A tiny “Orange Pi R1 Plus” router board has launched for $22 with a quad -A53 Rockchip RK3328, 1GB DDR4, 2x GbE, USB 2.0 host and Type-C, microSD, and a 13-pin GPIO header.

Shenzhen Xunlong has updated its circa-2017 Orange Pi R1 mini-router SBC. The Orange Pi R1 Plus advances from a 1.2GHz, quad-core, Cortex-A7 Allwinner H2 (and later H2+) to a 1.5GHz, quad -A53 Rockchip RK3328. The dimensions have grown slightly to 57 x 56mm, and the price has grown even more from $14 to a low of $22 without heatsink or other options.

Orange Pi R1 Plus
(click images to enlarge)

The Orange Pi R1 Plus runs Android 9, Ubuntu, Debian, and OpenWrt on the RK3328. Shenzhen Xunlong has yet to produce a product page for this presumably open-spec SBC to fill in other details.

The board is very close in features and size to FriendlyElec’s RK3328-based NanoPi R2S. As can be seen in our catalog of 136 Linux hacker boards, there are only a few other community-backed boards that use the SoC such as Pine64’s Rock64. (We will be updating our SBC guide in the coming weeks.)

Orange Pi R1

Like the Orange Pi R1, the R1 Plus is a headless board except for the CVBS pin on the 13-pin GPIO. It similarly provides dual LAN ports but offers 10/100/1000Mbps GbE instead of 10/100Mbps “Fast” Ethernet.

The micro-USB OTG port has switched to a USB Type-C port, once again with power input. Shenzhen Xunlong has added a USB 2.0 host port, but if you want WiFi, that will be your only option — the previous wireless module has been removed.

The Orange Pi R1 Plus has removed the earlier, unpopulated 26-pin GPIO interface, which makes sense in this 40-pin era. The SBC continues to offer a 13-pin interface, but with the dual USB 2.0 and mic pins removed.

Orange Pi R1 Plus detail views
(click images to enlarge)

Amazon is selling the board with a 13-pin expansion board option, which appears to be the accessory available for the tiny, Allwinner based Orange Pi Zero boards. As noted by the CNXSoft post that alerted us to the product, the expansion add-on’s dual USB 2.0 host ports and microphone would appear to be deactivated based on the GPIO pinout. However, the CVBS/audio composite jack and IR receiver should work.


Orange Pi R1 Plus with expansion board and heatsink (left) and GPIO pinout
(click images to enlarge)

Amazon sells the SBC for $22 or $27.55 when you add the expansion board and a heatsink. A $27.95 bundle lacks those accessories but adds a Type-C cable, and a $30.55 SKU provides all three add-ons.

It is unclear if any of these accessories is available with the $25 AliExpress package, although they can be purchased individually there. AliExpress sells the expansion board for $2. When comparing prices, note that AliExpress adds $4.27 for shipping to the US while Amazon hits you up for $16.

Specifications listed for the Orange Pi R1 Plus include:

• Processor — Rockchip RK3328 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.5GHz); ARM Mali-450 MP2 GPU
• Memory/storage:
  • 1GB DDR4 (dual 512MB)
  • 16MB SPI flash
  • MicroSD slot
• Networking — 2x Gigabit Ethernet ports (1x Realtek RTL8211E, 1x RTL8153B)
• Other I/O:
  • USB 2.0 host port
  • USB Type-C port for 5V/2A power input and optional cable
  • Serial debug interface
  • Fan interface (5V)
  • 13-pin GPIO header (earphone, CVBS TV out, IR, UART, I2C, GPIO) with optional expansion board
• Other features — 2x LEDs; optional heatsink
• Power — 5V via Type-C or 2-pin header; reset button; RK805 PMU
• Dimensions — 57 x 56mm
• Weight — 30.5 g
• Operating systems — Android 9, Ubuntu, Debian, OpenWrt

 
Further information

The Orange Pi R1 Plus is available starting at $22 on Amazon and $25 on AliExpress. More details on accessories and shipping are mentioned above. More information should eventually appear on Shenzhen Xunlong’s Orange Pi website.