When Vocore WiFi module launched in 2014 on Indiegogo, it quickly became popular as at the time it was hard to find cost effective and small WiFi modules with GPIOs, and its compact Ethernet dock solution was also a hit. The developer has now been working on VoCore2 for several months, and recently announced a beta testing program. Vocore2 preliminary specifications: SoC – Mediatek MT7628AN MIPS processor @ 580 MHz System Memory – 64 or 128 MB DDR2 Storage – 16MB NOR FLASH, 1x SDXC via I/O pins Connectivity – WiFi 802.11n 2T2R up to 300 Mbps with either 2 u.FL connector or 1 u.FL connector + on-board chip antenna (Max signal output >19.5dbm peak); 2x 10/100M Ethernet interfaces via I/O pins I/Os – About 30 GPIOs multiplexed with 3x UARTs, 1x I2C, 1x I2S, 1x reference clock, 1x USB 2.0, 1x PCIe 1.1, 1x high speed SPI (40Mbps max), […]
Arduino Yún Shield Adds Ethernet and WiFi to Arduino Boards for $50
You can now add WiFi to Arduino for about $3 thanks to ESP8266, and it’s been long possible to add Ethernet with ENC28J60 module now selling for the same $3. Alternatively, if you want some a little more powerful, you could also use IoT modules running OpenWrt such as a $30 WrtNode or $13 LinkIt Smart 7688 both capable of supporting Ethernet with some hacks. But if you’ve been used to Arduino Yun, have a few spare Arduino boards, or simply think the other solutions are just too cheap, Arduino LLC has just launched Arduino/Genuino Yún Shield for $49.90 / 43.90 Euros. Arduino Yún Shield specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Atheros AR9331 MIPS WiSoC @ 400 MHz System Memory – 64 MB DDR2 Storage – 16 MB flash Connectivity – 10/100 M and 802.11 b/g/n WiFi USB – 1x USB 2.0 host port Board interfacing – SPI and HW Serial Misc […]
LEDE (Linux Embedded Development Environment) Project is a Fork of OpenWrt
2016 appears to be the year of splits in open source communities with Kodi losing its main Android developer, LibreELEC being born out of disagreements within OpenELEC community, and now LEDE project, a fork of OpenWrt, has been created because some people are not satisfied with the way the project is managed, and now “includes a significant share of the most active members of the OpenWrt community”. LEDE, which stands for “Linux Embedded Development Environment” , has three stated goals: Building a great embedded Linux distribution with focus on stability and functionality. Having regular, predictable release cycles coupled with community provided device testing feedback. Establishing transparent decision processes with broad community participation and public meetings. You can find more on LEDE Project website, and the source code is available on the project’s git server:
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git clone http://git.lede-project.org/source.git |
Thanks to Zoobab for the tip. Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as […]
Xiaomi Mi WiFi 3 Router Unboxing, Teardown, and Serial Console
Mi WiFi 3 is the new low cost 802.11ac WiFi router by Xiaomi that sells for about $40. GearBest send my one sample for evaluation, and today, I’ve taken some photo of the device and board, and connected the UART pin to see if the serial console was accessible for people who want to try to port OpenWrt for example. Xiaomi Mi WiFi 3 Unboxing There’s some information on the package, but everything is in Chinese, except the part about AC1200 meaning it supports up to 867 Mbps with 802.11ac and 300 Mbps using 802.11n. The router comes with a 12V/1A power supply, and a user’s manual in Chinese only. There’s also a QR code inside the box linking to the Android and iOS apps, available both in English and Chinese, so actually that one of the few Xiaomi product that should be easy to use outside of China without […]
$15 RobinCore WiFi IoT Module Runs OpenWrt, Supports 720p Video Encoding (Crowdfunding)
