Linux News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

May 15, 2025May 15, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

ZimaBoard 2 micro server review – Part 1: Unboxing, teardown, and ZimaOS interface

We’ve just received a review sample of the ZimaBoard 2 micro server and mini PC powered by an Intel Processor N150 “Twin Lake” CPU. The system features two 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports, two SATA III ports, two USB 3.1 ports, and a miniDP video port supporting 4K resolution. IceWhale Technology provided us with the ZimaBoard 2 model 832 prototype with 8GB RAM and 32GB eMMC flash preloaded with the ZimaOS operating system for review. In this article, we will unbox the device and its accessories, perform a teardown, and boot the micro server with the pre-installed ZimaOS and check the web dashboard. In the second part of the review, we will test ZimaOS in more detail, run some benchmarks since it’s our first Twin Lake mini PC, install an Ubuntu virtual machine, test the SATA ports and PCIe 3.0 x4 slot, and more. ZimaBoard 2 unboxing We received a package […]

May 14, 2025May 14, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 23 Comments

$39 ODROID-C5 is a power-efficient Amlogic S905X5M SBC with 4GB RAM, no heatsink needed

Hardkernel ODROID-C5 is a lower-cost upgrade to the ODROID-C4 SBC with a faster and more efficient Amlogic S905X5M quad-core Cortex-A55 SoC clocked at 2.5 GHz, 4GB DDR4 RAM, and almost the same features as the previous generation Amlogic S905X3 single board computer. That means a microSD card slot and an eMMC flash module socket for storage, HDMI 2.0 video output up to 4Kp60, a Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port, four USB ports, and the usual 40-pin Raspberry Pi GPIO header. ODROID-C5 specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X5M CPU – Quad-core Cortex-A55 processor @ 2.5 GHz GPU – Arm G310-V2 GPU @ 850 MHz supporting OpenGL ES 3.2, Vulkan 1.0 and OpenCL 2.0 VPU Video Decoding – 4Kp75 10-bit: AV1, H.265, VP9, AVS2; 4Kp30: H.264 Video Encoding – 1080p30 H.264 System Memory – 4GB DDR4 @ 3200MT/s Storage eMMC module connector with HS400 speed (16, 32, 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB modules available) MicroSD […]

May 13, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Root Commit releases free training materials on OpenEmbedded and Yocto using the BeaglePlay SBC

Michael Opdenacker, Founder of Root Commit, has published free and open-source training materials on OpenEmbedded and Yocto using the BeaglePlay SBC powered by a Texas Instruments AM625 processor. If the name rings a bell, it’s because Michael was the founder of Bootlin (previously Free Electrons) before selling the company to employees in 2021. He’s now started a new company called Root Commit, where he continues providing Embedded Linux training and development services. He’s kept the tradition of releasing free training materials, with the latest course being related to Yocto development on the BeaglePlay board. You’ll find resources on the Root Commit website with three files, including 220 pages of lectures, 18 practical labs for the BeaglePlay board and QEMU, and source code/patchsets released under a Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 license. The course includes an introduction to the Yocto Project 5.0 and Embedded Linux, a Getting Started guide explaining how to […]

May 13, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Geniatech AP880 Edge AI embedded systems pair NXP i.MX 8M Plus SoC with 40 TOPS Kinara Ara-2 AI accelerator

Geniatech AP880 and AP880 Mini Edge AI Embedded Systems

Geniatech AP880 and AP880 Mini are two Edge AI embedded computers powered by an NXP i.MX 8M Plus AI SoC and a 40 TOPS Kinara Ara-2 AI accelerator for industrial edge applications that may benefit from AI acceleration in applications such as optical inspection. The AP880 is a single board computer design with the Ara-2 soldered on the board, while the AP880 has a modular design with a SMARC SoM, a carrier board, and an M.2 Kinara Ara-2 AI accelerator, likely Geniatech’s own AIM M2 M.2 module. Geniateach AP880 and AP880 mini specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX 8M Plus CPU – Quad-core Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.8GHz, Arm Cortex-M7 real-time core @ 800 MHz GPU – Vivante GC7000UL OpenGL ES 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, OpenCL 1.2, Vulkan support AI accelerator – 2.3 TOPS NPU VPU Encoder up to 1080p60 H.264, H.265 Decoder up to 1080p60 H.264, H.265 AI Accelerator – 40 TOPS […]

May 13, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Jupiter NX SoM – An NVIDIA Jetson Nano/NX alternative powered by SpacemiT K1 octa-core RISC-V SoC

