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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Review of SMARTHON Smart City IoT Starter Kit for BBC Micro:bit

Review of SMARTHON Smart City IoT Starter Kit for BBC Micro:bit

Smarthon Smart City IoT Starter Kit review

SMARTHON Smart City IoT Starter Kit for micro:bit is an educational kit for 10+ years old teaching basic projects from turning an LED to more complex projects with multiple sensors, IFTTT integration, and mobile app development. The company sent us a sample of the Start Kit along with a BBC Micro:bit board for review, and we’ll report our experience with the kit in this review. Unboxing of SMARTHON Smart City IoT Starter Kit for micro:bit The package I received includes the SMARTHON Smart City IoT Starter Kit for Micro:bit and a BBC Micro:bit V2 board since it’s not included in the starter kit. The bottom side of the package lists the main components and features a QR code pointing to the product page. The package includes cardboard and wooden models, various cables, a 180° servo, a screw set, a city map, the Smarthon IoT:bit carrier board for the BBC Micro:bit, […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - 20 Comments on Qualcomm QCS6490-based Rubik Pi 3 AI SBC supports Android, Linux, and LU operating systems

Qualcomm QCS6490-based Rubik Pi 3 AI SBC supports Android, Linux, and LU operating systems

RUBIK Pi AI SBC

Thundercomm has officially launched the Rubik Pi 3 SBC built around the Qualcomm QCS6490 SoC with a 12.5 TOPS AI accelerator. The SBC comes in a “PI-CO ITX” form factor that combines the Pico-ITX standard and the 40-pin GPIO header found on Raspberry Pi SBCs. The SBC comes with a standard set of interfaces, including USB, HDMI out, MIPI-CSI camera support, Ethernet, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.2, and much more. Additionally, the SBC features a 40-pin header for GPIO, UART for debugging, audio output, and RTC battery support. The company mentions that it is the first Pi-based system using Qualcomm’s AI platforms, hence it supports Raspberry Pi HAT/HAT+ expansion boards, making it suitable for various AI, IoT, and edge computing projects. Rubik Pi 3 SBC specifications: SoC – Qualcomm QCS6490 CPU – Octa-core Kryo 670 with 1x Gold Plus core (Cortex-A78) @ 2.7 GHz, 3x Gold cores (Cortex-A78) @ 2.4 GHz, 4x […]

Posted on by Tomisin Olujinmi - 6 Comments on Looktech’s AI-powered smart glasses offer a 14-hour battery life, 13MP camera, and linear audio for $209 and up (Crowdfunding)

Looktech’s AI-powered smart glasses offer a 14-hour battery life, 13MP camera, and linear audio for $209 and up (Crowdfunding)

Looktech AI-powered smart glasses

Looktech AI Glasses are AI-powered smart glasses with a “privacy-focused design” and several lens options. They are similar to Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses but support GPT-4, Claude, and Gemini instead of Meta AI. Like Meta’s smart glasses, the Looktech AI Glasses incorporate headphones, a camera, and an AI model for a hands-free experience and personalized AI assistance. According to Looktech, the smart glasses can track calories, find recipes, set reminders, and perform image searches. The in-built 13MP camera can be used to capture high-res images and videos and the open-ear dual speakers provide “rich, spatialized immersive audio while keeping you aware of your surroundings.” Looktech has given some hardware specifications for the product but the list is a bit sparse. We have covered the much cheaper but underpowered LILYGO T-Glass. Although there are no promises of a physical AI agent, the Looktech glasses are similar to the M5Stack’s Module LLM […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - 1 Comment on GGBEE RMW002 WiFi AC smart switch supports Alexa, Google Assistant, and Cozy Life app

GGBEE RMW002 WiFi AC smart switch supports Alexa, Google Assistant, and Cozy Life app

GBEE mini wi fi smart switch

The GGBEE RMW002 is a mini WiFi AC smart switch designed to make your appliances smarter. It supports a voltage range of 100-240V AC and a maximum current of 16A/20A. With built-in WiFi, the switch connects to the Cozy Life app for easy remote control of your appliances. It also supports voice commands through Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant allowing for hands-free operation. Additional features include group control, countdown timers, and dual-control wiring options. The device has very similar from-factor and features to that of a SONOFF ZBMINIR2 or  SONOFF MINI Extreme (MINIR4M) but there are significant price differences if you are comparing the RMW002  to any SONOFF devices since the GGBEE switch is quite cheaper. GGBEE RMW002 specifications: SoC – Boufallo Lab BL602 32-bit RISC-V wireless SoC Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi 4 via BL602 Input Voltage range – 100-240V AC (50/60Hz) Max Current: 16A or 20A depending on […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on AAEON’s first Arm-based SMARC 2.1 module is NXP i.MX 8M Plus-powered uCOM-IMX8P system-on-module

AAEON’s first Arm-based SMARC 2.1 module is NXP i.MX 8M Plus-powered uCOM-IMX8P system-on-module

