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Banana Pi BPI-M4 Board Comes with RTD1395 Processor, M.2 Socket, Raspberry Pi 3B+ Form Factor

Realtek RTD1395 processor is a lower cost version of RTD1295 / RTD1296 processors found in mid-range TV boxes often including HDMI input and output such as Zidoo X9s or LAKE I Home Cloud. The new processor comes with a lower-end Mali-470MP4 GPU and removed some interfaces like HDMI input and native SATA. So far, we had seen very few hardware platforms built around the processor, but SinoVoIP has just unveiled their latest Banana Pi BPI-M4 board powered by Realtek RTD1395 processor, following Raspberry Pi 3B+ form factor, and adding an M.2 key E socket with PCIe 2.0 and USB 2.0 signals. Banana Pi BPI-M4 specifications: SoC – Realtek RTD1395 quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor with Mali-470 MP4 GPU System Memory – 1 GB DDR4 (option 2 GB) Storage – 8G eMMC flash (max 64 GB), micro SD slot up to 256GB Video Output – 1x HDMI 2.0 port up to 1080p […]

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Qihua CQH6 SoM – A Better Alternative to Raspberry Pi Compute Model 3+?

The Raspberry Pi Foundation just launched the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3+ for $25 and up with Broadcom BCM2837B0 processor offering better thermals than BCM2837 processor. As is often the case, this post generated some insightful comments from the smart readers of CNX Software, and they pointed out some of the shortcomings of the module such as the lack of Ethernet support that would be required for cluster use cases for example. You can also add a USB to Ethernet chip to the carrier board, but that’s not ideal, and instead someone linked to Qihua CQH6 system-on-module powered by Allwinner H6 processor and sold for 158 RMB ($23.5 USD) or 199 RMB ($29.65) for respectively 512MB RAM/4GB flash and 1GB RAM/8GB flash configurations. Qihua CQH6 module specifications: SoC – Allwinner H6 quad-core Cortex A53 processor @ 1.8 GHz with Arm Mali-T720MP GPU System Memory – 512MB, 1GB or 2GB DDR3L […]

Khadas Edge2 Arm mini PC
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Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3+ Launched with Broadcom BCM2837B0 Processor, Up to 32GB Flash

Raspberry Pi 3 Compute Modules CM3 and CM3L launched about two years ago based on Broadcom BCM2837 quad core processor found in Raspberry Pi 3 board. Last year, the Raspberry Pi Foundation introduced Raspberry Pi 3B+ board with a slightly faster Broadcom BCM2837B0 processor, Gigabit Ethernet, and WiFi 802.11ac. So it would have made sense for the foundation to provide an upgrade to their CM3 compute modules with Broadcom BCM2837B0 processor, and that’s exactly what they’ve done with the launch of Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3+ for $25 and up. There are four variants of Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3+ with different storage options and sharing the following specifications: SoC – Broadcom BCM2837B0 quad core Cortex A53 processor @ 1.2 GHz with Videocore IV GPU System Memory – 1GB LPDDR2 SDRAM Storage CM3+/Lite – SD card signals through SO-DIMM connector CM3+/8GB – 8GB eMMC flash CM3+/16 GB – 16GB eMMC […]

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RAK Wireless Introduces DIY Cellular LoRa Gateways, Raspberry Pi & 96Boards Compatible LoRa Modules

RAK Wireless already has a decent offering of LoRa gateways and modules, but the company has been working on two new LoRa gateways, one Enterprise grade model – RAK7249 gateway – based on fully custom hardware, and the other – Pilot Gateway Pro RAK7243 – features a Raspberry Pi 3B+ board with Cellular & GPS connectivity on top of a LoRa radio. RAK Wireless will also introduce three RAK2245/RAK2248 LoRa concentrator modules that can easily be used with boards following Raspberry Pi, or 96Boards IoT edition form factors. RAK7249 DIY Enterprise LoRa Gateway Specifications: Main Board WiFi Module – RAK634 Module SoC – Mediatek MT7628N MIPS processor @ up to 580 MHz System Memory – 128MB DDR2 RAM Storage – 16MB SPI flash Connectivity – WiFi: 2×2 MIMO 802.11b/n/n mPCIe LoRa concentrator card Semtech SX1301 based Standard version with 8 channel Gateway and also support Max.16 channel Gateway. Tx Power […]

