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

May 7, 2014May 7, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

How to Open Tronsmart Vega S89 (Elite) and Access the Serial Console

Tronsmart Vega S89 (Elite) is an Android TV based on Amlogic S802 quad core ARM Cortex A9 processor @ 2GHz, and is one of the fastest Chinese ARM box on the device, at least until Rockchip RK3288 and AllWinner A80 devices come to market. In my unboxing post, I mentioned the UART pins were available, and sometimes in March Amlogic released U-boot and Linux source code for M802/S808, so it’s likely some developers will play around, and eventually run Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, …) on the platform. So today, I’ve done some preliminary work by connecting a USB to serial debug board to my device. The steps to follow are straightforward, and should work on Beelink M8/S82, Jesurun S82, MBOX-S82, IdeaStar S82, etc… which are basically the same box with different names. Before accessing the serial port, we’ll need to open the box. Start by removing the 3 sticky pads at […]

May 7, 2014May 7, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

DLink Introduces DSP-W215 Wi-Fi Smart Plug for iOS and Android

D-Link is entering the automation market with a Wi-Fi smart plug (Model DSP-W215) that configurable via WPS, allows you to control and monitor your electrical appliance via Android 4.0+ and iOS6+ mobile devices, and it even has an overheating protection mechanism that can apparently detect if the plug or the device itself overheats. Let’s go through the technical specifications: Wi-Fi – IEEE 802.11n (According to pictures found via FCC filings, the chipset is Atheros AR1311_AL1A) Misc – Power / Status LEDs, On/Off button Dimensions – 9 x 6.10 x 3.56 cm (3.54″ x 2.40″ x 1.40″) Weight – 125 g (4.41 ounces) Power Input – 100 to 125 V AC / 5W maximum power consumption Temperature Range – Operating: 0 to 40 °C, Storage: -20 to 65 °F Humidity – Operating: 10% to 90% non-condensing, Storage: 5% to 95% non-condensing Based on these specs, since it can only work between 100 […]

May 7, 2014November 23, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Intel based Chromebooks Announcements Galore By Acer, Asus, Dell, Lenovo and More

Yesterday, Intel and Intel had a press event about Chrome OS devices where Google discussed the success of Chrome OS, and Intel showed existing and upcoming Chromebooks based on Haswell and Bay Trail processors. After a short introduction by Intel, Google took the stage to discuss the commercial success of Chromebooks which are now found in 10,000 schools, and are among the best selling and best rated laptops on Amazon, as well as key advantages and features of Chrome OS: fast boot, new version every 6 weeks, and after offline support for google docs, soon offline support for video playback. Intel then continued by showing off some existing Haswell Chromebooks, a new HP Chromebox to become available in June, and LG All-in-One Chromebase with a 22″ display, Haswell Celeron 2955U processor, 2GB RAM, and 16GB SDD to sell later this month for $349. The company took a break from product announcement […]

May 6, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

GIGABYTE BRIX GB-BXBT-2807 Ultra Compact PC Kit Features a Low Power Intel Celeron N2807 “Bay Trail” Processor

A new BRIX system / Ultra compact PC kit has shown up on GIGABYTE website. GB-BXBT-2807 is powered by Intel Celeron N2807 which, with 4.3W TDP, is one of the most energy efficient Bay Trail processor, supports up to 8GB RAM, 2.5″ SATA drives, and comes with both HDMI and VGA output. GIGABYTE GB-BXBT-2807 specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron N2807 dual core processor at 1.58 GHz (Burst: 2.17GHz) with Intel HD graphics. 4.3W TDP System Memory – 1x SO-DIMM DDR3L 1.35V slot @ 1333MHz up to 8GB Storage -2.5″ SATA HDD (7.5/9mm thickness) Video Output VGA – Up to 2560 x 1600 @ 60Hz HDMI – Up to 1920 x 1600 @ 60Hz (HDMI 1.4a) Audio – HDMI, headphone/microphone jack, Realtek ALC283 codec. Connectivity – Gigabit LAN (Realtek RTL8111G), Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 (AW-NB159H module) USB – 1x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 ports Expansion Slot – 1 x […]

