5 Reasons Why You Should Choose ROCK SBCs in 2023 (webinar)

Q: How easy is it to customise the ROCK and change memory types and connectivity? What kind of commitments would I need to make?

A: Our range of ROCK products comes in a wide variety of memory sizes. However, if our off-the-shelf boards do not meet your specific design requirements, our team of technical experts can support you in our customisation journey. We can discuss your particular requirements and provide the best possible solution to suit your needs. Every customisation request needs to be technically evaluated. Also, a Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) will be considered for the customisation of the boards to be cost-efficient.

Q: RS have been pushing the 3A as an alternative to the Pi to us, but it’s still twice the price, doesn’t boot from USB, and apparently doesn’t fit into a Pi case (of which I currently have a lot of stock…..)
Are you planning to address these issues?

A: Raspberry Pi and ROCK boards share some similarities in some instances, and ROCK is a great Raspberry Pi alternative. However, they are different products. The ROCK 4C+ from our Flagship range, for example, is one example that is the most compatible mechanically in terms of form factor compatibility. We at OKdo do our best to keep our ROCK board in a friendly form factor, to allow our customers to be able to use the product we bring to the market in some ecosystems that have originally been developed for Raspberry Pi boards. A great solution we can offer is our customisation service, where we can work together to adjust the mechanical specs of the boards on demand to help suit your requirements. Regarding the price of our ROCK boards, we work hard as a team to ensure that our products are as competitively priced as possible whilst adding new advanced capabilities to the platforms.

Q: I have been trying ROCK 4C+ for a while on Debian. Looking for Ubuntu desktop. When will it be available to download via the website? Thank you.

A: We are working on it as we speak. You will soon be able to access a software downloads page on our website. Stay tuned.

Q: Can the ROCK range be run from a 12/24v DC supply?

A: It is depending on the board. The ROCK 4SE is able to.

Q: One reason Raspberry Pi is so successful is because they enable a large active community. Does ROCK have any strategy to cater for an active community? 

A: Yes, we do! For the last couple of months, we’ve been focusing on building a space for our community to connect. So we’ve partnered with DesignSpark and Wevolver to bring the OKdo ROCK community to life. Being part of the RS Group, we’ve leveraged our relationship with DesignSpark to connect with its 1.2 million active customers and engineers and help build an ecosystem on ROCK. We are passionate about technology, and we’d like to invite all like-minded people to be an active member of our communities. Together we can build the future. 

Q: For vending machines, which are the boards or professional internet routers powered by ROCK available?

A: It depends on the application, the available space and the environment. However, any of the boards would be a good fit for a standard application. Most of our boards support the 4K output, which is a key feature for this kind of application. The eMMC modules are another great feature because of the robustness of the memory. There is a high risk of corruption when using SD cards vs eMMC modules. So, all our boards beginning with ROCK 3A upwards will be suitable for this application.

Q: The PLC, Programmable Automation Controller (PLCs that don’t want to be called that), and Industrial PC (IPC) makers have been pretty successful in planting the notion that (way less expensive) Rasp PI isn’t an industrial grade solution.

You’ve used the term ‘Industry grade’ several times.

Can you address that, please?

A: We’re working hard to ensure that our platforms have got the right parameters that our customers need for industrial applications. That includes the temperature range, the chip themselves, as well as other components of the board. Although our boards are not fully industrially rated, we have the capability to make them industrially rated for our customers who have that requirement. It is becoming a bigger priority for OKdo to be able to provide industrial solutions off the shelf, and we’re looking at industrialising the compute module strategy that we have on ROCK. When it comes to the industrial terminology and industrial grade, there are a few different interpretations depending on if you’re talking about the chipset or a final end product. To make sure that we can advise which board is suitable for your specific environment, please reach out to sales@okdo.com.

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Q: Board description says:
“Operating temperature 0°C to 80°C”
Can I use these boards in outdoor projects, and/or in a car?

A: We think that this may be referring to the SoC operating temperature. In other words, the maximum temperature that the SoC silicon can be working under before it stops losing processing performance. Most of the boards are rated from 0 to 50C. Please refer to the particular data brief for more information or get in touch with our tech support for more details.

Q: How do I get samples of the products to test?

A: The best option is to contact OKdo and speak to a sales representative about your project for support. Get in touch here.

Q: Will a desktop ubuntu distribution will be able in the future?

A: Yes! We are working on it as we speak.

Q: I am in communication with RS directly, but not sure that is the best channel?

A: The best option is to contact OKdo and speak to a sales representative about your project for support. Get in touch here.

Q: What’s next in the product range?

A: We are working on improving and augmenting the ROCK 5 line with the ROCK 5A, the ROCK 3 line with a more industrial CM3 module, a CM3 SODIMM solution, and we are onboarding more accessories.

Q: Reliability is very important to us. Does the ROCK platform have any advantages in this area over the Pi?

A: Our product reliability is paramount to us. Consequently, we follow strong defined processes for our supply chain, manufacturing, testing, approvals and storage that helps to achieve the highest reliability for our products. 

Q: Can you work with customers to build HATs instead of customizing the board, and are there any benefits to this?

A: The short answer is yes, we do, and we want to accelerate our ecosystem partnerships around the HAT strategy because it means that we can partner up to grow the ecosystem and offer a broader range of off-the-shelf applications that will answer a lot of the questions our customers are looking for. So this is definitely something that we want to explore further.

Q: How do I get samples and your provisioning programs for the CM3 IO modules?

A: The best option is to contact OKdo and speak to a sales representative about your project for support. Get in touch here.

Q: Can you offer bespoke kits or bundling for us for ROCK boards and use different accessories for different uses?

A: Sure, we can help with kitting services and bundles. The best option is to contact OKdo and speak to a sales representative about your project for support. Get in touch here.

Q: What is the Availability of this Board? Many vendors have had lots of problems getting supply. Why not you?

A: Our strategic partnership with such brands as Rockchip and Radxa has allowed us to ensure long-term availability of ROCK boards. We are excited to be able to support our customers and our community with an off-the-shelf offering of ROCK SBCs, SoMs and accessories, as well as our customisation solution, where we gladly offer our design service to those customers who aim to scale their production and require a large volume of customised boards that would allow them to progress their application forward. 

Q: The only concern I’ve had so far is the Android versions available and the lack of Google Cert. As the digital signage market is primarily Android-led, will we be seeing an ‘OKdo’ build designed around that?

A: The customer chooses the OS to run on the board. Consequently, the Google Device Registration, at the moment, is the customer’s obligation. Please find details on how to register here.

Q: What operating system will be available? In 4bit too?

A: The current official OS support is Android, Debian and Ubuntu server. In addition, third-party OS is compatible.