What is the Lichee Pi Zero?

Lichee Pi Zero is a cute linux module that strip from my project.

I redesign the board, make it smaller and cheaper while keep it DIY-able & SMT-able.

Lichee Pi Zero have its own advantages even compare to Raspberry Pi Zero or Arduino:

1. $6 without wifi, and $8 with wifi.It is much cheaper than arduino, and even cheaper than the newest Raspberry Pi Zero W.
2. Zero is clocked at 1GHz(24M~1.2G，step by 24M), while the idle temperature is about 40℃(104℉), current consume less than 0.1A, much better than Rpi0 or other H3 based boards.
3. Zero have a common FPC-40P RGB LCD connector, you can connect LCD directly!No video cable needed, you can DIY mini "laptop" easily~
4. Zero run the newest linux-4.10 kernel now~
5. Zero is designed for both DIY and mass production! Plug&Play, Breadboard-compatible, and all pins stamp hole out!
6. Lots of peripheral modules, and typical applications: Powerful LoRa Netgate and Amazing Micphone Array is coming soon!

There are plenty of pictures below,  read under wifi-connection is suggested ^_^

(the first version is soldered by my hand, not as beautiful as machine, but the official version will be manufactured by machine)

Catalog :

• Lichee Pi Zero Hardware introduction (for  professional maker)
• Zero's peripheral
• Zero's system & application example
• Support options & Developers plan

Lichee Pi Zero Hardware introduction 

Lichee Pi Zero based on Allwinner V3S (ARM Cortex-A7 CPU, max 1.2GHz, 512Mbit DDR2 integrated), and it can boot from on board SPI Flash or TF card.（mainline currently only support tf card）

Zero has various low speed peripherals just like most MCU: GPIO,UART, SPI, I2C,ADC,PWM...

And it has other useful High Speed interfaces : OTG USB，MIPI CSI，EPHY，RGB LCD...

It also integrated codec: you can connect it to headphone or microphone directly.

Here is the architecture diagram:

Top side of Zero:

left to right: RGB LED, MPU, TF SLOT, LCD backlight circuit, micro usb(OTG & Power)

Buttom side of Zero:

left to right: Touch Screen Controller, DCDC Power, on board SPI Flash, FPC40 RGB Connector.

Zero(44.6x25.5mm or 1.76x1.00inch ) compare to SD Card(32x24mm), it is pretty cute, right?

Generally speaking, small board, especially about SD-sized board, has unfriendlly connector.

for example, the intel edsion:

Its connector is impossible to solder by hands or connect to breadboard, and you have to buy the "breakout board": edsion cost $37, and breakout board cost another $22, it is not a wise chioce obviously...

Well, Zero is well designed for the pin out, it is easy for DIYers:

• 30 frequently-used pins output via 2.54mm (100mil) pins
• two rows' intwerval is 900mil, which means it can directly plug to breadboard !
• other 30 unfrequently-used pins output via 1.27mm half-holes
• 1.27mm half-holes also can be soldered to 2.54mm pins (half intwerval offset), it is easy to connect
• on board FPC40 Connector can be connect to many peripherals (not only the lcd)

plug to breadboard(30 pins):

solder all 60 pins tactfully:

Zero can easily append wifi ability too.

Zero has customized "TF WiFi Card", and it can be plug in to tf slot, or sloder to 2.54 pins (the pin order is well designed).

In the other hand, Zero is cute in power consume, so you needn't prepare huge cooling fin for it : )
Zero consume about 90mA when run linux without LCD, it is pretty good. (it is run in 1GHz, you know STM32F4 consume 90mA in 168MHz...)

And the temperature is fine too, it is about 40℃ (run linux@1GHz, idle).

It raise to 63℃ after run cpu-burn program 5 minutes.
It is much better then Raspberry Pi (~80℃) or H3-based boards(~90℃， that's terrible...)

Zero's peripheral

Zero's FPC40 Connector is useful:

you can connect it to RGB LCD:

you can connect it to VGA :

you can connect it to HDMI:

If you have idle laptop screen(LVDS), you can connect to it:

It even can connect to a DVP camera module!

or, you want more GPIO, it can extend 22 GPIOs, 2 ADC, and several power pins for you:

In addtion, Zero have Powerful Dock!

It has 5M MIPI carmera, 4 ADC-keys, battery manger, Ethernet RJ45 Connector, microphne, 3.5mm jack ,one more tf slot, and several pins for UART,SPI,I2C,PWM.

Behind TF slot, there is a PA slot, you can plug PA module in it:

several speakers is supported:

1W spearker，3W Speaker，and even bone conduction speaker!

