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

July 24, 2020July 24, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

CANTact Pro Open-source USB to CAN Device Enables Car Hacking (Crowdfunding)

The Controller Area Network (CAN) serial communication bus allows microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other without a host computer. It’s especially used in automotive applications where various components (dashboard, ABS, air conditioner, and other sensors) may need to communicate with each other, but it has also found its way into robots, industrial control systems, and avionics. CANTact Pro is an open-source USB to CAN device that can help you debugging or hack components inside a car or other vehicle. The tool features two CAN Interfaces and can be controlled from Windows, Linux, or Mac OS computers. CANTact Pro key features and specifications: CAN Interfaces – 1x CAN/CAN-FD/SWCAN (Single Wire CAN), 1x CAN/CAN-FD; Both via DB9 connectors Host Interface – USB 2.0 device port Misc – 4x LEDs Safety – Isolation between CAN and USB Power Supply – 5V via USB port CANTact Pro works with Windows, macOS, and […]

July 24, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Some Smartwatches and Fitness Trackers Double as Earbuds Holders

Wireless earbuds are nice, except I don’t really use the ones I have because they tend to fall off my ears as soon as I perform physical activities (e.g. running), and I often misplace them, so I may not have on hand when I need them. One thing I wear virtually 24 hours a day is my smartwatch/fitness tracker, namely Weloop Hey 3S (still going strong after over 2 years), so if there were some wearables that could also store earbuds that would be nice. While browsing new product arrivals this morning, I discovered there were several smartwatches that ships with Bluetooth earbuds that are stored inside the watch when not in use. ASLING S300 smartwatch (left of the above photo) ships with two Bluetooth 5.0 earbuds that are stored on the side of the watch, while ASLING G36 smart bracelet stores them through an opening on the top of […]

July 23, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Dune HD AV1 4K TV Box To Run AOSP or Android TV for Android 10 on RealTek RTD1319 Processor

4K TV boxes capable of playing AV1 content are coming later this year. Many of the entry-level models will feature Amlogic S905X4 processor, but some higher-end set-top boxes will instead be equipped with Broadcom BCM7218X or Realtek RTD1319 processor with better video post-processing capabilities and often more extensive DRM support which can be important to operators. Dune HD AV1 4K TV box is coming later this year with Realtek RTD1319 media processor, and support for either Android 10 AOSP or Android TV for Android 10. Dune HD AV1 4K TV box specifications: SoC – Realtek RTD1319 quad-core Arm Cortex A55 processor with Mali-G31 GPU with OpenGL ES 3.2 API support System Memory – 2 GB RAM Storage – 16 GB flash (32 GB or more as an option) Video & Audio Output – HDMI 2.1 up to 4Kp60 with HDR support, 3.5mm AV port with composite video and analog stereo […]

July 23, 2020November 11, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

MediaTek Dimensity 720 5G SoC to Power Mid-Tier 5G Smartphones

As 5G penetration and coverage slowly, but surely increase, 5G connectivity is moving from high-end SoC’s to mid-range processors with the likes of HiSilicon Kirin 820, Qualcomm Snapdragon 690, or Samsung Exynos 880. MediaTek already had Dimensity 800 & 820 SoC for the mid-tier market, but the company has now gone one step lower with Dimensity 720 5G SoC equipped with two Cortex-A76 cores clocked at up to 2.0 GHz, six Cortex A55 cores, a Mali G57MC3 GPU, and a 5G modem with 2.3Gbps peak (e.g. theoretical) download speed. MediaTek Dimensity 720 specifications: Octa-core Processor – 2x Arm Cortex-A76 @ up to 2GHz, and 6x Arm Cortex-A55 @ up to 2GHz GPU – Arm Mali-G57 MC3 AI Accelerator – MediaTek APU (but no details provided) System Memory – Up to 12GB LPDDR4x up to 2133MHz Storage – UFS 2.2 Display – Up to 2520 x 1080 resolution with 90Hz max […]

July 23, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

SiFive RISC-V Processors Get Performance & Efficiency Improvements, Smaller Footprint with 20G1 Release

SiFive RISC-V cores portfolio ranges from low power 32-bit IoT processors to more powerful, Linux-capable 64-bi RISC-V cores like the latest SiFive U84/U87 cores rivaling with Arm Cortex-A7x cores. SiFive Core IP 20G1 release further enhances the company’s existing RISC-V cores with performance improvements, higher efficiency, and a smaller footprint. Specifically, SiFive claims the SiFive U7-Series has increased load bandwidth up to 2.8x for memory-intensive workloads such as AI inference processing, and all of the company’s RISC-V cores can now run at lower power, with the SiFive U74 standard core running at up to 25% lower power while running Dhrystone benchmark. The SiFive E-Series processors which feature real-time capability are now available with the RISC-V Embedded extension (RV32E) which reduces the footprint compared to RV32I ISA with for instance up to 11% smaller area for the SiFive E3-Series. RV32E and RV32I have the same instructions set, but RV32E comes with […]

July 22, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 20 Comments

Cooler Master Launches Pi Case 40 for Raspberry Pi 4 on Kickstarter

Cooler Master, known for its PC cooling solutions and cases, has now launched a Raspberry Pi 4 case on Kickstarter. Cooler Master Pi Case 40 has already raised over $120,000 within a few hours, with the $27 Raspberry Pi 4 enclosure blasting pass the $10,000 funding target in about one hour. The aluminum case is unsurprisingly a fanless design and exposes a power button to easily power on and off the system without having to remove the power source from the Raspberry Pi. The button also happens to be reconfigurable to any other function so you can run whatever script you please after pressing the button. The neat part of the design is that GPIOs are re-routed to the side of the case with corresponding IO markings on the enclosure. The case also comes with a slit to allow both display and camera cables to be routed outside the enclosure, […]

July 22, 2020July 22, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

ATCwatch Arduino Firmware Works with PineTime, COLMI P8, “Da Fit” Smartwatches

Earlier this week, we wrote about fake heart rate sensors found in ultra-low-cost fitness trackers as reported by Aaron Christophel. It turns out he also maintains an open-source project specific to P8 watch, PineTime, and other smartwatches compatible with Da Fit Android app: ATCwatch Arduino firmware. The firmware provides a basic menu system, notifications, and the latest implementation enables direct HTTP or HTTPS GET requests to control IoT devices and get info from the Internet. The current firmware consumes about 150-200uA standby current, and last roughly 92 hours on a charge with heavy notification and usage. While it’s possible to connect an SWD St-Link V2 to flash the bootloader and firmware, it’s not necessary, as it’s possible to flash ATCwatch Arduino firmware without having to open the watch by using over-the-air update function with DaFlasherFiles for PineTime or P8 watch together with DaFlasher Android app. Once the update is done, […]

July 22, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

GuRu Launches Desk-Range Wireless Power Transfer Evaluation Kit

Several companies are developing wireless power at-a-distance solutions with various ranges, from desk power/charging to factory sensor power, including Energous and TransferFi. CNX Software has been contacted by another company working in the field with Guru Inc launching the GuRu mini evaluation kit capable of wireless power transmitting several watts within a desk using a 24 GHz chip. There are very few details about the internals of the transmitter and receiver, but the company told CNX Software GuRu developed its own 24GHz chip built in a standard CMOS process. The chip is said to use “Smart RF Lensing power transfer, enabled via highly focused, intelligently-controlled millimeter waves” in order to increase both power transfer and range by up to 10 times, as well as deliver smaller and cheaper devices. The (G3100-005-EVK) wireless power transfer evaluation kit is comprised of the following components/accessories: A generator unit (GU) suitable for desktop environment […]