Blog

Android KitKat 4.4 for ODROIDs

Posted on by neal.kim

Thanks for the long waiting. We have released Android KitKat 4.4 for ODROIDs.

ODROID-U3/U2 : http://com.odroid.com/sigong/nf_file_board/nfile_board_view.php?keyword=&tag=&bid=214

– Android 4.4.2 KitKat AOSP (Build ID : KOT49H), API Level 19
– Kernel 3.0.51
– Mali400 GPU Driver version r3p1-01rel1 is merged
– Android RenderScript API support (high-performance computation across heterogeneous processors)
– 2D acceleration Driver for the Google Maps compatibility
– WiFi RTL8188CUS & RTL8191SU chipset support
– Ethernet LAN9730 chipset support
– USB GPS support
– USB HID Touchscreen support
– ODROID Utility to set the CPU governor and HDMI resolution
– Mouse “right-click to ESC” and “wheel to zoom” mapping
– USB Webcam(UVC) support

ODROID-XU series : http://com.odroid.com/sigong/nf_file_board/nfile_board_view.php?keyword=&tag=&bid=213

– Android 4.4.2 KitKat AOSP (Build ID : KOT49H), API Level 19
– Kernel 3.4.5
– OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0 (GPU acceleration)
– OpenCL 1.1 EP (GPU acceleration)
– Android RenderScript API support (high-performance computation across heterogeneous processors)
– 2D acceleration bug is fixed. Google Maps is working now.
– Mouse “right-click to ESC” and “wheel to zoom” mapping
– On board Ethernet and external USB 3.0 Gigabit Ethernet support
– RTL8188CUS and RTL8191SU Wireless USB dongle support

ODROID-X/X2 : Please wait one more week. We will update the link next week.

If you have any question, ODROID community is always open. http://forum.odroid.com/

Blog

How to install the GMS apps for Android Beta 1.6 or higher.

Posted on by neal.kim

We released Android Beta 1.6 (Jelly Bean) for ODROID-X/X2/U/Q/Q2 24-April-2013.
This version includes the UPDATER feature which support the OTA like system software installaion/upgrade.
It will reduce the pain of flashing or anoying ADB method.

Here is a brief instruction to install the GMS(Google Play, Gmail and other Google Mobile Service applications).
Click the image to enlarge it.

1. Check your OS version is higher than Beta 1.6
Settings --> System --> About Tablet
The Build Number has a date code. It must be something of April-2013. This ODROID-X2 image is 24-April-2013.

2. Run Web browser in ODROID and visit “http://goo.im/gapps/” home page.
Click “gapps-jb-20121011-signed.zip” to download it.

3. Download a file manager from this link and install it.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4485660/Astro%20File%20Manager.apk


4. Creat “updater” directory in sdcard and copy the “gapps-jb-20121011-signed.zip” from “Download” directory to “updater” directory.

5. Select Settings -> About tablet -> ODROID Update. Choose the “gapps-jb-20121011-signed.zip”
And it will reboot and start installation of GMS apps.


6. If you select “Update”, it starts the GMS installation.

7. Run Play Store and Sign in Google Account. That’s it. Time to enjoy~

Blog

Pinch zoom without touchscreen in Android platform

Posted on by neal.kim

ome users raised an issue about “Pinch zoom without touchscreen”.

As you know well, ODROID-X,X2,U2 don’t have multi-point touch screen while Q2 has it.
So there is no way to implement the pinch zoom feature.

But we found a brilliant idea and we are implementing it now.
If you click the scroll-wheel on your mouse, the mouse cursor shape is change to “Magnifier” from “Arrow”.

 

 

When you scroll up the wheel in Magnifier mode, Zoom-out events are generated via multi-touch emulator.
When you scroll down the wheel, Zoom-in events are generated.

If you see this video, you can feel how this new feature is great !!
This implementation is still Work-In-Progress. We will fix some bugs and improve the usability.
We are trying to release a new Android update by end of May.

Blog

OpenGL ES 2.0 Programming on ARM Linux X11

Posted on by neal.kim

If you are interested in OpenGL ES 2.0 programming, you may know this famous book.

OpenGL ES 2.0 Programming Guide ( Addison Wesley )

The authors released some example source codes in this link.
http://code.google.com/p/opengles-book-samples/

We’ve tested the source codes with ARM Ubuntu on ODROID-X/X2/U2 which utilize the Mali GPU accelation in x11 window system.
But a few examples are not working due to some misused APIs. So we’ve fixed them and released the modified source codes.
Linux_X11_MaliTest.tar.gz

We’ve tested these examples on the ODROID and captured the running applications.

Chapter 2 : Hello Triangle.

