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ODROID-H4 Plus review – Part 2: Intel N97 NAS Kit and fanless SBC tested in Ubuntu 24.04

In the first part of the ODROID-H4+ kit review, I checked out the hardware and showed how to install the Intel N97 SBC into the H4 Type 3 case taking up to four 2.5-inch SATA drives. I’ve now had time to test the ODROID-H4 Plus with Ubuntu 24.04 both as an actively cooled NAS kit and a fanless SBC and will report benchmark results, 2.5GbE and storage test results, 4K and 8K YouTube video playback capability, check IBECC memory support, measure power consumption, and more in the second part of the review. Ubuntu 24.04 installation on ODROID-H4 Plus The ODROID-H4 Plus SBC does not come with any preinstalled OS since there’s no storage by default, so I installed Ubuntu 24.04 on the 128GB M.2 NVMe SSD I inserted into the board. The installation went relatively smoothly, but in hindsight, I would have probably installed the OS before installing the SBC […]

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Beyond the mini PC – Customizable computing solutions for any industry (Sponsored)

In today’s fast-paced business world, the demand for efficient, customizable, and powerful computing solutions has never been greater. According to a 2022 report by Grand View Research, the global market for custom-built PCs is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.5% from 2021 to 2028, driven by increasing demand for tailored computing solutions across various industries. Companies are turning to personalized technology to optimize processes and gain a competitive advantage. Therefore, when a company needs hardware specifically designed for their business, Azulle delivers. Azulle provides enterprise-grade mini PCs tailored to your business’s unique requirements through component enhancements, OEM, ODM, and more. Performance and Flexibility with Modular Design The right hardware for your business can boost efficiency and performance. Modular mini PCs are small computing devices that prioritize flexibility and customization allowing users to upgrade parts without replacing the whole unit, increasing the longevity and scalability […]

Khadas Edge2 Arm mini PC
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Pironman 5 is a fancy tower PC case for the Raspberry Pi 5 with NVMe M.2 SSD, oversized fans, RGB LEDs

SunFounder Pironman 5 is an enclosure for the Raspberry Pi 5 SBC that looks like a small Tower PC equipped with two RGB LED fans and a tower cooler with a PWM fan for cooling, and support for an NVMe SSD drive through the company’s Pironman 5 NVMe PiP HAT+ expansion board. The case also includes a small OLED information display, a power button for safe shutdown, two full-size HDMI ports, a spring-loaded microSD card socket for easy insertion and removal, an IR receiver for media center applications, and externally accessible 40-pin GPIO header so users can still play with GPIO while the Raspberry Pi 5 is inside the case. Pironman 5 key features and specifications: Designed for the Raspberry Pi 5 SBC (a board like Radxa Rock 5C could be installed instead, but software for OLED display, RGB LEDs, fan control, etc… might be an issue) Storage Pironman 5 […]

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SONOFF SwitchMan M5 Matter Review – A Matter Smart Wall Switch tested with eWelink, Apple Home, and Home Assistant

We received the latest Smart Wall Switch from SONOFF, called the SwitchMan Smart Wall Switch-M5 Matter, which we will refer to in short as M5 Matter. This model supports Matter (over WiFi) and is very similar to its predecessor, the SwitchMan Smart Wall Switch-M5, with the addition of Matter. The M5 Matter provides an alternative option for easy integration with other Smart Home platforms that support Matter. This device is the second one from SONOFF to support Matter, we already reviewed the first Matter device, the SONOFF MiniR4M at the end of last year. Matter, developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), is supported by major companies such as Apple, Amazon, Google, LG, and Samsung, as well as other smaller companies. It could be a boon for Smart Home enthusiasts seeking a universal communication standard between devices, offering more choices, less complexity, and potentially lower costs. Let’s take a closer […]

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50W high-power wireless charging boards target industrial, medical, and smart home applications

