automation News - Page 40 of 65 - CNX Software

July 22, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

ANAVI Gas Detector ESP8266 Board Monitors Air Quality, Toxic Gases (Crowdfunding)

Leon ANAVI is a software engineer with an interest in open-source hardware, and he had previously launched several ANAVI boards for home automation based on Espressif ESP8266 or for Raspberry Pi boards including ANAVI thermometer, ANAVI light controller, and ANAVI Infrared pHAT among others. Leon has now introduced a new board on Crowd Supply: ANAVI gas detector. The board is powered by ESP8266 WiSoC providing WiFI connectivity, and supports MQ gas sensor modules such as MQ-135, MQ-2, or MQ-3 in order to monitor air quality and detect gas leaks. ANAVI gas detector board specifications: Wireless Module – Based on ESP8266 Tensilica L106 32-bit processor with Wi-Fi 4 802.11 b/g/n connectivity Display – Optional Mini OLED display Gas sensor support – MQ-135 for air quality or any other 5V MQ analog gas sensor Expansion – 3x slots for I²C sensors Debugging / Programming – UART pins for flashing custom firmware Misc […]

July 12, 2019July 12, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

MediaTek i700 Cortex-A75/A55 AI Processor to Power Automated Stores, Facial Recognition Applications

MediaTek has recently unveiled their i700 octa-core AI IoT Platform, which succeeds their little known MediaTek i500 (MT8385) processor, and features two Cortex-A75 cores, six Cortex-A55 cores, coupled with MediaTek APU 2.0 comprised of a dual-core AI processor, AI Accelerator and AI face detection engine that is said to offers 5x greater performance than the i500.. The new SoC also features an Imagination 9XM GPU clocked at 970MHz, as well as a tri-core ISP with support for a single 32MP camera or a 24MP+16MP dual-camera setup. MediaTek i700 key features & specifications: CPU – 6x Arm Cortex-A55 cores @ 2.0 GHz, 2x Arm Cortex-A75 cores @ 2.2 GHz GPU – Imagination PowerVR 9XM-HP8 (GM9446?) GPU @ 970 MHz MediaTek APU 2.0 AI engine – Dual-core AI processor, AI Accelerator, AI Face Detection Engine; Neuropilot SDK support Memory – Up to 8GB LPDDR4x, 1866MHz Connectivity Cellular – Carrier Aggregation (CA), CDMA2000 […]

July 12, 2019July 12, 2019 by Stephen Vicinanza - No Comments

Google Releases Local Home SDK Developer Preview

At Google I/O 2019 the company announced its latest plans to advance the Google Home and the Google Assistant with the Google Local Home SDK. Aimed at providing developers the ability to run actions and use resources on the local device rather than in the Cloud, the developer preview has been released just a few days ago to the dev community and made available after some testing at partner companies such as GE, LIFX, Phillips Hue, TP-Link, and others. Google is reporting that security and reliability will be enhanced almost immediately throughout all devices that use the Google Home platform. The idea is to release an SDK that can attract a more diverse and user-friendly smart home device list. Thus, offering more options to third-party developers to create devices that can have features stored and run locally. The idea is to create a local pathway through Google Home Speakers or […]

July 3, 2019July 3, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

ModBerry M500 Industrial Computer Gets Upgraded to Raspberry Pi 4

We first wrote about Modberry M500 industrial computer when it was upgraded from Raspberry Pi 3 to Raspberry Pi 3 B+, and added PoE support. With the launch of Raspberry Pi 4 model B, it should come as no surprise that Techbase has now announced Modberry M500 would be available with the latest board from the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Modberry M500 RPI 4 preliminary specifications: SoC – Broadcom BCM2711B0 quad-core Arm Cortex-A72 processor @ 1.5 GHz with VideoCore VI GPU System Memory – 1GB, 2GB or 4GB LPDDR4 Storage – 4GB eMMC flash (TBC), and/or 8GB micro SD card Video & Audio Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4K @ 60Hz and 3.5mm jack for CVBS (composite + stereo audio) Connectivity True Gigabit Ethernet, up to 2x optional 10/100M Ethernet ports Dual band 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0 LE Optional Zigbee, LTE/3G, GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth cards USB – […]

