CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

December 2, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Seeed XIAO BLE – A tiny nRF52840 Bluetooth 5.0 board with (optional) IMU sensor and microphone

Seeed Studio has just introduced two new members to their XIAO board family with the Seeed XIAO BLE and XIAO BLE Sense boards equipped with Nordic Semi nRF52840 Bluetooth 5.0 microcontroller, as well as an IMU sensor and microphone on the “Sense” model. Just like the earlier XIAO RP2040 board, the tiny Seed XIAO BLE board can be programmed with Arduino, MicroPython, and CircuityPython, and offers two headers with 7-pin each for GPIOs. What’s really new is the wireless connectivity, the sensors, and a battery charging circuitry. Seeed XIAO BLE specifications: Wireless MCU – Nordic nRF52840 Arm Cortex-M4F microcontroller @ up to 64 MHz with 1 MB flash, 256 KB SRAM, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, Zigbee connectivity Storage – 2 MB QSPI flash Expansion I/Os 2x 7-pin headers with 1x UART, 1x I2C, 1x SPI, 1x NFC, 1x SWD, 11x GPIO (PWM), 6x ADC 3.3V I/O voltage (not 5V tolerant) Sensors […]

December 2, 2021December 2, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Android 12 for TV released for ADT-3 Developer Kit

While Android 12 images and related AOSP source code were released in October, it took a bit longer for Android 12 for TV. But the latest version of Android for larger screens has apparently been released yesterday on the developer website with Android 12 for TV now available, albeit only for the ADT-3 Developer Kit based on the Amlogic S905Y2 processor. Google says they’ve improved the user experience and compatibility on TV devices with media playback improvements, a refined user interface, enhanced privacy and security, as well as better support for HDMI and TV tuners. Highlights of the Android 12 for TV release include: User Interface Background blurs using RenderEffect and in WindowManager 4K UI support (CNXSoft: up to now most devices were using a 1920×1080 user interface (framebuffer), and play 4K video on another hardware video buffer) Accessibility settings for font sizes Media improvements Automatic refresh rate switching to […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM

December 2, 2021December 2, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Qualcomm unveils third generation Snapdragon 8cx and 7c+ compute platforms

Qualcomm has introduced the third generation of the Snapdragon 8cx and 7c compute platforms with the high-end 5nm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 processor offers up to 85% faster CPU and 60% faster GPU performance compared to Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2, while the Snapdragon 7c+ Gen 3, designed for entry-level and mid-range laptops and Chromebooks, is said to gain up to 60% CPU performance and achieve up to 70% faster GPU performance uplift compared to the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2. Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx specifications: CPU – Qualcomm Kryo 64-bit CPU. Details based on Anandtech live blog from the Snapdragon Tech Summit: 4x 3.0 GHz Prime cores 4x 2.4 GHz Efficiency Cores 14MB Total Cache (8MB L3+6MB System cache) Performance: +40% for single-thread, +85% for multi-thread GPU – Unnamed Adreno GPU with DirectX 12 (DX12) API support DSP – Qualcomm Hexagon Processor, Qualcomm Sensing Hub AI – Qualcomm […]

December 1, 2021December 1, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

A $25 16MP camera with autofocus for Raspberry Pi boards (Crowdfunding)

ArduCam has launched a $25 16MP camera with autofocus for Raspberry Pi boards with 40% higher resolution than the 12MP Raspberry Pi HQ camera, while keeping the compact form factor of the 8MP Raspberry Pi Camera V2. The camera is equipped with a 16MP Sony IMX519 sensor, works with any Raspberry Pi board with a MIPI CSI interface, and the company claims that with the existing camera tuning algorithms from the Raspberry Pi Foundation, the camera module beats the Raspberry Pi HQ camera’s quality in every aspect including sharpness, saturation, exposure, and more. The downside is that it lacks supports for interchangeable lenses. Arducam 16MP camera specifications: Sensor – Sony IMX519 sensor with 4656 x 3496 pixels resolution Still resolution – 16MP Video modes – 1080p30, 720p60 Optical size – Type 1/2.53″ Focal ratio – 1.75 Focal length – 4.28 mm Autofocus – Yes with range 10cm to ∞. As […]

December 1, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Mobile Platform features 3 GHz Cortex-X2 core, 10 Gbps 5G modem

