Author: Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on Fibocom FG370 dual-band WiFi 7 and 5G cellular module targets 5G FWA routers

Fibocom FG370 dual-band WiFi 7 and 5G cellular module targets 5G FWA routers

Fibocom FG730 WiFi 7 5G Cellular module

Fibocom FG370 is a compact module that combines WiFi 7 and 5G cellular connectivity designed for 5G FWA routers for the home, SMB (Small and Medium-sized Business), and industrial applications. Based on the MediaTek T830 quad-core Arm Cortex-A55 SoC, the FG370 supports 5G NR sub-6GHz, two 10Gbps USXGMII interfaces, and dual-band BE7200 WiFi 7 achieving an MLO (Multi-link operation) speed of up to 7.2Gbps. Note this is not the first “FG370 announcement” from the company, as global operators have used the 5G-only FG370 since October 2023, and the company introduced the FG370 with 5G and tri-band BE19000 WiFi 7 at MWC2024. The company has unveiled a mid-range variant of the FG370 module with 5G and BE7200 at Computex 2024. The company has yet to release a datasheet for the 5G + WiFi 7 variants, but for reference, here are the Fibocom FG370 (5G-only) specifications: (North American version) SoC – MediaTek […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on PiWings 2.0 is a tiny drone based on Raspberry Pi Pico and ESP8266 WiFi module (Crowdfunding)

PiWings 2.0 is a tiny drone based on Raspberry Pi Pico and ESP8266 WiFi module (Crowdfunding)

PiWings 2.0 Raspberry Pi Pico drone variants

SB Components’ PiWings 2.0 is a small drone combining a Raspberry Pi Pico with an ESP8266 WiFi module (ESP-12E) for wireless connectivity, and designed for STEM education and drone enthusiasts. The PiWings 2.0 board supports up to six motors and four servos, includes a 6-axis IMU for auto-leveling, and features I2C, SPI, UART, and GPIO expansion ports for custom sensor and/or actuator support. The drone itself is offered with three, four, or six rotors. PiWings 2.0 key features and specifications: Microcontroller board – Raspberry Pi Pico with Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Cortex-M0+ microcontroller, 264KB SRAM Wireless module – ESP-12E (ESP8266) WiFi module for iBus support Motor Drivers – 6 channels (3A DC) Servo Motors – 4 channels USB – 1x micro USB port (on Raspberry Pi Pico) Expansion – I2C, SPI, UART, GPIO ports Sensor – On-board 6-axis IMU (MPU6050) for auto-leveling Misc – 4x RGB LEDs Power Supply 3V […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on Orange Pi 3B V2.1 SBC has been revamped with better WiFi 5 connectivity, M.2 2280 NVMe/SATA SSD socket

Orange Pi 3B V2.1 SBC has been revamped with better WiFi 5 connectivity, M.2 2280 NVMe/SATA SSD socket

Orange Pi 3B V2.1

Shenzhen Xunlong Software has introduced the Orange Pi 3B V2.1 SBC with an M.2 socket that supports 2280 NVMe or SATA SSDs, and a new Ampak AP6256 WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5 wireless module replacing the Allwinner AW859A-based CDTech 20U5622 module in the first revision of the board. The Orange Pi 3B SBC was first introduced in August 2023 as a Rockchip RK3566 SBC with Raspberry Pi 3B form factor and support for M.2 2230 and 2242 NVMe or SATA storage. The new Orange Pi 3B V2.1 supports longer M.2 2280 SSDs at the cost of being slightly bigger than a credit card (89×56 mm) and offers better WiFi 5 connectivity. Orange Pi 3B V2.1 specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3566 CPU – Quad-core Cortex-A55 processor @ up to 1.8 GHz GPU – Arm Mali-G52 2EE GPU with support for OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0/3.2, OpenCL 2.0, Vulkan 1.1 NPU – 0.8 TOPS […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments on Beelink EQ13 is an Intel N200 or N100 mini PC with an integrated power supply

Beelink EQ13 is an Intel N200 or N100 mini PC with an integrated power supply

Beelink EQ13 mini PC built in power supply

Beelink EQ13 is yet another Alder Lake-N mini PC, but it is offered with either the Intel Processor N100 or the less common Processor N200 CPU and integrates a power supply making it more portable as the user just needs to carry a power cord in his/her bag besides the device itself. The Beelink EQ13 ships with 16GB DDR5 and a 500GB NVMe SSD. It’s an evolution of the earlier N100-based Beelink EQ12 but with a different port arrangement and slightly larger design due to the internal power supply. It still comes with two Ethernet ports, dual HDMI 2.0, an audio jack, three USB 3.0 Type-A ports, and a USB-C port with DisplayPort Alt mode. An extra USB 2.0 port has been added to the rear panel. Beelink EQ13 specifications (with highlights in bold and strikethrough showing differences against the Beelink EQ12) Alder Lake-N SoC (one or the other) Intel […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on GEEKOM A8 Review – Part 2: An AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS mini PC tested with Windows 11 Pro

