CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

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

Hack Autonomous Driving into Your Car with Open Source Hardware Comma Neo and Open Pilot Software

George Hotz setup Comma.ai company and worked on a commercial project called Comma One to add autonomous driving to some car models, but then the US highway authorities started to ask questions and promised ever increasing fines if he could not comply with some specific safety regulations/requirements, and eventually he decided to cancel the project due to the regulatory burden. A few weeks passed since the cancellation, and he has now released Open Pilot auto-pilot software and Comma NEO a work-in-progress open source hardware platform connecting to Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 powered OnePlus 3 smartphone to run the software. The system is said to implement “Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS) for Hondas and Acuras”, and performs about the same as “Tesla Autopilot at launch, and better than all other manufacturers”. Open Pilot currently only supports the Acura ILX 2016 with AcuraWatch Plus and the Honda Civic […]

December 1, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments

reMarkable 10.3″ Digital Notepad and e-Reader is Designed to Feel Like Paper

If you like to take notes with pen and paper, but would prefer a digital solution to store your note, there are already some solutions like Boogie Board and Rocketbook, but reMarkable offers much more that the other two with a 10.3″ E-Ink touchscreen display and pressure sensitive pen capable of detecting 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity, it allows to read books as any e-readers, and also write your own notes on a blank piece of “paper” or existing digital documents, drawing sketches, and save & share the results. The whole user experience is supposed to feel as if you were reading and writing on paper. reMarkable tablet specifications: SoC – ARM Cortex A9 processor @ 1 GHz (Likely NXP i.MX6 series processor since they support EPD interfaces) System Memory – 512 MB DDR3L Storage – 8GB internal storage good for around 100,000 pages Display – 10.3″ monochrome digital paper […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM

November 30, 2016November 30, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

NXP Modular IoT Gateway Supports Thread, Zigbee, NFC, Bluetooth and WiFi Connectivity

NXP has just announced a modular IoT gateway solution for large node networks (>= 250 nodes) based on Volansys i.MX6UL system-on-module, supporting wireless communications protocols such as Thread, ZigBee, NFC through add-on modules, on top of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1. NXP Modular IoT Gateway specifications: SoM – Volansys i.MX6UL 200-pin SO-DIMM module with: SoC – NXP i.MX 6UL ARM Cortex A7 processor @ 528 MHz System Memory – 256MB to 1GB DDR3L RAM Storage – 1GB to 4GB NAND flash, optional 4GB to 16GB eMMC flash, EEPROM for device info PMIC, Mbit Ethernet PHY Wireless Connectivity Expansion Modules: PN7120 explorer board for NFC Kinetis KW41 module for Thread support JN5169 module for Zigbee support 2x MikroBUS headers Baseboard connectors / features: Storage – 1x micro SD slot Connectivity – 1x 10/100M Ethernet port, Murata WiFi 802.11 b/g/n & Bluetooth 4.1 + EDR module with external antenna connector USB – 2x […]

November 30, 2016November 30, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

You Can Buy AirPods-like Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Earbuds for $16 and Up

Most Bluetooth headsets on the market actually come with some sort of wire or holding mechanism, which may not always be convenient, for example I can’t use mine comfortably while lying down on the bed. But that to electronics miniaturization, companies have recently started to offer truly wireless Bluetooth earbuds, including Apple’s yet-to-be available $159 Airpods. This morning I noticed two similar products in new arrivals list, first with $59.99 QCY Q29 mini Earburds on GeekBuying, and then even cheaper, but not quite as good looking (and likely not so good sounding), “FreeStereo Twins Wireless Bluetooth v4.1 In-Ear Headset w/ Mic” on DealExtreme going for just $22.25 including shipping. Let’s start with QCY Q29 earbuds specifications: Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.1 with HFP, HSP, A2DP, AVRC protocols support; up to 5-10 meter range Built-in Microphone Charging port – pogo on earbuds, micro USB to storage/charging box Battery – 45mAh for up […]

November 30, 2016November 30, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

