Medical monitoring SBC runs Android on RK3288
Sep 8, 2017 — by Eric Brown 1,011 viewsWarp United has released a “SanStar WS-3A” SBC version of its Warp 3 Medical Recorder that runs Android 5.1 on a Rockchip RK3288, and offers dual displays.
Earlier this year, Shenzhen based Warp United made a splash with its Warp 3 Medical Recorder, an Android-based handheld point-of-care mobile device promoted as being like a Star Trek tricorder. Now, after receiving CE certification for the Warp 3, the company has launched a SanStar WS-3A medical motherboard that uses the same certified Warp 3 core technology, including a Rockchip RK3288 SoC.

SanStar WS-3A
(click image to enlarge)
The original Warp 3 comprises a 7-inch “Valkan 3 Tablet” that connects to a compact, wired “Urxa 3” ultrasound module. There’s also a Bluetooth-connected “Volans 3” vital signs module that can collect 6-channel ECG, pulse rate, SpO2, temperature, and blood pressure measurements. It is unclear if the SanStar WS-3A SBC supports the same two monitoring add-ons. Warp United makes no claims for this, and has not responded to our request for more information.

Warp 3 Medical Recorder with Valkan 3 Tablet surrounded by Volans 3 at left and Urxa 3 at right
(click image to enlarge)
“The goal is that engineers can connect their own modules to the motherboard,” says the SanStar WS-3A announcement. It goes on to say the SBC is intended “to create a broad ecosystem for the next generation medical device.” In addition: “R&D teams will only need to add their own signal processing or mechanical modules to one of the interfaces.”
The SanStar WS-3A is designed for “smart devices, medical imaging and communication with performance-intensive applications at the minimum R&D cost and pre-market time,” says the company. It can also be used as a “GUI controller for a variety of medical devices.”

SanStar WS-3A block diagram
(click image to enlarge)
Like the Warp 3 Medical Recorder, the SanStar WS-3A motherboard offers CE compliance, and provides additional “regulatory conformity” with ISO 13485:2003 (medical devices), several EN 60601-1 standards, and EN 60950-1. As with ProtoCentral’s HealthyPi Raspberry Pi HAT add-on for vital sign monitoring, however, there’s no FDA approval. The tablet-based Warp 3 version is therefore targeted at remote, rural, and mobile healthcare, and as “an adjunct to physical examination, mostly for primary care doctors to diagnose and rule-out a patient at the point of care, especially when they are far from any medical facilities.”

SanStar WS-3A details
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The 145 x 90mm SanStar WS-3A SBC runs Android 5.1 on the quad-core, Cortex-A17 RK3288, which is found on boards such as Aaeon’s Pico-ITX form factor RICO-3288. You can choose from various SKUs that combine different portions of RAM (up to 4GB) and eMMC flash (up to 32GB). A microSD slot is also onboard.
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The SanStar WS-3A is touted for offering dual simultaneous displays, or one display up to 4K. No display port details were provided, however. There’s also camera support, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, and a SIM slot that supports up to 4G LTE.
An isolated 10/100 Ethernet port is available, along with 8x USB, 2x serial, and four “custom I/O ports.” Audio I/O, 3x key interfaces, and an IR receiver are also available.
Partial specifications listed for the SanStar WS-3A include:
- Processor — Rockchip RK3288 (4x Cortex-A17 @ 1.8GHz); ARM Mali-T764 GPU
- Memory/storage:
- 2GB or 4GB DDR3 RAM
- 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB eMMC
- MicroSD slot for up to 32GB
- Display/multimedia:
- 2x independent displays or single 4K display (presumably 1x or 2x HDMI ports)
- Screen backlight control interface (possibly for LVDS)
- Supports USB/MIPI cam up to 13MP
- Wireless:
- 802.11a/b/g/n 2.5/5GHz
- Bluetooth 4.0 with remote control support
- SIM slot for optional LTE-TDD/LTE-FDD/TD-SCDMA/CDMA/EDGE/GPRS/GSM modules
- Networking — 10/100 Ethernet port (isolated)
- Other I/O:
- 7x USB host (most appear to be internal)
- Micro-USB OTG port
- 2x RS232 interfaces
- 4x custom I/O ports
- 3x custom key interfaces
- Audio I/O with mic support
- 12V fan interface
- Other features — IR receiver with remote control support; 3x LEDs
- Dimensions — 145 x 90 x 22mm
- Weight — 99.3 g
- Operating system — Android 5.1
Further information
The SanStar WS-3A is available now at an undisclosed price. More information may be found on Warp United’s SanStar WS-3A product page and announcement.
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