Miniature NanoPi Duo2 Board With Camera Connector

FriendlyElec has launched an upgraded miniature $20 “NanoPi Duo2” board that updates the original Duo with an Allwinner H3, Bluetooth, a camera connector, and an optional 2G carrier board.  NanoPi Duo2 has two 16-pin GPIO headers with breadboard pins in a dual-in-line layout. The Duo2 can be placed into an embedded design like a computer module or it can be plugged into a breadboard or optional carrier board.

The NanoPi Duo2 comes with an optional, $10 IoT-2G Application Carrier Board equipped with a 2G radio, which is specifically designed for the Duo2. The microSD slot and micro-USB OTG port make the Duo2 barely an SBC. The 55 x 25.4mm Duo2 is a bit larger on one end than the 50 x 25.4mm Duo. The extra space houses the new camera connector, which supports a ribbon cable connected to OV5640 based camera.

The 1,397 sq.mm, Duo2 is still one of the smallest Linux-ready SBCs available, even smaller than the 40 x 40mm (1,600 sq. mm) NanoPi Neo line of boards. Some of the latest Neo models are much larger, like the 85 x 56mm, Rockchip RK3399 based NanoPi Neo4. The NanoPi Duo2 switches from an Allwinner H2+ to an Allwinner H3. This has the same four, 1.2GHz Cortex-A7 cores and Mali-400 MP2 GPU, but supports 4K video instead of HD. The Duo2 offers a 256MB DDR3 option, unlike the Duo that offers 256MB or 512MB DDR3.

There’s an enhanced 802.11b/g/n wireless module, which adds Bluetooth 4.0. However, the Duo2 has a slim 20 to 70℃ operating range than the Duo. An IoT-2G Application Carrier Board, which is set to replace the Duo’s earlier ”Mini Shield” carrier is also available. It is said to be dedicated to the Duo2. The 85 x 56mm IoT-2G board is shaped like a Raspberry Pi board, but it’s restricted to dual USB 2.0 host ports. The board has a “SIM800C” quad-band, 2G GSM/GPRS module and microSIM slot, as well as a 2G antenna and dual 2G status LEDs. There’s also an IPX to SMA antenna converter for a WiFi antenna. The IoT-2G Application Carrier Board is fitted with a power-only micro-USB port and a 10/100 Ethernet port. There’s a debug UART, as well as audio, CVBS, UART, and I2C headers.

Specifications listed for the NanoPi Duo2 include:

• Processor — Allwinner H3 (4x Cortex-A7 @ up to 1.2GHz); ARM Mali-400 MP2 GPU @600MHz
• Memory — 512MB DDR3 RAM; empty SPI flash socket
• Storage — MicroSD slot (bootable) for up to 128GB
• Wireless — Ampak AP6212 with 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 LE; IPEX antenna connector
• Other I/O –  Micro-USB OTG port with power input, 2x USB host pins, Audio I/O header, Camera connector that supports OV5640 based camera
• Debug serial header, 32-pin dual-in-line interface via 2x 16-pin headers (UART, SPI, I2C, audio, Ethernet, IO, etc.)
• Other features — 2x LEDs; mounting holes; GPIO key; optional IoT-2G carrier
• Power — 5V/2A DC via micro-USB OTG
• Operating temperature — -20 to 70℃
• Dimensions — 55 x 25.4mm; 6-layer PCB
• Weight — 7.36 g without pin headers
• Operating systems — FriendlyCore 16.04 (based on Ubuntu Core) with Linux 4.14-LTS kernel and U-boot-2017.11

Further information may be found on the NanoPi Duo2 product page and wiki, as well as the IoT-2G wiki.

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