OLIMEX A20-OLinuXino-MICRO User Manual
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OLIMEX A20-OLinuXino-MICRO User Manual

Open-source single-board android/ linux mini-computer
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A20-OLinuXino-MICRO
Open-source single-board
Android/ Linux mini-computer
USER'S MANUAL
Revision G, October 2013
Designed by OLIMEX Ltd, 2013
All boards produced by Olimex LTD are ROHS compliant

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Summary of Contents for OLIMEX A20-OLinuXino-MICRO

  • Page 1 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO Open-source single-board Android/ Linux mini-computer USER’S MANUAL Revision G, October 2013 Designed by OLIMEX Ltd, 2013 All boards produced by Olimex LTD are ROHS compliant...

  • Page 2: Disclaimer

    This document is intended only to assist the reader in the use of the product. OLIMEX Ltd. shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising from the use of any information in this document or any error or omission in such information or any incorrect use of the product.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    2.5 Prebuilt software ........................10 2.6 Calibrating a display ......................11 2.7 Software support ........................12 CHAPTER 3: A20-OLinuXino-MICRO BOARD DESCRIPTION ..... 13 3. Introduction to the chapter ..................... 13 3.1 Layout (top view) ........................13 3.2 Layout (bottom view) ......................14 CHAPTER 4: THE ALLWINNER A20 MICROCONTROLLER .......
  • Page 4 OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual 6.4 MIC_IN & HEADPHONES connectors ................24 6.5 USB_OTG connector ......................25 6.6 USB_HOST connector ......................26 6.7 Ethernet ..........................27 6.8 HDMI connector ........................28 6.9 VGA connector ........................29 6.10 SATA connector and power ....................30 6.11 GPIO-1 (General Purpose Input/Output) 14pin connector** ........

  • Page 5: Chapter 1: Overview

    Thank you for choosing this OLinuXino single board computer from Olimex! This document provides a user’s guide for the Olimex A20-OLinuXino board. As an overview, this chapter gives the scope of this document and lists the board’s features. The document’s organization is then detailed.

  • Page 6: Target Market And Purpose Of The Board

    SD card. The 4GB version comes with already programmed Android 4.2.2 image. The other Olimex boards with close characteristics are the ones with A13 and A10/A10s microcontrollers. The A13 boards feature a generation older processor but since they have been longer on the market they have better Linux and Android support.
  • Page 7 OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual – Chapter 1 is an overview of the board usage and features – Chapter 2 provides a guide for quickly setting up the board and software notes – Chapter 3 contains the general board diagram and layout –...

  • Page 8: Chapter 2: Setting Up The Olinuxino Board

    Avoid touching the component pins or any other metallic element. 2.2 Requirements In order to set up the A20-OLinuXino-MICRO optimally one or more additional items may be used. They might be generally placed in three categories: Required - items that are needed in order to achieve minimum functionality;...

  • Page 9: Powering The Board

    A20-Android-SD – a tested class 10 micro SD card with the latest (by the time of leaving the Olimex facilities) official Android release A20-Debian-SD – a tested class 10 micro SD card with the latest (by the time of leaving Olimex facilities) official Debian Linux release USB-SERIAL-CABLE-F - USB serial console cable female USB-MINI-CABLE –...

  • Page 10: Button Functions And Nand Image Restore In Android

    OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual Sometimes when starting Android it is possible the board to enter battery save mode even before booting fully. Especially, if you have turned off the board without quick boot mode enabled. In this case you should press the PWR_BUT for at least 5 seconds which would allow the board to start.

  • Page 11: Calibrating A Display

    OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual 2.6 Calibrating a display Depending on the display or the screen you want to use with the A20-OLinuXino board you might need to apply software changes to change the default Android or Linux resolution. Calibrating a display under Android is pretty straightforward from the Android application.

  • Page 12: Software Support

    OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual adapter to standard VGA connector, Olimex also sells such adapter cables) 0. 1680x1050 1. 1440x900 2. 1360x768 3. 1280x1024 4. 1024x768 5. 800x600 6. 640x480 7. 1920x1080 8. 1280x720 2.7 Software support We maintain Linux and Android images for SD card which might be downloaded for free and modified as the user wishes.

  • Page 13: Chapter 3: A20-Olinuxino-Micro Board Description

    For the actual names check the A20- OLinuXino-MICRO board itself. 3.1 Layout (top view) The picture below shows the initial revision of A20-OLinuXino-MICRO. Please note that the NAND memory is present only in the 4GB version of the board. Page 13 of 44...

  • Page 14: Layout (Bottom View)

    OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual 3.2 Layout (bottom view) At the bottom of the board there are mainly buttons and the large SD/MMC connector. Page 14 of 44...

