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

September 11, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

PICO317 Fanless Atom x5-E3940 Pico-ITX SBC Powers Industrial IoT Applications

Axiomtek has launched a 2.5-inch Pico-ITX Atom x5-E3940 Apollo Lake SBC supporting two independent video outputs and designed for Industrial IoT (IIoT) applications for industrial automation and in the transportation and retail sectors. The PICO317 single board computer is equipped with up to 8GB SO-DIMM RAM, supports SATA and mSATA storage, Gigabit Ethernet, and dual video output is achieved via HDMI and LVDS interfaces. Axiomtek PICO317 specifications: SoC – Intel Atom x5-E3940 quad-core Apollo Lake processor @ 1.6 GHz / 1.8 GHz (Turbo) with 2 MB cache, 12 EU Intel HD graphics; 9.5W TDP System Memory – Up to 8GB RAM via 1x 204-pin DDR3L-1867 SO-DIMMto Storage – SATA 3.0 connector, mSATA socket (see Expansion section), flash for AMI BIOS Video Output – 1x HDMI up to 4K, 1x dual-channel 18/24-bit LVDS Audio – Realtek ALC662 HD Codec audio; Line-out jack Networking – Gigabit Ethernet via Intel i211-AT and supporting […]

September 10, 2020July 14, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

How to Take a Remote Screenshot in Raspberry Pi over SSH

I recently reviewed a Raspberry Pi 4 laptop with a custom interface that made it impractical to take screenshots directly on the device. So instead I had to take screenshots remotely over SSH. It’s quite easy to do. Most of the steps can be reproduced in other Linux systems, and are not specific to Raspberry Pi. Enable SSH in Raspberry Pi First, enable SSH either with sudo raspi-config in a terminal window and selecting 5. Interface Options, then P2 SSH… If for some reason, you don’t have access to the terminal, take out the MicroSD card from the Raspberry Pi board, and from a computer create a new empty file named “ssh” in the boot partition. Now provided you have the username and password for your board, you can connect to SSH with the IP address from a terminal:

ssh <username>@<ip_address>

1	ssh <username>@<ip_address>

or a program like Putty. Taking a screenshot remotely You’re […]

September 10, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

AAWireless Enables Wireless Android Auto on Android 9.0+ Smartphones (Crowdfunding)

Android 11 was just released yesterday with wireless Android Auto support removing the need to use a cable between your phone and a car running Android Auto. That’s great if you have a phone that got upgraded to Android 11, but what about people with older smartphones or people equipped with a wired Android Auto infotainment system? AAWireless offers a solution for phones running Android 9.0 or greater as a plug & play USB device that allows the use of a WiFi connection instead of a USB cable. Emil Borconi-Szedressy started the project in 2018 with the AAGateway app allowing you to use an auxiliary (slave) device to connect your existing Android Auto compatible car to your phone (master) using a hotspot created on your phone. This is not ideal since should need a spare Android phone to run the slave device. AAWireless removes this need as Emil ported the […]

September 10, 2020September 10, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Allwinner T5 Processor to Power Android 10 and Linux Multi-Camera Infotainment Systems

Allwinner T-series processors are designed for transportation applications such as automotive infotainment systems, smart rear-view mirrors, and navigation systems. The Zhuhai-based company has now added a new T-series processor to its website with Allwinner T5 processor featuring four Cortex-A53 cores and a Mali-G31 MP2 GPU that’s a nice upgrade to the Mali-400 MP2/4 GPUs used in their other automotive processors. Allwinner T5 specifications: CPU – Quad-core Arm Cortex-A53@1.5GHz GPU – Arm Mali G31 MP2 with support for OpenGL ES 3.2/2.0/1.0, Vulkan 1.1, OpenCL 2.0 Memory I/F – 32-bit DDR4/DDR3/DDR3L/LPDDR3/LPDDR4 interface up to 4GB Storage I/F SD3.0/eMMC5.0 interface 8-bit Nand flash interface with maximum 80-bit/1KB ECC Video Engine Video decoder H.265 MP decoder up to 4K @ 60fps H.264 BL/MP/HP decoder up to 4K @ 30fps VP9 decoder up to 4K @ 60fps AVS2 decoder up to 4K @ 60fps Multi-format 1080p60 video playback including VP8, MPEG1/2 SP/MP, MPEG4 SP/ASP, AVS+/AVS […]

