Desktop and server systems relies on standardized interfaces between the bootloader and the OS like UEFI and ACPI, but for embedded systems the way the bootloader, often U-boot, handles the boot flow may vary greatly between targets. Arm and its partners already worked on this in the server space with the Server Base Architecture Specification (SBSA) , and more specifically the Server Base Boot Requirements (SBBR) within the specification that requires the use of both UEFI and ACPI on servers. Arm has now done something similar with the Embedded Base Boot Requirements (EBBR) project that targets specifically embedded systems, is based on a subset of UEFI, and works with either ACPI or device tree. EBBR specification once implemented in bootloaders like U-boot or Tianocore/EDK2 should allow a single version of an OS image to boot on multiple platforms without the per-platform customization required today.. In practical terms it means the […]
Axiomtek eBOX560-900-FL Ubuntu 16.04 Fanless Embedded Computer is Powered by NVIDIA Jetson TX2 Module
Axiomtek has unveiled eBOX560-900-FL fanless embedded computer equipped with an NVIDIA Jetson TX2 module, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, a HDMI 2.0a port, an NVMe slot, etc. It also supports WiFi and LTE connectivity for gateway applications. The rugged computer runs Ubuntu 16.04, targets high performance AI workloads such as machine vision, deep learning, and edge computing, and comes with IP40 protection, vibration resistance, and -10 to 50°C temperature range support. Axiomtek eBOX560-900-FL specifications: SoM – NVIDIA Jetson TX2 module with SoC – NVIDIA TX2 hexa-core processor with 2x Denver cores, 4x Arm A57 cores, and a 256-CUDA core NVIDIA Pascal GPU System Memory – 8GB 128-bit LPDDR4 @ 1866 MHz Storage – 32GB eMMC flash Storage – 1x M.2 2280 M-Key slot w/ PCIe 2.0 x4 (supports M.2 NVMe SSD) Video Output – 1x HDMI 2.0 with 4K2K support Connectivity 2x 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet (NVIDIA + Intel I210-IT) 802.11ac WiFI […]
Aspencore 2017 Embedded Markets Study – Programming Languages, Operating Systems, MCU Vendors, and More
Aspencore media group asked readers of their EE Times and Embedded.com websites to fill out an online survey about their embedded system projects. They got 1,234 respondents mostly from North America (56.3%), followed by Europe (25.2%), and Asia (10.6%). This resulted in a 102-page market study which you can download here. I’ve extracted a few slides to have a look at some of the trends. C language is still the most used language in embedded systems, but other languages like C++, Python and even assembly language are gaining traction. Operating system is more spread with Linux being the most used via Embedded Linux distributions, Debian, and Ubuntu. FreeRTOS comes in second place, while Android registers fourth with 13%. Git has finally supplanted Subversion in 2017, with all other version control software losing ground. Switching to some hardware slides, 44% used a development board to start their embedded design with ST […]
Embedded Linux Conference & IoT Summit Europe 2016 Schedule
Embedded Linux Conference & IoT summit 2016 first took place in the US in April, but the events are now also scheduled in Europe on October 11 – 13 in Berlin, Germany, and the schedule has now been published. Even if you are no going to attend, it’s always interesting to find out more about the topic covered in that type of events, so I had a look, and created my own virtual schedule with some of the sessions. Tuesday, October 11 10:40 – 11:30 – JerryScript: An Ultra-lightweight JavaScript Engine for the Internet of Things – Tilmann Scheller, Samsung Electronics JerryScript is a lightweight JavaScript engine designed to bring the success of JavaScript to small IoT devices like lamps, thermometers, switches and sensors. This class of devices tends to use resource-constrained microcontrollers which are too small to fit a large JavaScript engine like V8 or JavaScriptCore. JerryScript is heavily […]
The Eclipse Foundation Releases Open Source Smart Home & IoT Gateway Frameworks, MQTT & oneM2M Implementations
