A95X Plus TV Box Features Amlogic S905Y2 Processor

A95X Plus

Amlogic showcased three reference platforms based on new processors namely S905Y2, S905X2, and S922X at ICB 2018. Let’s forget about the more powerful S922X processor for now since it should be released a bit latter, but S905Y2 was integrated into a HDMI stick reference design, while S905X2 was found in a TV box reference design. We’ve also covered an Amlogic S905X2 TV box with X96 MAX model, but today I came across a model based on Amlogic S905Y2 processor instead. Meet A95X Plus.A95X Plus TV box specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905Y2 quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.8 GHz (TBC) with Mali-G31 MP2 “Dvalin” GPU System Memory – 4GB LPDDR4 Storage – 32GB flash, micro SD card slot (but not visible on any of the photos) Video & Audio Output – HDMI 2.0a output with HDR, AV port (composite) Video Codecs –  VP9 Profile-2 up to 4K 60fps, 10-bit […]

Beelink X55 Review – An Intel Gemini Lake mini PC Tested with Windows 10 and Linux

Beelink X55 board

The Beelink X55 is very similar in style to Intel’s NUC7PJYH NUC reviewed earlier except that it is not a kit but a fully functional Windows mini PC. It is physically small consisting of an approximately 4.5″ by 4” case about 1¾” tall with a front panel that includes the power button and a couple of USB ports and a headphone jack with the rest of the ports including two HDMI (2.0) ones at the rear: The specifications include: The key highlights are that the Beelink X55 comes a 128GB mSATA SSD with pre-installed Windows 10 Home together with 8GB DDR4 RAM (soldered and is non-expandable) and space plus a connector for an SSD. Starting with a quick look at the hardware information shows it is mostly aligned to the specification but see the note below about the memory: As usual I ran my standard set of benchmarking tools to […]

Amazon Launches $50 Fire TV Stick 4K Powered by MediaTek MT8695 SoC

Fire TV Stick 4K

Amazon introduced their latest 4K streaming device with Fire TV (2017) last year. The TV box was based on Amlogic S905Z, supported 4K HDR10, and was launched for $69.99. The company also had a Fire TV stick that’s limited to 1080p, and they’ve now announced an upgrade – Fire TV Stick 4K – that support 4K Dolby Vision and HDR10+ thanks to MediaTek MT8695 SoC, and sells for just $49.99 – or $10 more than the 1080p model – with  shipping expected to start by the end of the month. Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K specifications: SoC – Mediatek MT8695 quad core Arm processor @ up to 1.7 GHz with Imagination PowerVR GE8300MP4 GPU supporting OpenGL 3.2 and Vulcan 1.1 System Memory – 1.5 GB DDR4 Storage – 8GB flash, no micro SD card Video & Audio Output – HDMI 2.0b up to 4K UHD @ 60 Hz with HDCP […]

BLE Micro is a Tiny, Coin-Cell Powered Bluetooth 4.0 Development Board

BLE Micro

DFRobot Bluno is a Bluetooth 4.0 LE development board following Arduino UNO form factor, and powered by TI CC2540 chipset. The board sells for $24.90 on their online store, and the company provides firmware and mobile app source code, but if you ever wanted a similar solution in a much smaller form factor, and powered by a coin cell battery, the company has now launched BLE Micro board. BLE Micro board specifications: Bluetooth Chip – Texas Instruments CC2540 8051 MCU with USB, Bluetooth 4.0 LE connectivity Wireless Connectivity Frequency: 2.4GHz Transfer rate:  ≤1Mbps Modulation: GFSK, Bluetooth low power, V4.0 Sensitivity: -93dB Transmission distance – 30m in free space USB – 1x micro USB port Expansion – 21 through holes with reset, power signals, UART, and GPIOs. Input Voltage: +3.3 DC Power Consumption – Working: 10.6mA average, ready mode:8.7mA Temperature Range – -10 ℃ ~ +65 ℃ Dimensions – 49mm x […]

