development kit News - Page 22 of 42 - CNX Software

October 9, 2015October 11, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Weightless Development Kits are Finally Available (Sort of)

The first version of the Weightless standard aiming at lowering cost of IoT communications was published in 2013, but so far development kits were nowhere to be found. Nwave has now launched a Weightless-N SDK using sub-GHz spectrum, but not the white space spectrum used by Weightless-W, probably due to regulatory hurdles. Specifications and features of Nwave development board: MCU – Silicon Labs EFM32G210F128 ARM Cortex M3 MCU @ 32 MHz with 128KB flash, 16KB SRAM Connectivity – RM3 radio module (868MHz) and antenna connector (X3) USB – X1 USB port for connection to PC or UART interface, X2 micro USB port Debugging – UART, and 10-pin JTAG connector (X4) Expansion header – 16 through holes for GND, 3.3V, GPIOs, ADC, Timers output, I2C, etc… (X5) Misc – Three Jumpers for UART and other selections (TBD), reset buttons for USB ports? Power – 5V via USB ? Dimensions – N/A […]

October 6, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Kinoma HD is $25 TV Stick Devkit Based on Marvell ARMADA 1500 Mini Plus Processor

Marvell has just revealed that ChromeCast 2.0 & Audio featured their ARMADA 1500 Mini Plus (88DE3006) processor with two ARM Cortex A7 cores, coupled with 512 MB RAM, and Avastar 88W8887 wireless solution with WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC and FM radio. But a comment on Anandtech lead me to a development kit based on 88DE3006 I missed while I was away: Kinoma HD. Preliminary hardware specifications: SoC – Marvell ARMADA 1500 Mini Plus (88DE3006) dual core Cortex A7 @ 1.2 GHz with 3D GPU supporting OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0, Qdeo video engine System Memory – 256 MB RAM Storage – TBD Video Output – HDMI output of 1080p/720p Connectivity – Wi-Fi g/n/ac Power Supply – 5V via micro USB port Apart for the lower memory capacity (256MB vs 512MB), Kinoma HD hardware looks pretty similar to ChromeCast 2.0. But the main difference is in the software, as while ChromeCast […]

September 29, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

STMicro Introduces $35 STM32 Motor Control Nucleo Pack

STMicroelectronics has recently launched P-NUCLEO-IHM001 motor control starter kit with NUCLEO-F302R8 Cortex M4 MCU board, X-NUCLEO-IHM07M1 driver board for BLDC (Brushless DC) and PMSM (Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor) electric motors, as well as a Bull Running motor often used in RC helicopters and quadcopters. Technical specifications of the three hardware “blocks” of the kit: X-NUCLEO-IHM07M1 driver board: Three-phase driver board for BLDC/PMSM motors based on L6230 Nominal voltage range from 8 V to 48 V DC 2.8 A output peak current (1.4 A RMS) Non dissipative overcurrent detection and protection Compatible with ST 6-step or ST FOC control algorithm Support for sensorless and sensor mode Hall / encoder motor sensor connector and circuit Configurable jumpers for motor current sensing Potentiometer available for speed regulation ST morpho connectors (found in Nucleo boards) NUCLEO-F302R8 MCU board: STMicro STM32F302R8 Cortex-M4 @ up to 72 MHz with 64KB Flash memory and 16KB SRAM Expansion […]

September 25, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Atmel Unveils the World’s Smallest Bluetooth 4.1 LE SoC, and BTLC1000 Xplained Pro Development Kit

Atmel has just announced it is now shipping SmartConnect BTLC1000 Bluetooth Smart (BLE 4.1) SoC in production quantities. The chip is remarkable thanks to its size, as the company managed to pack an ARM Cortex-M0 MCU, a transceiver, a modem, MAC, PA, TR Switch, and Power Management Unit (PMU) into a 2.26×2.14 mm package. Atmel SmartConnect BTLC1000 Bluetooth LE SoC key features and specifications: MCU – ARM Cortex M0 @ 26 MHz 128KB IRAM/DRAM, 128KB ROM Connectivity – Bluetotoh 4.1 Smart with L2CAP service layer protocols, Security Manager, Attribute protocol (ATT), Generic Attribute Profile (GATT) and the Generic Access Profile (GAP). Proximity, Thermometer, Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, and others profiles are also included in the protocol stack. I/Os – Up to 15, including 2x UART, 2x SPI, and 2x I2C. Hardware Crypto – AES-128, SHA-256 Operating Voltage – 1.8 – 4.3V Power Consumption – > 4mA in RX, and >3mA […]

