CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

March 1, 2024March 1, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

Scaleway launches hosted RISC-V servers for 15.99 Euros per month

French company Scaleway has just launched the “Elastic Metal RV1” bare metal servers which it claims to be the world’s first RISC-V servers available in the cloud with pricing at 0.042 Euros per hour, or 15.99 Euros a month excluding VAT. Scaleway launched some Arm servers based on Marvell Armada 370/XP quad-core Cortex A9 processor in 2015 before phasing those out a few years ago, and they are now just offering AMD and Intel-based servers and hosted Apple Mac computers based on the M1 Arm chip. But the company has decided to try something new again with the EM-RV1 servers based on Alibaba T-Head TH1520 quad-core RISC-V processor, 16GB RAM, and 128GB eMMC flash and running Debian, Ubuntu, or Alpine. EM-RV1-C4M16S128-A instance key features and specifications: SoC – Alibaba T-Head TH1520 CPU – Quad-core RISC-V Xuantie C910 (RV64GCV) processor @ 1.85 GHz GPU – Imagination BXM-4-64 with support for OpenCL […]

March 1, 2024March 1, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Embedded Open Source Summit 2024 schedule – Embedded Linux, Zephyr OS, and Real-time Linux

The Embedded Open Source Summit 2024 (EOSS 2024) will take place on April 16-18 and the Linux Foundation has already announced the schedule with conference sessions, lightning talks, and birds of a feather (BoF) sessions covering embedded Linux, Zephyr OS, and real-time (RT) Linux. While I won’t be attending in person, I still find it interesting to check out the schedule as we may learn more about the current status of embedded Linux. So I’ve created my own little virtual schedule out of the available talks. Tuesday, April 16 – Day 1, Embedded Open Source Summit 2024 9:05 – 9:45 – No, It’s (Still) Never Too Late to Upstream Your Legacy Linux-Based Platforms by Neil Armstrong, Linaro Nearly 7 years ago, Neil already spoke about this subject in Berlin, and it’s still very true. Do you maintain or used to maintain a Linux-based board or SoC off-tree? Then there are […]

ArmSoM CM5 Raspberry Pi CM4 alternative with Rockchip RK3576 SoC

March 1, 2024February 29, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

WeAct STM32G4 is a tiny board based on STMicro STM32G4 mixed-signal microcontroller

WeAct STM32G4 is a tiny development board based on a 170 MHz STMicro STM32G4 Arm Cortex-M4F mixed-signal microcontroller with DSP instructions and suitable for applications such as motor control, building automation, lighting, digital power meters, and more. Two versions of the board are offered one with an STM32G474CEU6 “Hi-resolution line” microcontroller equipped with 128KB RAM and 512KB flash, and the other with the lower-end STM32G431CBU6 “Access Line” MCU with just 32KB RAM and 128KB flash. The board also comes with a USB-C port for power and programming, three buttons, and two 24-pin headers. WeAct STM32G4 specifications: Microcontroller (one or the other) STMicro STM32G431CBU6 – Arm Cortex-M4F MCU @ 170 MHz with DSP instructions, 32KB RAM, 128KB flash, and math accelerator STMicro STM32G474CEU6 – Arm Cortex-M4F MCU @ 170 MHz with DSP instructions, 128KB RAM, 512KB flash, and math accelerator; high-resolution timer and complex waveform builder plus event handler (HRTIM) for […]

March 1, 2024February 29, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

CTL Chromebook NL73 Series to support 5G RedCap with a Snapdragon X35 modem

CTL Chromebook NL73 Series based on Intel Processor N100 or N200 SoC will be offered with a Snapdragon X35 modem to support the new 5G RedCap (Reduced Capability) standard. 5G RedCap – also known as 5G NR-Light – keeps some 5G features such as low latency, low power consumption, enhanced security, and network slicing while limiting the bandwidth to around a few hundred Mbps. It was initially designed to target industrial IoT applications, but Qualcomm also mentioned its Snapdragon X35 modem could be used in smartwatches and XR glasses when it was first announced, and it might be used in other cost-sensitive devices such as Chromebooks. Chromebook NL73 “5G RedCap” key specifications: Alder Lake N-Series SoC (one or the other) Intel Processor N100 quad-core processor up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel HD graphics; TDP: 6W Intel Processor N200 quad-core processor up to 3.7 GHz (Turbo) with […]

February 29, 2024March 15, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

MINIX Z100-AERO is an Intel N100 mini PC with triple 4K display support, dual Ethernet

