Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on Khadas VIM1S (Amlogic S905Y4) SBC review with Android 11

Khadas VIM1S (Amlogic S905Y4) SBC review with Android 11

Khadas VIM1S Android 11 review

We’ve previously tested Ubuntu 22.04 on Khadas VIM1S Amlogic S905Y4 SBC, so we’ll switch to Android 11 in the second part to check out the user experience and benchmark the system under Android. Installing Android 11 on Khadas VIM1S board with OOWOW We’ll basically follow the same procedure as with Ubuntu to flash the Android OS. Press and hold the Function button, press the Reset button, and release the Function button. to enter the OOWOW Wizard, and if an Ethernet cable is not connected, select Network to configure Wi-Fi as the installation process requires downloading an image from Khadas servers. This time, we’ll select the latest Android 11 image namely vim1s-android-11-v221020.raw.img.xz At just 525 MB in size (when compressed), the Android 11 image for Khadas VIM1S board is fairly compact. Installing Android with OOWOW is really easy with the interface downloading and flashing the image to the eMMC flash without […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments on Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3 launched with autofocus and HDR

Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3 launched with autofocus and HDR

Raspberry Pi Camera 3

Raspberry Pi Trading has launched the Camera Module 3, their first camera module supporting autofocus and HDR, designed to work with all Raspberry Pi boards that can take a camera, and offered with either a standard or wide field-of-view, and an optional infrared cut filter. All four variants of the new camera module are equipped with a Sony IMX708 12MP sensor that supports high-dynamic range (HDR) and features phase detection autofocus. The Camera Module 3 has the same X/Y dimensions and mounting holes as the popular Camera Module 2 launched in 2016, but is several millimeters taller due to the improved optics. Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3 specifications: 12MP Sony IMX708 back-illuminated and stacked CMOS image sensor Sensor size – 7.4mm diagonal Pixel size: 1.4μm x 1.4μm Resolution  – 4608 x 2592 pixels FoV – See comparison table between different models below Common video modes: 1080p50, 720p100, 480p120 Autofocus system: […]

ArmSoM CM5 Raspberry Pi CM4 alternative with Rockchip RK3576 SoC
Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on Panthronics PTX30W is a 1W NFC wireless charging listener IC

Panthronics PTX30W is a 1W NFC wireless charging listener IC

PTX30W NFC Wireless Charging Chip

Panthronics PTX30W is an NFC wireless charging listener chip that can receive up to 1W as per the NFC Wireless Charging (WLC) specification unveiled in 2020 and integrates a power management unit and a Li-Ion battery charger. Offered in a compact 3.2mm2 (1.78 x 1.78 mm) WL-CSP package, the PTX30W will enable small battery-powered products, such as smartwatches and other wearables, to be charged over NFC. The chip can operate in standalone mode or connected to a host microcontroller, and the company claims it is around four times smaller than existing designs based on multiple discrete components. PTX30W features and specifications: Integrated NFC Wireless Charging Listener device Efficient Active Rectifier RF interface according to Forum Type 2 Tag Li-Ion battery charger with charging current from 5mA to 250mA MCU LDO with 1.8V or 3.3V output, up to 50mA Embedded power negotiation logic High-efficiency NFC wireless charging listener IC with up […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 19 Comments on GL.iNet GL-MT3000 pocket-sized Wi-Fi 6 Router review – Part 1: Specs, unboxing, and teardown

GL.iNet GL-MT3000 pocket-sized Wi-Fi 6 Router review – Part 1: Specs, unboxing, and teardown

GL-MT3000 portable WiFi 6 router

GL.iNet Beryl AX (GL-MT3000) is a pocket-sized Wi-Fi 6 router running OpenWrt on a MediaTek MT7981B (Filogic 820) dual-core processor @ 1.3 GHz and equipped with a 2.5GbE port, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and a USB 3.0 port. The hardware is basically the same as the Brume 2 (GL-MT2500A) security gateway, except it adds support for WiFi 6 connectivity and as an AX3000 router more than doubles the bandwidth compared to the earlier Beryl (GL-MT1300) AC1300 router. The company has sent me a sample so I’ll start the two-part review by checking the specifications, doing an unboxing, and tearing it down to have a closer look at the hardware design, before trying out OpenWrt and testing WiFi 6 and 2.5GbE performance in the second part of the review. GL.iNet GL-MT3000 specifications Beryl AX specifications: SoC – MediaTek MT7981B (Filogic 820) dual-core processor @ 1.3 GHz System Memory – 512MB DDR4 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on Sub-$5 Cavli C16QS CAT1.bis cellular IoT module features Qualcomm QCX216 modem

