CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

March 27, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Tiny RASynBoard combines Renesas RA6M4 MCU with Syntiant NDP120 ML accelerator, WiFi & BLE module, and some sensors

Avnet RASynBoard is a tiny board that packs a lot of features in a 30x25mm form factor with a Renesas RA6M4 Cortex-M33 microcontroller, a Syntiant NDP120 Neural Decision Processor, a Renesas (Previously Dialog Semi) DA16600 Wi-Fi 4 & Bluetooth 5.1 combo module, and a 6-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) and digital microphone from TDK. The RASynBoard is offered as part of an EVK with the Core Board described above plus an IO board with headers, a Pmod connector, a MikroE Shuttle Click header, a microSD card slot for storage, and a built-in debugger, plus two buttons and an RGB LED. RASynBoard specifications: Main microcontroller – Renesas RA6M4 Arm Cortex-M33 microcontroller @ 200 MHz with 1 MB flash memory, 256 KB SRAM ML accelerator – Syntiant NDP120 Neural Engine based on Syntiant Core 2 Deep Neural Network, Arm Cortex M0 and HiFi 3 DSP Wireless module – Renesas DA16600 2.4 […]

March 27, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 19 Comments

Rockchip RK3588M automotive-grade AI SoC supports up to 16 camera inputs

Rockchip RK3588M is an automotive-grade variant of the Rockchip RK3588 octa-core Cortex-A76/A55 SoC that supports at least 6 Full HD displays and 16 camera inputs and can simultaneously run the car dashboard, in-vehicle infotainment, a digital rearview mirror, headrest monitors, ADAS system, and more. The frequency of the Cortex-A76 cores is limited to 2.1 GHz, and the Cortex-A55 cores to 1.7 GHz, against 2.4 and 1.8 GHz for RK3588, probably to operate in a larger temperature range required by the automotive market. I could not find any RK3588M datasheet yet, but we can find more details through the Firefly AIO-3588MQ automotive mainboard built around the RK3588M processor. Firefly AIO-3588MQ specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3588M octa-core processor with CPU 4x Cortex-A76 cores @ up to 2.1 GHz, 4x Cortex-A55 cores @ up to 1.7 GHz Arm Mali-G610 MP4 GPU with OpenGL ES 3.2, OpenCL 2.2, Vulkan 1.1 support 6 TOPS AI […]

ArmSoM CM5 Raspberry Pi CM4 alternative with Rockchip RK3576 SoC

March 27, 2023April 11, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

CM4 Maker Board review – Part 1: specifications, unboxing, and first boot

Cytron CM4 Maker Board is a carrier board for the Raspberry Pi CM4 or CM4 Lite system-on-module with plenty of I/Os, support for one M.2 NVMe SSD, and RTC backup battery, a buzzer, and various LEDs for GPIO status that makes the board especially well suited for the education market and prototyping. The carrier board also comes with the usual Gigabit Ethernet and full-size HDMI port, four USB 2.0 ports, five Grove connectors, one Maker port, the omnipresent 40-pin Raspberry Pi GPIO header, and support power input from 7V-18V DC jack or 5V via a USB Type-C connector. CM4 Maker Board specifications Cytron CM4 Maker Board specifications: Supported SoM – Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 or Compute Module 4 Lite Storage microSD card slot M.2 PCIe 2.0 socket for NVMe 2232/2242 SSD Video Interfaces Full-size HDMI 2.0 port MIPI DSI display connector Camera – MIPI CSI connector connector Audio – […]

March 26, 2023March 26, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

Arduino UNO R4 Renesas RA4M1 32-bit maker board offered with optional ESP32-S3 WiFI & BLE module

Arduino have launched an upgrade to their 8-bit Arduino UNO R3 board with the Arduino UNO R4 featuring a 48 MHz Renesas RA4M1 Arm Cortex-M4F 32-bit microcontroller, and an optional ESP32-S3 module for WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. The new Arduino UNO R4 offered improved performance and greater resources since the MCU is clocked three times faster than the 8bit AVR MCU found in the UNO R3, the board gets sixteen times more RAM (32KB vs 2KB to 32kB) and eight times more flash memory (256KB vs 32kB). The USB Type-B device port has been upgraded to a more modern USB Type-C port and the UNO R4 can take up to 24V supply voltage. Arduino UNO R4 (preliminary) specifications: Microcontroller – Renesas RA4M1 Arm Cortex-M4F MCU @ 48 MHz with 32KB SRAM, 256KB flash. 8KB dataflash Wireless (Arduino UNO R4 WiFi only) – ESP32-S3-MINI-1 module based on ESP32-S3 dual-core […]

