CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

July 6, 2021July 6, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

RAKwireless announces 14 new WisBlock modules for IoT prototyping

Rakwireless has added 14 new Wisblock modules to the WisBlock IoT modular system introduced last year, plans to soon release a Raspberry Pi RP2040 based LoRaWAN Wisblock Core module, and will give away some Wisblock starter kits this week. As a reminder WisBlock IoT modular system is comprised of four block types: WisBlock Base – A carrier board with connectors for other block types, power supply, some ports WisBlock Core – Module with a microcontroller/processor WisBlock Sensor – Modules with environmental sensors, motion sensors, ambient light sensors, or others WisBlock IO – Adds more inputs, outputs, or connectivity options including LTE-M / NB-IoT, cellular and Wi-Fi modules, NFC reader, and interfaces for I2C, UART, ADC, and GPIO. New WisBlock IO and Sensor modules Some modules are available right now, while others have been announced, but just coming soon Here’s a list of the 10 modules available now: RAK12002 – RTC […]

July 6, 2021July 6, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Keyboardio Model 100 wooden keyboard runs open-source Arduino firmware (Crowdfunding)

Are you bored with keyboard news yet? Keyboardio Model 100 does not quite look like most keyboards though. It’s basically a piece of art with an enclosure made of walnut or maple hardwood, and designed as an ergonomic keyboard with left and right parts with a total of 64 mechanical switches with RGB LEDs and custom-sculpted keycaps. Keyboardio Model 100 also runs Kaleidoscope open-source firmware programmed in the Arduino IDE, and can be customized by the user with Chrysalis open-source, cross-platform graphical configuration tool. The community is also working on porting QMK firmware to the keyboard. The Keyboardio Model 100 ships with QWERTY keycaps, but alternative keycap sets with Dvorak, Colemak, Linear A, or blank legends are available as a add-on. Other accessories include a 1.5 USB-A to USB C cable for connection to the host, a 10cm RJ45 interconnect cable and a 1m RJ45 interconnect cable to connect the […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM

July 5, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Index PnP – An open-source pick-and-place machine for mid-scale manufacturing

Index PNP open-source pick-and-place machine

We’ve previously written about one open-source pick-and-place machine, SimplePNP aiming to provide a low-cost solution for several hundred dollars and relying on OpenPnP open-source control software. But Stephen Hawes found out this type of solution did not cut it for mid-scale manufacturing (100 to 5000 units per year), so he decided to build his own. Meet Index PnP, an open-source pick-and-place machine designed for mass-production volumes typical of crowdfunding projects. The project was introduced launched with the following requirements Automated – no human interaction necessary from attaching the paste-applied board to the machine to having a board ready for reflow Capable of picking and placing components down to 0603 passives Integrated up and down vision for fiducial scanning and on-nozzle component alignment Automatic nozzle tip changer to support a wide range of component sizes Frame and motherboard design capable of future upgrades Mechanical and Electrical support for conveyor belt module […]

July 5, 2021July 5, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 28 Comments

XiangShan open-source 64-bit RISC-V processor to rival Arm Cortex-A76

SiFive Performance P550 was supposed to be the most powerful RISC-V core to date, capable of outperforming Arm’s Cortex-A75 core in raw performance, but especially in terms of efficiency, with three times the performance per mm2. But there may be an even more powerful RISC-V processor, albeit developed as a research project, with the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS)’s XiangShan open-source processor presented at the recent RISC-V World Conference China 2021 with the goal of matching Cortex-A76 performance. The project was launched on June 11, 2020, and 25 classmates and teachers participated in the development of Xiangshan with 821 main branch code mergers, 3296 code submissions, more than 50,000 lines of code, and more than 400 documents, mostly in Chinese only for now. This culminated with an 8-core prototype built based on Yanqihu (雁栖湖) architecture using TSMC’s 28nm process with the processor running up to 1.2 or 1.3 GHz that […]

July 4, 2021July 4, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Relay expansion board for Raspberry Pi includes 4.3-inch touchscreen display (Crowdfunding)

