Posted on by Debashis Das - No Comments on ESP32 Qwiic Pro Mini is an ESP32 board in Arduino Pro Mini form factor

ESP32 Qwiic Pro Mini is an ESP32 board in Arduino Pro Mini form factor

Sparkfun's latest development board puts Espressif ESP32-PICO-MINI-02 on a compact Arduino Pro Mini footprint. It also includes an onboard QWICC connector for easy interfacing with a wide range of sensors and peripherals,

SparkFun’s latest development board, the ESP32 Qwiic Pro Mini, puts the Espressif ESP32-PICO-MINI-02 on a compact Arduino Pro Mini footprint. It also includes an onboard QWICC connector for easy interfacing with a wide range of sensors and peripherals. We have already covered other Sparkfun dev boards like DataLogger IoT, Datalogger IoT – 9DoF, and SparkFun Thing Plus Matter you can check those out if interested. Like any other ESP32 board, this also uses an ESP32 microcontroller which features a 32-bit dual-core processor, 520kB of SRAM, 2MB of PSRAM, 8MB of flash memory, and 16 kB of additional SRAM in its RTC. It supports Bluetooth 4.2 and BLE and has ADC and DAC, touch detection, PWM, TWAI, Ethernet MAC, UART, SPI, SDIO, I2C, and I2S interfaces. As reported in a Hackster article, the board also features a Qwiic Connector for solderless connections to sensor boards and add-ons, positioned at a 90-degree angle […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on GEEKOM Mini IT12 Core i7-12650H mini PC review – Part 1: unboxing, teardown, and first boot

GEEKOM Mini IT12 Core i7-12650H mini PC review – Part 1: unboxing, teardown, and first boot

GEEKOM Mini IT12 Review

GEEKOM Mini IT12 is a 12th Gen Intel mini PC offered with either an Intel Core i7-12650H or Intel Core i5-12450H Alder Lake processor, support for up to 64GB RAM, up to 2TB NVMe SDD, HDMI 2.0 video outputs and high-performance ports such as USB4 and 2.5GbE. The mini PC is also equipped with a WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 wireless module and comes preloaded with Windows 11 Pro operating system. GEEKOM has sent us a sample of the Mini IT12 with a 10-core Intel Core i7-12650H processor, 32GB DDR4, and a 1TB M.2 SSD for review.  We’ll start the review by listing the specifications, before going and unboxing and a teardown, and finally boot the device to Windows 11 Pro. This will be followed by detailed reviews of the mini PC with Windows 11 and Ubuntu 22.04 in the next few weeks. GEEKOM Mini IT12 specifications SoC – Intel […]

Khadas Edge2 Arm mini PC
Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Mixtile Core 3588E development kit review – Part 1: Unboxing and first boot

Mixtile Core 3588E development kit review – Part 1: Unboxing and first boot

Mixtile Core 3588E development kit review

Mixtile Core 3588E is a Rockchip RK3588 SO-DIMM system-on-module with up to 32GB LPDDR4 and 256GB eMMC flash that follows NVIDIA Jetson Nano, TX2 NX, Xavier NX, and Orin Nano form factor and should work with any board made for Jetson SO-DIMM modules. We first covered the module last April, but Mixtile is now shipping their Rockchip RK3588 module and sent us a development kit with the Mixtile Core 3588 SoM fitted with a fansink and a carrier board that looks quite similar to the NVIDIA Jetson Nano developer kit we reviewed a few years ago, although its design is closer to the new B01 developer kit as we’ll see below.  We’ll start the review with an unboxing and first boot, before testing it in more detail with Ubuntu 22.04 in the second part of the review. Mixtile Core 3588E development kit unboxing We received the development kit fully preassembled. […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 21 Comments on Lichee Console 4A RISC-V mini laptop sells for $252 and up

Lichee Console 4A RISC-V mini laptop sells for $252 and up

Sipeed Lichee Console 4A

Sipeed Lichee Console 4A is a RISC-V portable Linux console, that I would also call a RISC-V mini laptop, powered by an Alibaba T-Head TH1520 quad-core C910 processor and equipped with up to 16GB RAM and 128GB eMMC flash. We first covered the device last August, but Sipeed had started taking pre-ordered by the end of October, and they’ve gone through the first batch of mass production, and should soon ship the mini laptops with the Aliexpress store showing December 31 as the release date, and we’re told some samples may have already been shipped in the first part of the month. Lichee Console 4A specifications: SoM – Replaceable Lichee LM4A system-on-module based on TH1520 quad-core RISC-V C910 processor with up to 16GB LPDDR4X, 128GB eMMC flash Storage – MicroSD card slot, M.2 SSD support Display – 7-inch 1280 x 800 LCD with capacitive touch Video Output – 1x mini […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments on $14 Pimoroni NVMe Base adds an M.2 PCIe socket underneath the Raspberry Pi 5 SBC