A couple of weeks ago, MediaTek introduces the Dimensity 9000 5G processor with a Cortex-X2 core clocked at 3 GHz, and it was just a matter of time before Qualcomm announces its own Armv9 processor. So here we are with the “Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Mobile Platform” equipped with an octa-core CPU subsystem comprised of one Cortex-X2 core clocked at 3 GHz, Cortex-A710 and Cortex-A510 cores, LP-DDR5 memory, as well as an integrated Snapdragon X65 5G modem capable of 10 Gbps download speeds, and all of that manufactured with the latest 4nm Samsung process. Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (SM8450) specifications: Octa-core Kryo CPU subsystem (details courtesy of Anandtech since Qualcomm will not usually reveal this information) 1x Arm Cortex-X2 core @ 3.0GHz with 1024KB L2 cache 3x Arm Cortex-A710 cores @ 2.5GHz with 512KB L2 cache each 4x Arm Cortex-A510 cores @ 1.80GHz in two clusters, each with an unspecified […]

November 30, 2021June 8, 2022 by Sponsored Post - No Comments

Download a free trial of the SoftNeuro Deep Learning SDK for Intel and Arm targets (Sponsored)

Jetson Xavier Tensorflow Lite vs SoftNeuro

Morpho, a global research & development company established in Japan in 2004 and specialized in imaging technology, is now offering a free trial for the SoftNeuro deep learning SDK working on Intel processors with AVX2 SIMD extensions, 64-bit Arm targets, while also leveraging OpenCL and/or CUDA. Some of the advantages of SoftNeuro are that the framework is easy to use even for those without any knowledge about deep learning, it’s fast thanks to the separation of the layers and their execution patterns, and it can run on several different hardware and OS being cross-platform. SoftNeuro relies on its own storage format (DNN format) to deliver the above advantages. But you can still use models trained with any mainstream deep learning framework. TensorFlow and Keras models can be directly converted to the DNN format, while models from other frameworks can be converted first to the ONNX format and then to the […]

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

November 30, 2021November 30, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Raspberry Pi 4 PLC Industrial controller targets IIoT applications

I’ve just noticed Boot&Work Corp was now offering an “Industrial Shields” branded PLC industrial computer powered by Raspberry Pi 4 SBC. We previously covered the company in 2017 at a time when they provided Arduino-based PLC modules optionally controlled with 10.1-inch panel PCs based on ARM Linux SBCs such as Raspberry Pi or Banana Pi. The “Raspberry Pi PLC Industrial Controller” is offered with either optoisolated outputs or relay outputs, and optional GPRS connectivity. The Linux PLC is equipped with up to 36 digital inputs, 16 analog inputs, 8 analog outputs, and 6 interrupts, as well as communication interfaces such as CAN bus, up to 2x Ethernet ports, dual RS-485, WiFi, and Bluetooth. Raspberry Pi PLC Industrial Controller basic specifications: Single board computer – Raspberry Pi 4 SBC with 2GB to 8GB RAM, WiFi 5, and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity Storage – 8GB MicroSD card Video Output – 2x Micro HDMI […]

November 30, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

HLK-W801 board features Alibaba Xuantie XT804 based MCU with WiFi 4, Bluetooth LE 4.2

Earlier this month, we wrote about the 240 MHz WinnerMicro W806 Alibaba Xuantie XT804 C-Sky microcontroller with 1MB flash, 288KB SRAM found in the $2 HLK-W806 development board. But the company has a nearly identical WinnerMicro W801 microcontroller that bumps the internal flash to 2MB, and more importantly adds a 2.4 GHz radio with WiFi 4 and Bluetooth LE 4.2 connectivity, and HiLink also released the HLK-W801 board that’s nearly identical to HLK-W806, except for some extra LEDs, a USB-C port instead of a Micro USB port, and a longer form factor to make space for the PCB antenna. HLK-W801 board specifications: MCU – WinnerMicro W801 32-bit Alibaba XT804 microcontroller @ 240 MHz with 2MB Flash, 288KB RAM, FPU, DSP, crypto engine, 2.4 GHz radio Connectivity 802.11b/g/n WiFi 4 up to 150 Mbps supporting station, soft AP and station+soft AP modes, WPA2 security Bluetooth 4.2 Expansion – 2x 24-pin headers […]