The Asus Tinkerboard is connector-for-connector identical to a Raspberry Pi, but the company claims it offers a serious boost in performance over its inspiration. Asus has officially launched its long-rumoured entry into the maker market, targeting the Raspberry Pi with a more powerful single board computer (SBC) it calls the Tinkerboard.
To say the Asus Tinkerboard is inspired by the Raspberry Pi is putting it perhaps a little too mildly: the two SBCs are near-identical in terms of layout and functionality. Both are powered from a micro-USB port on the bottom edge of the board, next to an HDMI port and a 3.5mm audio jack; the right-hand edge features an Ethernet connector and four USB 2.0 ports; the upper edge is home to a 40-pin GPIO connector using male pin headers; and the top of the board includes CSI and DSI connectors for cameras and displays.
Asus, it seems, isn’t looking to innovate with the Tinkerboard but instead compete with the Raspberry Pi in an out-and-out slugfest. The device’s key claims to fame are all based around its specifications, starting with a quadcore 1.
