Howchip Introduces ExSOM-4412 Module and Development Kit Powered by Samsung Exynos 4412 Quad Core SoC

Howchip, the company that normally distribute Insignal Origen and Arndale boards, has just introduced ExSOM-4412 system-on-module, and a corresponding development kit called ExSOM-4412-DVK. ExSOM-4412 module specifications: SoC – Samsung Exynos 4412 quad core Cortex A9 CPU with Mali-400MP4 GPU System Memory – N/A (TBC) Storage – Up to 8GB eMMC + SD/SDIO interface Connectivity – 10/100Mbps Ethernet, optional  Wi-Fi and Bluetooth module Video Output – HDMI(1080p) for TV, 2-ch LVDS for TFT LCD Camera – 2x parallel camera interfaces Audio – Line in/out  and Headphone out. USB – 4x USB 2.0 Host ch and OTG Configurable GPIOs, Analog inputs, PWMs and Serial interfaces such as I2Cs, SPIs,  and UARTs SoM Connector – 213-pin MXM connector Dimensions – 70mm x 70mm The dimensions and connector used points to the module following Qseven standard, but the company does not mention anything about Qseven, so the pin assignment may be different. Software support […]

STMicro STM32F7 Series is the First ARM Cortex-M7 MCU Family

Right after ARM’s Cortex-M7 announcement, STMicro has listed STM32F7 MCU family based on the latest ARM core on their website. The family is comprised of 20 different MCUs with various flash size, packages, and with or without a crypto/hash coprocessor. The company expects their STM32F756xx microcontrollers to be used for motor drive and application control, medical equipment, industrial applications such as PLC, inverters, and circuit breakers, printers & scanners, alarm systems, video intercom, HVAC, home audio appliances, mobile applications, Internet of Things application, and wearable devices such as smartwatches. STM32F7 MCUs share the following key features: Cortex-M7 core @ 200 Mhz (1000 CoreMark/428 DMIPS) with L1 cache (4KB I-cache, 4KB d-cache) 320KBytes of SRAM with scattered architecture: 240 Kbytes of universal data memory a 16 Kbytes partition for sharing data over the bus matrix 64 Kbytes of Tightly-Coupled Data Memory (DTCM) for time critical data handling (stack, heap…) 16 Kbytes […]

Rockchip RK3126, RK3128, and “MayBach” Octo-core Cortex A53 Processor Could Be Found in Tablets in Q4 2014

T-chip, the company behind Firefly-RK3288 development board and HPH NT-V6 media player, has sent me their latest company brochure this morning. The brochure mentions the company history since 2005, various tablets solutions they have done over the year, and new and upcoming products. One of the slides particularly caught my attention. RK3288 is pretty popular right now, but I had never heard about RK3126 and RK3128 SoC with four ARM Cortex A7 core with a Mali GPU supporting HEVC decoding up to 1080p resolution. Both processors are manufactured using 40nm technology, so I’d guess these target ultra low cost tablets, which should become available in October and November 2014. Even more interesting is the mention of “MayBach” Tablets. I’ve been told MayBach, which could just be a temporary codename, is an upcoming Rockchip SoC. Based on the information in the slide, it should be an Octa-core Cortex A53 processor with […]

MINIX NEO X6 H.265 Android Media Player is Available for Pre-order for $99

Android media players based on Amlogic S805 such as MXQ S85 or EM6Q-MXQ are currently available for $50 to $70, but MINIX NEO X6 has now been listed for pre-order on sites such as DealExtreme. Geekuying, Aliexpress, and Amazon USstarting at $99 including shipping, with some sellers providing an extra gift (SD card or flash drive). MINIX devices are usually a bit more expensive than other equivalent products, because of potentially better hardware, and the company provides regular firmware updates and a support forum. The specs remain the same as the initial announcement: SoC – Amlogic S805 quad core ARM Cortex A5 @ 1.5GHz with quad core Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 1 GB DDR3L Storage – 8 GB eMMC + micro SD slot Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz) with external antenna, Bluetooth 4.0 Video Output – HDMI 1.4 up to 1080p with HDMI-CEC support Audio […]

