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ESP32 Updates – ESP32-S Module Replaces ESP3212, ESP32 DevBoards for Sale, Arduino & NodeMCU Support

There have been some developments with regards to Espressif ESP32 in the last month since my post about upcoming ESP32 development boards. First ESP3212 module is no more, and has been replaced with ESP32-S module with about the same features, but it’s not pin-to-pin compatible, so the new module won’t work with older breakout boards made for ESP3212. ESP32-S is now out of stock on Seeed Studio, but you’ll find it on IC Station, Banggood, and others shops. One good news is that it’s now easier to buy – or at least pre-order – ESP32 development boards, although stock may still be an issue, as the platform is very popular. If you live in the US, you can now backorder “Sparkfun ESP32 Thing” for $19.95. ESP32 board can be powered by either a micro USB power supply or a LiPo battery, and exposes close to 30 I/O pins. ESP32 developer […]

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Renesas SK-RZG1M Board Powered by R8A7743 Processor Gets Mainline Linux Support

Another board has gotten initial mainline Linux support recently, with Renesas SK-RZG1M starter kit board based on Renesas RZ/G1M dual core ARM Cortex A15 SoC with 2GB RAM, a SATA interface, HDMI, LVDS, AV Ethernet bridge, and more. Renesas SK-RZG1M starter kit board actually has the exact same features as Renesas R-Car M2 Porter board except for the processor: SoC – Renesas RZ/G1M (R8A7743) dual core ARM Cortex-A15 processor @ 1.5­GHz with PowerVR SGX544MP2 3D GPU, Renesas 2D graphics processor System Memory – Dual channel 2GB DDR3 Storage – On-board 4 MB SPI, and 64 MB SPI, 1x SATA rev 3.1 connector, 1x SD card slot, and 1x micro SD card slot Video Output / Display I/F – HDMI (via ADV7511), and LVDS + touchscreen Analog Video In – ADV7180 video decoder with RCA jack, NTSC/PAL/SECAM autodetection Audio codec – AK4643EN with 3.5mm jacks for Line In and Line Out Connectivity […]

ArmSoM CM5 Raspberry Pi CM4 alternative with Rockchip RK3576 SoC
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TOPEET iTOP4412 Exynos 4412 Boards Support Up to 3 LCD Displays, GPS, 3G, 4x UARTs, etc…

Beijing TOPEET Electronics iTOP4412 board based on Samsung Exynos 4412 quad core Cortex A9 processor, and a developer has very recently committed patchsets to mainline Linux kernel to add support for the board. Exynos 4412 is not quite the latest and most powerful processor, but the board is still interesting due to mainline Linux support, and some hardware features like interfaces for up to 3 LCD displays plus HDMI, two DB9 serial interfaces, two camera interfaces, and more. iTOP4412 is comprised of the company’s Exynos 4412 SoM and a baseboard with the following specifications: SoC – Samsung Exynos 4412 quad-core Cortex A9 clocked at up to 1.4GHz-1.6GHz + ARM Mali-400MP4 GPU @ 440MHz System Memory – 1 GB dual channel DDR3 Storage – 4GB eMMC flash and microSD slot Video Output / Display IF – HDMI 1.4 port, 2x LVDS interfaces (including one via an HDMI connector?), 1x LCD RGB […]

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Android 7.1 Developer Preview Coming Soon with Image Keyboard Support, App Shortcuts API, etc…

Google will soon release Android 7.1 Developer Preview for Nexus 5X & Nexus 6P smartphone, as well as Pixel C tablet, listed some of the changes you can expect in the new dot release, and provided a timeline for other devices and the official launch. Android 7.1 developer and user visible changes will include: App shortcuts API will allow developer to set up to 5 shortcuts accessibly from app icon directly in the launcher. For example, a messaging app could have shortcuts to your favorite users and/or open a new conversation. Circular app icons support to create rounded icons similar to what is used in Pixel launcher. Enhanced live wallpaper metadata so that developers can show existing metadata such as label, description, and author, as well as a new context URL and title to link to more information. Image keyboard support will let user easily insert custom stickers, animated gifs, […]

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V-Bridge Muses Digital TV Modulator Boards Let You Broadcast Your Own TV Channel for $199 and Up (Crowdfunding)

