Yet another crowd funding hopeful

 

MiQi is a $35 single-board computer with Rockchip RK3288

 

Looking for a credit card-sized computer with a quad-core, ARM-based processor and only have $35 to spend? You could opt for the Raspberry Pi 3. But another option is on the way.

 

The MiQi is the same size and price as a Raspberry Pi 3, but this little single-board computer/developer board features a Rockchip processor, up to 32GB of built-in storage, Gigabit Ethernet, and a few other features that help set it apart.

http://liliputing.com/2016/04/miqi-is-a-35-single-board-computer-with-rockchip-rk3288.html

Unless it's confirmed that the board can be powered through something else than Micro USB (GPIO pins for example) it's a simple decision: Don't buy any board that relies on Micro USB: http://www.cnx-software.com/2016/04/20/android-and-linux-benchmarks-on-miqi-development-board/#comment-525260

 

Detailed explanation why 'powering through Micro USB' is always wrong: http://forum.armbian.com/index.php/topic/1092-usb-made-simple/?p=8311

It appears that some kind of schematic is already available(though last update dated December 2015): http://ftp.mqmaker.com/MiQi/Docs/rk3288-sch.pdf

First notes:

• USB ports are behind USB hub
• 5V power input is not wired to GPIO headers
• Has PMU, so it still should deal with undervoltage (at least without connecting anything to USB ports)

Edit: +5V is wired to fan header through big enough 0R resistor, so you can bypass microUSB for powering 

Edit 2: 0805 package zero ohm resistors are rated for up to 2A current, or you can replace it / solder atop a piece of wire

• USB ports are behind USB hub

 

Thx for your findings! Unfortunately that alone is reason enough to ignore the MiQi from now on. Somewhat strange that all boards with fast CPUs lack I/O bandwidth.