retro News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

November 21, 2024November 20, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

ESP32 Rainbow is an open-source, ESP32-S3-powered ZX Spectrum single board computer (Crowdfunding)

Retrocomputing enthusiasts will be delighted to learn that a new ZX Spectrum replica is on the market: the ESP32 Rainbow. The single board computer swaps the Zilog Z80 for an ESP32-S3 microcontroller chip running an emulator, bringing the classic 80s computer back to life with a modern twist. It features a built-in color display, a microSD card slot for storage, a built-in touch keyboard in the ZX Spectrum style, and a USB Type-C port for power and data. The keyboard was recreated using full-color UV printing and is the most true-to-life component of the ESP32-S3-based ZX Spectrum single board computer. The touch keys won’t likely offer the best typing experience but that is reminiscent of the original ZX Spectrum. A lovely cherry on top is that the onboard USB-C port supports HID and the device can be used as a keyboard on another computer. The ZX Spectrum is one of […]

August 22, 2024August 23, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 21 Comments

ODROID-M2 low-profile SBC features Rockchip RK3588S2 SoC, up to 16GB LPDDR5, 128GB eMMC flash

Hardkernel has just launched the ODROID-M2 low-profile SBC based on a Rockchip RK3588S2 octa-core Cortex-A76/A55 AI SoC with up to 16GB LPDDR5, 64GB eMMC flash, an M.2 PCIe socket, support for three displays through HDMI, USB-C, and MIPI DSI interfaces, gigabit Ethernet, and more. The ODROID-M2 follows the ODROID-M1 and ODROID-M1S single board computers based on respectively Rockchip RK3568 and RK3566 quad-core Cortex-A55 processors, but a significantly more powerful Rockchip RK3588S2 processor, and a larger 90x90mm form factor to accomodate for extra features and interfaces. ODROID-M2 specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3588S2 CPU – Octa-core processor with 4x Cortex-A76 cores @ up to 2.3 GHz (+/- 0.1Ghz), 4x Cortex-A55 cores @ up to 1.8 GHz GPU – Arm Mali-G610 MP4 GPU @ 1 GHz compatible with OpenGL ES 3.2, OpenCL 2.2, and Vulkan 1.2 APIs VPU – 8Kp60 video decoder for H.265/AVS2/VP9/H.264/AV1 codecs, 8Kp30 H.265/H.264 video encoder AI accelerator – 6 […]

June 28, 2024July 1, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Sipeed Tang Mega 138K Dock is a lower-cost GOWIN GW5AST FPGA + RISC-V development board

The Sipeed Tang Mega 138K Dock is a low-cost version of the Tang Mega 138K Pro development board launched last year with the GOWIN GW5AST FPGA + RISC-V SoC, two SPF+ cages, a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface, and DVI Rx and Tx ports. The new Tang Mega 138K Dock keeps a GW5AST FPGA SoC but with a 484-ball package that fits on a smaller system-on-module, and does without the SPF+ cages, replaces the PCIe 3.0 x4 interface with a PCIe 2.0 x4 interface, and only uses a single HDMI port for DVI Rx or Tx. Sipeed Tang Mega 138K system-on-module Let’s first have a look at the specifications of the SoM itself: SoC FPGA – GOWIN GW5AST-LV138FPG484A with 138,240 LUT4 1,080 Kb Shadow SRAM (SSRAM) 6,120 Kb Block SRAM (BSRAM) Number of BSRAM – 340 298x DSP slices 12x PLLs 16x global clocks 24x HCLK 8x transceivers at 270Mbps to […]

June 25, 2024June 25, 2024 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

Olimex NEO6502 is a W65C02 and Raspberry Pi RP2040-powered retro computer with HDMI, USB, and more

Olimex has recently launched NEO6502 an open-source hardware retro computer designed for educational and entertainment purposes, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be used for retro gaming. The board is very unique as it’s built around a 65C02 MPU and Raspberry Pi Pico RP2040 MCU in a dual-processor configuration. The MOS6502 handles the Apple II, Oric, and Commodore 64 emulators whereas the RP2040 handles everything else including HDMI (DVI) video output using the PicoDVI project. Previously we have written about similar retro computer kits such as the CERBERUS 2100, TinyLlama x86, DevTerm with ClockworkPi v3.14, Olimex AgonLight2, and many others feel free to check those out if you are interested in retro tech with a modern twist. Olimex NEO6502 board specifications Processors Western Design Center W65C02S 8-bit microprocessor @ 6.25 MHz with 64kB RAM, 32kB Graphics RAM Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Cortex-M0+ MCU @ 133 MHz with 264 KB SRAM Storage […]

