We covered MatchX M2 Pro LPWAN Crypto-miner yesterday, and at first, I really thought that combining LoRaWAN gateway with cryptocurrency mining was really just a gimmick. But after talking with others, I found out that MXC Foundation HashDash used with the MatchX gateway was not the only such solution, and I was introduced to Helium Hotspot. A Helium Hotspot is a LoRaWAN gateway that also allows you to earn HNT cryptocurrency, and it could more than just prove a way to fund the deployment of public LoRaWAN networks, as as we’ll see below some people or companies are making some serious money, while others not so much. A DIY Helium Hotspot can also be made from a Raspberry Pi 3/4 and a RAK2245 Pi HAT. Helium Hotspot key features and specifications: SoC – Quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 application processor System Memory – 1GB RAM Storage – 64GB Storage Connectivity Ethernet Dual-band […]
MatchX M2 Pro LPWAN Crypto-Miner Supports LoRaWAN and Cryptocurrency Mining
A few years ago, I received MatchX.io MatchBoX outdoor LoRaWAN gateway for review, and eventually tested it with RAK811 LoRa tracker once I got a node to play with, and made sure I did not break any local laws. But now the company has come up with an unusual gateway with its MatchX M2 Pro LPWAN Crypto-Miner that acts as a traditional LoRaWAN gateway, as well as a cryptocurrency miner. I’m a bit perplexed by the solution as miners are notoriously power-hungry, but let’s have a look. MatchX M2 Pro specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX 6UL (MCIMX6G2CVM05AB) single-core Arm Cortex-A7 processor @ up to 528MHz System Memory – 256MB DDR3 RAM Storage – 256MB NAND FLASH, optional SSD up to 32GB or industrial SD-Card Networking & Wireless Connectivity LoRa Radio – SX1302 chipsets, 16 frequency channels Supports EU868, US915, AS920, AS923, AU915, KR920, IN865 regions 2.4Ghz 802.11b/g/n WiFi 4 GPS […]
Developer Board 4 V3 Brings Gigabit Ethernet to 96Boards Snapdragon 410E SBC
The original 96Boards CE compliant Dragonboard 410c development board launched in 2015 was followed by Geniatech Developer Board IV the following with many of the same features plus the addition of a Fast Ethernet port and an RTC battery, and an 85x60mm form factor all of which made it non-compliant with the 96Board specs. Geniatech has now introduced a new Developer Board 4 V3 version, that like the V2 model integrates a Gigabit Ethernet port and WiFi 5 connectivity, but the design has been modified get closer to 96Boards CE compliance with 85x54mm dimensions, and the same ports’ arrangement as on 96Boards CE boards, excluding the Ethernet RJ45 jack that is out of (96Boards CE) specs. Geniatech Developer Board 4 V3 specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 410E (APQ8016E) quad-core ARM Cortex A53 processor @ 1.2 GHz with Adreno 306 GPU System Memory – 1 or 2 GB LPDDR3 @ 533MHz […]
Wandboard 8MPLUS SBC Gets NXP i.MX 8M Plus SoC with 2.3TOPS NPU
TechNexion Wandboard Dual was one of the first Freescale i.MX 6 single board computers when it launched in early 2013 and the company has introduced a few more models over the years including Wandboard QuadPlus in 2017. TechNexion is now working on a new version called Wandboard 8MPLUS powered by the recently announced NXP i.MX 8M Plus SoC that features a built-in 2.3 TOPS NPU for AI acceleration. Wandboard 8MPLUS preliminary specifications: EDM System-on-Module SoC – NXP i.MX8M Plus quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor @ up to 1.8 GHz, Arm Cortex-M7 real-time core @ up to 800 MHz, Vivante GC7000UL 3D GPU, Vivante GC520L 2D GPU, HiFi 4 audio DSP, and 2.3 TOPS Neural Processing Unit (NPU) System Memory – 2GB or 4GB LPDDR4 Storage – 32GB eMMC flash Video Decode – HD (1080p +720p) Video Encode – 1080p60 H.265, H.264 260-pin EDM Type G board-to-board connector Debugging – JTAG Interface […]
Folding@Home ARM64 Linux Beta Release for COVID-19 Vaccine Research
