CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

July 22, 2021July 29, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

MagikEye Developer Kit enables 120 fps 3D sensing on Raspberry Pi

MagikEye ILT001 developer kit (DK-ILT001) is a low-latency 3D sensing kit that connects to the Raspberry Pi’s MIPI CSI camera connector and features the company’s Invertible Light Technology (ILT) module with an infrared laser and a CMOS image sensor. The company says a “unique algorithm” developed in-house can generate 3D point cloud datasets acquired at high speeds (up to 120 fps) and with very low latency using simple hardware configuration. The kit targets researchers, students, and hobbyists working on machine vision, robotics, automated carriers, and other projects that can benefit from low-latency 3D sensing. MagikEye DK-ILT001 kit key features and specifications 850nm infrared light laser CMOS image sensor Range up to 1.5 meters (15 to 80 cm recommended) Compatibility – Raspberry Pi Zero W/3B/3B+/4 Power Supply – 3.3V (via MIPI Interface on Raspberry Pi) Power Consumption – 0.6W (average) Dimensions – 44 x 24 x 16 mm (within enclosure) Weight […]

July 22, 2021July 22, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

PlasticArm is a functional, non-silicon, flexible Cortex-M0 microcontroller

Four years ago, we wrote about PragmatIC’s ultrathin and flexible plastic electronics circuit, with news that an ultra-cheap ARM Cortex M0 MCU made of plastic materials was coming soon. In this case, “soon” means about four years, but Arm has now finally announced PlasticArm, an ultra-minimalist, fully functional Cortex-M0-based SoC, with 128 bytes of RAM and 456 bytes of ROM that, with 18,000 gates, is twelve times more complex than previous state-of-the-art flexible electronics. PlasticArm specifications are similar to a standard Cortex-M0+ core with some notable exceptions: Cortex-M core in PlasticARM ARMv6-M architecture ISA – 16-bit Thunb and subset of 32-bit Thumb 32-bit data access and address width 86 instructions 2-stage pipeline Architectural register file mapped to RAM external to the CPU (instead of inside the CPU) Runs code from other Cortex-M CPUs 0.8-μm process There are two main advantages of PlasticArm. First, It’s flexible and integrated into paper, plastic, […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM

July 22, 2021January 24, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Foscam SPC WiFi Spotlight Camera Review – Part1: Unboxing and Teardown

I’ve been reviewing a few IP cameras with built-in AI features with Vacom Cam, Reolink RLC-810A, and Annke CZ400 AI security camera which had by far the most advanced features going beyond human detection with luggage monitoring, line crossing-detection, and many more. Today, I’ve received another model with basic human detection. But Foscam SPC security camera also happens to come with a motion-activated spotlight, and it is the first camera I’ve ever received with support for dual-band WiFi meaning 2.4GHz or 5 GHz WiFi can be used as needed. In the first part of the review, I’ll go through the specs, do an unboxing, and go through teardown photos to check the internals. Foscam SPC key features and specifications Some of the highlights listed in the user manual and package: Camera 4MP camera up to 2560×1440 resolution @ 25 fps, 156° view of view (diagonal) HDR support 2x white LED […]

July 21, 2021February 16, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Cynthion board enables USB Hacking through Lattice ECP5 FPGA (Crowdfunding)

Update 16/02/2023: The LUNA board has been renamed to Cynthion, but the gateware framework continues to be called LUNA. Several USB hacking/debugging boards were launched in 2020 either based on microcontrollers or FPGA with the likes of Tigard (FTDI FT2232HQ), Ollie (STM32F042), Glasgow Interface explorer (Lattice Semiconductor iCE40), or Protocol Droid (STM32). All those were launched on Crowd Supply, and there’s now another one with LUNA “multi-tool for building, analyzing, and hacking USB devices” based on a Lattice Semiconductor LFE5U-12F ECP5 FPGA that raised over $100,000 in a few days. Cynthion hardware specifications: FPGA- Lattice Semiconductor LFE5U-12F ECP5 FPGA with 12K LUTs System Memory – 64 Mbit (8 MiB) RAM for buffering USB traffic or for user applications Storage – 32 Mbit (4 MiB) SPI flash for PC-less FPGA configuration USB – 3x High-Speed USB interfaces, each connected to a USB3343 PHY capable of operating at up to 480 Mbps. […]

