Geniatech’s “RK3568 Developer Board (K3-3568)” SBC builds on the quad -A55 SoC with up to 8GB DDR4, 2x GbE, HDMI in and out, MIPI-DSI and -CSI, a mic array, M.2, mini-PCIe, and a DVB-T2 tuner. A recent DB3568 version offers even more features.

Last February, Geniatech announced a RK3568 Development Board and RK3566 Development Board, which is identical except for using a slightly less I/O capable RK3566 instead of the RK3568. We were confused when Geniatech sent us a link to a new RK3568 Developer Board, until we realized it was a different model called the K3-3568. We then saw that our old RK3568 Developer Board product page link had changed to yet another design called the DB3568, which differed from the larger board we covered in that report, which is now used only for the RK3566 Developer Board. Here we look at the two RK3568-based models.

RK3568 Developer Board K3-3568 (left) and DB3568
(click images to enlarge)

The new, 142 x 118mm RK3568 Development Board K3-3568 model is a feature-reduced version of the larger, 180 x 130mm DB3568. The one exception is an 8GB RAM option that is not listed for the DB3568. Both boards support Linux and Android. They are designed primarily for commercial display equipment, but also support security, industrial control, and other applications.

Like the Rockchip RK3566 SoC, the RK3568 supplies 4x Cortex-A55 cores, which are here downclocked to 1.5GHz instead of the maximum 2.0GHz. Both SoCs are equipped with a Mali-G52 EE GPU and offer an 8MP ISP with HDR support. There is support for 4Kp60 decode and 1080p60 encode. They also integrate a 0.8-TOPS NPU. The RK3568 differs in its greater PCIe support, dual GbE support, and more extensive I/Os.

RK3566 Development Board
(click image to enlarge)

Here are some comparisons between the two RK3568 boards and the RK3566 model. Alternatively, you can skip down to the joint SBC list for both RK3568 SBCs, which indicate differences.

Like the RK3566 Developer Board, the two RK3568 boards provide an RF Tuner, but in this case, you get standard DVB-T2/ISDB-T/DTMB/ATSC support instead of ATSC support with options for the other protocols. The two RK3568 Development Boards offer a second RJ45 GbE port instead of a single port that could be split off into two separate GbE ports if equipped with an RK3568 instead of an RK3566. The RJ3568 boards lack the PoE option, however.

The RK3568 models provide M.2 with PCIe 3.0 for storage and 5G support, as well as a mini-PCIe slot for 4G. By comparison, the RK3566 board supplies a similar M.2 slot along with a homegrown “GTIoT” interface (presumably a modified mini-PCIe slot) for Z-Wave, ZigBee, LoRa, GPS, WiFi, BT 5.0, or LTE.

Both RK3568 boards top out at up to 64GB eMMC instead of 128GB eMMC on the RK3566 board. Only the DB3568 model has the SATA interface of the RK3566 model.

RK3568 Developer Board K3-3568 detail view
(click image to enlarge)

Like the RK3566 board, the RK3568 models offer HDMI in and out, although the HDMI input is optional on the new K3-3568. The detail view for the K3-3568 also shows LVDS and eDP connectors, which are listed for the RK3566 SBC but appear in neither RK3568 spec list. It appears the DB3568 has the same interfaces.

Unlike the RK3566 SBC, the boards provide MIPI-DSI and they similarly offer MIPI-CSI for up to 18MP cameras. The RK3568 boards supply the same mic array, mic input, and SPDIF audio as the RK3566 board, and they also add a dual speaker interface.

The earlier DB3568 model offers 2x USB 3.0 ports and 2x USB 2.0 ports instead of 1x for each on the new K3-3568 and the RK3566 model. In addition to the USB 2.0 port offered by all the products, the DB3568 also supplies 3x USB 2.0 headers compared to none on the K3-3568 and 1x on the RK3566 model. They both lack the Type-C port found on the RK3566 SBC.

Like the RK3566 board, the DB3568 gives you 3x UARTs instead of a single UART on the new K3-3568. The DB3568 offers a 40-pin GPIO interface like the RK3566 board while the K3-3568 does not. The boards appear to lack the RTC and watchdog of the RK3566 SBC.

Specifications listed for the RK3568 Development Board K3-3568 (new) and DB3568 (earlier)
include:

• Processor — Rockchip RK3568 (4x Cortex-A55 @ up to 1.5GHz); Mali-G52 GPU; 0.8-TOPS NPU
• Memory/storage:
  • 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB (K3-3568 only) LPDDR4
  • 16 to 64GB eMMC 5.1
  • MicroSD slot
  • SATA III interface (DB3568 model only)
  • Storage available via M.2 (see expansion below)
• Networking:
  • 2x GbE ports
  • 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (or optional 802.11ax) with optional Bluetooth 5.0
  • RF tuner input with DVB-T2/ISDB-T/DTMB/ATSC
  • 5G and 4G available via M.2 and mini-PCIe (see expansion)
• Media I/O:
  • HDMI out port
  • HDMI in connector at up to 4Kp30 for PIP function (optional on K3-3568)
  • eDP 1.3
  • LVDS
  • 4-lane MIPI-DSI
  • MIPI-CSI
  • SPDIF audio
  • 2x 8W speaker interfaces
  • Mic input
  • Mic matrix with noise reduction
• Other I/O:
  • USB 3.0 host port (2x USB 3.0 ports on DB3568)
  • USB 2.0 host port (2x USB 2.0 ports on DB3568)
  • 3x USB 2.0 headers (DB3568 only)
  • UART (3x UARTs on DB3568)
• Expansion:
  • 40-pin GPIO connector (DB3568 only)
  • M.2 slot with PCIe 3.0, SSD, and 5G support
  • Mini-PCIe slot for 4G
  • SIM card slot (listed for DB3568 only)
• Power — 12V/2A input jack
• Dimensions — 142 x 118mm (K3-3568); 180 x 130mm (DB3568)
• Operating system — Open source SDK with Android 11 or Linux

 
Further information

Geniatech’s ARM Embedded Developer Board page shows the earlier DB3568 version of the RK3568 Developer Board but does not yet point to the new K3-3568 version of the RK3568 Developer Board page. No pricing was listed.