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

February 8, 2024February 13, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 31 Comments

LicheeRV Nano – A low-cost SG2002 RISC-V and Arm camera and display board with optional WiFi 6 and/or Ethernet

When I wrote about the SOPHGO SG2002 (and SG2000) RISC-V, Arm, and 8051 AIoT processor yesterday, I noted several boards were in development, but I had not noticed the Sipeed LicheeRV Nano (Beta) was already available for sale, so let’s have a closer look. It’s an inexpensive, tiny camera and display board running Linux with optional support for WiFi 6 and 10/100M Ethernet connectivity which somewhat reminds me of the Breadbee SBC based on MStar MSC313E Camera SoC. Sipeed also provides accessories such as a camera module and a touchscreen display to quickly get started. LicheeRV Nano specifications: SoC – SOPHGO SG2002 Main core – 1GHz 64-bit RISC-V C906 or Arm Cortex-A53 core (selectable) Minor core – 700MHz 64-bit RISC-V C906 core Low-power core – 25 to 300MHz 8051 MCU core NPU – 1 TOPS INT8, supports BF16 Integrated 256MB DDR3 (SiP) Storage – MicroSD card slot and SD NAND […]

February 7, 2024February 7, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments

SOPHGO SG2000/SG2002 AI SoC features RISC-V, Arm, and 8051 cores, supports Android, Linux, and FreeRTOS

SOPHGO SG2000 and SG2002 are new SoCs featuring a bunch of RISC-V and Arm cores capable of running Linux, Android, and FreeRTOS simultaneously, and to maximize the fun an 8051 MCU core is also in the mix along with a 0.5 TOPS (SG2000) or 1 TOPS (SG2002) AI accelerator. More specifically we have one 1GHz C906 64-bit core capable of running Linux, one 1GHz Arm Cortex-A53 for Linux or Android, another 700 MHz C906 RISC-V core for FreeRTOS, and a 300 MHz 8051-core for real-time I/Os, as well as 256MB or 512MB SiP DRAM. The chip is designed for AIoT applications such as Smart IP cameras, facial recognition, and smart home devices. SOPHGO SG2000/SG2002 specifications: CPU cores 1x C906 64-bit RISC-V core @ 1GHz 1x C906 64-bit RISC-V core @ 700MHz 1x Arm Cortex-A53 core @ 1GHz MCU – 8051 8-bit microcontroller core @ 25 to 300 MHz with 6KB […]

February 7, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Sapphire Edge+ VPR-4616-MB mini-ITX motherboard features “AMD Embedded+” architecture with Ryzen R2314 & Versal VE2302

Sapphire Edge+ VPR-4616-MB is a new mini-ITX motherboard on the “new” AMD Embedded+ “architecture” comprised of an AMD Ryzen Embedded R2314 processor and an AMD Versal AI Edge VE2302 adaptive SoC (also called FPGA SoC…). The motherboard supports up to 64GB ECC/non-ECC DDR4 memory for the CPU, 8GB of memory for the adaptive SoC, supports SATA and NVMe storage, dual video output, 2.5GbE networking, and offers a range of USB ports and M.2 sockets for expansion. AMD Embedded+ solutions target sensor fusion, AI inferencing, industrial networking, control, and visualization applications. SAPPHIRE Edge+ VPR-4616-MB specifications: AMD Embedded+ Architecture Adaptive SoC Subsystem Main IC – AMD Versal AI Edge VE2302 with dual Arm Cortex-A72 core processor @ up to 1.6 GHz, dual-core Arm Cortex-R5F, 23 TOPS AI engine, FPGA fabric, etc… System Memory – 2x 4GB LPDDR4 Storage 1Gbit OSPI NOR flash for local boot 64 Kbit EEPROM for Board-ID Expansion 160-pin […]

February 7, 2024February 7, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Maxtang MTN-FP750 business mini PC review – Part 3: Ubuntu 22.04

We’ve already checked out the hardware of the Maxtang MTN-FP750 mini PC in the first part of the review with an unboxing and a teardown, and tested the AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS Mini PC with 32GB DDR5 and a 512GB SSD in Windows 11 Pro in the second part. In the third part of the review, we will report our experience with the Ubuntu 22.04 Linux operating system. This includes features testing, several benchmarks, storage and networking performance testing, a stress test to check thermal performance, as well as fan noise and power consumption measurements. Ubuntu 22.04 installation Since the plan is to install Ubuntu 22.04 alongside Windows 11, so we will shrink the Windows 11 partition by about half first, before inserting the Ubuntu 22.04.3 USB drive to install the Linux distribution. The installation went smoothly with no issues to report on. Ubuntu 22.04 System information Going to Settings->About […]