September 23, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

RePhone Kit Create is a DIY Phone and Cellular Development Kit (Crowdfunding)

Seeed Studio has design a modular and open source phone it calls RePhone Kit Create. The kit allows you, or/and your kid(s), to assemble their own phone based on building blocks including a 2G or 3G core module, a touchscreen display module, an audio module, and pre-cut, seawable, washable, and easily drawable Kraft paper to make the case. The kit can also be used for IoT applications using cellular and Bluetooth connectivity, and extra Xadow modules GPS, NFC, motion sensors, camera and more.. Two cellular “core” module can be used: RePhone GSM + BLE module with the “world’s smallest System-on-Chip (SOC) for Wearables and Internet Of Things”, GSM, GPRS and Bluetooth 2.1 and 4.0 support. RePhone Core Module 3G with a “powerful microcontroller”,a standard Xadow interface (USB, GPIO, I2C, SPI, UART, EINT), support for speaker, two microphones and a headset, a Nano SIM, and support for HSPA/WCDMA:850/1900 and GPRS/EDGE:850/1900. Voltage: […]

August 21, 2015August 21, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Mixtile GENA is a Wearables Development Kit Inspired by Pebble Watch

The first Pebble watch with a black and white e-Ink display and Bluetooth for smartphone connection launched in 2012 via Kickstarter, and it became one of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns so far. The watch can now be purchased for $100, but Focalcrest, a startup based in Shenzhen, designed Mixtil GENA development kit with similar features and user interface, although with different electronics components, that goes for $34 on Tindie. Mixtile GENA specifications: Processors Mediatek MT6260 ARM7EJ-S processor @ 364 MHz with 8MB RAM and 16MB Flash Nordic Semiconductor nRF51822 ARM Cortex M0 Bluetooth Smart SoC External Storage – micro SD card slot (Up to 8GB) Display – “Energy-saving” reflective LCD Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.0 LE USB – micro USB 2.0 port Sensor – Gravity sensor Misc – Up, Down, Enter and Power/Return buttons Battery – 270 mAh/3.7V Lithium-ion battery (4 to 5 days on a charge for typical usage) […]

August 19, 2015August 19, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Ascella USB 3.0 Camera Reference Design Kit Supports 4K Recording at 30 fps

Cypress Semiconductor and THine Electronics have recently introduced Ascella USB 3.0 camera reference design kit based on Cypress EZ-USB CX3 USB 3.0 camera controller and THIne THP7312 ISP that supports 13-megapixel resolution at 21 frames per second, and 3840x2160p recording at 30 fps using MJPEG compression. The kit is composed of 5 boards with an OV13850 13MP camera board, an LED board, the ISP board, Cypress CX3 board, and a debug board with USB 3.0 and a debug interfaces. Main specifications and features: Cypress EZ-USB CX3 ARM9 based Programmable MIPI CSI-2 to USB 3.0 Camera Controller THine THP7312 image signal processor based on a 32-bit RISC CPU OmniVision OV13850 Image sensor interfaced through a four-lane MIPI CSI-2 interface High Intensity LED Board for Low light environment SPI Flash for firmware storage Supports auto-focus, auto-exposure, auto-white-balance and the ability to select from 20 picture resolutions Support for streaming of live […]

August 6, 2015August 6, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

LightBlue Bean+ Bluetooth LE Board is Programmed Wirelessly, Lasts One Year on a Charge (Crowdfunding)

Punch Through launched a crowdfunding campaign back in 2013 for LightBlue Cortado an innovative Arduino compatible BLE board that can only be programmed wirelessly over Bluetooth Smart. The board has since then been renamed to LightBlue Bean, and the company allegedly delivered rewards to backers on time, a rarity in the crowdfunding world. LightBlue Bean+, the second version of the board, is larger with solderless headers, supports more Bluetooth LE capabilities such as MIDI, and includes a battery. The project launched on Kickstarter yesterday, and already raised over $40,000, surpassing the $30,000 funding target set by the team. LightBlue Bean+ board specifications: MCU – Info N/A (Bean has an Atmel ATmega328P @ 8MHz with 32KB Flash, 1KB EEPROM, 2KB SRAM) Bluetooth Bluetooth LE with support for 5 new capabilities: beacon, MIDI, HID, ANCS and observer role. Hardware module undisclosed (Bean has an LBM313 Module with Texas Instruments CC2540) Up to 400 […]