CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

May 14, 2021August 17, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

US516P6 RISC microcontroller powers offline voice assistant modules

I recently wrote about a Linux microwave oven with a built-in voice assistant, and somebody mentioned a quad-core SoC was overkill, and instead US516P6 microcontroller designed for offline voice commands would be a better fit. It’s all good, but finding information about Unisound US516P6 proved to be quite a challenge with not much public information, and most in Chinese. But then I noticed Wireless Tag WT516P6Core offline voice module, and since I have contact with the company I managed to get a few more details, notable with regards to the development tools. US516P6 module specifications: MCU – Unisound US516P6 RISC microcontroller (likely Andes NDS32 based) @ 240 MHz with FPU, DSP instruction, FFT accelerator, 242KB SRAM, 2MB flash Audio – Built-in power amplifier I/Os – 12 castellated holes with UART, GPIO, microphone input, speaker output, VCC, and GND Power Supply – Built-in 5V to 3.3V, 3.3V to 1.2V LDO to […]

May 14, 2021May 14, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Framework Laptop upgradable, repairable & modular laptop pre-orders opened for $799 and up

Most laptops are not made to be serviced by the end-users or expanded. In the part of the world where I live, I still have a “warranty void” sticker if I open my laptop to add an M.2 SSD. There are very few laptops with full documentation and whose companies encourage users to update and modify the hardware. Olimex TERES-I and MNT Reform 2 open-source hardware laptops do offer modularity, customization, and repairability, but they are based on low-power Arm processors and cater to a rather niche market. However, a new company called Framework is preparing to launch a modular laptop that is easily upgradeable and repairable with a more powerful set of features. The Framework laptop is offered with a choice of 11th generation Intel Tiger Lake Core processor, up to 64GB RAM, up to 4TB SSD storage, a 13.5-inch display, a Full HD webcam, a 55Wh battery, and […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM

May 14, 2021May 14, 2021 by Saumitra Jagdale - No Comments

NEON-2000-JNX series AI Camera Features NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX SOM for AIoT Applications

Machine vision applications highlight the complexity of implementation due to the requirement of interfacing several devices. These devices include image sensor modules, cables, GPU modules, and memory units, thus increasing the time for development and deployment. ADLINK’s NEON-2000-JNX series AI camera aims to simplify the deployment of edge machine vision and AIoT use cases. NEON-2000-JNX series AI camera comes with an inbuilt ADLINK’s new edge vision analytics software known as the EVA SDK. The software reduces the time in designing and creating proofs-of-concept, which leads to quicker deployment of applications. Users get a wide range of options for selecting field-ready “application plug-ins and ADLINK-optimized AI models”. This ensures the quality of vision AI and eases the building of use cases with lesser software code and programs. Additionally, the preview function allows quicker verification of AI Inference flow. We saw the launch of NVIDIA’s Jetson Xavier NX SOM in April 2020 […]

May 13, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Raspberry Pi CM4 based Exo Sense Pi multi-sensor device gets optional earthquake sensor

Sfera Labs’ Exo Sense Pi is a device with multiple environmental sensors based on the 2GB version of the Raspberry Pi CM4 module designed for residential and commercial applications such as environmental monitoring and data gathering, BLE positioning, indoor people and assets tracking, rooms management and access control, voice control, and more. The Exo Sense Pi devices include optional WiFI 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE connectivity depending on the RPI CM4 module selected, and ships with temperature, humidity, air quality (VOC), light intensity, microphone, and PIR motion sensors by default, but there’s also an optional earthquake sensor. Exo Sense Pi specifications: SoM – Raspberry Pi CM4 (16GB eMMC flash) or CM4 Lite module with 2GB RAM by default. But obviously compatible with other models. Storage – MicroSD card socket for CM4 Lite module Wireless connectivity – 2.4 GHz, 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac wireless; Bluetooth 5.0, BLE depending on installed […]

