Luckfox has launched a new single-board computer in the style of the Raspberry Pi Zero and Zero 2 W, imaginatively dubbed the Lyra Zero W — and featuring a Rockchip RK3506B system-on-chip, which brings its “Matrix IO” capabilities to bear on 28 pins of a 40-pin general-purpose input/output (GPIO) header.
“Luckfox Lyra Zero W is a Linux micro development board powered by the Rockchip RK3506B to provide a simple and efficient development platform for developers,” the company writes of its creation. “Onboard multiple high-speed interfaces including MIPI DSI [Display Serial Interface], SDMMC, USB, etc. to meet various application scenarios. [Includes an] integrated wireless communication module, suitable for IoT [Internet of Things] communication scenarios such as smart home and industrial control.”
Luckfox has a new single-board computer out, and it’s footprint will be familiar to Raspberry Pi Zero fans. (📷: Luckfox)
The single-board computer, brought to our attention by Linux Gizmos, isn’t likely to win any performance awards: the Rockchip RK3506B system-on-chip at its heart is a triple-core Arm Cortex-A7 part running at 1.2GHz, with an Arm Cortex-M0 coprocessor for real-time workloads. There’s just 512MB of DDR3L memory, and 256MB of NAND flash storage connected via SPI — though the primary storage is a microSD Card slot at one end of the compact board. Like the Raspberry Pi Zero there’s no Ethernet port, but there is single-band 802.11ax Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.2 with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) support with the option to use an on-board or external antenna.
There’s a two-lane MIPI DSI connector, with no HDMI port as with the Raspberry Pi Zero family that inspired its footprint — but there is an impressive three USB ports, one USB 2.0 Type-C Host port next to a USB Type-C On-The-Go (OTG) port, which doubles as a power input plus a compact header exposing an additional USB 2.0 port.
The board’s GPIO header is reconfigurable for a range of functions, thanks to Rockchip’s “Matrix IO” feature. (📷: Luckfox)
Buyers will find the usual Raspberry Pi-style 40-pin general-purpose input/output (GPIO) header to the top of the board, usefully color-coded and claimed to be “compatible with some Raspberry Pi HATs” — though its function mapping is complicated through the use of Rockchip’s “Matrix IO” system. This, the company explains, allows for 28 pins of the 40-pin header to be configured to expose connectivity to a range of the chip’s peripheral functions — everything from SPI, I2C, I2S, CAN, and UART buses to pulse-width modulated (PWM) output.
The Luckfox Lyra Zero W is available to order on the company’s website for $16.99.