In the ranks of mini-PCs replenishment - recently appeared on sale a miniature computer NanoPi NEO3. According to the developers, in terms of performance, it is comparable to the Raspberry Pi 3.
It is a miniature single-board computer that is ideal for implementing networking projects, for example, quickly deploying smart data warehouses. The device costs $ 20 with 1GB DDR4 and $ 25 for the 2GB model.
Single board characteristics:
- SoC - CPU Rockchip RK3328 with four ARM Cortex A53 cores and GPU Mali-450MP2.
- System Memory - 1GB or 2GB DDR4.
- Storage - MicroSD slot for system boot and storage.
- Video Output - N / A.
- Communication - Gigabit Ethernet with unique MAC address via RTL8211E PHY.
- USB - 1x USB3.0 Type-A port, 2x USB2.0 on a 2.54mm 8-pin header.
- Expansion - 26-pin header with I 2 C, UART, SPI, I 2 S, GPIO.
- Debug - 3-pin header for serial console.
- Misc - Power & System LEDs, custom key, 2-pin 5V fan header.
- Power Supply - 5V / 1A via USB Type-C port or GPIO pin.
- The dimensions of the PCB are 48 x 48 mm.
- Weight - 22 grams.
- The temperature range is -20 ° C to 70 ° C.
When playing video in 1080p quality, the board temperature rises to about 55 ° C.
This board can be called an alternative to Raspberry 3, the fourth generation of the "raspberry" is much more productive. Unfortunately, the GPIO of the new board is incompatible with its Raspberry GPIO. This is probably the main drawback of the device.
The company supplies boards based on both Ubuntu Core 18.04 FriendlyCore and OpenWrt FriendlyWrt, with Linux 5.4.12 kernel. You can connect to the device via GPIO using BASH. Users who have tested for WiringPi connection state that in some cases the board is not recognized by the software.
As mentioned earlier, this mini PC is designed for use in a variety of networking projects, ideally NAS for small business or home. It is not a competitor to the Raspberry Pi, but rather a networking alternative.
Using FriendlyWrt OS, users were able to quickly deploy NAS paired with a 4TB external USB 3.0 drive running over SMB protocol. A couple of tens of minutes - and everything works as it should.
The main advantage of the board is the combination of USB 3.0 and Gigabit Ethernet. Minimum wires - maximum efficiency.
