Edit page

Pine A64 full documentation


The PINE A64

The PINE A64 and the PINE A64+ is PINE64’s first Single Board Computer powered by Allwinner’s A64 quad-core ARM Cortex A53 64-Bit SoC. There are many Operating Systems available for the PINE A64 created by the open source community and various partner projects.

Presently, most Linux distributions for the PINE A64 rely on mainline Linux. However, there also exist a variety of BSP-based distributions and legacy systems that users can download.


Board features

Layout

Board Dimensions: 133mm x 80mm x 19mm

Board layout

LabelDescription
1Touch panel connector
2Camera port connector
3PI 2 bus
43 pin connector for Lithium battery
52 pin RTC battery port
62x USB 2.0 Host Port
7for Reset button
8for Power OFF/ON button
9Wi-Fi / Bluetooth port
10IR receiver
11Headphone jack (with microphone)
12microSD card slot
13Exp bus
14Euler “e” bus
15DSI connector
16+5V microUSB DC power jack
17Ethernet port
18Digital Video Type A port

Video

  • Digital Video Port (Type A - full)

Audio

  • 3.5mm stereo earphone/microphone plug

Network

  • 10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet (PINE A64+ version), 10/100Mbps Ethernet (PINE A64 version)
  • WiFi 802.11 b/g/n with Bluetooth 4.0 (optional)

Storage

  • microSD - bootable, support SDHC and SDXC, storage up to 256GB
  • USB - 2 USB2.0 Host port

Expansion Ports

  • DSI - Display Serial Interface, 4 lanes MiPi, up to 1080P
  • CSI - CMOS Camera Interface up to 5 mega pixel
  • TP - Touch Panel Port, SPI with interrupt
  • RTC - Real Time Clock Battery Connector
  • VBAT - Lithium Battery Connector with temperature sensor input
  • Wifi/BT Module Header - SDIO 3.0 and UART
  • 2x20 pins “Pi2” GPIO Header
  • 2x17 pins “Euler” GPIO Header
  • 2x5 pins “EXP” Console Header

Power

Input Power: DC 5V @ 2A, 3.7V Li-Ion battery connector, microUSB connector, Euler connector


Software Releases

This page contains a list of all available software releases and other resources for the PINE A64 and PINE A64+.

note

The images for the PINE A64 and PINE A64+ are not compatible with the PINE A64-LTS due to LPDDR3 memory configuration. For PINE A64-LTS releases, please see the link:/documentation/SOPINE/Software[Software].

Linux

AOSC

AOSC OS is a general purpose Linux distribution that strives to simplify user experience and improve free and open source software for day-to-day productivity. To learn more about AOSC, please visit the official AOSC website.

Download:

Default credentials

Default user

aosc/anthon

Arch Linux ARM

Arch Linux ARM is a distribution of Linux for ARM computers.

Installation:

Armbian

Armbian is a Linux distribution designed for ARM boards. They are usually Debian or Ubuntu flavored.

Download:

Debian

Debian is an operating system and a distribution of free software. See the forum thread here.

Download:

Instructions:

  • Download: firmware.pine64_plus.img.gz

  • Download: partition.img.gz

  • Create the disk image:

    • For Linux: zcat firmware.pine64_plus.img.gz partition.img.gz > complete_image.img

    • For Mac: gzcat firmware.pine64_plus.img.gz partition.img.gz > complete_image.img

  • Write the image to your boot device:

    • For Linux: dd if=complete_image.img of=your_chosen_boot_device bs=4M

    • For Mac: see Getting started

Notes:

  • An Ethernet connection is required for the above installer

DietPi

DietPi is a lightweight yet easy to setup and feature-rich Linux distribution, based on Debian. To find out more about DietPi, please visit the official documentation. Discuss the PINE A64 build on the PINE64 forum thread.

Download:

Default credentials

Default user

root/dietpi

FreedomBox

FreedomBox is a private server for non-experts: it lets you install and configure server applications with only a few clicks. For more information about FreedomBox, please visit http://www.freedombox.org.

Download:

Notes:

  • This is a headless build, not HDMI output.

  • Please plug-in Ethernet cable first before initial power up. After power up for 10 minutes, using browser and type in https://fredombox.local to setup. Browser may warms for unsecure site and please proceed with exception.

  • Freedom Manual: https://wiki.debian.org/FreedomBox/Manual

LibreELEC

LibreELEC is a "Just enough OS" Linux distribution combining the Kodi media center with an operating system.

Download:

  • 512MB PINE A64: direct download from Libreelec nightly build site (look for LibreELEC-A64.arm-…​-nightly-xxxxxxxx-xxxxxxx-pine64.img.gz)

  • 1GB/2GB PINE A64+ Board: direct download from Libreelec nightly build site (look for LibreELEC-A64.arm-…​-nightly-xxxxxxxx-xxxxxxx-pine64-plus.img.gz)

Notes:

  • Nightly build for microSD boot

motionEyeOS

motionEyeOS is a Linux distribution that turns a single-board computer into a video surveillance system. The OS is based on BuildRoot and uses motion as a backend and motionEye for the frontend. Visit the motionEyeOS GitHub and its GitHub Wiki for more information

Download:

Notes:

  • Suitable for 1GB/2GB PINE A64(+) variants

  • There are 2 ways to interact with the OS:

    • Scan for its IP with hostname MEYE-* and go to the admin web interface https://[PINE A64(+) motionEyeOS IP Address] and after login, you should able to see the output of the CAMERA MODULE on the web interface

    • Use the PINE64 USB SERIAL CONSOLE/PROGRAMMER and login

Default credentials

Default user

admin/-

NEMS Linux

NEMS stands for "Nagios Enterprise Monitoring Server" and it is a modern pre-configured, customized and ready-to-deploy Nagios Core image designed to run on low-cost micro computers. To find out more on NEMS Linux, please visit their site.

warning

Outdated release

Download:

Notes:

  • Suitable for all 512MB/1GB/2GB PINE A64(+) variants

Default credentials

Default user

nemsadmin/nemsadmin

openSUSE

openSUSE is a free and open source RPM-based Linux distribution developed by the openSUSE project. More details can be found under https://en.opensuse.org/HCL:Pine64.