GEEKOM A8 Review – Part 2: An AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS mini PC tested with Windows 11 Pro

GEEKOM A8 mini PC Review Windows11 Pro

In the first part of the review, we’ve already gone through a teardown and an unboxing of the GEEKOM A8 AI mini PC powered by an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processor with AMD Radeon 780M Graphics, 32GB RAM (upgradeable up to 64GB) and a 2TB M.2 NVMe SSD. We’ve now had more time to play with the GEEKOM A8, so we will report our experience with the Windows 11 Pro operating system in the second part of the review testing features, running benchmarks, evaluating networking and storage performance, testing the thermal design, and taking measurements for fan noise and power consumption. Software overview and features testing The System->About window in the Settings confirms we have an A8 Mini PC powered by a 4.0 GHz (base frequency) AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processor with Radeon 780M Graphics and 32GB of RAM running Windows 11 Pro 23H2 build 22631.3593. HWiNFO64 provides more details […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on MYiR Tech launches AMD XC7A100T Artix-7 FPGA system-on-module and development board with PCIe, SFP+ cages, dual GbE

MYiR Tech launches AMD XC7A100T Artix-7 FPGA system-on-module and development board with PCIe, SFP+ cages, dual GbE

AMD XC7A100T FPGA development board

MYIR MYC-J7A100T is a System-On-Module (SoM) powered by an AMD/Xilinx Artix-7 XC7A100T FPGA with up to 101,440 logic cells, 512MB DDR3 memory, 32MB QSPI FLASH, 32KB EEPROM, DC-DC power management, and other integral circuits in a compact 69.6 x 40mm form factor. The module exposes up to 178 FPGA I/Os, four pairs of GTP high-speed transceiver interfaces, and a JTAG interface through its 260-pin edge connector. MYiR also provides a development board for the MYC-J7A100T module which looks like a PCIe 2.0 card and comes with SFP+ cages, HDMI input and output ports, dual GbE, and a GPIO expansion header. MYIR MYC-J7A100T system-on-module Specifications: FPGA – AMD/Xilinx XC7A100T Artix-7 FPGA (XC7A100T-2FGG484I) with 101,440 logic cells 4,860 Kb of Block RAM 240 DSP slices 8 GTP transceivers capable of reaching speeds up to 6.6Gb/s PCIe Gen2 x4  interface Up to 300x single-ended I/Os System Memory – 512MB DDR3 Storage – 32MB […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on PCIe to 5G HAT+ for Raspberry Pi 5 takes SIMCom and Quectel 5G modules

PCIe to 5G HAT+ for Raspberry Pi 5 takes SIMCom and Quectel 5G modules

Raspberry Pi 5 5G PCIe HAT+

Waveshare PCIe to 5G/4G/3G HAT+ for Raspberry Pi 5 is a PCIe Gen 2 x1 to M.2 HAT+ designed to take 5G modules from SIMCom and Quectel and a Nano SIM card. The kit ships with a 4-in-1 PCB antenna, associated cables, a heatsink, a 4cm 16-pin PCIe FPC cable, a 40-pin female header, and a fixture set for mounting. We had previously written about the SixFab 5G HAT for the Raspberry Pi 5 with a Quectel RM502Q-AE M.2 module, but this specific kit still relies on the USB 3.0 interface. The Waveshare kit is the first 5G kit using the PCIe interface from the Raspberry Pi 5 interface and it is offered with Quectel RM502Q-AE, RM530N-GL, RM520N-GL, or SIMCom SIM8262E-M2, SIM8262A-M2 M.2 3042/3052 modules. Waveshare PCIe to 5G HAT+ specifications: M.2 Key B socket for 3042/3052 5G modules with PCIe interface 16-pin PCIe FPC connector directly connected to the […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on DFM8001 indoor energy harvesting kit harnesses solar energy (and mechanical, thermal, RF energy with extra hardware)

DFM8001 indoor energy harvesting kit harnesses solar energy (and mechanical, thermal, RF energy with extra hardware)

DFM8001 Indoor Ambient Energy Harvesting Kit

DFRobot DFM8001 indoor ambient energy harvesting kit can power IoT devices by harnessing solar energy, and the company claims it can also capture mechanical, thermal, and RF energy from the local environment but there’s no way to do that with that kit without additional hardware. The DFRobot kit is comprised of an evaluation board with the company DFM8001 energy harvesting module, two pluggable supercapacitors, and a solar panel used as power input. You could also use other sources emitting at least 150 mV gathering energy from RF, thermal, or mechanical sources. The board features two outputs one low-voltage (1.2-1.8V) terminal up to 20mA, and a high-voltage (1.8V-4.1V) terminal up to 80mA, and two battery connectors plus a few jumpers for configuration. DFM8001 energy harvesting kit specifications: Operating voltage – 3.3V to 5.5V DC Cold start condition – Input > 400mV 15uW Sustaining voltage after cold start – 150mV. Input voltage […]

UP 7000 x86 SBC