Open {hardware} specialist PINE64 has introduced a trio of recent merchandise: the StarPro64, Oz64, and Quartz64-Zero — however, as all the time with the corporate, appropriate software program will lag behind the {hardware}.
“The PINE64 undertaking and PineStore have been dedicated to bringing extra units primarily based on the RISC-V structure since three years in the past,” claims PINE64’s Lukasz Erecinski within the firm’s newest group replace. “Since 2021, a number of units together with the Pinecil [soldering iron] — PINE64’s hottest {hardware} — have adopted this structure. Whereas the Ox64 might have been the primary Linux-capable single-board pc (SBC) [from PINE64] technically, the primary full-fledged PINE64 RISC-V SBC was the Star64, which laid the muse for the PineTab-V pill launched final 12 months alongside its Arm sibling, the PineTab2. Though vital growth continues to be wanted for the [StarFive] JH7110 [system-on-chip], curiosity within the platform and RISC-V growth generally stay sturdy, with new releases from tasks like DietPi and NuttX.”
PINE64 is getting ready to launch the StarPro64, a extra highly effective successor to its RISC-V Star64 single-board pc. (📷: PINE64)
To maintain that momentum going, and regardless of the admission that software program for its present RISC-V single-board computer systems continues to be very a lot within the developmental stage, PINE64 is launching a trio of recent RISC-V boards — beginning with the StarPro64, designed as a extra highly effective successor to the unique Star64. At its coronary heart is the ESWIN Computing EIC7s700X, which ups the clock pace of its SiFive P550 RISC-V cores to 1.8GHz, improves the on-board neural networking processor to 19.95 tera-operations per second (TOPS) at INT8 precision; this might be paired, Erecinski says, with the customer’s alternative of 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB of LPDDR5 RAM.
The subsequent of the brand new product bulletins performs fast-and-loose with the definition of “new”: PINE64 truly unveiled the Oz64 single-board pc again in June, as its first to characteristic the multi-architecture Sophgo SG2000 system-on-chip — combining Arm Cortex-A53, T-Head Xuantie C906 RISC-V, a proprietary neural processing unit, and a microcontroller primarily based on Intel’s classic 8051 structure. “Manufacturing of the Oz64 is already accomplished,” Erecinski says, “and it’s presently present process Q&A [sic] testing. As soon as testing might be accomplished the SBC will discover its approach into the Pine Retailer within the coming weeks or months.”
The ultimate mannequin within the firm’s expanded line-up is not primarily based on the RISC-V structure in any respect, however a brand new entry in its Arm-powered Quartz64 vary: the Quartz64-Zero. Designed as a lower-cost different to the Quartz64 single-board pc, and totally software-compatible, the Quartz64-Zero has a Rockchip RK3566T system-on-chip with 4 Arm Cortex-A55 cores working at as much as 1.6GHz and 1GB of RAM, a single full-size HDMI port, and a single USB port — plus a PCI Specific (PCIe) connector pin-compatible with the one on the Raspberry Pi 5.
The corporate is not abandoning its Arm product traces, because the launch of the lower-cost Quartz64-Zero proves. (📷: PINE64)
Different bulletins in the neighborhood replace embrace hope for a second manufacturing run of the PineNote, the corporate’s ePaper pill system, following the event of an working system and “a genuinely-usable day by day system that ‘simply works’,” an extra PineTab-V manufacturing run scheduled for this month, a transfer for the PinePhone Professional from Manjaro Linux to Sailfish for its default working system, and improved temperature regulation within the newest Pinecil IronOS firmware.
The complete replace is out there on the PINE64 weblog; the Quartz64-Zero is already obtainable to order on the corporate’s retailer for $15.