Friendly Elec Releases Open Source Nanopi R5C — A computer system housed in an extremely compact and attractive industrial metal chassis — Starting price of just $49.
At the heart of the NanoPi R5C is the Rockchip RK3568B2, a no-frills Arm A55 quad-core CPU. The entry-level configuration comes with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage, but an extra $10 gets you 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. operating systems are supported.
The system is built around a square PCB with a 2.5 x 2.5 x 1.1 inch (62.5 x 62.5 x 29 mm) square chassis. Some photos show the device with a pair of Wi-Fi antennas attached. The single board computer (SBC) weighs only 1.34 ounces (38g), while the fully assembled system including the antenna weighs approximately 6 ounces (170g).
There are many pictures showing the NanoPi R5C with an antenna attached, but the antenna is optional. The Realtek RTL8822CE Wi-Fi 5 M.2 E-Key Slot Module is an $18 add-on. Buyers can also procure their own or opt for a USB Wi-Fi dongle instead.
This Arm-powered mini PC is officially described as a “mini IoT gateway device” by Friendly Elec. Network connectivity is critical to its design, and a key feature of the system are the twin 2.5Gb/s Ethernet ports. While generally a highly functional mini PC, other ports include 1x HDMI 2.0, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x microSD card reader supporting UHS-I cards, 1x USB Type-C (5V ), and the aforementioned M.2 E-Key slot (1x PCIe 2.1, USB 2.0 support), Wi-Fi card and other devices. If you use the internal M.2 Wi-Fi card, there are connectors on both sides of the chassis.
Thanks to a microSD card slot that supports OS booting, users have the flexibility to easily run different operating systems on this tiny PC. You can also install the OS on the NanoPi R5C using a USB cable connected to your PC, or a TF card and web browser.
If you’re interested in the NanoPi R5C and disappointed that it only has two Ethernet ports, you might be interested in the previously mentioned NanoPi R5S. ), an M.2 slot available for storage expansion, and 2 GB of RAM (minimum).
The NanoPi R5C is available now, starting at $49 for a base configuration of 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage, going up to $59 with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. A Wi-Fi module can be added for an additional $18 to either configuration at checkout.