STMicro has introduced a combo of 50W wireless charging transmitter and receiver boards, namely the STEVAL-WBC2TX50 transmitter board and the STEVAL-WLC98RX receiver board, for the development of high-power wireless charging solutions such as medical and industrial equipment, home appliances, and computer peripherals. The transmitter board, based on the STWBC2-HP transmitter system-in-package (SiP), supports up to 50W of output power using the STMicro’s proprietary Super Charge (STSC) protocol, as well as the Qi 1.3 5W Baseline Power Profile (BPP) and 15W Extended Power Profile (EPP). The receiver board, based on the STWLC98 wireless power receiver IC, can handle up to 50W charging power through STSC, supports Qi BPP and EPP charging, and implements features such as Adaptive Rectifier Configuration (ARC) to extend charging distance by up to 50% and accurate voltage and current measurement for Foreign Object Detection (FOD). STEVAL-WBC2TX50 transmitter board highlights: STWBC2-HP wireless power transmitter chip MCU – STM32G071 […]

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EdgeCortix SAKURA-II Edge AI accelerator deliver up to 60 TOPS in an 8W power envelope

EdgeCortix has just announced its SAKURA-II Edge AI accelerator with its second-generation Dynamic Neural Accelerator (DNA) architecture delivering up to 60 TOPS (INT8) in an 8Watts power envelope and suitable to run complex generative AI tasks such as Large Language Models (LLMs), Large Vision Models (LVMs), and multi-modal transformer-based applications at the edge. Besides the AI accelerator itself, the company designed a range of M.2 modules and PCIe cards with one or two SAKURA-II chips delivering up to 120 TOPS with INT8, 60 TFLOPS with BF16 to enable generative AI in legacy hardware with a spare M.2 2280 socket or PCIe x8/x16 slot. SAKURA-II Edge AI accelerator SAKURA-II key specifications: Neural Processing Engine – DNA-II second-generation Dynamic Neural Accelerator (DNA) architecture Performance 60 TOPS (INT8) 30 TFLOPS (BF16) DRAM – Dual 64-bit LPDDR4x (8GB,16GB, or 32GB on board) DRAM Bandwidth – 68 GB/sec On-chip SRAM – 20MB Compute Efficiency – […]

Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs
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Airlytix ES1 environment monitor runs ESPHome for Home Assistant integration

Airlytix ES1 environment monitor is an ESP32-based environment tracking device that runs ESPHome. The device tracks various environmental parameters like temperature, humidity, air quality (PM1.0, PM2.5, PM4, PM10, VOCs, NOx, CO2), barometric pressure, ambient light, and noise levels. To make things even more interesting, the device ships with a compact 3D printed case and can be integrated with Home Assistant for smart home automation. Previously we have written about similar environment monitor devices like the Sonoff SC WiFi, V-Air Monitro, and devices like Arduino MKR IoT Carrier Rev2, Radair mini gateway, and Nicla Sense ME  designed for environment monitor applications. Airlytix ES1 environment monitor specifications MCU – Unnamed ESP32 module for Wi-Fi connection Particulate Matter Mass Concentration: 0-1000μg/m3 Mass Concentration Size: PM1.0, PM2.5, PM4, PM10 Mass Concentration Precision: +/-1.25μg/m3/year VOC & NOX VOC Index Precision: <+/-15% VOC Index m.v. NOX Index Precision: <+/-50% NOX Index m.v. CO2 Measurement Range: 400-5000ppm […]

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Cincoze DV-1100 is a rugged embedded computer with Raptor Lake or Alder Lake SoC for industrial and railway applications

Cincoze DV-1100 is a rugged embedded computer powered by a choice of Intel 13th Gen Raptor Lake or 12th Gen Alder Lake S Series embedded processors with up to 32GB DDR5 DO-DIMM memory, various NVMe and SATA storage options, up to three display interfaces, 2.5GbE and GbE networking, optional WiFi, Bluetooth, 4G LTE, and/or 5G wireless connectivity, six USB ports for expansion, and more. The system is housed in a fanless enclosure made of extruded aluminum with heavy-duty metal that’s good enough for 35W processors, but an additional fan kit is required for 65W processors. As a rugged embedded system designed for industrial environments, the Cincoze DV-1000 takes 9 to 48V DC input, integrates two RS232/RS422/RS485 COM ports, complies with the MIL-STD-810H shock and vibration standard plus various other industrial and railways standards, and can operate in a wide  -40°C to 70°C temperature range. Cincoze DV-1100 specifications: SoC (multiple options) […]

Khadas VIM4 SBC