Stephen Vicinanza, Author at CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

February 2, 2020February 1, 2020 by Stephen Vicinanza - 8 Comments

Sania Box Raspberry Pi 4 based DIY Kit is Designed for STEM Education (Crowdfunding)

Sania Box, A Special Kind of DIY RPi4 Based Kit The 13-year-old Sania Jain is a young entrepreneur, published writer and tech aficionado who now offers an embedded computer kit called Sania Box. The Raspberry Pi 4 based embedded system kit comes with an add-on board and has been designed to develop coding skills in anyone 8 years old or more, and for learning IoT, STEM, and for all kinds of DIY fun. Background Some DIY RPi-based kits can be found in our archives, such as the Piper Computer Kit 2 made for children’s education, but there’s now another option thanks to Sania Jain who has been designing, building, and writing in the STEM arena for some time. Sania Jain’s accomplishments are amazing, and look to be just her beginning in STEM-based endeavors. A Concept With Wide Reach The Sania Box was conceived by Sania Jain and built by Moonshot […]

January 22, 2020 by Stephen Vicinanza - 1 Comment

V-Powerbuds Pro TWS Earbuds Support Heart Monitoring & Oxygen Tracking (Crowdfunding)

Vimai V-Powerbuds Pro Multi-function Sport Earbuds Vimai’s V-Powerbuds Pro TWS (True Wireless Stereo) earbuds are multi-function wireless earbuds. In the past, we had reported on the Misfit Specter Bluetooth earbuds that could track fitness input, such as steps, calories, and sleep duration. V-Powerbuds Pro also tracks heart rate, oxygen, and respiration, and supports online & offline voice control. The Component Basics The V-Powerbud Pro are TWS earbuds and have a built-in pulse oximeter to capture heart rate and oxygen levels right from within the ear. The hook design holds the earbuds tightly in place, within the ear, to get an accurate measurement independent of the effects of light. Other types of fitness tracking devices like those located on the wrist, can be affected by light. The Difference From Other Sport Earbuds Although the uses during exercise aspect of this wearable are probably more likely to be a selling point, the […]

January 15, 2020March 6, 2020 by Stephen Vicinanza - 3 Comments

MediaTek Rich IoT SDK v20.0 Released, Pumpkin i500 SBC Announced

MediaTek Rich IoT SDK v20.0 is Available MediaTek has announced its Rich IoT SDK v20.0 is already available for the i300 and i500 chipset series. The SDK was developed in collaboration with BayLibre, the French developer of Linux and Android embedded systems software, which is also known for helping mainlining Amlogic processors to Linux. The i300A, i300B, and i500 hardware platforms are supported and the features are focused on IoT and the emerging generation of smart devices. Supported OS’es and Test Applications The Rich IoT SDK v20.0 supports Yocto 3.0 Linux and Android 10 to let third-party customers and members of the MediaTek Ecosystem test Computer Vision algorithms, AI models and custom software on top of the base layer. Updates and Maintenance The SDK is receiving updates quarterly, with security updates and patches being delivered over-the-air (OTA) on a regular basis. The chipset series has a timeline for updates to […]

January 9, 2020 by Stephen Vicinanza - 4 Comments

Lattice Introduces CrossLink-NX FPGA for Edge AI & Embedded Vision

Lattice CrossLink-NX FPGA Lattice Semiconductor has announced the first product associated with its Nexus Platform, the CrossLink-NX FPGA designed for embedded vision and Edge AI applications. There are two offerings at this time, the CrossLink-NX FPGA 17, and the CrossLink-NX FPGA 40. Recent Announcements The Nexus Platform was introduced at the beginning of December 2019, and now CrossLink-NX has been developed and is being manufactured. The first announcements of Lattice Nexus Platform and The CrossLink-NX Product Family came as the company’s moved to capture the embedded vision systems market. The Standout Features The low-power consumption, low soft error immunity, and 10Gbps MIPI are highlights of the CrossLink-NX FPGA. Other features include Instant On, with IO configured in 3 ms, and a total of 8 ms for the device. The Cross-Platform FPGAs The trends in technology are leading to devices that can cross function in a number of different tech environments. […]

