CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

September 17, 2023September 17, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Review of CM4 XGO Lite – A Raspberry Pi CM4 based smart robot dog with a robotic arm

The CM4 XGO Lite is a smart robot dog based on Raspberry Pi CM4 system-on-module and designed to learn to program using Blockly, Python, and ROS. This four-legged robot also happens to feature a 3-joint robot arm and a robot gripper installed on the back that can pick up light objects. The Raspberry Pi CM4 module drives the LCD screen and camera and performs AI and computer vision processing, while each joint is controlled with a servo motor, and a 6-axis tilt sensor ensures stable walking and movement. We’ve already discussed the capabilities of the CM4 XGO Lite, aka XGO Lite 2, when it was announced earlier this year, so we’re not going to go into details here, but some of the highlights include support for faster AI edge computing applications such as face detection and object classification, omnidirectional movement, six-dimensional posture control, posture stability, and multiple motion gaits. Robot […]

September 16, 2023February 9, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Sparkfun launches cheaper no-code “DataLogger IoT” board compatible with Qwiic modules

Last May, SparkFun introduced the “Datalogger IoT – 9DoF” no-code platform with support for over 50 Qwiic sensor modules and a built-in 9-axis IMU sensor and magnetometer. Taking into consideration that some users may not make use of the built-in sensors, the company decided to launch a cheaper version called the “DataLogger IoT” that can still get data from Qwiic sensor and GPS modules without any programming thanks to the “no-code” Arduino firmware preloaded on the ESP32-WROOM-32E module. SparkFun DataLogger IoT specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-WROOM-32E with: ESP32 dual-core microcontroller 4MB flash 2.4 GHz WiFi and Bluetooth LE connectivity, built-in PCB antenna Storage – MicroSD card slot USB – 1x USB Type-C port for power and configuration via CH340C Expansion – 2x Qwicc I2C connectors for sensors and/or GPS module Misc Boot and Reset buttons Status and charging LED, WS2812 RGB LED Jumpers to enable/disable LEDs, I2C pull-up resistors, and […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM

September 15, 2023September 28, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Intel N100 mini PC offers eight USB ports, NVMe and SATA storage

We’ve already written about many mini PCs powered by the Intel Processor N100 SoC and other SKUs part of the Alder Lake N-series family, but the HUNSN BM34 is a bit different as it offers eight USB ports, with two USB 3.0 and six USB 2.0 ports that should remove the need for an external USB hub for most use cases. The fanless mini PC ships with up to 16GB DDR4 memory, supports one mSATA SSD, one NVMe SSD, and one 2.5-inch SATA drive, and offers two HDMI ports and DisplayPort video output, plus dual GbE, WiFi 5, and two audio jacks for speaker and microphone. HUNSN BM34 specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N100 quad-core Alder Lake-N processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel HD graphics @ 750 MHz; TDP: 6W System Memory – Up to 16GB DDR4 via SO-DIMM socket Storage 1x mSATA socket, […]

September 15, 2023September 18, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Cadence Neo NPU IP scales from 8 GOPS to 80 TOPS

Cadence Neo NPU (Neural Processing Unit) IP delivers 8 GOPS to 80 TOPS in single core configuration and can be scaled to multicore configuration for hundreds of TOPS. The company says the Neo NPUs deliver high AI performance and energy efficiency for optimal PPA (Power, Performance, Area) and cost points for next-generation AI SoCs for intelligent sensors, IoT, audio/vision, hearables/wearables, mobile vision/voice AI, AR/VR and ADAS. Some highlights of the new Neo NPU IP include: Scalability – Single-core solution is scalable from 8 GOPS to 80 TOPS, with further extension to hundreds of TOPS with multicore Supports 256 to 32K MACs per cycle to allow SoC architects to meet power, performance, and area (PPA) tradeoffs Works with DSPs, general-purpose microcontrollers, and application processors Support for Int4, Int8, Int16, and FP16 data types for CNN, RNN and transformer-based networks. Up to 20x higher performance than the first-generation Cadence AI IP, with […]

September 14, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Rockchip RK3588 AIoT gateway supports WiFi 6, 5G, RS232, RS485, LoRaWAN, BLE, and Ethernet

