CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

June 13, 2024June 12, 2024 by Paisit Wongsongsarn - 2 Comments

SONOFF ZBMicro Review – A Micro Zigbee USB Smart Adapter tested with eWelink and Home Assistant

We’ve just published the review of the SONOFF Zigbee Bridge Ultra, and as promised the next one will be the SONOFF Micro Zigbee USB Smart Adapter (ZBMicro for short). When we first received the device we wondered what improvements could be made beyond the first Wi-Fi version as it’s so small. However, after using it for a while, we found it to be a pretty good product. Besides functioning as a smart USB switch for turning devices on and off, it supports fast charging, data transfers, and can act as a Zigbee router. Additionally, it can be used with other platforms that adhere to the Zigbee 3.0 standard. From our market observations, competing devices similar to the ZBMicro lack features like fast charging or switching capabilities, making the SONOFF USB adapter more appealing compared to competitors at a similar price point. Compared to its predecessor (WiFi version), the ZBMicro has […]

June 13, 2024June 12, 2024 by Supachai Vorapojpisut - 1 Comment

RT-Thread Vision board review – Part 1: OpenMV on Renesas RA8D1 Cortex-M85 microcontroller

RT-Thread VIsion board vs WeAct STM32H743

I am always interested in real-time operating systems (RTOS) for microcontrollers (MCUs) with my past backgrounds in µC/OS-II, mbed, and FreeRTOS. When the opportunity arose to get my hands on the RT-Thread Vision Board, thanks to the RT-Thread team and CNX Software, I was excited to check it out. This board, a collaboration between RT-Thread and Renesas, packs a powerful Renesas RA8D1 Cortex-M85 MCU and comes pre-loaded with OpenMV firmware. OpenMV’s MicroPython engine lets you jump right into embedded vision development, perfect for experimenting with computer vision tasks. But the real power lies in RT-Thread’s ability to handle tasks very quickly, which we’ll explore with C/C++ development in part two. This first part will focus on getting you familiar with the hardware using the OpenMV firmware, making it a smooth entry point for beginners. Plus, I have a collection of other Renesas evaluation boards, so you can bet I’ll be […]

ArmSoM CM5 - Raspberry Pi CM4 alternative with Rockchip RK3576 SoC

June 12, 2024June 12, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

Meles RISC-V credit card-sized SBC is powered by T-Head TH1520 quad-core SoC

Shenzhen Milk-V Technology’s Meles SBC (single board computer) is powered by a T-Head TH1520 quad-core RISC-V processor and offered in a credit card form factor similar to the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B layout. The board is quite more powerful with a 2.0 GHz quad-core SoC equipped with a modern GPU, a 4K capable video encoder and decoder, and a 4 TOPS NPU. The board also features gigabit Ethernet, a WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.2 module, four USB 3.0 ports, HDMI 2.0 video output, MIPI CSI and DSI interfaces, and a 40-pin GPIO header. Meles specifications: SoC – Alibaba T-Head TH1520 CPU Quad-core RISC-V Xuantie C910 (RV64GCV – Vector Extension version 0.7) processor up to 2.0 GHz Low-power Xuantie E902 core GPU – Imagination BXM-4-64 GPU with support for OpenGL ES3.0/3.1/3.2, OpenCL 1.1/1.2/2.0, Vulkan 1.1/1.2; 50.7GFLOPS DSP – Xuantie C906 audio DSP @ 800 MHz VPU Video Decoder H.265, H.264, […]

June 12, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

The RPGA Feather dev board pairs RP2040 chip with a Lattice iCE40 FPGA for sensor fusion projects

Oak Development Technologies’ RPGA Feather board integrates the Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller with the iCE5LP4K FPGA from Lattice Semiconductor into a compact development board in the Adafruit Feather form factor. The iCE5LP4K FPGA is an ultra-low-power chip in the iCE40 Ultra product family designed for mobile applications such as smartphones, tablets, and handhelds, while the Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller makes it much easier to program the FPGA using CircuitPython. We have seen Oak Development Technologies’ earlier forays into FPGA Feather-compatible products such as the IcyBlue board (also based on iCE5LP4K FPGA) and the Lattice FeatherWing. RPGA Feather specifications: MCU – Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Cortex-M0+ microcontroller @ 133 MHz with 264KB SRAM FPGA – Lattice Semiconductor iCE5LP4K FPGA Logic Cells – 3,520 logic cells Memory 80 Kbits of embedded Block RAM (EBR) Distributed RAM: 640 bits 2x hardware I2C blocks and 2x hardware SPI blocks 26 I/Os for customized interfaces […]