January 6, 2020January 7, 2020 by Stephen Vicinanza - 1 Comment

Zotac Reveals Two 15W AMD Ryzen 3 Mini PC’s: ZBOX MA621 and CA621 Nano

Zotac ZBOX Makes a Run At AMD Ryzen Based Mini PCs Zotac, the mini PC manufacturer, has announced two new additions to its long-standing line up of small form-factor computers. The newest additions are the ZBOX MA621 Nano and the ZBOX CA621 Nano. The Nano’s are both housed in enclosures nearly identical to the previous Zotac offerings. Background on ZBOX Launching an AMD mini PC is not a first for ZOTAC, but the last time they unveiled AMD based mini PCs was in 2014. Where The Mini-PCs Will Be Presented The offerings, which will be unveiled at the 2020 CES in Los Vegas, later this year, were announced from Hong Kong a few days ago. Both of the ZBOX computers run AMD Ryzen 3 CPUs. Two Cooling Solutions The ZBOX CA621 Nano is passively cooled for silent running, while the MA621 Nano is actively cooled. The differences in size are […]

January 4, 2020 by Stephen Vicinanza - 11 Comments

Fingerbot Bluetooth Mechanical Finger Enables Automation for most Home Appliances (Crowdfunding)

Adaprox Fingerbot Smart Home Automation Fingerbot is the place where IoT meets analog and creates a solution for smart home automation that works with Alexa, Google Home, Siri, and many smart home apps. What is Fingerbot? Adaprox, a team of engineers, programmers, and designers, designed the finger-sized device that can handle on/off for devices, repetitive motion tasks, toggles or switches. Fingerbot Does What? The little robot can work through voice or app, and can handle all activation and deactivation of traditional appliances, lighting and can even use its soft “finger” on a touchscreen for repetitive tasks in the home, all done mechanically. How Does It Work Fingerbot is designed to be attached to the device it is controlling with double-sided tape or velcro. This creates a firm grip on the surface so that its finger can control the device properly. The velcro option allows for switching Fingerbot between appliances, and […]

December 30, 2019December 30, 2019 by Stephen Vicinanza - 2 Comments

Kospet Prime SE Smartwatch with Face Unlock Runs Android 7.1.1

The Face ID Unlock Technology in a Smartwatch Kospet, the maker of smartwatches, has developed the Kospet Prime SE, a smartwatch phone with Face Unlock/Face ID technology. The watch is sleek and not overly large or heavy, and come equipped with two cameras for face ID. Runs Android 7.1.1, Supports iOS 9.0+ and Android 5.1+ The Kospet Prime runs Android with support for Google apps and documents. The watch carries a 1.6-inch touch screen face. There is support for a 4G Nano SIM card that allows the watch to make calls based on the owners, (or someone’s) phone number and can sync to smartphones running Apple iOS 9 and later or Android 5.1 or greater. Dual Cameras There are dual cameras for Face ID accuracy, at 2.0 mp + 8.0 mp and also allows video calls at any time. The Face ID / Face Unlock technology is said to the […]

December 27, 2019February 3, 2022 by Stephen Vicinanza - 15 Comments

This Business Card is a $3 Linux Computer Powered by Allwinner F1C100s SoC

The smallest, thinnest Linux computer There are many business card-sized SBCs, like RPi 4. But George Hillard, an embedded systems engineer decided it would be interesting to build an actual business card that was a computer. His card runs Linux and houses an Allwinner F1C100s carrying an ARM9 processor with 32MB RAM and 8MB flash storage. The Basics It holds some of his photos, a copy of his resume and a couple of games, which is pretty good for something like a business card. There is a USB port off one corner, and the unit can connect to a computer and boot up in about 6 seconds and shows up under USB as a flash drive. But that piggybacked computer-attached display is really the only type of display the card can manage. The Shell and Linux Version The shell has the games, including a version of 2048, and a small […]