A20-OLINUXINO-LIME2 and A20-OLINUXINO-LIME2-4GB Open-source single-board Android/Linux mini-computer USER’S MANUAL Revision B, March 2015 Designed by OLIMEX Ltd, 2014 All boards produced by Olimex LTD are ROHS compliant
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual DISCLAIMER © 2015 Olimex Ltd. Olimex®, logo and combinations thereof, are registered trademarks of Olimex Ltd. Other product names may be trademarks of others and the rights belong to their respective owners. The information in this document is provided in connection with Olimex products. No license, express or implied or otherwise, to any intellectual property right is granted by this document or in connection with the sale of Olimex products.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual Table of Contents DISCLAIMER............................................................................................................. 2 CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW........................................................................................5 1. Introduction to the chapter.......................................................................................................5 1.1 Features...................................................................
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual CHAPTER 6: CONNECTORS AND PINOUT......................................................25 6. Introduction to the chapter.....................................................................................................25 6.1 UART0 interface....................................................................................................................25 6.2 MicroSD card connector............................................................................
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW 1. Introduction to the chapter Thank you for choosing this OLinuXino single board computer from Olimex! This document provides a user’s guide for the Olimex A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 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.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 1.2 Target market and purpose of the board The boards from the OLinuXino family are easy to setup and powerful. It is possible to use them in almost any application as a host board.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 1.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual CHAPTER 2: SETTING UP THE OLINUXINO BOARD 2. Introduction to the chapter This section helps you set up the development board for the first time. Please consider first the electrostatic warning to avoid damaging the board, then discover the hardware and software required to operate the board. The procedure to power up the board is given, and a description of the default board behavior is detailed. 2.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual Recommended items: - External USB hub – to split the USB_HOST mounted on the board; you need that to connect more USB devices - External power supply unit – 5V DC, 5W required – for optimal power - A10-OLinuXino-LIME-BOX – an aesthetic box specially made for the board that protects it from dust and accidental short-circuits - USB-SERIAL-CABLE-F – for Android/Linux debugging on UART0 Additional items include: - Small heatsink for the processor – during long vi
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 2.3 Powering the board There are three possible ways of powering A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 – via external supply providing 5V DC at the power jack, from 5V USB port via USB_OTG connector or from 3.7V Li-Po battery via the LIPO_BAT. Note that the board might consume up to 650mA of current at 5V when there are no peripherals connected to the USB hosts. Make sure your power supply is able to provide at least 1A before.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 2.4 Button functions The bellow three buttons usually are supported under both Android and Debian: PWR – used to perform software turn off, software turn on; used to turn on board when powered by battery – has to be held down for at least 5 seconds to perform each action RESET – used for hardware reset of the board RECOVERY – used to wake up the board from sleep It is recommended to always make a soft “turn off” of the board.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual Note that the levels at board's UART0 are in CMOS level (3.3V) and you would need a MAX232 convertor to bring them to TTL one! That is true for the RX and TX also! You would need to consider that if you decide to make your own cable. The cable probably needs drivers – after successful driver installation a COM port device would show up in the hardware manager of your computer.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual DHCP server running specifically for USB0 interface. The DHCP server should give IP address to the new USB0 interface of your host PC so you can make SSH connection from your PC to the default board IP address of the USB0 interface – 192.168.2.1. You can connect to the board using a mini USB cable and an SSH client (if you use Windows you might use "puTTY", for example) at address 192.168.2.1.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual Then the main menu of the video configuration script shows up and you can select the desired interface (LCD, HDMI or VGA): The supported resolutions for LCD: 1. 4.3" (480×272) 2. 7" (800×480) 3. 10" (1024×600) The supported resolutions for HDMI: 0. 480i 1. 576i 2. 480p 3. 576p 4. 720p50 5. 720p60 6. 1080i50 7. 1080i60 8. 1080p24 9. 1080p50 10.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual Chose the resolution that suits you and reboot the board. If you decide to edit the configurations yourself the easiest way would be to do it on the board. This can be done offline too (manipulating the image located on the microSD card via a microSD card reader). The tools for script.bin changing are located in /opt/sunxi-tools directory: #cd /opt/sunxi-tools #./chscr.sh This will convert script.bin file from sdcard to script.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 2.7 Connecting and calibrating a display One of the ways to interact with the board is via an external display (with or without touchscreen component). If you want to use a display for video output from the LIME board the best way is to use the LCD_CON row of pins. The step between the pins of the connector is the smaller one – only 0.05'' (compared to 0.1'' of bigger boards). Newer displays made by Olimex have both 0.1'' and 0.05'' step connectors.