ELBE is a simpler alternative to Yocto/OpenEmbedded and Buildroot

ELBE process

To support embedded design, there are several options when it comes to choosing an operating system (OS). Some of the traditional approaches to building custom Linux systems is to use built systems such as Yocto/OpenEmbedded or Buildroot. The options available for system integration include building everything manually, binary distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, etc.), and build systems (Buildroot, Yocto, PTXdist, etc.). The major drawback of build systems is that they are not as easy as a binary distribution and also the build time is more. Why was ELBE born? In the early days, the embedded devices had 4MiB flash and 16MiB of RAM. With these specifications, people started to hack a root file system for their devices. But in some cases, they had to start with building a cross-toolchain first. For this, tools like OpenEmbedded, Buildroot are good as long as they are well maintained. For this, a lot of libraries […]

SiFive launches HiFive Unmatched mini-ITX motherboard for RISC-V PC’s

When it comes to RISC-V based SoC, SiFive has always set a benchmark in the RISC-V ecosystem. On 29th October 2020, SiFive confirmed the first-ever RISC-V PC. After an increased demand for AI-focused RISC-V microarchitecture, targeting all applications from artificial intelligence, the internet of things, high-performance computing, and now even desktop PCs. SiFive Freedom U740 powered HiFive Unmatched mini-ITX motherboard comes with a complete development environment which allows developers to create RISC-V based applications from bare-metal to Linux-based systems. “HiFive Unmatched ushers in a new era of RISC-V Linux development with a platform in a PC form factor. Powered by the SiFive Freedom U740, a high-performance multi-core, 64-bit dual-issue, superscalar RISC-V processor.”, SiFive says. It is the world’s fastest native RISC-V development platform. SiFive HiFive Unmatched Board At the heart of the SiFive board is a SiFive FU740 processor coupled with 8 GB DDR4 memory and 32 MB SPI Flash. It […]

IBASE Outs Fanless Embedded Systems with AMD Ryzen V1605B, V1202B, R1606G, or R1505G SoC

AMD Ryzen Fanless Embedded Systems

Taiwan based IBASE Technology has launched the ASB200-918 series fanless embedded systems based on the company’s IB918 AMD Ryzen Embedded SBC which we covered last year, runs Windows or Linux distributions, and supports up to 4K displays. ASB200-918-series rugged computers are powered by AMD Ryzen Embedded V1605B/V1202B or R1606G/R1505G processors with 16GB ECC memory, a 64GB SSD,  various I/Os including two HDMI 2.0a output for industrial control, factory, kiosks, and other space-constrained applications. ASB200-918 key features and specifications: SBC – IBASE IB918 3.5-inch single board computer with AMD Ryzen Embedded V1000/R1000-series SoC (V1605B, V1202B, R1606G, or R1505G) System Memory – 2x 8GB DDR4-2666 SO-DIMM, upgradable to up to 32GB RAM, ECC supported Storage – 64 GB TLC 2.5-inch SSD (default), optional M.2 NVMe SSD Video Output – 2x HDMI 2.0a ports up to 4Kp60 resolution Audio – 3.5mm audio jack for Line-out, Line-in, and MIC-in Networking 2x Gigabit Ethernet via […]

gKINO-V1000 and gKINO-R1000 Mini-ITX SBC’s Feature AMD Ryzen Embedded V1000/R1000 SoC

AMD RYZEN Embedded MINI-ITX SBC

While we reported earlier AMD Ryzen Embedded V2000 is coming later this year, companies are still launching boards with the previous generation AMD Ryzen Embedded V1000 or R1000 processors. ICP Germany has just announced four AMD Ryzen Embedded Mini-ITX boards with gKINO-V1000 boards equipped with either Ryzen Embedded V1202B or V1605B and gKINO-R1000 SBC’s coming with either Ryzen Embedded R1505G or R1606G processors. gKINO-V1000/R1000 key features and specifications: SoC gKINO-V1605B-R10 SBC – AMD Ryzen Embedded V1605B quad-core processor @ 2.0 / 3.6 GHz with 2MB cache, Radeon Vega8 GPU; 12-25W TDP gKINO-V1202B-R10 SBC – AMD Ryzen Embedded V1202B dual-core processor @ 2.3 / 3.2 GHz with 1MB cache, Radeon Vega3 GPU; 12-25W TDP gKINO-R1606B-R10 SBC – AMD Ryzen Embedded R1606G dual-core processor @ 2.6 / 3.5 GHz with  1MB cache, Radeon Vega3 GPU; 12-25W TDP gKINO-R1605B-R10 SBC – AMD Ryzen Embedded R1505G dual-core processor @ 2.4 / 3.3 GHz with […]

