Rock Pi X by Radxa
An affordable x86 brain for your robot
The ROCK Pi X is a small, low-cost Intel computer that runs Windows and Linux. Install ARCx on it, mount it in your robot, and use the robot from a web browser on any phone, tablet or computer.
How the ROCK Pi X works with Synthiam. It is the robot's on-board computer. It runs ARCx on 64-bit Windows 10/11 or Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, or ARC on Windows, just like a desktop PC. Servos and sensors connect through an EZB controller over USB or Wi-Fi; cameras, microphones and speakers plug straight into the board. We recommend ARCx, which runs headless and is used from any browser.
What is the ROCK Pi X?
The ROCK Pi X is a single-board computer (SBC) from Radxa: a full computer, with processor, memory, Wi-Fi and USB, on one compact board. It is Radxa's first x86 SBC, similar in concept to the UP Board and LattePanda, and typically more affordable.
"x86" matters because it is the same processor family as most Windows PCs, so Windows software and drivers work on it. It has an HDMI port for a monitor and a 3.5 mm audio jack with microphone support, so it is easy to set up on a workbench with a screen and keyboard and then mount inside a robot.
Key features, and what they mean for a robot
- Intel Cherry Trail Z8350 quad-core processor: the board's brain; four cores handle several robot tasks at once.
- 64-bit LPDDR3 memory, 1, 2 or 4 GB: working memory for the operating system and ARCx. More memory means smoother multitasking.
- HDMI up to 4K at 30 Hz: robots rarely need 4K, but a monitor is handy during setup.
- 3.5 mm audio jack with microphone: speaker output, voice recognition and microphone input.
- 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2: fast wireless networking and Bluetooth accessories such as game controllers.
- Gigabit Ethernet: a reliable wired link, often best during development.
- USB ports: cameras, storage and robot controllers.
- 40-pin color expansion header: for add-ons; not needed for Synthiam, which uses an EZB controller for robot I/O.
- Real-time clock: keeps time for logs and schedules, especially with a backup battery fitted.
- USB PD and QC power: powered from compatible USB-C chargers and power banks.
ROCK Pi X at a glance
| Type | x86 single-board computer |
|---|---|
| Maker | Radxa |
| Processor | Intel Cherry Trail Z8350, quad-core |
| Memory | 1, 2 or 4 GB LPDDR3 |
| Models | Model A and Model B |
| Connectivity | 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, Gigabit Ethernet, USB, HDMI, 3.5 mm audio with mic |
| Power | USB-C, USB PD and QC |
| Synthiam uses it for | Running ARCx or ARC on board the robot |
| Website | rockpi.org, getting started |
Radxa lists the ROCK Pi X as discontinued (production stopped in 2022). Existing boards work as described here.
Model A, Model B and memory options
The ROCK Pi X comes as Model A and Model B, each with 1, 2 or 4 GB of memory. For the exact hardware differences between the models, check the manufacturer's specifications for your board version. The chart from our friends at Explaining Computers is a helpful overview.
Our recommendation: choose 4 GB if you can. An operating system, ARCx, a camera and several robot skills all share that memory.
What you can do with it in Synthiam
Control from any browser
ARCx runs on the board; you use it from a phone, tablet or laptop. Several people at once, and the robot keeps running when the browser closes.
Servos and sensors
An EZB controller over USB or Wi-Fi adds servos, PWM, digital, analog, I2C and UART ports for movement panels, animations and sensors.
Camera and vision
USB cameras with Camera Source (usb) for face, color, glyph and object tracking.
Voice and sound
The audio jack with microphone support gives the robot ears and a voice: speech recognition, text to speech and sound playback.
AI agents
ARCx is an MCP server, so AI agents can see, drive and program the robot, alongside conversational AI robot skills.
Scripts, Custom UI, remote
Blockly, JavaScript and Python; touch-friendly Custom UI screens; and Exosphere for remote control and telepresence.
Set up ARCx on the ROCK Pi X
- Install a 64-bit operating system. Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) with the drivers below, or Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (64-bit) Server or Desktop. ARC needs Windows.
- Install ARCx. Follow Install ARCx on Windows 64 or Install ARCx on Linux x64.
-
Open ARCx from another device. Start ARCx Server (Bind Any) on Windows, or on Ubuntu:
Then browse to./ARCx -b http://0.0.0.0:5000http://<rock-pi-address>:5000. -
Connect an EZB controller. Add the Ezb Connection robot skill and enter the controller's port
(
COM3,/dev/ttyUSB0) or IP address, then connect. On Ubuntu, add your user to thedialoutgroup first. - First test. Move a servo with the Servo robot skill or drive with a movement panel, then add a camera and speech.
-
Run headless. Open the project at start-up (the Windows shortcut
-foption, or asystemdservice on Ubuntu, as the install guides describe) and unplug the monitor.
