Radxa Zero RS102-D4E32H User manual
This guide is designed for new Radxa Zero user. In this guide, you can learn about the
basic of Radxa Zero as well as how to prepare the board for basic use. Radxa Zero
comes in different configurations and hardware revisions. As such, please make sure
you have a supported board before proceeding, as some information is only applicable
to a specific configuration. You can find the model and the hardware revision number on
the top side of the board, while the memory / eMMC size can be identified via part
number on the chip. You can learn how to identify those parts in here.
What you need
Required
•Radxa Zero main board
•Storage media:
oBuilt-in eMMC module, or
oA microSD card that is at least 8GB if your board doesn't have an
eMMC module. You can confirm this by checking if there is a big
chip soldered on the bottom side of the board.
For desktop usage we recommended at least 16GB, preferably
32GB.
•USB-C hub
oRadxa Zero comes with one USB 3.0 Type-C port, located on the
top side and is close to the center of the board. This port can be
expanded into multiple USB 3.0 Type-A ports as well as Ethernet.
No HDMI or DisplayPort Alternate Mode was implemented on this
port, so you won't get video output even if your USB-C hub has
those connectors.
•USB Keyboard and Mouse
oOnce a USB-C hub is connected, Radxa Zero can be controlled
with a full sized keyboard and mouse.
•Monitor and HDMI Cable
oRadxa Zero is equipped with a micro HDMI connector. A micro
HDMI (Type-D) to HDMI (Type-A) cable is required. HDMI capable
monitor/TV is recommended.
oHDMI EDID display data is used to determine the best display
resolution. On monitors and TVs that support 1080p (or 4K) this
resolution will be selected. If 1080p is not supported the next
available resolution reported by EDID will be used. This will work
with MOST but not all monitor/TVs.
•USB A to C or USB C to C cable
oThe USB cable is used for powering the Radxa Zero as well as
data transmission from your host PC to the Zero. Depending on
host PC's USB port, you may need USB A to C(host PC is USB-A)
or USB C to C(host PC is USB-C) cable.
•microSD Card Reader (required for configuration without built-in eMMC)
oFor flashing the image into microSD Card.
Optional
•Power supply
oYes, power supply is optional for Radxa Zero since the power
consumption is so low it can be powered directly from host PC's
USB port.
If you plan to use Zero independently from PC, you can use any 5V
USB power supply with at least 1A output.
If you do power the Zero from host PC's USB port, make sure it is
a USB 3.0 port so it can provide up to 900mA power. Old USB 2.0
port can only provide up to 500mA.
•USB to TTL serial cable
oThis is needed if you intend to use serial console.
•Zero back view
Specifications
Model
Radxa Zero 512MB/1GB
Radxa Zero 2GB/4GB
Processor
64bits quad core processor
Amlogic S905Y2
ARM G31 MP2 GPU, supporting OpenGL ES 3.2, Vulkan 1.0, and OpenCL
2.0.
Memory
LPDDR4
32bit LPDDR4@3200Mb/s
Storage
microSD card (microSD slot
supports up to 128 GB
microSD card)
on board 8GB eMMC(2GB ram model) or
16GB/32GB/64GB/128GB eMMC(4GB ram
model)
microSD card (microSD slot supports up to
128 GB microSD card)
Display
HDMI 2.0 up to 4K@60
Camera
None
Wireless
802.11 a/b/g/n (WiFi 4)
Bluetooth 4.0
with on board antenna
(optional external antenna)
802.11 ac (WiFi 5)
Bluetooth 5.0
with on board antenna (optional external
antenna)
USB
1 x USB 2.0 Type-C OTG & Power combo port
1 x USB 3.0 Type-C HOST
IO
40-pin expansion header
2 x UART
2 x SPI bus
3 x I2C bus
1 x PCM/I2S
1 x SPDIF
2 x PWM
1 x ADC
6 x GPIO
2 x 5V DC power in
2 x 3.3V DC power in
Others
One button for force USB boot or firmware upgrading
Power
USB-C, 5V/1A
Size
66mm x 30.5mm
Contents
[hide]
•1 What you need
o1.1 Required
o1.2 Optional
•2 Close look of Radxa Zero
•3 Specifications
•4 Starting the board for the first time
o4.1 Choose your storage option
o4.2 Write Image
o4.3 Boot
o4.4 Troubleshooting
Starting the board for the first
time
Radxa Zero can boot from either eMMC or microSD Card. However, for beginner it's
best to stick with your board's default storage, i.e. use eMMC when it is present, and
microSD when eMMC is not available. This avoids the need to update U-Boot
configuration to boot your chosen device, which can be challenging for the beginner.
Choose your storage option
•Flash image to eMMC
If you want to install another OS to eMMC, you will first need to erase the eMMC, then
you can install any supported Linux distros from our download page. You can also
follow this guide to reinstall Android to eMMC.
•Flash image to microSD card
Please follow the guide below.
Write Image
•Put the microSD card into your host computer.
•Download the flash tool, balenaEtcher, from Downloads, or directly from their
GitHub release. Choose the version that suits your host operation system. In
this guide we are using Ubuntu with Etcher 1.4.5. Later version can be
operated similarly.
•After unpacking the package, launch balenaEtcher with following command:
$ ./etcher-etcher-electron-1.4.5-x86_64.AppImage
If you get an error message No polkit authentication agent found you can try and
start it with sudo, but do know that this is running the tool as root.
•Click Select image to choose your system image.
•IClick Select Drive to select your microSD card. Please read your options
carefully, as you may lose precious data when choosing a wrong drive!
•To boot from eMMC, eject Radxa Zero from your host PC and unplug the
USB-C cable from host PC.
•Connect Radxa Zero to your display with the HDMI cable. Make sure the
display's input source is correctly set to your Radxa Zero.
•Connect the USB-C hub with keyboard and mouse to your Radxa Zero.
•Connect the power supply to your Radxa Zero. The board will boot
immediately.
Enjoy!
Troubleshooting
•Refer Troubleshooting page
•Post your issue on our forum
•Join our discord
This manual suits for next models
1
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