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Rockchip RK3066 is Now Part of Mainline Linux Kernel

After AllWinner A10/A13 SoCs, it’s time for another Chinese SoC to be included into mainline kernel, with Rockchip RK3066(a). A few hours ago, Heiko Stuebner’s commit for basic support in Linux kernel 3.11 has been accepted. This is the commit message: This adds a generic devicetree board file and a dtsi for boards based on the RK3066a SoCs from Rockchip. Apart from the generic parts (gic, clocks, pinctrl) the only components currently supported are the timers, uarts and mmc ports (all DesignWare- based). Don’t get too excited though, as it may take a little while until you can actually build a kernel for Rockchip RK3066 or AllWinner A10 from mainline linux source code. But this is definitely another step in the right direction, and hopefully, Chinese SoC companies will eventually get involved, instead of relying on the community, as it is in their best interest. To access the full list […]

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Samsung Unveils ATIV Q Android & Win8 Convertible Tablet, Galaxy NX DSLR Camera Running Android 4.2

Samsung Premiere 2013 took place yesterday in London, and the company announced 9 new products at the event. But 2 devices really stood out for me: ATIV Q – A 13.3″ tablet convertible to a notebook that runs Windows 8 and Android 4.2.2 simultaneously. Galaxy NX – a DSLR Camera running Android 4.2.2 supporting interchangeable lenses. Galaxy S4 Active was also interesting as it’s compliant with IP67, which means it’s dust proof and water resistant, so you don’t have to worry about dust / sand getting into the device, or dropping it into the water. It can stay under in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes, and even though the touchscreen won’t operate under water, you can still take underwater pictures during your snorkeling trip. Don’t expect it to work for diving though. Samsung ATIV Q (Preliminary) Specifications: Processor – Intel Core i5 (Haswell) GPU – Intel HD Graphics […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM
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Beyond Semiconductor Announces BA21 Processor Core for Embedded MCUs

Beyond Semiconductor, a Ljubljana, Slovenia based company, has recently announced BA21, a 32-bit processor core, with 2.5 Coremark per megahertz, and clocked up to 125 MHz, that’s roughly equivalent to a Cortex M3 core @ 120 MHz. Target applications include mixed signal embedded processing, wireless communications ICs (e.g. Bluetooth, Zigbee, GPS), industrial Microcontrollers, and battery-powered or ultra-low-cost devices.If you’ve never heard about Beyond Semi, you may want to read my previous article about their BA25 core (Cortex A7/A8 equivalent) for a bit more details about the company. Here are the key features of BA21 core: 32-bit Processor Small silicon footprint (less than 10k gates) for lower leakage and dynamic CPU power Two-stage pipeline architecture Extreme Code Density for lower instruction fetching energy Advanced power management Dynamic clock gating and power shut-off of unused units Software- and hardware-controlled clock frequency Wake-up on tick timer or external interrupt Performance Up to 2.5 […]

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Atmel SAM D20 MCU Family Features ARM Cortex M0+ Core

Atmel has just announced its SAM D20 family of embedded Flash micro-controllers based on ARM Cortex-M0+ processor core, designed for low power applications such as home automation, consumer, smart metering and industrial applications. The key features of Atmel SAM D20 MCUs are as follows: Cortex M0+ @ 48MHz, 2.14 Coremark/MHz Single-cycle IO access, supporting a pin toggling frequency up to 24 MHz Eight-channel event system Peripherals: Four to six serial communication modules (SERCOM) configurable as UART/USART, SPI or I2C Up to eight 16-bit Timer/Counters Peripheral touch controller (PTC) that supports up to 256 channels and supports buttons, sliders, wheels, and proximity Real Time Clock (RTC) and calendar with leap year correction 12-bit 350ksps ADC and 10-bit DAC Power Consumption: <150µA/MHz <2µA RAM retention and RTC Options between internal and external oscillators and on-the-fly clock switching The family supports features 14 new devices available in 32-, 48- and 64-pin package options […]

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iPazzPort SY-20-19VC Android STB is also a Remote Control Charging Dock

iPazzPort SY-20-19VC, aka iPazzPort Pearl, is an Android 4.1.1 set-top box powered by Rockchip RK3066 that comes bundled with with a dual sided RF remote with a QWERTY keyboard, touch pad, and voice support. That’s pretty common these days. The design however, is somewhat original, as once you’re done watching videos or playing games, you can put back the remote into an opening in the set-top box to store it and recharge it, and it may prevent you from losing the remote under the pillows, and the remote will be fully charged most of the time. Here are the specifications of this media player: SoC – Rockchip RK3066 @ 1.6GHz + Mali-400 MP4 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 4GB + micro SD card slot (up to 32GB, or is it 16GB?) Connectivity 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi 10/100M Ethernet 3G via external USB 3G dongle Video Output – HDMI 1.4 […]

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This is How the BeagleBone Black is Manufactured

CircuitCo has recently uploaded an interesting “Make of the BeagleBone Black” video showing how the BeagleBone Black is manufactured in their facilities in Richardson, Texas, USA. The main steps are as follows: A machine applies solder paste to the PCB Pick and place components Reflow soldering for SMT components Hand placement of through hole components such as the Ethernet connector Selective soldering PCB washing Optical inspection via an automatic optical inspection (AOI) machine Manual inspection Burn-in tests after flashing the board with factory firmware Functional testing Packing and shipping Beside the overall process, one interesting point is that human hands are only involved with through-hole components placement, functional testing and packing & shipping. Even those steps may eventually be automatized in the future with robots such as Baxter. Watch the video, it’s worth a look.

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs and SoMs in 2025
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Unu is an Android Tablet, a Gaming Console and a Smart TV

In the last year or so, we’ve started using Android set-top boxes or mini-PCs to make our TV smart and play games, and some products such as Ouya and Gamestick, using similar hardware, have been specifically designed for game play. But Unu Tablet, which can be used as a tablet (really), can also transform your TV into a gaming platform, and a smart connected TV, thanks to a docking station, and a game controller. Here are the known specifications for Unu tablet: SoC – 1.6 GHz quad-core chip (I’m guessing Rockchip RK3188). System Memory – Unknown Storage – 8GB NAND Flash + microSD card slot Display – 7″ IPS display, 1280×800 resolution. Connectivity – WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 2 microUSB ports Video Output – mini HDMI jack Camera – 5MP rear camera, 2MP front camera This Android 4.2.2 tablet comes with a docking station that handles charging and […]

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Texas Instruments Introduces SimpleLink Wi-Fi CC3000 BoosterPack

Texas Instrument launched SimpleLink Wi-Fi CC3000 in Q1 2012 in order to bring WiFi connectivity to any device including 8-bit or 16-bit MCU, as CC3300 internally handled all networking tasks, and exchange data with the MCU via an SPI interface. This Wi-Fi processor allows to use Wi-Fi for data transmission for the Internet of Things, and offers much better battery than other system relying on software to handle network traffic. Today, the company has just announced SimpleLink Wi-Fi CC3000 BoosterPack, a low cost evaluation platform that works with both MSP430 and Tiva C Series LaunchPad evaluation kits, and sells for $35. SimpleLink Wi-Fi CC3000 BoosterPack features and benefits as seen in the press release: SmartConfig technology: One-step Wi-Fi configuration using smartphones, tablets or PCs Easy network setup for display-less (headless) devices Simultaneous multiple device provisioning iOS, Android and Java sample applications available Royalty-free software Flexible memory size – Small memory foot print […]

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