Hardware Category - Page 61 of 1137 - CNX Software

June 6, 2024June 8, 2024 by Debashis Das - 7 Comments

NiCE5340 SoM packs Nordic nRF5340 MCU, Lattice iCE40 FPGA, and 11 sensors into a tiny 29x16mm form factor

Stefano Viola’s NiCE5340 SoM is built around a Nordic Semi nRF5340 Bluetooth SoC, an iCE40 FPGA, 11 sensors, a battery charger, and various other peripherals in a 29×16 mm form factor. The nRF5340 used in the SoM is a low-power, dual-core Arm Cortex-M33 SoC with Bluetooth 5.4, Bluetooth LE (BLE), Thread, Zigbee, and other proprietary protocols. Meanwhile, the Lattice iCE40 FPGA features 3520 logic cells, 80 Kbits of embedded Block RAM, I2C, and SPI blocks, and many other features that make it suitable for applications like environmental monitoring, health tracking, and others. Previously, we have written about Unexpected Maker NANOS3, TinyS3, FeatherS3, and ProS3 boards, and ESP32-S3 4G dev board which all fall under the tiny and compact board category but this is the first time we have seen an MCU board with so many features built into a module of that size. Stefano Viola’s NiCE5340 SoM Specification ICs Nordic […]

June 6, 2024June 6, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments

Beelink EQ13 is an Intel N200 or N100 mini PC with an integrated power supply

Beelink EQ13 mini PC built in power supply

Beelink EQ13 is yet another Alder Lake-N mini PC, but it is offered with either the Intel Processor N100 or the less common Processor N200 CPU and integrates a power supply making it more portable as the user just needs to carry a power cord in his/her bag besides the device itself. The Beelink EQ13 ships with 16GB DDR5 and a 500GB NVMe SSD. It’s an evolution of the earlier N100-based Beelink EQ12 but with a different port arrangement and slightly larger design due to the internal power supply. It still comes with two Ethernet ports, dual HDMI 2.0, an audio jack, three USB 3.0 Type-A ports, and a USB-C port with DisplayPort Alt mode. An extra USB 2.0 port has been added to the rear panel. Beelink EQ13 specifications (with highlights in bold and strikethrough showing differences against the Beelink EQ12) Alder Lake-N SoC (one or the other) Intel […]

June 6, 2024June 6, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

PicoQuake USB vibration sensor is based on the RP2040 MCU and the ICM-42688-P vibration sensor

The PicoQuake is a USB vibration sensor with a MEMS accelerometer covering a wide range of vibrations. It is capable of capturing vibrations in the low-frequency range (tall buildings, bridges) to the high-frequency range (motors, industrial machinery). It can operate as a standalone device and connect to a computer via a USB cable. Furthermore, it is based on the Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller and uses a low-noise MEMS inertial measurement unit, the TDK InvenSense ICM-42688-P, which combines a 3-axis gyroscope and a 3-axis accelerometer. The low-noise IMU sensor used enables the PicoQuake to profile vibrations of very low magnitude. The PicoQuake sensor is a product from Slovenian maker, PLab, just like the FOCn driver module we took a look at recently. Potential use cases for the PicoQuake include optimizing brushless DC motor vibrations (important in small mobility products such as electric bikes and scooters), tracking trackpad clicks, smart home automation, […]

June 6, 2024June 11, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

GEEKOM A8 Review – Part 2: An AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS mini PC tested with Windows 11 Pro

In the first part of the review, we’ve already gone through a teardown and an unboxing of the GEEKOM A8 AI mini PC powered by an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processor with AMD Radeon 780M Graphics, 32GB RAM (upgradeable up to 64GB) and a 2TB M.2 NVMe SSD. We’ve now had more time to play with the GEEKOM A8, so we will report our experience with the Windows 11 Pro operating system in the second part of the review testing features, running benchmarks, evaluating networking and storage performance, testing the thermal design, and taking measurements for fan noise and power consumption. Software overview and features testing The System->About window in the Settings confirms we have an A8 Mini PC powered by a 4.0 GHz (base frequency) AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processor with Radeon 780M Graphics and 32GB of RAM running Windows 11 Pro 23H2 build 22631.3593. HWiNFO64 provides more details […]

June 5, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

MYiR Tech launches AMD XC7A100T Artix-7 FPGA system-on-module and development board with PCIe, SFP+ cages, dual GbE

