Mysterious new Raspberry Pi alternative is the size of an SD card
MangoPi is working on a tiny new single-board computer
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At a time when consumers are finding it difficult toget their hands on a new Raspberry Pi, MangoPi is teasing a new single-board computer that is slightly smaller than anSD card.
In arecent poston Twitter, MangoPi showed off several pictures of its new unnamed module that features aLinux-capable SoC and no ports whatsoever. In addition to being much smaller than theRaspberry Pi 4B, the new device is actually even smaller than theRaspberry PiZero 2 W.
According to anew reportfromTom’s Hardwarethough, MangoPi’s new single-board computer could be called the ‘Linux Box” as there is both a blank product page with the name on the company’s site as well as a discussion about it on its forum.
Based on the photos shared by MangoPi, the so-called Lunch Box will feature fourArmCortex-A53 cores just like theRaspberry Pi 3and the Zero 2 W. The device will also run Allwinner’s embedded Tina Linux distro which is based on OpenWRT.
Carrier board required
MangoPi’s post highlights the fact that the Lunch Box is capable of outputting 1080p video at 60Hz over HDMI but as the board itself doesn’t have any ports, this will likely be done via a carrier board.
The Linux Box is powered by the Allwinner H616 just like theOrange Pi Zero 2and the processor has a Vulkan 1.1-capable GPU that can decode H.264, H.265, VP9 and more. In terms of memory, the device supports a maximum of 4GB of DDR3 or DDR4 RAM.
The chip powering the Lunch Box also supports full disk encryption with AES, XTS and other comparable algorithms. On the security front, tamper-proofing using MD5 and other methods will be supported while there is even a 160-bit hardware pseudo-random number generator and an integrated EFUSE chip for both ID and security.
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The Lunch Box’s carrier board could potentially include gigabit Ethernet, USB 2/OTG, a second 100MBs Ethernet interface, UART, a PWM controller and SDIO ports. However, as the board itself is tiny, all of these ports along with power delivery will need to be provided by a carrier board.
While MangoPi’s new single-board computer isn’t on sale just yet, the company is currently in the process of testing it and we’ll likely hear more once it’s available for purchase.
ViaTom’s Hardware
After working with the TechRadar Pro team for the last several years, Anthony is now the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. When not writing, you can find him tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.
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