This is the documentation for ROCK Pi 4, written by Radxa Team with community contributions.
ROCK Pi 4 is a Rockchip RK3399 based SBC(Single Board Computer) by Radxa. It can run android or some Linux distributions. ROCK Pi 4 features a six core ARM processor, 64bit dual channel 3200Mb/s LPDDR4, up to 4K@60 HDMI, MIPI DSI, MIPI CSI, 3.5mm jack with mic, 802.11 ac WIFI, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Port, GbE LAN, 40-pin color expansion header, RTC. Also, ROCK Pi 4 supports USB PD and QC powering.
ROCK Pi 4 comes in two models, Model A and Model B, each model has 1GB, 2GB or 4GB ram options.
Class-Leading Performance
ROCK Pi has a modern and powerful hexa-core ARM based processor, RK3399 inside, it offers significantly improved performance versus other popular SBC boards. All models are equipped with LPDDR4 3200Mb/s RAM and optional high performance eMMC modules, boost all applications.
Maker Friendly, IoT Connectivity
ROCK Pi features maker friendly expansion options, including a 40-pin GPIO interface that allow for interfacing with a range inputs from buttons, switches, sensors, LEDs, and much more.
ROCK Pi also features a Gbit LAN for network, with dedicated bus and controller, it works without latency under heavy load network applications. On board 802.11 ac wifi offers 2.4G&5G WLAN connectivity. With Bluetooh 5.0, ROCK Pi benefits improved Bluetooth speed and greater range.
ROCK Pi also features one USB 3.0 host and one USB 3.0 OTG ports, each 5Gbps/s, working independently. The USB 3.0 OTG can work as USB device such as Android ADB or USB gadgets. A hardware switch is provided for OTG mode switch.
AI Capabilities
ROCK Pi supports mainstream AI stack with GPU acceleration. Further more, a dedicated hardware NPU accelerator coming up next for ROCK Pi will boosts complex Machine Learning algorithm and reduce the power.
Industrial standard MIPI CSI connector makes it easy to connect exsit cameras to ROCK Pi and ROCK Pi also supports industrial standard MIPI DSI for LCD and touch screen. With hardware accelerated algorithm, it’s great for Computer Vision application, Robotics and much more.
What you need
Necessary
1. ROCK Pi 4 main board
- ROCK Pi 4 Model A or Model B
2. One of the Storage media below:
- μSD card, larger than 8GB.
- eMMC Module , larger than 8GB with eMMC to μSD converter board.
3. Power supply
- The ROCK Pi 4 is powered by Type-C port and has a wide range of input voltage, from 9V to 21V. The Pi supports USB Type-C PD 2.0 with 9V/2A, 12V/2A, 15V/2A and 20V/2A. Besides, the Pi supports QC 3.0/2.0 with 9V/2A and 12V/1.5A.
- The Type-C cable you using needs to support data communication. We call it USB Type-C charging data cable.
4. USB Keyboard and Mouse
- With four USB-A connectors, ROCK Pi 4 can be equipped with a full sized keyboard and mouse.
5. Monitor and HDMI Cable
- ROCK Pi 4 is equipped with a full sized HDMI connector. HDMI capable monitor is recommended.
- HDMI EDID display data is used to determine the best display resolution. On monitors and TVs that support 1080p (or 4K) this resolution will be selected. If 1080p is not supported the next available resolution reported by EDID will be used. This selected mode will work with MOST but not all monitors/TVs.
6. USB to TTL serial cable
- ROCK Pi 4 exports a dedicated serial console, which can access the low level debug message.
7. USB Male A to Male A cable
- If you want write image on ROCK Pi 4 from USB OTG port or use fastboot/adb commands you need an USB Male A to Male A cable to connect ROCK Pi 4 and PC.
Optional
1. μSD Card Reader
- For flashing the image into μSD Card or eMMC Module.
2. USB type A to type A cable
- This is needed for fastboot/adb commands.
3. USB to TTL serial cable
- This is needed for serial console.
4. Ethernet cable
- ROCK Pi 4 supports Internet access via WIFI or Ethernet.
- An Ethernet cable is used to connect your ROCK Pi 4 to a local network and the Internet.
5. Camera Module
- ROCK Pi 4 supports camera function.
6.LCD Module
- ROCK Pi 4 supports LCD display function.
7. Audio cable
- Audio can be played through speaker or headphones using a standard 3.5mm jack.
Performance
CPU Performance
ROCK Pi features an ARM-based RK3399 SoC and is equipped with six cores to enhance multithread applicationperformance
GPU Performance
ROCK Pi’s GPU is based on the Mali'”-T86oMP4 GPU. It offers up 4 cores and a 6ooMHz clock speed. When compared to competitor SBC GPUs, ROCK Pi offers better GPU computingand GPU acceleration performance
IO Performance
ROCK Pi comes with multiple storage options and providing superior read and write performance on external storage drives, allowing quicker read and write speeds. This improves workflow, copying, backups and overall fle usage.
Downloads
General
- What’s the difference between Model A and Model B?
The model B has PoE header, 802.11ac wifi, bt 5.0 while the model A doesn’t have. The form factor is compatible.