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$16 Raspberry Pi Case Integrates a 3.5″ Touchscreen Display

Most Raspberry Pi cases are not really newsworthy, but there’s an unnamed case for Raspberry Pi 2 & 3 boards sold for $15.99 on Banggood that looks like a normal case, except the top cover is replaces with a 3.5″ touchscreen display, and the kit also ships with a stylus. Key features of the display: LCD Type – TFT LCD Interface – SPI Touch Screen Type – Resistive Touch Screen Controller – XPT2046 Colors – 65536 Backlight – LED Resolution – 320×480 (Pixel) Aspect Ratio – 8:5 There are two ways to assemble the kit. Either with the 3.5″ display and no fan, or without display, but a top cover including a fan. I’ve not sure why would anyone would purchase this kit without using the display but at least you know that’s an option. There are ready-to-use Raspbian images for Raspberry Pi 3 and Raspberry Pi 3 B+, but […]

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Steam Link Beta now Available for Raspberry Pi 3 / 3B+

Steam is a digital distribution platform developed by Valve Corporation for purchasing and playing video games that was first launched in 2003 for Windows computer only. Since then Mac OS (2010), Linux / Ubuntu, as well as mobile devices running Android & iOS (2012) have been supported in Steam. Mobile could only be used to browse the storefront, manage games, and access the community. However more recently, the company released Steam Link app that allows players to stream games to their mobile devices, while being rendering on more powerful machines.  The good news is that Steam Link (beta) has now been released for Raspberry Pi 3 / 3B + boards. All you need is either board running Raspbian Stretch, and install Steam Link as follows:

Once the app is installed launch it in the command line with steamlink, or launch it from the Games menu in the desktop environment. Steam […]

Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs
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MiniNodes Raspberry Pi 3 CoM Carrier Board Takes up to 5 Compute Modules 3

Mininodes is known for their hosting services based on Arm development boards such as Cubieboard2, 96Boards Hikey, or Raspberry Pi 3, but the company unveiled their own hardware platform at Arm TechCon 2018 with miniNodes Raspberry Pi CoM (Computer-on-Module) carrier board that takes up to five Raspberry Pi Compute Modules 3. Beside the five sockets for CM3 / CM3L modules, the carrier board is also equipped with a gigabit Ethernet switch and RJ45 connector, as well as a DC jack to power the whole setup. The white round logo on the board most certainly means mininodes designed the board with Gumstix Geppeto web platform that allows you to fairly easily design your own custom boards in a web browser without having to draw schematics, and then handle the PCB layout. The company explains the Raspberry Pi 3 CoM Carrier Board can be used to provide edge compute capacity in remote […]

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Diskio Pi 13.3″ DIY Tablet Kit for Raspberry Pi – Take 2 on Kickstarter

Diskio Pi was a DIY tablet kit for Raspberry Pi, ODROID-C2/XU4 and other compatible boards with a 13.3″ Full HD display that launched last year on Kickstarter. But the project failed likely due to the high costs (350 Euros and up for early bird pledges without battery nor SBC) and an elevated funding target of 400,000 Euros. But the team did not give up, worked on reducing costs, improved the design, and recently relaunched Diskio Pi on Kickstarter with a more achievable 52,096 Euros target, and reasonable pricing with rewards starting at 189 Euros including VAT. Diskio Pi “basic” DIY tablet kit content and main specifications: Display – Innolux 13.3″ TFT/IPS display with 1920×1080 resolution, WLED backlight + 10-point touch capacitive panel connected over USB 2.0 Video control board with HDMI 1.4 to eDP converter, stereo amplifier, and 2x 1W speakers Daughter board with Genesys USB hub, 9V to 5V/4A […]

Khadas VIM4 SBC