February 6, 2024February 6, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

DFI MTH968 Intel Core Ultra “Meteor Lake” COM Express module to power industrial AI PCs

DFI MTH968 is a COM Express Compact Type 6 computer-on-module equipped with an Intel Core Ultra Meteor Lake processor designed for industrial AI PCs thanks to the integrated Neural Processor Unit (Intel AI Boost) and designed for industrial automation, smart transportation, and smart agriculture. It’s not quite the first COM Express module based on the new Core Ultra Meteor Lake SoCs, as we previously covered the ADLINK cExpress-MTL and conga-TC700 with a similar range of features, and the MTH968 provides another alternative with the company highlighting a fanless wide temperature design operating from -40°C to 85°C, DDR5 memory, and NVMe SSD storage (soldered on module). DFI MTH968 specifications: Meteor Lake U/H-series SoC (one or the other) Intel Core Ultra 7 165H 16-core (6P+8E+2LPE) processor @ 0.9 / 1.4 / 5.0 GHz (Turbo) with 24MB cache, 8x Xe-cores Intel Arc graphics @ 2.3 GHz, Intel AI Boost NPU; TDP: 28W Intel […]

February 6, 2024February 6, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Solar power manager module supports 6V-24V input range, battery charging, MPTT function, and outputs 5V/3A

Waveshare Solar Power Manager Module (D) is a compact power module for solar panels with support for 6V to 24V input, MPTT (Maximum Power Point Tracking), and battery charging. It outputs 5V up to 3A via a USB-C port or terminal block and should be suitable for a range of projects. A few weeks ago, we wrote about the FireBeetle 2 ESP32-C6 IoT development board with DFRobot highlighting support for solar charging of lithium batteries thanks the the CN3165 chip. But with a range of just 4.5 to 6V for solar panel input and a lack of support for MPTT, several readers were unimpressed by the solution. The Waveshare Solar Power Manager Module (D) recently popped up in my news feed, and I thought it might be worth a look. Waveshare Solar Power Manager Module (D) specifications: Solar panel input 6V to 24V via DC jack or 2-pole screw terminal […]

February 5, 2024February 6, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

PANZER-PLUS fanless AIoT computer to support Ubuntu 24.04, Android 14, Yocto 5.0

Taiwan-based MayQueen Technologies has recently introduced the PANZER-PLUS fanless AIoT computer powered by an NXP i.MX 8M Plus Arm SoC with support for Ubuntu 22.04, Android 12/13, and Yocto 4.0 “Kirkstone”, but the company also claims it is working on Ubuntu 24.04 and Android 14 operating systems, as well as Yocto 5.0 “Scarthgap”. The company initially pinged us in 2018 about its NXP iMX6UL-powered PANZER fanless box PC and contacted us again last week with the new PANZER-PLUS model equipped with an NXP i.MX 8M Plus AI processor, which I found only mildly interesting until the company informed me about (planned) software support. So let’s have a closer look. PANZER-PLUS specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX8M Plus CPU – Quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.8GHz MCU – Arm Cortex-M7 real-time core @ 400 MHz GPU – Vivante GC520L 2D GPU, Vivante GC7000UL 3D GPU VPU – 1080p60 hardware decoder (HEVC, H.264, […]

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

Wiser wireless-to-serial kit eases the debugging and programming of embedded devices (Crowdfunding)

WiSer is a wireless-to-serial communication kit comprised of a USB dongle (WiSer-USB) and a USB TTL debug board (WiSer-TTL) – both built around an ESP32-S2 microcontroller – that allows users to establish a P2P wireless connection between a host computer and a development board or sensor. It works like a typical USB to TTL debug board except it operates over WiFi, and it’s especially useful to debug code, update firmware, log data, or transfer files without a USB cable or even a Wi-Fi router since the connection to peer-to-peer. It looks especially useful when the host and DUT are too far apart, and my review samples are often on another table around 1.5m from the nearest USB port of my laptop, so I could see some use for it myself… WiSer specifications: Wireless SoC – ESP32-S2 Wi-Fi (and Bluetooth) microcontroller USB – 1x USB Type-C port providing a virtual serial […]