CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

January 2, 2024January 2, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 2 Comments

Tillitis Tkey is an open-source RISC-V security key in a USB-C case

Tillitis’ TKey is a small, simple security key in a USB-C form factor, and described as a “new type of flexible USB security token” that is inspired by DICE (Device Identifier Composition Engine) and measured boot powered by a simple 32-bit RISC-V core, the PicoRV32, in a Lattice iCE40 UP5K FPGA. While we have covered hardware security modules in the past, this is the first security key we have seen that is based on an FPGA running a RISC-V core. The security token lacks persistent, onboard storage, unlike alternatives such as Yubikey Neo. Apps need to be loaded onto the key every time it is connected to a host device. It uses measured boot to generate a unique identifier for each application and is more secure than the alternatives since private keys are not stored on the device. Also, the hardware and software for the TKey are completely open-source for […]

December 31, 2023December 31, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments

2023 Year in review – Top 10 posts, statistics, and what to expect in 2024

It’s the last day and last article of the year, so we will look at some highlights of 2023, some traffic statistics on the CNX Software website, and speculate what interesting developments may happen in 2024. Looking back at 2023 The semiconductor shortage that had happened since 2020 started to fade away in early 2023, and supplies for most electronics components and devices seem to be adequate at this time, so that was a bright spot this year, and hopefully, it will stay that way in 2024 despite geopolitical tensions. We did not have any super exciting new Arm application processors from Rockchip, Amlogic, or Allwinner announced this year, although the Amlogic S928X penta-core Cortex-A76/A55 CPU started to show up in some 8K TV boxes. The launch of the Raspberry Pi 5 SBC with a Broadcom BCM2712 quad-core Cortex-A76 processor was probably the main highlight for Arm on this side […]

December 30, 2023January 9, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Mixtile Core 3588E SoM review – Part 2: Ubuntu 22.04, hardware features, RK3588 AI samples, NVIDIA Jetson compatibility

We’ve already had a look at the Mixtile Core 3588E NVIDIA Jetson Nano/TX2 NX/Xavier NX/Orin Nano compatible Rockchip RK3588 SO-DIMM system-on-module in the first part of the review with an unboxing and first boot with an Ubuntu 22.04 OEM installation. I’ve now had more time to play with the devkit comprised of a Core 3588 module in 16GB/128GB configuration and a Leetop A206 carrier board with low-level features testing, some benchmarks, multimedia testing with 3D graphics acceleration and video playback, some AI tests using the built-in 6 TOPS NPU and the RKNPU2 toolkit, and finally I also tried out the system-on-module with the carrier board from an NVIDIA Jetson Nano developer kit. Ubuntu 22.04 System info We had already checked some of the system information in the first part of the Mixtile Core 3588E review, but here’s a reminder:

jaufranc@Mixtile-RK3588E:~$ uname -a
Linux Mixtile-RK3588E 5.10.160-rockchip #18 SMP Wed Dec 6 15:11:42 UTC 2023 aarch64 aarch64 aarch64 GNU/Linux
jaufranc@Mixtile-RK3588E:~$ cat /etc/lsb-release 
DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu
DISTRIB_RELEASE=22.04
DISTRIB_CODENAME=jammy
DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Ubuntu 22.04.3 LTS"
jaufranc@Mixtile-RK3588E:~$ df -h
Filesystem      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
tmpfs           1.6G  2.7M  1.6G   1% /run
/dev/mmcblk0p2  113G  7.5G  101G   7% /
tmpfs           7.7G     0  7.7G   0% /dev/shm
tmpfs           5.0M  8.0K  5.0M   1% /run/lock
tmpfs           4.0M     0  4.0M   0% /sys/fs/cgroup
/dev/mmcblk0p1  512M  101M  411M  20% /boot/firmware
tmpfs           1.6G   60K  1.6G   1% /run/user/0
tmpfs           1.6G   76K  1.6G   1% /run/user/130
tmpfs           1.6G   68K  1.6G   1% /run/user/1000
jaufranc@Mixtile-RK3588E:~$ free -mh
               total        used        free      shared  buff/cache   available
Mem:            15Gi       601Mi        13Gi        47Mi       1.4Gi        14Gi
Swap:          2.0Gi          0B       2.0Gi

jaufranc@Mixtile-RK3588E:~$ uname -a

Linux Mixtile-RK3588E 5.10.160-rockchip #18 SMP Wed Dec 6 15:11:42 UTC 2023 aarch64 aarch64 aarch64 GNU/Linux

jaufranc@Mixtile-RK3588E:~$ cat /etc/lsb-release

DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu

DISTRIB_RELEASE=22.04

DISTRIB_CODENAME=jammy

DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Ubuntu 22.04.3 LTS"

jaufranc@Mixtile-RK3588E:~$ df -h

Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on

tmpfs 1.6G 2.7M 1.6G 1% /run

/dev/mmcblk0p2 113G 7.5G 101G 7% /

tmpfs 7.7G 0 7.7G 0% /dev/shm

tmpfs 5.0M 8.0K 5.0M 1% /run/lock

tmpfs 4.0M 0 4.0M 0% /sys/fs/cgroup

/dev/mmcblk0p1 512M 101M 411M 20% /boot/firmware

tmpfs 1.6G 60K 1.6G 1% /run/user/0

tmpfs 1.6G 76K 1.6G 1% /run/user/130

tmpfs 1.6G 68K 1.6G 1% /run/user/1000

jaufranc@Mixtile-RK3588E:~$ free -mh

total used free shared buff/cache available

Mem: 15Gi 601Mi 13Gi 47Mi 1.4Gi 14Gi

Swap: 2.0Gi 0B 2.0Gi

I also ran inxi to check a few more details. […]