Developer Board 4 V3 Brings Gigabit Ethernet to 96Boards Snapdragon 410E SBC

Snapdragon 410E SBC Gigabit Ethernet

The original 96Boards CE compliant Dragonboard 410c development board launched in 2015 was followed by Geniatech Developer Board IV the following with many of the same features plus the addition of a Fast Ethernet port and an RTC battery, and an 85x60mm form factor all of which made it non-compliant with the 96Board specs. Geniatech has now introduced a new Developer Board 4 V3 version, that like the V2 model integrates a Gigabit Ethernet port and WiFi 5 connectivity, but the design has been modified get closer to  96Boards CE compliance with 85x54mm dimensions, and the same ports’ arrangement as on 96Boards CE boards, excluding the Ethernet RJ45 jack that is out of (96Boards CE) specs. Geniatech Developer Board 4 V3 specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 410E (APQ8016E) quad-core ARM Cortex A53 processor @ 1.2 GHz with Adreno 306 GPU System Memory – 1 or 2 GB LPDDR3 @ 533MHz […]

J721E DRA829/TDA4VM/AM752x – Texas Instruments Cortex-A72 based Monster SoC’s

J721E DRA829 TDA4VM AM752x Block Diagran

Texas Instruments unveiled their first 64-bit processor in 2018 with TI AM654 “Keystone III” quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 + dual lockstep Cortex-R5F processor designed for general embedded and industrial applications. The company is now working on a more powerful processor with J721E SoC with Cortex-A72 cores belonging to the K3 Multicore SoC architecture platform appearing in TI Linux git repository. Ti J721E is a monster of an SoC, not necessarily in terms of CPU processing power, but it has an amazing amount of features and peripherals. I’m not going to list all specifications of this monster SoC, and we’ll do with J721E highlights instead: CPU Dual Cortex-A72 up to 2.0 GHz in a single cluster Up to three clusters of lockstep capable dual Cortex-R5F MCUs @ 1.0 GHz AI Accelerator / DSP Deep-learning Matrix Multiply Accelerator (MMA) @ up to 1.0 GHz (8 TOPS for 8-bit inference) C7x floating-point Vector DSP […]

3.5″ SubCompact SBC Leverages Intel Whiskey Lake Processor for Embedded & AI Applications

3.5-inch SubCompact Board

AAEON already has several Whiskey Lake SBCs in its portfolio including PICO-WHU4 Pico-ITX board for AI & edge computing and UP Extreme SBC targeting the maker community and enthusiasts. The company’s latest GENE-WHU6 is a features-rich 3.5″ SubCompact SBC offered with a choice of Intel Core i3/i5/i7 and Celeron Whiskey Lake Embedded processors and designed for embedded and artificial intelligence applications thanks to an M.2 socket accepting AI accelerator cards. AAEON GENE-WHU6 specifications: SoC (one or the other) Intel Celeron 4305UE dual-core processor @ 2GHz with Intel UHD Graphics 610; 15W TDP Intel Core i3-8145UE dual-core/quad-thread processor @ 2.2GHz / 3.9GHz (Turbo) with Intel UHD Graphics 620; 15W TDP Intel Core i5-8365UE quad-core/octa-thread processor @ 1.6GHz / 4.1GHz (Turbo) with Intel UHD Graphics 620; 15W TDP Intel Core i7-8665UE quad-core/octa-thread processor @  1.7GHz / 4.4GHz (Turbo) with Intel UHD Graphics 620; 15W TDP System Memory – 2x 2400 MHz Dual […]

Versalogic Grizzly Embedded Server Board is Powered by a 16-Core Intel Atom C3958 Processor

Versalogic Grizzly with Heat Pipe

Launched in 2016, Intel Atom Denverton processors are usually found in motherboards for low power servers hosted in data centers as well as in network appliances. But Versalogic Grizzly embedded server board fitted with the 16-core Atom C3958 Denverton processor aims specifically at embedded systems with applications ranging from smart-grid, and smart-city applications, to transportation, security, and defense operations. Versalogic Grizzly (VL-ESU-5070) key features and specifications: Processor – Intel C3958 16-core Denverton server-class processor @ 2.0 GHz System Memory – 4x SO-DIMM sockets for up to 128 GB DDR4 of ECC memory Storage – 2x SATA 3 ports, bootable mSATA socket, bootable M.2 NVMe SSD socket Networking – 2x 10GbE SFP+ ports (copper or fiber), 4x Gigabit Ethernet ports Video output – None, but optional VGA/LVDS mini PCIe card available Audio – No on-board audio, but optional VL-ADR-01 audio interface available USB – 2x USB 3.0 host ports Serial – […]