Windows drivers for a smooth setup
Some ROCK Pi X boards need specific Windows drivers before Wi-Fi, audio, graphics acceleration and other hardware work correctly. Synthiam has assembled a driver package to get your board running reliably.
Download ROCK Pi X Windows 10 drivers (x64)
Follow the steps in order. After extracting the ZIP file, open the included README and follow its step-by-step instructions carefully. Installing drivers in the recommended order prevents missing devices and unstable behavior.
Both run on it; ARCx is recommended
ARCx Recommended
- 64-bit Windows 10/11 or Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.
- Headless; used from any web browser by several people at once.
- MCP for AI agents; robot skills from the Synthiam store.
ARC
- Windows desktop application, installed like on any PC.
- Viewed on an HDMI monitor or through remote desktop software.
- A good choice if you already have ARC projects.
Small computers run robots very well but sometimes need tuning, especially with Windows. Our Tips to Make a Robot guide covers freeing storage space, improving performance (start-up apps, power settings, updates), powering the board reliably and running headless with remote desktop tools.
When something does not work
-b http://0.0.0.0:5000 (Ubuntu), browse to the board's IP address rather than 127.0.0.1, and allow port 5000 through the firewall.
Frequently asked questions
Give your robot an x86 brain
Install ARCx on the ROCK Pi X and control your robot from any browser.
@Nink, here's what I'm using to powe the Rock Pi/X - I'm super happy with the battery life of this unit.
@DJ Cool. Nice tip on the cell phone battery.
@Nink I had no idea you were so far along! Nice job.
Thanks DJ, I look forward to seeing your turtlebot running. A friend at work got one last week.
I may add a second battery on the dog so good tip. I have a couple of similar batteries my kid uses to charge his switch when we go on vacation and that won’t be happening for a while.
I am not sure if I want to add a second battery as you have to keep the centre of mass as even and as low as possible on the legged robot or he can tip over on slopes and I also need to keep weight down. The power used to carry battery may be almost as high as power used to power Rock Pi X.
The Dog is powered by an 18vdc P192 lithium Ion battery for a Ryobi drill. I actually had to import batteries from US as it has a High Performance version that I could not buy in Canada. Sadly I only get about 30 minutes from it.
One advantage of a second battery though is it may allow me to swap drill batteries without having to shut him down first if I run Pi and Pi X off same second battery. I may just switch everything to two redundant 5S LiPo batteries in parallel though so I can replace one battery then the other and keep systems running. I need to redesign the internal housing if I do this and there is the pain of LiPo’s although I could get longer battery life with a higher power to weight ratio.
The Rock Pi X will run up to 20vdc but that is where I went wrong I think. When the dog jumps it generates power so apparently you can get a power spike of over 30vdc when it lands. This can flow back through the circuits if I don’t have good isolation. I believe this maybe why my Pi X blew up and another good reason for a second battery like the one you proposed.
this is the battery he has at the moment. Model P192 https://www.amazon.com/Ryobi-P192-Lithium-performance-battery/dp/B07N54F9PL/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=ryobi+p192&qid=1615217032&sr=8-1
Your robot has a Pi and pi/x? Can’t it all be done with just the pi/x?
Robot uses CANBUS-FD to communicate at very high speed with the Moteus FIeld Orientated Controllers that run the Brushless DC motors. The rock Pi X does not support the Pi Hat that has the controller as it does not have the SIO ports it needs on the header block. I raised this with Rock Pi X dev team that they did not make the header fully compatible with the Pi and they acknowledged this and said they may address in next version.
The code that runs robot is open source so I assume it could be converted with some effort to run on X86 and windows but X86 also consumes a lot more power than ARM and the code is quite CPU intensive as there is a lot of IO so 3 of the 4 cores on the Pi are dedicated to controlling robot and only 1 core is left to run Linux. So I don’t believe the Pi X could handle running ARC and Robots code anyway.
We looked at writing a FOC driver for the robot using USB CANBUS but it was apparent we could only support about 3 -4 Servos over USB due to the IO constraints so we went in a new direction of talk to the existing robot control software using JSON and web sockets and that’s when you came in.
The web socket idea looks positive although as I mentioned there is an incredible amount of data coming back and I haven’t been able to affectively get the robot to respond to commands yet. This week though a servo died I had to dismantle robot to replace and now I wait for a new servo and new rock Pi x.
@Nink, just a thought, would it be dangerous to swap just one of the lipo's if they were in parallel as this would mean they would have a different charge capacity? I had a bad experience with a lipo, they are a dangerous technology!
Hi @skidroe good point. Maybe I just a need a single large LiPo pack and a small Lithium Ion in circuit to hold charge during battery swap to keep systems running.
I have blown up the odd LiPo in my day. (I really need to dispose of these old batteries but I keep saying OH one cell still works I will save that for a new battery)
The manul above for the Rock Pi/x includes a download link for all of the Windows 10 x64 drivers with instructions.