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96Boards Gets a TV Platform Edition Targeting $50 Mid-range Boards, $99 High-end Boards

96Boards was born as a hardware and software standard with Consumer (CE) & Enterprise Editions (EE), with different form factors with the latter focusing on server boards, but with similar software requirements requiring recent and mostly open source software. The consumer edition was also split into “Standard” and “Extended” editions, which the latter allowing for larger boards with more features, while the Enterprise Edition has its own larger format, as well as an option for micro-ATX form factor. I’ve just learned that a “fifth” 96Boards standard has been worked on with 96Board TV Platform for Home Gateways, OTT Streaming boxes, and TV boards with prices target of $50 or lower for mid-range boards, and $99 or lower for high-end boards. 96Boards TV Platform hardware requirements: Dimensions – 160 x 120 mm (EE Standard form factor) RAM – 1GB minimum; 2GB recommended Flash – 8GB eMMC minimum WiFi – 802.11 g/n […]

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On/Off Switch USB Cables & Power Adapters for Development Boards

Many development boards don’t have a power switch, and simply boot when you apply power. So if you need to turn off and turn on your board, you’d either remove the power cable and re-insert it, or do the same with the power adapter on the power strip or socket, but the latter is not always convenient, and the former may damage the power connector, especially if the board uses a fragile micro USB connector for power. The solution to this small problem is to use a USB cable with an on/off switch. The example above is a 5V/2A with a switch button with the plug working with Orange Pi, Banana Pi M2, and other board using a 4mm jack (like PS4) for power. That model sells for $3.90 on Aliexpress. Another solution is instead to buy a short USB cable with an on/off switch instead for just around $1 […]

Khadas Edge2 Arm mini PC
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Star Cloud PCG02U Ubuntu 14.04 TV Stick Review

Star Cloud PCG02U is the first Ubuntu product from MeLE. After taking a few pictures of the TV stick and the board, I’ve tested the performance and functionality of the device. First Boot and Setup You can either connected the stick directly into an HDMI port, or using the provided female to female adapter via an HDMI cable. I’ve opted to insert the device directly into the AUX port of my Onkyo A/V receiver itself connected to my TV. Since there’s only one USB host port, USB keyboard and mouse are not convenient since it would add a USB hub, so I went with Logitech MK270r wireless mouse & keyboard combo instead. You can either used Ethernet or WiFi for Internet connectivity, and I opted for the latter for most of the review, but WiFi is also working fine. The final step is to connect the power supply into the […]

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Boardcon’s Rockchip RK3288 Single Board Computer Runs Android 4.4/5.1, Supports 3G, GPS, 5 Display Interfaces and More

Rockchip RK3288 is back in the news this month, and after the announced of MiQi low cost board a few days ago, an high-end Rockchip RK3288 SBC has come to market with Boardcon EM3288 comprise of MINI3288 CPU module, and a features-packed baseboard with multiple ports and connectivity options, including SATA and a 3G modem. EM3288 board specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3288 quad core ARM Cortex A17 processor up to 1.8 GHz with Mali-T764 GPU System Memory – 2G DDR3 Storage – 8 GB eMMC flash, SATA, and micro SD slot Video I/O HDMI 2.0 up to 3840×2160@60p (provided your TV/monitor support YUV444) VGA 1x 26-pin MIPI connector, 1x 40-pin LVDS (multiplexed with VGA), 1x 40-pin TTL LCD connector Audio Output / Input – HDMI, Line IN and OUT 3.5mm jacks, and built-in MIC Connectivity Gigabit Ethernet Optional 8021.11b/g/n and Bluetooth4.0 via Ampak AP6212 module Optional 3G via ZTE MF210 […]

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UDOO x86 Development Board Combines Quad Core Intel Motherboard with Arduino 101 Board for $89 and Up (Crowdfunding)

