program in C/C++/Python with GNU tool chain, or program in Java with standard Android SDK
• Dimensions: 125 × 52 mm

Comparison to Raspberry Pi

Item	Raspberry Pi	pcDuino	Advantage
CPU	750MHz ARM11	1GHz ARM Cortex-A8	Faster and more advanced CPU core
GPU	Broadcom Videocore	Mali 400 core	Faster GPU core
On-board Flash	None	2GB Flash	Always able to boot; no issues due to SD card compatibility
HTML5 & Flash support	No	Yes	Important for internet browsing and programming

There are two micro-USB ports on the device; power should be applied to the one between the HDMI and Ethernet ports. The other is a USB-OTG port which can be used to plug the pcDuino into a PC or as a normal USB port. The two USB Host ports on the top side are for connecting a mouse and keyboard (or a USB WiFi Dongle and a hub for your mouse and keyboard).

By default, there are two user accounts created: root and ubuntu. There is no password set for root by default. The default password for ubuntu is "ubuntu".

When booting, there is no interstitial information provided to the primary display; the GUI simply shows up after about 15 seconds. By default, the screensaver blanks the screen about one second later. To change this, open the .xscreensaver file in the ubuntu user home directory and change mode from "blank" to "off". This will disable the screensaver entirely.

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A10-based Mini PC Platform Board Resources

• pcDuino User Manual
• pcDuino Schematics
• pcDuino Mechanical Drawings
• pcDuino Downloads Page has links to OS images, installation notes, tools, Arduino examples, etc.
• pcDuino Tutorials Page
• pcDuino Forum