CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

November 8, 2024November 8, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 28 Comments

Radxa E52C – A Rockchip RK3582 router with dual 2.5GbE, USB 3.0 port, USB serial console port

Radxa E52C is a compact router based on Rockchip RK3582 hexa-core Cortex-A76/A55 SoC and featuring two 2.5GbE ports, a USB 3.0 port, and a USB-C port for serial console access which will make some readers happy… It’s an update to the earlier Radxa E20C “Mini Network Titan” router, which was limited to two Gigabit Ethernet ports and a USB 2.0 port, and powered by an entry-level Rockchip RK3528A quad-core Cortex-A53 SoC. The Radxa E52C is better in every way with a much faster CPU, higher maximum memory and flash storage capacities, faster networking, and support for USB 3.0 storage or wireless dongles leading the company to call it an “Enhanced Mini Network Titan”. Radxa E52C specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3582 CPU Dual-core Cortex-A76 with up to 2.4 GHz Quad-core Cortex-A55 at up to 1.8GHz GPU – None (all good since we are talking about a router here…) AI accelerator – 5 […]

November 8, 2024November 10, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 119 Comments

Giveaway Week 2024 – RT-Thread Vision board with Renesas RA8D1 Arm Cortex-M85 MCU

It’s already Friday, and the fifty prize of CNX Software’s Giveaway Week 2024 will be the RT-Thread Vision board equipped with a Renesas RA8D1 Arm Cortex-M85 microcontroller, a camera, an optional LCD display, and a 40-pin GPIO header. The board is used as an evaluation platform for the Renesas RA8D1 MCU and RT-Thread real-time operating system. As its name implies, it’s mainly designed for computer vision applications leveraging the Helium MVE (M-Profile Vector Extension) for digital signal processing (DSP) and machine learning (ML) applications. I haven’t reviewed it myself and instead, received two samples from RT-Thread who sent them to me by mistake, so I’ll give them away here and on the Thai website. But it was reviewed by Supachai who tested the RT-Thread Vision board with OpenMV and ran a few benchmarks last June. The Helium MVE did not seem to be utilized in OpenMV at that time (June […]

ArmSoM CM5 - Raspberry Pi CM4 alternative with Rockchip RK3576 SoC

November 8, 2024November 17, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

GEEKOM Mini Air12 Lite Review – Part 1: Unboxing, teardown, and first boot

GEEKOM Mini Air12 Lite is a mini PC based on Intel Processor N100 CPU whose unique feature is to include an external 9-pin expansion header port for expansion to add an external power button, a reset button, and a few LEDs. As its name implies, it’s also a cheaper version of the GEEKOM Mini Air12 that ships with 8GB DDR4-3200 memory and a 256GB NVMe SSD. The mini PC also features HDMI and DisplayPort video outputs, Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, and six USB 3.2/2.0 ports. GEEKOM sent us a sample of the Mini Air12 Lite for review. So today, we’ll start by checking out the hardware with an unboxing and teardown, before trying to boot it up, and we’ll then test the system in more detail with Windows 11 and Ubuntu 24.04.1 in the next parts of the review. GEEKOM Mini Air12 Lite unboxing We received the […]

November 7, 2024November 8, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

iKOOLCORE R2 Max 10GbE mini PC review – Part 1: Unboxing, teardown, and first boot

Dual 10GbE Dual 2.5GbE Intel N100 mini PC soft router

iKOOLCORE R2 Max is an Alder Lake-N mini PC, server, and soft router equipped with two 10GbE and two 2.5GbE ports and offered with either an Intel Processor N100 quad-core CPU, or a more powerful Intel Core i3-N305 octa-core processor. When iKOOLCORE offered me an R2 Max sample for review, I explained I did not own any 10GbE networking gear. So the company decided to send me two samples for testing 10 Gbps Ethernet networking: a fanless Intel N100 model and an actively-cooled Core i3-N305 model. Since we’ve already gone through the specifications in the first article, I’ll start the iKOOLCORE R2 Max review with an unboxing, a teardown, and a first boot. In the second part of the review, I’ll use Proxmox, OpenWrt, Ubuntu, and/or other operating systems to test the devices using one as a DUT (Device Under Test) and the other as a 10GbE server. iKOOLCORE R2 […]

November 7, 2024November 7, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Forlinx launches NXP i.MX 95 SoM and development board with 10GbE, CAN Bus, RS485, and more