UDOO is known for their ARM based development board with an MCU to control I/Os from Arduino compatible headers such as UDOO Quad or UDOO NEO. The community has now launched a new board called UDOO x86 powered by a quad core Intel processor, and integrating the Intel Curie compute module with Quark SE MCU used in Arduino 101, and the Arduino UNO headers. The basic version will come with Atom x5-E8000 Cherry Trail Braswell processor while the advanced version will feature Celeron N3160 Braswell processor. UDOO x86 Basic and Advanced specifications: SoC Basic – Intel Atom x5-E8000 quad core processor @ 1.04 / 2.0 GHz GHz with 12EU Intel HD graphics @ 320 MHz (5W TDP) Advanced – Intel Celeron N3160 quad-core processor @ 1.6 GHz / 2.24 GHz (Turbo) with 12EU Intel HD graphics@ 320 MHz/640Mhz (4W SDP / 6W TDP) System Memory Basic – 2 GB DDR3L […]

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$25 ODROID-C0 Development Board Targets IoT, Wearables, Robots and Drones

Hardkernel started to mention ODROID-C0 board last November, a cost-down and smaller version of ODROID-C1+ board powered by Amlogic S805 quad core Cortex A5 processor with 1GB RAM, dropping Ethernet, and a few USB port, but gaining a  Li-po battery management unit. The company has now officially launched the board, which can be purchased for $25 on Hardkernel website or via distributors such as Ameridroid. ODROID-C0 specifications: SoC- Amlogic S805 quad core ARM Cortex-A5 @ 1.5GHz with ARM Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 @  792Mhz Storage – eMMC Module Socket, micro SD card slot up to 128GB Video Output – HDMI Audio Output – HDMI, I2S USB – 2x unpopulated USB2.0 ports Expansion Headers Unpopulated 40-pin header with GPIO, UART, SPI, I2C, and ADC signals Unpopulated 7-pin header for I2S Debugging – Unpopulated serial debug header Misc – On-board RTC function with battery connector, unpopulated IR receiver Power […]

Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs
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JaguarBoard is a $65 Single Board Computer Powered by Intel Atom Z3735G Processor (Crowdfunding)

While we have recently started to see low Intel Atom x5 “Cherry Trail” development boards such as UP Board and LattePanda, we have not really seen any Intel Atom Z3735F/G “Bay Trail” boards despite their popularity in mini PCs and TV sticks. JAGUAR ELECTRONIC H.K. aims to fill that avoid with their JaguarBoard single board computer powered by an Intel Atom Z3735G processor coupled with 16GB flash and 1GB RAM. JaguarBoard specifications: SoC  – Intel Atom Z3735G quad core processor @ 1.33GHz / 1.83GHz (burst) with Intel HD graphics @ 311 MHz / 646 MHz System Memory – 1GB DDR3L RAM Storage – 16GB eMMC flash, 1x micro SD card slot up to 32GB Video Output – HDMI 1.4 @ up to 1080p Audio – HDMI, Line In and Line Out (stereo) 3.5mm jacks Connectivity – 10/100Mbps USB – 3x USB 2.0 Expansion Headers 8-pin header with 2x UART and I2C 4-pin […]

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Aceberry S500 is a $60 Actions Semi S500 Development Board Comprised of a Module and a Baseboard

For some hard-to-explain reasons, Actions Semi S500 processor seems to be a popular choice for makers of boards, although I don’t think it has really been a success with hobbyists and makers so far. After ActDuino S500, LeMaker Guitar, Lemon Pi, Allo SPARKY, and Roseapple Pi boards, here comes another S500 quad core Cortex A9 development board with Aceberry S500 that’s quite inspired by LeMaker Guitar as seen by its baseboard and module design. Aceberry S500 board preliminary specifications: SoC – Actions Semi S500 quad core Cortex A9r4 processor @ 1.6GHz with PowerVR SGX544 GPU @ 500 MHz Memory – 1 GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC or NAND flash (16 and 32GB optional), SPI NOR flash Video Output – HDMI, and LCD connector Audio – HDMI, headset jack, digital output (RCA). Video Codec – H.265 (HEVC) and Ultra HD (4K*2K) video playback. Encoding up to 1080p@60fps. Connectivity – 10/100M […]

Khadas VIM4 SBC