Dusun DSGW-380, also called Dusun Pi 5, is an industrial AIoT gateway powered by the Rockchip RK3588 octa-core processor with a 6 TOPS AI accelerator and supporting a wide range of connectivity options. The gateway comes with 8GB LPDDR4 memory, and up to 128GB eMMC flash, and operates in a wide -25 to +75°C temperature range. It supports dual gigabit Ethernet, RS232, and R485 wired connectivity and various wireless protocols including WiFi 6, Bluetooth LE, 5G, and LoRaWAN. Dusun DSGW-380 specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3588 octa-core processor with CPU – 4x Cortex‑A76 cores @ up to 2.4 GHz, 4x Cortex‑A55 core @ 1.8 GHz GPU – Arm Mali-G610 MP4 “Odin” GPU @ 1.0 GHz Video decoder – 8Kp60 H.265, VP9, AVS2, 8Kp30 H.264 AVC/MVC, 4Kp60 AV1, 1080p60 MPEG-2/-1, VC-1, VP8 Video encoder – 8Kp30 H.265/H.264 video encoder AI accelerator – 6 TOPS NPU System Memory – 8GB RAM Storage – […]

September 14, 2023September 13, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Pico QwiicReset board adds Reset button and Qwiic connector to Raspberry Pi Pico

Pico QwiicReset is a tiny add-on board for the Raspberry Pi Pico that adds a Reset button as well as the Qwicc connector to more easily connect I2C modules to the popular MCU board. The lack of a Reset button on the Raspberry Pi Pico has always been an issue since the reset pin is used to flash the firmware, so people have tried various ways to add a Reset button to the Pi Pico board. The Pico QwiicReset is like an extension of the Pimoroni “Captain Resetti” button with an extra Qwiic connector. The Pico QwiicReset board is shown soldered to a Raspberry Pi Pico board above, but it’s also compatible with the Raspberry Pi Pico W and it works with or without headers soldered to the board. But you may noticed the Debug header is partially covered on Pico W, which means the add-on board cannot be used […]

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

September 13, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

$999 Librem 11 Linux tablet features Celeron N5100 processor, 1TB NVMe SSD, 2.5K AMOLED display

Purism Librem 11 is an 11.5-inch Linux tablet running the secure PureBoot bootloader and PureOS Linux distribution with a focus on privacy and respect for personal freedom. The tablet comes with what looks to be a decent 11.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen display with a 2560×1600 resolution, 8GB RAM, and a 1TB NVMe SSD, but the Intel Celeron N5100 quad-core Jasper Lake processor would be considered entry-level in 2023. The tablet also comes with a keyboard and stylus making a 2-in1 hybrid device. Purism Librem 11 specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron N5100 quad-core Jasper Lake processor @ 1.1GHz/2.89GHz (Turbo) with Intel UHD Graphics System Memory – 8 GB LPDDR4 (soldered) Storage 1 TB NVMe SSD (Kingston KC3000) microSD card reader implemented with Genesys Logic GL823K Display – 11.5-inch AMOLED display with 2560×1600 resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, Goodix GXTP7380 multitouch digitizer, stylus support Stylus – 2x buttons, 4096 pressure levels, tilt support (XY), […]

September 13, 2023September 13, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 20 Comments

Thunderbolt 5 to deliver up to 120 Gbps bandwidth, support multiple 8K monitors

Intel has just announced Thunderbolt 5 and demonstrated it with a prototype laptop and dock (see the video embedded at the end of this post) with up to 120 Gbps bandwidth when using “Bandwidth Boost”. Thunderbolt 5 will deliver 80 gigabits per second (Gbps) of bi-directional bandwidth and the top 120 Gbps bandwidth is achieved through “Bandwidth Boost” to support multiple 8K monitors, which means three times the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4 topping at 40 Gbps. Thunderbolt 5 builds upon Thunderbolt 4 with several improvements and features: Two times the total bi-directional bandwidth, and up to three times (120 Gbps) for video-intensive usage Double the PCI Express data throughput for faster storage and external graphics. Compatible with USB4 V2, DisplayPort 2.1, and PCI Express Gen 4 Double the bandwidth of Thunderbolt Networking for high-speed PC-to-PC connections. PAM-3 signaling technology to deliver increases in performance with today’s printed circuit boards, connectors, […]

Boardcon CM3588 Rockchip RK3588 System-on-Module designed for AI and IoT applications