NXP i.MX 95 board with 10GbE, CAN Bus, RS485

Forlinx FET-MX95xx-C is a system-on-module (SoM) based on NXP i.MX 95 SoC with up to six Cortex-A55 cores, an Arm Cortex-M7 real-time core clocked at 800 MHz, an Arm Cortex-M33 “safety” core clocked at 333 MHz, and equipped with 8GB LPDDR4x and 64GB eMMC flash. The company also provides the feature-rich OK-MX95xx-C development board based on the i.MX 95 module with a wide range of interfaces such as dual GbE, a 10GbE SFP+ cage, terminal blocks with RS485 and CAN Bus interface, three USB Type-A ports, two PCIe slots, and more. Forlinx FET-MX95xx-C system-on-module Specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX 9596 CPU 6x Arm Cortex-A55 application cores clocked at 1.8 GHz (industrial) with 32K I-cache and D-cache, 64KB L2 cache, and 512KB L3 cache Arm Cortex-M7 real-time core clocked at 800 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 safety core clocked at 333 MHz GPU – Arm Mali-G310 V2 GPU for 2D/3D acceleration with support […]

November 7, 2024November 9, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 238 Comments

Giveaway Week 2024 – Mixtile Core 3588E development kit with RK3588 SoM

Day 4 of Giveaway Week 2024 will be for a development kit comprised of the Mixtile Core 3588E SoM based on Rockchip RK3588 octa-core Cortex-A76/A55 SoC and a Leetop A206 carrier board compatible with NVIDIA Jetson SO-DIMM modules. This development kit is mostly useful to evaluate the Mixtile Core 3588E system-on-module, but it can be used just like any Rockchip RK3588 SBC with the company providing a Ubuntu 22.04 Desktop image for the board. Since it relies on the same edge connector as the NVIDIA Jetson TX2 NX module, the Core 3588E module can also be connected to other compatible carrier boards. I reviewed the Mixtile Core 3588E development kit last December running Ubuntu 22.04. At the time, I found the Mixtile Core 3588E system-on-module performs well with the pre-loaded Ubuntu 22.04 image with a similar performance as on other Rockchip RK3588 hardware platforms. 3D graphics acceleration was working with […]

Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs

November 7, 2024November 10, 2024 by Sponsored Post - No Comments

Compex Systems Unveils Wi-Fi 7 Modules with Smart Connectors, Enabling Seamless Multi-Link Operation (MLO) Integration on Conventional CPU Platforms (Sponsored)

Compex Systems (Compex), a global leader in wireless communication technology, is taking Wi-Fi 7 to new heights with an innovative connector design for Multi-Link Operation (MLO). This breakthrough enables seamless deployment of MLO across off-the-shelf platforms, including those with Intel x86 and ARM processors (e.g. NXP and Marvell), eliminating the need for custom-made host boards and unlocking the full potential of Wi-Fi 7 features for a wider range of users and applications. Multi-Link Operation (MLO) is a key performance advantage of Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), setting it apart by allowing the routing and aggregation of throughput across multiple radio links in different frequency bands. It enables data to be routed through the least congested links, improving overall latency and reliability. MLO can also aggregate bandwidths from more than one wireless link, enhancing throughput and network performance. It is ideal for bandwidth-intensive and real-time applications such as 4K/8K video streaming, cloud gaming, […]

November 6, 2024November 6, 2024 by Sayantan Nandy - No Comments

Axiomtek CEM710 COM Express module features Intel Xeon D-1700 SoC with up to 100Gbps Ethernet support

In 2022, we covered Intel’s Xeon D (Ice Lake-D) processor family, which includes the D-2700 and D-1700 models. These processors are designed for software-defined networking and edge applications, providing data center-grade capabilities at the edge. Key features include integrated AI and crypto acceleration, built-in Ethernet, and support for Intel Time Coordinated Computing (TCC) and Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) to ensure high reliability. Leveraging these advanced capabilities, companies like ADLINK Technology and Congatec have introduced COM-HPC server modules and COM Express Type 7 modules based on the new Xeon D lineup. Axiomtek’s CEM710 is a COM Express Type 7 Basic Module powered by Intel Xeon D-1700 Series processors, designed for edge computing, industrial automation, and data-intensive applications. It offers up to 10 cores, 100Gbps Ethernet, and 64GB of DDR4 ECC memory, along with PCIe Gen3 slots for expandability. With rugged features and TPM 2.0 for security, it ensures reliable performance in demanding […]