Genmitsu CNC Router Review – Part 1.5: Laser Attachment

Genmitsu CNC -Router Laser Review

Hey Karl here with a small update for the SainSmart Genmitsu CNC Router 3018 review. In the first part I described the build and first cuts. And in this part I am calling it 1.5 because it is to just talk about the optional laser attachment that was just made available and initial impressions. In the first part I commented about the laser connector on the board. The stars aligned and Sainsmart asked if we wanted to check out their  2.5W PWM controlled laser sold for $89.99 with free shipping. Installation In the box all you get is the laser itself and some eye protection. At first I wanted to mount the laser on the side of the tool head so it would be easy to change between CNC and the laser. I took the laser apart and was going to use the 2 mounting holes and ended up breaking […]

Air602 is another $2 WiFi IoT Module, Based on Winner Micro W600 Arm SoC

Air602 WiFi Module

WiFi used to be fairly expensive to add to MCU projects with spending $30 to $40 just for a WiFi module pretty common just less than 5 years ago, but this all changed thanks to Tensilica based Espressif ESP8266 modules selling for $5 in 2014, and an active community gathering behind the WiSoC, and related modules and development board. ESP8266 modules are now available for under $2, and around two years ago it looked like we would have another option based on Arm Cortex-M3 with RTL8710 modules such as Pine64’s PADI IoT stamp also selling for about $2 in single quantities. However, most people did not really the benefit of switching to another platform based on Arm for this type of applications, and the products never really took off, many went away, and PADI IoT stamp appears to be one of the few survivors. Yet another $2 WiFi IoT module […]

ESP32-CAM is a $10 ESP32 Camera Development Board

ESP32-CAM

Espressif Systems ESP32 has many new interfaces over ESP8266, but still lacks a hardware camera interface like DVP or MIPI CSI. However, it’s still possible to connect a camera to the I2S interface. What? Isn’t I2S used for audio? It turns out there’s more to ESP32’s “I2S  interface” as pointed out in the forums: The I2S subsystem in the ESP32 also provides a high speed bus connected directly to RAM for Direct Memory Access. Putting it simply, you can configure the ESP32 I2S subsystem to send or receive parallel data under hardware control. There were some ESP32 camera boards launched previously such as ESP32-PICO-tinyCAM, but most seem to have been phased out. However not is all lost, as Seeed Studio is now taking pre-orders for the new A.I. Thinker ESP32-CAM board with a 2MP camera for $9.90. ESP32-CAM board specifications: Wireless Module- ESP32-S WiFi 802.11 b/g/n + Bluetooth 4.2 LE […]

iBASE Introduces MI988 Ryzen Embedded V1000 Mini-ITX Motherboard

iBase MI988 Mini ITX Motherboard

iBASE has recently announced the MI988 Mini-ITX motherboard based on the latest AMD Ryzen Embedded V1000 processor family. The motherboard is equipped with two DDR4-2666 SO-DIMM slots that support up to 32GB ECC memory, M.2 NVMEe storage (NVMe), two Gigabit Ethernet ports, and various display options. iBASE MI988 motherboard specifications: SoC – AMD Ryzen Embedded V1000 processor with AMD Radeon Vega GPU System Memory – 2x DDR4-2666 SO-DIMM, supports ECC, up to 32GB Storage – 1x M.2 SSD (NVMe), 2x SATA III Display Interfaces 1x HDMI 2.0a, 1x DisplayPort 1.4 1x eDP or 1x 24-bit dual channel LVDS Audio – Built-in HD audio w/ALC662 codec for 5.1 channel; 3x 3.5mm audio jacks Connectivity – 2x RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet connectors via 2x Intel I211AT USB – 2x USB 3.1 Gen2 (10Gbps) on board, 2x USB 3.1 Gen1 (5Gbps) on board Serial – 2x RS232/422/485 (Jumperless selection), 4x RS232 Expansion Slots 1x […]

UP 7000 x86 SBC