CuBoxandCuBox-iare series of small and fanlessnettop-class computers manufactured by the Israeli companySolidRunLtd. They are allcube-shapedand sized at approximately 2 × 2 × 2 inches (5 cm) and weigh 91 grams (0.2 lb, or 3.2 oz).[2]CuBox was first announced in December 2011 and began shipping in January 2012, initially being marketed as a cheap open-source developer platform forembedded systems.[1][3][4][5][6][7][8]
 i.MX6-based CuBox (2014) | |
| Common manufacturers | MarvellorFreescale Semiconductor |
|---|---|
| Design firm | SolidRun |
| Introduced | CuBox 11 December 2011[1] |
| Cost | 99euro(~US$135) |
| Type | Single-board computer |
| Processor | MarvellArmada 510ARMv7ori.MX6 |
| Frequency | From 800 MHz and upwards |
| Memory | From 1 GB and upwards |
| Coprocessor | VFPv3 (VFP/FPU) WMMX / WMMX2 SIMD vMeta Video Decoder VivanteGC600GPU Two XOR/DMA Engines and PDMA TrustZoneCESA PMU (Power Management Unit) |
| Ports | HDMI1.3 withCEC S/PDIF(optical output) 1000baseT Ethernet 2 × USB 2.0 host ports 1 ×eSATA(3 Gbit/sec) IrDA(InfraRed) receiver MicroUSB(console only) MicroSD slot (comes with 2 GB MicroSD SDXC, upgradable to 64 GB) |
| Power consumption | 3 W @ 5 V, 2 A DC |
| Weight | ~91 g |
| Dimensions | 55 × 55 × 42 mm |
The first-generation CuBox was according to SolidRun the first commercially available desktop computer based on theMarvellArmada 500-seriesSoC (System-on-Chip)and at the time was said to be the world's smallest desktop computer.[9]
In November 2013, SolidRun released the Cubox-i1, i2, i2eX, and i4Pro, containingi.MX6processors.[10][11]
Overview
editCuBox is a low-power computer based onARM-architectureCPU,using the Marvell Armada 510 (88AP510) SoC with an ARM v6/v7-compliant superscalar processor core,VivanteGC600OpenGL3.0 andOpenGL ES2.0 capable 2D/3Dgraphics processing unit,Marvell vMeta HD Video Decoder hardware engine, andTrustZonesecurity extensions,Cryptographic Engines and Security Accelerator(CESA) co-processor.[5][12]
Despite being about 2-inch-square in size, the platform can stream and decode1080pcontent, use desktop-class interfaces such asKDEorGNOMEunder Linux, while requiring less than 3 watts and less than 1 watt in standby.[13]
SolidRun currently officially only supportsLinux kernel2.6.x or later andAndroid2.2.x and later. It comes withUbuntu Desktop10.04 andAndroid2.2 dual-boot pre-installed.[1]
Newer models
editIn November 2013, SolidRun released a family of CuBox-i computers named CuBox-i1, i2, i2eX, and i4Pro, containing a range of differenti.MX6processors byFreescale Semiconductor.[10][11]
They have also released a series of caseless i.MX6 models called the Hummingboard.[14]
CuBoxTV
editAnnounced in December 2014, CuBoxTV is a mid-range and simplified version of the CuBox-i computer. It is designed to exclusively operateKODI(formerly known as XBMC) on anOpenELECoperating system.[15]
CuBoxTV weighs approximately 9.9 ounces (280 g), and is around 2X2 Inches wide and 1.8 inches high, shaped like a cube with rounded sides. It features ani.MX6Quad coreprocessor at a 1GHz speed, 1GB ofRAMmemory, 8GB base storage memory and a GC2000OpenGLquad shaderGPU.It houses a couple ofUSB2.0 ports, aHDMIport,microSDport and anEthernetport.[16]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^abc"CuBox Developer Platform Announcement".Archived fromthe originalon 2 February 2013.Retrieved10 January2012.CuBox Developer Platform Announcement
- ^http://www.cnx-software.com/2013/09/05/solidrun-announces-cubox-i-platform-with-freescale-i-mx6-for-as-low-as-45/SolidRun Announces Cubox-i Platform with Freescale i.MX6 for as low as $45.
- ^CuBox is a sexy, ice cube-sized ARM computerArchived8 January 2012 at theWayback Machine.
- ^CuBox – Ice Cube Sized ARM Computer.
- ^abAndroid-ready ARM mini-HTPC costs $130, uses just three Watts.
- ^Solid-Run CuBox: Open Source Platform for Android TV, Media Center and NAS Development.
- ^Move over Raspberry Pi: CuBox enters the fray with 1GB DDR3 RAM, dualcore CPU, HDMI, GBit LAN… all inside a cubed boxArchived10 January 2012 at theWayback Machine.
- ^Meet CuBox – A Tiny ARM Powered Media Centre Capable of Running Ubuntu.
- ^Solid-Run CuBox: World's Smallest HTPC (video).
- ^ab"CuBox-i Series Release".Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2014.Retrieved11 July2014.
- ^ab"CuBox-i Hardware".Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2014.Retrieved11 July2014.
- ^Marvell expands range of ARM SoCsArchived25 June 2016 at theWayback Machine.
- ^XBMC on SolidRun Platform named CuBoxonYouTube.
- ^"Hummingboard Release".Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2014.Retrieved11 July2014.
- ^Lehrbaum, Rick (20 December 2014)."Hands-on review: CuBoxTV running OpenELEC+Kodi and Android".LinuxGizmos.com.Retrieved4 June2015.
- ^"CuBoxTV Tech Specs".CuBoxTV.com.Archived fromthe originalon 2 June 2015.Retrieved4 June2015.