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

October 19, 2020October 19, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Gumstix Introduces CM4 to CM3 Adapter, Carrier Boards for Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4

Raspberry Pi Trading has just launched 32 different models of Raspberry Pi CM4 and CM4Lite systems-on-module, as well as the “IO board” carrier board. But the company has also worked with third-parties, and Gumstix, an Altium company, has unveiled four different carrier boards for the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4, as well as a convenient CM4 to CM3 adapter board that enables the use of Raspberry Pi CM4 on all/most carrier boards for the Compute Module 3/3+. Raspberry Pi CM4 Uprev & UprevAI CM3 adapter board Gumstix Raspberry Pi CM4 Uprev follows the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3 form factor but includes two Hirose connectors for Computer Module 4. The signals are simply routed from the Hirose connectors to the 200-pin SODIMM edge connector used with CM3. Gumstix Raspberry Pi CM4 Uprev is the same except it adds a Google Coral accelerator module. Gumstix Raspberry Pi CM4 Development Board Specifications: […]

October 19, 2020October 20, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 40 Comments

Raspberry Pi CM4 and CM4Lite Modules Launched for $25 and Up

We were expecting Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 sometimes next year, but Raspberry Pi Trading Limited managed to launch the new module much earlier, as Raspberry Pi CM4 and CM4Lite modules have just been launched with a new, much more compact form factor incompatible with the earlier Compute Modules, an I/O board making use of the new features, and a choice of 32 models with variations in terms of memory and storage capacity, as well as the presence or lack thereof of a WiFi and Bluetooth wireless module. Raspberry Pi CM4 & CM4Lite Specifications: SoC – Broadcom BCM2711 quad-core Cortex-A72 processor @ 1.5 GHz with VideoCore VI GPU System Memory – 1, 2, 4, or 8GB LPDDR4-3200 SDRAM Storage – CM4: 4, 8, 16, or 32GB eMMC flash up to 100MB/s; CM4Lite: No storage device on module Networking Gigabit Ethernet transceiver Optional Wireless module with 802.11b/g/n/ac WiFi 5 and Bluetooth […]

October 19, 2020October 19, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Intel Celeron 6305 and Pentium Gold 7505 Tiger Lake Processors Launched

Intel launched various Core i3/i5/i7 Tiger Lake processors in early September, shortly followed by more Core i3/i5/i7 UP3 Tiger Lake Embedded SoCs, so I was a little confused when Congatec launched a Tiger Lake COM Express module with of choice of processors including the usual Core processor plus an unnamed Celeron Tiger Lake processor because none were listed in Intel Ark. But a few weeks have passed, and there are now three new Celeron and Pentium Tiger Lake processors in the list namely: Pentium Gold 7505, Celeron 6305, and Celeron 6305E with the later optimized for embedded & IoT applications with a wider temperature range from 0 to 100°C. All three processors come with a 15W TDP and are manufactured using Intel’s 10nm process. As we can see from the table below both Celeron 6305 and Celeron 6305E have the exact same key features. The main difference between the Celeron […]

October 18, 2020October 20, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

NanoPi R2S & NanoPi NEO3 tested with Armbian – Thermal test, Ethernet and USB performance

In the first part of the review of NanoPi NEO3 and Nano R2S I checked out the hardware, with both tiny gateways powered by a Rockchip RK3328 processor but a different features as NEO3 includes a Gigabit Ethernet port and a USB 3.0 port, while R2S comes with dual Gigabit Ethernet ports and a USB 2.0 port. I’ve now had time to test both gateways using Armbian 20.08.1 release based on Ubuntu 20.04 Focal. Note that while NanoPi R2S is officially supported by Armbian, NanoPi NEO3 images are currently tagged as “suitable for testing“. Having that said I did not come across any specific issues on NEO3, and it may mostly mean it’s easier to get support on the forums with R2S. I flashed two microSD cards using USBImager with: Armbian_20.08.1_Nanopi-r2s_focal_current_5.8.6_minimal.img.xz Armbian_20.08.1_Nanopineo3_focal_current_5.8.6_minimal.img.xz That means Ubuntu 20.04 with Linux 5.8.6, but since Armbian is always updated, I ended the review with […]

