Texas Instruments Sitara AM623 and AM625 Arm Cortex-A53 AIoT processors were just introduced last month, but Forlinx has already introduced the OK6254-C SBC powered by the Sitara AM6254 quad-core processor with up to 2GB DDR4, and an 8GB eMMC flash. The board features two Gigabit Ethernet ports, CAN FD and RS485 interfaces, plus plenty of I/O headers, support for up to three displays via LVDS and parallel RGB interfaces, as well as optional support for 4G/5G cellular connectivity that makes it suitable for all sorts of industrial applications. Forlinx OK6254-C specifications: FET625x-C SoM SoC – Texas Instruments AM6254 quad-core Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.4GHz with Cortex-M4F real-time core @ 400 MHz, Imagination AXE1-16M GPU @ 500MHz with OpenGL 3.x/2.0/1.1 + Extensions, and Vulkan 1.2 support; Single (AM6251) and dual-core (AM6252) modules are also available System Memory – 1GB (default) or 2GB DDR4-1600 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash 4x 80-pin board-to-board […]
Getting started with WiFi on Raspberry Pi Pico W board
Raspberry Pi Trading announced the Raspberry Pi Pico W board basically based on the same design as the original Raspberry Pi Pico board with RP2040 dual-core Cortex-M0+ microcontroller but adding a wireless module with WiFi 4 and Bluetooth LE 5.2, although the latter is not enabled on the board at this time. The company sent me a sample for review/evaluation, and I’ll focus on the WiFi part since the Raspberry Pi Pico W supports the same MicroPython and C/C++ SDKs as for the Raspberry Pi Pico board plus additional APIs for wireless connectivity. Raspberry Pi Pico W unboxing The board I received was cut from a 480-unit reel, and I also got a one-meter long micro USB to USB cable, which should probably not be included by default for people ordering the $6 board. Just like its predecessor, the board is tiny, and The pinout is the same as the […]
KEEN Ranger PT 4G LTE camera supports animal and human detection
I’ve tested a few security cameras with human and vehicle detection capabilities, but Reolink has now added animal detection via the KEEN Ranger PT trail camera mostly designed to monitor four-legged animals in the wild. It’s somewhat similar to the Reolink Go Plus 4G camera with solar power support and 4G LTE connectivity, but also offers a 360° view with pan/tilt control, a low-glow IR night vision, a 0.5s fast trigger speed, as well as GPS to track the position of cameras or sightings of animals on the mobile app. KEEN Ranger PT camera key features and specifications: Camera/Video Image Sensor – 1/3″ CMOS Sensor Video Resolution – 2K 4MP high definition (2560 x 1440 @ 15FPS) Video Format – H.265 Lens – f= 2.8mm fixed, F=1.6 Field of View – Horizontal: 95°, vertical: 57°, diagonal: 115° Infrared Night Vision – 12x 940nm no-glow IR LED’s Night Vision Range – […]
Revopoint MINI 3D scanner digitizes small objects with 0.02mm precision (Crowdfunding)
Revopoint MINI is a 3D scanner using high-resolution blue light that’s designed for smaller objects such as figurines, coins, jewelry, etc… that require a higher level of detail achievable thanks to the promised 0.02mm precision. The 3D scanner follows last year’s Revopoint POP 2 color 3D scanner with 0.1mm accuracy for larger objects, and the main differences are the lack of color scanning and the higher resolution most suitable for smaller objects, but also possible for larger objects while holding the scanner with one hand. It would just take longer since the MINI’s single capture range is 118 x 64mm, instead of 210 x 130mm for the POP 2. Revopoint MINI specifications: Technology – Dual camera blue light Single capture – Accuracy: up to 0.02mm, range/area: 118 x 64 mm Point distance – 0.05 mm Working distance – 100 to 200 mm Minimum scan volume – 10 x 10 x […]
Bambu Lab X1 – A color 3D Printer with LIDAR and AI for improved accuracy, ease of use (Crowdfunding)
3D printing can be time-consuming and challenging, and even today, it’s still not as easy as using a photocopier, but the team at Bambu Lab has taken it upon itself to make a better, easier-to-use 3D printer with the X1 color 3D printer combining LIDAR and AI technology to level the bed, calibrate the prints, and detect anomalies. The Bambu Lab X1 3D printer supports up to 16 colors, is making removing support easier with snap-away material or dissolvable filament, can handle PC and PA-CF filaments beyond the traditional PLA and PETG filaments, manage up to 500 mm/s prints, and provides better prints with features such as active vibration compensation. Oh, and you don’t need to assemble it, since it comes fully assembled and ready to use out of the box. There are two models of the 3D Printer with X1 and X1 Carbon with the latter featuring more sturdy […]
Imagination unveils IMG RTXM-2200 32-bit RISC-V real-time “Catapult” CPU
Imagination IMG RTXM-2200 32-bit RISC-V real-time CPU core is the first member of the company’s Catapult family comprised of four distinct RISC-V families for dynamic microcontrollers, real-time embedded CPUs, high-performance application CPUs, and functionally safe automotive CPUs. The company says it’s a highly scalable real-time, deterministic, 32-bit embedded CPU, that is feature-rich and flexible in design for mainstream devices, but, excuse the pun, leaves most of the details to your imagination… The new core will mostly be used as a helper core (aka co-processor) in more complex SoCs for 5G modems, cellular base stations, networking solutions for data transfer, packet management, and storage controllers, but may also find its way into smart meters. In all fairness, we do have some limited technical details with L1 cache sizes up to 128KB, I/D TCM sizes up to 128KB, and PMA regions. The real-time core will also include optional features such as single-point […]
BP Doctor PRO review – A 2-in-1 smartwatch and blood pressure monitor
So far, If I wanted to monitor my blood pressure monitor and overall fitness, I’d use a Bluetooth blood pressure monitor (Koogeek BP2) plus a fitness tracker/smartwatch such as Weloop Key S3. It does the job, but WearWiz has come up with something much more compact with the BP Doctor Pro 2-in-1 device that acts as both a smartwatch/fitness tracker and a blood pressure monitor, and at $299, offers a cheaper alternative to the $500 FDA-approved Omron Heartguide. The company sent a sample to CNX Software for review, so we’ll have a look at the device and accessories, the Android app, and features such as blood pressure monitoring, HRM, SpO2 level monitoring, and more. The review is rather long, so if you are short on time, you may want to check the two sections: Blood pressure monitoring with BP Doctor PRO smartwatch Conclusion with Pros and Cons BP Doctor PRO […]
Ubuntu Core 22 released for IoT devices and embedded systems
Canonical has just released Ubuntu Core 22, a containerized variant of Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, optimized for IoT devices and embedded systems and supporting Ubuntu’s new real-time kernel. In Ubuntu Core, everything is a snap, including the kernel, OS, and applications both to improve security to sandbox each package and to enable updates of specific packages from the IoT App Store over-the-air (OTA). If something goes wrong during the update, the system will automatically roll back to the previous version, so the device cannot be bricked. The Snap system also minimizes network traffic through delta updates. Ubuntu Core 22 also provides advanced security features with secure boot, full disk encryption, secure recovery, as well as confinement of the OS and applications as discussed above. Customers also benefit from Canonical’s 10 years (until 2032) of security maintenance of kernel, OS, and application-level code, which can be important for deployments in enterprise and […]