CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

April 28, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 42 Comments

$24 Sunvell R69 Android 4.4 TV Box is Powered by Allwinner H2 Processor

We’ve fist seen Allwinner H2(+) quad core Cortex A7 processor in cheap development boards such as Orange Pi Zero, but the processor main market is actually “Basic OTT TV boxes” for 1080p video playback, and Sunvell R69 TV box is one of the first of those, and comes with 1GB RAM & 8GB storage. Sunvell R69 TV box specifications: SoC – Allwinner H2 quad core Cortex A7 processor @ up to 1.5 GHz (TBC) with Mali-400MP2 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB flash + micro SD slot up to 32GB Video & Audio Output – HDMI 1.4 output up to 1080p60, AV port (composite video + stereo audio) Video Codec – H.265 / H.264 up to 1080p Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi (via XR819 chipset) USB – 2x USB 2.0 ports Power Supply – 5V/2A Dimensions – 9 x 9.5 x 1.8 cm Weight – […]

April 28, 2017April 28, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Shuttle NS02E Rockchip RK3368 Android mini PC Supports PoE for Digital Signage and Thin Clients

The market is flooded of octa-core Android mini PCs or TV boxes for the consumer market, but Rockchip RK3368 powered Shuttle NS02E Android mini PC targets a different mark, specifically digital signage and thin clients as it’s been designed for 24/7 nonstop operation, and supports features such as PoE (Power over Ethernet). Shuttle XPC nano NS02E specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3368 ARM Cortex A53 processor @ up to 1.5 GHz with Imagination PowerVR G6110 “Rogue” GPU System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 16GB eMMC flash, 2.5″ SATA bay for 7″ drives (requires one extra optional accessory), SD card reader Video Output – HDMI 2.0 Audio Output – Via HDMI, 3.5mm Line OUT audio jack Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet (RTL8211-CG transceiver) with PoE support, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 (RTL8723BS module) USB – 3x USB 2.0 host ports Misc – Kensington lock hole, power button, power LED, HDD LED, […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM

April 28, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 22 Comments

Cavium ThunderX based Scaleway ARMv8 Cloud Servers Go for 2.99 Euros per Month and Up

Scaleway launched 32-bit ARM server hosting services in 2015 for 10 Euros per month, before dropping the price to 2.99 Euros per month half-year later, and now the company has just launched a new offering with 64-bit ARM servers powered by Cavium ThunderX processor going for 2.99 to 11.99 Euros per month depending on configuration. The processors are equipped with DDR4 ECC memory, and all three services included unlimited transfer, so you don’t need to pay for any bandwidth fee. While the price is shown per month, you’ll be billed by the hour (0.006 Euro/h for ARM64-2GB), so if you are using those for development it may even cost less per month, as you can turn them off when not working. All server are located in a Paris data center in France, and runs Ubuntu 16.04, but more operating systems and “InstantApps” will be added to the selection. More servers […]

April 27, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

CHUWI Lapbook 12.3 is a Windows 10 / Ubuntu Apollo Lake Laptop with a 2K Display, 6GB RAM, Up to 256 GB SSD Storage

I’ve reviewed CHUWI LapBook 14.1 laptop earlier this year with an Intel Celeron N3450 Apollo Lake processor, 14.1″ Full HD display and 4GB RAM, and found it to work reasonably well for the price in Windows 10, as well as Ubuntu 17.04. The company has been working on another model called CHUWI LapBook 12.3 with the same processor, but a smaller yet higher resolution 12.3″ 2K display, more memory (6GB RAM), 64GB eMMC flash, and support for M.2 SSDs up to 256 GB. CHUWI LapBook 12.3 specifications with highlight in bold showing differences against LapBook 14.1 model: SoC – Intel Celeron N3450 quad core “Apollo Lake” processor @ 1.1 GHz / 2.2 GHz (Burst frequency) and 12 EU Intel HD graphics 500 @ 200 MHz / 700 MHz (Burst freq.); 6W TDP System Memory – 6GB DDR3 Storage – 64 GB eMMC flash + micro SD slot up to 128 […]

