[Xingkong Board Python Programming Learning Main Control Board Evaluation] Development Environment and Boot Configuration

jinyi7016

[Xingkong Board Python Programming Learning Main Control Board Evaluation] Development Environment and Boot Configuration [Copy link]

First of all, EEWORLD and DFRobot chose me to try out these Xingkong boards.

After receiving the development board, unpack and start it immediately

The development board has two accessories, one is a Type-c USB cable, which is dual-purpose and can also be connected to the micro USB interface, and there are some ph2.0 3P and 4P connection cables that can connect some modules of DFRobot.

The tutorials for the Xingkong board can be found here: Xingkong board official tutorial - wiki.unihiker.com

1. Chipset

The hardware resources of the Xingkong board are very rich, as shown below:

The CPU is Rockchip's RK3308, a main control chip designed for audio and IoT applications. It removes the GPU, video codec and some display interfaces, adds CODEC and audio-related modules, and optimizes both chip cost and system cost to achieve a cost-effective overall solution. The 4-core Cortex-A35, 1.2GHz main frequency, should be sufficient for the market positioning of the Xingkong board.

The onboard RAM and ROM are 512M and 16G respectively. The RAM is not very large.

Wi-Fi & Bluetooth uses RTL8723DS, which is a 2.4G wifi chip with SDIO interface, and the speed can be guaranteed.

After testing, the touch screen is a resistive screen, so it needs to be calibrated before use. The calibration function must be selected through the physical button control menu on the line space board.

There are many types of sensors, including microphone sensors (capacitive silicon), light sensors (PT0603), and six-axis sensors (ICM20689). These can meet most of the DIY needs.

2. Interface

The gold finger pin definition is compatible with MicroBit.

The Type-C interface is used to connect to a computer, provide power and upload programs.

The TYPE-A interface can be connected to external USB peripherals, such as cameras, USB flash drives, expansion docks, etc.

The 3Pin I/O interface has four groups, which are the functions of IO pins such as PWM, IO output, and input.

There are two groups of 4-pin interfaces, which are IIC interfaces.

3. Power on

After power-on, the development board automatically boots up and some Linux startup information is displayed on the LCD screen.

After startup, a cute expression will be displayed on the screen.

At this time, move the development board and you will enter the main interface.

After pressing HOME, you will enter a multi-level menu.

Use the AB keys to move to the final screen calibration option.

Then calibrate

After calibration, I added it to the multi-level menu interface, but when I pressed the two virtual touch buttons at the bottom of the interface, it jumped directly to the last one instead of moving down one by one. I don't know if this is the design logic or a bug in the program.

The touch sensitivity is still relatively high.

4. Development Environment

First, use Mind+ for development. After installation, you must switch to Python mode first. The other modes are not supported by the running board.

After that, select Extensions in the lower left corner

In the opened interface, select the official library, then select the empty board

After selection, the software will be verified and upgraded.

The upgrade is complete.

After the upgrade is complete, you can connect to the Xingkong board through the USB virtual network.

At this time, you can also log in to the Linux system of the Xingkong board through ssh, and many operations and configurations can also be performed through ssh.

After all, the terminal is the essence of Linux.

The projects we upload to the Xingkong board using mind+ will be temporarily stored in a separate directory under /root/mindplus/cache, such as "New Project-2022-10-28-9-28-52"

V. Conclusion

At this point, we have a general understanding of the Xingkong board, and the development method and environment have been configured.

In general, the first impression of the Xingkong board is that it is small, but its functions and performance are very powerful. With the Mind+ ecosystem, it is very playable.

wangerxian

Is Linux running here?

jinyi7016

wangerxian posted on 2022-10-28 13:26 Is Linux running here?

Yes, there is Debian.

wangerxian

jinyi7016 posted on 2022-10-28 13:39 Yes, there is Debian.

Looking at the configuration, it is quite sufficient to run general applications.

freebsder

The interface is very nice, thanks for sharing!

jinyi7016

wangerxian posted on 2022-10-28 14:27 It seems that the configuration is sufficient to run general applications.

The CPU performance is not very high and the RAM is a bit smaller, but it is still completely sufficient for general DIY.

lugl4313820

In general, the first impression of the Xingkong board is that it is small, but its functions and performance are very powerful. With the Mind+ ecosystem, it is very playable.

It’s a pity that I was not selected. I hope you have a good time. Good luck!

wangerxian

jinyi7016 posted on 2022-10-28 17:20 The CPU performance is not very high, and the RAM is a little smaller, but it is still enough for general DIY.

It is a good board for getting started with Linux development.

wangerxian

lugl4313820 posted on 2022-10-28 20:43 In general, the first impression of the Xingkong board is that it is small, but its functions and performance are very powerful. With the Mind+ ecosystem, it is very playable. Unfortunately...

I've seen that you've reviewed quite a few boards along the way, so I might want to let you take a rest and give some opportunities to other newcomers.