Sub-$5 Cavli C16QS CAT1.bis cellular IoT module features Qualcomm QCX216 modem

Cavli C16QS Cat 1.bis module

Qualcomm QCX216 LTE IoT modem was announced at the end of last year as one of the first solutions supporting the new CAT1.bis standard enabling smaller, simpler, and cheaper modules with a single antenna design. This chip also integrates a WiFi scanner exclusively used for indoor positioning. Cavli Wireless C16QS CAT1.bis is one of the first cellular IoT modules based on the Qualcomm QCX216, and we now have a clearer idea of what “cheaper” means since the company says it will sell those for less than $5 to OEMs, although that price is likely in very high quantities, possibly 100k+ or one million pieces. Cavli C16QS specifications: Wireless IC – Qualcomm QCX216 with dual-core Cortex-M3 @ 204 MHz, cellular modem-RF Storage – 4 MB Cellular connectivity LTE CAT 1.bis based on 3GPP Release 14 Peak speeds – 10Mbps (DL), 5Mbps (UL) Bands EMEA: B1/B3/B5/B8/B20 North America : B2/B4/B12/B13/B66/B71 Integrated eSIM […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments on Qualcomm Snapdragon Satellite enables two-way messaging using the Iridium network

Qualcomm Snapdragon Satellite enables two-way messaging using the Iridium network

Snapdragon Satellite

You may soon be able to get true global coverage even in remote areas thanks to Qualcomm Snapdragon Satellite which will offer pole-to-pole coverage and two-way messaging for emergency use, SMS texting, and other messaging applications. Qualcomm made this possible through a partnership with Iridium to bring satellite-based connectivity to next-generation premium Android smartphones starting with devices based on Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform, while emergency messaging support was done in collaboration with Garmin. You’ll just need to point your phone to the sky to send and/or receive messages, and the connection should take place within a few seconds. Note it can only be used for text, and the bandwitdh would not be sufficient for audio, pictures, and videos. The solution relies on Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF Systems such as the Snapdragon X70 modem to connect to the Iridium low-earth orbit satellite constellation using the L-band spectrum (1 to 2 […]

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs abd SoMs
Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 36 Comments on Espressif ESP32-P4 – A 400 MHz general-purpose dual-core RISC-V microcontroller

Espressif ESP32-P4 – A 400 MHz general-purpose dual-core RISC-V microcontroller

ESP32-P4

Espressif ESP32-P4 is a general-purpose dual-core RISC-V microcontroller clocked at up to 400 MHz with AI instructions extension, numerous I/Os, and security features. It also happens to be the first microcontroller from Espressif Systems without wireless connectivity, and as such, it should probably be seen as an alternative to STM32F7/H7 or NXP i.RT Arm Cortex-M7 microcontrollers/crossover processors, and likely offered at a significantly lower cost. It should also offer lower power consumption than other ESP32 chips thanks in part to a third RISC-V core clocked at 40 MHz that can keep the system running while the other two high-performance cores are down. ESP32-P4 key features and specifications: MCU subsystems Dual-core RISC-V HP (High-performance) CPU @ up to 400 MHz with AI instructions extension and single-precision FPU, 768KB of on-chip SRAM Single-RISC-V LP (Low-power) MCU core @ up to 40 MHz with 8KB of zero-wait TCM RAM Memory & Storage I/F […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Orbbec Femto Mega 3D depth and 4K RGB camera features NVIDIA Jetson Nano, Microsoft ToF technology

Orbbec Femto Mega 3D depth and 4K RGB camera features NVIDIA Jetson Nano, Microsoft ToF technology

Femto Mega 3D camera

Orbbec Femto Mega is a programmable multi-mode 3D depth and RGB camera based on NVIDIA Jetson Nano system-on-module and based on Microsoft ToF technology found in Hololens and Azure Kinect DevKit. As an upgrade of the earlier Orbbec Femto, the camera is equipped with a 1MP depth camera with a 120 degrees field of view and a range of 0.25m to 5.5m as well as a 4K RGB camera, and enables real-time streaming of processed images over Ethernet or USB. Orbbec Femto Mega specifications: SoM – NVIDIA Jetson Nano system-on-module Cameras 1MP depth camera Precision: ≤17mm Accuracy: < 11 mm + 0.1% distance NFoV unbinned & binned：H 75°V 65° WFoV unbinned & binned：H 120°V 120° Resolutions & framerates NFoV unbinned: 640×576 @ 5/15/25/30fps NFoV binned: 320×288 @ 5/15/25/30fps WFoV unbinned: 1024×1024 @ 5/15fps NFoV binned: 512×512 @ 5/15/25/30fps 4K RGB camera FOV – H: 80°, V: 51°b D: 89°±2° Resolutions […]

Boardcon Rockchip RK3588S SBC with 8K, WiFI 6, 4G LTE, NVME SSD, HDMI 2.1...