July 2, 2019July 2, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

Sonoff MINI & R3 Smart Switches Support a DIY REST API

ITEAD Studio’s Sonoff are low-cost wireless switches based on ESP8622/ESP8285 WiSoC, and supporting WiFi and/or 433 MHz connectivity. They usually come with a firmware that allows users to control them with eWelink app for Android or iOS. But many people will install alternative open source firmware such as Sonoff-Tasmota or ESPurna to get more flexibility such as the ability to use MQTT. But the company’s latest models, including Sonoff MINI and R3 series, implement a “DIY” REST API that allows you to control the device, or flash the firmware over a LAN connection. Sonoff MINI two-way Smart Switch Sonoff MINI is designed to be installed behind existing wall-mounted light-switches and wall-mounted power-sockets. Specifications: Terminal blocks with 6x inputs/outputs: N/L Inputs – AC 100-240V 50/60Hz 10A Max N/L Outputs – AC 100-240V 50/60Hz 10A Max S1/S2 – Designed to optionally connect a standard on/off switch Connectivity – Wi-Fi 4 – 802.11 […]

July 2, 2019February 16, 2020 by Stephen Vicinanza - 2 Comments

Programmable USB Hub Power Adjustable with Built-In Dev Board (Crowdfunding)

Capable Robot Components has launched its Crowd Supply campaign for the Programmable USB Hub in June of 2019. The hub is a feature rich and component rich USB hub that has a dev board built-in. The entire system is housed in an extruded aluminum case, with all the numbering and lettering and port attachments in brilliant white. Control power and data flow, directly through the unit. The first 40 units are sold out. There seem to be good reasons why these USB Hubs sell out fast. There was an in-depth article written on a similar hub some time ago. Inside the enclosure is an array of functionality packed neatly onto a small board. There are 4x USB 2.0 ports that are High-Speed downstream ports and 1x upstream port, a 5th endpoint on the USB hub exposes 2 12C buses via Sparkfun Qwiic connectors, the UART and 2X GPIO. The input power is […]

June 25, 2019June 25, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Vosen V1 S905X2 Android TV Box Doubles as a Home Gateway with IR Blaster and Z-Wave Support

At first look, Vosen V1 appears to be like any other 4K HDR Android TV box powered by Amlogic S905X2 quad-core Cortex-A53 processor, but it offers a bit more thanks to a built-in IR blaster allowing you to control other appliances in the room such as air conditioner, television, or A/V receiver. The box can be further enhanced by plugging-in a Z-Wave USB adapter to control & monitor even more compatible devices around the house such as light bulbs or water-leak sensors. Vosen V1 specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X2 quad core Arm Cortex-A53 with Mali-G31 MP2 GPU System Memory – 2GB LPDDR4 RAM Storage – 16GB eMMC flash, microSD card slot up to 32GB Video & Audio Output – HDMI 2.1 output up to 4K @ 75 Hz with HDR, 3.5mm AV port (composite + stereo audio) Video Codecs – VP9 Profile-2 up to 4K 60fps, 10-bit H.265/HEVC up to […]

June 14, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Strawberry4Pi Enables Home Automation on Raspberry Pi Boards (Crowdfunding)

Strawberry4Pi is an ecosystem of hardware, firmware, and software to create home automation and IoT projects with for Raspberry Pi boards. The project offers a pre-configured Linux operating system, a mobile app for Android and iOS, as well as two boards with four relays: Strawberry4Pi baseboard Zero for Raspberry Pi Zero (W), and Strawberry4Pi shield A/B for the larger boards such as Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ or Model A. Strawberry4Pi boards specifications: 4x SONGLE relays Misc – Temperature sensor and Wifi configuration button Power Supply Baseboard Zero – 100V-220V via 3-pin terminal block Shield A/B – 5V via 2-pin terminal block Dimensions Baseboard Zero – 97 x 75 mm Shield A/B – 65 x 56 mm Certifications – CE/FCC A 3D printed case and a DIN rail mount are also offered as options. There’s no a whole lot of information about the operating system as most people won’t need […]