Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft), Author at CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

January 23, 2015January 23, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Vonets VM300 Wi-Fi & Ethernet IoT Board with Mediatek MT7620 Runs OpenWRT

Mediatek MT760 is a recent Wi-Fi SoC found in some Nexx WT3020 routers, and WRTnode development board. Both run OpenWRT and costs $17 to $30 depending on the amount of flash, and ports with the former featuring two Ethernet ports, and the latter access to GPIOs. You could probably open the case of the Nexx routers and solder some wires to get access to GPIO, and you can hack an Ethernet cable for WRTnode, but another options could be Vonets WM300 kit that includes a board with Wi-Fi and Ethernet, a cable for USB / Ethernet connection, headers for GPIOs, and two external antennas for less than $30. An OpenWRT SDK is also provided for the kit. Specifications listed for VM300 board: Processor – Mediatek MT7260N MIPS processor @ 580MHz Storage – 4MB SPI Flash (option: 8MB/16MB) for firmware System Memory – 32MB or 64MB SDRAM Connectivity Wi-Fi Single band […]

January 22, 2015January 23, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Atmel Introduces Wi-Fi / Bluetooth Combo SoCs for the Internet of Things

Atmel has recently announced two SoCs supporting Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 that target M2M and IoT applications, namely WILC3000 wireless link controller and WINC3400 network controller which both integrate a power amplifier, LNA, switch and power management unit. WILC3000 and WINC3400 should share the following specifications: MCU – Cortus APS3 32-bit processor ROM/Flash – 256KB instruction/boot ROM (160KB for 802.11 and 96KB for Bluetooth) along with a 768 bits of non-volatile eFuse memory RAM – 420KB instruction RAM (128KB for 802.11 and 292KB for Bluetooth), and a 128KB data RAM (64KB for 802.11 and 64KB for Bluetooth), as well as 160KB shared/exchange RAM (128KB for 802.11 and 32 KB for Bluetooth) Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g/n RF/PHY/MAC SOC (2.4 GHz) IEEE 802.11 b/g/n (1×1) for up to 72 Mbps Wi-Fi Direct and Soft-AP support Supports IEEE 802.11 WEP, WPA, WPA2 Security, China WAPI security Bluetooth Version 4.0 Low Energy Class 1 […]

January 21, 2015April 25, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 29 Comments

Antutu Benchmark – Rockchip RK3288 (ARM) vs Intel Atom Z3735F

Most ARM mini PCs run Android, while mini PCs based on Intel Atom Z3735F currently all ship with Windows 8.1, so it makes comparison difficult. But since Linuxium posted triple boot instructions (Ubuntu, Android, Windows 10) for MeegoPad T01, he’s also run Antutu 5.6 on the platform, so we’ve got a comparison point. The Android image used in the Intel platform is Android-x86, and may not have been optimized for Bay Trail yet, so even though the comparison may not be perfect, it could still be interesting to find out the strengths and weaknesses of the Intel processor, against one of the fastest ARM processor found in mini PCs: Rockchip RK3288. I’ll use the Antutu 5.3 score I got with Open Hour Chameleon as a reference point. Rockchip RK3288 Intel Atom Z3735F Delta CPU Quad core Cortex A17 @ 2.0 GHz Quad core @ 1.33 GHz (Burst 1.83GHz) GPU ARM […]

January 21, 2015January 21, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Mouse Box is a ARM mini PC in a Mouse

Most people use a mouse with their PCs, and since electronics have become so small, a Polish start-up has decided to design a computer-in-a-mouse that can be used as a normal mouse and an ARM based mini PC. Only part of the specs have been disclosed so far: SoC – Quad core ARM Cortex processor @ 1.4 GHz System Memory – N/A Storage – 128GB flash (cloud storage optional) Video Output – Micro HDMI port Connectivity – Wi-Fi USB – 2 x USB 3.0 ports Sensors – Accelerometer, gyroscope Optional battery If the battery is optional, I’m not quite sure where the device gets its power, unless it works with MHL, or one of the USB 3.0 port is used for power. There’s no word about operating system support, but since it’s an ARM processor you should expect Android, and maybe Linux. Future development will include support for Wireless HDMI, […]

