CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

July 5, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Amlogic C302X, C305X, and C308X Arm SoCs target Smart IP cameras

Amlogic C302X and C305X are dual-core Arm Cortex-A35 processors, while the C308X is a dual-core Cortex-A55 processor with all SoCs designed for Smart IP cameras with the integration of an AI accelerator up to 4 TOPS, and 1080p30 H.264/H.265 video encoding. I was first informed about Amlogic C302/C305/C308 SoCs for Smart cameras as far back as June 2019, or about four years ago, but there wasn’t enough information to write anything about those at the time. But I’m now seeing more details about the camera SoCs, now named C302X, C305X, and C308X, so it’s a good time to have a closer look. Amlogic C302X Amlogic does not have a product page for this model, so I need to rely on a recent commit in the Linux Kernel mainline list to extra some information. The Amlogic S302X is a dual-core Cortex-A35 processor found in the Amlogic AW409 development board (likely internal […]

July 5, 2023July 6, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 27 Comments

T9 Plus is a low-cost pocket-sized Intel N100 mini PC with three HDMI ports, dual GbE

We’ve seen a range of mini PCs based on the Intel Processor N100 “Alder Lake-N” SoC in recent months, and the T9 Plus is yet another one but offered in an ultra-compact (85x85x43 mm) form factor, yet still offering three HDMI 2.0 video output, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, and three USB ports. Pricing is also a highlight since the mini PC sells for as low as $117 in barebone configuration. The mini PC also features either 8GB or 16GB LPDDR5, an optional M.2 SATA or NVMe 2240 SSD up to 1TB, Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, and an audio jack. Unsurprisingly for this small form factor, it’s not fanless, and actively cooled by a heat pipe, heat sink, and “silent fan”. T9 Plus mini PC specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N100 quad-core Alder Lake-N processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel HD graphics @ […]

ArmSoM CM5 Raspberry Pi CM4 alternative with Rockchip RK3576 SoC

July 5, 2023July 4, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

An ESP32-S3 board for vending machines with RS485, microSD card slot, optional cellular mPCIe module

LILYGO T-Vending is an ESP32-S3 WiFi and Bluetooth IoT board designed for vending machines with an RS485 terminal block, a microSD card slot, and support for an optional cellular mPCIe module. As I understand the board is connected to the vending machine through the RS485 terminal block to control vend motors (potentially via an additional board to control multiple motors) and a 10-pin connector for power (12V/24V), signals to/from a coin mechanism and other parts. The board also adds a Grove connector and an unpopulated 12-pin GPIO header for expansion. T-Vending specifications: ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 wireless module SoC – ESP32-S3FN16R8 dual-core Tensilica LX7 microcontroller @ up to 240 MHz with 2.4 GHz 802.11n WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE connectivity Memory – 8MB PSRAM Storage – 16MB SPI flash PCB antenna Storage – MicroSD card slot Wireless 2.4 GHz 802.11n WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE connectivity (ESP32-S3) Optional T-PCIe 4G LTE […]

July 4, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

LuckFox Core3566 – A Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 alternative that sells for $24 and up

We’ve already seen Rockchip RK3566 system-on-modules that follow the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 with the likes of Pine64 SOQuartz and Radxa CM3. But there’s at least one more Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 alternative based on the RK3566 SoC with the LuckFox Core3566 going for as little as $23.99. I found out about the new module after checking out the upcoming Orange Pi Compute Module 4 (another CM4 alternative based on RK3566), and the LuckFox Core3566 is offered with 2GB or 4GB RAM, an optional 32GB eMMC flash, and an optional WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 module. LuckFox Core3566 specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3566 quad-core Cortex-A55 processor up to 1.8 GHz with a 32-bit RISC-V MCU, an Arm Mali-G52 GPU supporting OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0/3.2, OpenCL 2.0, Vulkan 1.1, a 0.8 TOPS NPU for AI acceleration System Memory – 2GB to 4GB LPDDR4 Storage – Optional 32GB eMMC module Wireless module […]

July 4, 2023November 13, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

MangoPi MPi-GW1 RISC-V router will support dual GbE, dual USB 2.0, CAN bus, RS485, and more