December 29, 2023December 30, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 19 Comments

Sipeed Longan Pi3H – A Raspberry Pi Zero-sized board with gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 6, HDMI, and USB ports

Sipeed Longan Pi3H is a Raspberry Pi Zero-sized single board computer (SBC) powered by an Allwinner H618 quad-core Cortex-A53 processor and equipped with full-size connectors namely an HDMI 2.0 video output, two USB 2.0 Type-A ports, and a gigabit Ethernet RJ45 jack. It also offers WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity, features the usual 40-pin GPIO header found in Pi Zero boards and relies on a USB OTG Type-C port for power. Its design is unusual for a board of that size, not only because of the full-size ports, but also because it’s comprised of a carrier board and a replaceable LM3H CPU module with the Allwinner H618 SoC, RAM, and eMMC flash. Sipeed Longan Pi3H specifications: SoC – Allwinner H618 CPU – Quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor @ up to 1.5GHz with 1MB L2 cache GPU – Arm Mali-G31 MP2 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 1.0/2.0/3.2, OpenCL 2.0, Vulkan […]

December 29, 2023December 29, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Radxa CM3S Rockchip RK3566 SODIMM system-on-module supports up to 8GB RAM, 128GB flash, wireless module

Radxa CM3S (Compute Module 3 SODIMM), also called the ROCK3 Compute Module SODIMM, is a system-on-module with a 200-pin SO-DIMM edge connector powered by a Rockchip RK3566 processor with up to 8GB RAM, 128GB eMMC flash, and an optional wireless module with WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 4.2. It follows the company’s CM3 module with Raspberry Pi CM4 form factor based on the same Rockchip RK3566 SoC, but in a more compact SO-DIMM form factor with a 200-pin edge connector that’s compatible with the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3/3+, but not compatible with NVIDIA’s Jetson Nano, Xavier NX, and Orin NX 260-pin SO-DIMM modules, and you’d need to wait for the upcoming Radxa NX5 instead… Radxa CM3S specifications can be found below along with the ones for the Radxa CM3 and Rockchip RK3568-based Radxa CM3I system-on-modules. Note that some of the specifications differ depending on where you look on the Radxa […]

December 29, 2023December 28, 2023 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

Aper-Oculus is an open-source camera development board for AMD Xilinx’s Kria SoM (Crowdfunding)

The Aper-Oculus board is an open-source hardware camera carrier board for the AMD Xilinx Kria system-on-modules aimed at high-speed computer vision applications. The carrier board is built around the Sony SLVS-EC (Scalable Low-Voltage Signaling with Embedded Clock), a high-speed interface standard that delivers high-resolution video output to the FPGA. It also features several connectivity options, including dual MIPI connectors, USB 3.0, DisplayPort, and SATA to accommodate the varying demands of AI and robotics projects. The Kria K24 and K26 SOMs are adaptive system-on-modules designed for edge and vision applications. These small modules are ruggedized and come with hardware acceleration enabled out-of-the-box. The Kria lineup also includes a series of starter kits, such as the KR260 Robotics Starter Kit, which are designed for early evaluation and development. Aper-Oculus specifications: Processor-Board Support – Compatible with AMD Xilinx Kria SOMs Video Interface – SLVS-EC for high-speed, high-quality video input Expansion – FMC connector […]

Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs

December 28, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

$44 5G M.2 to Ethernet and USB “converter” takes M.2 5G PCIe modules

Waveshare “5G M.2 to Gigabit Ethernet converter, 5G M.2 to USB3 converter” is a single device designed to easily and cheaply add 5G connectivity to a LAN through a gigabit Ethernet port or to a specific host like a PC or a Raspberry Pi SBC through a USB 3.1 Type-C port. The 5G M.2 to Ethernet and USB converter is flexible as by default it does not ship with a 5G module, but features an M.2 Key-B socket for 5G 3042 or 3052 modules allowing it to meet the requirements of a specific location. 5G M.2 to Ethernet and USB converter key features and specifications: Cellular M.2 Key B socket for 3042/3052 5G modules from SIMCom (SIM82XX), Quectel (RM5XX), and Fibocom (FM160XX) Onboard standard SIM card slot 4x 5G omnidirectional high-gain antennas Ethernet – Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port using RealTek RTL8125 controller USB – USB 3.1 Type-C port for connection […]

December 28, 2023March 8, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

Review of Blackview MP80 (Processor N97) mini PC with Windows 11 Pro

Blackview MP80 is a tiny pocket-sized mini PC powered by either an Intel Alder Lake-N Processor N95 or Processor N97 CPU with 16GB LPDDR5 RAM and a 512GB M.2 SSD preloaded with Windows 11 Pro. We’ve already reviewed the Blackview MP80 (N95) mini PC a few months ago, but the company has now sent us the Processor N97 model for review. Both models look identical with the same ports including three HDMI 2.0 video outputs, three USB ports, and two gigabit Ethernet ports, plus a Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2 wireless module. The mini PCs are also actively cooled, and the only obvious differences are the processor (Intel N95 vs N97) and the color of the enclosure. We usually do a three-part review with the first one listing the specs, and going through an unboxing and a teardown, but for the Blackview MP80 (N97) review we will do those and […]