September 10, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

Raspberry Pi Zero Inspired ATMegaZero Arduino Compatible Board Launched for $24.90

When we reported about ATMegaZero, an Arduino Leonardo compatible board following Raspberry Pi Zero form factor last July it was not available for sale just yet. The good news is that the Microchip ATmega32U4 board is now available on GroupGets for $24.99 plus shipping. The group buying campaign is expected to end around September 30th, and the boards will ship right after that. Here’s a reminder about ATMegaZero specifications: MCU – Microchip ATmega32U4 microcontroller running at 16MHz with 32KB Flash, 2.5KB SRAM, 1KB EEPROM (Arduino Leonardo compatible) Storage – MicroSD card Display – 32-pin OLED display port compatible with 30-pin SSD1306 and SSD1331 based displays Wireless Connectivity – 8-pin header for optional ESP8266 ESP-01(s) WiFi module Expansion – 40-pin Raspberry Pi-inspired GPIO header with UART, SPI, I2C, analog input signals Debugging & Programming – Micro USB port, 6-pin ICSP header Misc – 4x LEDs, reset push-button Power Supply – 5V […]

September 9, 2020September 9, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Android 11 Release – People-centric Communication and “Pixel-First” Features

Six months have passed since Android 11 developer preview was released in February and at the time we noted enhancements for foldables and 5G, new call-screening APIs, new media & camera capabilities including animated HEIF support, as well as machine learning improvements. Google has now officially released Android 11 that is currently rolling out to select Google Pixel, OnePlus, Xiaomi, OPPO, and Realme phones. More phones will be upgraded/supported in the future, and Google also introduced some Pixel-first features that will (initially?) end up on Pixel phones exclusively. All Android 11 phones will support chat bubbles to message on top of other applications, built-in screen & audio, wireless Android Auto support with compatible cars, one-time permission for increased privacy, and more. But Google may have changed strategy trying to make Pixel phones more attractive to prospective buyers and increase sales as the Android 11 release comes with the following Pixel-exclusive […]

September 9, 2020September 9, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Amlogic S905X3-B SoC Powers Android 9.0 TV Boxes with Dolby Audio License

Amlogic S905X3 quad-core Cortex-A55 processor has been found in various TV boxes and single board computers such as ODROID-C4 for about a year. But I’ve just been informed some new TV models come with Amlogic S905X3-B processor adding a Dolby Audio license. AX95 DB is one of those with the S905X3-B Android 9.0 TV box equipped with 4GB RAM, up to 128GB storage, HDMI 2.1 output up to 4Kp60, as well as Fast Ethernet, and USB 3.0/2.0 ports. AX95 DB specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X3-B quad-core Arm Cortex-A55 processor @ 2.0 GHz with Arm Mali-G31MP2 GPU, Dolby audio license System Memory – 4GB DDR3 Storage – 64GB flash (32GB or 128GB optional), MicroSD card slt up to 32GB Video & Audio Output HDMI 2.1 up to 4K @ 60Hz or 8K @ 24Hz 3.5mm AV jack for composite video and stereo audio Optical S/PDIF with Dobly Digital audio support Video […]

September 9, 2020December 7, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

$10 System-on-Module Drives Full HD Smart Displays via SigmaStar SSD201 SoC

SigmaStar makes some of the cheapest processors for cameras on the market such as MStar MSC313E SoC. I’ve now been informed about a new low-cost module – IDO-SOM2D01 – based on SigmaStar SSD201 dual-core Cortex-A7 Full HD SoC with 64MB embedded DDR2, 128MB flash, as well as support for Ethernet and WiFi. As far as I understand, there’s no camera input, and instead, the SSD201 processor targets applications leveraging Full HD display for the Smart Home, industrial HMI, and home control systems. Industio IDO-SOM2D01 system-on-module specifications: SoC – SigmaStar SSD201 dual-core Cortex-A7 processor @ 1.2 GHz with 2D GPU, 64MB DDR2 RAM (QFN128 package) Storage – 128MB SPI NAND flash (option up to 2GB) Video Decoder – H.264/H.265 up to 1920×1080 @ 60 fps 96x castellated holes (1.1mm pitch) with Video Output – 4-lane MIPI DSI up to 1080p60 Audio – 1x analog microphone input, 2x DMIC inputs, 1x Line […]