CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

August 3, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

eModGATE Moduino X0 – An ESP32-based industrial IoT controller with battery support

eModGate X0 ESP32 industrial IoT controller

TECHBASE eModGATE Moduino X0 is an industrial IoT control based on a choice of ESP32 modules from Espressif and Pycom, equipped with a battery slot for remote installations, and various interfaces to connect sensors or actuators via RS232, RS485, and/or digital I/Os. We first wrote about TECHBASE Moduino-X series ESP32 IoT endpoints almost six years ago with the X1 and X2 models, but since then the company has added more models such as the large X3 and X4 devices with more I/Os, and the new entry-level Moduino X0 that’s similar to the X1, but with battery support instead of a supercapacitor. eModGATE Moduino X0 specifications: ESP32 wireless module/board options ESP32-WROVER with ESP32 dual-core Tensilica LX6 processor @ 240 MHz, 8MB PSRAM, 4MB or 16MB SPI flash Pycom WiPy 3.0 with 4MB RAM, 8MB Flash Pycom SiPy with 512kB RAM, 4MB Flash, Sigfox Pycom LoPy with 4MB RAM, 8MB Flash, Wi-Fi/BT4.2, […]

August 3, 2023September 1, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

CrowView adds a 14-inch portable monitor to your laptop for $115 and up (Crowdfunding)

CrowView 14 inch laptop monitor extender

Elecrow CrowView is a lightweight 14-inch portable monitor designed to be attached to your laptop adding a secondary monitor to it through a clamping structure that works with laptops having a 13-inch to 16.5-inch display. We’ve seen this type of laptop monitor extension for years, and you’ll find various models on Amazon. But the Elecrow is now offering the CrowView at a significantly lower price than competitors especially if you pledge $114.90 for the super early bird reward on Kickstarter. The regular price ($179) can still be interesting as in this price range you’d usually get an 11-inch or 12-inch display. CrowView specifications: 14-inch IPS display with 1920×1080 resolution, 60 Hz refresh rate, 400 nit brightness Compatible with 13-inch to 16.5-inch laptops with 4 to 8mm thick displays thanks to a telescopic snap 230° hinge enabling face-to-face mode. Ports Mini HDMI port for video input 2x full-featured USB Type-C port […]

August 3, 2023August 3, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

GL.iNet Puli AX (GL-XE3000) WiFi 6 & 5G router integrates a 6,400 mAh battery

GL.iNet Puli AX (also known as GL-XE3000) is a WiFi 6 and 5G cellular router with an integrated 6,400 mAh battery and running a fork of OpenWrt 21.02 on a MediaTek Filogic 820 dual-core Arm Cortex-A53 router SoC. If the design looks familiar it’s because it’s based on the same platform as the GL.iNet Spitz AX 2.5GbE, WiFi 6 and 5G cellular router that we reviewed last May, except the new Puli AX model comes with a 6,400 mAh which makes it even more convenient as a travel router. Puli AX (GL-XE3000) specifications: SoC – MediaTek MT7981A (Filogic 820) dual-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.3 GHz System Memory – 512 MB DDR4 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash, MicroSD card slot Networking 1x 2.5GbE WAN Ethernet port 1x Gigabit Ethernet LAN port Dual-band IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax WiFi 6 up to 574Mbps (2.4GHz), 2,402Mbps (5GHz) RM520N-GL 5G cellular modem and 2x Nano SIM […]

August 2, 2023February 7, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Firefly AIO-1684XQ motherboard features BM1684X AI SoC with up to 32 TOPS for video analytics, computer vision

Firefly AIO-1684XQ is a motherboard based on SOPHGO SOPHON BM1684X octa-core Cortex-A53 AI SoC delivering up to 32TOPS for AI inference, and designed for computer vision applications and video analytics. The headless machine vision board is equipped with 16GB RAM, 64GB eMMC flash, and 128MB SPI flash, and comes with a SATA 3.0 port, dual Gigabit Ethernet, optional 4G LTE or 5G modules, four USB 3.0 ports, and a terminal block with two RS485 interface, two relay outputs, and a few GPIOs. Firefly AIO-1684XQ specifications: SoC – SOPHGO SOPHON BM1684X CPU – Octa-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor @ up to 2.3 GHz TPU – Up to 32TOPS (INT8), 16 TFLOPS (FP16/BF16), 2 TFLOPS (FP32) VPU Up to 32-channel H.265/H.264 1080p25 video decoding Up to 32-channel 1080p25 HD video processing (decoding + AI analysis) Up to 12-channel H.265/H.264 1080p25fps video encoding System Memory – 16GB LPDDR4x Storage 64GB eMMC flash 128MB SPI […]