The Docker support OLED and small size LCD, always cute : )

0.96 inch 128x64 OLED:

2.4 inch 240x320 TFT:

um... I know some of you guys want DIY it as a miniGameBoy, right?

Here is the joystick and key board:

(the offical version may change the button to make it more comfortable)

The Docker has several communication interfaces:

1. Ethernet RJ45 connector
2. TF Wifi Card Slot
3. Lora Module (it is awesome RF module if you don't know yet)

TF WiFi Card Plugs to Docker's slot:

Lora Module on the buttom, and I provide an awesome LoRa Netgate for you, I will show you next section.

In addition, the fashsion Microphone Array is available too! (see next section)

Zero's system & application example

We transplant newest linux 4.10 kernel for Zero!

And we verify several rootfs for Zero:

1. buildroot:
   1. small&convenient, you can put the kernel&rootfs into 8MB SPI flash!
   2.  easy to expand: lua, python, nodejs, X, Qt...
   3. suit for professional maker or company
2. debian 
   1. debian system is supported! apt-get install all you want!
   2. able to run debian desktop!
   3. suit for most maker&DIYer
3. Raspbian Jessie with pixel(experimental only)
   1. just for a try... it is surprise that Zero can run such a large system...
   2. Lichee Pi One is more suitable to run it.

Here is some application example:

• DIY your mini "laptop"in 5min

Zero is cute, powerful and friendlly, you can easily DIY your works without professional tools like 3D-printer.

All you need is: A Lichee Pi Zero, A wireless keyboard, a Li-Polymer Battery, a simple holder, some tape.

thanks for zero's FPC40 connector, you can directly connect it to LCD; then stick it to the back of LCD, as well as battery.

At last, stick holder behind wireless keyboard, and plug LCD in holder, finished!

The first version of Zero laptop:

You can package the screen with black tap, and it will be more compact.

In addtion, Lichee Pi One is also suitable:

Let's turn off light and take look at it:

poweron:

startx, running debian desktop!

open some windows:

you can see 800x480 LCD is much clearer than PocketChip's 272x480 LCD!

Play some games:

Super Mario!

Pokemon!

DOOM: 

And the experiment of Raspbian Jessie with pixel:

More pictures for enjoy !

• LoRa NetGate

We build an awesome LoRa Netgate with Zero:

(Note: current version is 137~525MHz, suit for China & Europe, USA's 915 MHz version is considering)

1. Its RF range is 15km in 20dbm(as same as normal wireles router's) output power. can you image you can connect to your wireles router 15km away?
2. We designed a private​ protocol for it, instead of LoRaWAN, why? LoraWAN chip is about $50 and the loraWAN module is more than $200!
3. Our protocol is even better than LoRaWAN in many cases:
   1. Price: <$20, les than one-tenth of LoRaWAN gate module!
   2. Ad-Hoc Network
   3. Authority Management
   4. Seamless Switching between netgates
   5. Auto Disaster Recovery
   6. Support more than 10,000 node online!  (communication speed is limited by bandwidth)
4. Also, we provide efficient cloud server interface for it
   1. one server supports up to 1,000,000 nodes without ssl, up to 100,000 with ssl

You can DIY your own IoT system, or even your own cell sites ( it sounds like AT&T！)。

• Microphone Array (ASR)

​

Zero Docker's 3.5mm headphone jack can connect to our Microphone Array.

You can DIY your "Echo" by it:

1. six electret mic or silicon mic, 24 leds indicate direction of sound, OLED(optional) indicate work status
2. location precision better than 15°
3. reverberation eliminate
4. beam forming,  3~5m(10~17ft) ASR
5. keyword wakeup, signal output
6. one analog audio output, one I2S output
7. config by uart/i2c
8. speaker recognition (optional)
9. and the price is lower than $20 !

Support options & Developers plan

I make too much peripheral modules, and it is hard to list all combinations.

I will list most common combinations below, another combinations can be bought on my website(building in this month).

Options：

$1
Share&Lottery 
Share this page in your facebook, and I will random drawing 1/50 to get a ZeroW mini laptop DIY suit!

$6
LicheePi Zero
LicheePi Zero + OTG convertor

$8
ZeroW
LicheePi Zero + TF wifi card + OTG convertor

$12
ZeroW (urgent)
LicheePi Zero + TF wifi card + OTG convertor, send immediately after crowd funding ending
Suit for developer

$20
ZeroW VGA computer suit 
LicheePi Zero + TF wificard + RGB2VGA module + OTG convertor + usbhub&usb2etheret
you can connect it to monitor&keyboard&mouse&ethernet cable or wifi, just like a tiny computer.

