A few time has passed since the addition of Orange Pi PC 2 to the Orange Pi family of SBCs made by Shenzhen Xunlong Software CO., Limited and this successful and high capable board still sales like crazy at $36.65 from various distributors online.
Even though this 85×55mm board isn’t as cheap as the $4 VoCore2 Lite, its $36.65 price tag is justified by the hardware it packs inside. And, it also has almost same price as the $35 Raspberry Pi 3. Orange Pi PC 2 is a single-board quad-core 64-bit computer capable of running Android 4.4, Ubuntu, Debian, Banana Pi, and Raspberry Pi images. But let’s take a closer look at it’s features and specifications.
The board is equipped with 1GB DDR3 SDRAM memory, H5 High Performance Quad-core 64-bit Cortex-A53 processor and a standalone graphics chip (Mali 450). It supports camera input as well as HDMI output and it even has a physical power switch and IR receiver. It takes power using a separate power connector despite the fact that it has a micro-USB port. The absence of WiFi and Bluetooth is a slight turn-down but USB 2.0 ports can be used to add these features. The board also includes a Gigabit Ethernet port and three USB 2.0 ports.
Hardware Specifications
- CPU: Allwinner H5 64-bit Quadcore (Cortex-A53)
- RAM: 1GB DDR3
- GPU: Mali-450
- Storage: 2MB NOR Flash, up to 64GB via MicroSD card
- Connectivity: 2xUSB 2.0, 1xUSB 2.0 OTG, HDMI, 10/1000 RJ45, IR receiver, camera interface, 40-pin header
- Audio: 3.5mm jack, inbuilt mic
- Operating System: Ubuntu Debian, Raspbian, Android
Getting Started With Orange Pi PC 2
- You need to get these accessories to start using your Orange Pi: TF card (minimum 8 GB), HDMI to HDMI lead or HDMI to DVI lead (for monitors with DVI input), AV video lead, DC power adapter, keyboard and mouse, plus Ethernet cable/USB WiFi and Audio lead as an option.
- Prepare your TF card
- Insert your TF card into your computer. The size of TF should be larger than the OS image size, generally 8GB or greater.
- Format the TF card. (using this tool for Windows, and some commands for Linux)
- Run fdisk –l /dev/sdx command to check the TF card node.
- Run umount /dev/sdxx to unmount all the partitions of the TF card.
- Run sudo fdisk /dev/sdx command to configure TF card. Use o command to delete all partition of TF card and use n command to add one new partition. Use w command to save change.
Read more: ORANGE PI PC 2 – QUAD CORE 64BIT LINUX AND ANDROID MINI PC [GETTING START GUIDE]