The MINIX Z100-AERO is an actively-cooled Intel Processor N100 mini PC with a form factor similar to the company’s Z100-0dB fanless mini PC but offered with a different choice of interfaces including dual Ethernet (1Gbps + 2.5 Gbps), and three video outputs through HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort, and USB-C connectors. The mini PC supports up to 32GB DDR4 memory via a single SO-DIMM slot and M.2 NVMe SSD storage, and features four USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (5Gbps), plus one full-featured USB-C 3.2 port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. MINIX Z100-AERO specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N100 quad-core Alder Lake-N processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel HD graphics @ 750 MHz; TDP: 6W System Memory – 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB DDDR4-3200 via 1x SO-DIMM socket, upgradable to 32GB Storage 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB M.2 SSD (PCIe Gen3 x1?), upgradable up to 4TB MicroSD card slot […]

February 29, 2024February 29, 2024 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

Waveshare ESP32-H2-DEV-KIT-N4-M – A Low-cost ESP32-H2 development board going for $6.65

Waveshare ESP32 H2 DEV KIT N4 M Dev Board

The Waveshare ESP32-H2-DEV-KIT-N4-M is a development board based on the ESP32-H2, available for only $6.65 on Aliexpress, but you’ll also find it on Amazon and Waveshare’s official store. This is a significant price drop compared to last year’s official Espressif ESP32-H2-DevKitM-1 board, which was priced at $10 without including shipping costs and with a similar design. In 2021, Espressif Systems introduced the ESP32-H2 to the world. However, it wasn’t until 2023 that they released their first development board. Since then, there haven’t been many products built around this new module. Some exceptions include the Olimex ESP32-H2-DevKit-LiPo, LILYGO T-Panel, and the ESP Thread Border Router/Zigbee Gateway board, all of which feature the ESP32-H2 chip. Waveshare ESP32-H2-DEV-KIT-N4-M specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-H2-MINI-1 MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-H2 32-bit RISC-V microcontroller at up to 96 MHz with 320 KB SRAM, 128 KB ROM, 4 KB LP memory, Bluetooth 5.2 LE/Mesh, and 802.15.4 (Zigbee/Thread/Matter) radios. […]

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs and SoMs in 2025

February 29, 2024February 28, 2024 by Debashis Das - 14 Comments

LuckFox Pico Pro and Pico Max – Rockchip RV1106 powered boards with 10/100M Ethernet and camera support

LuckFox Pico Pro and Pro Max Rockchip RV1106 Powred Dev Board

The LuckFox LuckFox Pico Pro and Pico Max are two new Rockchip RV1106-powered development boards that offer a Linux-based development platform for IoT applications. The boards feature 10/100M Ethernet, up to 256MB DDR2 memory, and a 0.5TOPS NPU for AI tasks. With support for Buildroot and Ubuntu 22.04, this board can be used for smart homes, remote monitoring, and other AI-enhanced projects. Last year, we covered the LuckFox Core3566, a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 alternative, and the LuckFox Pico with its RV1103 SoC which has a similar form factor and similar features to these new modules. But the new modules are built around the RV1106 SoC which features an Arm Cortex-A7 processor (up to 1.2GHz), a RISC-V co-processor, a 0.5 TOPS NPU for AI tasks, and a 4M @ 30fps ISP for high-quality image processing. LuckFox Pico Pro and Pico Max Specifications SoC – Rockchip RV1106G2 CPU – Arm Cortex […]

February 29, 2024February 29, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Arduino Nano 33 BLE Rev2 board features BMI270 six-axis IMU and BMM150 magnetometer

Arduino Nano 33 BLE Rev2 is an update to the Arduino Nano 33 BLE board launched in 2019 that features two IMU sensors instead of one with the BMI270 6-axis accelerometer and gyroscope and the BMM150 3-axis magnetometer and also comes with a few changes made after feedback from users. The new board is still powered by an nRF52840 Bluetooth LE module (u-Blox NINA B306) and remains Arduino Nano compatibility with two rows of 15-pin headers, but replaces the 9-axis IMU with the BMI270 and BMM150 chips, adds new pads and test points for USB, SWDIO, and SWCLK, a new VUSB soldering jumper, and brings changes to the power circuitry. Arduino Nano 33 BLE Rev2 specifications: Wireless Module – U-blox NINA B306 module SoC – Nordic Semi nRF52840 MCU Core – Arm Cortex-M4F microcontroller @ 64MHz Memory and storage – 1MB Flash, 256KB RAM Bluetooth 5.0 LE Up to 2 […]