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 2.7.2 Debian calibration The command that allows calibrating in Debian Linux is: ts_calibrate The default Debian setup is made with settings for HDMI 720p/60Hz. If you want to change some other LCD, VGA or HDMI resolution then you have to start script file in /root directory.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 2.2 Set output: echo "out" > /sys/class/gpio/gpio49_ph9/direction 3. Set value or read value GPIO 49 3.1 Set value: echo 0 > /sys/class/gpio/gpio49_ph9/value echo 1 > /sys/class/gpio/gpio49_ph9/value 3.2 Read input: cat /sys/class/gpio/gpio49_ph9/value 4. Unexport GPIO 49 when finished echo 49 > /sys/class/gpio/unexport A helpful document on A20's GPIO usage might be found here: http://www.py6zgp.com/download/A20-GPIO.pdf – the document was created by Dr.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual Linux or Android software support. We can share our experience. We can give you full details for things we have tried. We can point you to a resource or a guide. We can give you general directions to solving a specific problem or places to look for more information. However, we won’t install a piece of software for you or write custom program for you. We won't provide a specific software solution to a specific software problem.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual CHAPTER 3: A20-OLINUXINO-LIME2 BOARD DESCRIPTION 3. Introduction to the chapter Here you get acquainted with the main parts of the board. Note the names used on the board might differ from the names used below to describe them. For the actual names check the A20OLinuXino-LIME2 board itself. 3.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 3.2 Layout (bottom view) At the bottom are located mainly the buttons and microSD card connector.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 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. 4.1 The processor The features of the A20 processor according to the manufacturer Allwinner: CPU ARM® Cortex™-A7 Dual-Core GPU ARM® Mali400MP2 Complies with OpenGL ES 2.0/1.1 VIDEO HD H.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual More information can be found on Allwinner's web site at the following web-address: http://www.allwinnertech.com/en/product/A20.html A good source of information on the processor is the linux sunxi wiki article: http://linuxsunxi.org/A20. 4.2 Block diagram The block diagram is taken from Allwinner's web-site.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual CHAPTER 5: CONTROL CIRCUITY 5. Introduction to the chapter Here you can find information about reset circuit and quartz crystals locations, the power supply circuit is also briefly discussed. 5.1 Reset The board has hardware reset controlled by the AXP209 power system management IC. It is a good practice to perform software reset of the board.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual CHAPTER 6: CONNECTORS AND PINOUT 6. Introduction to the chapter In this chapter are presented the connectors that can be found on the board all together with their pinout and notes about them. Jumpers functions are described. Notes and info on specific peripherals are presented. Notes regarding the interfaces are given. 6.1 UART0 interface The UART0 interface might be used for serial communication between the board and a personal computer by default.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 6.2.1 SD/MMC1 slot The schematic related to the SD/MMC (microSD connector) is located on the top of the board and the schematic shown below: This slot is typically used for booting the OS, due to the larger capacities of the microSD cards (compared to SD or MMC cards). It is suggested to have an SD card with a proper Linux/Android image especially if you have ordered a version of the board without NAND memory.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 6.3 PWR jack The power jack used is the typical DC barrel jack one used by Olimex (2.1×6.3×9.2mm) in most of our products. More information about the exact component might be found here: https://www.olimex.com/wiki/PWRJACK You should provide 5 volts direct current and the required current may vary depending on the peripherals connected to the board. The power supply you use should be capable of providing at least 1A of current.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual USB_OTG connector Pin # Signal name Processor pin 1 +5V_OTG_PWR -POWER CIRCUIT- 2 UDM0 N20 3 UDP0 N21 4 USB0-IDDET B5 5 GND -POWER CIRCUIT- The connector case is also grounded. We have configured an Android image with settings suitable for A20-OLinuXino-LIME2. Then using PhoenixSuit tools we uploaded the image to the board via the USB-OTG. The image is available for users to try and tweak the settings.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 6.5 USB_HOST connectors The part of the schematic related to the USB_HOST connectors is listed below: There are two USB host connector featured on the board. They are called USB_HOST1 and USB_HOST2. Each of them has own connector, both situated near the Ethernet connector. Each of connector has own low loss power distribution switch SY6280 which protects the board in case the devices you have plugged to the board try to draw more current than 523mA combined.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 6.6 Gigabit Ethernet The LAN connectivity is handled by Realtek's RTL8211CL. It is capable of transmission rate up to 1Gbps over industry standard CAT.5 UTP cable with BER less than 10-10 in 1000Base-T. The controller is compatible with some of the major industry standards. It complies with 1000Base-T IEEE 802.3ab; 100Base-TX IEEE 802.3u; 10Base-T IEEE 802.3; and IEEE 802.3 RGMII; among others.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 6.7 HDMI connector The part of the schematic that describes the HDMI module is shown below: Note that there are different Linux images depending whether the HDMI TV works at 50Hz or 60Hz refresh rate. If you board runs Android there is a specific option to set the appropriate HDMI output.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 6.8 SATA connector and power The part of the schematic describing the SATA module is shown below: SATA connector Pin # Signal name Processor pin 1 GND -POWER CIRCUIT- 2 SATA-TXP T20 3 SATA-TXM T21 4 GND -POWER CIRCUIT- 5 SATA-RXM U21 6 SATA-RXP U20 7 GND -POWER CIRCUIT- The SATA connector allows you to connect hard drives to the board. There is support for SATA drives in the official images.