$21
ZeroW HDMI computer suit
LicheePi Zero + TF wificard + RGB2HDMI module + OTG convertor + usbhub&usb2etheret
similar with previous option, HDMI module instead.
Note: HDMI module driver has not adapt yet, it maybe ship latter.

$39 
ZeroW mini laptop DIY suit
LicheePi Zero + TF wifi card + OTG convertor + 5 inch 800x480 LCD + Wireless Keyboard + Li-Polymer Battery + spindle + tapes
DIY your mini laptop!

$48
ZeroW + LVDS LCD suit 
LicheePi Zero + TF wifi card + RGB2LVDS modules + 10.1 inch LCD + OTG convertor
It is suit for diy something like "Smart Mirror"

$19
ZeroW Dock + OLED
LicheePi Zero + TF wifi card + Dock + 0.96 inch 128x64 OLED + OTG convertor
DIY something like monitoring station.

$25
ZeroW Dock Speaker suit 
LicheePi Zero + TF wifi card + Dock + 0.96 inch 128x64 OLED + 1W Speakerx2 + 3W Speakerx2 + OTG convertor 
DIY your WiFi Speaker!

$35
ZeroW Dock Handheld Device suit
LicheePi Zero + TF wifi card + Dock + 2.4inch 240x320 TFT + I2C Keyboard/Joystick + 1W Speakerx2 + Li-Polymer Battery + OTG convertor
DIY Handheld Device, such like GAMEBOY.

$49
ZeroW Dock mini laptop suit
LicheePi Zero + TF wifi card + Dock + OTG convertor + 5 inch 800x480 LCD + Wireless Keyboard + Li-Polymer Battery + spindle + tapes
DIY your mini laptop (with speaker & battery manager & Ethernet)!

$34
ZeroW Dock Camera suit
LicheePi Zero + TF wifi card + Dock + OTG convertor + 0.96 inch 128x64 OLED + 5M MIPI Camera + Li-Polymer Battery 
DIY your Sports Camera!
Note: the camera driver is not support in mainline kernel yet, maybe you have to use the allwinner sdk...

$79
ZeroW Dock pocket all in suit
ZeroW Dock mini laptop suit + 0.96 inch 128x64 OLED + 2.4inch 240x320 TFT + 5M MIPI Camera + I2C Keyboard/Joystick + 1W Speakerx2 + 3W Speakerx2
all peripheral you can put in your pocket

$40
ZeroW Dock LoRa Netgate suit 
LicheePi Zero + TF wifi card + Dock + 0.96 inch 128x64 OLED + LoRa Modulex2 + LoRa Nodex3 + OTG convertor 
DIY your WiFi Speaker!

$45
ZeroW Dock Mic Array suit 
LicheePi Zero + TF wifi card + Dock + 0.96 inch 128x64 OLED + Mic Array + 1W Speakerx2 + 3W Speakerx2 + OTG convertor 
DIY your "Echo"!

$95
ZeroW dozen suit
ZeroWx12

$140
package suit
ZeroW + ZeroW VGA computer suit + ZeroW Dock mini laptop suit  + ZeroW Dock Mic Array suit + 2.4inch 240x320 TFT + I2C Keyboard/Joystick + 5M MIPI Camera
almost all combinations in this package. 

Developers plan

Zero is new to linux-4.10 (thanks to Icenowy), some drivers are not adapted yet.

I'm doing this project in my spare time, those transplant plan maybe delay if I have an urgent project.

I know you maybe the guy who is familiar with hardware/linux driver/applicantion, and consider Zero as a nice works.

So, I decide to implement the Developers plan:

• I will list something important in a TODO list, and you can add something important  on it too.
• The guy who finish the item on the TODO list will get a free ZeroW or the item he/she drived (like camera), or I will return the all or part of money he/she bought it. 

Welcome to take part in the Developers Plan, our github is: https://github.com/Lichee-Pi

our bbs is: bbs.ilichee.cc

our facebook is: www.facebook.com/LicheePi

The progress chart

2016.12    Finish the LicheePi One, and plan the Zero. Design the Zero v0.1

2017.01    Zero v0.1 system boot up. Design the Zero v0.2&test board, fix some bug.

2017.02   Zero v0.2 test ok, Design the Zero v0.3 & peripherals.

2017.03   Zero v0.3 & most peripherals test ok, crowd funding.

2017.04   Developers Plan, Production

2017.05~06   Shipments

Thank you for your time and have a nice day. :)