The Eclipse Internet of Things (IoT) Working Group has released – or soon will be releasing – four open source projects for the Internet of Things with Eclipse SmartHome 0.8 framework, Eclipse Kura 2.0 IoT gateway framework, Eclipse Paho 1.2 MQTT & MQTT-SN clients, and Eclipse OM2M 1.0 implementation of oneM2M standard. Eclipse SmartHome 0.8 Eclipse SmartHome is a framework for smart home solutions that runs on embedded devices, including Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone Black or Intel Edison development boards. The latest SmartHome 0.8 release includes a new REST API and corresponding “Paper UI” administration interface, support for new devices including Sonos speakers, LIFX bulbs, Belkin WeMo devices, digitalSTROM systems, EnOcean devices (via a new OSGi EnOcean Base Driver) and others, as well as a new rule engine supporting templates for beginners, JavaScript for automation rules and graphical rule editors. You can find more details on Eclipse SmartHome page, and/or download SmartHome 0.8, […]
Upcoming ARM TrustZone Webinars Explaining Embedded Systems / IoT Security to Non-security Experts
Most people understand that securing the IoT is important, but security is a highly a complex subject, and as seen with the many security breaches, even specialists – who in theory should now better – get their devices or online accounts hacked. So even if you are not a security expert, but are involved in the development of embedded systems, it’s important to get acquainted with online and offline security and understand how all this all work, at least from a high level perspective, without necessarily having to dig into the technical details. ARM is organizing two webinars catering to people who are not security experts, and explaining how they can secure embedded systems using the company’s TrustZone technology. The first webinar entitled “How to build trust and security into your embedded device” will allow participant to gain an understanding of the security that will need to be applied in […]
HeliX2-COMExpress Module Powered by Applied Micro HeliX 2 ARMv8 Processor Supports up to 32GB RAM, 10GbE Ethernet, SATA 3, and PCie
Theobroma Systems has introduced a new COM Express module, named HeliX2-COMExpress, powered by Applied Micro HeliX 2 ARMv8 server SoC and probing 10GBe, SATA, and PCIe connectivity, as well as SO-DIMM slots for up to 32GB RAM for embedded industrial applications. HeliX2-COMExpress specifications: Processor – Applied Micro APM887104-H2 “HeliX 2” with 2 to 4 ARMv8 cores up to 2.0GHz, 32KB L1 I-cache and 32KB L1 D-Cache (per core) with parity-protection, shared 256KB L2 cache (per pair of cores) with ECC protection, and 2MB L3 cache with ECC protection System Memory – 2x 204-pin SO-DIMM slot for up to 32GB DDR3 @ 1600MHz Storage – Serial ATA SATA Gen 3 (integrated), up to 16MBit SPI NOR flash on-module, up to 128GB eMMC flash on-module Connectivity 1x 10 Gigabit-Ethernet (XAUI) 1x 1000Base-T with on-module 10/100/1000 PHY 1x RGMII Gigabit Ethernet 2x SGMII Gigabit Ethernet USB – 3x USB 2.0 (one dual-role […]
CYCLONE F100 Tegra K1 Fanless Embedded Computer Supports up to 8GB RAM, SATA, and Various Networking Options
Calao Systems has added a new member to the their rugged embedded computers family with Cyclone F100 powered by Nvidia Tegra K1 quad core Cortex A15 processor with up to 8GB RAM, optional industrial grade SATA Nandrive, and mSATA, dual Gigabit Ethernet, and mPCIe connectivity options for IoT and M2M with LoRA, WiFi, RF radios, etc… Target applications include surveillance, identification, transport, robotic, graphic enhanced digital signage, and medical equipment. Cyclone F100 specifications: SoC – Nvidia Tegra K1 quad-core ARM Cortex A15 processor @ 2.3 GHz with 192-core Kepler GPU supporting OpenGL 4.4, OpenGL ES 3.1 and CUDA/GPGPU System Memory – 2 GB DDR3L (Options for 4 and 8GB on request) Storage – 8 GB eMMC, 8 MB SPI flash and micro SD card slot. Optional: Industrial grade SATA Nandrive, mSATA socket Video Output – HDMI, options: LVDS and DisplayPort Audio I/O – HDMI, optical S/PDIF out, Mic In / […]