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Etnaviv Project Vivante GCxxx GPU Open Source Driver

You have most probably heard of Lima, an initiative to provide fully open source Mali-200 & Mali-400 drivers by reverse-engineering the closed source Mali GPU drivers. A separate effort, Etnaviv Project, has now started to offer open source drivers for Vivante GCxxx GPU used in SoC such as Marvell Armada 1500 (notably used in mainly Google TV platforms), Rockchip RK2918 (present in many older tablets),  Freescale i.MX6 (used in newer tablets, low cost development boards, some SoMs and GK802/Hi802 mini PCs). The project is called Etnaviv. The introduction of Etnaviv Project reads as follows on the corresponding Github account: Project Etnaviv is an attempt to make an open source user-space driver for the Vivante GCxxx series of embedded GPUs. The current state of the project is experimental. It is currently only of use to developers interested in helping develop open source drivers for the hardware, reverse engineering, or in interfacing […]

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Crystalfontz CFA-10036 ARM9 Embedded Module Running Linux 3.7

Crystalfontz America, a supplier of LCD and OLED display modules used in embedded systems, has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund manufacturing and lower the cost of a system-on-module powered by Freescale i.MX28 featuring a small 128×32 OLED display, and lots of GPIOs. Here are the specs of CFA-10036 SoM: Processor – Freescale i.MX283 @ 454MHz  (Optionally i.MX287) System Memory – 128 MB DDR2 (Optionally 256MB) Storage – microSD socket (Up to 64GB) Interfaces: 2x CAN interfaces 4x synchronous serial ports 10/100-Mbps 802.3 Ethernet MAC USB 2.0 OTG (connected to microUSB AB on CFA-10036. Used for development purpose) USB 2.0 host controller and PHY 5x UART plus one dedicated debug UART 2x I2C (OLED shares one of these) LCD, touch screen, keypad, and rotary encoder support RTC with 32KHz crystal (requires continuous power) 4x 32-bit timers 8x PWM 5x 12-bit 428KS/s ADC channels 1x 12 bit 2MS/s ADC channel 91 GPIO […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM
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Rockchip Shows Off RK3188 Quad Cortex A9 Processor and Miracast Dongles

There has been some leaks about Rockchip RK3188 processor, and Cube Pea tablet based on this SoC, but no device are available for purchase to date. Rockchip is currently at CES 2013 showcasing their solutions, and they are showcasing RK3188 tablet development platform at the show, but no RK3188 tablet as final products should only start to be available in March. Charbax is at CES 2013 now, and could ask a few questions about Rockchip upcoming SoC. RK3188 is a quad core Cortex A9 processor clocked up to 1.8-2.0 GHz, manufactured using 28nm HKMG process technology. The SoC features a quad-core Mali-400MP GPU,  1080p video decoder & encoder, and they can easily provide 4G/LTE support. RK3188 should be 20 to 30% faster than Nvidia Tegra 3, and have the same performance as Samsung Exynos 4412. Rockchip representative also stress that performance/cost ratio will be better than (Chinese) competitor basing their […]

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QNX CAR 2.0 Demo and Texas Instruments OMAP5 Jacinto 6 Processor

There’s a Bentley GT concept car at CES 2012 to demonstrate QNX CAR 2.0 platform that provides dual screen support with the dashboard and an infotainment display for the automotive industry. Under the hood, the platform features TI DLP technology, and TI OMAP5 and Jacinto processors running QNX Neutrino RTOS. Texas Instruments and QNX uploaded a video demo of the concept on YouTube. They explain that they switched their platform from HTML5 to native OpenGL for optimal performance using Storyboard Suite from Crank software, and they can now show 3D maps smoothly on the platform. The 1080p user display is curved to be more user friendly (better touch angles). You must have certainly heard about touchscreens before, but maybe never heard about “pretouch”. Pretouch is a feature of the system that detect when you hand comes close to a control virtual and pops up a virtual menu. The dashboard shows […]

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Intel Unveils Atom Z2420 Processor for Entry Level Android Smartphones

