Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft), Author at CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

January 10, 2021January 11, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

$6 Rtlduino RTL8720DN dual-band WiFi IoT board features 2.4/5GHz Wireless MCU

There are plenty of WiFi modules for the IoT market, but those usually work at 2.4 GHz only. This may be an issue in areas where the 2.4 GHz spectrum is overcrowded. But two years ago, we were pleased to see the Ameba Z2 board offering dual-band (2.4GHz and 5Ghz) WiFi thanks to Realtek RTL8720CM wireless MCU, and last year, we discovered B&T BW16 dual-band IoT module based on RTL8720DN sold for under $4 before shipping. If you like the cheap price of the module, but do not feel like creating your own baseboard, or soldering wires to the module, you’ll be glad to know Rtlduino RTL8720DN board offers an easy way to evaluate RTL8720DN dual-band WiFi (and Bluetooth LE 5.0) microcontroller as it is fitted with a B&T BW16 module and comes in a form factor similar to NodeMCU ESP8266 board. Rtlduino RTL8720DN board Specifications: B&T BW16 wireless module […]

January 9, 2021January 9, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 17 Comments

ECS LIVA Q1A Arm mini PC runs Linux or Android on Rockchip RK3288 or RK3399 SoC

ECS started the LIVA Q product line of tiny mini PCs in 2017, and so far all were based on low power, affordable Intel processors including last year’s LIVA Q1L/Q1D mini PCs powered by Intel Celeron or Pentium Apollo Lake processors. But at CES 2021, ECS will showcase its first Arm-based LIVA mini PCs with LIVA Q1A and Q1A Plus respectively powered by Rockchip RK3288 quad-core Cortex-A17 SoC and RK3399 hexa-core Cortex-A72/A53 processor running Linux or Android. ECS LIVA Q1A / Q1A Plus specifications: SoC LIVA Q1A – Rockchip RK3288 quad-core Cortex-A17 processor @ up to 1.6 GHz with Mali-T764 GPU LIVA Q1A Plus – Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core processor with 2x Cortex-A72 cores @ up to 1.8 GHz, 4x Cortex-A53 cores. and a Mali-T860MP4 GPU System Memory – 2GB LPDDR3-1600 Storage – 32GB (default) or 64GB eMMC flash, 1x MicroSD slot Video and audio output Both models – 1x HDMI […]

January 8, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

Security Tip – How to detect Juice Jacking on Android smartphones

A few years ago I wrote about the danger of “juice jacking” highlighting the security risks posed by USB charging in public places, where a bad actor could attempt to hack your phone or laptop to steal your precious data or install malware/ransomware. In most cases, there are no risks at home, but it’s when you charge your device in a public place notably an airport or train station that you could be at risk of hacking. If you’re using an Android phone, there’s an easy way to detect Juice Jacking, and whether something fishy is going on as shown in the screenshots below. On the left screenshot, I connect my phone to a USB charger, all that changed was the battery icon changed to show it’s charging. But on the right screenshot, I connected my smartphone to my laptop, and since it’s trying to access data, I’m offered three […]

January 7, 2021January 7, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Maypole MicroSD card reader comes with ESP32 for WiFi, smart storage (Crowdfunding)

Several years ago, we covered Zsun WiFi card reader a tiny USB card reader with WiFi and a battery that allowed users to access files via USB or WiFi from any device. People managed to hack the device and run OpenWrt on the little MicroSD card reader, but this required either to open the hardware and do some soldering, or use another method that could potentially brick the hardware, so not an ideal solution. But now Akshar Vastarpara has come with a similar device. Maypole is an open-source hardware MicroSD card reader powered by Espressif ESP32 processor providing both WiFi and the resources for smarter storage. It comes with an optional battery too to access files even without having to connect it to a USB port. Maypole hardware specifications: Storage – Swappable MicroSD cards up to 32GB Wireless Connectivity WiFi 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 via ESP32 WiSoC, Up to 4 […]

January 7, 2021January 7, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Industrial-grade 3D Vision Camera features Rockchip RK3399 SoC, Intel RealSense Technology

