CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

March 15, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

NORVI ENET DIN-Rail ESP32 Industrial Controller adds Ethernet port

Announced in 2019, NORVI IIOT industrial controller features an ESP32 WiFi and Bluetooth module, a choice of OLED or TFT Display, 24V DC input, and several analog and digital I/Os all housed in a DIN Rail enclosure. Sri Lanka-based ICONIC DEVICES has now announced an updated version with NORVI ENET DIN-Rail ESP32 industrial gateway based on a similar design, but with the addition of an Ethernet port using W5500 SPI to Ethernet controller. NORVI ENET (AE06) specifications: Wireless Module – ESP32-WROOM32 with ESP32 dual-core processor @ 160 MHz, 520 Kbytes SRAM / 4 Mbit Flash, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2 Storage – MicroSD card slot Display – Built-in 0.96″ OLED display Communication – 10/100M Ethernet via W5500 controller, WiFi, Bluetooth, optional LoRa or NB-IoT module I/Os 8x 24V digital inputs for rotary encoders, sensors AE06-R model only – 4x 5A relay outputs for solenoid valves, contactors AE06-T model only – […]

March 15, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Raspberry Pi CM4 boards offer dual Ethernet, 4G LTE

Since the launch of Raspberry Pi CM4 and CM4Lite systems-on-module last October, we’ve seen carrier boards bring their own set of features including industrial communication interfaces, a stereoscopic camera, four SATA ports to build a NAS, a DIN-rail based industrial controller, and more. But so far, I have not seen a Raspberry Pi CM4 carrier board with dual Ethernet ports. Seeed Studio’s “Dual Gigabit Ethernet Carrier Board for Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4” was brought to our attention this morning, but there’s another one with 4G LTE connectivity, Fast+Gigabit Ethernet ports, and extra I/Os courtesy of MCUZone’s CM4-4G IO board. Let’s have a look at both of them. Dual Gigabit Ethernet Carrier Board for Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Specifications: Supported SoMs – Raspberry Pi CM4 and CM4Lite with up to 8GB RAM, 32GB eMMC flash, optional WiFi & Bluetooth Storage – MicroSD card slot to load OS on CM4Lite […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM

March 15, 2021March 14, 2021 by Saumitra Jagdale - 2 Comments

Piper Make: First Drag-and-Drop Coding Platform for Raspberry Pi Pico

In 2019 we saw Piper’s Computer Kit 2, which was a DIY Raspberry Pi 3 Computer for educational purposes. The kit was for kids to educate them on building their own computers and the basics of programming in electronics. This year the company has come up with another educational platform. Meet Piper Make. The newly launched Raspberry Pi Pico is capable of a wide range of applications but directly working on the development board for exploring these applications could be difficult for beginners. Additionally, prototyping a project or an application before implementing it is an ideal way for starting. Hence. Piper has launched its first drag-and-drop coding platform for the Raspberry Pi Pico which allows hands-on prototyping for the users. Piper Make platform has an interface that supports Chromebooks and other computers, thus making it flexible for users. It is free for users to explore hands-on with the Raspberry Pi […]

March 14, 2021March 14, 2021 by Ian W MORRISON (Linuxium) - 16 Comments

Using an eGPU with a mini PC

Mini PCs have grown in popularity in part due to their small form-factor offering low-powered basic computing with sufficient ports for connectivity. As such they are useful both in commercial settings such as digital signage as well as with consumers needing a small-footprint or VESA-mounted low-cost computer. However, one drawback is their limited graphical performance due to using CPUs with integrated graphics which results in the options for playing games being somewhat restricted and ‘AAA’ titles typically being unplayable. Lower-priced laptops often share the same drawback and one of the ways that users have addressed their graphical need is by utilizing an external GPU (eGPU) however the commercially available ones are both expensive and require connecting via a Thunderbolt 3 port. Unfortunately, not many Chinese-made mini PCs currently include a Thunderbolt 3 port however now that they have started to include M.2 NVMe ports this has created the possibility of […]