AAEON uCOM-IMX8P top

AAEON has released its first Arm-based SMARC 2.1 compliant CPU module, the uCOM-IMX8P built on the NXP i.MX 8M Plus SoC and offered with up to 4GB RAM, up to 128GB eMMC flash. and support for a range of interfaces such as dual Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, PCIe 3.0, and more. The 82mm x 50mm SMARC system-on-module is designed for industrial use with a -40°C to 85°C operating temperature range, Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) support, CAN Bus, MIPI interfaces, and more. That makes it suitable for applications such as predictive maintenance, process optimization, and automated control systems with cameras and displays. AAEON uCOM-IMX8P specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX 8M Plus CPU – Quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.6 GHz GPU – Vivante GC380 2D GPU and GC7000UL 3D GPU VPU – 1080p60 video decoder & encoder AI accelerator – Optional 2.3 TOPS Neural Processing Unit (NPU) System Memory – Up […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on Orange Pi CM5 “Tablet” Base Board drops Ethernet for WiFi 5, adds battery support, M.2 socket, 26-pin GPIO header…

Orange Pi CM5 “Tablet” Base Board drops Ethernet for WiFi 5, adds battery support, M.2 socket, 26-pin GPIO header…

Orange Pi CM5 Tablet Base Board

The Orange Pi CM5 was launched as an alternative to Raspberry Pi CM4/CM5 last July with a Rockchip RK3588S octa-core Cortex-A76/A55 SoC, up to 16GB LPDDR4x, 256GB eMMC flash, and three board-to-board connectors maintaining partially compatibility with the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4. At the time, Orange Pi also introduced the Orange Pi CM5 Base Board with HDMI 2.1, one Gigabit Ethernet port, two 2.5GbE ports, USB 3.0/2.0 ports, four camera connectors, and more. The company has now launched the Orange Pi CM5 “Tablet” Base Board without Ethernet ports, making use of WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 for networking instead. It keeps many of the same features but adds a 26-pin GPIO header, an M.2 Key-M socket for SSD storage, DP 1.4 and MIPI DSI display interfaces, and various audio interfaces. However, it does with “only” three camera interfaces. It’s quite thick to be used in a typical tablet, but […]

Posted on by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments on SECO launches Mediatek Genio 510 and 700 SMARC SoMs built for industrial and edge AI applications

SECO launches Mediatek Genio 510 and 700 SMARC SoMs built for industrial and edge AI applications

SECO SOM SMARC Genio510 module with MediaTek Genio510

SECO SOM-SMARC-Genio500 and SOM-SMARC-Genio700 are two new SMARC system-on-modules products powered by MediaTek Genio 510 and 700 Cortex-A78/A55 series SoCs. These industrial modules are designed for high power efficiency and offer reduced energy consumption even during intensive edge AI workloads, and are suitable for retail touchscreens, intelligent industrial sensors, advanced conferencing systems, and dynamic digital signage. Both modules feature up to 8GB LPDDR4 memory, 64GB eMMC flash, two Ethernet interfaces via RGMII and USB, an optional M.2 slot for a Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module, and camera inputs. We’ve previously considered Via’s offerings with the same MediaTek Genio 700 application processor: a SMARC module, a single-board computer, and a fully embedded system. The IBase ISR500 is another option featuring the Mediatek Genio 510 or Genio 700. SECO SOM-SMARC-Genio700 & SOM-SMARC-Genio510 specifications: SoC (one or the other) SOM-SMARC-Genio700 – MediaTek Genio 700 (MT8390) CPU – Octa-core processor with 2x Cortex-A78 cores @ up to […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Mekotronics R58-HD-1U digital signage player supports 12 HDMI outputs, video walls using three Rockchip RK3588 SoCs

Mekotronics R58-HD-1U digital signage player supports 12 HDMI outputs, video walls using three Rockchip RK3588 SoCs

Rockchip RK3588 digital signage player 12 HDMI output

Mekotronics R58-HD-1U is a digital signage player with 12 independent HDMI outputs implemented through three Rockchip RK3588 SoCs, housed in a 1U standard chassis, and mostly designed for video walls and other applications where multiple displays are close to each other. Each Rockchip RK3588 processor is coupled with up to 16GB RAM and 128GB eMMC flash, and the system also offers two HDMI inputs, five Ethernet ports, WiFi 6 and Bluetooth, and seven USB ports for expansion. Mekotronics R58-HD-1U specifications: SoCs – 3x Rockchip RK3588 each with CPU – Octa-core processor with 4x Cortex-A76 cores @ up to 2.4 GHz, 4x Cortex-A55 cores @ up to 1.8 GHz GPU – Arm Mali-G610 GPU with OpenGL ES 3.2,  OpenCL 2.2, and Vulkan 1.2 support VPU 8Kp60 video decoder for H.265/VP9 codecs 8Kp30 video decoder for H.264 codec 4Kp60 video decoder for AV1 codec Multi-channel decoder in parallel AI accelerator – 6 […]

UP 7000 x86 SBC