Linux based MOD Duo Multi-Effects Pedal is Powered by an AllWinner A20 SoM (Crowdfunding)

If you are both a maker and a musician, MOD Duo multipurpose pedal may be a fun “toy” to play with. It’s an embedded computer comprised of a Hi-Fi soundcard (baseboard) powered by the same ITEAD Studio A20-CORE system on module found in ITEAD Studio IBOX, fitted into an enclosure with a pedalboard interface, and two graphics displays. You can create and share your own effects, or download the one made by the community using LV2 sound plugins, an open sound processing standard. A MOD Arduino Shield is also available to create new peripherals. Some technical specifications of the MOD Duo: SoC – AllWinner A20 dual core Cortex A7 processor @ 1GHz (AllWinner A23 is part of stretch goals) Two audio inputs Two audio outputs Stereo headphones output MIDI IN and MIDI OUT Cirrus Audio Codec USB – 1x USB Host for bluetooth, Wifi adapters and MIDI peripherals, 1x USB […]

VIA ARTiGO 1300 Quad Core x86 Rugged Digital Signage Player

VIA has recently announced ARTiGO 1300, a rugged digital signage player powered by a VIA quad core E-Series x86 processor with VX11PH media processor, provides two HDMI outputs for independent displays, USB 3.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet and more. Beside digital signage applications, it can also be used for kiosks, menu boards, HMIs, and other IoT applications.   ARTiGO A1300 Specifications: Processor – VIA QuadCore E-Series @ 1.0 GHz Chipset – VIA VX11PH Media System Processor with Chrome 645/640 GPU for 2D/3D, and hardware video decoding  support (MPEG-2, WMV9, VC-1 and H.264) System Memory – 1x DDR3 1066/1333 SODIMM socket (up to 8GB) Storage – Support 1x 2.5” SATA SSD/HDD, 1x mSATA SSD. 32Mbit Flash memory for AMI Aptio UEFI BIOS. Video Output – 2x HDMI ports supporting resolutions up to 1920 x 1080 pixels. Dual independent HDMI display support. Audio – VIA VT2021 High Definition Audio Codec, Line-in and Line-out Connectivity […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM

How to Build Android 4.4 for Rockchip RK3288 Devices (Tronsmart Orion R28)

After blowing up my ATX power supply, and learning such things as “FULL” power supplies do exists, I finally managed to build Android for Tronsmart Orion R28 using the provided SDK. I haven’t tried to load it on the device yet, but the build could complete successfully after following the steps below in Ubuntu 14.04. The SDK is probably not specific to one device, so it might just also work on other RK3288 TV boxes and tablets. First download Android 4.4 SDK for RK3288, or use the one in the micro SD card provided with the Beta version of R28 Pro and Meta. Install some dependencies:

Extract the SDK:

And build the kernel first: Enter the kernel directory:

Change arch/arm/boot/dts/Makefile to use RK3288 device tree file instead of an RK3188 (may not be needed, but the build failed for me without that change…):

It’s also quite […]

Infineon XMC 2Go Cortex M0 Development Kit Sells for 5 Euros

Infineon brought another tiny, portable, and cheap ARM Cortex M0 board to market with XMC 2Go development kit featuring XMC1100 ARM Cortex M0 micro-controller with 16KB RAM, 64KB Flash, and tow breadboard friendly headers to access various serial interfaces and ADC pins.   Key features listed on Infineon website: MCU – Infineon XMC1100 ARM Cortex-M0 MCU @ 32 MHz with 64KB flash, 16KB RAM. Debugger – On-board J-Link Lite Debugger using an XMC4200 Microcontroller. Headers – 2×8 pin headers suitable for Breadbord with access to 2x USIC (Universal Serial Interface Channel: UART, SPI, I2C, I2S, LIN), 6x 12-bit ADC, external interrupts (via ERU), 4x 16-bit timers Misc – 2 x user LED, RTC Power – 5V Micro via USB, or 3.3V external power. ESD and reverse current protection Dimensions – 14.0 x 38.5 mm The board is programmed via USB using the same Dave IDE I tried with XMC4500 Relax […]