  • Page 15: Chapter 4: The Allwinner A20 Microcontroller

    OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual CHAPTER 4: THE ALLWINNER A20 MICROCONTROLLER 4. Introduction to the chapter In this chapter is located the information about the heart of OLinuXino – its microcontroller. The information is a modified version of the datasheet provided by its manufacturers.

  • Page 16: Block Diagram

    OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual  Dual analog mic amplifiers More information can be found on Allwinner's web site at the following web-address: http://www.allwinnertech.com/en/product/A20.html 4.2 Block diagram The block diagram is taken from Allwinner's web-site. Page 16 of 44...

  • Page 17: Chapter 5: Control Circuity

    A20 processor. It is mounted on the board but since it is relatively hard to find we also sell it separately. The power supply circuit of A20-OLinuXino-MICRO requires input supply of 6-16V. The minimum wattage is 5W, and this threshold may raise if using a lot of devices on the USB-HOST (via external hub), a lot of GPIOs and the LCD_CON.

  • Page 18: Chapter 6: Connectors And Pinout

    LCD that is connected on LCD_CON connector and others. 6.1.1 USB-OTG communication (NAND firmware repair/update) The main way of changing the firmware image located on the NAND of A20-OLinuXino-MICRO- 4GB is via the USB-OTG connector.
  • Page 19 OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual 6. You will be asked for drivers for the bootloader. Navigate to the folder where you extracted the PhoenixSuit and install the drivers from the respective executables (or manually point the installer to the drivers folder in the PhoenixSuit installation path).

  • Page 20: Uart0, Uext1, Uext2 Interface

    4 UART7-RX SPI1-CLK 5 TWI1-SCK SPI1-CS0 The UEXT connectors are used as an interface for the Olimex's UEXT modules (usually boards with MOD- prefix in their commercial names). For more information on UEXT please visit: https://www.olimex.com/Products/Modules/UEXT/resources/UEXT.pdf Page 20 of 44...

  • Page 21: Sd Card Connectors

    When in doubt – try the same operation with another card from another brand. Olimex sells microSD cards with Linux or Android images, that have been tested – please refer to chapter “2.2 Requirements”. Of course, if you already have a large enough microSD card you can download the official Linux image from the wiki pages: https://www.olimex.com/wiki/A20-...

  • Page 22: Sd/Mmc Slot

    OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual image especially if you have ordered a version of the board without NAND memory. It is also recommended to use Class 10 (10MByte/sec) card for faster read/write operations, lower class cards (especially higher capacity ones) might slow down the whole system.

  • Page 23: Pwr Jack

    6.3 PWR jack The power jack used is the typical 2.5mm one used by Olimex in most of our products. You should provide 6 to 16 volts direct current and the required current may vary depending on the peripherals connected to the board.

  • Page 24: Mic_In & Headphones Connectors

    OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual 6.4 MIC_IN & HEADPHONES connectors The part of the schematic related to those connectors is listed below: Standard MIC_IN jack is mounted for audio input to the board. Note that it is a single channel MIC_IN.

  • Page 25: Usb_Otg Connector

    OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual The connector can interface standard 3.5 mm phone connector (also known stereo plug or audio plug). The default audio output is set to the HDMI connector (for displays and monitors with built-in audio speakers). If you wish to use audio out you need to first disconnect the HDMI, boot the board, connect the audio out device (speakers) and finally connect the HDMI.

  • Page 26: Usb_Host Connector

    OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual 6.6 USB_HOST connector The part of the schematic related to the USB_HOST connector is listed below: The USB_HOST connector features two levels – called USB1 and USB2 in the schematic. The connector is situated between the USB_OTG and the HDMI connector. Each of slots them features a Low Loss Power Distribution Switch SY6280 which protects the board in case the devices you have plugged to each level USB_HOST try to draw more current than 523mA combined.

  • Page 27: Ethernet

    OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual 6.7 Ethernet The LAN connectivity is handled by Realtek's RTL8201CP. Some of the features of this 10/100Mbit controller are: - 10/100Mbps operation „ - Full/half duplex operation - Supports auto crossover detection - Adaptive equalization - IEEE 802.3/802.3u compliant...

  • Page 28: Hdmi Connector

    OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual Ethernet Pin # Signal name Color Usage Right Green Link status Left Yellow Activity status 6.8 HDMI connector The part of the schematic that describes the HDMI module is shown below: Page 28 of 44...

  • Page 29: Vga Connector

    6.9 VGA connector You would probably need an adapter cable for the VGA display (6-pin connector to 15-pin female RGB cable). You can make the cable or the connection yourself or you can purchase the Olimex- made cable: https://www.olimex.com/Products/Components/Cables/A20-VGA-CABLE/.Note that you also have to change the script under Debian as explained in chapter 2.6 ”Calibrating a display”.

