CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

November 9, 2021November 9, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 27 Comments

NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin 12-core Cortex-A78E module delivers up to 200 TOPS

The upcoming NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin module packs some serious processing power with a 12-core Cortex-A78AE processor, 2048 CUDA cores, and 64 Tensor cores delivering up to 200 TOPS of AI performance, or 6 times more than its predecessor, the Jetson AGX Xavier module. Designed for robotics, autonomous machines, medical devices, the Jetson AGX Orin delivers the same performance as a GPU-enabled server, but in a much more compact 100 x 87mm form factor. The module can be operated in three power modes, namely 15W, 30W, or 50W depending on performance and power requirements, and a compact developer kit will also be made available. Jetson AGX Orin specifications: CPU – 12-core Arm Cortex-A78AE v8.2 64-bit processor with 3MB L2 + 6MB L3 cache GPU / AI accelerators NVIDIA Ampere architecture with 2048 NVIDIA CUDA cores and 64 Tensor Cores @ 1 GHz DL Accelerator – 2x NVDLA v2.0 Vision Accelerator […]

November 9, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

XPI-S905X3/S905X2 4K SBC with 2GB RAM sold for $35 and up

Geniatech has added two more single board computers to its XPI family with Raspberry Pi form factor. The Geniatech XPI-S905X2 and XPI-S905X3 boards are powered by respectively Amlogic S905X2 and S905X3/S905X4 quad-core processors, ship with 2GB RAM, and sell for $35 and up depending on the choice of processor and the presence of a wireless module. The company promotes each Raspberry Pi 3 lookalike as a “4K Single Board ARM PC” because of the 4K video playback capabilities or the Amlogic processors. Those boards provide an update to the earlier Amlogic S905X based XPI-S905X, and join Rockchip and NXP models. Geniatech XPI-S905X3/S905X2: SoC (one or the other) Amlogic S905X2 quad-core Cortex-A53 processor with Mali-G31 MP2 GPU Amlogic S905X3/S905X4 quad-core Cortex-A55 processor with Mali-G31 MP2 GPU System Memory – 2GB 1GB Optional) Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (option for 16GB or 32GB), MicroSD card slot Video & audio output – HDMI […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM

November 8, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 35 Comments

Raspberry Pi OS upgraded to Debian 11 “Bullseye”

Debian 11 “Bullseye” was released in August 2021, and I was expecting Raspberry Pi OS to soon get upgraded to the latest version, especially the last time around, in 2019, Raspian Buster was released even before the official Debian 10 “Buster” release, although the reason was Raspberry Pi 4 launch. This time around it took longer, but the good news is that Raspberry Pi OS has just been upgraded to Debian 11, meaning it benefits from the new features such as driverless printing, in-kernel exFAT module, “yescrypt” password hashing, and packages upgraded to more recent versions. The Raspberry Pi Foundation goes into more details about what changed in the new Raspberry Pi OS release with GTK+3 user interface toolkit, Mutter window manager replacing OpenBox in boards with 2GB RAM or more, new KMS video and camera drivers, and more. Raspberry Pi OS “BullsEye” can be downloaded from the usual place, […]

November 8, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 21 Comments

WinnerMicro W806 240 MHz MCU finds it way into a $2 development board

I’ve just been notified about an inexpensive board (HLK-W806) based on WinnerMicro W806 32-bit XT804 (XuanTie E804) microcontroller clocked at up to 240 MHz and equipped with 1MB flash and 288KB RAM. XuanTie is the microcontroller family from Alibaba’s subsidiary T-Head Semiconductor, notably XuanTie RISC-V cores, but I’ve just learned not all XuanTie cores are based on the RISC-V architecture, and as we’ll see below, Xuantie E804 core appears to be based on the C-Sky architecture. It may still be interesting, as it’s in the STM32 board price range (pre-2020), but with a much higher frequency, so let’s have a look. HLK-W806 development board specifications: MCU – WinnerMicro W806 32-bit XT804 microcontroller @ 240 MHz with 1MB Flash, 288KB RAM, FPU, DSP, crtypto engine Expansion – 2x 24-pin headers with (based on MCU specs) 1x SDIO host with support for SDIO 2.0, SDHC, MMC 4.2 1x SDIO device up to […]

