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

February 14, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

NXP QN9090 & QN9030 Bluetooth 5.0 SoC’s Come with Optional NFC Tag (NTAG)

NXP has recently announced the availability of its QN9090 and QN9030 Bluetooth 5.0 SoC with optional support for 802.15.4, Multiprotocol RF, and NFC technology. Both devices are powered by an Arm Cortex-M4 core clocked at 48MHz, but differ in terms of on-chip storage and memory with QN9090 equipped with 640KB flash and 152 KB SRAM, against 320KB flash and 88KB SRAM for QN9030. The “T” versions – QN9090T and QN9030T – add NFC integrated on-chip, enabling Bluetooth pairing by tapping a smartphone, tablet or other NFC reader device without the need for a battery-powered NFC tag. NXP QN9090(T) & QN9030(T) Bluetooth 5.0 SoCs Key features and specifications: CPU – Arm Cortex-M4 up to 48MHz Built-in Memory & Storage QN9090(T) – 640 KB flash, 152 KB RAM, 128 KB ROM QN9030(T) – 320 KB Flash, 88 KB RAM, 128 KB ROM External Storage – Quad-SPI for execute in place or data […]

February 14, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Xiaomi AIoT Router AX3600 WiFi 6 Router Sells for $135

The first 802.11ax routers were unveiled a Computex 2018, before the WiFi Alliance decided to use a new consumer-friendly naming scheme and rename 802.11n to WiFi 4, 802.11ac to WiFi 5, and 802.11ax to WiFi 6, and then WiFi 6 routers launched later that year from companies such as ASUS and TP-Link with price starting at $350. Prices have now come down with for example TP-Link WiFi 6 AX3000 smart WiFi router going for $142.99 plus shipping on Amazon, and Xiaomi has now launched their own WiFi 6 router with Xiaomi AIoT Router AX3600 offered for $135 including shipping on Aliexpress. Price may soon come down further as the router is sold for just 599 CNY, or about $86 US, in China excluding shipping. Note that with the Coronavirus outbreak, shipping may be delayed. Xiaomi AIoT Router AX3600 specifications: SoC – Qualcomm IPQ8071A quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 @ 1.0 GHz CPU […]

February 14, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 33 Comments

CNX Software is 10 Years Old – Top 10 Posts of the Last Decade

Around 10 years ago, I decided it might be a good idea to have an online presence. At the time, I just thought I would write from time to time, and I had no idea it would eventually become my main activity. My very first post was on February 14, 2010 about software development tools such as CVS and Bugzilla. That means today is the 10th anniversary of CNX Software website! So I thought it might be fun to look at the most popular posts of the last ten years. I only installed Google Analytics sometimes in 2011, but it should not affect the results since I did not have many readers at the time, and the post that really started to bring more visitors, and made me switch from a $1 monthly hosting plan to a VPS, was “74 USD AllWinner A10 Android 4.0 Mini PC” published in May […]

February 13, 2020February 16, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

GetWired Aims to Make RS-485 Wired Home Automation Affordable and User-friendly (Crowdfunding)

You may think about installing a home automation system, and WiFi may appear like the obvious way to go since it removes the need for cumbersome cabling, but wired networks are more reliable and secure, and there’s no need for batteries to be recharged or replaced. However, such wired home automation systems may be difficult to install and are often expensive, so Domatic decided to work on a solution to lower the costs and improve the ease of installation and use. Meet GetWired RS-485 wired home automation solution. Getwired is comprised of four modules communicating over the standard RS-485 protocol: MCU Module based on Microchip ATMEGA328PB MCU @ 8 MHz with 64KB SPI flash, an RS-485 transceiver, a 12-pin interface for connecting shields and 6 different Molex connectors for I/O including PWM, analog, interrupt pins, as well as I²C and 1-wire interfaces – Dimensions: 40 x 25 mm 2SSR Shield […]

February 13, 2020February 13, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

10.3″ E-paper HDMI Display Connects to Raspberry Pi & Jetson Nano SBC’s, Computers

E-paper displays only consume power when updated, work great in bright light, and are easier on eyes when reading text. The downside is the low refresh rate which makes those impractical for videos and games, and most E-paper displays are black and white or with just a few colors. Another hindrance is that most are connected via flat cables for specific display interfaces which may not be the easiest to handle, and you may not be able to easily move the display across platforms if you wish too. Waveshare EINK-DISP-103 10.3″ E-paper display solves this little problem since it should work with any SBC or computer with an HDMI output. EINK-DISP-103 Key features & specifications: 10.1″ e-Paper display, 1872×1404 resolution (225DPI), grayscale (16 shades) Video Input – Mini HDMI port Misc – UPD/RUN switch, contrast adjustment, power indicator, screen refresh button, mode switch button Power Supply – 5V/3A recommended and […]

February 13, 2020February 19, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

MWC 2020 Cancelled, Several Companies Withdraw from Embedded World 2020 due to COVID-19

We’ve already covered the impact of the coronavirus on shipping and manufacturing from China, and it now looks like it may take longer than expected before things go back to normal. The WHO has now an official name for the disease: COVID-19 (COrona VIrus Disease 2019), and the impacts of the virus go far beyond China, and two large events usually taking place in February will either be canceled or scaled back. After several companies decided to pull out of the event, GSMA decided to completely cancel Mobile World Congress 2020 (aka MWC 2020): Since the first edition of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in 2006, the GSMA has convened the industry, governments, ministers, policymakers, operators and industry leaders across the broader ecosystem. With due regard to the safe and healthy environment in Barcelona and the host country today, the GSMA has cancelled MWC Barcelona 2020 because the global concern […]

February 12, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Arrow Shield96 Arm Linux Board Focuses on Hardware-based Security

Powered by a Microchip SAMA5D2 SiP integrating a Cortex-A5 processor and 128MB DDR2 memory, Arrow Shield96 board has been designed for secure IoT application development with on-board hardware security. Two versions of the SBC are offered: Shield96 Standard reference platform Shield96 Trusted Platform preloaded with the EmSPARK Security Suite software by Sequitur Labs. Both versions come with the same hardware specifications: SiP – Microchip ATSAMA5D27-D1G Arm Cortex-A5 processor @ 500 MHz with 128MB DDR2 Storage – 128MB DDR2 Storage – 128MB (1Gbit) flash, MicroSD card slot Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet port, 2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n WiFi 4 via ATWILC1000 “IoT link controller module” USB – 1x USB 2.0 port HW Security – ATECC608 secure element Expansion – 96Boards Mezzanine connector Debugging – JTAG header, serial console via Micro USB port Power Supply – 5V via Micro USB port Dimensions – N/A (CNXSoft note: it’s supposed to be 96Boards compliant, but with […]

February 12, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

ESP32 JTAG Debugging can be done through a MicroSD Card Socket

Found in most microcontrollers and processors, JTAG is an industry standard for verifying designs and testing printed circuit boards after manufacture, and that is also often used for low-level debugging or reverse-engineering. Espressif ESP32 also has a JTAG interface, but interestingly it’s shared with the SD card interface, and in ESP32 LyRaT audio development board where both MicroSD card slot and JTAG header are present selection is made by jumpers. The extract from ESP32 LyRaT schematics above shows IO’s 12, 13, 14 and 15 can present on the SD card and 4-pin JTAG header. Some boards may not come with a JTAG header but may feature a MicroSD card slot, but you don’t have to solder wires to the board to access JTAG, and instead, you could simply use a custom MicroSD card adapter to insert into the MicroSD card socket of the board and access JTAG as explained by […]