CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

October 8, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

ecoPI STARTER is a Cute Mini PC Kit Based on Rock Pi 4 SBC with Optional M.2 NVMe SSD

Rock Pi 4 is an affordable single board computer inspired by Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, but equipped with a more powerful Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core processor, and selling for around $80 with 4GB RAM, Gigabit Ethernet, and 802.11ac + Bluetotoh 5.0 wireless module. I’ve just come across ecoPI STARTER mini PC kit for the board with an aluminum case that can also fit an M.2 extension board to add an M.2 NVMe SSD card. The kit comes with an aluminum housing, an acrylic cover, some screws, bolts and silicon feet, and short ribbon cables for M.2 card. The acrylic cover is designed to let the WiFi & Bluetooth signal go through, but I’m not so confident the case won’t cause issue with WiFi. It’s currently sold for $16.50 on Aliexpress. You’ll also need to get Rock Pi 4A or 4B for $40 and up, M.2 Extension board ($8.39), heatsink ($8.39), […]

October 8, 2019October 9, 2019 by Karl Johnson - 29 Comments

Ugoos AM6 Review – An Android 9.0 TV Box with Plenty of Options

Karl here….With another review. Today we look at the AM6 from Ugoos. Ugoos has been around for quite some time. I recently did a review of the Beelink GT-King with the same S922X processor and I will do some comparisons with that. I have to say with everything except the UI, I like this box much better (You can read my rant in the Beelink article about Android on the TV). The AM6 is built well. It is solid with a metal enclosure and just feels good when you pick it up. I know weight doesn’t really matter but it feels substantial. Like I stated I don’t really like UI but Ugoos ticks quite a few boxes that appeal to my nerdiness. I will go more into that later. Below are the specs per Ugoos Website. I highlighted the interesting ones. Hardware Specs: Operation System – Android 9.0 Language – […]

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

POWERUP 4.0 is a Smartphone Controlled Paper Plane with Autopilot (Crowdfunding)

A crowdfunding campaign about a paper plane… This can’t go very far, can it? Apparently, it can, because that’s Shai Goitein’s fourth POWERUP paper plane campaign, and PowerUp 3.0 raised over one million dollars a few years ago. POWERUP 4.0 is still a smartphone-controlled paper plane but this time it adds a few sensors, an autopilot, flight telemetry, and a night flight mode. More exactly that’s a kit for a paper plane, as you’d have to make your own and attach the kit to it. It’s powerful enough to support planes made of balsa wood, cardboard or foam board. They haven’t released the exact technical details of the kit but here are some of the key features: On-board flight control with autopilot that makes flying easier and allows you to make aerobatics manoeuvers such as loops or Twin motor + propellers allowing up to 10m/sec speed Connectivity – Bluetooth module […]

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

TIL: The Android Camera App Supports QR Code Scanning (in Some Phones)

QR Code are pretty common, and until today I used a third-party app to scan the codes and get the embedded information such as a webpage. But I’ve just read in LinkedIn that the default camera app can read QR codes. No need to install any third-party app, no need to reach any menu, just point for two or three seconds and it will work as shown in the short video below. I’m always running out of space on with Xiaomi Mi A2 phone since it only has 32GB flash, and no MicroSD card slot. So if beside saving some time while scanning QR code, I can get rid of one app that’s always a plus. Except it does not work on my phone. Instead I had to tap on the right of the camera app to switch to Google Lens (or launch Google Lens manually), and the QR […]

October 7, 2019February 29, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

ctxLink Open Hardware WiFi Debug Probe is based Black Magic Probe (Crowdfunding)

Last month, we wrote about Blip nRF52840 dev board that also included an STM32F103 MCU running the open source Black Magic Probe (BMP) firmware for debugging and programming. Based on the original Black Magic Probe hardware product page, BMP is a JTAG and SWD adapter used for programming and debugging ARM Cortex MCUs, and does not require intermediate programs such as OpenOCD or STLink server. Instead, you can run GNU Debugger (GDB) and select the virtual COM port offered by the debug board. The reason I’m bringing BMP again today, is because a new open source hardware wireless debugging probe for Cortex-M based on Black Magic Probe has been launched in the last few days. ctxLink key features and specifications: Microcontroller – STMicro STM32F401RE Arm Cortex -M4F MCU at up to 84 MHz Connectivity – 802.11b/g/n WiFi via Microchip WINC1500 module USB – 1x micro USB port for connection to […]

October 6, 2019October 6, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Tiny USB WiFi Camera Supports Motion and AI Human Detection

When I first saw U21 HD camera it reminded me of SOOCOO G1 is action camera with a flexible stick, since the camera also comes with a flexible hose which allows you to orient it as you please. But it’s a different bear, as U21 is a surveillance camera powered over USB and featuring WiFi connectivity. I can’t see any motion detection, so it may have some dose of “AI” since it claims to support motion and human detection so you only get relevant alerts. It is currently sold (pre-orders) on Banggood for $33.65 including shipping with order starting to be processed on October 30th. U21 USB WIFI camera key features and specifications: MCU / WiSoC – No information (yet) Storage – MicroSD card slot up to 128GB for up to one month of recording (8GB = 2 days); Cloud storage via third party (paid) Camera – 14mm lens, HD […]

October 5, 2019October 5, 2019 by Stephen Vicinanza - 5 Comments

AMD Ryzen Embedded SBC Supports 4x 4K Displays Ready for Linux and Windows

The Release of the IB918 SBC The IBASE Technology Inc has released its IB918 3.5″ disk sized SBC, based on the AMD Ryzen V1000 or R1000 SoC with several different options for the base chip system. The new computers can support Windows or Ubuntu and offer several different core options. The Basics The board supports 4 simultaneous 4K displays through 2 HDMI ports, eDP and LVDS, as well as 2x GbE 2.0 and storage options include a SATA III port, and an M.2 NVMe socket. The supports offer a choice in which SoC can be loaded, either the Ryzen Embedded R1000 SoC or the already marketed and more powerful V1000 which supports both Ubuntu and Windows. Background and other AMD Ryzen Embedded SBC’s AMD Ryzen Embedded R1000 Series SoC’s UDOO BOLT AMD Ryzen Embedded Sapphire FS-FP5R 5×5 Motherboard with the embedded AMD Ryzen R1606G or R1505G processor onboard. IBASE MI988 […]

October 4, 2019October 4, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Commell Unveils LP-178 Whiskey Lake Pico-ITX SBC

We’ve previously covered several Intel Whiskey Lake-U SBCs in various form factors such as the Commell LE-37N 3.5″ board, ASRock IMB-1216 mini-ITX motherboard, or UP Xtreme with a custom 122×120 form factor. But if your project or application requires a more compact form factor, Commell has just announced LP-178 Whiskey Lake Pico-ITX SBC with either Intel Core i7-8665UE or Celeron 4305UE 8th generation embedded processor. LP-178 board specifications: SoC (one or the other) Intel Core i7-8665UE quad-core/octa-thread processor @ 1.7GHz / 4.4GHz (Turbo) with Intel UHD Graphics 620; 8MB cache; 15W TDP Intel Celeron 4305UE dual-core processor @ 2.0GHz with Intel UHD Graphics 610; 2MB cache; 15W TDP FCBGA1528 package System Memory – SO-DIMM socket for up to 16GB DDR4 RAM Storage – 1x SATA 3.0 interface Video Output / Display I/F HDMI port up to 4K resolution DisplayPort output DP to VGA or LVDS via an optional adapter Triple […]