Download:

OpenWRT

The OpenWrt Project is a Linux operating system targeting embedded devices.

Download:

  • Direct download (look for pine64_pine64-baseboard-ext4-sdcard.img.gz and pine64_pine64-baseboard-squashfs-sdcard.img.gz)

Notes:

  • OpenWRT community build for microSD boot.

  • This is headless build, please use serial console to configure

Default credentials

Default user

-/passwd

BSD

NetBSD

NetBSD is a free, fast, secure, and highly portable Unix-like Open Source operating system. To learn more about NetBSD please visit NetBSD main page.

Download:

Notes:

  • NetBSD community build for microSD boot

  • Instructions concerning enabling SSH can be found here

Default credentials

Root user and SSH

root/[none]

Windows 10 IoT

Download:

Notes:

Changelog for Win10 IoT 10.0.15063.0_20170602:

  • Update Notes since 10.0.15063.0_20170524:

    • Fix the failure of default application installation caused by a app certification issue

    • Fix that the default application cannot start automatically after installation

    • Fix Ethernet initialization problem and now the Ethernet will start successfully every time

    • Enable the usermode access for all unusable GPIO pins in Pi-2 bus( later provide a UWP sample to show how to control these pins )

  • Extra Notes:

Changelog for Win10 IoT 10.0.15063.0_20170524:

  • Some Updates:

    • Update the OS version to build v.10.0.15063.0 (Creators Update)

    • New page style of Device Portal, visit https://deviceipaddr:8080 to check it

    • Built-in Cortana assistant, need to be enabled in settings page in default app and Device Portal

    • Support on-screen keyboard, need to be enabled in Device Portal

    • Enable 100M Ethernet and fix some bugs

    • Support built-in UART bus in A64 SoC(not built in the ffu, later provide driver binary and deployment helper)

    • Support built-in IR module in A64 SoC(not built in the ffu, later provide source code and dev doc for developers in community)

  • Known Issues:

    • Kernel debug is enabled by default. This will slow the bring-up process. If a kernel debug is not necessary for you, visit Device Portal and navigate to Processes→Run Command page, run this command to disable: Bcdedit /store C:\EFIESP\EFI\Microsoft\boot\BCD /set {default} debug off

    • An PnP bug in audio device may cause a blue screen when acting software shutdown

    • Ethernet device may not start with problem code 12 at the first time to bring up

Linux BSP SDK

Linux BSP Kernel 4.9

  • Direct Download from pine64.org (5.4GB, MD5 of the TAR-GZip file 7736e3c4d50c021144d125cc4ee047a4)

Android SDK

Android Oreo (v8.1)

  • Direct Download from pine64.org (24.94GB, MD5 of the TAR-GZip file b0394af324c70ce28067e52cd7bc0c87)

Other resources

Below you will find useful links to various resources and forum threads:


Accessories

Under Accessories Step by Step Guides you can find instructions and guides pertaining to:

  • Enclosures
  • Bluetooth and WiFi module
  • Real Time Clock (RTC) battery
  • Real Time Clock (RTC) battery holder
  • First and third party cases
  • Featured 3D printed cases (and more).

Further information

Datasheets

Allwinner A64 SoC information:

X-Powers AXP803 PMU (Power Management Unit) information:

5MPixel CMOS Camera module information:

Early version Camera module information:

LCD Touch Screen Panel information:

Lithium Battery information:

Ethernet PHY information:

Wifi/BT module information:

Enclosure information:

Connector information:

Remote control button mapping:

Heat sinks

Overclocking requires heat sinks:

Position of the heat sinks

Other resources

Pine A64 POT

Schematics and certifications

Schematics and general files:

Board schematics:

Stereo audio DAC schematics:

Certifications:

  • Disclaimer: Please note that PINE64 SBC is not a “final” product and in general certification is not necessary. However, PINE64 still submit the SBC for FCC, CE, and ROHS certifications and obtain the certificates to prove that the SBC board can pass the testing. Please note, a final commercial product needs to perform its own testing and obtain its own certificate.
  • PINE A64 FCC Certificate
  • PINE A64 CE Certificate
  • PINE A64 RoHS Certificate

SoC and Memory Specification

The Pine A64 is based on the Allwinner A64.

CPU Architecture

  • Quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 Processor@1152Mhz
  • A power-efficient ARM v8 architecture
  • 64 and 32bit execution states for scalable high performance
  • Support NEON Advanced SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data) instruction for acceleration of media and signal processing function
  • Support Large Physical Address Extensions(LPAE)
  • VFPv4 Floating Point Unit
  • 32KB L1 Instruction cache and 32KB L1 Data cache
  • 512KB L2 cache

GPU Architecture

System Memory

  • RAM Memory Variants: 512MB, 1GB and 2GB DDR3.
  • Storage Memory: PINE A64 boards do not have built-in Flash memory but use bootable microSD Cards or USB attached storage.