Theengs open-source tools to decode BLE sensors work on ESP32, Raspberry Pi, Android phone, etc…

Theengs

Theengs is a manufacturer agnostic open-source set of tools to decode BLE sensors and integrate those into smart home and IoT solutions such as Home Assistant with notably support for autodiscovery to automatically create the sensor. Theengs can be installed on various hardware from ESP32 to an Android phone or a Raspberry Pi SBC, and the solution currently supports close to forty BLE sensors from various companies including Xiaomi, Honeywell, and RuuviTag.   There are six components: The Theengs Decoder library developed in C++ for portability and translating data from sensors into human-readable data using the JSON format. The Python-based Theengs Gateway acting as a BLE to MQTT bridge for Home Assistant, OpenHAB, and NodeRED integration. It relies on the Theengs Decoder library and publishes the sensors broadcasted BLE information to an MQTT broker. The OpenMQTTGateway is also BLE to MQTT bridge, but instead of targetting Linux-capable hardware like Raspberry […]

Banana Pi BPI-W3 – An RK3588 SBC with dual Gigabit Ethernet, SATA, PCIe x4 slot

Banana Pi BPI-W3

Banana Pi BPI-W3 is yet another upcoming Rockchip RK3588 SBC but with a different set of features, notably the presence of two Gigabit Ethernet ports, a PCIe x4 slot, and a SATA port, besides to more common dual HDMI output, HDMI input, USB 2.0/3.0 ports, etc… The board layout is somewhat similar to the company’s BPI-RK3588 SBC but with a system-on-module, and instead, the Rockchip RK3588 processor is soldered directly onto the board together with 8GB LPDDR4, and 32GB eMMC flash. Banana Pi BPI-W3 specifications (preliminary): SoC- Rockchip RK3588 octa-core processor with 4x Cortex-A76 cores @ up to 2.4 GHz (YMMV), 4x Cortex-A55 cores @ 1.8 GHz, an Arm Mali G610MC4 GPU, a 6 TOPS NPU, 8K 10-bit decoder, 8K encoder System Memory – 8GB LPDDR4 Storage – 32GB eMMC flash, SATA III port Video Output – 2x HDMI 2.1 ports up to 8Kp60 Input – 1x HDMI 2.0 input […]

OSM Size M SiP Integrates STM32MP1 MPU for industrial & IoT applications

MSMP1 STM32MP1 SiP

ARIES Embedded MSMP1 OSM-compatible system-in-package (SiP) based on STM32MP1 CortexA7/M4 microcontroller for Industrial and IoT applications follows the company’s MSRZG2UL and MSRZFive OSM-compatible SiPs with Renesas Arm or RISC-V microprocessor introduced a few months ago. But instead of coming in the ultra-compact 30×30 mm OSM Size S form factor, the new MSMP1 complies with the larger 45x30mm OSM Size M form factor with a total of 476 contacts to allow for more I/Os. The SiP also integrates 512 MB to 4 GB DDR3L RAM, and 4 to 64 GB eMMC flash. MSMP1 SIP specifications: SoC – STMicro STM32MP1 single or dual-core Arm Cortex-A7 processor up to 800MHz, with Arm Cortex-M4 real-time core up to 209MHz, Vivante GPU compatible with OpenGL ES 2.0 System Memory – 512MB – 4GB DDR3L RAM Storage – 4GB – 64GB eMMC NAND Flash 476-contact LGA with Networking – Gigabit Ethernet USB – USB 2.0 Host/OTG […]

PIX NII is a pocket-sized mini PC powered by an Intel Pentium N6005 processor (Crowdfunding)

PIX-NII pocket-sized PC

PIX NII pocket-sized mini PC features an Intel Pentium N6005 Jasper Lake processor that should provide a nice upgrade to existing 2.4-inch mini PCs based on Gemini Lake processors such as Larkbox. The tiny computer is slightly larger (2.7×2.6 inch) than the previous 2.4-inch models, but ships with up to 16GB RAM, up to a 1TB NVMe SSD, and offers two 4K-capable HDMI 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet & WiFi 6 connectivity, as well as a few USB 3.2 ports, plus a 3.5mm audio jack. PIX NII specifications: SoC – Intel Pentium N6005 quad-core processor @ 2.0GHz / 3.3GHz (Turbo) with Intel UHD graphics; 10W TDP System Memory – 8GB or 16GB DDR4 RAM Storage SATA or NVMe SSD with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB capacity (up to 520MB/s with SATA, 1,000MB/s with NVMe) MicroSD card socket Video Output – 2x HDMI 2.0 ports up to 4Kp60 Audio – 3.5mm audio jack, […]