ARM Introduces Cortex-M7 MCU Core for IoT, Wearables, Industrial and Automotive Applications

ARM has just announced Cortex-M7 processor based on ARMv7-M architecture, with double the compute and digital signal processing (DSP) capability of ARM Cortex M4. The latest ARM MCU core targets IoT and wearables applications for the automotive, industrial, and consumer markets including motor control, industrial / home / factory automation, advanced audio, image processing, connected vehicle applications, and so on. Cortex-M7 comes with enhanced DSP instructions, a better FPU (FPv5 with single and double precision support), and tight coupled memory compared to Cortex-M4, according to an Anandtech article. ARM Cortex-M7 also achieves 5 CoreMark/MHz against 3.41 CoreMark/MHz for Cortex M4, and up to 3.23 DMIPS/MHz against up to 1.95 DMIPS/MHz. ARM Cortex-M7 features listed in the press release: Six stage, superscalar pipeline delivering 2000 Coremarks at 400MHz in a 40LP process. AXI interconnect (supports 64-bit transfer) and fully integrated optional caches for instruction and data allowing efficient access to large […]

pcDuino Acadia 1 is a Freescale i.MX6 Quad Development Board with Arduino Headers

Linksprite has been pretty busy recently. After announcing the $39 pcDuino3 Nano, they’ve now unveiled a new board named pcDuino Acadia 1 powered by Freescale i.MX6 Quad processor with 1GB RAM, 8GB eMMC, a few common ports, and Arduino headers in order to connect Arduino shields to their Linux/Android board. pcDuino Acadia 1 (preliminary) specifications: SoC – Freescale i.MX6 Quad with four ARM Cortex A9 cores up to 1.2GHz, and Vivante GC2000 GPU with support for OpenGL/ES 2. x, OpenCL EP support, and OpenVG 1.1. System Memory – 1GB DRAM Storage – 8GB eMMC, 2x micro SD card slots (up to 128GB), and SATA Video Output – HDMI 1.4 with HDCP support, LVDS Audio Output – 3.5mm analog audio interface Camera – 1x MIPI, 1x CSI Connectivity – 10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet (limited to 470Mbps) USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x micro USB OTG Expansion Headers – Arduino UNO compatible […]

Review of EM6Q-MXQ Android Quad Core Media Player

After taking a few pictures of Eny EM6Q-MXQ Android media player, it’s time for a full review. I’ll first give my first impressions and go through the user interface, test video playback, test the system, network, and storage performance, try a few games, and check various hardware ports are working as they are supposed to do. First Boot, Settings and First Impressions I’ve inserted two AAA batteries in the provided infrared remote control to check it’s working, and it’s usable in the main user interface and XBMC, but once you start using most Android apps it’s useless, so I quickly switched to  Mele F10 Deluxe air mouse. Before powering up the device, I’ve connected an HDMI cable, an Ethernet cable, and made with use of the 4 USB ports by connecting two RF dongles (Air mouse and gamepad), a USB hard drive, and a UVC USB webcam. The box lacks […]

Unboxing of Nagrace HPH NT-V6 Android TV Box with HDMI In, Rockchip RK3288 Processor

Thanks to Nagrace Times Technology, I’ve got a new Rockchip RK3288 Android mini PC to play with. HPH NT-V6 model is higher end compared to the other ones I’ve received including Uyesee G1H, Kingnovel R6 and Orion R28 Meta, because it comes with 32GB eMMC, HDMI In, and a AP6335 Wi-Fi module providing 802.11ac Wi-Fi connectivity. I’ll start by listing the device specifications, take some pictures of the device and the board, and I’ll write a full review probably next week as I have some other hardware to test first. Nagrace NT-V6 specifications The company provides various memory and storage options for this product, and if Linux based operating systems such as Ubuntu or Chrome OS end up being properly supported on Rockchip RK3288, Nagrace NT-V6 could end up bring a very nice mini PC: SoC –  Rockchip RK3288 quad core ARM Cortex A12/A17 processor @ 1.8 GHz with ARM […]