[Updated Dec 10] — Hardkernel’s $35 “Odroid-C1” SBC runs Android or Ubuntu on a 1.5GHz quad-core Amlogic SoC, and boasts 1GB RAM plus quasi-RPi-compatible 40-pin expansion.



Hardkernel’s community-backed Odroid single-board computer (SBC) project has long been a Samsung Exynos operation, having churned out over a dozen Samsung-based hacker SBCs in recent years. These include the $65 Odroid-U3 based on a quad-core 1.7GHz Exynos 4412 Prime system-on-chip, which earlier this year won third place in our open-spec SBC reader survey.

Hardkernel tried out its first non-Samsung processor this summer when it announced the $30, Raspberry Pi-compatible Odroid-W wearables SBC, which uses the same Broadcom BCM2835 SoC as the Pi. A month later, the Odroid project announced it was discontinuing the board due to lack of availability of the BCM2835. According to a Slashdot report at the time, the company canceled the project because it was unable to acquire any more BCM2835 SoCs.







Hardkernel Odroid-C1

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Odroid-C1 block diagram

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Odroid-C1 compared to the Raspberry Pi Model B+

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Hardkernel Odroid-C1 topside details

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Now, the Odroid project is once again setting its sights on Pi users, selling the new Odroid-C1 at the same $35 price and with an almost compatible expansion connector, but with an entirely different processor. The tiny SBC runs Android or Ubuntu Linux on a quad-core, Cortex-A5 Amlogic S805 SoC clocked to 1.5GHz. The SoC integrates the usual Mali-450 GPU found on Allwinner SoCs. The S805 also popped up recently on the Ugoos Android-based S85 media player stick computer.The Odroid-C1 is the first Cortex-A5 based Odroid board, and aside from the short-lived Odroid-W, the cheapest by far. Four Cortex-A5 cores at that speed should be much faster than the RPi’s 700MHz ARM11-based BCM2835, as indicated by the Odroid project’s own benchmarks, which show a 6x advantage over the Pi.On the other hand, just about every board out there is faster than an RPi, which has done little to limit the board’s continuing popularity. A comparison with some other Pi competitors might be more instructive. The Odroid-C1 should be faster than the $50 BeagleBone Black, which has a Cortex-A8-based Sitara. It’s also likely to be a bit faster than the very few other SBCs available in that price range, such as LinkSprite’s $39 pcDuino3Nano , which uses a 1GHz, dual-core, Cortex-A7 based Allwinner A20.Like the Raspberry Pi Model B+, the Odroid-C1 is quite small for an SBC at 85 x 56mm, although it’s not quite as tiny as the 60 x 36mm Odroid-W. The board weighs 40 grams, and runs on 2 to 3 Watts, says the Odroid project.







Comparison of key Odroid-C1 and Raspberry Pi Model B+ features Odroid-C1 RPi Model B+ SoC Amlogic S805 (4x ARM Cortex-A5 cores @ 1.5GHz) Broadcom BCM2835 (1x ARM11 ARMv6 core @ 700MHz) GPU 2x ARM Mali450MP @ 600MHz 1x VideoCore IV @ 250MHz RAM 1GB 512MB Flash storage microSD or eMMC microSD USB2.0 Host 4 ports 4 ports USB2.0 Device/OTG 1 port none Ethernet 10/100/1000 Mbps 10/100 Mbps Video out HDMI HDMI and Composite Audio out HDMI HDMI and 3.5mm jack Camera Input USB 720p MIPI CSI 1080p 40-pin I/O expansion 40-pin GPIO/UART/SPI/I2C/ADC 40-pin GPIO/UART/SPI/I2C/I2S Dimensions 85 x 56mm 85 x 56mm Weight 40g 42g Price $35 $35





Bottom views, with eMMC and microSD sockets empty and filled

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The Odroid-C1 ships with 1GB DDR3 RAM, plus a microSD slot that supports the UHS-1 standard. Its optional 8GB and 16GB UHS-1 cards are said to be accessible at twice the speed of a standard flash card. There’s also an eMMC 4.5 socket for even faster access, with optional eMMC storage modules. The eMMC is stated as an alternative to microSD in one place, but is suggested as an additional optional feature in another.The Odroid-C1 is equipped with a gigabit Ethernet port, four USB 2.0 ports, and a USB OTG and device port. A micro-HDMI out port is provided, along with a serial console connector and an IR receiver.

Whereas the Odroid-W aped the Raspberry Pi Model B’s 26-pin expansion connector, the Odroid-C1 uses a 40-pin connector, just like the Raspberry Pi Model B+. This time around, however, the project is not making a big deal about Pi compatibility, perhaps due to widespread complaints from the Pi community over the short-lived Odroid-W.

Yet, the C1’s connector does appear to be fairly compatible, as it uses the Raspberry Pi-compatible, open source WiringPi library for C/C++ or Python developers. The project notes that only pins 37, 38, and 40 are not compatible with the Pi B+, as they are dedicated for analog inputs.









Hardkernel’s Odroid-C1 “Tinkering Kit”

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The board is available with a number of options including USB-based WiFi and camera dongles. There’s also a $16 Tinkering Kit option.



Summary of Odroid-C1 specs

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Specifications listed for the Odroid-C1 include:

Processor — Amlogic S805 (4x Cortex-A5 cores @ 1.5GHz) with dual-core Mali-450 MP2 GPU; 1080p video accelerator

Memory: 1GB DDR3 @ 792MHz MicroSD slot with optional 8GB or 16GB UHS-1 card eMMC 4.5 socket with optional module

Networking — gigabit Ethernet port (Realtek RTL8211F) with auto-MDIX support

Other I/O: 4x USB 2.0 host ports USB 2.0 device/OTG port Micro-HDMI out port (video and audio) 40-pin GPIO expansion connector (GPIO/UART/SPI/I2C/ADC) ADC 10-bit SAR interface (2x channels) Serial console port

Other features – LEDs; IR receiver; RTC; optional USB-based 720p camera; optional WiFi USB dongle; optional $16 Tinkering Kit with breadboard etc.

Power — 5V2A DC input; 2-3W consumption (uses less than 0.5A in most cases, but can climb to 2A if many passive USB peripherals are attached)

Weight – 40 g (1.41 oz)

Dimensions — 85 x 56mm (3.4 x 2.2 in.)

Operating system — Android 4.4.x; Ubuntu 14.04; both run on Linux Kernel 3.10 LTS



Demonstration videos

Four videos about the Odroid-C1 SBC that Hardkernel has posted on YouTube appear below.









Above: Odroid-C1 hardware tour











Above: Odroid-C1 “Tinkering Kit” demo









Above: Odroid-C1 performance demo











Android PSP emulator running “Tekken 6”



Further information

The Odroid-C1 is available for $35 and will ship later this month. More information may be found at the Odroid-C1 product page, and on the Odroid-C1 wiki page.

