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

March 1, 2024March 1, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

Scaleway launches hosted RISC-V servers for 15.99 Euros per month

French company Scaleway has just launched the “Elastic Metal RV1” bare metal servers which it claims to be the world’s first RISC-V servers available in the cloud with pricing at 0.042 Euros per hour, or 15.99 Euros a month excluding VAT. Scaleway launched some Arm servers based on Marvell Armada 370/XP quad-core Cortex A9 processor in 2015 before phasing those out a few years ago, and they are now just offering AMD and Intel-based servers and hosted Apple Mac computers based on the M1 Arm chip. But the company has decided to try something new again with the EM-RV1 servers based on Alibaba T-Head TH1520 quad-core RISC-V processor, 16GB RAM, and 128GB eMMC flash and running Debian, Ubuntu, or Alpine. EM-RV1-C4M16S128-A instance key features and specifications: SoC – Alibaba T-Head TH1520 CPU – Quad-core RISC-V Xuantie C910 (RV64GCV) processor @ 1.85 GHz GPU – Imagination BXM-4-64 with support for OpenCL […]

March 1, 2024March 1, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Embedded Open Source Summit 2024 schedule – Embedded Linux, Zephyr OS, and Real-time Linux

The Embedded Open Source Summit 2024 (EOSS 2024) will take place on April 16-18 and the Linux Foundation has already announced the schedule with conference sessions, lightning talks, and birds of a feather (BoF) sessions covering embedded Linux, Zephyr OS, and real-time (RT) Linux. While I won’t be attending in person, I still find it interesting to check out the schedule as we may learn more about the current status of embedded Linux. So I’ve created my own little virtual schedule out of the available talks. Tuesday, April 16 – Day 1, Embedded Open Source Summit 2024 9:05 – 9:45 – No, It’s (Still) Never Too Late to Upstream Your Legacy Linux-Based Platforms by Neil Armstrong, Linaro Nearly 7 years ago, Neil already spoke about this subject in Berlin, and it’s still very true. Do you maintain or used to maintain a Linux-based board or SoC off-tree? Then there are […]

March 1, 2024February 29, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

WeAct STM32G4 is a tiny board based on STMicro STM32G4 mixed-signal microcontroller

WeAct STM32G4 is a tiny development board based on a 170 MHz STMicro STM32G4 Arm Cortex-M4F mixed-signal microcontroller with DSP instructions and suitable for applications such as motor control, building automation, lighting, digital power meters, and more. Two versions of the board are offered one with an STM32G474CEU6 “Hi-resolution line” microcontroller equipped with 128KB RAM and 512KB flash, and the other with the lower-end STM32G431CBU6 “Access Line” MCU with just 32KB RAM and 128KB flash. The board also comes with a USB-C port for power and programming, three buttons, and two 24-pin headers. WeAct STM32G4 specifications: Microcontroller (one or the other) STMicro STM32G431CBU6 – Arm Cortex-M4F MCU @ 170 MHz with DSP instructions, 32KB RAM, 128KB flash, and math accelerator STMicro STM32G474CEU6 – Arm Cortex-M4F MCU @ 170 MHz with DSP instructions, 128KB RAM, 512KB flash, and math accelerator; high-resolution timer and complex waveform builder plus event handler (HRTIM) for […]

March 1, 2024February 29, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

CTL Chromebook NL73 Series to support 5G RedCap with a Snapdragon X35 modem

CTL Chromebook NL73 Series based on Intel Processor N100 or N200 SoC will be offered with a Snapdragon X35 modem to support the new 5G RedCap (Reduced Capability) standard. 5G RedCap – also known as 5G NR-Light – keeps some 5G features such as low latency, low power consumption, enhanced security, and network slicing while limiting the bandwidth to around a few hundred Mbps. It was initially designed to target industrial IoT applications, but Qualcomm also mentioned its Snapdragon X35 modem could be used in smartwatches and XR glasses when it was first announced, and it might be used in other cost-sensitive devices such as Chromebooks. Chromebook NL73 “5G RedCap” key specifications: Alder Lake N-Series SoC (one or the other) Intel Processor N100 quad-core processor up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel HD graphics; TDP: 6W Intel Processor N200 quad-core processor up to 3.7 GHz (Turbo) with […]