January 21, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Transform Your Smartphone into a Projector for $24

Cheap Android projectors cost more than $200, and I’m not sure you can really expect a clear and bright pictures at this price. But there’s now an easy and inexpensive way to transform your phone (or tablet?) into a projector thanks to a kit comprised of a cardboard box, a magnifying lens, a stick pad, a few other accessories that I found on DealExtreme for $23.49, but very similar kits are also available on Ebay or Aliexpress. All you have to do is to follow the assembly instructions provided, start a movie on your phone, and place the phone in the box. Some useful data about the kit: “High quality” glass lens with 8x magnification Self assembly, glue is not included Dimensions (Assembled) – About 21cm (W) x 11cm(H) x 17cm(D) Max dimensions for Phone – 8cm x 14.5cm At first, I thought this is probably just garbage, and it […]

January 21, 2015January 21, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

Snappy Ubuntu Core is an IoT Linux Distribution for ARM and x86

Canonical has announced a version of Ubuntu specifically designed for IoT devices running Linux, with a low hardware requirements, and a new package manager called snappy, replacing apt-get for this version of Ubuntu, which provides simpler, faster, and more reliable updates, stronger security, and allows roll-backs in case something goes wrong. Easy firmware updates are something missing in most connected device, which means they are more vulnerable to potential hackers, but with snappy security updates should be able to make it regularly, so that if something like heartbleed occurs again, you know your router, home automation gateway, connected washing machine, or robot will be soon patched automatically. Let’s go through the hardware requirements first: Processor – 600 MHz processor (ARMv7 or greater, or x86) System Memory – 128 MB RAM or greater (The system itself uses 40 MB RAM) Storage – 4GB flash / storage for factory reset and system […]

January 20, 2015February 26, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

MINIX NEO Z64 Windows 8.1 / Android Intel mini PC Should Sell Soon for $148 and Up

MINIX NEO Z64 mini PC powered by Intel Atom Z3735F was unveiled in September 2014, but as other Windows 8.1 Intel based mini PCs hit the market in late December, early January, some people suggested NEO Z64 may end up being vaporware… Fortunately, it appears those people might be wrong, as I’ve been informed of a cached page on DX.com selling the computer for $148.07 with Android 4.4.4 pre-installed. MINIX NEO Z64 specifications remain mostly the same as the ones published in September: SoC – Intel Atom Z3735F “Bay Trail” quad core processor @ 1.33 GHz (Burst freq up to 1.83 GHz) and Intel HD Graphics System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 32GB eMMC flash + micro SD slot Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n + Bluetooth 4.0 Video Output – HDMI 1.4 Audio Output – HDMI, 3.5mm stereo jack USB – 2x USB 2.0 Misc – Power […]

January 20, 2015January 20, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 21 Comments

Popcorn Hour VTEN Media Player Powered by Sigma Designs SMP8757 STB SoC Supports 4K, H.265 Codec

Cloud Media must have noticed the shortcomings of Rockchip SDK and RK3288 processor found in their Open Hour Chameleon box with pseudo 4K video playback and only partial audio pass-through capability, and the company have not given up on more traditional Linux based media players with a proven track record, as they’ve just announced Popcorn Hour VTEN featuring the latest Sigma Designs SMP8757 SoC with 4K video output. Popcorn Hour VTEN specifications: SoC – Sigma Designs SMP8757 ARM Cortex A9 processor @ 1.2 GHz with ARM Mali-400 GPU System Memory – 1024MB DDR3 Storage – 512MB SLC NAND Flash, 1x eSATA port, 1x SD card slot Video Output – HDMI Audio Output – HDMI, optical S/PDIF, and coaxial S/PDIF Video Containers – MPEG 1/2/4 Elementary, MPEG 1/2 PS, MPEG-2 TS, AVI, ASF, WMV, MKV, MOV (H.264), MP4, 3DMKV, BD-ISO, BDMV, 3D-BD Video Codecs – XViD SD/HD, MPEG-1, MPEG-2 MP@HL, MPEG-4.2, […]