ZimaBoard Raspberry-Pi alternative – Versatile X86 single board all-rounder
13 July 2023According to official website of ZimaBoard. It is a low-cost single board server exclusively designed for makers and geeks. It has both the expandability of an x86 single-board computer (SBC), and the appropriate power of a micro server. manufacturer website states that it is a world’s first Hackable Single board server. Lauren is a general tinkerer who loves everything about robots, electronics, philosophy, and coding. Lauren has over ten years of experience as a team leader in open-source hardware. Solid knowledge in product design, management, and production. In 2020, Lauren created ZimaBoard.
The manufacturer IceWhale Tech offers three variants of the Zimaboard, whose designations are based on the memory equipment and are thus easy to remember.
- Zimaboard 216 – 2 GB RAM and 16 GB of eMMC storage.
- Zimaboard 432 – 4 GB RAM and 32 GB eMMC.
- Zimaboard 832 – 8 GB RAM and also 32 GB eMMC.
The connectivity is the same, but the CPU and memory configuration differ.
Features of Zimaboard
Each Zimaboard is equipped with an X86 Celeron CPU, the smallest model Zimaboard 216 with the dual-core N3350 CPU, the other two with the Quad Core N3450. All three have integrated Intel HD Graphics 500, which is clocked 50 MHz lower in the low spec model.
| Equipment/Model | Zimaboard 216 | Zimaboard 432 | Zimaboard 832 |
| Processor | Intel Celeron N3350, Dual Core | Intel Celeron N3450, Quad Core | Intel Celeron N3450, Quad Core |
| Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 500, 200 MHz base, 650 MHz burst | Intel HD Graphics 500, 200 MHz base, 700 MHz burst | Intel HD Graphics 500, 200 MHz base, 700 MHz burst |
| RAM | 2 GB | 4 GB | 8 GB |
| Onboard MMC memory | 16 GB | 32 GB | 32 GB |
| TDP/Power consumption | 6 W | ||
| Connections | 2x SATA 6.0 Gb/s, 2x GbE LAN (Realtek 8111H), 2x USB 3.0, 1x PCle 2.0 x4, 1x Mini-DisplayPort 1.2 (4k@60Hz), Power DC 12V 5.5 x 2.5mm | ||
| Features | Passive cooling; Virtualization: Intel VT-d, VT-x; Security: AES-NI; Transcoding: Support for 1080P videos, Decoding: H.264 (AVC), H.265 (HEVC), MPEG-2, VC-1 | ||
| Size & Weight | 138.7 x 81.4 x 34.9 mm; 278 g | ||
Pinouts of Zimaboard
In the above image you can see the Pinouts of Zimaboard.
Zimaboard Operating System
Zimaboard SBC supports different types of operating system. Such as –
- Windows – It can run on windows 10 IOT Core version which is primarily designed for devices which are related to Internet of Things are also known as IOT devices.
- Linux – it supports a range of Linux distributions, including Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, and Arch Linux. Kali Linux will work perfect on Zimaboard.
- Android – Zimaboard also support android operating system. It comes with pre-installed version of Android 8.1 image. which can be used as a platform for development of android applications or general purpose operating system.
- FreeBSD – It also compatible with FreeBSD operating system, which is a Unix-like operating system that can be used for server applications, networking, and security.
- Other Operating System –ZimaBoard is compatible with other operating systems, such as OpenBSD and NetBSD, which can be used for various server and networking applications.
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In general, the choice of operating system depends on the specific application and requirements of the project. Users can choose the operating system that best suits their needs and can install it on the ZimaBoard.
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Hey there, I’m Anshul Pal, a tech blogger and Computer Science graduate. I’m passionate about exploring tech-related topics and sharing the knowledge I’ve acquired. With two years of industry expertise in blogging and content writing, I’m also the co-founder of HVM Smart Solution. Thanks for reading my blog – Happy Learning!
