Firefly’s open-spec, $119-and-up “Core-3399Pro-JD4” module runs Linux or Android on a 3-TOPS NPU-enabled RK3399Pro. The module is available as part of a $199 and up “AIO-3399PRO-JD4” dev kit.

While we were reporting on the Rockchip RK3399-based Station P1 Geek Mini PC and Face X2 facial recognition device this week we noticed another Rockchip based product from T-Chip Technology’s Firefly unit that was announced in March. We have yet to see any press coverage of the Core-3399Pro-JD4 module, which runs Linux or Android on the RK3399Pro.

Core-3399Pro-JD4, front and back
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At 85 x 69.6mm, the Core-3399Pro-JD4 is slightly larger than the RK3399-based Core-3399J, which launched back in 2017 as the RK3399 Coreboard. It is much larger than last year’s RK3399-based, 69.6 × 55mm Core-3399-JD4, which adds a 2.8-TOPS Gyrfalcon Lightspeeur 2801S (or SPR2801S), an NPU that also appeared on the Orange Pi 4.

The RK3399Pro, which has also powered Radxa’s Rock Pi N10 and Vamrs’ VMARC RK3399Pro SoM Ficus2 SBCs, is essentially the same as the RK3399, but with a built-in 3-TOPS NPU. The NPU supports 8- and 16-bit operations as well as TensorFlow Lite and the Android NN API frameworks. It also supports import, mapping, and optimization of Caffe and TensorFlow models. Like the RK3399, the Pro has 2x up to 1.8GHz Cortex-A72 cores, 4x 1.42GHz Cortex-A53 cores, and a quad-core Mali-T864 GPU.

Core-3399Pro-JD4 detail view and with AIO-3399PRO-JD4 carrier
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The Core-3399Pro-JD4 is equipped with 3GB or 6GB of LPDDR3. The CPU is supported with 2GB or 4GB while the NPU gets 1GB or 2GB. The module, which also supplies 8GB to 128GB eMMC 5.1, sells for $119 with 3GB/16GB or $149 with 6GB/16GB.

Like the Core modules listed above, as well as this year’s RK1808-based Core-1808-JD4 AI Core Board, the Core-3399Pro-JD4 is available as part of an AIO branded dev kit, in this case the AIO-3399PRO-JD4. Both products ship with schematics, Ubuntu, Fedora, and Android images, and other resources.

The dev kit costs $199 or $259 in the two RAM/eMMC SKUs listed above. There is also a $300 basic package that adds a heat sink, a 64GB USB disc, and a USB/UART module. A $529 luxury package adds a 10.1-inch monitor, an HD camera, a 16GB microSD card, and 4G and U-blox GPS modules.

The 5V-powered Core-3399Pro-JD4 is further equipped with a PMU, a GbE controller, and a rich set of I/O’s expressed via a 260-pin gold finger connector. Highlights include 4K-ready HDMI 2.0 and DP 1.2, SPDIF and I2S audio, dual MIPI-CSI, and USB 3.0 Type-C.

AIO-3399PRO-JD4 detail view
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The AIO-3399PRO-JD4 carrier extends the module with a microSD slot plus GbE, HDMI 2.0, and USB 3.0 host/hub and OTG ports. Connectors are available for eDP, LVDS, and dual MIPI-CSI. For expansion you get a mini-PCIe slot for 4G and an M.2 M-key slot for NVMe storage.

The carrier board is further equipped with USB 2.0 host and hub connectors, dual audio jacks, digital audio headers, serial headers, SPI, debug, and an RTC. There’s also a 12V DC input jack and 5V and 3.3V outputs.

 
Further information

The Core-3399Pro-JD4 and AIO-3399PRO-JD4 are available starting at $119 and $199, respectively (see pricing above). More information may be found in Firefly’s announcement, as well as the shopping page for both and wiki for both. Other open source resources may be found here.