I wrote about VATek VMB8202D Enmoder SoC handling both DVB, ATSC, DTMB and ISDB modulation and H.264 hardware encoding earlier this summer, and at the time, the company also planned to launch a crowdfunding campaign for two open source hardware DTV modulation boards in a couple of weeks. Weeks turned into months, but finally V-Bridge Muses boards and video input & RF daughterboards have now launched on Kickstarter where you can get your own live video broadcasting board for $199 and up. MUSES-α board MUSES-α board is the cheapest of the two boards, and features a header for the RF daughter board, and a USB port to connect to a computer. MUSES-α board specifications: SoC – VATek A1 32-bit RISC modulator chip Storage – SPI flash (unclear whether it can be accessed/modified by user) Modulation – DVB-T/C, ATSC/QAM, DTMB; RF header Video Encoding – N/A (handled by PC via USB […]

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Marvell ESPRESSOBin Board with Gigabit Ethernet, SATA, mini PCIe, and USB 3.0 To Launch for $39 and Up (Crowdfunding)

I can often read people hoping for an inexpensive community board for network, storage and connectivity applications with high speed interface like SATA, multiple Gigabit Ethernet port, USB 3.0 and/or mini PCIe, and that’s exactly what Globalscale Technologies is about to offer with their Marvell ARMADA 3700 based ESPRESSOBin development board to go for $39 and up via Kickstarter. Marvell ESPRESSOBin board specifications: SoC – Marvell Armada 3700LP (88F3720) dual core ARM Cortex A53 processor up to 1.2GHz System Memory – 512MB DDR3 or optional 1GB DDR3 Storage – 1x SATA interface, 1x micro SD card slot with footprint for an optional 4GB EMMC Network Connectivity 1x Topaz Networking Switch 2x GbE Ethernet LAN 1x  Ethernet WAN 1x MiniPCIe slot for Wireless/BLE periphereals USB – 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, 1x micro USB port Expansion – 2x 46-pin GPIO headers for accessories and shields with I2C, GPIOs, PWM, UART, […]

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs and SoMs in 2025
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A.I. Thinker A20 Plus ESP8266 WiFi Board Includes GPRS Support and a VGA Camera

A.I. Thinker, a company known for its ESP8266 module, has designed a new intriguing product with A20Plus board powered by Espressif ESP8266 (or ESP8285) WiFi SoC, that also features GPRS connectivity, and a 0.3MP camera. There’s basically no info on the “English Internet”, but Raymond Tunning found lots of info in Chinese, and posted information and links on his blog. A20 Plus board specifications: Wireless Module – A.I. Thinker A20 module with GPRS and WiFi (ESP8266 or ESP8285), two antennas connector Camera – VGA camera interface (up to 640×480 resolution) compatible with OV7670, GC0308, GC0328, & GC0309 sensors. Expansion – 2x headers with GPIO, ADC, power signals… USB – 1x micro USB port for power and programming Misc – Reset and user button, two LEDs (for flash?) Dimensions – TBC An Android app (binary + source code) is provide to retrieve pictures (apparently no video for now) over WiFi or […]

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OpenRex Open Source Hardware NXP i.MX6 Board Launched for 199 Euros and Up

OpenRex is an open source hardware board powered by NXP i.MX6 Cortex A9 processor designed by Fedevel for their hardware design course, and manufactured by Voipac, both companies based on Slovakia. The schematics, PCB layout, gerber files and other manufacturing files were released in February, but the company has only started selling the board a few days ago with OpenRex Basic SBC and OpenRex Max SBC boards. OpenRex Basic and Max boards specifications: SoC OpenRex Basic – NXP i.MX 6Solo single core Cortex A9 processor @ 1 GHz with 2D and 3D GPU OpenRex Max – NXP i.MX 6Quad quad core Cortex A9 processor @ 1 GHz with 2D and 3D GPU MCU – NXP LPC1345FHN33 ARM Cortex-M3 micro-controller @ 72 MHz System Memory Basic – 512 MB DDR3-1066 (400MHz) Max – 2GB DDR3-1066 (533 MHz) Storage Basic – micro SD slot, 1x 2Kbit I2C EEPROM, 1x 32Mbit SPI flash Max […]

Boardcon EM3562 Rockchip RK3562 SBC with 8 analog camera inputs