Product description: Asus Tinker Edge R - RK3399Pro ARM big.LITTLE A72+A53 WiFi/Bluetooth + 4 GB RAM + 16 GB eMMC
Asus Tinker Edge R is a machine learning platform. The minicomputer is equipped with ARM big.LITTLE A72+A53 processor, Rockchip NPU RK3399Pro machine learning chip, 4 GB RAM (system), 2 GB RAM (NPU) and 16 GB eMMC memory, 40 GPIO, display and camera connectors, as well as USB, HDMI and microSD card slot. It has a wireless WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.
Asus Tinker Edge R - side view.
What do I need to run the Asus Tinker Edge R mini-computer?
- Power supply - the minicomputer is powered from 12V to 19V (45W) via a 5.5 / 2.5mm DC connector.
- PC - as a host computer
- Cable USB A - USB C - for data exchange with a computer
- HDMI or USBcable type C (DP) - to connect a monitor
- Keyboard and mouse - allows you to navigate through the system interface
Operating system for Asus Tinker Edge R
The device works with Linux, which requires a standalone installation to create a bootable USB stick. The manufacturer has prepared a user guide where you can find installation instructions and a ready to download Linux operating system.
Asus Tinker Edge R - side view.
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AI Rockchip NPU accelerator for Asus Tinker Edge R
The Asus Tinker Edge R minicomputer is specially designed for AI applications. It uses the Rockchip NPU, the Machine Learning Accelerator (ML), to significantly increase processing efficiency, as well as reduce power requirements and make it easier to build connected devices and smart applications. With this machine learning accelerator, the Tinker Edge R is able to perform three tera-operations per second (TOPS) with low power consumption. It is optimized for the Neural Network (NN) architecture, which means that the minicomputer supports multiple machine learning platforms and enables easy compilation and launch of many popular machine learning models on Tinker Edge R.
Minicomputer power supply
The special power design used in the Asus Tinker Edge R provides 65 watts of power, ensuring stable system operation and full I/O performance, even when multiple devices are connected to the minicomputer. In addition, it has protection that activates when current and voltage changes rapidly, effectively protecting the board and connected devices.
Connection tapes, U.FL antennas, screws and distances are also included.
Efficient cooling system.
Rockchip RK3399Pro processor in Tinker Edge R
Powerful and modern six-core Rock Rex RK3399Pro A72+A53 processor based on Arm big.LITTLE technology, offers powerful solutions for graphics, machine vision, video, voice and security. Tinker Edge R is equipped with 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM for the system and 2 GB of RAM for NPU, offering higher speeds, better stability and high performance ML inference. It also has a built-in 16 GB eMMC interface and a microSD card slot. The minicomputer is passively and actively cooled using a large fan heatsink.
Communication interfaces
The Asus Tinker Edge R has a rich I/O interface, including a MIPI-DSI connector for the touch screen display and two MIPI-CSI connectors for compatible cameras to enable computer vision in applications such as: depth measurement, smart automats and interactive advertising. The board also features a full HDMI, USB A and C ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port and WiFi / Bluetooth and a PCI Express Mini slot for 4G / LTE expansion card.
Developer Package
The Asus APIs and SDKs are available for easy implementation of machine learning models in Tinker Edge R and applications such as image classification and object detection.
Layout of elements on the board.
Asus Tinker Edge specification and comparison
| Basic information | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Model | Asus Tinker Edge T | Asus Tinker Edge R |
| Specification | ||
| Processor | NXP i.MX 8M ARM Cortex A53 1.5 GHz |
Rockchip RK3399Pro Dual core ARM Cortex A72 1.8 GHz Four-core ARM Cortex A53 1.4 GHz |
| GPU | GC7000 Lite | ARM Mali T860 MP4 800 MHz |
| NN processor | Google Edge TPU ML accelerator coprocessor | Rockchip NPU |
| Memory RAM | 1 GB LPDDR4 | 4 GB LPDDR4 (system) 2 GB LPDDR3 (NPU) |
| Internal memory | 8 GB eMMC MicroSD card slot |
16 GB eMMC MicroSD card slot |
| Display | 1x HDMI with CEC hardware ready 1x 22-pin MIPI DSI |
1x HDMI with CEC hardware readiness 1x USB type C (DP) 1x 22-pin MIPI DSI (4-line) |
| Camera | 2x 24-pin MIPI CSI-2 | 1x 22-pin MIPI CSI-2 (4-line) 1x 22-pin MIPI CSI-2/DSI (4 lines) |
| USB | 2x USB 3.2 Gen1 type A 1x USB 3.2 Gen1 type C OTG |
3x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type A 1x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type C OTG |
| Audio | - | 1x 3.5 mm mini jack (with microphone and connection detection) 1x pin S/PDIF 1x pin PCM/I2S |
| Communication | 1x RTL8211F-CG gigabit Ethernet 1x 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.2 |
1x RTL8211F-CG Gigabit Ethernet 1x M.2 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0 (2T2R) |
| Enlargements | - | 1x Mini PCIe slot (Full-Length, Nano-SIM slot, for 4G/LTE) |
| TOPS | 4 tera-operations per second | 3 tera-operations per second |
| Exits | 1x 40-pin:
1x 2-pin Reset 1x 2-pin fan |
1x 40-pin:
1x 2-pin Power 1x 2-pin Reset 1x 2-pin fan 1x 2-pin RTC battery 1x 2-pin NPU UART |
| Power supply connector | DC jack 5.5/2.5 mm: 12 V to 19 V (45 W) | DC jack 5.5/2.5 mm: 12 V to 19 V (65 W) Power 4-pin: 12 V to 12 V (65 W) |
| Supported systems | Debian 9 | Debian 9 / Android 9 |
| Dimensions | 85,5 x 54 mm | Pico-ITX (100 x 72 mm) |
