CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

September 10, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

Raspberry Pi Zero Inspired ATMegaZero Arduino Compatible Board Launched for $24.90

When we reported about ATMegaZero, an Arduino Leonardo compatible board following Raspberry Pi Zero form factor last July it was not available for sale just yet. The good news is that the Microchip ATmega32U4 board is now available on GroupGets for $24.99 plus shipping. The group buying campaign is expected to end around September 30th, and the boards will ship right after that. Here’s a reminder about ATMegaZero specifications: MCU – Microchip ATmega32U4 microcontroller running at 16MHz with 32KB Flash, 2.5KB SRAM, 1KB EEPROM (Arduino Leonardo compatible) Storage – MicroSD card Display – 32-pin OLED display port compatible with 30-pin SSD1306 and SSD1331 based displays Wireless Connectivity – 8-pin header for optional ESP8266 ESP-01(s) WiFi module Expansion – 40-pin Raspberry Pi-inspired GPIO header with UART, SPI, I2C, analog input signals Debugging & Programming – Micro USB port, 6-pin ICSP header Misc – 4x LEDs, reset push-button Power Supply – 5V […]

September 9, 2020September 9, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Android 11 Release – People-centric Communication and “Pixel-First” Features

Six months have passed since Android 11 developer preview was released in February and at the time we noted enhancements for foldables and 5G, new call-screening APIs, new media & camera capabilities including animated HEIF support, as well as machine learning improvements. Google has now officially released Android 11 that is currently rolling out to select Google Pixel, OnePlus, Xiaomi, OPPO, and Realme phones. More phones will be upgraded/supported in the future, and Google also introduced some Pixel-first features that will (initially?) end up on Pixel phones exclusively. All Android 11 phones will support chat bubbles to message on top of other applications, built-in screen & audio, wireless Android Auto support with compatible cars, one-time permission for increased privacy, and more. But Google may have changed strategy trying to make Pixel phones more attractive to prospective buyers and increase sales as the Android 11 release comes with the following Pixel-exclusive […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM

September 9, 2020September 9, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Amlogic S905X3-B SoC Powers Android 9.0 TV Boxes with Dolby Audio License

Amlogic S905X3 quad-core Cortex-A55 processor has been found in various TV boxes and single board computers such as ODROID-C4 for about a year. But I’ve just been informed some new TV models come with Amlogic S905X3-B processor adding a Dolby Audio license. AX95 DB is one of those with the S905X3-B Android 9.0 TV box equipped with 4GB RAM, up to 128GB storage, HDMI 2.1 output up to 4Kp60, as well as Fast Ethernet, and USB 3.0/2.0 ports. AX95 DB specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X3-B quad-core Arm Cortex-A55 processor @ 2.0 GHz with Arm Mali-G31MP2 GPU, Dolby audio license System Memory – 4GB DDR3 Storage – 64GB flash (32GB or 128GB optional), MicroSD card slt up to 32GB Video & Audio Output HDMI 2.1 up to 4K @ 60Hz or 8K @ 24Hz 3.5mm AV jack for composite video and stereo audio Optical S/PDIF with Dobly Digital audio support Video […]

September 9, 2020December 7, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

$10 System-on-Module Drives Full HD Smart Displays via SigmaStar SSD201 SoC

SigmaStar makes some of the cheapest processors for cameras on the market such as MStar MSC313E SoC. I’ve now been informed about a new low-cost module – IDO-SOM2D01 – based on SigmaStar SSD201 dual-core Cortex-A7 Full HD SoC with 64MB embedded DDR2, 128MB flash, as well as support for Ethernet and WiFi. As far as I understand, there’s no camera input, and instead, the SSD201 processor targets applications leveraging Full HD display for the Smart Home, industrial HMI, and home control systems. Industio IDO-SOM2D01 system-on-module specifications: SoC – SigmaStar SSD201 dual-core Cortex-A7 processor @ 1.2 GHz with 2D GPU, 64MB DDR2 RAM (QFN128 package) Storage – 128MB SPI NAND flash (option up to 2GB) Video Decoder – H.264/H.265 up to 1920×1080 @ 60 fps 96x castellated holes (1.1mm pitch) with Video Output – 4-lane MIPI DSI up to 1080p60 Audio – 1x analog microphone input, 2x DMIC inputs, 1x Line […]