$14 Pimoroni NVMe Base adds an M.2 PCIe socket underneath the Raspberry Pi 5 SBC

Pimoroni NVMe BASE

Pimonori has started to take pre-orders for the NVMe BASE add-on board that adds an M.2 PCIe socket underneath the Raspberry Pi 5 SBC with support for M.2 NVMe SSDs and M.2 AI accelerators with 2230, 2242, 2260, or 2280 sizes. It’s not the first M.2 expansion board for the Raspberry Pi as the PineBerry Pi HatDrive TM1 and BM1 add-on boards launched last month can also do that either on top of on the bottom of the Raspberry Pi, but the NVMe BASE is quite cheaper at just 13.50 GBP inc. VAT or $14.29 ex. VAT at the time of writing. NVMe Base key features and specifications: NVMe Base PCB M.2 M-key slot Holes for 2230, 2242, 2260, and 2280 sized M.2 modules Raspberry Pi FFC PCIe connector ‘PCIe Pipe’ Flat Flex Cable M2 bolt and 2x nuts for SSD mounting 4x 7mm M2.5 standoffs for base mounting 8x […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - 9 Comments on Inkycal v3 is a Raspberry Pi-Powered ePaper Dashboard for Your Desk

Inkycal v3 is a Raspberry Pi-Powered ePaper Dashboard for Your Desk

Inkycal v3 is an eco-friendly, customizable e-paper dashboard built with Python 3 and powered by Raspberry Pi Zero W for organizing and displaying information.

Inkycal v3 is an eco-friendly, customizable E-paper dashboard built with Python 3 and powered by a Raspberry Pi Zero W SBC for organizing and displaying information. Previously, we have covered many E-paper display modules like Inkplate 4, EnkPi, Inkplate 2, and other E-paper display modules. But what makes Inkycal v3 different is its open-source software, a 7.5″ E-paper display with a black frame, and its modular approach to home screen settings. Features of Inkycal v3 E-paper Display: Integrated System – Raspberry Pi Zero W with E-Paper display and custom driver board. Design – Slim 13x18cm frame, black with a black-and-white bezel, and concealed components. Software – Inkycal OS, Python 3-based, supports new SPI displays including 12.48″ models. Modularity – Offers calendar, image, slideshow, RSS feeds, stock tickers, weather, and Todoist modules. User-Friendly – Configurable via a web app, no coding needed. Community Support – Active Discord channel for assistance and […]

Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs
Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on M5StickC PLUS2 IoT development kit features ESP32-PICO-V3-02 SiP, larger 200 mAh battery

M5StickC PLUS2 IoT development kit features ESP32-PICO-V3-02 SiP, larger 200 mAh battery

M5StickC Plus2 IoT development kit

M5Stack M5StickC PLUS2 is a battery-powered ESP32 IoT development kit with a 1.14-inch display, a built-in microphone, a 6-axis gyroscope and accelerometer, a few buttons, a buzzer, a Grove connector and a GPIO header for expansion. It builds upon the M5StickC Plus released in September 2020, but replaced the ESP-PICO-D4 SiP with an ESP32-PICO-V3-02 still based on ESP32 WiSoC but having 8MB SPI flash and 2MB flash and also features a larger 200 mAh battery along with a new CH9102 USB to TTL chip and does without a PMIC. M5StickC PLUS2 key features and specifications: ESP32-PICO-V3-02 SiP – Espressif Systems ESP32-PICO-V3-02 system-in-package with ESP32 dual-core WiFI and Bluetooth IoT processor @ up to 240 MHz, 8MB SPI flash, 2MB PSRAM Display – 1.14-inch Color TFT LCD with 135×240 resolution (ST7789v2 driver) Audio – SPM1423 microphone, buzzer USB – 1x USB-C port for power and programming using CH9102 USB to TTL chip […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Maxtang MTN-FP750 (Ryzen 7 7735HS) mini PC review – Part1: Specs, unboxing, teardown, and first boot

Maxtang MTN-FP750 (Ryzen 7 7735HS) mini PC review – Part1: Specs, unboxing, teardown, and first boot

Maxtang MTN-FP750 mini PC review

Maxtang MTN-FP750, also known as NUC-7735HS-A16, is a mini PC powered by AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS (or Ryzen 5 6600H) CPU with up to 64GB of memory, up to 2TB M.2 NVMe SSD, and ports such as HDMI 2.0, USB4, 2.5GbE, etc… It also optionally supports WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2, takes a 2.5-inch SSD via an FPC connector, and optionally comes with Windows 11 Pro operating system with the company saying the mini PC is ideal for office retail and digital signage. Maxtang sent us an MTN-FP750 mini PC sample for review with an AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS, 32GB DDR5, and a 512GB M.2 SSD preloaded with Windows 11 Pro. Today we will look at the specifications, go through an unboxing, teardown the device to check out the hardware design and boot it up to make sure it works as expected. We will then review Windows 11 Pro and […]

Khadas VIM4 SBC