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

December 4, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

PicoUART6 6x UART to USB bridge supports up to 6 Raspberry Pi 5 boards

PicoUART6 Raspberry Pi 5 UART USB bridge

PicoUART6 is a small USB to UART bridge board that takes a Raspberry Pi Pico board and exposes six UART ports to connect up to six Raspberry Pi 5 SBC’s over the new 3-pin UART connector. The Raspberry Pi 5 has created a lot of buzz since its announcement in September 2023, and people most talked about its higher performance compared to a Raspberry Pi 4 and its new (non-standard) FCP PCIe connector, but the new Raspberry Pi SBC also features a 3-pin JST UART connector that was not used in earlier and frees 3-pin on the 40-pin GPIO header. The PicoUART6 board makes use of this new connector to interface multiple Raspberry Pi 5 over UART and control them through the USB board of the Pico board. PicoUART6 specifications: Footprint for Raspberry Pi Pico board Serial – 6x 3-pin JST UART connectors Expansion – STEMMA QT/Qwiic I2C connector Debugging […]

December 4, 2023February 4, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Review of GEEKOM Mini Air12 Processor N100 mini PC – Part 1: unboxing and teardown

GEEKOM Mini Air12 is a mini PC powered by the popular Intel Processor N100 CPU and coupled with 16GB DDR5 SO-DIMM memory, a 512GB NVMe SSD upgradable up to 1TB. The Windows 11 Pro mini PC also features USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB Type-C ports, HDMI 2.0 video output, gigabit Ethernet, as well as WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 via an Azureware module. GEEKOM sent us a sample of the Mini Air12 for review. Since we’ve already written about the Mini Air12 specifications, today we will go through an unboxing and look at the hardware design with a teardown, before testing the mini PC in more detail with Windows 11 and Ubuntu 22.04 in the next parts of the review. GEEKOM Mini Air12 Unboxing We received the mini PC is a retail package that protects the device and accessories inside well. The back side of the package lists some basic […]

December 1, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

GEEKOM A5 Review – Part 3: An AMD Ryzen 7 5800H mini PC tested with Ubuntu 22.04

In the first part of GEEKOM A5 mini PC review, we had a look at the hardware with an unboxing and teardown, we then reviewed the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H mini PC with Windows 11 Pro in the second part, and we’ve now had time to test the GEEKOM A5 mini PC with Ubuntu 22.04 to check how well it can work in Linux, and we’ll report our experience in this article. Installing Ubuntu 22.04 on GEEKOM A5 We shrank the Windows 11 partition by half to install Ubuntu 22.04 in dual boot configuration alongside the operating system from Microsoft. Ubuntu 22.04.3 was installed successfully using a USB drive. and everything went relatively smoothly, except WiFi didn’t work reliably (more than that later). So we had to use Ethernet for most of the review, and we used the GL.iNet Spitz AX router (GL-X3000NR) configured in repeater mode using an Ethernet […]

December 1, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 32 Comments

M.2 10GbE network card sells for $86

Almost two years ago, we wrote it was possible to add 10GbE to your system with a M.2 network card based on a Marvell AQC113 chip for about $170. But I’ve now been made aware prices may have come down a lot as another M.2 10GbE network based on the Marvell AQC107 chipset is now selling for $86 including shipping (to Thailand). Just like the previous model, the M.2 card does not include an RJ45 port, instead, it’s included in a separate board that’s mountable to a standard PC plate and connected through a flat cable to the M.2 module. Specifications: Network controller – Marvell AQC107 PCIe Gen3 x4 10Gbps Ethernet controller supporting 10GBASE-T, 5GBASE-T, 2.5GBASE-T, 1000BASE-T, and 100BASE-T (but not 10BASE-T) Aquantias AQrate PHY up to 10GbE using Cat 6a cables, as well as 5 GbE and 2.5 GbE over 100 meters with Cat 5e cables Energy Efficient Ethernet […]

December 1, 2023December 1, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Cincoze P2202 Alder Lake-P embedded computer powers industrial panel PCs

