
ASUS Tinker Board
Web ID: 21563
Tinker board is a single-board computer in an ultra-small form factor that offers class-leading performance while leveraging outstanding mechanical compatibility. The tinker board offers makers, IoT enthusiasts, hobbyists, PC DIY enthusiasts and others a reliable and extremely capable platform for building and tinkering ideas into reality. ONLY WHILE STOCKS LAST!
Manufacturer Warranty: 1 Year
Manufacturer PN: TINKER
GTIN: 889349552872
Manufacturer Website
tinker your way to the future

Tinker board is a single-board computer in an ultra-small form factor that offers class-leading performance while leveraging outstanding mechanical compatibility. The tinker board offers makers, IoT enthusiasts, hobbyists, PC DIY enthusiasts and others a reliable and extremely capable platform for building and tinkering ideas into reality.

Micro USB
power-in
HDMI
MIPI CSI
192K/24bit
HD Audio
GbE LAN
PWM
S/PDIF
MIPI DSI
Upgradable i-PEX antenna header
802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi &
Bluetooth 4.0 + EDR
40-pins GPIO header
USB 2.0 Ports
Features & Functionality
Class Leading Performance
Using a powerful and modern quad-core ARM-based processor, the Rockchip RK3288, tinker board offers significantly improved performance, versus other popular SBC boards. Realizing the growing demands of different builds and projects, the tinker board features up to 2GB of LPDDR3 dual-channel memory. Tinker board is also equipped with an SDIO 3.0 interface that offers significantly faster read and write speeds to expandable microSD cards used for the OS, applications and file storage.


Robust GPU Performance & Functionality
Featuring a powerful but energy-efficient design, the tinker board supports next-generation graphics and GPU Compute API's. Powered by an ARM-based Mali T764 GPU, the tinker board's GPU and fixed function processors allow for a wide range of uses, including high-quality media playback, gaming, computer vision, gesture recognition, image stabilization and processing, as well as computational photography and more. Multimedia enthusiasts will appreciate the fixed-function H.264 and H.265 playback support, including playback of HD and UHD video*.
*HD & UHD video playback at 30 fps is currently only possible via the Rockchip video player, which is limited to support under TinkerOS. Currently, third-party video players and applications may not offer hardware acceleration and may likewise offer limited playback performance and/or stability. Please refer to the FAQs for more information.
HD Audio Quality
Further improving on key areas found lacking on many SBC boards, tinker board is equipped with an HD codec that supports up to 192kHz/24-bit audio. The audio jack can support both audio output and a microphone in, without an extension module
Maker-Friendly, with IoT Connectivity
Tinker board features standard maker and hobbyist connectivity options, including a 40-pin GPIO interface. Additionally, it comes equipped with two HD MIPI connections allowing for HD displays and HD cameras. For those interested in network centric or LAN storage they will appreciate that Tinker board features Gbit LAN, which offers superior throughput when compared to traditional 10/100 Ethernet controllers. Furthermore, tinker board's LAN port offers a non-shared bus design which helps to maximize and stabilize throughput, ensuring outstanding concurrent LAN and other onboard bus performance. Tinker board's network connectivity is aided by the inclusion of an integrated shield Wi-Fi and Bluetooth controller, which ensures a reduction in interference and improved radio performance. Enthusiasts will also appreciate the IPEX antenna header that allows for upgrades to the onboard antenna.
Rounding out its connection options, tinker board also features a full-size HDMI output for connection to TVs, monitors and other HDMI-enabled displays, as well as four USB 2.0 ports for extensive peripheral and accessory connectivity.
Enhanced DIY Design
Careful consideration went into the design and development of the tinker board to provide a superior end user experience for first-time builders or experienced hobbyists. Makers will appreciate the improved visibility and clarity of the color-coded GPIO header that allows for quick and easy recognition of respective pin headers. The tinker board's PCB dimensions and topology also mirror standard SBC boards that allow support for a wide range of chassis and physical accessories.
