Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments on Olimex RVPC is a one Euro RISC-V computer kit with VGA and PS/2 connectors

Olimex RVPC is a one Euro RISC-V computer kit with VGA and PS/2 connectors

One Euro RISC-V computer

Olimex RVPC is one Euro RISC-V computer powered by a WCH CH32V003 RISC-V microcontroller and equipped with a VGA port for video output and a PS/2 connector to connect a keyboard. You won’t be able to do much with this device as an end-user, but it does not matter since the RVPC open-source hardware board mostly targets the education market and is offered as a kit to be soldered to lower the selling price and to serve as a soldering learning kit. Olimex RVPC specifications: MCU – WCH CH32V003 32-bit RISC-V2A microcontroller up to 48 MHz with 2KB SRAM, 16KB flash (SOP8 package with 6x GPIOs) Video Output – VGA connector (3x GPIO used for Vsync, HSync, and RGB) Keyboard port – PS/2 connector (2x GPIO used) Programmer port – 2-pin header for CH32V003 programming through a board such as ESP32-S2-DevKit-LiPo-USB Misc – Buzzer (1x GPIO) and Red power LED […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 39 Comments on OpenWrt One WiFi 6 router with Filogic 820 SoC launched for $89

OpenWrt One WiFi 6 router with Filogic 820 SoC launched for $89

OpenWrt One Router

The “OpenWrt One/AP-24.XY” is a Filogic 820-based WiFi 6 router board manufactured by Banana Pi whose software is directly managed by OpenWrt developers with assistance from MediaTek. The router was first announced in January 2024, and developer samples became available sometime in April with some early units auctioned away at the OpenWrt Summit which took place in Cyprus on May 18-19. The good news is that the OpenWrt One is now available to anyone on Aliexpress for $89 including a metal enclosure, a PoE module, three antennas, and a power supply. Here’s a reminder of the OpenWrt One router specifications: SoC – MediaTek MT7981B (Filogic 820) dual-core Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.3 GHz System Memory – 1GB DDR4 Storage 128 MB SPI NAND flash for U-boot and Linux 4 MB SPI NOR flash for write-protected (by default) recovery bootloader (reflashing can be enabled with a jumper) Two types of flash devices […]

ArmSoM CM5 - Raspberry Pi CM4 alternative with Rockchip RK3576 SoC
Posted on by Sayantan Nandy - 9 Comments on UnifyDrive UT2 – A compact NAS powered by Rockchip RK3588C with NVMe SSD support and AI-driven storage management (Crowdfunding)

UnifyDrive UT2 – A compact NAS powered by Rockchip RK3588C with NVMe SSD support and AI-driven storage management (Crowdfunding)

UnifyDrive UT2 NAS

The UnifyDrive UT2 is a compact network-attached storage (NAS) device powered by the Rockchip RK3588C processor. It supports WiFi 6, and Bluetooth, and has multiple ports for connectivity. Equipped with two M.2 2280 slots for PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSDs, it offers up to 16 TB of storage. The device can connect to networks via 2.5 GbE or WiFi and also function as a WiFi access point, allowing file transfers even without an internet connection. A built-in battery provides uninterruptible power supply (UPS) functionality, enabling continued operation when unplugged. Designed for both home and mobile use, the UnifyDrive UT2 offers AI-driven storage management in a portable form factor. Its versatile networking options allow remote access, backups, and on-the-go file transfers. Despite its size, it delivers robust functionality, serving as a full-featured NAS solution in a variety of settings. I didn’t find any significant differences between the Rockchip RK3588 and RK3588C. This […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Thunderbolt 5 devices are starting to show up with OWC portable SSD and Kensington docking station

Thunderbolt 5 devices are starting to show up with OWC portable SSD and Kensington docking station

Kensington SD5000T5 EQ Thunderbolt 5 Triple 4K Docking Station

Thunderbolt 5 was first unveiled last year with promises of 120 Gbps bandwidth and support for multiple 8K monitors. The good news is that the first Thunderbolt 5-compliant devices are now coming to market. There’s not too much to choose from for now, but we need to start somewhere, and the OWC Envoy Ultra portable SSD ($299.99 and up) and the Kensington SD5000T5 EQ Thunderbolt™ 5 Triple 4K Docking Station with 140W PD  ($399.99) – also found on Amazon –  are some of the first Thunderbolt 5 devices to make it to market. OWC Enjoy Ultra Thunderbolt 5 portable SSD Key features: Speed over 6000MB/sm or up to twice faster than Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 Capacity – 2TB or 4TB Compatibility – Macs, PCs, iPad Pros, Chromebooks, and Surface devices with a Thunderbolt 3 to 5 port, or USB4 port Rugged design – Waterproof, dustproof, and crushproof Power Supply – […]