October 17, 2020October 17, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Google Coral Dev Board mini SBC is now available for $100

Google Coral SBC was the first development board with Google Edge TPU. The AI accelerator was combined with an NXP i.MX 8M quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor and 1GB RAM to provide an all-in-all AI edge computing platform. It launched for $175, and now still retails for $160 which may not be affordable to students and hobbyists. Google announced a new model called Coral Dev Board Mini last January, and the good news is that the board is now available for pre-order for just under $100 on Seeed Studio with shipping scheduled to start by the end of the month. Coral Dev Board Mini specifications haven’t changed much since the original announcement, but we know a few more details: SoC – MediaTek MT8167S quad-core Arm Cortex-A35 processor @ 1.3 GHz with Imagination PowerVR GE8300 GPU AI/ML accelerator – Google Edge TPU coprocessor with up to 4 TOPS as part of Coral […]

October 16, 2020October 16, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

ESP32 CNC Controller Board Supports Grbl Arduino Firmware

Grbl_ESP32 CNC development board is a breakout board for NodeMCU 32S board that also takes three stepper motor drivers, and designed to run Grbl open-source Arduino firmware to control wireless CNC machines. Grbl_ESP32 CNC breakout board specifications: Socket for NodeMCU 32S board with ESP32 WiFi and Bluetooth dual-core SoC 3 sockets for stepper motor drivers such as TI DRV8825 types and others. Micro-step selection jumpers included. MicroSD card socket Home/Limit switch connections for XY and Z axes. Control switch input connections for Feed Hold, Cycle Start, Reset, and Door. Spindle output for PWM to control speed. 3A DC-DC power supply to run the ESP32 if it is not connected to USB Grbl CNC firmware was initially developed for the Arduino UNO and basic 3 axis CNC routers around 10 years ago, but has since then been ported to other CPUs and is now found in other types of CNC machines […]

October 16, 2020October 16, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments

PineCube open-source Linux IP camera devkit launched for $30

Pine64 has been a busy company/community with the launch of Linux powered Arm development boards, PinePhone smartphone, PineTab tablet, and Pinebook Pro laptop in the last two years. They also had other smaller projects that got fewer resources due to the launch of the aforementioned products and COVID-19 induced delays, and one of those is PineCube open-source IP camera development kit that finally launched for $29.99 plus shipping. PineCube hardware specifications: SoC – Allwinner/Sochip S3 Arm Cortex-A7 processor @ 800MHz with 128MB in-package DDR3 RAM Storage – 128Mbit SPI Nor Flash and MicroSD slot, both bootable Camera – 5MP OV5640 sensor Audio – Built-in microphone, speaker Display – Optional 4.5-inch RGB LCD screen ( Networking – 10/100M Ethernet with passive PoE and WiFi USB – USB 2.0 Type-A host port Expansion – 26-pin GPIO header Misc – Volume and home buttons Power Supply 5V/1A via micro USB port or GPIO […]

October 16, 2020October 16, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Raspberry Pi Gets 5G Cellular Connectivity with Snapdragon X55 Powered HAT

The Raspberry Pi board has long been able to connect to cellular networks either via USB dongles or 3G or 4G LTE HATs that often include GPS as a bonus. But you can now connect your Raspberry Pi 4 or other RPI SBC with a 40-pin header to 5G networks thanks to Waveshare SIM8200EA-M2 5G HAT for Raspberry Pi powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 multi-mode multi-band modem offering 5G/4G/3G cellular connectivity. As we can see from the photo, the 5G add-on comes as part of a cool-looking kit with bottom and top acrylic plates, spacers, a cooling fan plus five antennas for cellular and GNSS connectivity. But the HAT itself integrates a SimCOM SIM8200EA-M2 M.2 module and offers the following specifications: Compatibility – Works with Raspberry Pi boards with a 40-pin GPIO extension header Cellular Connectivity SIM8200EA-M2 core module based on Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 platform with multi-mode multi-band support 5G/4G/3G […]