A13-OLinuXino-MICRO
Open-source single-board
mini-computer
USER’S MANUAL
Document revision B, June 2015
Designed by OLIMEX Ltd, 2013
All boards produced by Olimex LTD are ROHS compliant
OLIMEX© 2015
A13-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual
DISCLAIMER
© 2015 Olimex Ltd. Olimex®, logo and combinations thereof, are registered trademarks of Olimex
Ltd. Other product names may be trademarks of others and the rights belong to their respective
owners.
The information in this document is provided in connection with Olimex products. No license,
express or implied or otherwise, to any intellectual property right is granted by this document or in
connection with the sale of Olimex products.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
To view a copy of this license, visit
http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/.
This hardware design by Olimex LTD is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-
ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The software is released under GPL.
It is possible that the pictures in this manual differ from the latest revision of the board.
The product described in this document is subject to continuous development and improvements.
All particulars of the product and its use contained in this document are given by OLIMEX in good
faith. However all warranties implied or expressed including but not limited to implied warranties
of merchantability or fitness for purpose are excluded. This document is intended only to assist the
reader in the use of the product. OLIMEX Ltd. shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising
from the use of any information in this document or any error or omission in such information or
any incorrect use of the product.
This evaluation board/kit is intended for use for engineering development, demonstration, or
evaluation purposes only and is not considered by OLIMEX to be a finished end-product fit for
general consumer use. Persons handling the product must have electronics training and observe
good engineering practice standards. As such, the goods being provided are not intended to be
complete in terms of required design-, marketing-, and/or manufacturing-related protective
considerations, including product safety and environmental measures typically found in end
products that incorporate such semiconductor components or circuit boards.
Olimex currently deals with a variety of customers for products, and therefore our arrangement with
the user is not exclusive. Olimex assumes no liability for applications assistance, customer product
design, software performance, or infringement of patents or services described herein.
THERE IS NO WARRANTY FOR THE DESIGN MATERIALS AND THE COMPONENTS
USED TO CREATE A13-OLINUXINO-MICRO. THEY ARE CONSIDERED SUITABLE
ONLY FOR A13-OLINUXINO-MICRO.
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OLIMEX© 2015
A13-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual
Table of Contents
DISCLAIMER............................................................................................................. 2
CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW........................................................................................5
1. Introduction to the chapter.......................................................................................................5
1.1 Features.....................................................................................................................................5
1.2 Target market and purpose of the board...............................................................................5
1.3 Board variants..........................................................................................................................6
1.4 Organization.............................................................................................................................6
CHAPTER 2: SETTING UP THE OLINUXINO BOARD.....................................7
2. Introduction to the chapter.......................................................................................................7
2.1 Electrostatic warning...............................................................................................................7
2.2 Requirements........................................................................................................................... 7
2.3 Powering the board..................................................................................................................8
2.4 Prebuilt software......................................................................................................................9
2.5 Software instructions and available SD card images........................................................... 9
CHAPTER 3: A13-OLinuXino-MICRO BOARD DESCRIPTION.....................10
3. Introduction to the chapter.....................................................................................................10
3.1 Layout (top view)...................................................................................................................10
CHAPTER 4: THE ALLWINNER A13 MICROCONTROLLER....................... 11
4. Introduction to the chapter..................................................................................................... 11
4.1 The microcontroller............................................................................................................... 11
4.2 Block diagram........................................................................................................................ 13
CHAPTER 5: CONTROL CIRCUITY................................................................... 14
5. Introduction to the chapter.....................................................................................................14
5.1 Reset........................................................................................................................................14
5.2 Clock....................................................................................................................................... 14
5.3 Power supply circuit.............................................................................................................. 14
CHAPTER 6: CONNECTORS AND PINOUT......................................................15
6. Introduction to the chapter.....................................................................................................15
6.1 Communication with the A13............................................................................................... 15
6.1.1 USB communication.....................................................................................................................................15
6.1.2 UART1 interface...........................................................................................................................................15
6.2 SD/MMC slot..........................................................................................................................16
6.3 UEXT module.........................................................................................................................17
6.4 GPIO-1 (General Purpose Input/Output) 10pin connector...............................................18
6.5 GPIO-2 (General Purpose Input/Output) 40pin connector...............................................19
6.6 LCD_CON 40pin connector..................................................................................................20
6.7 PWR Jack...............................................................................................................................21
6.8 Headphones and microphone connector..............................................................................21
6.9 VGA video connector.............................................................................................................22
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OLIMEX© 2015
A13-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual
6.10 Jumper description..............................................................................................................22
6.10.1 1.2V_E, 1.5V_E, 3.3V_E............................................................................................................................22
6.10.2 HOST_EN...................................................................................................................................................22
6.11 Additional hardware components.......................................................................................23
CHAPTER 7: SCHEMATICS..................................................................................24
7. Introduction to the chapter.....................................................................................................24
7.1 Eagle schematic......................................................................................................................24
7.2 Physical dimensions...............................................................................................................26
CHAPTER 8: REVISION HISTORY AND SUPPORT........................................ 27
8. Introduction to the chapter.....................................................................................................27
8.1 Document revision................................................................................................................. 27
8.2 Board revision........................................................................................................................ 27
8.3 Useful web links and purchase codes...................................................................................28
8.4 Product support..................................................................................................................... 29
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OLIMEX© 2015
A13-OLinuXino-MICRO user's manual
CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW
1. Introduction to the chapter
Thank you for choosing the OLinuXino single board computer from Olimex! This document
provides a user’s guide for the Olimex OLinuXino board. As an overview, this chapter gives the
scope of this document and lists the board’s features. The document’s organization is then detailed.
The OLinuXino development board enables code development of applications running on the
microcontroller A13, manufactured by Allwinner Technology from China.
OLinuXino is an open-source, open-hardware project and all documentation is available to the
customer.
1.1 Features
A13 Cortex A8 processor at 1GHz, 3D Mali400 GPU
256 MB RAM (128Mbit x 16)
5VDC input power supply, noise immune design
1 USB Host
1 USB OTG which can power the board
SD-card connector for booting Linux or Android image
VGA video output – 800×600 maximum resolution
LCD signals available on connector so you still can use LCD if you disable VGA/HDMI
Audio output
Microphone input pads (no connector)
1 User key
4 Mount holes
UEXT connector for connecting additional UEXT modules like Zigbee, Bluetooth, relays,
etc
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GPIO connector with 68/74 pins and these signals : 17 for adding NAND flash; 22 for
connecting LCDs; 20+4 including 8 GPIOs which can be input, output, interrupt sources; 3x
I2C; 2x UARTs; SDIO2 for connectinf SDcards and modules; 5 system pins: +5V, +3.3V,
GND, RESET, NMI
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(Optional low cost 7" or 4.8'' LCD with/without touchscreen)
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1.2 Target market and purpose of the board
The boards from the OLinuXino family are powerful and easy to setup. They are suitable for
embedded programming enthusiasts, Linux and Android gadget fans and also professionals (since
its low cost makes it very good solution for application orientated embedded systems). The main
usage of the board is software embedded development without the urge of understanding perfectly
the hardware.
The strong points of the boards are the processor speed, the mobility of the board and the low ratio
price to productivity.
A13-OLinuXino-MICRO aims at the lowest possible cost while maintaining the key OLinuXino
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