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

July 9, 2024July 9, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 21 Comments

Banana Pi BPI-R4-NIC-BE14 WiFi 7 module for BPI-R4 SBC launched for $74

The Banana Pi BPI-R4 was introduced last year as a WiFi 7 router board with two 10GbE SFP cages and four GbE ports based on MediaTek Filogic 880 SoC. The only issue is that WiFi 7 is implemented through a dual mini PCIe module that was not available until now. The good news is that the tri-band Banana Pi BPI-R4-NIC-BE14 WiFi 7 module for the Banana Pi BPI-R4 board can now be purchased for $73.69 on Aliexpress. It is based on MediaTek MT7995AV WiFi 7 chipset, MT7976CN dual-band (2.4GHz and 5 GHz) chipset, and MT7977IAN 6GHz chipset. Banana Pi BPI-R4-NIC-BE14 specifications: MediaTek MT7995AV WiFi 7 – IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be compliant 32-bit RISC-V MCU for Wi-Fi protocols and Wi-Fi offload Embedded SRAM and ROM UART interface with hardware flow control MediaTek MT7976CN dual-band 2.4GHz 2×2 MIMO and 5GHz 3×3 MIMO MediaTek MT7977IAN 6GHz 3×3 MIMO Bandwidth 2.4 GHz – 20 and […]

July 9, 2024July 9, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments

QNAP unveils TS-432X and TS-632X Arm-based NAS with 10GbE networking, up to six SATA bays

QNAP has unveiled TS-432X 4-bay and TS-632X 6-bay Tower NAS systems that feature not only 2.5GbE ports but also one or two 10GbE SFP+ cages, as well as one PCIe Gen 3 x4 slot and are powered by an Annapurna Labs Alpine AL524 4-core 64-bit Arm processor. We had seen NAS with 10GbE networking before such as the QNAP HS-453DX and ASUSTOR FLASHSTOR, but those were powered by Intel processors. The new TS-432X and TS-632X NAS systems combine a 64-bit Arm processor and 10GbE networking in a way similar to the earlier QNAP TS-431X-2G-USARM powered by a dual-core 32-bit Arm CPU. QNAP TS-432X/TS-632X specifications: SoC – Annapurna Labs Alpine AL524 4-core 64-bit Arm processor @ up to 2.0 GHz System Memory – 4GB DDR4 (non-ECC), upgradeable up to 16GB DDR4 (ECC memory supported) via SO-DIMM socket Storage 512 MB flash with dual boot OS protection Drive bays TS-432X – […]

July 9, 2024July 10, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

WisGate Soho Pro RAK7267 LoRaWAN gateway supports LTE Cat 1 and WiFi 4 connectivity, solar battery kits

WisGate Soho Pro RAK7267 LoRaWAN gateway with solar battery kit

Designed for both indoor and outdoor deployments, RAKwireless’ WisGate Soho Pro RAK7267 is an 8-channel LoRaWAN gateway with LTE Cat 1 and WiFi 4 connectivity and support for 9V-36V DC input compatible with the company for solar battery kits. The LoRaWAN gateway is based on the MediaTek MT7628 MIPS processor with 256MB RAM and 32MB flash, runs a fork of OpenWrt with a dashboard for configuration, and integrates with WisDM cloud-based IoT management platform. WisGate Soho Pro RAK7267 specifications: SoC – MediaTek MT7628 MIPS processor at 580MHz System Memory – 256MB RAM Storage – 32MB NOR flash, microSD card socket LoRaWAN connectivity to sensors Semtech SX1303 LoRa Concentrator for up to 8 channels Frequencies 868 MHz – EU868/ IN865/ RU864 9150 MHz – US915/ AU915/ KR920/ AS923 Rx Sensitivity – At least -139 dBm Tx Power – Up to 27 dBm LoRaWAN v1.0.3 LoRa Frame filtering (node whitelisting) Buffering of […]

July 8, 2024July 17, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 25 Comments

$20+ NanoKVM is a tiny low-power RISC-V KVM over IP solution

NanoKVM Tiny RISC-V KVM over IP solution

Sipeed NanoKVM is a tiny KVM over IP solution based on the Lichee RVNano RISC-V microcontroller board that offers most of the features provided by the popular Raspberry Pi 4-based PiKVM solution allowing users to fully remote control a host such as a computer, server, or SBC down to the BIOS level and power on/off. Two variants are available, namely the NanoKVM Lite and NanoKVM Full. Both support up to 1080p60 displays, virtual USB keyboard and mouse, USB storage emulation, Ethernet with Wake-on-LAN, and IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) through serial interfaces, but the Full version also adds a resin enclosure, 0.96-inch information display, ATX power control through USB-C port, a microSD card with the firmware, and optional WiFi or PoE support Sipeed NanoKVM specifications: SBC – Sipeed RVNano SoC – SOPHGO SG2002 Main core – 1GHz 64-bit RISC-V C906 or Arm Cortex-A53 core (the latter is likely not used […]