March 25, 2023April 15, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

Getting Started with GL-S200 Thread Border Router kit

Getting Started GL-S200 Thread Border Router

Last week we checked out the hardware for the GL.iNet GL-S200 Thread Border Router kit with three nRF52840 Thread Dev Boards, and I’ve now had time to work with the kit, so I’ll report my getting started experience in the second part of the review. GL-S200 Initial Set Up I connected the WAN port to my Ethernet Switch itself connected to my modem router and the LAN port to my laptop, so I could access the web interface using the default IP address (192.168.8.1). The GL-S200 uses the same Admin Panel as other GL.iNet routers such as the Beryl AX router we reviewed at the beginning of the year. You’ll be greeted by a wizard to let you select the language and set a new password for the Admin Panel, and once you’re done you’ll have access to the familiar GL.iNet Admin Panel 4.x.x. After completing the wizard, the system […]

March 24, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Plasma Stick 2040 W adds RGB LED strip controller to Raspberry Pi Pico W board

Pimoroni Plasma Stick 2040 W is a “Pico W Aboard” kit that adds a 5V RGB LED strip controller to the Raspberry Pi Pico W board, as well as a Reset button, and a Qwiic/STEMMA QT connector for expansion. Plasma Stick 2040 W specifications: Raspberry Pi Pico W MCU – Dual Arm Cortex M0+ running at up to 133Mhz with 264kB of SRAM Storage – 2MB of QSPI flash supporting XiP Connectivity – 2.4GHz wireless module with WiFi 4 and Bluetooth Classic + LE USB – 1x micro USB port for power and programming LED strip connector – 3-pin screw terminal block compatible with 5V WS2812/Neopixel/SK6812 LEDs Expansion – Qw/ST (Qwiic/STEMMA QT) I2C connector Misc – Reset button Power Supply – 5V via micro USB port Dimensions – 67 × 22 × 12 mm Since it’s based on the Raspberry Pi Pico board it’s programmable with the official C/C++ and MicroPython […]

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs abd SoMs

March 24, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

MIPI CSI camera works with Intel Atom x7000, Processor, and Core i3 Alder Lake-N processors

Alder Lake-N Customer Reference Board MIPI CSI camera

Most Intel processors do not come with a MIPI CSI camera, but some Alder Lake-N processors do, and Leopard Imaging has designed the LI-ADL-ADP-IMX415-MIPI-081H MIPI CSI camera module that is compatible with the Intel ADL-N CRB (Alder Lake-N Customer Reference Board) and custom Alder Lake-N boards equipped with a compatible MIPI CSI connector. The 13MP camera supports resolutions up to 3864 x 2176 and works with boards and embedded systems based on Intel Atom processors x7000E Series, Intel Core i3-N processors, and Intel Processors N-Series processors. LI-ADL-ADP-IMX415-MIPI-081H specifications: Sony IMX415 CMOS image sensor Diagonal – 6.43 mm (Type 1/2.8) Active Pixels – 3864 (H) x 2176 (V) Pixel Size: 1.45 x 1.45 μm Optical Format: 1/2.8″ Effective Focal Length – 4.063 mm Aperture, F/#2.29 ± 5% IR Filter – 650 nm IR cut filter Field of View (FOV) – 81.7˚ horizontal, 44.7˚ vertical; 95.1˚ diagonal Lens Mount – M12 x […]

March 24, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Framework modular laptop adds Intel Raptor Lake, AMD Ryzen motherboards, 16-inch laptop frame

Framework Modular Laptop Intel Raptor AMD Ryzen 7040 motherboard

When we first covered the Framework modular laptop in 2021 it came with a choice of 11th generation Intel Tiger Lake Core processors, up to 64GB RAM, up to 4TB SSD storage, a 13.5-inch display, a Full HD webcam, and a 55Wh battery. Modular electronic devices have been worked on by several companies over the years, but such endeavors usually result in failure due to costs and other difficulties. Remember Google’s Project Ara? But Framework may have found something that works, as they’ve now launched 13th Generation Intel Raptor Lake motherboards, AMD Ryzen 7040-series motherboards, updated the 13.5-inch display with a Matte finish, and even unveiled the Framework Laptop 16 with a 16-inch display that should become available in Q3 2023. Intel Raptor Lake and AMD Ryzen 7040 motherboards The Framework modular laptop now supports additional Intel Raptor Lake and AMD Ryzen motherboards with the following processors and key options. […]