MYIR MYC-J7A100T is a System-On-Module (SoM) powered by an AMD/Xilinx Artix-7 XC7A100T FPGA with up to 101,440 logic cells, 512MB DDR3 memory, 32MB QSPI FLASH, 32KB EEPROM, DC-DC power management, and other integral circuits in a compact 69.6 x 40mm form factor. The module exposes up to 178 FPGA I/Os, four pairs of GTP high-speed transceiver interfaces, and a JTAG interface through its 260-pin edge connector. MYiR also provides a development board for the MYC-J7A100T module which looks like a PCIe 2.0 card and comes with SFP+ cages, HDMI input and output ports, dual GbE, and a GPIO expansion header. MYIR MYC-J7A100T system-on-module Specifications: FPGA – AMD/Xilinx XC7A100T Artix-7 FPGA (XC7A100T-2FGG484I) with 101,440 logic cells 4,860 Kb of Block RAM 240 DSP slices 8 GTP transceivers capable of reaching speeds up to 6.6Gb/s PCIe Gen2 x4 interface Up to 300x single-ended I/Os System Memory – 512MB DDR3 Storage – 32MB […]

June 5, 2024June 4, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

PCIe to 5G HAT+ for Raspberry Pi 5 takes SIMCom and Quectel 5G modules

Waveshare PCIe to 5G/4G/3G HAT+ for Raspberry Pi 5 is a PCIe Gen 2 x1 to M.2 HAT+ designed to take 5G modules from SIMCom and Quectel and a Nano SIM card. The kit ships with a 4-in-1 PCB antenna, associated cables, a heatsink, a 4cm 16-pin PCIe FPC cable, a 40-pin female header, and a fixture set for mounting. We had previously written about the SixFab 5G HAT for the Raspberry Pi 5 with a Quectel RM502Q-AE M.2 module, but this specific kit still relies on the USB 3.0 interface. The Waveshare kit is the first 5G kit using the PCIe interface from the Raspberry Pi 5 interface and it is offered with Quectel RM502Q-AE, RM530N-GL, RM520N-GL, or SIMCom SIM8262E-M2, SIM8262A-M2 M.2 3042/3052 modules. Waveshare PCIe to 5G HAT+ specifications: M.2 Key B socket for 3042/3052 5G modules with PCIe interface 16-pin PCIe FPC connector directly connected to the […]

June 5, 2024June 4, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

DFM8001 indoor energy harvesting kit harnesses solar energy (and mechanical, thermal, RF energy with extra hardware)

DFRobot DFM8001 indoor ambient energy harvesting kit can power IoT devices by harnessing solar energy, and the company claims it can also capture mechanical, thermal, and RF energy from the local environment but there’s no way to do that with that kit without additional hardware. The DFRobot kit is comprised of an evaluation board with the company DFM8001 energy harvesting module, two pluggable supercapacitors, and a solar panel used as power input. You could also use other sources emitting at least 150 mV gathering energy from RF, thermal, or mechanical sources. The board features two outputs one low-voltage (1.2-1.8V) terminal up to 20mA, and a high-voltage (1.8V-4.1V) terminal up to 80mA, and two battery connectors plus a few jumpers for configuration. DFM8001 energy harvesting kit specifications: Operating voltage – 3.3V to 5.5V DC Cold start condition – Input > 400mV 15uW Sustaining voltage after cold start – 150mV. Input voltage […]

June 4, 2024November 24, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

$70 Raspberry Pi AI Kit combines official M.2 HAT+ with Hailo-8L AI accelerator

Raspberry Pi Limited has just launched the “Raspberry Pi AI Kit” comprised of the official M.2 Key M HAT+ and a 13 TOPS Hailo-8L M.2 AI accelerator module and selling for $70 through distributors. We had seen Raspberry Pi showcase an AI camera at Embedded World 2024, so when I received an email from a representative about a “Raspberry Pi AI Kit” I thought it would be the announcement about the camera. Instead, it’s a kit comprised of existing parts with the most interesting aspects being the price and availability (hopefully) since Hailo-8/8L accelerators are mostly found in more expensive embedded/industrial solutions, and easier documentation to get started. Raspberry Pi AI Kit highlights: Supported SBC – Raspberry Pi 5 M.2 HAT+ with PCIe Gen2 x1 interfaces, M.2 Key M support, Hailo-8L AI accelerator with Up to 13 TOPS of performance M.2 2242 form factor Typical power consumption – 1.5W Thermal […]