March 13, 2021March 1, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Eduponics Mini is an ESP32-powered Smart Agriculture kit (crowdfunding)

Eduponics Mini ESP32 Smart Agriculture Board

One sector of the economy that should benefit the most from the Internet of Things is the agricultural sector, as environmental sensors are needed to optimize yields and also decrease costs with lower electricity and water usage. STEMinds Eduponics Mini Smart Agriculture kit is designed for this purpose. At the heart of the kit is an ESP32 board equipped with light, temperature, humidity, and barometric sensors, as well as interfaces to connect an external pump, a soil moisture sensor, a water quality sensor, and more environmental sensors. Eduponics Mini board specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-WROVER-B module with ESP32 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth SoC, 4MB QSPI flash, 8MB SPRAM, PCB antenna Built-in sensors BH1750 I2C light sensor BME280 I2C temperature, humidity, and barometric sensor Expansion 2-pin connector for 12V pump with built-in relay module 3-pin connector for soil moisture sensor or any other analog or digital device 4-pin connector for water quantity […]

March 12, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

OSD32MP1-RED full-featured STM32MP1 development board launched for $265

OSD32MP1-RED development board was first announced last year together with another board based on Octavo Systems OSD32MP1 System-in-Package (SiP). The chip packs an STMicro STM32MP1 Cortex-A7/M4 processor, up to 1GB DDR3L memory, 4KB EEPROM, a PMIC, two low-power MEMS oscillators, over 100 passive components into a single 18x18mm 302 Ball BGA package. The company has now just announced the availability of the OSD32MP1-RED development platform on DigiKey, Arrow, and Mouser for around $265 and up. There have been a few modifications to the design with, for instance, the USB header replaced by a USB Type-A connector, but the most notable difference is that OSD32MP1-RED is now using a green PCB instead of the red one showed during the first announcement… OSD32MP1-RED specifications: SiP – Octavo Systems OSD32MP157C-512M-BAA with STM32MP157C SoC with dual-core Arm Cortex-A7, Cortex-M4 real-time core, plus 512MB DDR3 memory, STPMIC1A power management chip, EEPROM, oscillator, and passive components […]

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

March 12, 2021 by Saumitra Jagdale - 27 Comments

Machine Learning on Raspberry Pi Pico, RP2040, and future RPi MCUs

Although the Raspberry Pi Pico comes with the RP2040 chip that lacks the performance to implement machine learning inference for its applications. However, we saw a person detection use case through ArduCAM and TensorFlow lite interface. But, the processing performance of the use case was on the slower side. Additionally, a recent Eben Upton presentation also unveiled that due to low power requirements the board compensates the processing efficiency. Hence, it offers low-performance for edge inference and machine learning use cases. Eben Upton’s teaser on improvement in machine learning and the future scope of “Pi Silicon” revealed potential growth and development in edge inference applications. The demand for RP2040 boards has given rise to the market necessity for more boards. This demand can only be fulfilled if more boards with RP2040 chip are available in the market and company “partners such as Adafruit, Pimoroni, Adafruit and Sparkfun are start releasing […]

March 12, 2021March 12, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments

Chip shortage and high prices threaten supplies of SBCs and other electronics products

A few weeks ago, we started to hear news about a chip shortage for the automotive industry, but the shortage appears to be affecting all sectors now apparently due to a drought in Taiwan where a reservoir could be a risk of being depleted, and TSMC has been asked to reduce its water usage by 7 percent. I’ve also started to see several companies in the maker market warn about shortages and price increases. Pine64 announced it would only open pre-order for PinePhone, PinebookPro, PineTab, and other products once they could secure stocks of components, and while they hope to be able to do so within this month, there’s no guarantee. (1/2) [PSA] Re. availability of #PinePhone, #PinebookPro, #PineTab, etc., Due to component shortages, component price-increases & related issues, we will only open orders/pre-orders when production is securely underway. We are more cautious than usual, also for your sake (…) […]

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