The Jupiter NX is a system-on-module (SoM) powered by a SpacemIT octa-core 64-bit RISC-V SoC that follows NVIDIA’s Jetson Nano / Xavier NX form factor for compatibility with existing carrier boards. Designed by Shenzhen Milk-V Technology, the module supports up to 16GB LPDDR4x memory and 32GB eMMC flash, and integrates two gigabit Ethernet PHYs and a WiFi 6 & Bluetooth 5.2 wireless module. Jupiter NX specifications: SoC – SpacemIT K1/M1 CPU – 8-core X60 RISC-V (RV64GCVB) processor @ 1.6 GHz GPU – Imagination IMG BXE-2-32 @ 819 MHz with support for OpenGL ES3.2, Vulkan 1.3, OpenCL 3.0; 20 GFLOPS VPU H.265, H.264, VP8, VP9, MPEG4, MPEG2 decoder up to 4K @ 60fps H.265, H.264, VP8, VP9 encoder up to 4K @ 30fps Support simultaneous processing 1080p60 encoding + 1080p60 decoding 1080p30 H.264/H.265 encoding + 4Kp30 H.264/H.265 decoding AI performance – 2.0 TOPS (INT8) through “CPU core fusion” RVA 22 Profile […]

May 12, 2025May 12, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Allwinner T113-i industrial gateway supports Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, 4G LTE, offers RS232, RS485, CAN Bus, DI/DO interfaces

MYiR Tech’s MY-EVC700S-V2 is an industrial gateway powered by Allwinner T113-i dual-core Cortex-A7 microprocessor (MPU), and equipped with up to 512MB DDR3, 4GB eMMC flash, and 32KB EEPROM. The fanless industrial-grade gateway offers RS232, RS485, CAN Bus, DO, and DI through terminal blocks, Fast Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, and 4GB LTE connectivity, HDMI and LVDS display interfaces, a few USB ports, and more. MY-EVC700S-V2 specifications: SoC – Allwinner T113-i CPU Dual-core Arm Cortex-A7 clocked at up to 1.2 GHz 64-bit XuanTie C906 RISC-V real-time core DSP – HiFi4 VPU Video decoder – H.265 up to 4K @ 30 FPS, H.264 up to 4K @ 24 FPS, MPEG-1/2/4, JPEG, Xvid, Sorenson Spark up to 1080p60 Video encoder – JPEG/MJPEG up to 1080p60 Package – LFBGA 337 balls, 13 x 13 mm System Memory – 512MB DDR3 Storage 4GB eMMC flash 32KB EEPROM MicroSD card slot Display Interfaces LVDS-to-HDMI interface (optional) LVDS connector […]

May 12, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Luckfox-Pico-86-Panel – An 86-type Smart Home controller with a 4-inch display, Ethernet, RS485, two relays

Luckfox-Pico-86-Panel is a Smart Home controller powered by a Rockchip RV1106G2 or RV1106G63 SoC with 128MB or 256MB DDR3L and equipped with a 4-inch touchscreen display that fits into a standard 86-type junction box. The Linux device supports Ethernet, WiFi 6, and Bluetooth 5.2 LE connectivity and features terminal blocks for 6 to 30V DC input, RS485, and two relays. The controller includes a speaker and microphone for Smart Audio applications, and a USB-C port for programming and debugging. Luckfox-Pico-86-Panel specifications: SoC – Rockchip RV1106G2/G3 CPU – Arm Cortex A7 @ 1.2GHz with an integrated RISC-V co-processor. NPU 4th-gen Rockchip NPU with hybrid quantization (int4, int8, int16) 0.5 TOPS (RV1106G2) or 1 TOPS (RV1106G3) ISP – 3rd-gen 5MP high-performance ISP VPU – 3072×1728 (5M) @ 30fps H.265/H.264 encoding, 16M @ 60FPS JPEG snapshot System Memory – 128MB (RV1106G2) or 256MB (RV1106G3) DDR3L memory Storage – 8GB eMMC flash storage Display – 4-inch 5-point […]

May 10, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 19 Comments

Beelink ME Mini is a compact 6-slot SSD NAS and mini PC powered by an Intel N150 Twin Lake SoC

Beelink was one of the first companies to launch an Intel Processor N150 mini PC with the EQ14 model, and they’ve now launched the ME Mini 6-slot SSD NAS based on the Twin Lake processor, coupled with 12 GB RAM, 64GB eMMC flash, and a 2TB NVMe SSD. The compact NAS/computer also features two 2.5GbE ports, a WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 wireless module, HDMI 2.0 video output, and a few USB ports. Like the Beelink EQ14, it comes with an integrated 100/240V power supply instead of an external power brick. Beelink ME Mini specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N150 quad-core Twin Lake processor @ up to 3.6 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel UHD graphics @ 1.0 GHz; TDP: 6W System Memory – 12GB LPDDR5 4800 MHz; note: a 16GB LPDDR5 model will also be available Storage 5x M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0 x1 sockets 1x M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0 […]