Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments on SiFive announces Essential Gen4 RISC-V CPUs for embedded applications

SiFive announces Essential Gen4 RISC-V CPUs for embedded applications

SiFive Essential Gen4 RISC-V CPU IP

As the RISC-V Summit Europe 2024 is underway, SiFive has announced the fourth generation of its “Essential” RISC-V CPUs (Essential Gen4) with improved power efficiency and more flexible interfaces for SoCs used in embedded devices. The update covers 32-bit and 64-bit RISC-V cores including the U6 and U7-series 64-bit application processors, the S2, S6, and S7 64-bit real-time embedded processors, and the E2, E6, and E7 32-bit real-time embedded processors. Essential Gen4 IP keys features: Up to 40% runtime power reduction 8x different baseline embedded 32-bit and 64-bit cores From 2-stage single-issue to 8-stage superscalar Improved L2 cache and enhanced L1 memory Configuration and integration options CPU type, profile, and options On-chip memories selection System, peripheral, and front ports Advanced power management and security Debug and trace Software support includes embedded Linux and FreeRTOS operating systems and Eclipse-based IDE for C/C++ development. That’s another low-quality, light-on technical details announcement from […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments on LILYGO T-Energy-S3 ESP32-S3 board offers 18650 battery holder, two 20-pin GPIO headers

LILYGO T-Energy-S3 ESP32-S3 board offers 18650 battery holder, two 20-pin GPIO headers

ESP32-S3 board with 18650 battery holder

LILYGO T-Energy-S3 is an ESP32-S3 WiFi and Bluetooth IoT board with an 18650 battery holder, a USB-C port for charging and programming, and plenty of I/Os thanks to two 20-pin GPIO headers and a Qwiic connector. We’ve already covered a large number of ESP32-S3 boards and products, including some designs for battery operation such as the Tokay Lite AI camera board, LILYGO’s T7-S3 board, and Smart Bee Designs’ Bee S3 board among others. But that usually means providing a 2-pin connector and charging circuitry to connect a LiPo battery, but the T-Energy-S3 ESP32-S3 board works directly with an off-the-shelf 18650 rechargeable Lithium battery. T-Energy-S3 specifications: Wireless Module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8 Espressif Systems ESP32-S3R8 – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 @ up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration, 512KB RAM, 8MB PSRAM Storage – 16 MB flash Wireless – 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth PCB antenna USB – 1x USB […]

Khadas Edge2 Arm mini PC
Posted on by Debashis Das - 2 Comments on Olimex NEO6502 is a W65C02 and Raspberry Pi RP2040-powered retro computer with HDMI, USB, and more

Olimex NEO6502 is a W65C02 and Raspberry Pi RP2040-powered retro computer with HDMI, USB, and more

Olimex Neo6502 Dev Board

Olimex has recently launched NEO6502 an open-source hardware retro computer designed for educational and entertainment purposes, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be used for retro gaming. The board is very unique as it’s built around a 65C02 MPU and Raspberry Pi Pico RP2040 MCU in a dual-processor configuration. The MOS6502 handles the Apple II, Oric, and Commodore 64 emulators whereas the RP2040 handles everything else including HDMI (DVI) video output using the PicoDVI project. Previously we have written about similar retro computer kits such as the CERBERUS 2100, TinyLlama x86, DevTerm with ClockworkPi v3.14, Olimex AgonLight2, and many others feel free to check those out if you are interested in retro tech with a modern twist. Olimex NEO6502 board specifications Processors Western Design Center W65C02S 8-bit microprocessor @ 6.25 MHz with 64kB RAM, 32kB Graphics RAM Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Cortex-M0+ MCU @ 133 MHz with 264 KB SRAM Storage […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on NDAA-compliant NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX and Nano bundles target drones

NDAA-compliant NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX and Nano bundles target drones

ARK Jetson Orin Nano NDAA Bundle

ARK Electronics has recently introduced NDAA-complaint NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX and Nano bundles designed for drones with the company’s Jetson PAB (Pixhawk Autopilot Bus) carrier board, an ARKV6X flight controller, and an SSD preloaded with NVIDIA Jetpack and the ARK UI. I’ve come across the board following a post on X pointing to an article on Tom’s Hardware about the US passing a bill called “Countering CCP Drones Act” that would effectively ban DJI drones in the US.  DJI is supposed to have a 90% market share of the U.S. hobby market, a 70% market share of the industrial market, and an over 80% market share of the first responder market, so not everybody will be happy if the bill passes in the senate and becomes enacted by the US president. But US companies making NDAA-compliant hardware and drones may bit mind, and that’s how I discovered ARK Electronics NVIDIA […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on 2.5-inch Pico-ITX SBC features 13th gen Raptor Lake SoC up to Intel Core i7-1370PE

2.5-inch Pico-ITX SBC features 13th gen Raptor Lake SoC up to Intel Core i7-1370PE

