from RISC-V board to NAS for Raspberry Pi Compute Module

Banana Pi BPI-Pico-RP2040

This board is a clone of the Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller with a USB-C port and an LED that indicates the operating mode of the system. The board is very small, because it is quite simple, but suitable for a wide variety of projects. By the way, she has the same pinout as Pico.

There are, of course, differences. So, for example, it has a USB-C port, not micro USB. It also has a 4-pin I2C connector instead of a 3-pin debug connector like the Pico. Well, plus there is an LED that provides information about the operating modes of the device.

In all other respects, this is really a Pico clone. The dimensions are almost the same – 56 x 21 mm instead of 51 x 21 mm. But the same chip is Raspberry Pi RP2040 133 MHz. With 364 SRAM and 2 MB of memory. The device can be used as a base for IoT projects, various detectors, sensors and other DIY systems.

As for the software, MicroPython or Arduino is used to work with the board. It costs about $7 on Aliexpress, plus about $9 you have to pay for shipping.

UP Xtreme i12

This is a much more productive and functional board, not a microcontroller, but a full-fledged single-board. Moreover, the board is based on a 12-core Intel Alder Lake-P processor. Up to 4 SSDs can be connected.

The difference from the boards that are installed in a mini-PC is a 40-pin connector that allows you to connect Raspberry Pi-compatible modules. They add even more features to an already great board.

There are different models, the difference between them is the processor soldered on the board, Intel Celeron 7305E, Core i3-1220PE, Core i5-1250PE, or Core i7-1270PE. By the way, the RAM for different models also varies. Unfortunately, the memory is soldered on the board.

Ports and connectors:

1 x HDMI 2.0b

1 x DisplayPort 1.4a

1 x eDP 1.4b

1 x USB 4.0 Type-C

3 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A

1 x USB 2.0 Type-A

2 x 2.5Gbps Ethernet

The board supports Windows 10 Enterprise 2021 LTSC and Ubuntu 22.04. This is officially announced by the manufacturer. Most likely, it is also compatible with Windows 11, since there is TPM 2.0. Board size 120.35 x 122.5 mm.

At the moment, there is only a release from the manufacturer, the cost of the board is still unknown, but it will go on sale soon.

Sipeed M1s DOCK

Well, here we have a single-board with a RISC-V chip on board. It has two USB-C connectors at once, there is a slot for memory cards, connectors for the camera and display. Work with wireless networks WiFi 4, Bluetooth 5 and Zigbee is supported. Plus there is also a set of UART / I2C / SPI / pins.

The cost of the board is about $11, sold on Aliexpress. Processor – Bouffalo Lab BL808 with:

1 Alibaba T-head C906 64-bit RISC-V CPU @ 480 Hz

1 core Alibaba T-Head E907 32-bit RSIC-V CPU @ 320 MHz

1 core Alibaba T-Head E902 32-bit CPU @ 160 MHz

1 BLAI-100 with 100 GOPS

Other specs are 768K SRAM + 64MB UHS PSRAM, 16MB flash memory, USB 2.0 ports, touchscreen support and 2MP camera. The board dimensions are 55.4 x 27.4 mm.

Cool Pi 4

Quite a powerful single-board with an 8-core Rockchip RK3588S chip. The system can work with 8K video, and is also suitable for working with neural networks. The board is compatible with raspberry-based projects, as it uses the Raspberry Pi Model B form factor. The advantage is higher performance.

True, the price is much higher – for this single-payer you will have to pay $ 142. For this price, you can buy a device with 4 GB of RAM. And by the way, it is already available on Aliexpress.

The board measures 85 x 56mm and has full-sized Ethernet and USB ports. Plus – a 40-pin connector, like the Raspberry Pi. Here is a complete list of ports and connectors:

1 x micro HDMI 2.1 (8K/60Hz)

1 x mini DisplayPort 1.4 (4K/60Hz)

1 x Gigabit Ethernet

2 x USB 3.0 Type-A ports

2 x USB 2.0 Type-A ports

1 x USB Type-C port

1 x microSD

1 x 3.5mm audio

1 x MIPI-DSI connector

1 x MIPI-CSI connector

1 x 40-pin GPIO/I2C/SPI/UART

The developers have also provided support for WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 wireless networks. The amount of built-in memory is 32GB, 64GB, 128GB. The cost, respectively, is $26, $35 and $52. The single-board works with Debian 11 and Ubuntu 22.04. Images for the system can be downloaded

by this link

Radxa Taco

Well, this is a board for working with the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4. Together with this single-board, it turns into a network storage. Although, of course, this bundle can be used for other purposes. Connecting up to 5 SSDs or hard drives, USB and Ethernet ports, and much more is added to the capabilities of the “raspberry”.

Here is a list of ports and connectors:

1 x 2.5Gbps Ethernet

1 x Gigabit Ethernet

1 x USB 2.0 Type-A port

1 x HDMI port

1x microSD card reader

Among other things, there are LEDs for displaying the system operation mode, a cooler connector, a power connector, and a CR1225 RTC battery connector.

Single-payers is a very interesting topic, but we have other articles, check it out – we talk about:
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→ Copywriters no longer needed? We ask the new Notion AI neural network to write about Python
→ Strengthening Nginx with Fail2ban: testing and evaluating the “profit”

The cost of this joy for an electronics engineer is $95, the board is already available on Allnet China.

That’s all, perhaps you have your own options for single-payers that are worth including in the selection. If so, write in the comments and let’s discuss.