CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

July 22, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

M9S Z8 Android TV Box Looks like an Nvidia Shield Android TV Box

You’d love to get an Nvidia Shield Android TV, but the price is just too high? No problem, as M9S Z8 offers you the appearance of Nvidia TV box for just $66. Sadly the comparison stops there, because instead of an Nvidia Tegra X1 processor, the box features your typical Amlogic S905 processor combined with 2GB RAM and 16 GB storage. M9S Z8 specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905 quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 2.0GHz with penta-core Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 16GB eMMC flash + SD card slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0 output up to 4K @ 60 Hz, AV port Audio – HDMI, AV, and optical S/PDIF Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, dual band 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports Misc – IR receiver, RGB LED light Power Supply – 5V Dimensions & Weight – 160 […]

July 22, 2016August 5, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 27 Comments

NEXBOX A95X (S905X) Android TV Box Review – Part 1: Unboxing and Teardown

NEXBOX A95X is an Android TV box that first launched with Amlogic S905 processor, the company thought it was a good idea to make multiple models with the same name with a combination of memory capacity (1 or 2GB), storage capacity (8 or 16GB), and even processor, as you may get a box with Amlogic S905, or Amlogic S905X processor adding 4K VP9 and HDR support. So you should be careful befoire your place an order, and check you got the right model when you receive it. The company now sent me their “high-end” A95X Android 6.0 model with Amlogic S905X processor, 2GB RAM, and 16GB storage, as well as Fast Ethernet and dual band WiFi 802.11 b/g/n support. In the first part of the review I’ll check out the hardware, including the board itself, before testing the firmware in more details in the second part. NEXBOX A95X Unboxing The […]

ArmSoM CM5 - Raspberry Pi CM4 alternative with Rockchip RK3576 SoC

July 22, 2016July 22, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

FriendlyARM NanoPi NEO Board Benchmarks

We’ve already seen how to setup NanoPi NEO with Ubuntu Core, and while it’s mostly designed as an IoT node, for example to control relays over Ethernet or the Internet, I’ve still decided to see how it would perform under load by running Phoronix benchmarks, and then network and storage (micro SD card provided by FriendlyARM). It’s a small board, so we should expect it to heat a lot under load, especially it does not come with an heatsink by default. Also bear in mind that performance may dramatically change depending on the software implementation, and for the test, I’m using the company’s Ubuntu Core firmware. Before start the benchmark, I noticed that QTe-Demo was running in the background, probably because it was used on their other board with video output or LCD. but it’s taking some CPU usage, and is absolutely not needed here. To disable it, edit /etc/rc.local, […]

July 22, 2016July 22, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments

Superbook turns your Android smartphone in to a laptop for $99 (Crowdfunding)

Using a laptop shell with a smartphone is not a new concept, but products like Motorola Lapdock were eventually phased out. But some people think there’s a market here, that Lapdock may just have been ahead of it time, and with smartphone faster than ever, it now makes more sense to use them as laptop too. That’s probably why the Superbook, allowing you to connect your smartphone to a larger screen and keyboard via a USB OTG cable, has just launched on Kickstarter. Superbook specifications: Display – 11.6″ LCD display; 1366×768 resolution Keyboard – QWERTY keyboard with multi-touch trackpad USB – USB type-C port (smartphone with micro B USB are also supported via an adapter) Misc – Android-specific navigation keys (Home, Back, Menu, Recent) Custom Charging Port w/ Standard US charger Battery – Good for 8 hours or more Dimensions – 19.3 x 28.7 x 1.8cm Superbook also charges your smartphone. […]

July 21, 2016September 10, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments

Review of GOLE1 mini PC with 5″ Display – Part 1: Unboxing and Teardown

GOLE1 is a portable mini PC running Windows 10 and Android 5.1, featuring a 5″ touchsceen display, and powered by an Intel Atom x5-Z8300 “Cherry Trail” processor. The device was launched on Indiegogo, and the project raised close to $300,000. I’ve now received an early sample with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage for review, with – I was told – a 1,800 mAh battery instead of the 2,600 mAh battey backers will receive. I’ll do a 2 or 3 parts review, starting by checking out the hardware, before testing both Windows 10 and Android 5.1 on the platform. GOLE1 Unboxing The device is packed into a simple white box with “GOLE1 Designed by GOLE” string. The mini PC ships with a 5V/3A power supply which should be powerful enough to connect a USB 3.0 hard drive, an HDMI cable, and a user’s manual in English. The device looks a little […]

July 21, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Google Research PRUDAQ is a 40MSPS ADC Data Acquisition (DAQ) Cape for BeagleBone Black & Green

Engineers at Google Research wanted to measure the strength of a carrier signals without having to use a bulky oscilloscope or DAQ (Data Acquisition) system, so they looked into several makers boards to achieve this task, eventually decided to go with BeagleBone Black / Green, and created their own PRUDAQ cape capable of sampling 40 million samples per second, and open source it all. PRUDAQ cape specifications: Dual-channel simultaneously-sampled 10-bit ADC (Analog Devices AD9201) Up to 20MSPS per channel (40MSPS total) theoretical 0-2V input voltage range (DC coupled) 4:1 analog switches in front of each channel provide a total of 8 single-ended analog inputs. (See here for differential input) SMA jacks for direct access to the 2 ADC channels Flexible clock options: External input via SMA jack Internal on-board 10MHz oscillator Programmable clock from BeagleBone GPIO pins Powered via BeagleBone headers – no external power needed Fully exposed BeagleBone headers […]

Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs

July 21, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Gateworks Ventana GW5530 SBC is Designed for Drones, Robots, and Digital Signage

Gateworks Ventana is a family of boards based on NXP i.MX6 processor designed for embedded applications, and often include one or more mini PCIe ports for expansion. Their latest single board computer – Ventana GW5530 – is powered by an NXP i.MX 6Dual processor coupled with 512MB RAM, 256MB storage, a mini PCIe port, a micro SD / SIM card slot, micro HDMI output, and some I/Os. Ventana GW5530 specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX6 Dual Core ARM Cortex-A9 processor @ 800MHz with Vivante 2D and 3D GPUs System Memory – 512MB DDR3 (Up to 2GB as option) Storage – 256MB flash (Up to 2GB as option), micro SD/SIM card slot, serial configuration EEPROM Video & Audio Output – micro HDMI 1.4 port Connectivity – Optional u-blox EVA-M8M GPS Receiver with MMCX or u.FL Antenna Connector USB – 1x micro USB 2.0 OTG Port Sensors – 9-axis inertial module (accelerometer/gyro/magnetometer) Expansion […]

July 20, 2016July 20, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 40 Comments

Getting Started with NanoPi NEO Development Board – Ubuntu Core Firmware

NanoPi NEO is an exciting ARM Linux board due to the power it packs into its small size, and its low price starting at $7.99. It’s made by FriendlyARM, and since I’ve read some people had never heard about the company before, I’d like to point out it has been providing development boards well before the Raspberry Pi board was launched, with products such mini2440 based on a Samsung ARM9 processor introduced around year 2010. Anyway, I asked the company if they were willing to send 2 samples for review, as I plan to remove the USB & Ethernet port on one of them. Instead I got a 4 boards and accessories, so I’m going to start reviewing the board by writing a quick start guide, showing how to setup it, and check out the Ubuntu core provided by the company. If you are a fan of armbian made Debian […]