Cubieboard/FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

 * Who created Cubieboard and behind it?
 * Tom Cubie and some of his friends.


 * How can I tell how much RAM I have?
 * Look at the ID on the chips themselves? If there are two chips mounted on the board, and the description is 256X16 then 256Mbit x 16 = 512MB, so if it has two, then it has 1GB?


 * Is the processor Dual Core?
 * It's a Cortex-A8, therefore it's a single core.


 * What are the power specs for Cubieboard?
 * It requires a regulated 5VDC 2A power supply with a 4.0mm(ext. diameter)x1.7mm (int. diameter) barrel plug. The outside of the plug is ground.
 * If a SATA hard disk is not attached a 1A supply is most likely sufficient.


 * Does Cubieboard support SDHC?
 * Yes, SDHC is supported by all A10-based devices


 * Looks like there are two 3.5mm jacks. Are the HP out and Mic in?
 * Board markings says HP (headphones) on the top one and LineIn on the bottom one.


 * What software does Cubieboard come with?
 * There is a screen of an application that is run during production to verify the board.
 * Cubieboard is meant to customize and replace the default OS with whatever you need for your use the board. It is an open platform for you to meld into your liking.
 * All Linux distributions which support ARM can run on the cubieboard. It ships with an OS based on Buildroot to give you full control to tinker with every bit, but you also have the option to run some more mainstream OS like Fedora, Debian, Arch, Ubuntu or any other ARM Linux distribution. It also runs Android if you are interested in exploring that.
 * The new shipped cubieboard will have a ready to use android ics in NAND.


 * Is there a link to the original ~70MB image that I can download?
 * http://dl.cubieboard.org/


 * What are the serial port settings?
 * There is one USB-serial cable in the cubieboard package. The four color lines of the cable are: White, Black, Red, Green.
 * The definition of the lines are: RED +5v, BLACK gnd, GREEN rx, WHITE tx.
 * Connect the black one to GND pin on the board, GREEN one to RX pin, WHITE one to TX pin.
 * Don't connect the RED one if it's 5V, it may not break the board but you had better not do that.
 * The standard package doesn't contain the serial cable, the rich package contains the serial cable.


 * Is it possible to power the Cubieboard via USB?
 * Yes


 * Is it possible to connect a SSD drive on Cubieboard?
 * Yes


 * I notice there is an IR interface on Cubieboard. How do I use it?
 * Please refer to the A10 User Manual section 19 IR Interface, the driver is already in the kernel, an input device that can work with normal ir remote. IR test is one of the test of cubieboard before shipping.


 * What is the spacing between the contacts of the pin headers?
 * 2.0mm


 * Does cubieboard support sata port multipliers and what is the max limit of a sata hdd?
 * A10 does not support port multipliers. Storage limit is per SATA 2.0 specifications, 48 bit LBA addressing.or 128 PiB.
 * You'd need a sata cabinet that does raid itself. So the multiplier needs to emulate a single drive. The host system Cubiboard then sees only a single sata disk, with whatever capacity your chosen raid level gives you.


 * There is a SATA connector. What harddrives will work?
 * The onboard 5V SATA power connector is only for 2.5" HDD.
 * For 3.5" HDD usage you need a power supply that supplies 5v + 12v, and power the cubieboard from 5v and hdd from 5v + 12v.
 * The option of powering both separately from the same power supply is always possible.


 * OK, I have my Cubieboard now! Where is a good place to start?
 * CNXSoft has written a great Quick Start Guide here. Or you can search the Group Page and the Google+ Community