CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

September 1, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments

ZimaBlade – A $64+ low-profile Intel Celeron board for server applications and more (Crowdfunding)

ZimaBlade is an inexpensive low-profile board based on an Intel Celeron dual-core or quad-core processor and designed for server applications with a low-profile RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet port, two SATA connectors, and a PCIe slot, but not only as the board also comes with display interfaces such as mini DP and USB-C DisplayPort Alt. mode and a few USB ports. It’s not IceWhale Technology’s first venture into portable server board as the company previously introduced the Zimaboard based on Intel Celeron Apollo Lake processors with many of the same features back in 2021. The new ZimaBlade offers more interfaces as well as a complete enclosure instead of just a large heatsink. ZimaBlade specifications: SoC (one or the other) ZimaBlade 3760 – Intel Celeron dual-core processor up to 2.2 GHz (Turbo) with Intel UHD graphics; 6W TDP ZimaBlade 7700 – Intel Celeron quad-core processor up to 2.4 GHz (Turbo) with Intel UHD […]

September 1, 2023September 1, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Chuwi HeroBox 2023 low-cost mini PC features Processor N100, supports M.2 NVMe SSD and 2.5-inch SATA storage

Chuwi HeroBox 2023 is yet another Intel Processor N100 mini PC equipped with 8GB LPDDR5 memory and a 256GB M.2 NVMe SSD, but it may offer some extra features compared to competitors with space for a 2.5-inch SATA drive, five USB ports, and HDMI and VGA video output ports for $159 plus shipping. Chuwi HeroBox 2023 N100 specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N100 Alder Lake-N quad-core/quad-thread processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel HD graphics @ up to 750 MHz; TDP: 6W System Memory – 8GB LPDDR5 soldered-on board Storage 256 GB M.2 2280 PCIe SSD (replaceable) 2.5-inch SATA bay for HDD or SSD MicroSD card socket Video Output – 1x HDMI 2.0 port up to 4Kp60, VGA output Audio – 3.5mm audio jack, digital audio output via HDMI Networking Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 wireless module USB – 2x USB […]

ArmSoM CM5 - Raspberry Pi CM4 alternative with Rockchip RK3576 SoC

September 1, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

ESP32-S3-BOX-3 devkit comes with 2.4-inch display, dual microphone, PCIe expansion connector

Espressif Systems has launched an update to their ESP32-S3-Box development kit for online and offline voice assistants with the ESP32-S3-BOX-3 devkit that still features a 2.4-inch capacitive touchscreen display with 320×240 resolution, two microphones, a built-in speaker, and a USB-C port, but replaces the PMOD connector by a PCIe connector for various expansion modules. The open-source ESP32-S3 development kit is powered by the ESP32-S3 SoC with AI extensions and can be used to implement all sorts of solutions using the company’s ESP-SR, ESP RainMaker, and Matter solutions such as an offline voice assistant, a chatbot powered by ChatGPT, a handheld gaming console, a tiny robot, a Matter-compatible Smart Home hub, and more. ESP32-S3-BOX-3 specifications: WiSoC – ESP32-S3 dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz with Wi-Fi 4 & Bluetooth 5, AI instructions, 512KB SRAM Memory and Storage – 16MB octal PSRAM and 16MB QSPI flash Display – 2.4-inch capacitive touchscreen […]

August 31, 2023April 1, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Cincoze DS-1400 series embedded computers feature 12th Gen Alder Lake-S processors, PCIe expansion slots

Cincoze DS-1400 series rugged embedded computer comes with a choice of 12th Gen Alder Lake-S processor, up to 64GB DDR5 ECC memory, supports two 2.5-inch SATA drives, as well as mSATA and NVMe SSD storage, and up to two PCIe expansion slots. The embedded computers also come with two Gigabit Ethernet ports, support up to four independent displays via HDMI, DisplayPort, and VGA interfaces, feature eight USB ports, two RS232/422/485 DB9 connectors, and offer 9V to 48V DC input for industrial applications. Cincoze DS-1400 specifications: SoC – 12th Gen Alder Lake-S processor (one or the other) Intel Core i9-12900E 16 cores up to 5 GHz with Intel UHD Graphics 770; TDP: 65W Intel Core i7-12700E 12 cores up to 4.8 GHz with Intel UHD Graphics 770; TDP: 65W Intel Core i5-12500E 6 cores up to 4.5 GHz with Intel UHD Graphics 770; TDP: 65W Intel Core i3-12100E 4 cores […]

