Getting started with KNEO Pi

To get started with KNEO Pi, you’ll need the following:

• a power supply
• boot media - A microSD card with size larger than 16GB

You can configure your KNEO Pi in two ways: either as an interactive computer with a desktop or as a headless system accessed remotely over the network. For a headless setup, no extra peripherals are needed. During the operating system installation, you can preconfigure the hostname, user account, network settings, and SSH access. However, if you prefer direct use of the KNEO Pi, you'll need these additional accessories:

• A HDMI display
• A micro-HDMI cable to connect the display to KNEO Pi
• A USB-A keyboard and mouse

Power supply

Recommended power supply (voltage/current) : 5V/4A USB-C power adapter Plug your power supply into the USB-C port on KNEO Pi.

Info

• You can use any high-quality power supply that provides the correct power mode.
• The USB-C port is for power only and does not support data communication.

Warning

If the connected device draws too much power from the 40-pin header, the system might become unstable due to insufficient power.

Boot media - microSD card

Important

• This documentation focuses exclusively on the usage of microSD cards.
• We strongly recommend avoiding the use of SanDisk SD cards with KNEO Pi, as they have a high incompatibility rate and may cause booting issues.
• Also, if your device fails to boot, consider switching to an SD card from a different brand

KNEO Pi supports both external microSD cards and an onboard 4Gbit flash as boot media. A DIP switch enables you to toggle between these two options. Adjust the switch as shown in the following image. Due to the limited onboard storage, external storage is recommended. You can boot the KNEO Pi from an operating system image on a microSD card, which also provides ample space for development tools and software installations.

Keyboard and Mouse

You can use the USB ports on the KNEO Pi to connect a wired keyboard or mouse. If you need to connect multiple devices, a USB hub will be required.

Display

KNEO Pi has display connectivity through micro HDMI.

Most displays don’t have a micro-HDMI port. However, you can use a micro-HDMI-to-HDMI cable to connect the KNEO Pi to any HDMI-compatible display. If your display doesn’t support HDMI, consider using an adapter to convert the HDMI output to a compatible port for your display.

Audio

KNEO Pi features a 3.5mm TRRS jack that supports both audio output and microphone input.

Warning

KNEO Pi 3.5mm audio jack supports CTIA(AHJ) standard only.

Networking

Camera

KNEO Pi supports a wide range of camera accessories to enhance its functionality in multimedia and AI applications. There are two primary types of camera connections:

• USB Webcam Any standard USB webcam can be connected to the KNEO Pi for basic image and video capture tasks. These devices are plug-and-play and supported natively by the operating system.

• MIPI Camera Interface For advanced use cases requiring high-quality image capture, the KNEO Pi also supports cameras connected via the MIPI interface. The following sensors are supported out of the box with built-in drivers. Refer to the following pictures for detailed guidance on how to properly connect the camera module to your KNEO Pi.:

  • Raspberry Pi Camera Module v2 : The v2 Camera Module has a Sony IMX219 8-megapixel sensor.

    Important

    22-Way to 15-Way FPC cable is required. Refer to Raspberry Pi Official site for details

    

  • KNEO Pi Camera Modules: Custom modules designed specifically for the KNEO Pi, offering optimized performance and additional features for AI and video streaming tasks. Modules with Sony IMX678 8-megapixel sensor and Sony IMX662 2-megapixel sensor are avaialble.

    Info

    For purchasing information on the KNEO Pi Camera Modules, please contact us via the details provided in the Getting Assistance section.

    

To use these MIPI cameras, connect them to the appropriate MIPI-CSI interface on the KNEO Pi and ensure the relevant drivers are loaded. Refer to the sensor application example for further informtion.