November 8, 2021July 4, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments

SOQuartz – Raspberry Pi CM4 compatible Rockchip RK3566 SoM launched for $35 and up

SoQuartz Raspberry-Pi CM4 compatible module

Radxa CM3 Raspberry Pi 4 alternative was just introduced yesterday, but today, Pine64 SOQuartz Compute Module has just become available for $34.99 and up. Pine64 announced the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 compatible Rockchip RK3566 system-on-module (SoM) last June, and today the company/community launched three SOQuartz models with a wireless module and equipped with either 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB RAM. SOQuartz system-on-module preliminary specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3566 quad-core Cortex-A55 processor up to 1.8 GHz with 32-bit RISC-V MCU, Arm Mali-G52 GPU supporting OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0/3.2, OpenCL 2.0, Vulkan 1.1, 0.8 TOPS NPU for AI acceleration System Memory – 2GB to 8GB LPDDR4 Storage Optional 128 Mbit SPI flash Optional eMMC module from 16GB up to 128GB capacity or soldered-on eMMC module (see bottom of board) Wireless module – Azurewave AW-CM256SM WiFi 5 802.11ac & Bluetooth 5.0 wireless module plus an u.FL antenna connector. 2x 100-pin high-density board-to-board connectors with: […]

November 8, 2021November 8, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

ODROID-N2+ review with Ubuntu 21.10 using Wayland and Panfrost

ODROID-N2+ was launched in July 2020, but I only got the Amlogic S922X Rev C SBC recently with Hardkernel wanting me to test their latest Ubuntu 21.10 image with the Panfrost open-source GPU driver. ODROID-N2+ Kit Unboxing Let’s start by checking out the kit I received from the Korean SBC manufacturer. The package includes ODROID-N2+ single board computer fitted with a 32GB eMMC flash module, a 12V/2A power supply with an EU plug adapter, an 80mm fan kit, and a USB 3.0 to eMMC reader. ODROID-N2+ is now only available with 4GB RAM, as the old ODROID-N2 with 2GB was deprecated, and we get four USB 3.0 ports, HDMI 2.0 video output, Gigabit Ethernet networking, and a 40-pin GPIO header with the board cooled by a larger heatsink attached to the bottom of the board. Fan installation, first boot, and system information As we’ll see below the fan is not […]

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

November 7, 2021November 7, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 23 Comments

Radxa CM3 – A drop-in Raspberry Pi CM4 alternative

Radxa E23 minimal Radxa CM3 carrier board

Radxa CM3 is a system-on-module that offers an alternative to the Raspberry Pi CM4, with the same form factor allowing it to become a drop-in replacement, but switching from a Broadcom BCM2711 processor to a Rockchip RK3566 quad-core Cortex-A55 SoC. Radxa CM3 will work with existing carrier boards for the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4, albeit some features such as dual HDMI are not available, instead, providing a single HDMI, but the module also offers extra features through an additional 100-pin board-to-board with interfaces such as SATA III and USB 3.0. Let’s compare Radxa CM3 specifications to the ones of Raspberry Pi CM4. Comparing Broadcom BCM2711 quad-core processor and Rockchip RK3566, as the Cortex-A72 may still be faster on some workloads despite the lower frequency, and some other workloads may be dramatically faster on RK3566, for example for those using Armv8 Crypto extensions missing on all Raspberry Pi, which we […]

November 7, 2021November 9, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 208 Comments

Giveaway Week – Foscam SPC IP Camera

The last prize for Giveaway Week 2021 was going to be Crowbits Master Kit ESP32 based educational kit. That’s until I realized there’s a battery inside the ESP32 module, and only more expensive shipping options like DHL or FedEx would be available. So I looked into my treasure box and found the Foscam SPC camera. It’s a 4K security camera with built-in human detection as well as a spotlight, hence the SPC naming, to be able to record color nighttime videos. As you might expect, there’s no battery inside, and that means you’d need a PoE injector, or rely on the included power adapter for power. I reviewed Foscam SPC with the Android app and ONVIF, and it worked pretty well. The spotlight does its job recording clear, colorful videos at night. The package still includes all accessories and quick setup guide as shown below. To enter the draw, simply […]