Libre Computer has launched its promised “Renegade Elite” SBC on Indiegogo for $99. The RK3399-based board features GbE with PoE, HDMI 2.0, 2x USB Type-C with DP, and PCIe.



In partnership with Firefly, Libre Computer has launched its previously announced Renegade Elite (ROC-RK3399) SBC on Indiegogo. There’s only one funding package with 4GB LPDDR4 and an empty eMMC socket, priced at $99, with shipments due in September. Libre Computer has released a few new details on the open-spec board, including the implementation of its promised Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) support. The 120 x 72 x 11.9mm SBC is touted for its thin profile, which could pay off in space-constrained applications such as robotics.







Renegade Elite in standard acrylic case (left) and optional heatsink version

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Renegade Elite uncased

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Renegade Elite side view and port detail view

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Renegade Elite front and back interface detail views

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The $99 price is below that of most of the other open-spec, community backed contenders fielding the high-end Rockchip RK3399, which features dual 2GHz Cortex-A72 cores, 4x 1.42GHz Cortex-A53 cores, and a high-end Mali-T860 GPU. The Elite costs $10 more than the $109 Orange Pi RK3399 , although the prices even out considering the latter’s 16GB of eMMC and WiFi/Bluetooth module. The Renegade Elite is $20 more expensive than Pine64’s price-leading RockPro64 , which is finally on sale in a non-beta version for $80 with 4GB RAM and $60 with 2GB.Further comparisons depend on your priorities. The Renegade Elite features dual USB 3.0 Type-C ports with DisplayPort and power support compared to only one Type-C port on its similarly priced rivals. The SBC lacks the 40-pin, Raspberry Pi like connectors found on the Orange Pi RK3399 and RockPro64, but like the latter, it offers a 60-pin PCIe x4 slot. The Renegade also supplies a 60-pin low-speed expansion connector. Meanwhile, the extensive audio interfaces found on the Orange Pi RK3399 are matched only by the higher end Firefly-RK3399 , which Firefly sells for $209 with 4GB RAM and 16GB eMMC.For additional comparison with these and other RK3399 boards, check out our recent feature spreadsheet of 116 hacker boards. The comparison sheet includes FriendlyElec’s NanoPC-T4 , which sells for $129 with 4GB RAM, 16GB eMMC, and wireless, and offers extras like extended temperature support and M.2 M-Key storage. You can scratch the Odroid-N1 from your list, as the board has been cancelled and will be re-released with a different processor as the Odroid-N2.In the Indiegogo introduction, Libre Computer emphasizes the Elite’s superior software support, pointing to its track record with the Amlogic S905X based Le Potato , Rockchip RK3328 powered Renegade , and Allwinner based Tritium Raspberry Pi pseudo-clones. With the help of its partner Firefly, Libre Computer supplies all its boards with 5-year plus support with upstream Linux software development. The Elite will ship with Rockchip Linux 4.4 and mainline Linux 4.19+ and will support Android 8.1 as well as Linux distributions including Debian, Arch, Ubuntu 18.04, Fedora, and OpenSUSE.

Libre Computer says it will add new perks on Indiegogo over time. Of particular note is a mezzanine board for the PCIe slot that offers 802.3at compliant PoE+ via an M.2 slot. There will also be a non-PCIe M.2 with USB/SDIO for WiFi. Several different enclosures, rack kits, power supplies, and touchscreens will be available in addition to a MIPI-CSI camera, a WiFi module, and eMMC modules.

Slightly updated specifications for the Renegade Elite are listed below. (For further details, see our June 25 report.):

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Processor — Rockchip RK3399 (2x Cortex-A72 cores, 4x Cortex-A53 cores); Mali-T860 GPU

Memory: 4GB LPDDR4 RAM eMMC 5.x interface for up to 128GB MicroSD slot 128Mb SPI NOR

Display/media: HDMI 2.0 port 2x DisplayPort (via 2x USB 3.0 Type-C) eDP MIPI-DSI MIPI-DSI /CSI dual role MIPI-CSI

Networking — Gigabit Ethernet port with optional PoE

Other I/O: 2x USB 3.0 Type-C (1x with power) with DisplayPort support (only 1x at a time) 3x USB 2.0 host ports UART and UART header

Expansion — 60-pin PCIe x4 2.1 header; 60-pin low speed header

Other features — IR receiver; RTC with battery backup; recovery button; various accessories to be announced later

Power — DC 12V (power input via Type-C); up to 15W consumption

Dimensions — 120 x 72 x 11.9mm

Operating system — Android 8.1 Oreo; Rockchip Linux 4.4 and mainline Linux 4.19+ with support for distros including Debian, Arch, Ubuntu 18.04, Fedora, and OpenSUSE



Further information

The Renegade Elite (ROC-RK3399-PC) is available on Indiegogo for $99 with 4GB RAM and a CNC case. There’s a month left to meet the $50,000 goal for the flexible funding campaign. Shipments are due in September. More information may be found at the Renegade Elite Indiegogo page, as well as at Libre Computer’s preliminary Renegade Elite product page.