June 12, 2024June 13, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

$20 Zigbee & Z-Wave mPCIe module targets Home Assistant gateways

Mixtile’s “2-in-1 Zigbee & Z-Wave mPCIe module” is a relatively inexpensive way to add Zigbee and Z-Wave connectivity to a Home Assistant server without having USB dongles sticking out of the server and taking some of its spare USB ports. The module is compatible with any computer, gateway, or SBC with a spare mini PCIe socket featuring a USB 2.0 interface such as Rockchip RK3568-powered Mixtile Edge 2 Kit gateway. You’ll also need some way of mounting the antennas after connecting them to the IPEX-1 antenna connectors on the module, the Edge 2 Kit comes with multiple antenna holes. Mixtile 2-in-1 Zigbee & Z-Wave mPCIe module specifications: Wireless MCUs Silabs EFR32MG24 Arm Cortex-M33 @ 78.0 MHz with 256 kB RAM, 1536 kB flash Radio Frequency – 2.4 GHz (802.15.4 radio) TX Power – up to +19.5 dBm RX sensitivity – -105.4 dBm at 250 kbps Protocols – Zigbee, Matter, Thread […]

June 12, 2024June 11, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Argon ONE V3 M.2 NVMe case for Raspberry Pi 5 brings all ports on one side, full-size HDMI ports

The Argon ONE V3 M.2 NVMe case for the Raspberry Pi 5 is an update to the Argon ONE M.2 case for the Raspberry Pi 4 that brings all ports of the Raspberry Pi 5 on one side and features full-size HDMI ports instead of the micro HDMI ports on the Pi 5 SBC. Debashis has just written about the Waveshare Pi5 Connector Adapter board that connects to the micro HDMI and USB-C ports of the Raspberry Pi 5 to bring them alongside the other ports and features two full-size HDMI ports. It’s a good idea, but it lacks an enclosure. The Argon ONE M.2 NVMe case does something similar with an enclosure and supports for NVMe SSD drives. Argon ONE V3 M.2 NVMe case key features: SBC – Compatible with Raspberry Pi 5 Storage – M.2 NVMe SSD via Key-M socket connected to the Raspberry Pi 5 PCIe connector; […]

Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs

June 11, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Raspberry Pi Holdings Plc debuts on the London Stock Exchange

You may soon be greeted by a chart when searching for the stock of Raspberry Pi boards simply because Raspberry Pi Holdings Plc is now a public company listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) under the ticker RPI. The Raspberry Pi Foundation was founded in 2008 as a non-profit organization with Eben and Liz Upton (and others) taking a gamble manufacturing a few thousand Raspberry Pi model B boards for $35 apiece for the February 2012 launch. But things got quickly out of hand, and the unexpected success of the board meant Raspberry Pi Trading (then changed to Raspberry Pi Limited) for-profit had to be established to handle sales and retribute most of the profits to the non-profit entity. After having sold over 60 million Raspberry Pi boards, Raspberry Pi Limited is no more, following the listing of Raspberry Pi Holdings Plc. Since the company is now public, there’s […]

June 11, 2024 by Paisit Wongsongsarn - No Comments

SONOFF Zigbee Bridge Ultra Review – eWelink app, Matter Bridge, Turbo Mode for extended range, and Home Assistant

We have received two more Zigbee smart home products from ITEAD to review. It appears that SONOFF has strategically introduced a variety of Zigbee devices in the first half of this year. The first one we will be reviewing is the SONOFF Zigbee Bridge Ultra, which we believe will eventually replace the Zigbee Bridge (2020) and Zigbee Bridge Pro (2022) and comes with additional features, such as being a Matter Bridge. The second device we’ve received is the SONOFF Micro Zigbee USB Adapter for which we’ll post a review in the next few days, But first, let’s dive into the SONOFF Zigbee Bridge Ultra review. Overview SONOFF Zigbee Bridge Ultra (Ultra for short and also called SONOFF ZBBridge-U) is a multi-functional device. Compared to its predecessor, the Zigbee Bridge Pro, the Ultra shows big improvements in features and hardware specs. It boasts a much more powerful chip (Rockship RV1109 vs. […]

Boardcon Rockchip and Allwinner SoM and SBC products