July 21, 2021October 3, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

A Smaller STM32MP1 SoM – Meet MYIR MYC-YA15XC-T CPU Module

MYIR launched a fairly compact SoM and accompanying development board based on STM32MP1 Cortex-A7 microprocessor in January 2020. But apparently, the 45mm by 43mm MYC-YA157C module was too big (or expensive) for some customers, so the company has now designed a smaller STM32MP1 SoM with MYC-YA157C-T measuring just 39mm by 37mm thanks to the removal of the Ethernet PHY. MYC-YA15XC-T STM32MP1 system-on-module Specifications: SoC (one or the other) STM32MP151AAC3 single-core Cortex-A7 processor up to @ 800 MHz with Cortex-M4 core @ 209 MHz STM32MP153AAC3 dual-core Cortex-A7 processor up to @ 800 MHz with Cortex-M4 core @ 209 MHz, and CAN FD interface STM32MP157AAC3 dual-core Cortex-A7 processor up to @ 800 MHz, with Cortex-M4 core @ 209 MHz, 3D GPU, DSI display interface, and CAN FD Two configurations for memory and storage 256MB DDR3L, 256MB Nand Flash, 32KB EEPROM or 512MB DDR3L, 4GB eMMC Flash, 32KB EEPROM 148-pin stamp hole expansion […]

July 21, 2021July 21, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Vecow EAC-2000 fanless embedded system is powered by NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX

Vecow EAC-2000 fanless embedded-system-NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX

Vecow Vecow EAC-2000 series fanless embedded system features NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX module for the deployment of AI vision and industrial applications including traffic vision, intelligent surveillance, auto optical inspection, Smart Factory, AMR/AGV, and other AIoT/Industry 4.0 applications. The computer comes with up to four Fakra-Z connectors to connect GMSL cameras, as well as four Gigabit Ethernet ports, two of which with PoE+ support, takes 9V to 50V wide range DC input, and can operate in a wide temperature range from -25°C to 70°C. Two models part of Vecow EAC-2000 embedded system family are currently offered with the following specifications: System-on-Module – NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX with CPU – 6-core NVIDIA Carmel ARM v8.2 64-bit CPU GPU -384-core NVIDIA Volta GPU with 48 Tensor Cores DL Accelerator -2x NVDLA Engines System Memory – 8GB LPDDR4x DRAM Storage – 16GB eMMC flash Storage – M.2 Key M Socket (2280) for SSD, […]

July 20, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

CanLite ESP32 board for CAN Bus hacking support up to two high-side switches

Voltlog’s CanLite is not the first ESP32 CAN bus board we’ve covered here at CNX Software, having written about Olimex ESP32-EVB and CAN32 boards a few years ago. But the open-source hardware, compact CanLite board offers an alternative for CAN bus hacking with a built-in automotive-grade DC-DC converter as well as an optional two-channel high-side automotive-grade switches capable of switching up to 6A per channel. CANLite key features and specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-WROOM-32D module with Espressif ESP32-D0WD dual-core Tensilica processor, 4MB SPI flash, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n up to 150 Mbps, Bluetooth 4.2 LE Terminal block for CAN Bus (ISO 11898-2 standard) up to 1Mbps via SN65HVD231 CAN transceiver. Output – High-side switching of the VBAT input up to 6A. (only if the option is purchased during checkout). Programming – 6-pin JST-SH VoltLink pin header Power Supply – 12V/0.5A via terminal block Dimensions – TBD The ESP32 CANLite board supports […]

July 20, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

QNAP TVS-675 NAS features Zhaoxin KaiXian KX-U6580 x86 processor

QNAP has been trying something different in several in their new NAS recently. Last month, we covered QMiroPlus-201W that combines an Arm router and Intel NAS into one device, and now the company has announced another x86 NAS, but not based on Intel or AMD processor, but instead Zhaoxin’s 2.5 GHz eight-core KaiXian KX-U6580 processor. QNAP TVS-675 NAS comes with 8GB RAM by default, six drive bays for hard drives or SSD’s, two M.2 2280 slots for SATA or NVMe storage, as well as two PCIe 3.0 x4 slots for networking, storage, or other expansion cards. The NAS also features 2.5GbE wired connectivity and an HDMI 2.0 to connect a display. QNAP TVS-675 specifications: SoC – Zhaoxin KX-U6580 8-core/-thread 64-bit x86 processor @ 2.5GHz with FPU, AES-NI accelerator, 8MB L2 cache, ZhaoXin C-960 Graphics; 16nm process System Memory – 8 GB DDR4 single-channel; upgradable to up to 64GB dual-channel memory […]