May 13, 2021May 13, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

$300 NANOTE P8 is a 7-inch mini laptop with an Apollo Lake processor

NANOTE P8 is an affordable mini laptop powered by an Intel Pentium N4200 Apollo Lake processor coupled with 8GB RAM, 64GB storage, and equipped with a 7-inch Full HD display. While there are now plenty of mini laptops from companies like GPD or One Netbook they tend to be relatively pricey as they offer hardware with specifications suitable for gaming. Nanote mini laptop launched last year offered a low-cost option for $185, but with an Atom x5 Cherry Trail processor performance was really on the low-side, and the new Nanote P8 offers a mid-range option so-to-speak. NANOTE P8 (UMPC-02-SR) specifications: SoC – Intel Pentium N4200 quad-core Apollo Lake processor @ 1.1 / 2.5 GHz (Turbo) with 2MB cache, Intel HD 505 graphics; 6W TDP System Memory – 8GB RAM Storage – 64GB eMMC flash, MicroSD card slot Display – 7-inch touchscreen display with 1920×1200 resolution, 360-degree hinge Video Output – […]

May 13, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Arduino launches Portenta Machine Control industrial control unit

Arduino Portenta Machine Control is a low-power, industrial control unit powered by Arduino Portenta H7 board and designed to drive equipment and machinery through digital and analog I/O exposed through terminal blocks. The industrial control unit adds to the Arduino Pro family that was introduced in 2020 with support for the Arm Pelion IoT platform, the launch of the STM32H7-powered Arduino Portenta H7 industrial board, and joins another application-specific solution, namely the Arduino Edge Control board for smart agriculture launched last month. Arduino Portenta Machine Control specifications: Portenta H7 board with MCU – TMicro STM32H747XI Cortex-M7 @ 480 MHz + M4 @ 200 MHz MCU with 2MB dual-bank Flash memory, 1 MB RAM, Chrom-ART graphical hardware accelerator System Memory – 8MB SDRAM Storage – 16MB QSPI NOR Flash Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet RJ45 port, WiFi & Bluetooth LE with u.FL antenna connector USB – 1x USB Programming Port I/O via […]

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

May 12, 2021May 12, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

The Zigbee Alliance renames to the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), Project CHIP becomes “Matter”

connectivity-standards association matter

The Zigbee Alliance is/was an organization of hundreds of companies creating, maintaining, and delivering open standards for Zigbee… and other Internet of Things (IoT) standards including Smart Energy, Green Power, JupiterMesh, rf4ce, Dotdot, etc… Since the organization does not reflect its involvement beyond Zigbee, the name has just been changed to the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), and while they were at it they also rebranded “Project CHIP” (Connected Home over IP) to “Matter”, maybe because “connectivity standards matter!” 😉 There’s also a new website csa-iot.org but it may not have complete information just yet, and they invite you to access the Full website (https://zigbeealliance.org/about/) for extra details. Nothing much has changed here besides the name. But there’s more to report about Matter. A dedicated website has launched for the new standard, although the code remains under the Project Chip GitHub account at this time. What’s more interesting is that formal […]

May 12, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Digi IX15 IoT Gateway & Cellular Router features a Zigbee & BLE XBee module

Digi International has just announced the Digi IX15 IoT gateway and cellular router with Ethernet and 4G LTE connectivity as well as support for Zigbee, Bluetooth 5.0, 2.4 GHz proprietary via an XBee module. The IoT gateway complies with Class 1 Division 2 (C1D2) certification for environments with flammable vapors or gases, as found in industries such as oil and gas, water/wastewater, energy, and agriculture. It is also programmable through a Python API to enable customers’ specific requirements. Digi IX15 IoT Gateway & Cellular Router specifications: Connectivity 10/100M Ethernet RJ45 port 4G LTE Cat 4 cellular connectivity Supported bands 4G – B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B8, B12, B13, B18, B19, B20, B25, B26, B28, B38, B39, B40, B41 3G: B1, B2, B4, B5, B6, B8, B19 2G EDGE / GPRS: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz Antenna connector – 50 Ω SMA (center pin: female) 2x […]

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