CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

August 2, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Embedded Linux Conference & IoT Summit Europe 2016 Schedule

Embedded Linux Conference & IoT summit 2016 first took place in the US in April, but the events are now also scheduled in Europe on October 11 – 13 in Berlin, Germany, and the schedule has now been published. Even if you are no going to attend, it’s always interesting to find out more about the topic covered in that type of events, so I had a look, and created my own virtual schedule with some of the sessions. Tuesday, October 11 10:40 – 11:30 – JerryScript: An Ultra-lightweight JavaScript Engine for the Internet of Things – Tilmann Scheller, Samsung Electronics JerryScript is a lightweight JavaScript engine designed to bring the success of JavaScript to small IoT devices like lamps, thermometers, switches and sensors. This class of devices tends to use resource-constrained microcontrollers which are too small to fit a large JavaScript engine like V8 or JavaScriptCore. JerryScript is heavily […]

August 1, 2016August 1, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

Have Your Say with this Android TV Box Survey (and Potentially Win One)

While you probably know what you want in an Android TV box, it’s quite difficult to find out what the market wants exactly, so I’ve been asked to run a short survey about Android TV boxes, the importance of Android apps like Kodi, Plex, or Netflix, brands, and support. It will run for about 7 days, the results will be public, so I’ll post them once they become available. The survey is short – 5 questions -, and anonymous, except if you want to participate in the lucky draw to win one Android TV box, as you have to leave an email address.

ArmSoM CM5 - Raspberry Pi CM4 alternative with Rockchip RK3576 SoC

August 1, 2016August 23, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 22 Comments

Development Resources for Realtek “Ameba” RTL8710, RTL8711, and RTL8195 WiFi SoCs

We were made aware of a potential ARM based ESP8266 competitor last week with Realtek RTL8710 WiFi modules selling for about $3.5 shipped per unit, and under $2 per unit for larger orders (100+ pieces). Hardware is good, but for a platform to be successful, or even just useful, you also need software support. So I started doing some research into IoT-Tech BBS and asked ICStation for an “SDK” for the module they sold. I ended up on this forum post providing an “Realtek RTL8710 SDK” via Baidu (password: brwp), which turned out to be about the same as the Google Drive link provided by ICStation, and only contain minimal documents, as well as cracked Windows IAR Embedded Workshop and JLink tools. There are also some more technical details in Chinese only in another forum post, and well as B&T RTL8710 module datasheet (PDF). However, if you don’t read Chinese […]

August 1, 2016August 1, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 20 Comments

QINTAIX Q912 Android TV Box is Powered by Amlogic S912 Octa-core SoC

I published pictures of Amlogic S912 TV box boards just over a month ago, and it appears companies have started to take orders from resellers for Amlogic S912 TV boxes with products such Videostrong KM8 Pro, or the one I’m going to cover in this post: QINTAIX Q912. QINTAIX Q912 specifications: SoC – Amlogic S912 octa-core ARM Cortex A53 processor @ up to 2.0GHz with ARM Mali-820MP3 @ up to 750MHz System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB or 16GB eMMC flash + micro SD slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0 and AV ports Audio Output – HDMI, AV, and optical S/PDIF Video codecs – VP9 profile 2 up to 4K @ 60 fps, H.265 [email protected] up to 4K 60fps, H.264 AVC up to 4K @ 30 fps, H.264 MVC up to 1080p60, MPEG-4, WMV/VC-1 SP/MP/AP, AVS-P16(AVS+)/AVS-P2 JiZhun Profile, MPEG-2 MP/HL, MPEG-1 MP/HL, and RealVIDEO 8/9/10 all up to […]

August 1, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

vESPrino ESP8266 USB WiFi Dongle Supports Add-on Boards (Crowdfunding)

Last month, I wrote about WiThumb a USB WiFi adapter based on ESP8266 processor which can conveniently be plugged into any USB port for power and programming. However, the hardware design was questionable with the WiFi PCB antenna placed close to other components, and a temperature sensor likely to get pretty hot inside the case. There’s now another device based on a similar concept with vESPrino USB stick that also expose a few I/Os through its enclosure. ESPrino specifications: WiFi module – ESP-12 FCC & CE Certified module based on Espressif ESP8266 USB – 1x micro USB port, 1x USB port Expansion – 6-pin female header with 4 GPIOs, 5V and 3.3V Programming & debugging – Via USB through CH340G USB 2 Serial adapter Misc – Push button (GPIO0), WS2812b RGB LED (GPIO2), temperature sensor connected to ADC? (not visible on schematics) Power Supply – 5V through micro USB or […]

July 31, 2016January 3, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 25 Comments

Amlogic S905 vs S905X Benchmarks Comparison

We’ve already compared the main features between Amlogic S905, Amlogic S905X and Amlogic S912, with Amlogic S905X being an upgrade of Amlogic S905 with the same quad core Cortex A53 cores and Mali-450MP GPU but adding VP9 hard ware decoding, HDR support, and integrating 10/100 Ethernet PHY and audio codec to lower the cost. The CPU frequency was also said to be lowered to 1.5 GHz in early document, but TV manufacturers keep promoting Amlogic S905 as a 2.0 GHz processor, and I noticed CPU-Z and Antutu also reported the maximum frequency to be 2.02 GHz. In that case the performance should be about the same for both processors. Let’s find out by comparing benchmark results between Amlogic S905 based MINIX NEO U1 (Android 5.1) and Amlogic S905X powered MINI M8S II (Android 6.0) using Antutu 6.x, Vellamo 3.x, and 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme 1.2. A ratio greater than one […]

Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs

July 30, 2016February 8, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 174 Comments

Mini M8S II TV Box (Amlogic S905X) Review – Part 2: Android 6.0 Firmware

Mini M8S II is one of the first Amlogic S905X TV box to hit the market, with the new processor adding 4K VP9 hardware video decoding and HDR support compared to Amlogic S905 processor. I’ve already taken pictures of the device and torn it apart to check its hardware & thermal design in the first part of the review, and in the second part, I’ll boot it up, check performance, features, and video playback capabilities. First Boot, Settings and First Impressions I plugged-in a USB hard drive into one USB port, but since the device only fetures two ports, I had to use a USB hub to connect two RF dongles for MINIX NEO A2 Lite air mouse, and Tronsmart Mars G01 gamepad, as well as a USB keyboard to take screenshots. I completed the hardware setup by connecting HDMI & Ethernet cables before starting the device by connected the […]

July 29, 2016July 29, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

FTLAB FSG-001 is a $30 Geiger Counter / Radiation Detector for Android & iOS Smartphones

I’ve just read an article on Tizen.org about Samsung and Intersoft Eurasia collaboration about a “personal radiation monitoring device DO-RA” sending data over Bluetooth 4.0 LE. But a visit to their website showed other models such as DO-RA-Q using a 3.5mm audio jack, and compatible with smartphone, and Windows & Linux computer. I could not find any of their devices for sale, so I searched for some alternatives, and I found FTLAB FSG-001 radiation counter on Aliexpress, Amazon and eBay selling between $30 and $40. FTLAB FSG-001 Geiger counter specifications: Radiation measurement of: gamma, X-rays Measurement range – 0.1 to 200 μSv/h Measurement error – <30% within a given deviation between Dimensions – Φ10 x 30 mm (total length: 47mm with 3.5mm audio jack) Weight – 6 grams Operating temperature – 10 to 40 ℃ You’ll need to plug the dongle into your smartphone audio jack, and download FTLAB “SmartGeiger” […]