Rock 5B RK3588 SBC preview – What works, what doesn’t in Debian 11

Rock 5B review Debian 11

I’ve recently received an early sample of Radxa ROCK5 Model B (aka ROCK 5B) SBC part of the “Developer Edition” batch with 16GB RAM, and already showed the hardware and it booting successfully in Debian 11.

I’ve now spent more time with the board, and as part of the “debug party” tested performance and features in Debian 11. As one would expect, some things work fine, providing excellent performance, but others still need improvements.

Nano-U12P – An 8K digital signage player powered by an Intel Alder Lake processor

8K digital signage player alder lake

Alder Lake processors were first formally announced at the end of 2021 with the most powerful H-Series, followed by a range of Alder Lake Edge IoT processors, and in February, Intel officially launched Alder Lake P-Series and U-Series mobile hybrid processors which I had expected to find in several mini PCs by now. But apart from ASRock iBOX 1200 Series announcement, and leaks of the NUC 12 Studio Pro, I had not really seen any. But today, I found what looks like a mini PC with the Polywell Nano-U12P, but it’s instead marketed as an 8K digital signage player with a choice of Alder Lake P-series and U-series processors. Nano-U12P specifications: SoC (one or the other) Intel Core i7-1280P 6P+8E (20 threads) processor @ 3.60/4.80GHz with Intel Xe graphics; 20/28W TDP Intel Core i7-1270P 4P+8E (16 threads) processor @ 3.50/4.80GHz with Intel Xe graphics; 20/28W TDP Intel Core i7-1260P 4P+8E […]

CrowPi L Raspberry Pi 4 laptop review – Part 1: Unboxing and teardown

CrowPi L Raspberry Pi Education Laptop Review

Elecrow CrowPi L is an 11.6-inch laptop shell based on Raspberry Pi 4 designed for STEM education with optional electronics modules and tutorials. That’s an evolution of the CrowPi 2 laptop I reviewed in 2020 with a thinner design and more flexible since the electronics modules are optional, so it can serve the market of people just wanting a Raspberry Pi 4 laptop. The company has sent me a full “CrowPi L Advanced Kit” for review with the CrowPi L laptop fitted with a Raspberry Pi 4, as well as the Crowtail Starter Kit for Raspberry Pi. CrowPi L Advanced Kit Unboxing Let’s check out the laptop package first. Since in this design, the laptop comes with a battery, and mine already had a Raspberry Pi 4 installed, I could just turn it on immediately. Accessories include a wireless mouse, a 12V/2A power supply (with USB Type-C plug… this should […]

Libre Computer ROC-RK3328-CC now supports Ubuntu 22.04 with Linux 5.18.2

Libre Computer Ubuntu 22.04

Libre Computer’s latest Ubuntu 22.04 desktop and server images for ROC-RK3328-CC board are based on Linux mainline, namely Linux 5.18.2, and other boards from the company, based on Allwinner H2+/H5 processor or Amlogic S905X, have gotten the same treatment. Some companies will churn out boards regularly but provide limited software support. Libre Computer seems to have taken a different approach, as they released most of their board in 2017 and 2018, starting with AML-S905X-CC “Le Potato” board based on the Amlogic S905X processor, followed by ALL-H3-CC “Tritium” SBC with Allwinner H2+, H3, or H5 processor, and finally ROC-RK3328-CC “Renegade” board, but still release updated OS images in 2022. I reviewed ROC-RK3328-CC SBC with Debian 9 and Ubuntu 18.04 using Linux 4.4 in July 2018, and four years later, you might have thought such boards could have become abandonware, but Libre Computer just released Ubuntu 22.04 Desktop and Server image with […]

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