$59 HiFive1 Arduino Compatible Board is Powered by Sifive Open Source RISC-V MCU (Crowdfunding)

Royalty-free RISC-V instruction sets has been getting in the news in the last few years with various MMU designs from companies or projects like lowRISC, PULPino, and SiFive, and recently there are been rumors that Samsung may use RISC-V in their future IoT SoCs. Many projects are still in progress, and while you can get involved in OnChip Open-V MCU crowdfunding campaign to their get the MCU or a development board, the cost for the MCU ($49) and development board ($99) is a little on the high side, and delivery is expected in 2018 for most rewards. SiFive appears to have a more interesting open source RISC-V solution with HiFive1 Arduino compatible board going for $59 and slated to ship between December 2016 and February 2017. HiFive1 development board specifications: MCU – SiFive Freedom E310 (FE310) 32-bit RV32IMAC processor @ up to 320+ MHz (1.61 DMIPS/MHz) Storage – 128 Mbit […]

November 29, 2016December 5, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 17 Comments

LeMaker HiKey 96Boards Board Sells for $29.70 (Promo)

[Update: The promo is over back!] You’d think Cyber Monday should be over by now, but ITEAD Studio still has a clearance with real 70% discount, as 96Boards hardware compliant LeMaker Hikey board is now sold for just $29.70 instead of the usual $99 price. A quick reminder of the specifications: SoC – HiSilicon Kirin 620 octa core Cortex A53 processor @ 1.2 GHz with ARM Mali-450MP4 GPU System Memory – 2 GB LPDDR3 @ 800 MHz Storage – 8GB eMMC + micro SD slot Video Output / Display – HDMI up to 1080p, MIPI-DSI interface Connectivity – 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 LE (WL1835MOD module) USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x micro USB OTG Camera – MIPI CSI interface Debugging – UART header), unpopulated 10-pin JTAG header (back) Expansion headers 40-pin LS (Low Speed) Expansion connector – UART, I2C, 12x GPIOs, SPI, PCM, PWM, SYS_DCIN, 1.8V, 5V, […]

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

November 29, 2016November 30, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

Grid-EYE Breakout Board is a $49 Low Resolution Thermal Camera Module

Thermal cameras can be really expensive pieces of equipment, and even the cheap 60×60 thermal cameras available on Aliexpress costs a little over $200. However, PURE Engineering has made an breakout board with Panasonic Grid-EYE infrared 8×8 array sensor that allows you to experiment with the technology, or integrate into your own projects for just $49. Grid-EYE breakout board features: Panasonic Grid-EYE AMG8834 64 pixel infrared / thermal camera sensor with 60 degree viewing angle using MEMS thermopile technology Pinout compatible with Arduino Zero, ST-NUCLEO board, and other 3.3V boards with I2C, VDD, GND, INT, and AD pins PUREModules PCB edge connectors with UART, GPIO, to interface with the company’s IoT board Power Supply – On-board regulator handles 3 to 5V input The Panasonic sensor transfers thermal presence, direction, and temperature values over I2C. The company wrote a demo for the module with an Arduino sketech and a Processing sketch […]

November 29, 2016November 29, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Canon 4K600STZ 4K UHD Laser Projector Delivers up to 6,000 Lumens

At the beginning of the year, I wrote about Texas Instruments’ DLP technology for affordable 4K projectors, and the company’s DLP 0.67″ digital micromirror device (DMD) was expected to be found in 4K projector in the second half of 2016. So I went on Amazon, and I could find lots of “4K UHD projectors” with prices starting at $599, but if we look into details we may find some of those are “4K projector” with a 1280×800 resolution… And many of the ones selling in the $2,000+ range don’t list their native resolution with many able to handle 4K input, but actually projecting at 1920×1080 as can be seen in the table below. The most honest companies promote those models as “projectors with 4K Enhancement”, but if you want a true 4K projector, the cheapest option is probably Sony VPL-VW350ES that goes for close to $10,000 on Amazon. CNET has […]

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