  • Page 30: Sata Connector And Power

    OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual Please note that you would need a specific Android image for the VGA output (with proper display and output settings). The VGA output has been tested only with the official Debian Linux image so far and it works fine (after selecting the proper mode by executing ./change_display.sh).

  • Page 31: Gpio-1 (General Purpose Input/Output) 14Pin Connector

    OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual 6.11 GPIO-1 (General Purpose Input/Output) 14pin connector** The GPIO-1 plastic connector has 14 pins. The signal layout is described below: GPIO-1 connector Pin # Signal name Processor pin Pin # Signal name Processor pin 1 +5V 2 GND 3 +3.3V...
  • Page 32 OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual GPIO-2 connector GPIO pin# Signal name Processor pin# GPIO pin# Signal name Processor pin# 3.3V TWI0-SCK TWI0-SDA PI10 PI11 PC3/NCE1 L22* PC7/NRB1 J22* PC16 PE10 PC17 PE11 PC18 PI14 PC23 PI15 PC24/NQS F21* UART0-RX GPIO1...

  • Page 33: Gpio-3 (General Purpose Input/Output) 10Pin Connector

    We have tested the ability of the board to interact with such a display. They allow the user to attach additional hardware, check readings or perform hardware debug. Important: you need additional 40PIN ribbon cable to connect an Olimex display and the LCD_CON.
  • Page 34 (else there would probably occur wrong levels, loss of data, etc). The LCD connector is suitable for a number of Olimex displays and touchscreen panels with different native resolution – the smallest available is the 4.3'' one called A13-LCD43TS with native...

  • Page 35: Jumper Description

    OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual screen resolution of 480x272, through the 7'' one named A13-LCD7 with 800x480, to the 1024x600 10.1'' A13-LCD10. IMPORTANT: To use Android with display or resolution different than HDMI and 1024x600 (default settings) you need to upload new Android image to the board. These images are available here: https://www.olimex.com/wiki/A20-OLinuXino-MICRO...
  • Page 36 OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual CHGLED – lights when charging a battery connected to the Li-Po battery connector. Page 36 of 44...

  • Page 37: Chapter 7: Schematics

    OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual CHAPTER 7: SCHEMATICS 7. Introduction to the chapter In this chapter is located information about the schematics describing logically and physically A20- OLinuXino-MICRO. 7.1 Eagle schematic OLinuXino schematics may be found it on the OLinuXino's GitHub repository: https://github.com/OLIMEX/OLINUXINO/tree/master/HARDWARE/A20-OLinuXino-MICRO.

  • Page 38: Physical Dimensions

    OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual 7.2 Physical dimensions Note that all dimensions are in mils. The three highest elements on the board in order from the tallest to the shortest are: USB_HOST connector – 700mils, capacitors C202 – 650mils, the Ethernet connector – 600mils.

  • Page 39: Chapter 8: Revision History And Support

    OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual CHAPTER 8: REVISION HISTORY AND SUPPORT 8. Introduction to the chapter In this chapter you will find the current and the previous version of the document you are reading. Also the web-page for your device is listed. Be sure to check it after a purchase for the latest available updates and examples.

  • Page 40: Board Revision

    OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual Revision, date Changes Modified page Added more information about SSH connection G, 24.10.13 Added more information about VGA output requirements Improved the FAQ section 8.2 Board revision Remember to check the schematics and the board design files to compare the differences.

  • Page 41: Frequently Asked Questions

    A20-Android-SD – a tested class 10 micro SD card with the latest (by the time of leaving the Olimex facilities) official Android release A20-Debian-SD – a tested class 10 micro SD card with the latest (by the time of leaving Olimex facilities) official Debian Linux release A13-LCD43TS –...
  • Page 42 Q: How to generate boot-able SD-card Debian Linux image for A20-OLinuXino? Follow our blog post with step by step instructions (at link: http://olimex.wordpress.com/2013/09/18/7795/) note that Linux-Sunxi Kernel is a work-in- progress, this means you can try the current stage/sunxi-3.4 branch but if something is broken and doesn't work just revert to the git tags we give in the blog and they should work for sure.
  • Page 43 OLIMEX© 2013 A20-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual • Go to the firmware tab of the program and point to a valid Android image (note that the images on Gdrive are compressed and you have to extract them to .img files to be able write them with PhoenixSuit) •...

  • Page 44: Product Support

    All goods are checked before they are sent out. In the unlikely event that goods are faulty, they must be returned, to OLIMEX at the address listed on your order invoice. OLIMEX will not accept goods that have clearly been used more than the amount needed to evaluate their functionality.

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