A20-OLinuXino-MICRO-n8GB is a single-board computer in a very compact form. It uses the Allwinner Technology A20 Dual-Core ARM Cortex-A7 processor.
A20-OLinuXino-MICRO-n8GB has everything you might possibly need from the board: HDMI, plenty of memory, two SD card connectors, and plenty of GPIOs. It is suitable for embedded programming enthusiasts, Linux gadget fans and also professionals since its low cost makes it a good solution for application-orientated embedded systems. It allows embedded software development without fully needing to understand the hardware side.
This version of the A20-OLinuXino-MICRO-n8GB comes with 8GB External NAND Flash. The board can boot from NAND Flash or a microSD card (running from NAND Flash is 2-3 times faster). Debian Linux and Android 4.2.2 and images are available to download. An Android image comes pre-installed in the NAND Flash. You also can download the A20-TOOLS app that allows you to test UART, I2C and GPIOs under Android.
In addition, the official Debian 8.0 Jessie release now has a Device Tree Blob specific to this board. However, it is designed to run from a microSD card; running it from NAND Flash is not supported.
This board is an open-source hardware and software project; see the links below to participate in the development discussion.
A20 Development Board Features A20 Cortex-A7 dual-core processor, 3D Mali400 GPU 1GB DDR3 RAM 8GB NAND Flash SATA connector and 5V SATA power connector (not supported by Android image) HDMI output with ESD protection Built-in Full HD support (1080p; Android image is set for 720p) VGA output on 6-pin 1.25mm (0.05") pitch connector (not support by Android image) 2x USB High-Speed Host with power control and current limiter USB-OTG with power control and current limiter 100Mbps native Ethernet Battery connector (JST) with battery charging capability (see compatible LiPo Batteries ) Audio input (3.5mm microphone jack) Audio output (3.5mm headphones jack) Two UEXT connectors (see below) LCD connector to work with 4.3", 7.0", 10.1", 15.6" LCD modules (default Android image supports 7"; another image is available for 10.1" support) 160 GPIOs on three GPIO connectors microSD card connector SD/MMC card connector (on back side of board; not supported by Android image) DEBUG-UART connector for console debug (see compatible USB-to-Serial Cable in options) GPIO LED Battery charge status LED Power LED 2KB EEPROM for MAC address and other storage 10 Buttons with Android functionality, plus a Reset button Four mounting holes 6V to 16V input power supply; noise immune design (2.5mm barrel jack) Dimensions: 142.24 × 82.55 mm
Add-on UEXT Modules Available This board has two universal extension connectors, UEXT1 and UEXT2, which allow you to add peripheral modules easily. The UEXT can provide I2C, RS232, SPI and power to the external device. Please see the UEXT Boards Category
A20 Development Board Resources Warning: If your HDMI TV does not have a grounded power supply, it can damage the OLinuXino board. If you can't use a grounded TV, add the 1000V DC USB Isolator between your PC's USB2.0 port and the USB-to-Serial Cable, and keep that cable connected to the OLinuXino board. The cable and the isolator can be purchased from the options below.
You must shut down the OS properly before disconnecting the power supply, otherwise the NAND image can become corrupted. Simply issue $ sync $ reboot -p several minutes to boot up, as Android needs to create a lot of files and buffers when run for very first time.
Display Options If you want to use one of the optional LCDs listed below, you'll also need the 2x20 IDC Ribbon Cable to connect it, so be sure to select that cable as well. Please take note of the following: For Android: There are separate images available to support the 7-inch LCD or the 10.1-inch LCD. The 7-inch image is pre-installed in the board's NAND Flash. You can download the 10.1-inch image from the Wiki and re-flash the board via the USB-OTG port (see the user manual for instructions). Other LCD sizes currently are unsupported under Android. HDMI 720p and LCD output work simultaneously. VGA output is not supported in the current Android images (you could use the HDMI-to-VGA adapter listed below).
For Linux: In the image available from the Wiki page (or on the SD card listed below), the default display setting is for HDMI 720p @ 60Hz. The Wiki page has instructions for changing to an LCD or VGA display (or for changing the HDMI settings, e.g. to 1080p).
Optional Recommended Products for this Item
USB-to-Serial Cable, 6 Female Header Wires, 3.3V I/O + US$4.90 VGA Adapter Cable to 6-pin, 1.25mm Pitch, for A20-OLinuXino + US$4.20 Plexiglass Enclosure for A20-OLinuXino-MICRO and SATA Hard Drive + US$6.19 Power Supply 3-12V DC, U.S. plug, 6 connection tips + US$10.00 Power Supply 3-12V DC, US/UK/Euro/AU Plugs, 100-240VAC + US$10.90 Frame Kit for 7 + US$2.55 10.1-inch LCD for A13/A20 OLinuXino, 1024x600 + US$20.00 2x5 (10-pin) 0.1" pitch IDC Connector Flat Ribbon Cable, 15cm + US$1.90 HDMI Cable, 6 ft., Standard, A Male to A Male + US$2.95 USB 2.0 Cable, 6ft., A-Male / B-Male + US$6.00 USB 2.0 Cable, 6ft. A-Male / Mini-USB (5-pin) B-Male + US$6.00 USB 2.0 Cable, 6ft. A-Male / Micro-USB (5-pin) B-Male + US$6.00 Ethernet Cable, CAT5E 350MHz Unshielded, 7ft. + US$3.60 Ethernet Crossover Cable, CAT5E 350MHz Unshielded, 5ft. + US$7.00