May 27, 2024May 26, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Use your Nintendo Wii Nunchuk as a USB controller with ANAVI Handle open-source hardware adapter (Crowdfunding)

Wii Nunchuck USB port Raspberry Pi 4 retro gaming console

Leon ANAVI has launched another open-source hardware project with the ANAVI Handle that transforms the Nintendo Wii Nunchuck into a USB controller meaning the Wii controller can now be used with any common hardware such as computers, laptops, single board computers, retro-gaming consoles, and so on. The ANAVI Handle is built around the Seeed Studio XIAO RP2040 module based on Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller and converts the Wii Nunchuck with a custom port carrying I2C signals into a standard USB HID device that works without any extra drivers. ANAVI Handle specifications: MCU module – XIAO RP2040 MCU – Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Cortex-M0 processor at 133MHz and 264kB RAM. Storage – 2MB SPI flash USB – 1x USB type C port for power and data Misc – Reset button, boot button, some LEDs PCB Nunchuck connector with I2C signal Dimensions – 35.0 x 33.3 mm OSHWA certification – BG000134 ANAVI […]

March 20, 2024March 20, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Make a Raspberry Pi 5 Game Boy lookalike with the PiBoy DMGx handheld gaming console kit

Experimental Pi’s PiBoy DMGxis is a kit that converts the Raspberry Pi 5 into a handheld gaming console that looks like a Game Boy with a 3.5-inch color display and all the controls found on the original Game Boy. The company has launched several PiBoy portable game console kits for Raspberry Pi SBCs over the years, so the new PiBoy DMGx for the Raspberry Pi 5 should come as no surprise, and the company says it should be able to run emulators for N64, PSP, Dreamcast, Wii, Gamecube, PS2, and others. PiBoy DMGx kit specifications: Supported SBCs – Raspberry Pi 5; with adapters: Raspberry Pi 3 and 4 Storage – MicroSD card slot (11) Display – 3.5-inch display with 640 x 480 resolution (3) Video Output – Micro HDMI port from RPi 5 Audio – Speaker (5), 3.5mm audio jack (7) User inputs – D-Pad (10), analog stick (9), […]

February 14, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Vivid Unit is a low-profile Rockchip RK3399 SBC with an integrated touchscreen display

Rockchip RK3399 SBC integrated touchscreen display

UUGear’s Vivid Unit is a low-profile SBC with an integrated 5.5-inch 1280×720 touchscreen display powered by the older Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core Cortex-A72/A53 SoC coupled with 4GB RAM and a 32GB eMMC flash. The board also comes with gigabit Ethernet and WiFi 4 connectivity, supports M.2 NVMe storage, offers HDMI output and a MIPI CSI camera input, integrates a speaker and a stereo microphone, and allows for expansion through a 40-pin GPIO header and other headers for ADC and USB. Vivid Unit specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3399 CPU – Hexa-core big.LITTLE processor with 2x Arm Cortex-A72 cores up to 1.8GHz, 4x Arm Cortex-A53 cores up to 1.4GHz GPU – Arm Mali-T860MP4 GPU AI accelerator – 6 TOPS NPU System Memory – 4GB LPDDR4 Storage 32GB eMMC flash M.2 socket for NVMe SSD Display – 5.5-inch touchscreen display with 1280×720 resolution Video Output – HDMI port Camera Input – MIPI CSI camera […]

February 9, 2024February 9, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 29 Comments

CERBERUS 2100 is a BASIC-programmable educational board with Z80 and 6502 8-bit CPUs

Olimex has just announced the launch of the CERBERUS 2100 open-source hardware, educational, multi-processor 8-bit computer with both Z80 and 6502 CPUs, as well as a Microchip AVR processor serving as an I/O controller. The CERBERUS 2100 features several CPLD and is fully programmable from the lowest level (individual gates and flip-flops) up to BASIC interpreters running on the Z80 and 6502 CPUs. Olimex did not design this themselves as the hardware design is from Bernardo Kastrup (aka TheByteAttic), while BASIC interpreters were written by Alexander Sharikhin (6502) and Dean Belfield (Z80). CERBERUS 2100 specifications: Processors Zilog Z80 8-bit microprocessor at 4 or 8 MHz (user selectable) Western Design Center W65C02S 8-bit microprocessor at 4 or 8 MHz (user selectable) “FAT-CAT” (Custom ATmega328pb) Microchip 8-bit AVR ATMega328PB microcontroller at 16 MHz CPLDs (ATF1508AS-7AX100) FAT-SCUNK (Scan CoUNter and clocK) and FAT-CAVIA (ChAracter Video Adapter) for video circuit connected to a 25.175 […]