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 6.9 GPIO connectors There are four GPIO ports which are used generally to access unused by the board's peripherals pins. However, there are exceptions – some of the pins might be used to easily peripherals or their levels. Three of the GPIO connectors have 40 pins and the last one has 20 pins. Note that all GPIO connectors have 0.05'' (50 mil) step between pins. Olimex sells a compatible extension cable for these connectors named CABLE-40-40-10CM.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual to a 6 pin header (like the one on the A20 board) you might use the cable for the A20-OlinuXinoMICRO (called A20-VGA-CABLE). The 6 signals needed are the 5 signals mentioned about plus GND. A general advice for easier use of the microphone, headphone and VGA interfaces of A20OLinuXino-LIME is to take a look at the schematics of another board with those interfaces already installed. For example, those are present in A20-OLinuXino-MICRO.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 6.9.2 GPIO-2 (General Purpose Input/Output) 40pin connector The GPIO pins are led out on a separate 40pin connecter. They allow the user to attach additional hardware, check readings or perform hardware debug. The GPIO-2 connector numbers are printed at the bottom of the board for your convenience. GPIO-2 connector GPIO pin# Signal name Processor pin# GPIO pin# Signal name Processor pin# 1 +5V -POWER CIRCUIT- 2 GND -POWER CIRCUIT- 3 3.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 6.9.3 GPIO-3 (General Purpose Input/Output) 40pin connector GPIO-3 connector GPIO pin# Signal name Signal name Processor pin# 1 +5V Processor pin# -POWER CIRCUIT- GPIO pin# 2 GND -POWER CIRCUIT- 3 3.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 6.10 LCD_CON 40pin connector The LCD_CON pins are led out on a separate 40pin connecter for the ease of connecting an LCD. 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 adapter board and two different 40PIN ribbon cables to connect an Olimex display and the LCD_CON.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual IMPORTANT: To use Android with display or resolution different than HDMI and 1024×600 (default settings) you need to upload new Android image to the board. These images are available here: https://www.olimex.com/wiki/A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 (using an operating system – NAND flash). In Debian Linux you would need to start a start a shell script to change the built-in the image resolution settings. Start it with ./change_display_a20_olimex.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 6.11 Jumper description Please note that most the jumpers on the board are SMT type. If you feel insecure of your soldering/cutting technique it is better not to try to adjust the jumpers since it is possible to damage the board. Board jumpers Jumper name NAND_E Type Default position Function Controls whether the NAND memory module is enabled or disabled.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 6.12 Additional hardware components The components below are mounted on OLinuXino but are not discussed above. They are listed here for completeness: Reset button – used to reset the board Power button – used to reset the board Recovery button – used to reset the board 1GB = 2×[4Gb(256M x 16b)] DDR3 SDRAM @ 480MHz – the exact memory used currently in the board is SAMSUNG K4B4G1646D-BCK0 The DDR3 memory part name in the schematic might be outdated.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual CHAPTER 7: SCHEMATICS 7. Introduction to the chapter In this chapter is located information about the schematics describing logically and physically A20OLinuXino-LIME2. 7.1 Eagle schematic OLinuXino schematics may be found it on the OLinuXino's GitHub repository: https://github.com/OLIMEX/OLINUXINO/tree/master/HARDWARE. You can download the whole repository as .zip without having a GitHub account. We mostly use Eagle by Cad Soft 4.16r2 for designing.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 7.2 Physical dimensions Note that all dimensions are in mils.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 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. 8.1 Document revision Document revision Changes Modified pages A, 27.02.15 Initial manual release B, 17.03.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 8.3 Useful web links and purchase codes The web page you can visit for more information about your device are: *Product page: https://www.olimex.com/Products/OLinuXino/A20/A20-OLinuXino-LIME2/ *Wiki article of the board: https://www.olimex.com/wiki/A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 *A place for general questions, FAQ or friendly talk: https://www.olimex.com/forum/. *You can get the latest updates on the software at: https://github.com/OLIMEX/OLINUXINO.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 8.4 Frequently asked questions Q: I power my board, it shows a logo and then nothing happens. A: This might be due to a number of reasons but it is recommended to try the following: 1. Download latest official image from our wiki (either Android or Debian for SD card), and upload it to an SD card again. There are instructions how to do it in the other questions below. Try if the board works now. 2.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual Q: How to detect and enable the Ethernet controller (if it is disabled by default)? A: You can enable it by following these two steps: 1. To check under what name the LAN is associated write "ifconfig –a" 2. If, for example, it is under eth0 name, then write: "dhclient eth0" This should enable the Ethernet and then SSH would also be available.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual Note that it is not recommended to have your mini USB connected to an external USB hub. This might cause delays and might distort the signal levels. Always test with the USB connected straight to the USB ports of your computer.
OLIMEX© 2015 A20-OLinuXino-LIME2 user's manual 8.5 Product support For product support, hardware information and error reports mail to: support@olimex.com. All document or hardware feedback is welcome. Note that we are primarily a hardware company and our software support is limited. Please consider reading the paragraph below about the warranty of Olimex products. All goods are checked before they are sent out.
