RockpiX/getting started
ROCK Pi X > Getting started
Contents
This guide is designed for ROCK Pi X enthusiast. The purpose is to learn about the ROCK Pi X board as well as how to prepare and set up for basic use. The ROCK Pi X comes in two models, Model A and Model B. When you get a board, you need to know what Pi model it is and which hardware version it is. The information is printed in the top side of the board. We will introduce the board information as much as possible.
What you need
Necessary
- ROCK Pi X main board
- ROCK Pi X Model A or Model B
- One of the Storage media below:
- ROCK Pi X v1.3 and before with eMMC Module or ROCK Pi X v1.4. For installing Windows, you need at least 32GB for the OS, recommend 64GB. For Linux distribution, you need at least 16GB for the OS.
- USB Storage such as USB Pen driver or USB SSD.
- Power supply
- The ROCK Pi X is powered by USB Type C port and supports a wide range of input voltage, from 9V to 20V. The power adapter can be USB Type-C PD 2.0 with 9V/2A, 12V/2A, 15V/2A and 20V/2A protocol compatible, or Quick Charge 2.0 9V/2A, 12V/2A compatible. A dummy 9V or 12V power adapter with USB C tail will also work. Warning: 9V/12V USB C dummy power adapter is dangerous to other 5V only devices, don't mix them.
- If the power adapter is PD/QC compatible, the USB power cable must support USB data communication(USB 2.0 or 3.0) between the board and the power adapter, or the power adapter will not output desired voltage wanted by the board.
- Note: We don't suggest using a 5V only USB C power adapter. The board may boot but it will cause stability issue once the system load rises.
- USB Keyboard and Mouse
- With four USB-A connectors, ROCK Pi X can be equipped with a full sized keyboard and mouse.
- Monitor and HDMI Cable
- ROCK Pi X is equipped with a full sized HDMI connector. HDMI capable monitor is recommended.
- HDMI EDID display data is used to determine the best display resolution. On monitors and TVs that support 1080p (or 4K) this resolution will be selected. If 1080p is not supported the next available resolution reported by EDID will be used. This selected mode will work with MOST but not all monitors/TVs.
- RTC Battery
- RTC battery keeps system time and BIOS setting when the device is powered off. More detail of the RTC battery for ROCK Pi X can be found here.
Features
| Model | ROCK PI X Model A | ROCK PI X Model B |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | 64bits Quad Core X86 Processor Intel Atom x5-Z8350 Cherry Trail Quad-core processor @ 1.44 GHz / 1.84 GHz (Turbo) Intel Gen8 HD graphics @ 500 MHz | |
| Memory | LPDDR3 64bit dual channel LPDDR3@1866Mb/s, 1GB/2GB/4GB optional | |
| Storage | eMMC module (Optional industrial compatible high performance eMMC module, 16GB/32GB/64GB/128GB available) μSD card (μSD slot supports up to 128 GB μSD card) | |
| Display | HDMI 2.0 up to 4k@30 | |
| Audio | 3.5mm jack with mic HD codec that supports up to 24-bit/96KHz audio. | |
| Wireless | None | 802.11 ac wifi Bluetooth 4.2 with on board antenna and external antenna support. |
| USB | USB 3.0 OTG X1, hardware switch for host/device switch, lower one USB 2.0 HOST X3 | |
| Ethernet | GbE LAN | GbE LAN with Power over Ethernet (PoE) support additional HAT is required for powering from PoE |
| IO | 40-pin expansion header 2 x UART 2 x SPI bus 2 x I2C bus 1 x PCM/I2S 1 x SPDIF 2 x PWM 1 x ADC 6 x GPIO 2 x 5V DC power in 2 x 3.3V DC power in | |
| Others | RTC RTC battery connector for time backup(optional) | |
| Power | USB PD, support USB Type C PD 2.0, 9V/2A, 12V/2A, 15V/2A, 20V/2A. Qualcomm® Quick ChargeTM: Supports QC 3.0/2.0 adapter, 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A | |
| Size | 85mm x 54mm | |
Starting the board for the first time
When you plug in the power adapter to ROCK Pi X's USB C port, the ROCK Pi X will automatically boot, the green led(power led) will on, then the blue led will be on, it means the bios is running.
Power Button
- When OS is running, short press the power button to turn off the screen/lock the device
- When OS is shutdown, short press the power button to boot
- When OS running, long press the power button(~3s) to shutdown the device
- At any time, long press the power button for more than 10s to force reboot the ROCK Pi X
LED
- Power LED(Green): indicate the power for the device
- Status LED(Blue): indicate the BIOS or OS running status, which the Blue LED is on, the BIOS is running, when the OS is running the Blue LED is off. When the OS is shutdown, the Blue LED is on again but dimmer than green LED.
BIOS Introduction
Check BIOS page for update bios, recover bios with external flash programmer.
OS Install
Power off
Use the OS shutdown/power off menu to power off the ROCK Pi X, if the device is completely powered off, the blue LED will be on. You can unplug the USB C power adapter then.