Introduction
The Mixtile Blade 3 is a low-cost, low-power SBC based on the next-generation Rockchip RK3588 CPU. It allows you to cluster numerous Mixtile Blade 3 SBCs to expand your deployment, making it ideal for quick development, AI application prototyping, and edge computing. Out-of-the-box, Mixtile Blade 3 is a stacking computer with an inbuilt PCIe Gen3 edge connector that enables the integration of many high-performance hardware platforms into a tiny form factor. That hardware, when combined, provides a network speed of up to 20 Gb/s and a memory bandwidth of up to 136 GB/s. A Mixtile Blade 3 cluster in a 19-inch 2U chassis can support up to 600 CPU cores and 1320 GHz of processing power while requiring less than 1500 W of power.
Package list
Key Component Specifications
The key component specifications are described below with relevant hardware information and developing notices. For more information, see Connectors and Pinouts in Blade 3 Introduction.
MicroSD Socket
The MicroSD socket accepts standard 11mm x 15mm Micro-SD cards with capacities upto64GBytes.The 4bits data interface supports the SDMMC3.0 protocol. While the default boot settingistheeMMC Flash which can change to the MicroSD card.
Mini-PCIe Socket
The mini-PCIe is a PCI card interface with a small form factor that uses a standard 52-pin mini-PCIe socket. It also contains a USB 2.0 interface. The mini-PCIe socket supports the module sizes of 3052.
The module supporting configuration, including power, reset, and interrupt signals, is under software control by Core 3588. Since each module needs specific configuration definitions, check the configuration setting before connecting the module.
USB Support
The mini-PCIe socket supports a standard USB 2.0 interface.
Dual 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet
The IEEE802.3 compliant Ethernet supports auto-negotiation of 10/100/1000/2500Mb half-duplex and full-duplex. The RGMII interface from the processor connects the 2.5GbE to an external PHY, RTL8125BG-CG. The RJ45 connector has some status and speed lights. The green light indicates that you are connected, and the flashing light indicates that data is being sent. The yellow light indicates 2500Mbps and is turned off for 10/100/1000Mbps.
Power Input
Power Delivery (PD)
USB1/PD Port of Blade 3 supports USB Power Delivery 2.0. A Power Delivery controller on-board allows for a maximum power input of 20V @ 3A.
12V DC
DC power inputs from a DC SATA power via U.2 port require 12V @ 3A.
Type-C Port
The Blade 3 features two USB Type-C ports. There is silkscreen on PCB to indicate two USB Type-C ports. “USB0/ADB” Type-C port which is near the HDMI port supports USB-OTG, so it could be used for ADB debugging and firmware update.
“USB1/PD” Type-C port which is near the edge of board supports USB PD 2.0 for power input, but it can not support USB-OTG.
Both ports can support USB host as well as DisplayPort via USB Type-C. DisplayPort over USB Type-C enables the USB Type-C connector and cable to offer audio/video (AV) transfer via the DisplayPort interface. It supports DisplayPort 1.4 and has a maximum resolution of 7680×4320@30Hz.
Display Support
The video output processor supports the resolution from 1920×1080@60Hz to 7680×4320@60Hz. The default main display is HDMI.
HDMI-OUT
HDMI display compliant HDMI 1.4 and HDMI 2.1 with HDCP 2.3. It supports up to 1920×1080@120Hz and 7680×4320@60Hz/3840×2160@120Hz resolution.
HDMI-IN
HDMI input compliant HDMI 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 with HDCP 2.3. It supports input source up to 1920×1080@120Hz and 3840×2160@60Hz resolution.
U.2 Connector
The U.2 interface employs a 68-pin U.2 connector with a standard SATA signal, a SATA 3.0 signal, a PCIe 3.0 X4 signal (four lanes PCIe 3.0), and 12V power input.
LEDs and Dip Switch
The power LED indicate the status of the power supply. There is one SPST four-position dip switch that can be used to determine the system booting mode of the Blade 3 board. Only one position can be turned to ON at a time; please keep in mind that you cannot switch two positions to ON at the same time.
- When position 1 is turned to ON, the Blade 3 will boot from eMMC.
- When position 2 is turned to ON, the Blade 3 will boot from the MicroSD card.
- When position 3 is turned to ON, the Blade 3 will boot from SPI Flash.
- When position 4 is turned to ON, Blade 3 enters MaskROM mode for firmware development.
Note:
When none of the four positions of the dip switch are ON, the CPU will automatically search for available boot media. The search order is EMMC -> SD Card -> MaskROM Mode. If there is a system in the boot media, it will be loaded and started.
