CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

November 20, 2012November 20, 2012 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

TQ Group TQMa6X Embedded Modules based on Freescale i.MX6 Processors

TQ Group has recently unveiled several TQMa6X embedded CPU modules that feature Freescale i.MX6 Solo, Dual and Quad processors, targeting screen, multi-touch, and multi-display applications as well as conventional controlling tasks. 3 modules are available: TQMa6S-AA – Single Cortex A9 / 1,2 GHz, 2 GB eMMC Flash, 512 MB DDR3, 64 kB EEPROM, -25°C…+85°C TQMa6D – Dual Cortex A9 / 1,2 GHz, 2 GB eMMC Flash, 512 MB DDR3, 64 kB EEPROM, -25°C…+85°C TQMa6Q – Quad Cortex A9 / 1,2 GHz, 2 GB eMMC Flash, 1 GB DDR3, 64 kB EEPROM, -25°C…+85°C TQMa6X modules share the following specifications: Processor – Freescale MCIMX6 Single/Dual/Quad Cortex A9 up to 1,2 GHz System Memory – Up to 2 GB DDR3 SDRAM Storage – Up to 64 GByte eMMC Flash, EEPROM: 0 / 64 kbit and up to 128 MB NOR-Flash. System interfaces: CAN – 2x FlexCAN ESAI (Enhanced Serial Audio Interface) Ethernet – 1x 10/100/1000 Mbit (IEEE […]

November 19, 2012November 20, 2012 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Low Cost Tablets (ZXC Z7) with Built-in 3G Powered by Mediatek MTK8377 Dual Core Processor

Many low cost tablets can only support 3G connectivity via an external 3G USB dongle, and if you are searching for one online, it can be a pain to find because of keyword stuffing. I’ve just discovered one easy way to filter the 3G tablets: Specify Mediatek MTK6575 (Single core Cortex A9) or MTK8377 (dual core Cortex A9) processors during the search as those platforms (always?) include a connectivity combo that provides GSM and 3G support. Media MTK8377 is still very new, but some preliminary tests show its Antutu score is 5626, which is not really wonderful, but still passable for an SoC clocked at 1.2 GHz. As a reference, I’ve seen AMLogic AML8726-MX dual Cortex A9 SoC @ 1.2 GHz having an Antutu score of 5900. The GPU used in MTK8377 is Imagination Technology PowerVR SGX531, which was released 6 years ago. That’s about all I know about the processor […]

November 19, 2012 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

EnOcean EDK 350 Developer Kit For Energy Harvesting Wireless Solutions

EnOcean unveiled the EDK 350 developer kit which includes energy harvesting and wireless (RF) modules, and demonstrated the platform at Electronica 2012 on Future Electronics and Farnell booth. The new kit can help OEMs design batteryless applications quickly in a cost-effective manner for building and industry automation, smart homes and machine-to-machine systems. EnOcean EDK 350 Developer Kit includes the following modules: A universal programmer board (EOP 350) TCM 320 (transceiver module) STM 300 (universal wireless sensor module) ECO 200 (mechanical energy converter) PTM 330 (transmitter module for ECO 200) PTM 210/PTM 215 (energy harvesting switch module, PTM 215 includes data encryption function) STM 330 (energy harvesting temperature sensor module) USB 300 (USB wireless gateway) Wireless modules are normally available at frequencies of 315 MHz (for North America and countries following FCC specs) and 868 Mhz (for Europe and countries following R&TTE specs). The EDK 350 developer kit can be extended with […]

November 18, 2012June 12, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 37 Comments

Freescale i.MX6 Resources: Development Boards, Documentation, Source Code and Tools

Reader “Mark” recently left a comment saying the NDA on Freescale i.MX6 resources was lifted and documentation and source code were now available for the platform. So it’s time for me to look into it, and provide an overview of Freescale i.MX6 features, list available development platforms, and have a closer look at the documentation, source code and tools for the platform. Freescale i.MX6 Processors In 2011, Freescale initially announced 3 processors in the i.MX6 series for consumer, industrial and automotive markets, but added 2 lite SoC in 2012, and there are now 5 members in the family: Freescale i.MX6SoloLite – Single Cortex A9 processor up to 1 GHz with 256KB L2 Cache, 32-bit DDR3 and LPDDR2 memory support, and 2D graphics accelerator (Vivante GC355 + GC320) Freescale i.MX6Solo – Single Cortex A9 core up to 1 GHz with 512KB L2 Cache, 32-bit DDR3 and LPDDR2 memory support, and 2D & […]