MangoPi is working on the first RISC-V router I’ve seen. The MPi-GW1 is based on the ArtInChip D213ECV 64-bit RISC-V processor with 128 MB DDR3 on-chip, 256MB SPI NAND flash, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, two USB 2.0 ports, MIPI DSI+touch connector, support for CAN Bus and RS485, and expansion through a 22-pin GPIO header. Routers used to be mostly based on MIPS processors, then Arm processors took over, and maybe RISC-V is next, as MangoPi has just unveiled photos of the first RISC-V router on Twitter, and leaked some tidbits of information over the last two weeks or so on the social media platform. MangoPi MPi-GW1 RISC-V router specifications (preliminary): SoC – ArtInChip D213ECV 64-bit RISC-V (RV64IMAFDC) processor System Memory – 128MB 16-bit DDR3 @ 672 MHz (SiP) Storage – 256MB (2Gbit) SPI NAND flash (Winbond 25N02KVZEIR), microSD card slot (bottom side of the board) Networking – 2x Gigabit Ethernet […]

July 4, 2023July 6, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Link Pi ENC5 v2 video encoder supports up to 5 4Kp30 HDMI inputs

The Link Pi ENC5 v2 is a video encoder with five HDMI inputs up to 4Kp30, one HDMI output, two audio jacks, Gigabit Ethernet, and a USB 3.0 port that supports RTSP, ONVIF, SRT, and NDI streaming protocols. The system appears to be based on the Hisilicon Hi3531DV200 quad-core Cortex-A53 processor and features 8GB eMMC flash for the OS, plus 4GB RAM. The USB port can be used to record videos to an external hard drive or flash drive or add WiFi or 4G/5G cellular connectivity. Link Pi ENC5 v2 specifications: SoC – Unnamed, but some of the specs are matching the Hisilicon Hi3531DV200 SoC CPU – Arm Cortex A53 quad-core processor @ 1.2GHz with 32KB l-Cache, 32KB D-Cache VPU Decode – H264, H264, MJPEG Encode – Up to 4Kp30 / 1080p60 H.264 Main/Baseline/High/ profiles, H.265 Main profile, MJPEG/JPEG Max Bitrate – 20Mbps Bit rate control – CBR, VBR, AVBR, […]

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

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

Micro RP2040 is a tiny Raspberry Pi RP2040 module with a USB Type-C port, 28 castellated & through holes

SB Components’ Micro RP2040 is a tiny module based on the Raspberry Pi RP2040 Arm microcontroller with up to 23 GPIOs and a USB Type-C port for easy powering and programming. Ever since the Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller was released, companies have been making tiny modules based on it. Some come with a USB Type-C port such as the Pimoroni Tiny 2040 and the Adafruit QT Py RP2040 boards, while others focused on providing a smaller form factor for soldering only with design such as the RP2040 Stamp or the minuscule 12x12mm Femto module. The Micro RP2040 module comes with a USB-C port and more I/Os than competing modules thanks to a slightly larger 25 x 24.95mm design. Micro RP2040 specifications: MCU – Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Cortex-M0+ microcontroller @ up to 133 MHz with 264kB of SRAM Storage – 2MB QSPI flash USB – USB Type-C […]

July 3, 2023July 3, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 33 Comments

Orange Pi Zero 3 Allwinner H618 SBC ships with up to 4GB RAM

The Orange Pi Zero 3 is a compact Allwinner H618 quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 SBC with 1GB to 4GB RAM, 16MB SPI flash, micro HDMI output, Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0, a USB 2.0 port, and two headers for expansion. It provides an update to the Allwinner H616-powered Orange Pi Zero 2 SBC quadrupling the maximum memory to 4GB and embedding a larger SPI flash. The new board basically offers the same ports but in a different layout and a slightly smaller form factor. Orange Pi Zero 3 specifications: SoC – Allwinner H618 quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor @ up to 1.5GHz with 1MB L2 cache and Arm Mali-G31 MP2 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 1.0/2.0/3.2, OpenCL 2.0, Vulkan 1.1 System Memory – 1GB, 1.5GB, 2GB, or 4GB LPDDR4 Storage – 16MB SPI flash, microSD card socket Video Output Micro HDMI 2.0 up to 4Kp60 Video composite (CVBS) via […]