Author: Stephen Vicinanza

Stephen started writing about technology after publishing sci-fi short stories. His first White-Paper, written in 2008, was well received and inspired him to continue writing about technology. Today he writes in the technology space full time, covering a multitude of topics. During the time he wrote part-time he edited hundreds of titles for large publishers, in science and technology. He lives in Staten Island, with his wife and children.
Posted on by Stephen Vicinanza - 8 Comments on Signet High-Capacity Thumbdrive Supports 2FA, Password & Secure Data Storage (Crowdfunding)

Signet High-Capacity Thumbdrive Supports 2FA, Password & Secure Data Storage (Crowdfunding)

Signet HC Crowdfunding Started The latest version of the Signet thumbdrive is the Signet HC. The HC has a number of enhanced features and a lower price point, making it an attractive alternative to other high-security flash drives.  The drive is high capacity storage, with secure storage technology, 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) token and encryption.  It also has a password manager and enhanced database features.  The company has started its crowdfunding campaign and there are several device quantity options and peripherals.  Features of the Signet HC The Nth Dimension has announced the Signet HC recently, bringing to the forefront of its latest device, the all-in-one aspects of the drive’s capabilities. The  Signet HC is certainly positioned to be one of the top featured, encrypted password protected, and 2FA storage devices of its size. The data on the drive is encrypted, and password protected and can be accessed through cross-platform […]

Posted on by Stephen Vicinanza - 8 Comments on PIS2 DIY Handheld PS2 Game Console Uses Raspberry Pi 2 SBC as SMB Server

PIS2 DIY Handheld PS2 Game Console Uses Raspberry Pi 2 SBC as SMB Server

It’s a Handheld PS2 Game Console The PIS2 is a handheld PS2 game console that has the chopped-up insides of PS2 game system stuffed into a small console, along with a display, controllers and a Raspberry Pi 2 to access the games from the Ethernet to load directly to the hardware.  Sony has officially discontinued all handheld PSs as of March 2019, so these DIY consoles are popping up regularly. This one is quite an accomplishment. It Took a Long Time The creator of the PIS2, a hacker named Darkwing, started work on the unit in 2013. He stopped for some time, then started documenting his work on the system in 2017.  The ambitious first design specs looked like this PS2 scph-79002 5.6″ Dalian Good Display and VGA chip Genius MaxFire Blaze 2 controller 11.1V 6200mAh made of 6 ncr18650a cells Texas instrument ptn78020 switching regulator IBM Lenovo 05K5494 Laptop […]

Posted on by Stephen Vicinanza - 3 Comments on Mastak Modular Air Quality Monitor Kit Supports CO2, Dust, Formaldehyde, Ozone and other Sensor Modules

Mastak Modular Air Quality Monitor Kit Supports CO2, Dust, Formaldehyde, Ozone and other Sensor Modules

The Mastak Indoor Air Quality Monitor Kit Medium Systems Limited, a UK company has released the Mastak, SoMs designed in a mechanical range that allows for indoor air quality monitoring, with a data IoT cloud service, and communications that include NB-IoT, 5G, WiFi, BLE, and LTE-M.  The system is a new addition to the air monitoring market place. There have been reports on other air quality monitors in past articles that covered quick start and user experience with Sonoff SC WiFi, vThings WiFi CO2 Monitor, and the ANAVI Gas Detector. The Specs The ecological modules are all compatible and contain processor, peripherals and the sensors for data monitoring and collection, as well as the necessary power electronics. The modules were designed too and allow the user to arrange the systems into custom arrangements and place in unique form factors. There are a number of options also, for even further expandability […]

Posted on by Stephen Vicinanza - 6 Comments on Pi-oT Raspberry Pi Add-on Board Targets Commercial & Industrial IoT Automation (Crowdfunding)

Pi-oT Raspberry Pi Add-on Board Targets Commercial & Industrial IoT Automation (Crowdfunding)

USA Based Startup Builds RPi Add-on  Pi-oT, a Cleveland based startup has launched a Kickstarter campaign for a Raspberry Pi add-on for commercial and industrial IoT automation. The unit is a full mountable chassis with fan and DIN-rail that extends the Pi’s GPIO with 26-pin terminal connectors and provides 5x relays, 8x ADCs, and power outputs. We have reported on a variety of uses for the Raspberry Pi SBC, from home automation to development in IoT, to hobby projects, and in education settings.  It is not surprising to see an automation module developed for IoT industrial applications around the popular and powerful SBC. The Choices The Kickstarter campaign has passed its low initial target and is set to ship at the end of October. There is an early launch discount on the unit’s price of $40 for commercial and $50 for industrial backers. That early bird type special is 15% […]