The PCB also features silk-screening with connection header and location callouts, for improved connection clarity. Onboard MIPI headers also feature contrasting colored pull tabs. Tinker board also includes a heatsink, which helps improve heat dissipation under heavy loading or in hot ambient environments.
Documentation
Getting started
Requirement:
.1 x Micro SD card with at least 8GB capacity
.1 x Micro USB cable and a 5V/2~2.5A USB power adapter with LPS marking
.1 x Monitor with HDMI cable
.1 x Keyboard and Mouse set
Note: To enhance the system stability, using high-speed SD card (Class 10 or above) is highly recommended.
- For Linux
- For Windows
1. Insert the microSD card into a Linux PC.
2. Rename the image to output.img and then put the file into the FlashUSB folder.
3. Execute FlashUSB.sh
===============================================
Select the disk you want to flash:
sdc -Multiple_Flash_Reader_058F63616476-0:1
sdb -Generic-_Compact_Flash_058F63616476-0:0
Enter the number:0
dd if=/home/yihsin/Rockchip/aa7-demo/out/target/output.img of=/dev/sdc seek=0 bs=16M conv=notrunc
flash start!
flash end!
===============================================
Insert the microSD card into the slot on the tinker board.
Connect the power supply, keyboard, mouse and your monitor. Now boot it up!
TinkerOS
A Debian-based distribution ensures a smooth and functional experience, directly out of the box. Whether it's browsing the web, watching videos, or writing scripts, TinkerOS is a great starting point for your next project or build.
Hardware
- Power Supply
- USB
- GPIO
One powerful feature of the tinker board is the row of available GPIO (general purpose input/output) pins along the edge of the board. These pins are a physical interface between the tinker board and the outside world. At the simplest level, you can think of them as switches that can be turned on or off. Of the 40 pins, 28 are GPIO pins (shared with SPI/UART/I2C pins). The tinker board is equipped with one SPI bus that offers two chip selects. The SPI bus is available on the onboard 40-pin header.

Download
- TinkerOS
- Schematics
- 2D Drawing
- 3D Drawing
- QVL
- FAQ
Note: TinkerOS default username is ”linaro” ; password is “linaro”
GPIO API
Python
Python is a programming language that lets you work quickly and integrate systems more effectively.
1. Open a terminal and Install dependency package.
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install python-dev python3-dev
2. Download Python GPIO library
wget
https://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/Linux/Tinker_Board_2GB/GPIO_API_for_Python.zip
3. Unzip GPIO_API_for_Python.zip and navigate to folder
unzip GPIO_API_for_Python.zip
cd GPIO_API_for_Python/
4. Install Python GPIO library for tinker board
sudo python setup.py install
sudo python3 setup.py install
5. Reference codes
There're few sample codes under this folder
/GPIO_API_for_Python/test
add_event_callback.py (add_event_detect function for input GPIO)
btc.py (unit test for all functions of GPIO)
forloop.py (pull high all GPIO and then pull down all GPIO)
pwm.py (Software PWM function test)
