Debashis Das, Author at CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

February 28, 2025February 27, 2025 by Debashis Das - 4 Comments

LispDeck handheld lisp computer Runs uLisp on Teensy 4.1 with Wi-Fi, LoRa, and two screens

Designed by Hartmut Graw, the LispDeck is a Handheld Lisp computer built around the Teensy 4.1 microcontroller for Lisp programming on the go. It features a dual-screen setup with a 5-inch touchscreen and, a secondary ST77350-based TFT display. It also has an Adafruit RFM96 radio module, an ESP8266 Wi-Fi module, a rotary encoder, an SD card for storage, and a detachable wireless USB keyboard, all housed in a 3D-printed case. Running the uLisp language, it features a standalone Lisp programming environment without needing a PC or tablet. It is an evolution of the LispBox, with a portable and battery-powered design, which also maintains compatibility. Unlike Raspberry Pi-based cyberdecks, the LispDeck is designed for complete control over the system without the complexity of Linux. It is useful for Lisp enthusiasts who want a compact, dedicated computing device that’s fully documented. LispDeck Specifications SoC – NXP i.MX RT1062 via Teensy 4.1 board […]

February 27, 2025March 1, 2025 by Debashis Das - 4 Comments

PCIe x1 slot adapters let the Raspberry Pi 5 SBC interface with standard PCIe cards

Waveshare has recently launched the PCIe TO PCIe x1 Board (C) which is a PCIe FFC connector to standard PCIe x1 slot adapter board for the Raspberry Pi 5. But while searching for more details about the board, I also found out about other solutions from 52Pi and Spotpear, which are a bit older, but still worth taking a look because of their unique features and low cost. These Raspberry Pi PCIe x1 slot adapters allow users to connect expansion cards such as network cards, storage controllers, and other PCIe peripherals to the Raspberry Pi 5. Additionally, the board features a dedicated 12V power header and DC jack, which supplies power to the 12V pins of the PCIe slot, for power-hungry devices. These features allow for applications like AI acceleration, high-speed networking, and storage expansion. Waveshare PCIe TO PCIe x1 Board (C) The Waveshare PCIe FFC to PCIe x1 Adapter […]

February 26, 2025February 26, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Jetway F35-MTU1 3.5-inch SBC features Intel Core Ultra 7 155U or Ultra 5 125U Meteor Lake SoC

jetwayipc F35 MTU1 3.5 Inch SubCompact SBC

Jetway recently launched the F35-MTU1 3.5-inch SubCompact SBC, built around the Intel Core 5 125U and Ultra 7 155U (Meteor Lake) processors which also integrates an NPU for AI acceleration. It supports up to 96GB of DDR5 memory, features dual Intel 2.5GbE LAN with TSN, and supports WiFi 6 and 4G LTE connectivity via M.2 sockets. The board has several 4K display outputs, including DP Type-C, DP, HDMI, and LVDS/eDP. For storage, it offers M.2 slots supporting NVMe, PCIe, and CNVi, along with a SATA III port with RAID 0/1 support for data redundancy. I/O options include USB 3.2, USB 2.0, and four COM ports for serial communication, which can be used to connect external peripherals. With a wide operating temperature range and support for both Windows and Linux, the SBC is well-suited for AI workloads, IoT edge devices, and industrial control systems that demand high performance, connectivity, and reliability. […]

February 24, 2025February 24, 2025 by Debashis Das - 3 Comments

GL.iNet Spitz Plus GL-X2000 – An affordable WiFi 6 cellular router with GbE, dual SIM, and load balancing capabilities

Spitz Plus (GL X2000) Wi Fi 6 4G LTE CAT 12 Router

GL.iNet Spitz Plus GL-X2000 is a Wi-Fi 6 cellular router with GbE networking, two nano SIM slots, interchangeable high-gain antennas, and more. It is built around a Qualcomm IPQ5018 dual-core 1 GHz SoC and supports AX3000 Wi-Fi speeds with data rates of up to 574 Mbps on 2.4GHz and 2402 Mbps on 5GHz. Other features include support for multi-WAN connectivity, failover, and load balancing for stable connections, it also comes with preinstalled VPN support for over 30 providers. It also has remote management features that allow users to monitor data usage, update firmware, and troubleshoot through a centralized interface. The device is available in different LTE variants for North American and international markets, supporting region-specific bands. These features make this router useful for applications such as remote work, mobile offices, industrial IoT, and backup connectivity in areas with unreliable broadband. GL-X2000 (Spitz Plus) specifications: SoC – Qualcomm IPQ5018 dual-core Cortex-A53 […]

February 23, 2025 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

New Microchip maXTouch M1 automotive touchscreen controllers support curved displays, physical Knob-on-Display technology