A few months ago, we reported that Rosetta@Home supported 64-bit Arm SBC’s and Servers in the Fight against COVID-19. But Folding@home did not support Arm hardware just yet, but thanks to work from Neocortix, Linaro, Arm, miniNodes, and Packet.com, we now get support for Folding@home on ARM64 meaning you can help researchers studying SARS-CoV-2 virus and help them develop a COVID-19 vaccine with Raspberry Pi 3/4 boards, or other 64-bit Arm SBC’s and servers. The solution relies on Neocortix Cloud Services Platform allowing the unused capacity of large numbers of individual mobile phones or other connected nodes to be harnessed into a single, unified computational engine. The very first application that made use of the platform was Neocortix PhonePaycheck were users get paid to let businesses perform calculations on their phones at night while charging and connected to WiFi. That way users of premium phones like Galaxy S10 or S20 […]
How to Fix Unreliable USB Hard Drives, Stalled Transfers in Linux
Last June, I reviewed a Ryzen Embedded SBC with Windows 10, and the USB hard drive I normally use for review had all sorts of problems including very slow speeds and/or stalled transfers but no error messages. Last week, I tried again by installing Ubuntu 20.04 on the same Ryzen Embedded SBC, and the USB hard drive had troubles again, so just assume there were some hardware incompatibility issues between the SBC and the drive, and there may not be a fix or workaround. Sometimes, it’s indeed a hardware issue with the drive getting too many bad blocks, and if that’s the case, and the drive is still under warranty you can return it and get a fresh new (or refurbished) drive for free. But that drive was still working with my laptop getting around 100MB/s. So I ran out of ideas until numero53 commented he had similar problems with […]
Exor nanoSOM nS02 System-on-Module Features the 800MHz version of STM32MP1 Processor
Arrow Electronics and Exor Embedded have announced the nanoSOM nS02 system-on-module based on the 800MHz version of STMicro STM32MP1 microprocessor unveiled last February. The 25.4 x 25.4mm module is designed for IoT edge applications such as smart IoT controllers and gateways, cloud edge interfaces, and building automation. A supporting development kit can also be provided by Arrow Electronics. NanoSOM nS02 specifications: SoC -STMicro STM32MP157 dual-core Cortex-A7 processor @ 800MHz with 3D GPU System Memory – Up to 1GB DDR3L Storage – Up to 32GB eMMC flash, 4KB EEPROM USB & Ethernet Hub – Microchip LAN9512 controller 131x solder pads with Storage – 2x SD Video Output – 24-bit RGB LCD parallel or 2-lane MIPI DSI Camera Input – 8,10,12-bit video input Audio – 1x I2S channel Networking – 2x 10/100M Ethernet (one native, one via USB hub) USB – 2x USB 2.0 host, 1x USB OTG 4x SPI, 1x I2C, […]
Supermicro Launches SuperServer SYS-E100-9W-H Fanless Whiskey Lake Embedded Mini PC
US-based Supermicro is known for its server products, but the company’s latest SuperServer SYS-E100-9W-H fanless embedded mini PC targets other applications, specifically industrial automation, retail kiosks, smart medical devices, and digital signage. The mini PC is equipped with an Intel Core i7-8665UE Whiskey Lake Embedded processor coupled with up to 64GB DDR4 memory, and offers plenty of connectivity options with dual Gigabit Ethernet, eight USB ports, four serial ports, and dual video output with HDMI and DisplayPort.SuperServer SYS-E100-9W-H specification: SoC – Intel Core i7-8665UE quad-core/octa-thread Whiskey Lake Embedded processor @ 1.7 GHz (Base) / 4.4 GHz (Turbo) with Intel UHD Graphics 620; 15W TDP System Memory – 2x DIMM slots for up to 64GB DDR4-2400MHz (non-ECC) Storage – Support for M.2 NVMe/SATA SSD Video Output – HDMI and DisplayPort Audio – ALC 888S HD Audio codec, optional Mic-in/Line-Out Networking – Dual Gigabit Ethernet via Intel I210IT and Intel I219LM USB […]