CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

September 30, 2020September 30, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 30 Comments

Mecool KM6 Amlogic S905X4 Android TV box plays 4K AV1 videos, supports WiFi 6

We’ve heard about Amlogic S905X4 processor for 4K TV boxes with AV1 support for about year, and while we’ve written about upcoming S905X4 TV boxes such as SDMC DV8919, none of them have launched so far, as silicon design and/or software development have taken a bit longer than expected, and we’re now far from the Q4 2019 launch date shown on the roadmap. But we may not have to wait much longer, as I have been offered a review sample – which sadly, I may have to refuse due to local import regulations – for Mecool KM6 TV box based on Amlogic S905X4 quad-core Cortex-A55 processor coupled with up to 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, Gigabit Ethernet and WiFi 6 connectivity, and running Android 10 on Android TV (Android 10.0 ATV). The company will sell two models with Mecool KM6 Deluxe and Classic editions with the following specifications: SoC – Amlogic […]

September 30, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

New STM32H7 Cortex-M7 MCUs Clock at 550 MHz, Feature Octal SPI Flash and Ethernet Interfaces

STM32H7 Family Matrix with 550MHz Cortex-M7 MCU

STMicro launched STM32H7 single-core Cortex-M7 microcontroller family a while ago, followed by some dual-core Cortex-M7/M4 models, with most clocked up to 480 MHz. The company has now announced five faster parts clocked at up to 550 MHz with STM32H723, STM32H733, STM32H725, STM32H735, and STM32H730 which STMicro claims is “the fastest core speed in the market among MCUs that integrate Flash storage on-chip to run deeply embedded applications”. The embedded flash storage is important, as you may now NXP i.MX RT1170 Cortex-M7/M4 crossover processor can reach up to 1 GHz but does not include flash storage. Key differences in STM32H7 550 Mhz MCUs We’ve highlighted the five new microcontrollers in the table above, and beside the higher 550 MHz frequency delivering 2778 CoreMark and 1177 DMIPS, we can see those are the only parts that support both OctoSPI flash and Ethernet, and all five parts are designed for HMI applications with […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM

September 30, 2020November 3, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Arm Announces Cortex-A78AE CPU, Mali-G78AE GPU & Mali-C71AE ISP for autonomous automotive & industrial applications

Arm has announced new CPU, GPU, and ISP specifically designed for autonomous automotive and industrial applications with respectively Cortex-A78AE CPU, Arm Mali-G78AE GPU, and Arm Mali-C71AE ISP. Arm Cortex-A78AE CPU Key features and specifications: Architecture – Armv8.2-A (AArch32 at ELO only) Extensions – Armv8.1, Armv8.2, and Armv8.3 extensions (LDAPR instructions only), RAS extensions, Armv8.4 Dot Product, Cryptography extensions, RAS extensions Microarchitecture Up to 4x CPU cores per cluster Out of order pipeline Neon / Floating Point Unit included with INT8 Dot Product and IEEE FP16 Optional Cryptography Unit 48-bit Physical Addressing (PA) Memory system and external interfaces 32kB to 64kB L1 I-Cache / D-Cache 256kB to 512kB L2 Cache Optional 512kB to 4MB L3 Cache ECC Support LPAE Bus interfaces – AMBA ACE or CHI Optional ACP, peripheral port Functional Safety Support – ASIL D Systematic1 and ASIL D Diagnostic2 Security – TrustZone Interrupts – External GICv4 Generic timer – […]

September 29, 2020June 5, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

FPGA Meets Breadboard with Mercury 2 Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA Development Board

FPGA Meets Breadboard - Mercury-2 Development Board

While we now come across more and more FPGA development boards, very few are designed to be inserted into a breadboard. We’ve previously covered TinyFPGA BX, Fipsy, and QuickFeather FPGA breadboard-friendly boards. All those boards are however based on entry-level FPGAs like Lattice Semi ICE40 or QuickLogic EOS S3, and if you’d like a more powerful FPGA board that fits into a breadboard, MicroNova Mercury 2 development board may meet your requirements with a Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA. MicroNova Mercury 2 specifications: FPGA – Xilinx Artix-7A FPGA (XC7A35T) with 33,280 logic cells or XC7A100T with 101,440 logic cells System Memory – 4 Mbit (512K x 8-bit) asynchronous SRAM Storage – 32 Mbit SPI flash for configuration & user data Networking – On-board Microchip LAN8720A 10/100M Ethernet PHY USB – Dual-channel high-speed USB 2.0 micro USB port (ch A for config, ch B for user) 2x 32-pin headers Fast Ethernet signals 8-channel, […]