Hardware
- How to mount M.2 SSD?
We have made a M.2 extended board to put the M.2 SSD on top of ROCK Pi4. It looks like this. See picture here and here.
- What M.2 SSD are supported?
SSD comes in different form factors, listed below
| Form Factor | Description |
| Mini PCIE | physical not compatible |
| M.2 B Key | physical not compatible |
| M.2 M Key | Most of M Key SSD on the market are NVMe protocol(PCIe x4 lanes), supported, few PCIe AHCI SSD is also supported. SATA protocol(nearly none) is not supported. |
| M.2 B&M Key | Some of B&M Key SSD are NVMe protocol(PCIe x2 lanes), supported. Some B&M Key SSD are SATA protocol, not supported. |
ROCK Pi 4 expose a M.2 M key connector, it’s compatible with NVMe or PCIe AHCI protocol. SATA protocol SSD are not supported. So far what we tested:
– Known working –
- Samsung EVO series(M key, NVMe), work well on ROCK Pi 4, fast speed
- KingSpec NVMe M.2 2280(M key, NVMe), works well
- MaxMemory NVMe M.2 128G(B&M key, NVMe), works well
- Western Digital WD Black 500GB M.2 2280 (model WDS500G2X0C, NVMe), works well on Debian Stretch
- Western Digital WD Blue WDS500G1B0C
- Sabrent Rocket NVMe PCIe M.2 2280 ssd 256GB, works perfectly in Ubuntu 18.04.2 server
- Intel 660P SSD
- Kingston KC1000 NVMe
- Integral 120GB M.2 2280 PCIE NVME INSSD120GM280N
– Known to have issues –
- Asgard 256GB (M key, NVMe) – Formatting fails with some FSs, performance degrades quickly, Formatting via USB and using on NVMe seems to work but reliability is questionable.
– Known not working –
- HP EX900(B&M Key, NVMe), detection failed on ROCK Pi 4, works with PC.
- WD Green M.2 2280 SSD 250GB, detected for formatting on usb3 but unable to read/write to SSD with MKFS.
- How to solve board heat issue?
We have made a giant heatsink at the bottom. You can check the picture 1 and 2.
- Can I use the Raspberry Pi Camera?
Yes. Currently the Raspberry Pi V2 camera, IMX219, 800Mp is supported. It works with Debian and Android. Please note that the camera is supported on Android tablet version only for now.
- Can I use the Raspberry Pi Display?
Yes. The touch and the LCD works on ROCK Pi 4. Both Debian and Android. Same as camera, touchscreen is supported on Android tablet version only.
- Can I use the Raspberry Pi PoE HAT for ROCK Pi model B?
No. The official Raspberry Pi PoE HAT is not mechanical compatible with ROCK Pi 4 model B, besides, the official Raspberry Pi PoE HAT can not provide enough power for ROCK Pi 4. We plan to release our own PoE HAT and make it compatible with Raspberry Pi 3B+.
- Is the GPIO on 40pin header 1.8V or 3.3V
The GPIO is 3.3V level
- Is there I2S on 40pin header?
The I2S signal is 12/35/36/38/40 pins of the header, which is the same as Tinker Board. It should be compatible with Raspberry Pi but we haven’t actually tested and DAC HAT.
- Can I power the RockPi 4 Model B using only the USB 3.0 OTG port?
No. Because with USB 3.0 OTG power from PC or power supply, the power might be not enough(the voltage is only 5V, so we need high current to meet power demand, not all USB type A are designed for big current) and it’s risky when flashing the firmware from USB3 OTG. So we just don’t design this feature. That’s why we support USB PD or QC on ROCK Pi 4, it can increase the voltage so the current is less or with the same current but gain more power.
- How much mA can i get from the USB 3 and 2 ports for charging or use a 2.5″ disk?
The upper USB3.0 OTG has one dedicated current limit control which is 1.45A. The rest USB 3.0 HOST and the two USB 2.0 HOST share a current limit control of 3A together.
OS
- Can I run Windows on ROCK Pi 4?
No.
- What Android verison running on ROCK Pi? Can I install Google Play apps?
Currently ROCK Pi 4 have two android 7.1 based images, Android TV interface image and Android tablet interface image. Both support Google Play Store. The Android tablet like version supports touchscreen and Camera and HDMI. The Android TV version supports HDMI. Newer Android 9 is working in progress now.
- Can I install Android on USB 3 or M.2 SSD?
Currently Android is running on eMMC and microSD card only. Running on USB3 or NVMe SSD is a little bit trouble some since the CPU can not load USB/NVME directly to boot. So we must put an external bootloader in SPI flash or eMMC or microSD card to loader the image in USB 3 or NVMe SSD. ROCK Pi 4 has reserved SPI flash on board but currently not mounted by default shipping. We are still considering it since if the program in SPI flash is corrupted, it will be trouble some for user since the SPI flash is not removable. We will work on Android running on USB 3 or NVMe SSD.
- Do you support Armbian?
We now have a preview release of Armbian image, you can download it from Rockpi4/downloads