August 31, 2023August 31, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

Fairphone 5 smartphone comes with 8 years of software updates thanks to Qualcomm QCM6490 industrial IoT processor

The Fairphone 5 is the latest version of the ethical, repairable, and sustainable smartphone with the company promising 8 years of software updates thanks to the use of a Qualcomm QCM6490 industrial IoT processor that benefits from a longer life cycle than consumer-grade processors typically found in phones. The phone comes with 8GB RAM, a 256GB flash, a replaceable 6.46-inch display, 50 MP front-facing and read cameras both of which are replaceable, 5G, WiFi 6, BlueTooth 5.2, GNSS, and NFC connectivity, as well as a replaceable battery. Fairphone 5 specifications: SoC – Qualcomm QCM6490 CPU – Octa-core Kryo 670 with 1x Gold Plus core (Cortex-A78) @ 2.7 GHz, 3x Gold cores (Cortex-A78) @ 2.4 GHz, 4x Silver cores (Cortex-A55) @ up to 1.9 GHz GPU – Adreno 642L GPU @ 812MHz DSP – Hexagon DSP for AI workloads up to 12 TOPS Build-in 5G Modem System Memory – 8GB RAM […]

August 30, 2023July 13, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Ugoos AM8 – A true 8K TV box powered by Amlogic S928X-J processor

Ugoos AM8 is a true 8K TV box based on Amlogic S928X-J penta-core Cortex-A76/A55 processor with Dolby Vision and Dolby Audio support that is now available for sale on Aliexpress. If you search for an 8K TV box on the web, you’ll find plenty of listings for 4K TV boxes incapable of 8K video output, but Ugoos AM8 is what I would call “a true 8K TV box” capable of both video playback and output up to 8Kp60 thanks to the Amlogic S928X processor which we previously found announced in IPTV/OTT devices for operators from SDMC and SEI Robotics, as well as more recently in an 8K TV box board. Ugoos AM8 (preliminary) specifications: SoC – Amlogic S928X-J CPU – Penta-core processor with 1x Cortex-A76 core, 4x Cortex-A55 cores GPU – Arm Mali-G57 MC2 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 3.2, Vulkan 1.2, and OpenCL 2.0 VPU 8Kp60 H.265, AV1, […]

Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs

August 30, 2023August 16, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments

LuckFox Pico Rockchip RV1103 Cortex-A7/RISC-V camera board comes with an optional Ethernet port

LuckFox Pico is a small Linux camera board based on the Rockchip RV1103 Cortex-A7 and RISC-V AI camera SoC and offered with an Ethernet port in a longer version of the PCB called LuckFox Pico Plus. Both models come with 64MB RAM (apparently embedded in RV1103), a microSD card slot for storage, a MIPI CSI camera connector, a USB Type-C port for power, and a few through holes for expansion through GPIO, I2C, UART, and so on. LuckFox Pico and Pico Plus specifications: SoC – Rockchip RV1103 with Arm Cortex-A7 processor @ 1.2GHz, RISC-V core, 64MB DDR2, 0.8 TOPS NPU, 4M @ 30 fps ISP Storage MicroSD card slot LuckFox Plus only – 1Gbit (128MB) SPI flash (W25N01GV) Camera – 2-lane MIPI CSI connector Networking (LuckFox Pico Plus only) – 10/100M Ethernet RJ45 port USB – USB 2.0 Host/Device Type-C port Expansion – 2x 20-pin headers with up to 24x […]

August 30, 2023August 30, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

SiFive unveils P870 high-performance core, discusses future of RISC-V

SiFive Hot Chips 2023 x86 vs Arm vs RISC-V

SiFive has just given a presentation at Hot Chips 2023 introducing the new high-performance P870 RISC-V core and its automotive equivalent the P870-A core, plus discussing RISC-V in general, its previous generation RISC-V cores, and what to expect going forward. SiFive has not officially announced the P870 and P870-A cores just yet, so most of the information we have from the English-speaking Internet is from ServeTheHome who managed to get some presentation slides, but this is also corroborated by various Chinese sources on Baidu and Guokr. SiFive P870 and P870-A The P870 and P870-A RISC-V cores are new cores from the SiFive Performance family compatible with the RISC-V RVA23 profile and succeeding the SiFive P670 core. The SpecINT2k6 benchmark reports 17 points per GHz on the P870 compared to 13.2 points per GHz for the P670 (comparable to the Arm Cortex-A78) or about a 29% higher performance at the same […]