Posted on by Stephen Vicinanza - 3 Comments on TinyGo GO Compiler for Microcontrollers Now Works on Arduino Boards

TinyGo GO Compiler for Microcontrollers Now Works on Arduino Boards

Powerful, yet simple to use, TinyGo is making a significant mark in the open-hardware sector. This was well stated in the Arduino blog interview of Ron Evans, Technologist for Hire, as  Arduino is now working with TinyGo on an ongoing basis. What is TinyGo? The whole purpose of TinyGo is to bring Go to the microcontroller and the latest web browsers, to have that powerful language able to function in tiny processor formats, such as the Arduino Uno and Arm-based processors such as the Cortex-M type processors and also the BBC Micro: bit, STM32 Bluepill, and some other MCU boards, from any web browser. How It Functions It does this through LLVM toolchain and that format allows TinyGo to compile Go programs to a fraction of their original size, then flash the reduced Go program directly onto the microcontroller. Web Browser Applications With WebAssembly TinyGo can be used with WebAssembly […]

Posted on by Stephen Vicinanza - No Comments on Innocomm Unveils MediaTek i300/i500 SoMs for IoT and AI Applications

Innocomm Unveils MediaTek i300/i500 SoMs for IoT and AI Applications

SB30 MTK i300 and SB50 MTK i500 AI IoT Platforms Just announced by Innocomm are the SB30 and the SB50 SoMs carrying the MediaTek i300 and i500 SoC’s, and running either Linux or Android. The rundown on the systems is the MediaTek AIoT processor series has been out for some time, and we reported on the latest SoC in the MediaTek i700 article last July. Innocomm is also known for its NXP-based compute modules such as the i.MX8M Mini driven W15 and i.MX8M powered W10. MediaTek i300 Specs The MediaTek i300 (MT8362) SoC is running a Cortex-A35 power-efficient quad-core processor clocking at 1.5 GHz. The SoC is further equipped with an Imagination PowerVR Series8XE GE8300 GPU. The i300 also integrates a PMIC, an RF chip for 2.4 GHz 802.11/b/g/n as well as Bluetooth 4.0. There is support for the MediaTek MT7668 chipset for 802.11ac (WiFi 5). Rounding out the system […]

Posted on by Stephen Vicinanza - 8 Comments on Philips Crowdfunds PicoPix Max Android Pico Projector with Autofocus

Philips Crowdfunds PicoPix Max Android Pico Projector with Autofocus

PicoPix Extra Connectivity The latest entrant into the miniprojector market is the Phillips PicoPix Max Pico Projector in two versions, x10 and x100, a very versatile projector with many features and large aspirations. The mini projector is nothing new and we have reported on it in depth for units that came out some time ago such as the Rikomagic RKM R1 or Doogee Smart Cube P1. The fact that a major electronics manufacturer is launching a mini projector through a crowdfunding campaign is somewhat unusual, but let’s have a look at the details. Portable Native Full HD Phillips is calling the PicoPix Max Pro a premium, portable cinematic experience. The unit is made to go anywhere and not need a phone or laptop to function but has a large number of ports and options for each port. The LED light bulb is said to last 30K hours, and the source […]

Posted on by Stephen Vicinanza - 3 Comments on Gemini Dual Screen Laptop is Made of Two Kay Lake-R Tablets (Crowdfunding)

Gemini Dual Screen Laptop is Made of Two Kay Lake-R Tablets (Crowdfunding)

Gemini Dual Screen Laptop

[Update August 24, 2019:  CNX Software has received a message claiming the project is a scam (identity theft): This is Li Yunjian, the Owner of following company : GST Communication Co., Ltd (Hongkong) 深圳市杰仕特通讯有限公司 （China Mainland） Our Website on Alibaba: https://chinagstgroup.en.alibaba.com/ This is a fraudster illegally using our company information to scam ] [Update October 2, 2019: Gemini Dual Screen Laptop crowdfunding campaign is up again, but references to “GST Communication” are gone] Note by CNXSoft: The campaign is under review and they have stopped taking contributions. I can only assume it’s a trademark issue because Intel did not like them to use the name “Gemini”. If it’s indeed the case, It should be resolved with a new name. We’ll remove this notice when/if the campaign comes back online. The Chinese company GST has been running a crowdfunding campaign for the Gemini, a dual-screen laptop, with the ability to be […]

UP 7000 x86 SBC