PiRelay 8-Channel Raspberry Pi touchscreen display

There are plenty of multi-relay boards for Raspberry Pi, but since those are often combined with an HMI for control, SB Components decided to offer an all-in-one solution with an expansion board equipped with eight relays and a 4.3-inch touchscreen display connected to a Raspberry Pi via HDMI and USB. PiRelay 8 specifications: Relays 8x relays with 3.3V/5V trigger signal Input – 250V AC/7A, 30V DC/10A Screw terminal blocks NO (Normally Open) and NC (Normally Closed) modes available Isolation – EL357NC optocouplers with current transfer ratio (CTR) of 50-600% at IF=5mA, VCE=5V Display support – Optional 4.3-inch touchscreen display with 800 x 480 pixels resolution, HDMI input for video, USB for touchscreen support. It also comes with a 3.5mm audio jack, an HDMI audio output, a speaker connector, and mounting holes for the Raspberry Pi. 40-pin GPIO header to connect a Raspberry Pi SBC (Pi 4, Pi 3B+, Pi 3, […]

July 3, 2021July 7, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

MicroMod Teensy brings Teensy 4.0 board to M.2 form factor

Teensy 4.0, a low-cost board based on NXP i.MX RT1062 Arm Cortex-M7 crossover processor, is now getting a little brother with MicroMod Teensy following the same M.2 form factor as other Sparkfun MicroMod boards. Born from a collaboration between PJRC and Sparkfun, MicroMod Teensy has essentially the specs of Teensy 4.0 but with larger flash memory, and the board will be fully supported by the Teensyduino add-on to the Arduino IDE as noted by Paul Stoffregen on Twitter. MicroMod Teensy specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX RT1062 Arm Cortex-M7 processor at 600 MHz with 1024KB RAM (512KB is tightly coupled), Storage – 16MB serial flash (instead of 2MB on Teensy 4.0) M.2 MicroMod connector with USB Device up to 480Mbit/sec: Capable of enumerating as a USB keyboard, mouse, joystick, MIDI, audio, and more USB Host up to 480Mbit/sec: Capable of interfacing to USB flash drives, mice, keyboards, and more 7x Serial […]

July 2, 2021July 2, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Linux-based telematics gateway offers four CAN Bus interfaces, cellular & WiFi connectivity, and more

iWave Systems already provided some Linux-based vehicle diagnostic systems such as their NXP i.MX 7 powered OBD-II dongle with 4G LTE and GPS. But their latest model, the iW-Rainbow-G41 telematics gateway, goes a step further with an NXP i.MX 8 processor controlling four CAN Bus interfaces, and offering both wired (RS232/RS485, automotive Ethernet) and wireless (cellular, Wifi, Bluetooth) connectivity options. iW-Rainbow-G41 telematics gateway specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX 8 “DXL” Arm processor (Not sure what DXL is exactly, and iWave has yet to reply to our request for more information, but NXP shortly mentions i.MX 8X/XL processors in a page about V2X applications) System Memory – 1GB LPDDR4 (Upgradable up to 2GB) Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (Upgradable up to 64GB) Communication Interfaces Cellular – 4G LTE Cat 4, LTE Cat M1/NB1, option to upgrade to 5G; E-Call support 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WiFi 5 with optional support for 802.11ax WiFi 6 […]

July 2, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

FICIHIP multifunctional keyboard includes 12.6-inch touchscreen display (Crowdfunding)

Multifunction-keyboard touchscreen display

Keyboards have made the news in recent months with stories ranging from a customizable programmable keyboard, to a keyboard part of a USB-C dock, and a 2-key open-source keypad. FICIHIP multifunctional keyboard is special in its own way as besides a traditional QWERTY keyboard is also includes a 12.6-inch touchscreen display which makes it looks like a computer, but no, it’s really just a USB keyboard that happens to come with a display design for computers and smartphones. FICIHIP multifunctional keyboard key features and specifications: QWERTY keyboard with RGB backlight and hot-swappable mechanical keycaps for DIY layout on K2 model only Display – 12.6-inch screen with 1920×515 resolution @ 60 Hz, 10-point multitouch panel HDMI input – HDMI 1.4 port USB – USB 3.1 Type-C port, 2x USB 2.0 ports Aluminum body That means the keyboard acts as a second display either through the USB-C port when connected to a […]

Boardcon CM3588 Rockchip RK3588 System-on-Module designed for AI and IoT applications