September 29, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Raspberry Pi CM3+ based Iono Pi Max industrial controller comes with an impressive number of I/Os

As the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 is only expected for next year, companies are still launching products based on Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3+ (CM3+), and Sfera Labs has just introduced Iono Pi Max industrial computer powered by a Raspberry Pi CM3+ system-on-module. Housed in a DIN rail enclosure, the Linux controller offers Fast Ethernet, three USB ports, isolated CAN and serial boards, some analog I/Os, a relay, as well as a real-time clock (RTC), integrated UPS, and more. Iono Pi Max specifications: SoM compatibility Iono Pi Max 3+ – Already fitted with Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3+ (Lite, 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB eMMC version) Iono Pi Max Solo – Barebone model compatible with Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3, CM3 Lite, CM3+ 8GB/16GB32GB, and CM3+ Lite MCU – Microchip SAME54 Cortex-M4F microcontroller with 1 MB flash, 256 KB RAM connected to the Raspberry Pi module via I2C, USB and […]

September 29, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

ASRock iBOX 1100 Industrial Mini PC Features Intel Tiger Lake UP3 Embedded Processor

We recently covered COM Express and COM-HPC modules powered by Intel Tiger Lake UP3 embedded processors announced last week. ASRock is now the first company to officially announce a Tiger Lake UP3 mini PC based on the new 15W IoT processors. ASRock iBOX 1000 rugged embedded computer is fitted with the company’s NUC-1100 motherboard that offers four 4K display outputs, 2.5GbE networking, and various other expansions and I/Os in order to target factory automation, AGV, retail kiosk, digital signage, entertainment, transportation, and other AIoT applications. ASRock iBOX 1100 specifications: SoC (one or the other) Intel Core i7-1185G7E quad-core/octa-thread Tiger Lake UP3 embedded processor @ up to 1.8 GHz / 4.4 GHz (Turbo) with 96EU Iris Xe Graphics; 15W TDP (Configurable between 12 and 28W) Intel Core i5-1145G7E quad-core/octa-thread Tiger Lake UP3 embedded processor @ up to 1.5 GHz / 4.1 GHz (Turbo) with 80EU Iris Xe Graphics; 15W TDP (Configurable […]

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

September 28, 2020September 28, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

TQ Embedded Unveils Intel Elkhart Lake COM Express and SMARC 2.1 Computers-on-Module

German technology company TQ Embedded has unveiled the TQMxE40 computer-on-module families based on the Intel Atom x6000E series, as well as Intel Pentium and Celeron N and J “Elkhart Lake” processors that comply with COM Express Mini, COM Express Compact, and SMARC computer-on-module standards. The company’s TQMxE40M, TQMxE40S, and TQMxE40C1/C2 embedded modules are offered with all twelve Intel Elkhart Lake processors, up to 64GB RAM, and a -40°C to +85°C industrial temperature range. The computers-on-module are especially suited to industrial automation, medical technology, measurement technology, robotics as well as transport and logistics applications. TQMxE40M COM Express Mini Module Specifications: SoC – Intel Atom x6000E Series or Intel Pentium and Celeron N and J Series part of Elkhart Lake family with 4.5 W to 12 W TDP System Memory – 4, 8, 16 GB LPDDR4/4x with IBECC (In-band EEC) Storage – 8 to 256 GB eMMC flash, 32kbit EEPROM COM Express […]

September 28, 2020September 28, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Breadbox Double weatherproof breadboard enclosure houses two standard breadboards

Breadboards are mostly used to experiment and quickly prototype circuits before either moving the said circuit to a perfboard or designing your own PCB. But if you ever need to transport your messily wired breadboard, let alone used it outdoors, you’d need a case. That’s exactly what Circuit Armour has built with Breadbox Double, a weatherproof breadboard enclosure designed to house two standard 1/2 sized breadboards. The Breadbox Double enclosure is 3D-printed with ABS, features a rubber foam seal between the base and cover to create a dust-and-waterproof seal, a waterproof connector for the wires, as well as a tiny lens that allows an LED to be viewed from the outside. The enclosure can be mounted to a wall, tree, planks, etc.. thanks to 12 mounting holes on the side of the enclosure. Once installed, you can still loosen the screws and remove the top cover to make any modifications […]