April 27, 2017April 28, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

Selecting a Micro USB Cable to Power Development Boards or Charge Phones

Yesterday one person contacted me on Facebook asking me whether there was any chance of me doing a “which usd-micro usb cable is best”, as there’s not much clear information on the Internet. His purpose was to charge his phone, but many development boards come with a micro USB port, and I’ve read many comments about powering the board. It also happened to me, and the main cause can either be the power supply which does not work as rated (usually 5V/2A), or the micro USB cable which may have a resistance a little to high leading to voltage drops. You’ll know you may have a power problem when the board refuses to boot, and usually boot loop, or randomly reboots especially under high load. The first solution is to get a power supply that provide the right voltage and amperage, and you can test that with USB Charger doctor […]

April 27, 2017May 7, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

Hardkernel ODROID-XU4Q is a Fanless Version of ODROID-XU4 Exynos 5422 Development Board

[Update May 2018: You may be interested in ODROID-XU4Q review with Ubuntu 18.04] We had already seen ODROID-XU4 development board price drop to $59 earlier this year, but a frequent complain about the board remained: it requires a fan to operate at full speed, and makes noise while the fan turns. To address this issue, the company has now launched ODROID-XU4Q board with exactly the same specifications with Samsung Exynos 5422 octa-core processor, 2GB RAM, eMMC module support, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, HDMI 1.4 etc…, except the fan is replaced by a large heatsink. The company has also thoroughly tested both versions in different configurations such as setting the maximum frequency to 1.8 or 2.0 GHz, and found ODROID-XU4Q to be slightly slower under high load due to CPU throttling, as the large heatsink does not cool quite as well as the smaller heatsink in combination with a fan. However […]

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

April 27, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Intrinsyc Introduces Open-Q 2100 SoM and Devkit Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 SoC for Wearables

Qualcomm unveiled Snapdragon Wear 2100 SoC for wearables early last year, and since then a few smartwatches powered by the processor – such as LG Watch Style and Watch Sport – have been launched, and Intrinsyc has now unveiled one of the first module based on the processor with Open-Q 2100 system-on-module, and a corresponding Nano-ITX baseboard. Open-Q 2100 SoM specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 (APQ8009W) quad core ARM Cortex A7 processor @ up to 1.094 GHz with Adreno 304 GPU System Memory – 512 MB LPDDR3 Storage – 4GB eMMC flash Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n WiFi (WCN2320), Bluetooth 4.1 LE, Gen 8C GNSS (GPS/GLONASS) with on-board u.FL connector (WGR7640) Audio – Integrated Codec/PMIC (PM8916-1) with optional support for Fluence HD, Snapdragon Voice Activation, and Snapdragon Voice+ 2x 100-pin board-to-board connectors with USB 2.0, I2S, GPIO, MIPI DSI up to 720p @ 60 Hz, 2-lane MIPI CSI, SDC2/microSD […]

April 26, 2017June 18, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

AIO Robotics Zeus 3D Printer, Scanner, and Editor Allows You to Print and Copy 3D Objects Without a PC

The 3D printer maket is brutal. Many people have tried to designed their own 3D printer, and launch them through crowdfunding campaigns, but the rate is failure is very high, and some cases, scams are also reported. When I covered BlackSmith Genesis 3D Printer, Scanner and Copier in 2015, I was hopeful it would become successful, as it solves one the main problem with 3D printing: the high skill sets required to operate the device as it would just operate as a 3D copier. Place the object inside the 3D printer, press copy, and a few minutes or hours later, you get a copy of the object without having to learn about 3D design or G-code format. But today, I noticed the website account at expired, and the 3D copier was nowhere to be found, so it looks like another failure. Around the same time in 2015, another company called […]

Boardcon CM3588 Rockchip RK3588 System-on-Module designed for AI and IoT applications