August 2, 2023August 4, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Geniatech XPI-3566-ZERO – A Rockchip RK3566 SBC that follows Raspberry Pi Zero form factor

Geniatech XPI-3566-ZERO is a Rockchip RK3566 powered single board computer (SBC) that provides an alternative to the Raspberry Pi Zero 2W with a more powerful quad-core 1.8 GHz Arm Cortex-A55 processor, support for 4Kp60 video playback and output, WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0, a built-in eMMC flash, and so on. Geniatech XPI is a family of SBCs that closely follows the design of various Raspberry Pi boards, and after introducing the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B-sized XPI-3566 board last year, the company has now designed a more small Rockchip RK3566 SBC that follows the Raspberry Pi Zero form factor. Geniatech XPI-3566-ZERO specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3566 quad-core Cortex-A55 processor @ up to 1.8 GHz with Arm Mali-G52 2EE GPU, 1 TOPS AI accelerator System Memory – 512MB LPDDR4 (up to 8GB optional) Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (up to 128GB optional) Video Output – mini HDMI 2.0 up to 4Kp60 […]

August 2, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Maxtang MTN-ALN50 – An NUC-inspired mini PC with Processor N100 or Core-i3 N305 Alder Lake-N CPU

Maxtang MTN-ALN50 mini PC features a 12th-generation Intel Processor N100 or Core-i3 N305 Alder Lake-N processor and has a familiar design since it looks very much like an Intel NUC. The mini PC support up to 32GB DDR4 memory and SATA storage, and offers three video outputs via HDMI and USB-C DisplayPort, two 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports, support for M.2 wireless modules, and five USB 3.2/2.0 ports. Maxtang MTN-ALN50 specifications: Alder Lake-N SoC Intel Processor N100 quad-core processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel UHD graphics; TDP: 6W Intel Core i3-N305 octa-core processor @ up to 3.8 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 32EU Intel UHD Graphics; TDP: 15W Memory – Up to 32GB single-channel SO-DIMM DDR4 Storage – 1x M.2 2280 SATA socket, 1x SATA (FPC) connector, optional eMMC flash Video Output – 2x HDMI 2.0 ports; DisplayPort 1.4 via USB-C port Audio – 3.5mm […]

Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs

August 1, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Sudomaker LoShark L1 LoRa USB dongle runs Linux on Ingenic X1501 MIPS processor

Sudomaker LoShark L1 is a USB dongle with Semtech SX1262/SX1268 LoRa transceiver and a Linux-capable Ingenic X1501 MIPS processor with 8MB on-chip memory that serves as a LoRa debug tool that can use a JavaScript interface to access to all SX126x chip registers. The LoShark L1 USB key offers both LoRa connectivity and debugging capabilities such as packet capture (hence the reference to WireShark) and can operate either independently (standalone) or in conjunction with a PC as shown below with a mini laptop. LoShark L1 specifications: SoC – Ingenic X1501 MIPS processor @ 1 GHz with 8MB DRAM, 2200+ CoreMark, Memory – Optional 8MB PSRAM (Lyontek LY68L6400SLIT) Storage – 4GB MLC or 256 MB SLC NAND flash Wireless connectivity HJSIP HJ-68LR LoRa module based on Semtech SX1262/SX1268 with TCXO Support for 433 MHz, 868 MHz, and 915 MHz bands SMA-F antenna connector USB – 1x USB Type-A male […]

August 1, 2023August 1, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 23 Comments

Raspberry Pi supplies are improving, but trust may be hard to rebuild with makers

Last December, Eben Upon provided an update about Raspberry Pi availability and expected “unlimited supplied” by H2 2023. Nine months later, Raspberry Pi supplies have indeed improved a lot. Still, some makers with small-volume production have already moved on, and are using alternative solutions. This seems especially true for products based on Raspberry Pi CM4 modules. Tom’s Hardware has just had a fresh look at the Raspberry Pi supply situation, and based on Eben’s tweets noted an increased number of Raspberry Pi boards had shipped in 2023. Eben said June was the second-best month ever for Raspberry Pi Trading with 788,000 units sold, and July looks to breach if the one million units a month is reached, beating the March 2021 records of 814k units. He further expanded saying 119k Zero boards, of which 33k Zero 2 boards (almost entirely consumer), and estimated around 250-400ku went to the retail market. […]