November 16, 2012November 16, 2012 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Akros Silicon AS1860 PoE Chipset Delivers 60-90W To Power Laptops, Thin Clients, IPTV…

Akros Silicon has just announced the availability of the AS1860, the latest SoC energy management IC of the company’s GreenEdge family. The AS1860 SoC and provide 60W and above (up to 90W) of power via Ethernet (PoE) to Powered Device (PD) applications such as thin clients, monitors, industrial Ethernet, IPTV, building management, Industrial Networking and many other high power designs. The company has showcased their solution at Electronica 2012, using a demo with a power sourcing equipment featuring Broadcom BCM59111 which can power up to 64 devices (4 per BCM59111 IC, but they can be cascaded to power 64 nodes) and a powered device (laptop) featuring their AS1860 chipset. The AS1860 SoC offers the following key features: Two chip solution (AS1860 SoC + one external FET) achieving dynamic power-level adjustment (to 60W and above) without using optocouplers and their associated complex compensation networks Higher power conversion efficiency due to communication […]

November 16, 2012November 17, 2012 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

$199 GIZMO EXPLORER KIT – Embedded Development Kit Based on AMD G-Series G-T40E APU

I’ve just stumbled upon a low cost and open source embedded development kit featuring AMD G-Series G-T40E dual core APU that comes with the following: The Gizmo Board – A compact (10×10 cm) development board for powered by an AMD G-Series APU. The Explorer Board – An expansion I/O board providing an alpha-numeric keypad, a micro-display, and a breadboard area for prototyping and customization. Sage SmartProbe JTAG Development Tool – The kit includes the SmartProbe hardware and 20 hours of trial time use. Ethernet & USB Cables – The USB cable lets you connect the SmartProbe to your PC. The Ethernet cable is for networking connectivity, which can be used to access the SmartProbe as well. USB wall charger Power Supplyand Cable – A universal power supply for the Gizmo board, with a U.S.-standard cord. 6x standoffs with nuts Alpha-numeric keypad – To connect to the explorer board Installation DVD […]

Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs

November 16, 2012November 30, 2012 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Kimdecent T21 Android 4.1 HDMI TV Stick Features Nufront NS115 Dual Core Cortex A9 Processor

After all the Rockchip RK3066 mini PCs (UG802, MK808, UG007…), and a few AMLogic AML8726-MX mini PCs (announced but yet to be available), there’s a new dual core HDMI TV stick platform in town: Kimdecent T21 based on Nufront NS115 dual core cortex A9 processor with a dual core Mali-400 GPU. Apart from the new processor, the specifications are pretty standard: SoC – Nufront NS115 Cortex-A9 Dual-core @ 1.2GHz + Mali400 GPU System Memory – 1 GB DDR III Storage – 4 GB NAND Flash + microSD card socket (Up to 32 GB) Connectivity – Wifi 802.11 b/g/n USB – 1x USB Host port + 1x micro USB (Host or OTG?) port Video Output – HDMI 1.4 (Up to 1080p) Video Formats – 3GP, MPEG4, AVI, RMVB, MKV, FLV… Video & Audio Codecs – H.264, MVC, SVC, MPEG-2/4, DivX, VC-1, RealVideo, AVS, VP8(WebM, WebP), Sorenson, MJPEG, MVC, AAC+, WMA, MP3, […]

November 15, 2012November 15, 2012 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Congatec Reference Board for Video Wall Systems Powered by AMD Embedded R-Series APU

congatec AG has introduced a new reference board for video wall system design. This reference design is based on a baseboard, an AMD Embedded R Series APU COM Express CPU module (conga-TFS) & an optional AMD Radeon E6760 GPU MXM module, and can support up to 9 independent displays. The video wall baseboard includes a wide range of ports and features for embedded applications such as : Video Output – VGA, 18/24Bit single/dual channel LVDS, 3x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x HDMI 1.4 and 2x single-link DVI (All ports are available when both the CPU and MXM graphics modules are used) Ethernet – 2x Gbit Ethernet SATA – 4x SATA (for 2.5″ SATA or SSD) USB – 4x USB 3.0 and 4x USB 2.0 PEG Port 2.0 7x PCI Express 2.0 x1 lanes RF4CE (ZigBee) receiver enabling remote control 19V power supply for standard notebooks Developers can optionally integrate an additional graphics […]