February 29, 2024March 15, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

MINIX Z100-AERO is an Intel N100 mini PC with triple 4K display support, dual Ethernet

The MINIX Z100-AERO is an actively-cooled Intel Processor N100 mini PC with a form factor similar to the company’s Z100-0dB fanless mini PC but offered with a different choice of interfaces including dual Ethernet (1Gbps + 2.5 Gbps), and three video outputs through HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort, and USB-C connectors. The mini PC supports up to 32GB DDR4 memory via a single SO-DIMM slot and M.2 NVMe SSD storage, and features four USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (5Gbps), plus one full-featured USB-C 3.2 port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. MINIX Z100-AERO specifications: SoC – Intel Processor 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 – 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB DDDR4-3200 via 1x SO-DIMM socket, upgradable to 32GB Storage 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB M.2 SSD (PCIe Gen3 x1?), upgradable up to 4TB MicroSD card slot […]

February 29, 2024February 29, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Arduino Nano 33 BLE Rev2 board features BMI270 six-axis IMU and BMM150 magnetometer

Arduino Nano 33 BLE Rev2 is an update to the Arduino Nano 33 BLE board launched in 2019 that features two IMU sensors instead of one with the BMI270 6-axis accelerometer and gyroscope and the BMM150 3-axis magnetometer and also comes with a few changes made after feedback from users. The new board is still powered by an nRF52840 Bluetooth LE module (u-Blox NINA B306) and remains Arduino Nano compatibility with two rows of 15-pin headers, but replaces the 9-axis IMU with the BMI270 and BMM150 chips, adds new pads and test points for USB, SWDIO, and SWCLK, a new VUSB soldering jumper, and brings changes to the power circuitry. Arduino Nano 33 BLE Rev2 specifications: Wireless Module – U-blox NINA B306 module SoC – Nordic Semi nRF52840 MCU Core – Arm Cortex-M4F microcontroller @ 64MHz Memory and storage – 1MB Flash, 256KB RAM Bluetooth 5.0 LE Up to 2 […]

February 28, 2024February 29, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Intel Core Ultra 5 134U and Core Ultra 7 164U are 9W Meteor Lake processors

Intel Core Ultra 5 134U and Core Ultra 7 164U are new 12-core Meteor Lake processors with 9W PBP (Processor Base Power) and 30W Max Turbo Power (MTP) that appear to have recently been added to Intel Ark. Intel just announced Intel vPro Platform support for the Core Ultra Meteor Lake processors to make those more suitable to business customers with improved security through AI-powered Intel Threat Detection Technology, better manageability with the Intel Device Discovery comprised of cloud-based tools for managing PCs remotely, and enhanced stability thanks to Intel’s Stable IT Program aiming to validate and ensure Windows 10 and Windows 11 compatibility. But Liliputing also notes that Intel has added some 9W parts besides the existing 15W parts such as the Intel Core Ultra 5 125U or Core Ultra 7 165U, namely the Core Ultra 5 134U and Core Ultra 7 164U. They are quite similar to the […]

February 28, 2024February 27, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Waveshare RP2040-BLE is a Raspberry Pi RP2040 module with Bluetooth LE connectivity

If you could not care less about WiFi, the Waveshare RP2040-BLE module combines a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller with an unnamed Bluetooth 5.1 dual-mode chip, and supports a USB-C add-on board useful during development. There are several Raspberry Pi RP2040 boards with a WiFi and Bluetooth module including the Raspberry Pi Pico W, but if you are only interested in using Bluetooth, the RP2040-BLE board from Waveshare may be more power-efficient and its design may be more suitable for integration into products. Waveshare RP2040-BLE specifications: MCU – Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Arm Cortex M0+ microcontroller up to 133 MHz with 264KB of SRAM Storage – 2MB of onboard Flash memory. Connectivity Bluetooth 5.1 dual-mode function (BLE and classic) Controlled by serial AT commands Ceramic antenna Expansion 24x through and castellated holes with 14x multi-function GPIO pins. 2x SPI, 2x I2C, 2x UART, 3x 12-bit ADC, 14 x PWM FPC connector […]