 

Chapter 8 : Simple Vertex Shader

 

Chapter 9 : Simple Texture 2D

Chapter 9 : Texture Wrap

Chapter 9 : MipMap2D

Chapter 9 : Texture Cube map

Chapter 10 : Multi Texture

Chapter 11 : Multi Sample

Chapter 11 : Stencil Test

Chapter 13 : Practicle System

OpenGL ES 2.0 Programming on ARM Linux X11

Tip !
You can find a PDF version of this great book with Goolgling. 😉

Blog

SCaLE X11 : Thank you very much for visiting our booth

Posted on by neal.kim

We thank you for visiting ODROID booth at SCaLE this year, especially thank to the people driving and flying there only to see the ODROID.

Lots of ODROID developers visited our booth to talk face to face. We appreciate all your comments.

There was one old man who came with his wife to show her ODROID-U2. He wanted to change her PC to ODROID-U2. She was very happy to use ODROID-U2 for her next PC.
There was also lots of men who came with their kids. There was one kid who knew about RPI. The kid wanted to know the difference between ODROID-U2 and RPI. What one guy said was “RPI is the raspberry pie, and ODROID-U2 is the wedding cake” We all laughed a lot.

 

Blog

ODROID at SCaLE : Southern California Linux Expo

Posted on by neal.kim

We are going to show our ODROID development platform in the SCaLE Exhibition.

The Eleventh Annual Southern California Linux Expo
February 22-24, 2013  (Exhibition date : 23~24)
@ Hilton Los Angeles International Airport

You can find the ODROID in 5th page on this link.
https://www.socallinuxexpo.org/scale11x/exhibitors

If you want to see the ODROID in the wild, please visit us at booth #67.
Use this 4-digit promo code for your registration.
Promotion code : HARD ( For 40% discounts )

We are going to display various Linux distros and Android.

ODROID-U2 : ARM Ubuntu runs on 1080p Full-HD HDMI screen.

 

ODROID-U2 : Mali400 OpenGL-ES accelerated Quake3 3D Game on Ubuntu

 

ODROID-U2 :  OpenNI + OpenCV + OpenGL + PCL with Xtion/Kinect Sensor   (Android)

 

ODROID-U2 : Full-HD Shooting game (Android)

 

ODROID-X2 : Fedora 18 runs Web browser and 3D OpenGL-ES 2.0 Benchmarking tool GLMark2-ES2.

 

ODROID-X2 : OpenSUSE ARM 12.2 runs Web browser and 3D gear rendering.

 

ODROID-X2 : Xubuntu runs Web browser and Quad-core system monitor.

 

ODROID-Q2 : Ubuntu runs Software Center and GLMark2-ES2.

Quake3 playing demo by mdrjr;)

 

Blog

Improved Win32DiskImager

Posted on by neal.kim

We already posted “How to make a bootable SD/microSD/eMMC” in this link.  http://www.hardkernel.com/?b130
But few people have met the problem of flashing SD with ‘win32DiskImager’ or ‘dd’ utility.

Those utilities read data from an OS image file and write it to storage media.
But USB host in your PC, USB memory card reader or SD card itself may have problem to perform the secure and stable image copy.

Because of those root causes, the OS image can’t be copied properly or corrupted in SD card.
So I decided to add a feature of verification of written image on the win32DiskImager Ver 0.6.

Basic flow of writing/verification is here!
1. Read 512KB from OS image file to buffer-a.
2. Write 512KB(buffer-a) to SD card.
3. Read 512KB from SD card to buffer-b.
4. Compare buffer-a with buffer-b. If they are different, stop the loop.
5. Increase pointer and goto #1 by end-of-file.

You can download the modified Win32DiskImage binaries in this link. It is working with WinXP/Win7.
http://dn.odroid.com/DiskImager_ODROID/win32diskimager2-binary.zip

Modified source code is here. You need the MinGW and Qt 4.8.4 SDK to compile it.
http://dn.odroid.com/DiskImager_ODROID/win32diskimager2-source_ODROID.zip

Note
1. The writing time is almost twice of the original version because of verification process.
2. The file name/path should not contain the 2-byte characters like Korean,Chinese,Japanese and so on.

Blog

ODROID-U2/U schematics.

Posted on by neal.kim

Now that there are ODROID-U2 boards in the wild (over 80 countries), we thought it would be a great time to share our schematics with the world. In addition to giving you an idea of how the ODROID works internally, these should also provide the information you need to improve the platform software as well as your own application development.
Enjoy the full featured quad-core embedded system!

Download schematics : ODROID-U2_U_Schematics

Note:
1. We are using the Altium-Designer to develop the schematics and PCB.
2. There is no copyright issue on our schematics. It is a sort of open hardware. It is possible to clone the ODROID-U2/U with your risk.
3. We don’t supply/sell any PCB design file or Gerber file. Please don’t ask about it.
4. When we update the schematics in future, we will share it.

Blog

How to handle the ODROID-U/U2

Posted on by neal.kim

ODROID-U / U2 board is half cased with heatsink. There are three screws to hold the board with heatsink.

There are three nuts mounted on the PCB.

The board is supported by three small nuts to heatsink. Please be careful especially when you connect cables. You must have to hold the board not the heasink when you connect cables. Otherwise, the nuts might be damaged and that could cause the board damage.