July 8, 2024July 7, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Cincoze DS-1402 review: Part 3: Ubuntu 24.04 tested on an Intel Core i9-12900E embedded system

In part one of the Cincoze DS-1402 review, I checked out the hardware of the modular rugged computer before testing the Intel Core i9-12900E embedded computer with Windows 11 Pro in the second part, and I’ve now had time to test the Cincoze DS-1402 embedded system with Ubuntu 24.04. I’ve tested most features in Linux, ran some benchmarks, evaluated the gigabit Ethernet performance of some of the ten Ethernet ports, checked CPU temperature under a stress test with and without the fan, measured power consumption, and more. Ubuntu 24.04 system information I installed Ubuntu 24.04 with the official x86_64 ISO in dual boot configuration with Windows 11 Pro. The installation process was smooth, and I have nothing specific to report here. Going to the Settings->About window confirms we have a CINCOZE-DS-1400 system (DS-1402 is part of the DS-1400 family) with a 24-thread 12th Gen Intel Core i9-12900E processor and 64GB […]

July 6, 2024July 6, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

GEEKOM GT13 Pro Core i9-13900H mini PC review with Windows 11 and Ubuntu 24.04

GEEKOM GT13 Pro mini PC review Windows 11 Pro

GEEKOM GT13 Pro is a Windows 11 mini PC powered by a 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900H or Core i7-13620H processor with Intel Xe Iris graphics, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a 2.5GbE port, WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. GEEKOM sent us a review sample of the GEEKOM GT13 Pro mini PC with a Core i9-13900H 14-core/20-thread processor, 32GB RAM, and a 2TB NVMe SSD. We would usually do a three-part review, but the GEEKOM GT13 Pro uses the same motherboard as the GEEKOM Mini IT13 reviewed at the end of last year. So we’ll do a more condensed one-part review focusing on the differences between the two models in terms of features and performance in both Windows 11 Pro and Ubuntu 24.04. GEEKOM GT13 Pro specifications SoC – Intel Core i9-13900H 13th Gen Raptor Lake processor with 14 cores, 20 threads up to 5.40 GHz, 24MB Cache, Iris Xe […]

July 5, 2024July 5, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Meenhong JX5 Intel N100 mini PC looks like a (thick) smartphone with a 5.5-inch touchscreen display

Meenhong JX5 is another Intel N100 mini PC with an integrated touchscreen display, but the 5.5-inch Full HD LCD used in this smartphone-like model is even smaller than the 7-inch display found in the HIGOLE F9B Pro and SZBOX S7 variants. The JX5 is equipped with 12GB LPDDR5 soldered-on memory, an up to 2TB SSD, HDMI and USB-C ports for connecting larger displays, built-in stereo speakers and microphone, and a few USB ports. Network connectivity is provided by a gigabit Ethernet port and a Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 module, and a G-sensor is used to automatically set the display to portrait or landscape mode. Meenhong JX5 specifications: SoC – Intel N100 quad-core Alder Lake-N processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel HD graphics @ 750 MHz; TDP: 6W System Memory – 12GB LPDDR5 4800 MHz Storage – Optional 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB […]

July 5, 2024July 23, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

SunFounder PiPower 3 kit is a UPS solution for the Raspberry Pi 5 SBC

SunFounder PiPower 3 kit is a UPS solution designed to work with the Raspberry Pi 5, other Arm SBCs, or even MCU boards like Arduino UNO and Raspberry Pi Pico. The board delivers a stable 5V/5A output, and a 32-bit CH32V003 RISC-V microcontroller takes care of power management and battery level reporting to make sure the Raspberry Pi 5 keeps running when a power failure occurs and shutdowns gracefully when the battery level is low. The kit comes with two 18650 2,000mAh batteries that connect through a 2-pin connector, and all accessories – standoffs, acrylic case, and fan – for assembly with the Raspberry Pi 5, or other compatible boards like the Pi 4, Banana Pi BPI-M5, Radxa Rock Pi E, Orange Pi 3B, and others. PiPower 3 kit specifications: 32-bit CH32V003 RISC-V microcontroller supporting I2C communication Input – 5V/5A via USB Type-C with PD support Output – 5V/5A […]