pwm_input.py (Software PWM function test by raw_input)
C
C is a general-purpose, imperative computer programming language, supporting structured programming, lexical variable scope and recursion, while a static type system prevents many unintended operations.1. Open a terminal and download C GPIO library
wget https://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/Linux/Tinker_Board_2GB/GPIO_API_for_C.zip
2. Unzip GPIO_API_for_C.zip and navigate to folder
unzip GPIO_API_for_C.zip
cd GPIO_API_for_C/
3. Install C GPIO library for tinker board
sudo chmod +x build
sudo ./build
4. Check install success or not
gpio -v
gpio readall
5. Reference codes
There're few sample codes under this folder /GPIO_API_for_C/wiringpitest or /GPIO_API_for_C/examples
GPIO pinout
If you would like to control GPIO's SPI, I2C or serial(UART) with Python, it is recommend to use 3rd party or open source Python library, such as spidev, smbus2 or pySerial.GPIO.Setmode (GPIO.ASUS) | GPIO.Setmode (GPIO.BOARD) | Pinout | Physical Pin Number | Pinout | GPIO.Setmode (GPIO.BOARD) | GPIO.Setmode (GPIO.ASUS) |
1 | VCC3.3V_IO | 12 | VCC5V_SYS | 2 | ||
252 | 3 | GP8A4_I2C1_SDA | 34 | VCC5V_SYS | 4 | |
253 | 5 | GP8A5_I2C1_SCL | 56 | GND | 6 | |
17 | 7 | GP0C1_CLKOUT | 78 | GP5B1_UART1TX | 8 | 161 |
9 | GND | 910 | GP5B0_UART1RX | 10 | 160 | |
164 | 11 | GP5B4_SPI0CLK_UART4CTSN | 1112 | GP6A0_PCM/I2S_CLK | 12 | 184 |
166 | 13 | GP5B6_SPI0_TXD_UART4TX | 1314 | GND | 14 | |
167 | 15 | GP5B7_SPI0_RXD_UART4RX | 1516 | GP5B2_UART1CTSN | 16 | 162 |
17 | VCC33_IO | 1718 | GP5B3_UART1RTSN | 18 | 163 | |
257 | 19 | GP8B1_SPI2TXD | 1920 | GND | 20 | |
256 | 21 | GP8B0_SPI2RXD | 2122 | GP5C3 | 22 | 171 |
254 | 23 | GP8A6_SPI2CLK | 2324 | GP8A7_SPI2CSN0 | 24 | 255 |
25 | GND | 2526 | GP8A3_SPI2CSN1 | 26 | 251 | |
233 | 27 | GP7C1_I2C4_SDA | 2728 | GP7C2_I2C4_SCL | 28 | 234 |
165 | 29 | GP5B5_SPI0CSN0_UART4RTSN | 2930 | GND | 30 | |
168 | 31 | GP5C0_SPI0CSN1 | 3132 | GP7C7_UART2TX_PWM3 | 32 | 239 |
238 | 33 | GP7C6_UART2RX_PWM2 | 3334 | GND | 34 | |
185 | 35 | GP6A1_PCM/I2S_FS | 3536 | GP7A7_UART3RX | 36 | 223 |
224 | 37 | GP7B0_UART3TX | 3738 | GP6A3_PCM/I2S_SDI | 38 | 187 |
39 | GND | 3940 | GP6A4_PCM/I2S_SDO | 40 | 188 |
- CPU
Rockchip Quad-Core RK3288 processor
- Memory
2GB Dual Channel DDR3
- Graphic
Integrated Graphics Processor
ARM® Mali™-T764 GPU*1 - Storage
Micro SD(TF) card slot
- LAN
RTL GB LAN
- Wireless Data Network
802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth V4.0 + EDR
- Audio
RTL ALC4040 CODEC
- USB Ports
4 x USB 2.0
- Internal I/O Ports
1 x 40-pin header :
- up to 28 x GPIO pins
- up to 2 x SPI bus
- up to 2 x I2C bus
- up to 4 x UART
- up to 2 x PWM
- up to 1 x PCM/I2S
- 2 x 5V power pins
- 2 x 3.3V power pins
- 8 x ground pins
1 x 2-pin contact pin :
- 1 x PWM
- 1 x S/PDIF
1 x 15-pin MIPI DSI
1 x 15-pin MIPI CSI - Accessories
Passive heatsink*2
User manual - Weight
55g
- Note
*1. The ARM® Quad-Core Mali GPU supports max. resolution of 4K@30hz (up-scaled from 1080P) with H.264/H.265 hardware decoder (update coming soon).
*2. Do not touch the SoC or heatsink surface directly to prevent possible burn injury.