Vecow DVC-1000 industrial 3D vision camera

Vecow has just launched DVC-1000 industrial-grade 3D vision camera running Ubuntu on Rockchip RK3399 processor and based on Intel RealSense technology. The camera is rated IP67 for protection from water and dust, supports PoE, and the company says it’s “ideal for Robot Vision, Autonomous Mobile Robot, Object Dimensioning, and Intelligent Surveillance”. Vecow DVC-1000 specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core Cortex-A72/A53 processor @ up to 1.8 GHz with Mali 860MP4 GPU, 4K encode/decode System Memory / Storage – TBD Camera Depth Module Depth Sensor – OmniVision OV9282 Active Stereoscopic technology Operating Range – From 0.105 to 10 meters (depends on calibration, scene, and lighting conditions). Resolution – 1280 x 720, 640 x 480, 480 x 270, or 424 x 240 Frame Rate – Up to 60 fps Shutter Type – Global Shutter FoV (H x V x D) – 87°±3° × 58°±1° × 95°±3° @ HD Resolution Z Accuracy – ≤ […]

January 7, 2021August 14, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

Raspberry Pi 4 Mini-ITX carrier board. Meet Over:Board (Crowdfunding)

Over-board Raspberry Pi Compute Mobule 4 mini-ITX carrier board

While the Raspberry Pi 4 SBC is popular for its small form factor, affordable hardware, and good software support, the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 offers more flexibility and allows makers and companies to design their own hardware matching their requirements, while still leveraging the existing software support. We’ve already seen a mini-ITX carrier board for the Raspberry Pi 4, namely the upcoming Turing Pi 2. However, the board has very specific use cases in mind since it’s a cluster board designed for four Raspberry Pi Compute Modules 4. But British engineer Ross Nicholls has designed Over:Board carrier board for Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 for most traditional use cases, in essence, designing what amounts to a Raspberry Pi 4 mini-ITX motherboard with SATA, PCIe, etc. Over:Board specifications: Compatible SoM’s – Raspberry Pi CM4 or CM4Lite with Broadcom BCM2711 quad-core Cortex-A72 processor, up to 8GB RAM, up to 32GB storage. […]

January 6, 2021January 20, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 20 Comments

Sipeed MAIX-II Dock is an Allwinner V831 powered AIoT vision devkit

Sipeed introduced MAIX development boards powered by Kendryte K210 dual-core RISCV processor with AI accelerators in 2018, and we tested the Maixduino and Grove AI HAT based on the solution using Arduino and Micropython the following year. It works fine for audio and video project requiring AI acceleration at low power, but performance (resolution/fps) is limited. So if you’d like a bit more oomph for your audio & vision AI projects, as well as proper Linux support, Sipeed has just launched MAIX-II Dock powered by Allwinner V831 Cortex-A7 AI camera SoC clocked at up to 800-1000 MHz and 64MB on-chip DDR2 RAM, as well as a Full HD camera and a small display.MAIX-II Dock specifications: MAIX-II core module SoC – Allwinner V831 single-core Cortex-A7 processor clocked at 800-1000 MHz with 0.2TOPS AI accelerator, H.264/H.265/JPEG video encoder up to 1080p30 System Memory – 64MB DDR2 in package (SiP) Storage – Optional […]

January 5, 2021January 5, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 24 Comments

Balena EtcherPro multi SD card writer now up for pre-order

We first wrote about Balena EtcherPro in December 2018, as a relatively low-cost multi-SD card writer, designed by Balena for people who needed to flash several micro SD cards, USB drives, or boards. At the time, mass production was scheduled for Q2 2019. But it took a bit more time than expected, and the company is only now taking pre-orders for the device with a $50 deposit, and $990 price tag excluding VAT and shipping. EtcherPro highlights and specifications: Display – 7-inch RGB touch screen for control Ports – 16x USB 3.0, 16x SD card slots, 16x MicroSD card slots to flash up to 16 drives/devices at once Flash at speeds up to 52MB/s when flashing 16 drives/devices simultaneously, or up to 200MB/s for a single drive/device Supports SD, microSD, USB drives, and single-board computers (or compute modules via carrier boards) Flash an image from a physical drive source or […]