With the announcement of Intel Elkhart Lake IoT-optimized processors, we should expect embedded systems companies to unveil their own Atom x6000E and Celeron/Pentium Elkhart Lake powered products, and one of the first to do so is Congatec with the introduction of four different Elkhart Lake computers-on-module (CoM) following Qseven, SMARC, and COM Express standards, as well as a Pico-ITX SBC. conga-PA7 Atom x6000E SBC (with Celeron/Pentium J optional) Detailed specifications: SoC – Choice of eight different Elkhart Lake processors from the 6W Atom x6211E dual-core processor to the 10W Intel Pentium J6425 quad-core processor up to 3.0 GHz, all with 10th Gen Intel UHD graphics System Memory – Up to 16GB quad-channel onboard LPDDR4x Storage 32GB or 64GB UFS 2.0 flash (optional up to 512GB) M.2 SATA/PCIe SSD support (see expansion) 32 MB serial flash for AMI Aptio UEFI firmware Video DisplayPort DP++ video output up to 4Kp60 1x USB-C […]
GigaDevice GD32E5 Cortex-M33 microcontrollers target motor and industrial control
We first mentioned GigaDevice Semiconductor in 2015 for its STM32-compatible GD32 microcontroller, but last year, the company was brought back to our attention again with its GD32V RISC-V microcontroller with similar features as its GD32 Cortex-M3 model but equipped with a faster and more efficient RISC-V “Bumblebee” core. That does not mean the company has given up on Arm though, as GigaDevice recently announced GD32E5 Cortex-M33 high-performance microcontrollers, manufactured using TSMC’s Low Power 40nm process, and designed for embedded systems such as high-precision industrial controllers, motor control applications, digital power supplies, measuring instruments, mixed-signal processing applications, and industrial/consumer controllers. GD32E5 MCU key features & specifications: MCU Core – Arm Cortex-M33 Armv8-M core clocked at up to 180MHz with DSP instruction set and single-precision FPU. Memory – 80KB to 128KB SRAM Storage – 128KB to 512KB on-chip flash, QSPI interface for external storage Peripherals USB 2.0 OTG dual-function controller, including 480Mbps […]
TechNexion Unveils EDM and AXON SoM’s Powered by NXP i.MX8M Plus SoC
A few days ago we wrote about Variscite’s NXP i.MX 8M Plus-powered AI systems-on-modules and devkits, and now it’s TechNexion’s turn to introduce its own SoM’s for artificial intelligence applications. Just like variscite, the company has two variants with EDM-G-IMX8M-PLUS following the EDM standard with a 260-pin edge connector, and AXON-E-IMX8M-PLUS part of the AXON family with board-to-board connectors better suited to vibration-prone applications. Besides the form factor and different default storage capacities, both SoM’s share the same specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX8M Plus quad-core Cortex-A53 processor @ up to 1.8 GHz with Cortex-M7 real-time core @ 400 MHz, Vivante GC520L 2D GPU, Vivante GC7000UL 3D GPU, 1080p60 hardware decoder (HEVC, H.264, VP9, and VP8) and encode (H.265/H.264), and 2.3 TOPS NPU System Memory – Up to 8 GB LPDDR4 Storage AXON-E-IMX8M-PLUS – 32 GB eMMC flash by default EDM-G-IMX8M-PLUS – 16 GB eMMC flash by default Networking Chips Qualcomm […]
Wallys WiFi 5 (802.11ac) mini PCIe cards deliver higher Tx power and performance (Sponsored)
Wallys is offering two mini PCIe cards to add WiFI 5 (802.11ac) to existing gateways, computers, or boards. Both 802.11ac modules are powered by Qualcomm Atheros QCA9880 chipset, with DR600VX mPCIe module delivering up to up to 867Mbps thanks to 2×2 MIMO, and DR900VX mPCIe module up to 1.3 Gbps using 3×3 MIMO technology. Both modules share most of the same key features & specifications: Chipset – Qualcomm Atheros QCA9880 wireless local area network (WLAN) system-on-chip (SoC) for 5 GHz 802.11ac or 2.4/5 GHz 802.11n WLAN WiFi 2.4GHz max 26dBm & 5GHz max 25dBm output power IEEE 802.11ac compliant & backward compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n IEEE 802.11d, e, h, i, k, r, v time stamp, and w standards DR600VX – 2×2 MIMO technology up to 867 Mbps DR900VX – 3×3 MIMO technology up to 1.3 Gbps Supports Spatial Multiplexing, Cyclic-Delay Diversity (CDD), Low-Density Parity Check (LDPC) Codes, Maximal Ratio Support for […]
