SBC serves up Amlogic's NPU-equipped A311D with PoE and HDMI in and out

SBC serves up Amlogic’s NPU-equipped A311D with PoE and HDMI in and out

Aug 11, 2021 — by Eric Brown

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Geniatech’s “DB10” AI dev kit runs Android 11 or Linux on Amlogic’s hexa-core -A73 and -A53 A311D with up to 4GB LPDDR4 and 64GB eMMC plus HDMI in and out, MIPI-CSI, USB, GbE with PoE, 802.11ac, and mini-PCIe.

Geniatech has posted a product page for an SBC built around Amlogic’s hexa-core, NPU equipped A311D, which we have seen on the Khadas Vim3 SBC and Orbbec’s Zora P1 development board for 3D cameras. The DB10, also referred to as the “A311D artificial intelligence development board,” is not Geniatech’s first Amlogic based board, but it’s the first we have covered. The company also offers a Raspberry Pi like XPI-S905X SBC with the quad -A53 S905X and an Amlogic T962 Smart TV Board based on a quad -A53 T962 SoC for UHD TV applications.

DB10
(click images to enlarge)

Amlogic’s A311D is more powerful than the Rockchip RK3399, which Geniatech has showcased in its DB3399 SBC. The SoC features 4x Cortex-A73 cores at up to 2.2GHz and 2x Cortex-A53 @ 1.8GHz. There is also a Mali-G52 MP4 GPU, a Cortex-M4 MCU, and an up to 5-TOPS neural processor with support for deep learning frameworks like TensorFlow and Caffe.

Geniatech offers Android 11 and Linux support for the DB10, which we saw on CNXSoft. The SBC supplies 2-4GB LPDDR4, 8-64GB eMMC, and a microSD slot. Other features include GbE with PoE, WiFi 5, optional Bluetooth and TV tuner, and optional 3G/4G via the mini-PCIe slot.

The DB10 provides HDMI in and out ports, LVDS/eDP, 4- and 2-lane MIPI-CSI, and some audio headers. You also get USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports, some more USB and serial headers, and an RTC and watchdog.

The feature mix has a lot in common with the Khadas Vim3. The DB10 adds PoE, an HDMI input, and the optional tuner. The Vim3 adds 40-pin GPIO and wide-range power, and offers more and faster coastline USB ports. It also provides an M.2 slot for NVMe instead of mini-PCIe. The $100-and-up Khadas provides a lot more options and is considerably smaller. Unlike the commercial DB10, it is also backed up with open specifications and community support.

Specifications listed for the DB10 include:

• Processor — Amlogic A311D (4x Cortex-A73 @ 2.2GHz, 2x Cortex-A53 @ 1.8GHz); 12nm fab; Mali-G52 GPU @ up to 800MHz with 6x 846MHz EEs; Cortex-M4; 5-TOPS NPU with INT8 inference up to 1536 MAC
• Memory/storage:
  • 2GB LPDDR4 RAM (4GB optional)
  • 16GB eMMC (8-32GB optional)
  • MicroSD slot
• Networking:
  • Gigabit Ethernet port with PoE (802.3at)
  • Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
  • Optional Bluetooth 4.2/5.0
  • Optional 3G or 4G card via mini-PCIe
  • 3x antenna connectors
  • Optional TV tuner (DVBT2/T/C, ATSC 1.0/3.0, ISDB-T, DTMB)
• Media I/O:
  • HDMI 2.1 output port for up to 4096 x 2160 P60
  • HDMI input port at up to 1920 x 1080 P60
  • Dual-channel, 24-bit LVDS (shared with eDP) via dual 15-pin connectors
  • MIPI-CSI (4- and 2-lane)
  • Speaker and mic headers
• Other I/O:
  • USB 3.0 host port
  • USB 2.0 host port
  • 2x USB 2.0 headers
  • 2-wire UART and UART debug
• Expansion — Mini-PCIe slot with optional 3G or 4G
• Other features — RTC with coincell holder; watchdog; customization serices
• Power — 12VDC input jack
• Dimensions — 142 x 117mm with cutout
• Operating system — Android 11; Linux

Further information

No pricing or availability information was provided for the DB10. More information may be found on Geniatech’s product page.