AllWinner was very successful with their AllWinner A10 single-core processor in 2012, but in 2013, they’ve been somewhat overtaken by Rockchip with dual and quad-core SoCs. Nevertheless, AllWinner is lucky to have one of the most active and dedicated developer’s communities for Chinese SoCs, and they should be followed closely especially with regards to Linux support. In 2012, due to the Raspberry Pi delays, I bought a Mele A1000 to hack on ARM platforms at home and wrote some instructions to run Linux on the platform. These may be somewhat dated, but should still be relevant. Linaro has some tools to generate images for their ARM platform involving rootfs (root file systems), and hardware packs that are comprised of platform-specific binaries. I did something similar with AllWinner A10 to make it easier to create a bootable Ubuntu image. I also created a script to build nightly images for AllWinner devices, […]
When you design hardware around Arduino or Raspberry Pi boards, most likely that not, the enclosures available on the market won’t be usable with your project, and you’ll have to design your own which may end up not quite looking as nice as you expected. Two Hornets, a startup based in the Netherlands, is trying to provide a solution with SliceCase, a modular and customizable casing system, that at first looks similar to some other enclosures like Pimoroni PiBow case. But there’s more than meets the eye, as SliceCase is composed of standard components, that allow you to build the casing around your hardware, and even order custom top covers and sides online. At first, they’ll focus on the most popular boards such as Arduino Standard and Mega boards, and the Raspberry Pi, but if this concept takes off more boards will be added. The enclosure system is composed of […]
Due to the end of year celebration, Linaro release is a little earlier at this time, and Linaro 13.12 has already been released with Linux Kernel 3.13-rc3 (baseline), Linux Kernel 3.10.24 (LSK), Android 4.4, and Ubuntu Linaro 13.12, which for the first time is based on Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy Salamander. Other interesting development include an initial arm64 Ubuntu saucy rootfs (that one?), work to support octa-core 4x Cortex A53, 4x Cortex A57 SoCs, an Android 4.4 KitKat LEB for the Galaxy Nexus, and ARMv8 LSK and Nexus7_2013-AOSP builds have been setup and Android can be now built using llvm-clang toolchain with the related patches submitted to upstream. On a related note, there are also some Midway and Highbank engineering build images for Calxeda server processors, which may not be that useful going forward, as unfortunately the company has just closed door after running out of cash. Here are the highlights of this […]
I’ve shown some unboxing pictures and video of Jynxbox Android M6 earlier this week, and today I’ll write a review of this AMLogic AML8726-M6 dual core Android media player. I’ll start with my first impressions, go through the different settings, test video playback, wi-fi performance, and reports about different miscalleous tests: Bluetooth, USB mass storage, USB webcam, etc… First Boot, Settings and First Impressions First, you’ll need to insert the provided AAA batteries in to the remote control. Opening the remote is a bit tricker than I would like as the cover does not come off that easily. Before powering up the device, I’ve connected the provided HDMI cable between the device and my HDTV, and an Ethernet cable to my hub. The first Ethernet cable would not click with in the device RJ45 connector, although it works with my laptop and other devices, but using another one worked just fine. Connecting […]
Fedora has been supporting ARM architecture for a while now, but it was only as a secondary architecture without official support. With the recent Fedora 20 release, nicknamed “Heisenbug”, the ARM architecture, more exactly ARMv7 hard float and greater, is promoted to a primary architecture meaning ARMv7 will have the same status as x86 and x86_64 architectures with packages officially build and supported by the Fedora community. What it does not mean however, due to the nature of ARM architecture, is that you can simply download an ISO to install on any ARM platforms, like you would do on an Intel or AMD computer. It’s a little more complicated than that, as it is platform specific, but instructions are available for the Beaglebone Black, Compulab Trimslice, the Wandboard, Calxeda Energycore Midway and Highbank, and Versatile Express in QEMU. You can download images with MATE, KDE, XFCE, LXDE, SOAS desktops, as […]
LG has put out a press release announcing the company will unveil the first-ever Chromebase, an all-in-one computer powered by Google Chrome OS, at CES 2014. So after the Chromebooks and Chromeboxes, we now have a new category of Chrome OS device: Chromebases. LG computer will come with an Intel Celeron CPU, but future Chromebase computers might also run on ARM platform. Technical specifications: Processor – Intel Celeron CPU System Memory – 2 GB Storage – 16GB iSSD Display: 21.5″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS monitor Video – HDMI-in USB – 3x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0 Connectivity – LAN Camera – 1.3MP 720p Audio – 5W speakers + microphone The computer will come with a keyboard, a mouse, and a cable organizer. LG will showcase their Chromebase in Las Vegas Convention Center, Central Hall #8204, during CES 2014, from Tuesday, January 7 through Friday, January 10. There’s no […]
Toradex Colibri VF50 and Colibri VF61 are system-on-modules respectively powered by Freescale Vyrbrid VF5xx Cortex A5 SoC and Vybrid VF6xx dual core Cortex A5/M4 SoC, which are part of the company’s Colibri ARM computer on modules. Toradex Colibri VF50/VF61 specifications: Processor VF50 – Freescale Vybrid VF5xx (MVF50NN151CMK40) ARM Cortex-A5 @ 400MH, 1.5MB SRAM VF61 – Freescale Vybrid VF6xx (MVF61NS151CMK50) ARM Cortex-A5 @ 500MHz, Cortex-M4 @ 167MHz, 1.0MB SRAM, and multiple hardware accelerated security features listed below. System Memory VF50 – 128MB DDR3 (16-bit, no ECC), or 64MB DDR3 with ECC (8-bit, ECC) VF61 – 256MB DDR3 (16-bit, no ECC), or 128MB DDR3 (8-bit, ECC) Storage VF50 – 128MB NAND flash VF61 – 1GB NAND flash Interfaces via the 200-pin SO-DIMM edge connector (X1): LCD RGB (24-bit), up to 1024 x 768 4-wire or 5-wire resistive touch Audio – I/O (VF61 only), SPDIF In and Out, I2S/AC97 compatibl Ehanced Serial Audio […]
Lantronix has recently launched XPort(R) Pro Lx6, a secure embedded device server supporting IPv6, that barely larger than an RJ45 connector. The device runs Linux or the company’s Evolution OS, and is destined to be used in wired industrial IoT / M2M applications. Lantronix XPort Pro Lx6 Specifications: Processor – Freescale ColdFire MCF5208 up to 166.67 MHz (TBC) 32-bit processor System memory – 16MB SDRAM Storage – 16MB Flash Serial Interface – Software selectable data rates from 300 to 921kbps Programmable IO – 3 PIO pins (software selectable) Network Interface – 10Base-T and 100Base-TX Link with support for IPv4 and IPv6, and the following protocols: TCP/IP, UDP/IP, ARP, ICMP, SNMPv2, TFTP, FTP, Telnet, DHCP, BOOTP, HTTP, SMTP, PPP, AutoIP, RSS, and SYSLOG Security – TCP/AES and UDP/AES Temperature Range – Operating and storage: -40° to +85° C Relative Humidity – 0% to 90% non-condensing Regulatory Approvals – FCC Part 15, Subpart […]