Tronsmart Orion R28 Meta RK3288 TV Box Unboxing

GeekBuying sent me one of their Tronsmart Orion R28 Meta (Beta) Android TV boxes powered by Rockchip RK3288 SoC. This model comes with 2GB DDR3, 16 eMMC, and 802.11 b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi. R28 Mega is the mid-range model, and there are two others models R28 Pro (entre-level) and R28 Telos (premium). I’ve already listed specifications for the three Tronsmart Orion R28 models. Today, I’ll show some picture of the device, and the board to find out more about the design of the product. Before reviewing the product in another post, I’ll probably build the image using the provided Android 4.4 SDK (provided I can download it), and perform the full review next week with the resulting firmware. Tronsmart Orion Meta R28 Unboxing I’ve received the parcel via DHL within 2 days. The same package will be used for all three models, but you’ll have a sticker on the side for Pro, […]

Intrinsyc OPEN-Q 8084 Development Kit Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 Processor

Inforce Computing IFC6540 was the first low cost development board powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor I discovered a few months ago, but is currently “for pre-approved customers only and have not yet been released to public”. Intrinsyc has now launched their own Snapdragon 805 development kit called OPEN-Q 8084 based on a mini-ITX carrier board, and a SoM with 3GB RAM, and 16GB eMMC. The board target applications include ruggedized tablets, digital signage, government/public safety, medical, robotics, wearable displays, video streaming/conferencing, gaming systems, and in-flight entertainment. Specifications of APQ8084 Open-Q System-on-Module: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 (APQ8084) quad core Krait 450 @ 2.5GHz, with Adreno 420 GPU @ 500MHz, Hexagon QDSP6 V5A (600MHz), and two ISPs for up to 55-megapixel stereoscopic 3D System Memory – 3GB PoP LPDDR3 RAM Storage – 16GB eMMC 5.0 flash, expandable to 64GB, micro SD signals, and SATA signals (via MXM connector) Connectivity – […]

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

Samsung Gear S SmartWatch and Tizen SDK for Wearables

Albeit Tizen struggle in the smartphone market widely reported by the tech press, devices from cameras to smartwatches, all made by Samsung, are currently selling with the new mobile operating system. Announced about two weeks ago, Samsung Gear S is the latest Tizen product launched by the company. The smartwatch features a 2″ curved display (Samsung likes curved displays), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.. and it can also make phone calls and access the internet over 2G/3G cellular networks. Samsung Gear S specifications: SoC – Dual core processor @ 1.0 GHz (Maybe Exynos 3250 like in Gear 2?) System Memory – 512MB Storage – 4GB internal storage Display –  2.0” Super AMOLED touchscreen display with 360×480 resolution Connectivity – WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, A-GPS/Glonass Cellular Network 900/2100 or 850/1900 (3G) 900/1800 or 850/1900 (2G) USB – micro USB 2.0 Audio Codecs – MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+ Audio Formats – MP3, M4A, WMA, AAC, OGG […]

PicoZed System-on-Modules are Powered by Xilinx Zynq-7000 ARM + FPGA SoC

After the Zedboard, and the Microzed, here comes PicoZed, a family of system-on-modules (SoM) based on Xilinx Zynq-7000 SoCs featuring a dual core Cortex A9 processor and FPGA fabric. The module also comes with 1GB RAM, 4GB eMMC, Gigabit Ethernet PHY, various user I/O, and more. Target applications include embedded vision, test & measurement, motor control, software-defined radio, and industrial automation. Four modules are available with support for commercial or industrial temperature ranges, all sharing the following specifications: SoC (depending on module) Xilinx Zynq-7010 with two Cortex-A9 cores @  866MHz, FPGA with 28K Logic Cells Xilinx Zynq-7015 with two Cortex-A9 cores @  866MHz, FPGA with 74K Logic Cells, 4 transceivers @ 6.25 Gb/s Xilinx Zynq-7020 with two Cortex-A9 cores @  866MHz, FPGA with 85K Logic Cells Xilinx Zynq-7030 with two Cortex-A9 cores @  1GHz, FPGA with 125K Logic Cells, up to 4 transceivers @ 12.5 Gb/s System Memory – 1GB […]

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