CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

June 14, 2022June 15, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3E (CM3E) features Raspberry Pi RP3A0 SiP found in Pi Zero 2 W

After the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4S which we discovered in April, it appears Raspberry Pi Trading has launched another Compute Module for their industrial and commercial customers with the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3E (CM3E) equipped with the same Raspberry Pi RP30A0 SiP found in Raspberry Pi Zero 2W and an 8GB eMMC flash. The new system-on-module (SoM) has not been officially announced but was discovered by Twitter user “Pi 0 in your Pocket” inside an electric vehicle (EV) charger by Wallbox. Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3E specifications (preliminary): SiP – Raspberry Pi RP3A0 with Broadcom BCM2710A1 quad-core Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.0 GHz with VideoCore IV GPU supporting OpenGL ES 1.1, 2.0 graphics, 512MB RAM Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (other capacities might also be available TBC) 200-pin edge connector with: 48x GPIO 2x I2C, 2x SPI, 2x UART 2x SD/SDIO, 1x NAND interface (SMI) 1x HDMI 1x USB […]

June 13, 2022June 13, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Forlinx introduces Renesas RZ/G2L system-on-module and development board

Renesas RZ/G2L or RZ/V2L Cortex-A55/M33 processors have found their way into several system-on-modules and single board computers recently with the likes of Geniatech AHAURA board, Avnet RZBoard, or ARIES Embedded MSRZG2UL OSM module among others. Forlinx Embedded has joined the fray with the Renesas RZ/G2L-based FET-G2LD-C system-on-module, and a corresponding OK-G2LD-C development board with plenty of I/Os including dual Gigabit Ethernet, RS485 and CAN Bus interfaces, built-in WiFi and Bluetooth, plus an optional EC20 4G mini PCIe module. FET-G2LD-C system-on-module Specifications: SoC – Renesas RZ/G2L (R9A07G044Lxx) dual or single-core Arm Cortex-A55 processor @1.2GHz, with real-tme Arm Cortex-M33 core @ 200MHz, Arm Mali-G31 GPU with OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0/3.1/3.2,Vulkan 1.1, OpenCL 2.0, 1080p30 VPU with H.264 AVC/MVC video encoding/decoding System Memory – 1GB / 2GB DDR4 Storage – 8GB or 16GB eMMC flash, 16MB QSPI NOR flash 3x 80-pin B2B connectors with MIPI-DSI and RGB interfaces up to 1920×1080, 2x 1000Mbps Ethernet […]

June 13, 2022June 13, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Fingerbot Sense Zigbee or Bluetooth LE button pusher adds touchless control (Crowdfunding)

When we first wrote about Fingerbot Bluetooth mechanical button pusher to add automation control to (dumb) home appliances over two years ago, I was not convinced about the solution. But it must have gained enough traction, as Adaprox has now launched a sensor version – the Fingerbot Sense – with either Zigbee or Bluetooth connectivity, plus a new touchless control function. It works just the same way as before, simply place the Fingerbot Sense on top of a physical button, and control it with your smartphone, a voice assistant like Amazon Alexa or Google Home, or with the new touchless control, simply wave your hand in front of the button without having to touch it. Fingerbot Sense specifications: Connectivity – Bluetooth LE 4.2 or Zigbee 3.0 Stall torque – 2.0 kgf.cm Maximum movement – 12 mm Optional Toolpack with short, medium, long straight arms, rocker arm, ring arm, cushion blocks […]

June 13, 2022July 2, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

GEEKOM MiniAir 11 Celeron N5095 mini PC sells for $200 with 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD

GEEKOM MiniAir 11 is a mini PC powered by a Celeron N5095 Jasper Lake mini PC that ships with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD selling for $199, and placing itself as a competitor of Beelink U59 mini PC. The mini PC offers HDMI 2.0 and mini DisplayPort video outputs, Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, three USB 3.2 ports, and two USB-C ports for data only, as the device is powered by a 19V power adapter, and the USB-C ports do not support DisplayPort Alt Mode. GEEKOM MiniAir 11 specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron N5095 quad-core Jasper Lake processor @ 2.0GHz / 2.9GHz (Turbo) with 4MB cache, 16EU Intel UHD Graphics; 15W TDP System Memory – 8GB DDR4 upgradeable up to 32GB Storage – 256GB M.2 2280 PCIe/SATA SSD upgradeable to 1TB, full-size SD card reader; (CNXSoft: we’re not told whether the pre-installed SSD uses SATA or […]

June 11, 2022June 13, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 20 Comments

T-Relay-8 – An ESP32 board with 8 relays

LilyGo T-Relay-8 is an ESP32 WiFi & BLE board equipped with eight 5V relays supporting up to 250V AC or 28V DC, as well as 16-pin GPIO header for expansion. The board offers a more compact solution than the usual two-board setups with an ESP32 board and a separate 8-relay “Arduino” module, and also integrates optocouplers for improved safety. LilyGo T-Relay-8 specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-WROVER-E module with ESP32 dual-core processor with 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity, 4MB flash, 8MB PSRAM Relays – 8x HRS4H-S-DC5V 5V relays up to 250VAC/10A or 28VDC/10A with octocoupler isolation, blue LEDs for status Expansion – 16-pin header (unpopulated) with GPIOs, 3.3V, and GND USB – 1x USB Type-C for programming via optional T-U2T dongle via CH9102 USB to TTL chip Misc – Reset button, red user LED Power Supply – 12V to 24V via 2-pin terminal block Dimensions – 17 x […]

Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs

June 10, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Light sensors add “lift and learn” feature to digital signage player

Light sensors with digital signage lift and learn

Light sensors are used to turn on/off lights, adjust the brightness of displays, and more. But I’ve come across a use case I never thought of: object presence detection. In the digital signage work, such features if called “lift and learn”, and light sensors are used to detect when an object is present and play a video or display information about the product. That concept came to my attention when I saw a photo of Mekotronics R29 digital signage player with several cables coming out of the device and attached to what looked like white hockey pucks and turned out to be light sensors. Apart from the light sensors, Mekotronics R29 specifications are pretty standard: SoC – Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core processor with 2x Cortex-A72 cores, 4x Cortex-A53 cores, Arm Mali-T860MP4 GPU, 4K VP9, H.264, H.265, and 1080p60 VC-1, MPEG-1/2/4, VP6/8 video decoder System Memory – 4GB DDR Storage – 64GB […]

June 10, 2022January 3, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

STMicro VL53L8 multi-zone direct Time-of-Flight (dToF) sensor improves range and efficiency

STMicro VL53L8 multi-zone direct Time-of-Flight (dToF) sensor doubles the ranging performance of VL53L5 sensor – up to 4 meters – or reduces the power consumption by half when operating in common conditions. STMicro ToF sensors are some of the most popular devices to accurately measure distance in real-time, and the earlier VL53L0X and VL53L1X sensors integrated a single photon avalanche diode. STMicro VL53L5 changed that with multi-zone support (up to 64 zones), and VL53L8 FlightSense sensor builds on the solution with improvements in terms of range and efficiency. STMicro VL53L8 ToF sensor specifications: Low-power 32-bit microcontroller running the firmware 940 nm invisible Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) and integrated analog driver 61° diagonal square system field of view (FoV) using diffractive optical elements (DOE) on both transmitter and receiver Receiving array of single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) Parallel multi-zone output – Either 4×4 (16 zones @ 60 fps) or 8×8 […]

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