Computers

Libre sets La Frite mini computer board free

Libre sets La Frite mini computer board free
Libre Computer says La Frite is 10 times faster than a Pi Zero, and comes with full-size HDMI, USB and Ethernet ports
Libre Computer says La Frite is 10 times faster than a Pi Zero, and comes with full-size HDMI, USB and Ethernet ports
View 3 Images
La Frite is built around an Amlogic S805X system-on-chip, which includes an quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 1.2 GHz 64-bit processor and Mali-450 GPU
1/3
La Frite is built around an Amlogic S805X system-on-chip, which includes an quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 1.2 GHz 64-bit processor and Mali-450 GPU
Libre Computer says La Frite is 10 times faster than a Pi Zero, and comes with full-size HDMI, USB and Ethernet ports
2/3
Libre Computer says La Frite is 10 times faster than a Pi Zero, and comes with full-size HDMI, USB and Ethernet ports
La Frite features a 40-pin expansion header, two USB 2 ports, a single HDMI 2.0 port, 100 Mb Ethernet and an IR receiver
3/3
La Frite features a 40-pin expansion header, two USB 2 ports, a single HDMI 2.0 port, 100 Mb Ethernet and an IR receiver
View gallery - 3 images

China's Libre Computer has hit Kickstarter for an alternative to the Raspberry Pi Zero called La Frite. Essentially a smaller version of the company's Le Potato computer board, which also launched on Kickstarter last year, the 2.5 x 2.2 inch (6.4 x 5.5 cm) development board is aimed squarely at makers on a tight budget.

There are projects which simply don't need the kind of hexa-core brains found in Libre's Renegade Elite, especially if you're trying to keep costs down. The company describes La Frite – or AML-S805X-AC to use its less catchy name – as a "smaller, less-featured, and more cost-optimized version" of its first computer board, Le Potato (itself a more powerful and more capable alternative to Pi 3 Model B).

La Frite features a 40-pin expansion header, two USB 2 ports, a single HDMI 2.0 port, 100 Mb Ethernet and an IR receiver
La Frite features a 40-pin expansion header, two USB 2 ports, a single HDMI 2.0 port, 100 Mb Ethernet and an IR receiver

The new mini board rocks an Amlogic S805X system-on-chip, which includes an quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 1.2 GHz 64-bit processor and Mali-450 GPU, and comes with up to 1 GB of DDR4 SDRAM. It supports 1080p video output and H.265/H.264/VP9 decoding, can run Linux distros like Ubuntu, and Android 8 (Oreo).

It also packs built-in SPI ROM to hold boot firmware instead of writing a bootloader at the beginning of a software image. Elsewhere, there's a 40-pin expansion header, two USB 2 ports, a single HDMI 2.0 port, 100 Mb Ethernet and an IR receiver. The board is powered via microUSB connection.

Libre has launched La Frite on Kickstarter, where pledges start at US$5 for a board with 512 MB of RAM. Doubling the pledge also doubles the RAM. If all goes to plan, shipping is estimated to start in November.

Sources: Libre Computer, Kickstarter

View gallery - 3 images
1 comment
1 comment
EH
Incredible price, though getting the $30 model with the power adapter and 8GB MMC with Linux pre-loaded is a lot more practical for most uses.
Many of these single-board computer (SBC) projects don't seem to be getting press releases out to New Atlas. Linuxgizmos.com seems to be the most comprehensive reporting on new SBCs.