September 8, 2020September 8, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 27 Comments

USBImager – A Lightweight Alternative to balenaEtcher

The common way to flash OS images to SD cards used to be “dd”. But you could potentially damage your system with a wrong command, it will not do verification after writing the firmware image, and it was not available in Windows, so people had to use Win32DiskImager, and last time I check it did not do verification either. So Etcher, now called balenaEtcher, became a popular cross-operating systems tool to flash images for Raspberry Pi and other SBCs. It’s easy to use and does verification after flashing. However, the binary is rather large at around 130 MB, and the company started to show sponsors to fund the development of the program, and this was not to the liking of everyone. During my review of CrowPi2 Raspberry Pi 4 laptop, I encountered an issue with balenaEtcher, which was quickly fixed once I updated the program to the latest version. But […]

September 8, 2020September 8, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

IBASE Outs Fanless Embedded Systems with AMD Ryzen V1605B, V1202B, R1606G, or R1505G SoC

Taiwan based IBASE Technology has launched the ASB200-918 series fanless embedded systems based on the company’s IB918 AMD Ryzen Embedded SBC which we covered last year, runs Windows or Linux distributions, and supports up to 4K displays. ASB200-918-series rugged computers are powered by AMD Ryzen Embedded V1605B/V1202B or R1606G/R1505G processors with 16GB ECC memory, a 64GB SSD, various I/Os including two HDMI 2.0a output for industrial control, factory, kiosks, and other space-constrained applications. ASB200-918 key features and specifications: SBC – IBASE IB918 3.5-inch single board computer with AMD Ryzen Embedded V1000/R1000-series SoC (V1605B, V1202B, R1606G, or R1505G) System Memory – 2x 8GB DDR4-2666 SO-DIMM, upgradable to up to 32GB RAM, ECC supported Storage – 64 GB TLC 2.5-inch SSD (default), optional M.2 NVMe SSD Video Output – 2x HDMI 2.0a ports up to 4Kp60 resolution Audio – 3.5mm audio jack for Line-out, Line-in, and MIC-in Networking 2x Gigabit Ethernet via […]

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

September 8, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Nubia Watch Comes with a 4-inch AMOLED Flexible Display (Crowdfunding)

We previously covered Nubia–α wearable “smartphone” in 2018. The device was basically a smartwatch with a long curved display, and at the time was at the prototype/design stage. There’s now a similar, but more refined Snapdragon Wear 2100 powered Nubia Watch with a 4.01-inch AMOLED flexible display that has recently launched on Kickstarter. It’s unclear whether it’s related to the older prototype, as the company claims to have conceptualized the watch in October 2019. Nubia Watch hardware specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 (8909Q) quad-core Cortex A7 processor with Adreno 304 GPU System Memory – 1GB RAM Storage – 8GB storage Display – 4.01-inch AMOLED flexible 2-point touchscreen display with 960 x 192 resolution covered with Schott glass Connectivity Bluetooth 4.1 GNSS – GPS, GLONASS, Beidou Sensors – Accelerometer & gyroscope, pressure sensor, heart-rate sensor, geomagnetic sensor Misc – Power button Battery – 425 mAh Lithium battery good for […]

September 7, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

CarPiHat Connects Raspberry Pi to your Car with Opto GPIO, CAN Bus, 12V Outputs

OpenAuto Pro software is a Raspberry Pi-based head-unit solution that brings various features to your car including Bluetooth hands-free Profile, music streaming, integrated media player, navigation via Android Auto, screen mirroring, rear camera support, and more. But TDJ realized he needs more than just a Raspberry Pi, touchscreen display, and OpenAuto Pro software to meet his requirements, so he designed CarPiHat add-on board for Raspberry Pi providing power supply, opto-isolated GPIOs, CAN Bus, and 12V outputs. CarPiHat key features and specifications: I/Os Dedicated reverse, illumination, and aux inputs, all opto-isolated. 2x opto-isolated general-purpose inputs (for a total of 5 inputs) 2x high-current, high side switched 12V outputs (@ 1A) for switching relays, lights, etc… 1x independent CAN bus port Broken out I2C bus. Broken out one-wire for temperature sensor, etc… Misc – Real-time clock to maintain system time across reboots, EEPROM for Raspberry Pi HAT compatibility Power Supply 12V – […]