Case 1 : USB connector

Case 2 : Ethernet Cable

Case 3 : HDMI Cable and Micro USB Cable

More tips! for cooling fan. The red line is outside.

Blog

How to access the eMMC module with the converter.

Posted on by neal.kim

If you buy the eMMC module with ODROID-X2, ODROID-U and ODROID-U2, it comes with a small PCB.
We call it eMMC reader. (center of below picture)

To write an OS image, you must assemble them as below pictures.
OS images can be found in our “Download” menu of this homepage.

 

 

It’s time to put the USB memory reader into your PC.
And write the lastest OS image to the eMMC storage.
Refer below link to know how to do it.  It is very easy and simple.
http://www.hardkernel.com/?b130

Please note below items.
– Plug the reader board into USB memory reader as deep as possible for the stable connection.
– Assemble the reader board and eMMC module tightly.
– Some portion of eMMC protected/hidden blocks(about 8MByte) are not accessible with the reader.

Blog

Party of Quad-Core boards

Posted on by neal.kim

The new ODROID boards are powered by the Samsung Exynos-4412 and Exynos-4412-Prime chip. Exynos 4412 Prime has 4 cores of 1.7Ghz ARM Cortex-A9 processor and 2Gbyte of Low-Power DDR RAM. New ODROID boards can run the Android and various Linux operating systems.
Please note the Exynos-4412 is the core of Samsung Galaxy-S3 and the Exynos-4412-Prime is for the latest Galaxy-Note2.

ODROID-U is the Ultra-Compact and Ultra-low-cost platform with 1.4Ghz Quad-core CPU and 1Gbyte RAM.
As far as we know, this board is the world’s smallest and cost effective US$69 priced Quad-core ARM PC.
Board dimension is only 48x52mm (1.9×2.0inch approx). Look at the pictures to feel how compact it is.
It is only 60~70% of normal credit card size.
Note that the ODROID-U comes with a full metal Aluminum body which can be used like a case as well as a heat sink.
You can see more technical information in this link and order it now.

 

 

ODROID-U2 comes with more computing power by 1.7Ghz Quad-core CPU and 2Gbyte RAM.
Other specifications are identical to the ODROID-U.

You can see more detail information in this link and order it now.
https://www.hardkernel.com/shop/odroid-u2/

 

 

ODROID-X2 is the upgrade version of the famous ODROID-X. 1.7Ghz Quad-core CPU and 2GByte RAM is mounted on the board.
Additionally the auto power on by DC plug is implemented by hardware modification.
You can see more detail information in this link and order it now.
https://www.hardkernel.com/shop/odroid-x2/

Please check the specification and the first shipping schedule before you place order.

 

Specification ODROID-X ODROID-X2 ODROID-U ODROID-U2
Processor Exynos4412 Exynos4412 Prime Exynos4412 Exynos4412 Prime
ARM Clock
(Over-Clock)		 1.4GHz
(1.8GHz)		 1.7GHz
(2GHz)		 1.4GHz
(1.8GHz)		 1.7GHz
(2GHz)
GPU Clock
(Over-Clock)		 400MHz
(533MHz)		 440MHz
(600MHz)		 400MHz
(533MHz)		 440MHz
(600MHz)
LPDDR2-DRAM Capacity(POP)
Data Rate		 1Gbyte / 800Mega 2Gbyte / 880Mega 1Gbyte / 800Mega 2Gbyte / 880Mega
Flash Card Slot Full size SD Full size SD MicroSD MicroSD
eMMC Connector 1 Port 1 Port 1 Port 1 Port
USB2.0 Host 6 Ports 6 Ports 2 Ports 2 Ports
Audio Output 3.5mm Phone Jack 3.5mm Phone Jack 3.5mm Phone Jack 3.5mm Phone Jack
Audio Input 3.5mm Phone Jack 3.5mm Phone Jack No No
System Console UART(1.8Volt) 1 Port 1 Port 1 Port 1 Port
Fast Ethernet(10/100Mbps) LAN9514 LAN9514 LAN9730 LAN9730
USB2.0 Device
(ADB/Mass Storage)		 1 Port 1 Port 1 Port 1 Port
HDMI with Digital Audio 1 Port 1 Port 1 Port 1 Port
MIPI Camera Interface 1 Port 1 Port No No
Parallel LCD / IO interface 50pin IO Port 50pin IO Port No No
DC Power 5V 2A 5V 2A 5V 2A 5V 2A
PCB Dimension 90 x 94mm 90 x 94mm 48 x 52mm 48 x 52mm
Heat Sink 45 x 45 x 12mm 45 x 45 x 23mm 56 x 59 x 60mm 56 x 59 x 60mm
Auto Power-on by DC Plug-in No Yes Yes Yes
First Shipping 30th of July, 2012 10th of Dec, 2012 16th of Jan, 2013 21st of Dec, 2012
Price $129 $135 $69 $89

 

Benchmarking result of Exynos-4412-Prime !  The score is 7752 !