Do you remember VoCore? It was a low cost OpenWrt WiFi IoT module based on Mediatek RT5350 processor, that had a very successful crowdfunding campaign managed by a single developer, and the project is still going strong with VoCore2 being in the works. Another developer had the idea of doing something similar but based on HiSilicon Hi3518 ARM9 processor with more memory and support for 720p video encoding making it suitable for HD drone camera, compact video cameras, and so on. Meet RobinCore. RobinCore specifications: SoC – Hisilicon Hi3518E ARM926 processor @ 440MHz with H.264 encoder(720p@30fps) System Memory – 64MB DDR2 Storage – 16 MB NOR flash Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n WiFi via Mediatek MT7601U with on-board chip antenna Debugging – micro USB port Expansion – 2x 30-pin 2.0mm pitch through holes with access to 10/100M Ethernet, UART, I2C, SPI, SDIO, ADC, PWM, JTAG and GPIOs Power Support – 5V […]
Imagination Releases OpenWrt and LWM2M Stack Source Code for MIPS Creator Ci40 Development Board
MIPS Creator Ci40 is a development board made by Imagination technology that features the company’s Creator cXT200 “Pistachio” SoC with a dual core MIPS interAptiv processor @ 550MHz and Ensigma C4500 RPU for 802.11ac/ BT 4.1 LE connectivity. The boards are supposed to be shipped to Kickstarter backers in April, but in the meantime, the company has released the source code for OpenWrt distribution as well as LWM2M stack for the board. OpenWRT source code is available in OpenWrt repo in FlowM2M gitbub account. Building the code for MIPS Creator Ci40 is quite straightforward:
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git clone https://github.com/FlowM2M/openwrt cd openwrt make menuconfig |
Select IMG MIPS Pistachio in make menuconfig, save the settings, and then run make to build OpenWrt for the board. This will also build the toolchain, so you don’t need to install any before hand. LWM2M stands for Lightweight Machine to Machine, and is a protocol from the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) for M2M / […]
GearBest 2nd Anniversary Promo Offers Cheap TV Boxes and Routers
GearBest has become fairly popular since it launched two years ago, mostly thanks to aggressive pricing, promotions, and coupons, and the company is celebrating its anniversary with some more discounts with recent TV boxes as low as $23, routers for $12 and up, and other accessories. Some potentially interesting deals include: Chiptrip MXV S805 TV box with Amlogic S805 and Android 4.4 for $29.99 Beelink X2 TV box with Allwinner H3 and Android 4.4 for $26.89 MX4 TV box running Android 4.4 on Rockchip RK3229 for $22.99 Xiaomi Mi WiFi mini 802.11ac router for $28.49 (Update: also found on eBay for $21.70 shipped) oops that’s the Youth Edition, only 802.11n) EasyCast WiFi Display Dongle for $11.99 NEXX WT3020F OpenWrt compatible router for $12.74 Please note that some are flash sales with 100 to 300 pieces, and discounted prices may not be active right now. [Update: Finally, only the flash sales […]
Arduino Tian Board Combines Atmel D21 MCU, Atheros AR9342 WiSoC, and CSR8510 Bluetooth 4.0 SoC
Arduino Tian is an update of Arduino Yun board, mainly replacing Atmel ATMega32u4 8-bit MCU and Atheros AR9331 WiSoC with more recent Atmel SAMD21 32-bit Cortex M0 MCU and Atheros AR9342 WiSoC with support for dual band 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, as well as CSR8510 Bluetooth 4.0 SoC. Arduino Tian specifications: MCU part MCU – Atmel SAMD21G18 ARM Cortex-M0 MCU @ 48 MHz with 256KB flash and 32KB SRAM Digital I/O Pins – 20x GPIOs with 12x PWM and UART Analog Input Pins – 6x 12-bit ADC channels Analog Output Pins – 1x 10-bit DAC DC Current per I/0 – 7mA Operating Voltage – 3.3V “Linux” SoC part SoC – Atheros AR9342 MIPS74Kc processor @ 535 MHz System Memory 64MB DDR2 Storage – 16 MB Flash for firmware, 4 GB eMMC Flash for data Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, dual band 802.11n 2×2 2.4/5 GHz WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 + EDR (CSR8510) USB […]