Raptor Lake Pico-ITX SBC

AAEON PICO-RAP4 is a 2.5-inch Pico-ITX SBC powered by Intel Raptor Lake processors from the penta-core Intel Processor 300U up to a 14-core Intel Core i7-1370PE, equipped with up to 32GB DDR5 SO-DIMM memory, and supporting M.2 NVMe, SATA, and mSATA storage devices. The Pico-ITX board also features two Ethernet ports (2.5GbE + GbE) with TCC and TSN support, HDMI and eDP/LVDS display interfaces, multiple USB ports, two RS232/RS422/RS485 interfaces, and I2C and GPIO interfaces for further expansion. AAEON PICO-RAP4 specifications: SoC – 13th gen Raptor Lake SoC (one or the other) – Note frequencies shown as base frequencies Intel Core i7-1370PE 14C/20T processor @ 1.9GHz with Intel UHD Graphics; PBP: 28W Intel Core i7-1370PRE 14C/20T processor @ 1.9GHz with Intel UHD Graphics; PBP: 28W Intel Core i5-1340PE 14C/16T processor @ 1.8GHz with Intel UHD Graphics; PBP: 28W Intel Core i3-1320PE 8C/12T processor @ 1.7GHz with Intel UHD Graphics; PBP: […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on ESP32-S3 rotary encoder features 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen display and Qwiic connectors

ESP32-S3 rotary encoder features 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen display and Qwiic connectors

LILYGO T-Encoder Pro

LILYGO T-Encoder-Pro is a rotary encoder based on Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 WiFi and Bluetooth SoC, equipped with a 1.2-inch AMOLED with touchscreen support, and two Qwiic connectors for expansion. LILIGO T-Encoder was introduced in 2022 with ESP32 WiFi and Bluetooth SoC and a few GPIOs that enabled it to be fitted on a 2-key keypad shield. The LILYGO T-Encoder Pro has a completely different design with a more advanced ESP32-S3 SoC, an integrated touchscreen display, and GPIOs are now exposed through Qwiic connectors instead of headers. LILYGO T-Encoder-Pro specifications: Wireless SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3R8 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 @ up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration Memory – 512KB RAM, 8MB PSRAM Wireless – 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth Storage – 16 MB flash (W25Q128) Display – 1.2-inch rounded AMOLED with ∅390mm resolution via SH8601A-W14-T06 QSPI controllers; CHSC5816 I2C touch and rotary encoder chip […]

Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs
Posted on by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments on Maker Go ESP32-C6-EVB quad-relay board supports Wi-Fi 6, BLE 5, Zigbee for smart home applications

Maker Go ESP32-C6-EVB quad-relay board supports Wi-Fi 6, BLE 5, Zigbee for smart home applications

Makergo ESP32-C6-EVB board

The Maker Go ESP32-C6-EVB is an open-source development board built upon the ESP32-C6 module. It integrates four relays and four opto-isolated inputs and supports multiple wireless technologies including Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0, and Thread/Zigbee. The Espressif ESP32-C6 on the development board is a single, RISC-V system-on-chip with 2.4GHz Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5 (LE), and Thread/Zigbee (802.15.4). It is integrated into the ESP32-C6-WROOM-1-N4 module with an onboard PCB antenna, 4MB of SPI flash, and 23 GPIOs. We have seen a fair amount of ESP32-C6 boards recently, including the SparkFun Thing Plus, WeAct ESP32-C6-Mini, ESP32-C6-Pico, and the ePulse Feather C6. Maker Go ESP32-C6-EVB specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-C6-WROOM-1-N4 module with Espressif Systems ESP32-C6 single core 32-bit RISC-V processor @ 160 MHz with 2.4 GHz WiFi 6 1T1R with Target Wake Time (TWT) support, Bluetooth LE 5.0, and 802.15.4 radio for Zigbee, Thread, Matter, 2.4GHz proprietary Storage – 4MB SPI […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - No Comments on Waveshare MAX9296A GMSL camera board is designed for NVIDIA Jetson Orin developer boards

Waveshare MAX9296A GMSL camera board is designed for NVIDIA Jetson Orin developer boards

Waveshare 2 Ch GMSL Camera Adapter Board

Waveshare MAX9296A GMSL camera board allows two cameras to be connected to the Jetson Orin Nano / NX developer boards. The board is built around a MAX9296A Deserializer IC and supports GMSL1 and GMSL2 protocols and ensures fast, low-latency video transmission. The board uses a high-speed interface for transmitting video data, making it ideal for applications like self-driving cars, machine vision, and security systems. Previously we have seen GMSL used in products like AAEON BOXER-8645AI, Neousys Technology NRU-110V, and others. We have also written about NileCAM21 which can work with a 15-meter-long cable attached to it feel free to check those out if you are interested in those products. Waveshare  MAX9296A GMSL camera board specifications Waveshare part number – MAX9296-GMSL-Camera-Board Deserializer IC – Maxim (ADI) MAX9296A Host support – NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano / Jetson Orin NX dev boards Serializer model support – MAX9295, MAX96717, MAX96705, etc. GMSL input – 2-ch GMSL2 (compatible […]

Boardcon Rockchip and Allwinner SoM and SBC products