Facebook Introduces Oculus Quest 2 Standalone VR headset Powered by Snapdragon XR2 SoC
Virtual reality headsets used to have to be connected to computers for optimal performance while gaming, and several years ago, most standalone VR headsets were only good to play some videos. But technology has evolved, and with the launch of Snapdragon XR2 powered Oculus Quest 2 standalone VR headset available for pre-order for $299, Facebook has decided to completely leave the PC-only VR headset business. Oculus Quest 2 specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 platform with AI acceleration capability similar to Snapdragon 865 System Memory – 6GB RAM Storage – 64GB or 256GB flash Display Dual 1832 x 1920 pixel (per eye) display @ 90 Hz IPD Adjustment – 58mm, 63mm or 68mm Audio Integrated speakers and microphone, 3.5 mm audio jack Connectivity – WiFi, Bluetooth (but no audio support due to latency) Tracking Technology – Oculus Insight inside-out 6-DoF tracking with motion controllers USB – USB-C cable for charging […]
Pinephone Multiboot Image Boots 13 Different Linux Distributions
You’ve certainly heard about dual-boot systems with Windows and Linux, and possibly about triple-boot systems with an extra OS like Chromium OS or Android, but pine64’s forum user Megous has gone much further with a multiboot image for Pinephone able to boot 13 different Linux distributions! You’d think the image would occupy a lot of space on the device, but since all 13 distributions share the same Linux 5.9 kernel, all 13 operating systems fit on the internal eMMC flash or a MicroSD card with 8GB or greater capacity. The image is based on the p-boot bootloader allowing you to select the distribution of your choice and supports all PinePhones from the Braveheart Edition to the most recent revisions with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. So what Linux distributions are supported by the multiboot image exactly? Here’s the list: Arch Linux Arm 2020-09-08 Lune OS 0.113 Maemo Leste 20200906 Mobian […]
Intel NUC 9 Extreme “Ghost Canyon” Kit – NUC9i9QNX Review
I’ve previously written about Intel’s (relatively) new NUC 9 range of mini PCs and now I am following up with my experiences of having bought one. Whilst I’ll cover some performance metrics from both Windows and Ubuntu I’ll also discuss the benefits and drawbacks of using either OS together with a comparison of gaming, thermals, and power usage as well as a brief look at overclocking potential and implications together with highlighting the issues encountered. NUC9i9QNX Hardware Overview The model I purchased and will be reviewing here is the NUC9i9QNX from Intel’s Ghost Canyon lineup and is formally known as the Intel NUC 9 Extreme Kit – NUC9i9QNX. It contains a “Compute Element” with an i9-9980HK which is an eight-core 16-thread 2.40 GHz processor boosting to 5.00 GHz with Intel’s UHD Graphics 630. The full specifications of the NUC9i9QNX include: The NUC9i9QNX is sold as a kit which essentially means […]
Allwinner T5 Processor to Power Android 10 and Linux Multi-Camera Infotainment Systems
Allwinner T-series processors are designed for transportation applications such as automotive infotainment systems, smart rear-view mirrors, and navigation systems. The Zhuhai-based company has now added a new T-series processor to its website with Allwinner T5 processor featuring four Cortex-A53 cores and a Mali-G31 MP2 GPU that’s a nice upgrade to the Mali-400 MP2/4 GPUs used in their other automotive processors. Allwinner T5 specifications: CPU – Quad-core Arm Cortex-A53@1.5GHz GPU – Arm Mali G31 MP2 with support for OpenGL ES 3.2/2.0/1.0, Vulkan 1.1, OpenCL 2.0 Memory I/F – 32-bit DDR4/DDR3/DDR3L/LPDDR3/LPDDR4 interface up to 4GB Storage I/F SD3.0/eMMC5.0 interface 8-bit Nand flash interface with maximum 80-bit/1KB ECC Video Engine Video decoder H.265 MP decoder up to 4K @ 60fps H.264 BL/MP/HP decoder up to 4K @ 30fps VP9 decoder up to 4K @ 60fps AVS2 decoder up to 4K @ 60fps Multi-format 1080p60 video playback including VP8, MPEG1/2 SP/MP, MPEG4 SP/ASP, AVS+/AVS […]