May 6, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

ARM Based COM Express Modules by MEN Mikro Electronik and Pactron

A few days ago, in a post listing different system-on-module (SoM) standards, I mentioned COM Express standard was targeting SoMs based on x86 processors, and SMARC was the equivalent for ARM. I still understand it’s the case as COM Express standard defines mechanical dimensions that are usually larger than SoM standard for low power processors, some buses found in ARM and x86 are different (e.g. AFAIK LPC and PCI are not found in ARM SoC), and the standard supports high power signals which are not needed in ARM or MIPS processors. Having said that, I’ve been pointed out to two ARM based COM Express modules, which could make sense if you want to use an ARM based module using existing COM Express compatible baseboards. The COM Express modules below feature Freescale i.MX6 and Marvell Armada XP SoCs, and have been designed respectively by MEN Mikro Electronik and Pactron. MEN Mikro […]

May 6, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

AMD Announces ARM and x86 pin-to-pin Compatible APUs and SoCs for 2015, ARM K12 Core for 2016 and Beyond

AMD has designed x86 processor since its inception, and recently they’ve announced ARM Cortex A57 “Seatlle” SoCs targeting servers would be available later this year. They’ve now decided to merge their product line-up even further with Project Skybridge that aims to provide pin-to-pin compatible ARM and x86 SoCs and APUs by 2015, manufactured using a 20nm process. That means AMD’s customers should be able to leverage AMD’s “ambidextrous computing” solutions to design one and only board for x86 and ARM processors for server, embedded, semi-custom and ultra-low power applications. Processors of the “Project Skybridge” family will also be the first ARM based AMD processors to include a GPU (Graphics Core Next GPU), contrary to Seatlle SoCs, which are destined to be used for the server market, and do not come with a GPU. ARM processor will be based on low power ARM Cortex A57 cores and x86 processors will make […]

May 6, 2014May 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Olimex Introduces Low Cost AllWinner A13, AllWinner A20 and TI Sitara AM3352 Systems-on-Module

About a year ago, Olimex reported working on an AllWinner A20 System-on-Module. But after some unexpected delays, Olimex A20-SOM is finally available, and they’ve even announced A13-SOM and AM3352-SOM, respectively based on AllWinner A13 and Texas Instruments Sitara AM3352 ARM Cortex A8 SoCs, with price starting at 12 Euros for 1K orders. Olimex A20-SOM and A20-SOM-4G There are actuall two versions of the SoM, A20-SOM-4G including 4GB NAND flash, and A20-SOM without. Here are the specifications: SoC – AllWinner A20 dual core ARM Cortex A7 processor with Mali-400MP2 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 memory Storage – 4GB NAND Flash (A20-SOM-4G only) + microSD slot Debugging – UART console connector (at the back) PMIC – AllWinner AXP209 PMU IC Misc – Status LEDs, RESET, RECOVERY buttons Connectors – 6x 2×20 pin 0.05″ female headers Dimensions – N/A The SoM is said to support Android and Debian, but you could also […]

May 5, 2014May 5, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

A Quick Test Drive of Tails, a Privacy Focused Linux Distribution

Tails (The Amnesic Incognito Live System) is a Linux distribution that allows you to use the Internet anonymously and circumvent censorship via the Tor network. It leaves no trace, and is said to use “state-of-the-art” cryptographic tools to encrypt files, emails and instant messages. It’s distributed as a live image that boots from a DVD drive, a USB stick, or an SD card. Tails v1.0 has recently been released. so let’s give it a quick try. Tails is currently only available for x86 (32-bit), no ARM image yet. The source code is available via a git repo. Let’s download the ISO image (mirror), and signature. Alternatively you can download both via BitTorrent. To make sure the image is not compromised it’s recommend to verify the integrity of the ISO image with the signature we’ve just downloaded. You’ll also need a signing key The are several methods, but I’ve opened a terminal, […]