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) - 5 Comments on MediaTek Genio 1200 Arm Cortex-A78/A55 EVK gets official Ubuntu 22.04 support

MediaTek Genio 1200 Arm Cortex-A78/A55 EVK gets official Ubuntu 22.04 support

Mediatek Genio 1200 Ubuntu

Canonical and MediaTek announced optimized Ubuntu images for the Genio 1200 EVK during Embedded Word 2023 last March, but at the time, I could not find any images for download, and there was just an invitation to come check out Ubuntu Core running on the MediaTek Genio platform at the event. But things have progressed well, and Canonical has now announced the availability of Ubuntu 22.04 Desktop and Server for not only the high-end Genio 1200 EVK, but also the mid-range Genio 700 EVK, and the entry-level Genio 350 EVK. That should be good news, as when I tested the i-Pi SMARC 1200 devkit earlier this year (June 2023), the Genio 1200 Arm Cortex-A78/A55 processor (aka MediaTek MT8195) showed really good performance in benchmarks, but at the time, the only option was to use a Yocto image, which is great, but there were still some unresolved software issues and the […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on Linux 6.6 LTS release – Highlights, Arm, RISC-V and MIPS architectures

Linux 6.6 LTS release – Highlights, Arm, RISC-V and MIPS architectures

Linux 6.6 release

The Linux 6.6 release has just been announced by Linus Torvalds on the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML): So this last week has been pretty calm, and I have absolutely no excuses to delay the v6.6 release any more, so here it is. There’s a random smattering of fixes all over, and apart from some bigger fixes to the r8152 driver, it’s all fairly small. Below is the shortlog for last week for anybody who really wants to get a flavor of the details. It’s short enough to scroll through. This obviously means that the merge window for 6.7 opens tomorrow, and I appreciate how many early pull requests I have lined up, with 40+ ready to go. That will make it a bit easier for me to deal with it, since I’ll be on the road for the first week of the merge window. Linus About two months ago, […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 gains upstream Linux support

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 gains upstream Linux support

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen3 Android 14 upstream Linux

Linaro has announced upstream Linux support for the newly released Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 mobile platform also codenamed SM8650. The patchsets enable Android 14 AOSP to boot with mainline Linux on Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 hardware using Google SwiftShader CPU-based implementation of the Vulkan graphics API. While there is a lot of buzz around the announcement of the Snapdragon X Elite 12-core Arm processor for laptops in recent days, Qualcomm also introduced its latest premium processor with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform for mobile phones featuring a 3.3 GHz Cortex-X4 core, five Cortex A720 Performance cores, and two Cortex A520 efficiency cores, as well as support for generative AI through AI accelerators. The announcement was made on October 25, and Linaro released the patchsets to the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML) on the same day. Android devices are often stuck to an older Linux kernel for their entire […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on COM Express development kit ships with Intel Core i3-13300HE or Core i5-13600HE Raptor Lake-P processor

COM Express development kit ships with Intel Core i3-13300HE or Core i5-13600HE Raptor Lake-P processor

COM Express Raptor Lake development kit

ADLINK has launched an “IoT prototyping kit” based on the company’s Express-RLP COM Express Type 6 module with either an Intel Core i3-13300HE or Core i5-13600HE Raptor Lake-P processor. The module supports up to 64GB DDR5 and the ATX carrier board offers a wide range of interfaces such as 2.5GbE, two SATA ports, DisplayPort, LVDS (or EDP), and VGA video outputs, two USB4 ports, and more. COM Express Type 6 Raptor Lake-P devkit specifications: System-on-Module – ADLINK Express-RLP COM Express Type 6 computer-on-module Raptor Lake-P SoC Intel Core i5-13600HE 4P+8E cores/16 threads processor @ up to 2.7 GHz with 18MB cache, Intel Iris Xe graphics; TDP: 45W (cTDP: 35W) Intel Core i3-13300HE 4P+4E cores/12 threads processor @ up to 2.1 GHz with 12MB cache, Intel UHD graphics; TDP: 45W (cTDP: 35W) System Memory – Up to 64GB (2x 32GB) DDR5 via SO-DIMM sockets Dimensions – 125 x 95 mm (PICMG […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Raspberry Pi CM4-based industrial panel PC adds 4G LTE, RS232 and RS485, M.2 NVMe SSD