Today was Intel & Qualcomm turns to have their keynotes. One of Intel announcements is the Atom Z2420 1.2 GHz processor (codenamed Lexington) that comes with PowerVR SGX540 GPU, 1080p video decoder & encoder, and features hyper-threading technology. This processor manufactured with 32nm process technology targets low cost smartphones for emerging markets. Here are the key specifications of Intel Atom Z2420: Process technology – 32nm HKMG Co-Pop Package – 12x12mm, 617 balls, 0.4mm pitch, LPDDR2 PoP package Intel Atom Architecture – 512KN Intel Smart Cache, Enhanced Deeper Sleep, C6/Low Power Audio State, Smart Idle Technology and Digital Thermal Sensor (DTS) 3D Graphics Engine – PowerVR Sgx540 with 2000 MPPS peak fil rate, 40 MTSm with support for Open VG 1.1, OpenGL ES 1.1 and 2.0 Hardware Accelerated Video – 1080p30 video encode and decode Display Controller – Supports up to 4 DSI lanes at 800 Mbps per lane Memory Interface […]

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Asus Qube Google TV 3.0 STB Hands-On Video

Asus announced the Qube at CES 2013 with a rather laconic press release: Qube with Google TV – Bring the world of entertainment to your TV Instantly add Google TV to your HDTV with the ASUS Qube. Qube with Google TV offers both motion control and voice search that integrates Google Play, Chrome™, YouTube™in one compact device. With access to over 100,000 movies and TV shows* from Netflix and Amazon Instant Video, plus numerous apps, videos and games from Google Play, ASUS Qubewith Google TV is the perfect media content device. ASUS has developed the unique Qube interface, which displays functions via a rotating on-screen cube shape. The advanced remote control supports motion sensing for gaming and other applications. Customers can also control Qube with Google TV from their Android smartphones and tablets using the Mobile Remote app, available through Google Play. ASUS includes 50GB of WebStorage cloud space with […]

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs and SoMs in 2025
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PowerUSB Computer Controlled Power Strips Review

PowerUSB power strips are four outlets power strips designed to help users save power by better understanding their devices power consumption, and automatizing tasks such as power on/off using timers, printer on/off controls, and more. One outlet is always on (for the main computer) and the 3 remaining outlets can be controlled via USB and the control software installed in a Linux, Mac or Windows x86 machine. The three of the four outlets are controlled through the software.  Those power strips should allow lower electricity bills, and cover the cost of the strips ($69 to $129) within a few months. There are 4 models: PowerUSB Basic – $69.99 – The simplest model. You can control the 3 programmable outlets with on/off timers and keyboard shortcuts. PowerUSB Digital IO – $109.99 – This version adds 5 digital input/output lines for instrumentation and automation. The current model has 3 inputs and 2 […]

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Ingenic JZ4780 SoC Features a Dual Core MIPS CPU and PowerVR SGX540 GPU

MIPS and Ingenic Semiconductor have just introduced the JZ4780, a low cost dual core MIPS XBurst processor with a PowerVR SGX540 GPU. The companies will demonstrate their solution in a 10″ Android 4.1 Jelly Bean reference tablet during CES 2013, on January 8 – 12, 2013. JZ4780 SoC Highlights: SoC – Dual XBurst core up to 1.5GHz CPU + PowerVR SGX540 GPU supporting 2D Graphics, 3D Graphic, OpenGL ES2.0 and ES1.0, OpenVG1.1 VPU – 1080P Decoder,1080p encoder Memory Interfaces – 8-bit SLC/MLC/TLC NAND Flash, 64 bit ECC |16/32-bit DDR3/DDR2/DDR/Mobile DDR SDRAM Peripherals – AC97/I2S/SPDIF, Audio Codec, LCD-IF, LVDS, HDMI, Camera-IF, Touch ADC,PCM, I2C, SPI,UART, SD/MMC/SDIO, USB Host, USB OTG 2.0, TS-IF, GPIO, OTP Power Consumption – Ingenic’s MIPS-Based XBurst processor is said to consumes approximately 140mW per GHz under full load. Package – BGA390 17 x 17 x 1.1 mm, 0.8mm pitch Process – 40nm CMOS Ingenic will also demonstrate […]

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