Cincoze P2202 is an Intel Alder Lake-P embedded computer based on the Core i3-1215UE or Core i5-1245UE processor and designed for industrial, sunlight readable, or open-frame panel PCs from the company with sizes ranging from 12.1-inch to 24-inch. The P2202 supports up to 64GB DDR5 memory and two 2.5-inch SATA drives, and the system also offers four display interfaces including the company’s CDS (Convertible Display System) interface, two gigabit Ethernet ports, optional WiFi and 4G LTE/5G connectivity, multiple USB ports, four serial RS232/RS422/RS485 ports, digital I/Os, and various M.2, mPCIe, and PCIe sockets and slots for expansion. Cincoze P2202 specifications: Intel Alder Lake-P U-series SoC (one or the other) Intel Core i3-1215UE hexa-core processor up to 4.40 GHz with Intel UHD Graphics; TDP: 15W Intel Core i5-1245UE deca-core processor up to 4.40 GHz with Intel Iris Xe Graphics; TDP 15W System Memory – 2x DDR5 4800MHz SO-DIMM sockets for up […]

November 30, 2023November 30, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Tiny Raspberry Pi RP2040 module connects to USB-C + buttons board via FPC connector

Raspberry Pi RP2040 module with FPC USB-C board

Waveshare RP2040-Tiny is another tiny Raspberry Pi RP2040 module that joins others like Pimoroni Tiny 2040, DFRobot Beetle RP2020, or Solder Party RP2040 Stamp, but with a twist as the solderable module features an FPC connector in order to optionally connect a separate board with a USB-C port as well as Boot and Reset buttons. This design enables the convenience of having a USB-C port for power and programming, plus the Reset and Boot buttons during firmware development, and developers can only keep the tiny and ultrathin module when integrating it into a project or product. Alternatively, there may be designs that benefit from having the USB-C port located further away from the main module with all I/Os, and it can also facilitate troubleshooting when the product is already integrated into a product. Waveshare RP2040-Tiny specifications: MCU – Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Cortex-M0+ microcontroller @ up to 133Mhz with 264kB […]

November 30, 2023November 30, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

myAGV 2023 four-wheel mobile robot ships with Raspberry Pi 4 or Jetson Nano

four wheel automous guided vehicle raspberry pi 4

Elephant Robotics myAGV 2023 is a 4-wheel mobile robot available with either Raspberry Pi 4 Model B SBC or NVIDIA Jetson Nano B01 developer kit, and it supports five different types of robotic arms to cater to various use cases. Compared to the previous generation myAGV robot, the 2023 model is fitted with high-performance planetary brushless DC motors, supports vacuum placement control, can take a backup battery, handles large payloads up to 5 kg, and integrates customizable LED lighting at the rear. myAGV 2023 specifications: Control board Pi model – Raspberry Pi 4B with 2GB RAM Jetson Nano model – NVIDIA Jetson Nano B01 with 4GB RAM Wheels – 4x Mecanuum wheels Motor – Planetary brushless DC motor Maximum linear speed – 0.9m/s Maximum Payload – 5 kg Video Output Pi model – 2x micro HDMI ports Jetson Nano model – HDMI and DisplayPort video outputs Camera Pi model – […]

November 29, 2023January 29, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Raspberry Pi 5 gets 5G Modem HAT based on Quectel RM502Q-AE M.2 module

Sixfab has just launched a 5G Modem Kit for Raspberry Pi 5 with a Raspberry Pi HAT that takes Quectel RM502Q-AE 5G Sub-6GHz M.2 module working globally (except China), a “patent-pending” internal antenna for Sub-6 frequency bands designed by SixFab, and a USB 3.0 bridge connector. SixFab 5G modem Kit for Raspberry Pi 5 highlights: Sixfab 5G Modem HAT for Raspberry Pi 5 M.2 socket for 5G module Nano SIM card holder + embedded SIM USB 3.0 port and 40-pin GPIO header for connection to the Raspberry Pi 5 SBC Misc User button Status, power, and user (GPIO21) LEDs EEPROM for Raspberry Pi HAT compliance 2-pin fan connector Power Supply – 5V via USB Type-C port (on HAT itself) Dimensions – 88.1 x 57.7 x 21.7 mm Approvals – FCC, IC, CE, UKCA are in progress Quectel RM502Q-AE M.2 module 5G NR: 3GPP Release 15 NSA/SA operation, Sub-6 GHz LTE […]