Allwinner H5 Powered NanoPi NEO2 Black SBC focuses on Headless Applications

NanoPi NEO2 also known as NanoPi NEO2-LTS from FriendlyELEC is a small SBC powered by Allwinner H5 SoC with an ARM Mali-450MP GPU. It is intended for server/headless applications with Ethernet & USB ports, as well as I/O headers.

FriendlyELEC launched yet another variant called NanoPi NEO2 Black with the same form factor and Allwinenr H5 64-bit Arm SoC. Only upgrading the eMMC flash module and supporting up to 1GB RAM. There are also small alterations to the I/O headers, and featuring a black PCB instead of the blue PCB found in NEO2-LTS.

Headless applications mean the system runs without a graphical user interface (GUI). Most frequently headless applications are command-line applications or applications that are interfaced with a programming language. Especially in the professional IT world, command-line user interfaces are also common – mostly, because they can be used on servers and local PCs with a screen alike, and they are much easier to automate than GUIs.

NanoPi NEO2 Black SBC specifications:-

• SoC – Allwinner H5 quad-core Cortex A53 processor with an ARM Mali-450MP GPU
• Memory – 1GB DDR3
• Storage – MicroSD card slot, eMMC flash module connector
• Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet RTL8211E-VB-CG
• USB – 1x USB 2.0 host port, 1x micro USB OTG port, 1x USB via headers
• Expansion headers –
  • 10-pin header with I2C, UART, GPIOs, and power signals (5V in/out + GND)
  • 6-pin header with 1x USB, Line Out (stereo), 1x GPIO
• Power Supply – 5V via micro USB port or VDD pin on headers.
• Dimensions – 40 x 40 mm
• Weight – 16 grams
• Misc – Power and system LEDs

The new NanoPi NEO2 Black is compatible with Ubuntu 18.04 (FriendlyCore) and OpenWrt (FriendlyWrt). Armbian is also supported by this board.

As to talk about the possible applications for the tiny $20 board, it ranges from networking to the home automation system. Various IoT projects are also possible because of the NanoHAT sensor modules. Existing projects based on NanoPi NEO & NEO2 should be easily ported to NanoPi NEO2 Black. More information can be found along with various board accessories details on this product page.

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