Microchip maXTouch M1 Curved Automotive Displays Knob on Display Technology

Microchip Technology’s ATMXT3072M1 and ATMXT2496M1 add to the existing maXTouch M1 automotive touchscreen controllers and are designed for large, curved, free-form displays, including ones using OLED and microLED technologies. These controllers support up to 112 reconfigurable touch channels (or 162 in ultra-wide mode), enabling touch functionality for displays up to 20-inch (16:9 format) or 34-inch (7:1 format) in size. Additionally, they use smart mutual touch acquisition to enhance signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by +15 dB, ensuring reliable touch detection in high-capacitive environments. The controllers also feature integrated Knob-on-Display (KoD) technology for physical control knobs on touchscreens and low-latency haptic feedback for enhanced user interaction. The controls meet ASIL-A and B safety standards and support OTA firmware updates with SHA-512 authentication for cybersecurity compliance (ISO 21434:2021). All these features make these MCUs suitable for user-friendly infotainment and dashboard systems. Microchip ATMXT3072M1 and ATMXT2496M1 specifications Touchscreen channels ATMXT3072M1 – 112 fully configurable sensor […]

February 21, 2025February 21, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Renesas RA4L1 ultra-low-power MCU family offers 168 µA/MHz operation, dual-bank flash, capacitive touch

Renesas has recently introduced the RA4L1 ultra-low-power Arm Cortex-M33 MCU family along with two evaluation/development boards. This new lineup consists of 14 ultra-low-power devices based on an 80 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 processor with TrustZone support and designed for metering, IoT sensing, smart locks, digital cameras, and human-machine interface (HMI) applications. The RA4L1 MCU family offers high power efficiency at 168 µA/MHz while active and a standby current of 1.70 µA while retaining SRAM. Additionally, they support segment LCD, capacitive touch, USB-FS, CAN FD, low-power UART, multiple serial interfaces (SPI, QSPI, I2C, I3C, SSI), ADC, DAC, real-time clock, and security features like the RSIP security engine with TRNG, AES, ECC, and Hash. Renesas RA4L1 microcontroller Renesas RA4L1 specifications MCU core Arm Cortex-M33 core (Armv8-M) Up to 80 MHz operating frequency Arm Memory Protection Unit (MPU) 8 secure regions (MPU_S) 8 non-secure regions (MPU_NS) CoreSight ETM-M33 Dual SysTick timers (secure & non-secure) […]

February 21, 2025February 20, 2025 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

Femtofox Pro v1 LoRa and Meshtastic development board runs Linux-based Foxbuntu OS on Rockchip RV1103 SoC

Femtofox Pro v1 kit LoRa and Meshtastic development board

The Femtofox Pro v1 kit is a compact, low-power LoRa and Meshtastic development board running Linux specially designed for Meshtastic networks. Built around the Luckfox Pico Mini (Rockchip RV1103) SBC, this compact development platform supports USB host/device functionality, Ethernet, WiFi over USB, GPIO interfaces, I2C, UART, and a real-time clock (RTC). The most unique feature of this board is that it operates at very low power (0.27-0.4W), making it ideal for solar-powered applications. Additionally, Femtofox supports native Meshtastic client control, USB mass storage, and network reconfiguration via a USB flash drive. It also includes user-configurable buttons for WiFi toggling and system reboot, enhancing its usability. These features make Femtofox particularly useful for applications such as emergency response and off-grid messaging. Femtofox Pro v1 kit specifications Mainboard – Luckfox Pico Mini A SoC – Rockchip RV1103 SoC CPU – Arm Cortex-A7 processor @ 1.2GHz + RISC-V core Memory – 64MB DDR2 […]

February 20, 2025February 20, 2025 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

LLMStick – An AI and LLM USB device based on Raspberry Pi Zero W and optimized llama.cpp

Youtuber and tech enthusiast Binh Pham has recently built a portable plug-and-play AI and LLM device housed in a USB stick called the LLMStick and built around a Raspberry Pi Zero W. This device portrays the concept of a local plug-and-play LLM which you can use without the internet. After DeepSeek shook the world with its performance and open-source accessibility, we have seen tools like Exo that allow you to run large language models (LLMs) on a cluster of devices, like computers, smartphones, and single-board computers, effectively distributing the processing load. We have also seen Radxa release instructions to run DeepSeek R1 (Qwen2 1.5B) on a Rockchip RK3588-based SBC with 6 TOPS NPU. Pham thought of using the llama.cpp project as it’s specifically designed for devices with limited resources. However, running llama.cpp on the Raspberry Pi Zero W wasn’t straightforward and he had to face architecture incompatibility as the old […]