Raspberry Pi CM4-based industrial panel PC adds 4G LTE, RS232 and RS485, M.2 NVMe SSD

10.1-inch Raspberry Pi CM4 panel PC

EDATEC ED-HMI2120-101C is a Raspberry Pi CM4-based industrial panel PC with a 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen display with plenty of interfaces to cater to a wide range of use cases from robotics to energy management and industrial automation. The panel PC builds upon the ED-HMI2020-101C introduced just a few months ago, but adds a range of features with dual Ethernet, RS485 and RS232 interfaces, and optional supports for an M.2 NVMe SSD and 4G LTE cellular connectivity. The device now supports an even wider DC input range from 9V to 36V and provides three 12V DC outputs to power external hardware such as an additional LCD. ED-HMI2120-101C specifications (with highlights in bold and strikethrough showing the differences against the earlier ED-HMI2020-101C model): System-on-Module (SoM) – Raspberry Pi CM4 SoC – Broadcom BCM2711 CPU – Quad-core Cortex-A72 processor @ 1.5GHz GPU – VideoCore VI conformant with OpenGL ES 3.1 & Vulkan 1.2 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments on Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite – A 4.3 GHz 12-core Arm AI processor for next gen PCs and laptops

Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite – A 4.3 GHz 12-core Arm AI processor for next gen PCs and laptops

Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite highlights

Qualcomm has now provided Arm chips for mobile PCs (aka laptops) for several years, but apart from a 20-hour battery life, the performance and price of Snapdragon laptops have often been disappointing. The Snapdragon X Elite aims to change that at least on the performance front. The new Qualcomm 12-core 64-bit Arm processor is clocked at up to 3.8 GHz boosting to up to 4.3 GHz, and is said to deliver up to twice the CPU performance against the competition (Intel/AMD/Apple) or provides the same level of performance at a third of the power consumption. The SoC will also be able to run on-device generative AI with over 13B parameters thanks to 75 TOPS of AI performance and support the latest wireless connectivity technologies such as 5G and WiFi 7 through external chips from the company. Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite specifications: CPU – 12-core 64-bit Armv8 Oryon processor clocked at […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on The Portenta Hat Carrier board adds Raspberry Pi HAT support to the Portenta X8 SBC

The Portenta Hat Carrier board adds Raspberry Pi HAT support to the Portenta X8 SBC

Arduino Portenta Hat Carrier

The Arduino Portenta Hat Carrier board aims to interface the Linux-capable Portenta X8 board with the vast ecosystem of Raspberry Pi HAT (Hardware on Top) expansion boards. Introduced last year, the Arduino Portenta X8 is the first Arduino Pro hardware that can run Linux thanks to its NXP i.MX 8M Mini Arm Cortex-A53 quad-core processor. But it comes in a tiny 66.04 x 25.4 mm form factor which may be great for integration into products, but for prototyping or design of products such as IoT gateways, the company has now launched the Portenta Hat Carrier that enables the board to easily connect with the Raspberry Pi HATs available today. Portenta Hat Carrier specifications: Compatible with the Portenta X8 board and future Portenta with the same high-density connectors Storage – MicroSD card slot Camera I/F – MIPI CSI camera connector (CNXSoft: Arduino does not explicitly say whether it’s compatible with the […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on AOOSTAR R1 – An Intel N100 2-bay NAS, mini PC, and 2.5GbE router

AOOSTAR R1 – An Intel N100 2-bay NAS, mini PC, and 2.5GbE router

AOOSTAR N1 Intel N100 2-bay NAS mini PC

AOOSTAR R1 Intel N100 mini PC triples as a 2-bay NAS thanks to two bays for 3.5-inch SATA drives and as a router through two 2.5GbE network interfaces. It’s a lower-cost version of the Ryzen 5-powered AOOSTAR N1 Pro that was introduced last June. It ships with up to 16GB DDR4 RAM, an optional 512 GB NVMe SSD, offers WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, supports up to three displays via HDMI, DisplayPort and USB-C ports, and comes with five USB ports.   AOOSTAR R1 (also called WTR R1) 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 – Optional 16GB DDR4-3200 via SO-DIMM socket Storage Optional 512GB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD 2-bay NAS compatible with 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch SATA drives MicroSD card slot Video Output 4Kp60 video output […]

UP 7000 x86 SBC