Posted on by Tomisin Olujinmi - 14 Comments on Sensor Watch Pro turns the Casio F-91W into a modular Arm Cortex M0+-based digital “smartwatch” (Crowdfunding)

Sensor Watch Pro turns the Casio F-91W into a modular Arm Cortex M0+-based digital “smartwatch” (Crowdfunding)

Sensor Watch Pro board with watch

Joey Castillo of Oddly Specific Objects has released a follow-up to the Sensor Watch, aptly named Sensor Watch Pro. The Sensor Watch Pro remains a board swap for the classic Casio F-91W or A158W digital watch that replaces the original quartz movement with the low-power ARM Cortex-M0+ microcontroller. The Sensor Watch Pro retains features from the Sensor Watch Lite and comes with a few upgrades such as a louder piezo buzzer, an RGB LED, an infrared light sensor, and a completely soldering-free experience. The new watch integrates a custom-fabricated metal spring connector that previously had to be manually soldered after purchase. We had also looked at other hackable watches in the past, such as Bangle.js, Bangle.js 2, and Watchy. Buyers can opt for a custom LCD that extends the number of segments available from 72 segments to 92 segments. It comes with an onboard temperature sensor and can be connected […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - 4 Comments on Altera’s 7nm Agilex 3 SoC FPGA features Cortex-A55 cores, AI Tensor Block, DSP, 10 GbE, and more.

Altera’s 7nm Agilex 3 SoC FPGA features Cortex-A55 cores, AI Tensor Block, DSP, 10 GbE, and more.

Altera Agilex 3 AI SoC FPGA

Altera, an independent subsidiary of Intel, has launched the Altera Agilex 3 SoC FPGA lineup built on Intel’s 7nm technology. According to Altera, these FPGAs prioritize cost and power efficiency while maintaining essential performance. Key features include an integrated dual-core Arm Cortex A55 processor, AI capabilities within the FPGA fabric (tensor blocks and AI-optimized DSP sections), enhanced security, 25K–135K logic elements, 12.5 Gbps transceivers, LPDDR4 support, and a 38% lower power consumption versus competing FPGAs. Built on the Hyperflex architecture, it offers nearly double the performance compared to previous-generation Cyclone V FPGAs. These features make this device useful for manufacturing, surveillance, medical, test and measurement, and edge computing applications. Altera’s Agilex 3 AI SoC FPGA specifications Device Variants B-Series – No definite information is available C-Series – A3C025, A3C050, A3C065, A3C100, A3C135 SoC FPGAs Hard Processing System (HPS) – Dual-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A55 up to 800 MHz that supports secure […]

Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs
Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Raspberry Pi AI Camera with Sony IMX500 AI sensor and RP2040 MCU launched for $70

Raspberry Pi AI Camera with Sony IMX500 AI sensor and RP2040 MCU launched for $70

Raspberry Pi AI camera

We previously noted that Raspberry Pi showcased a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W with a Raspberry Pi AI camera based on a Sony IMX500 intelligent vision sensor at Embedded World 2024, but it was not available at the time. The good news is that the Raspberry Pi AI camera is now available for $70 from your favorite distributor. This follows the launch of the more powerful Raspberry Pi AI Kit designed for the Raspberry Pi 5 with a 13 TOPS Hailo-8L NPU connected through PCIe. The AI camera based on a Sony IMX500 AI camera sensor assisted by a Raspberry Pi RP2040 to handle neural network and firmware management is less powerful, but can still perform many of the same tasks including object detection and body segmentation, and works on any Raspberry Pi board with a MIPI CSI connector, while the AI Kit only works on the latest Pi 5 board. […]

Posted on by Tomisin Olujinmi - 1 Comment on Congatec conga-TCR8 AMD Ryzen Embedded 8000 COM Express computer-on-module series delivers up to 39 TOPS of AI performance

Congatec conga-TCR8 AMD Ryzen Embedded 8000 COM Express computer-on-module series delivers up to 39 TOPS of AI performance

conga-TCR8 COM Express Compact module

Congatec has released a new line of Ryzen Embedded 8000-powered COM Express Type 6 Compact computer-on-modules with the conga-TCR8 module series offering up to 39 tera operations per second (TOPS) for AI inference and 128GB of DDR5-5600 memory with error correction code (ECC) for data-sensitive and data-critical applications. The Ryzen Embedded 8000 processor series comes with either six or eight ‘Zen 4’ cores, an integrated XDNA neural processing unit (16 TOPS), and the AMD Radeon RDNA 3 graphics unit which can be used as a general-purpose graphics processing unit with up to 12 compute units (adding up to 39 TOPS for the SoC). Graphics output is supported by four displays with up to 8K resolution, and peripheral options include six PCIe Gen 4 slots, four USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, four USB 2.0 ports, and three DisplayPort interfaces. The conga-TCR8 Type 6 modules are intended for high-volume applications that require […]

Boardcon Rockchip and Allwinner SoM and SBC products