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

October 9, 2019December 24, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

MINIX NEO J50C-4 (2019) Mini PC Review – Part 2: Windows 10 Pro

Last week, I received the latest MINIX NEO J50C-4 (64GB) mini PC that hardware-wise is very much like last year, never released, MINIX NEO J50C-4 mini PC, except it comes with a 64GB eMMC flash instead of just 32GB. I’m now spent time testing the updated version, with a focus on the potential performance benefit of the new storage device, as well as features I was unable to test last year, such as USB-C DisplayPort output, or WiFi AC, and check out if some of the issues I encountered last year are now solved. System Info We’ve got basically the same info as last year with J50C-4 mini PC powered by an Intel Pentium Silver J5005 CPU coupled with 4.00 GB memory and running an activated (i.e. properly licensed) version of Windows 10 Pro 64-bit. We’ve now got more space to play with thanks to a 57GB Windows partition, which […]

October 9, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments

Arm Custom Instructions Coming to Armv8-M Embedded Processors

So far Arm defined all instructions for their cores with the benefit of code portability between solutions, so code compiled for an Arm Cortex-M33 based microcontroller would run on another without modifications (we’re obviously talking about code running directly on the core, not using specific peripherals here). But with RISC-V open-source architecture many have seen the benefit of custom instructions for specific tasks, at the risk of potential fragmentation. With Arm Techcon 2019 now taking place, Arm has just announced support for custom instructions for ARMv8-M embedded CPUs starting with Arm Cortex-M33 cores. The implementation of Arm Custom Instructions for specific embedded and IoT applications will start in H1 2020 at no additional cost to licensees and without risk of software fragmentation using NOCP exception if the instructions are not available. Arm futher explains: Arm Custom Instructions are enabled by modifications to the CPU that reserve encoding space for designers […]

October 8, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 30 Comments

NanoPI NEO2 Black Allwinner H5 SBC Adds an eMMC flash Module, Up to 1GB RAM

NanoPi NEO2, now called NanoPi NEO2 LTS, is a great little Allwinner H5 SBC designed for server/headless applications with Ethernet & USB ports, as well as I/O headers. FriendlyELEC is now about to launch a new variant called NanoPi NEO2 Black with the same form factor and Allwinenr H5 64-bit Arm SoC, but adding an eMMC flash module, supporting up to 1GB RAM, modifications to the I/O headers, and featuring a black PCB instead of the blue PCB found in NEO2-LTS. NanoPi NEO2 Black SBC specifications with changes in bold or stricken-through: SoC – Allwinner H5 quad-core Cortex A53 processor with an ARM Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 512 MB or 1GB DDR3 Storage – MicroSD card slot, eMMC flash module connector Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet (via RTL8211E-VB-CG chip) USB – 1x USB 2.0 host port, 1x micro USB OTG port, 2x 1x USB via headers Expansion headers 10-pin header […]

October 8, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

ecoPI STARTER is a Cute Mini PC Kit Based on Rock Pi 4 SBC with Optional M.2 NVMe SSD

Rock Pi 4 is an affordable single board computer inspired by Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, but equipped with a more powerful Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core processor, and selling for around $80 with 4GB RAM, Gigabit Ethernet, and 802.11ac + Bluetotoh 5.0 wireless module. I’ve just come across ecoPI STARTER mini PC kit for the board with an aluminum case that can also fit an M.2 extension board to add an M.2 NVMe SSD card. The kit comes with an aluminum housing, an acrylic cover, some screws, bolts and silicon feet, and short ribbon cables for M.2 card. The acrylic cover is designed to let the WiFi & Bluetooth signal go through, but I’m not so confident the case won’t cause issue with WiFi. It’s currently sold for $16.50 on Aliexpress. You’ll also need to get Rock Pi 4A or 4B for $40 and up, M.2 Extension board ($8.39), heatsink ($8.39), […]

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

POWERUP 4.0 is a Smartphone Controlled Paper Plane with Autopilot (Crowdfunding)

A crowdfunding campaign about a paper plane… This can’t go very far, can it? Apparently, it can, because that’s Shai Goitein’s fourth POWERUP paper plane campaign, and PowerUp 3.0 raised over one million dollars a few years ago. POWERUP 4.0 is still a smartphone-controlled paper plane but this time it adds a few sensors, an autopilot, flight telemetry, and a night flight mode. More exactly that’s a kit for a paper plane, as you’d have to make your own and attach the kit to it. It’s powerful enough to support planes made of balsa wood, cardboard or foam board. They haven’t released the exact technical details of the kit but here are some of the key features: On-board flight control with autopilot that makes flying easier and allows you to make aerobatics manoeuvers such as loops or Twin motor + propellers allowing up to 10m/sec speed Connectivity – Bluetooth module […]

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

TIL: The Android Camera App Supports QR Code Scanning (in Some Phones)

QR Code are pretty common, and until today I used a third-party app to scan the codes and get the embedded information such as a webpage. But I’ve just read in LinkedIn that the default camera app can read QR codes. No need to install any third-party app, no need to reach any menu, just point for two or three seconds and it will work as shown in the short video below. I’m always running out of space on with Xiaomi Mi A2 phone since it only has 32GB flash, and no MicroSD card slot. So if beside saving some time while scanning QR code, I can get rid of one app that’s always a plus. Except it does not work on my phone. Instead I had to tap on the right of the camera app to switch to Google Lens (or launch Google Lens manually), and the QR […]

October 7, 2019February 29, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

ctxLink Open Hardware WiFi Debug Probe is based Black Magic Probe (Crowdfunding)

Last month, we wrote about Blip nRF52840 dev board that also included an STM32F103 MCU running the open source Black Magic Probe (BMP) firmware for debugging and programming. Based on the original Black Magic Probe hardware product page, BMP is a JTAG and SWD adapter used for programming and debugging ARM Cortex MCUs, and does not require intermediate programs such as OpenOCD or STLink server. Instead, you can run GNU Debugger (GDB) and select the virtual COM port offered by the debug board. The reason I’m bringing BMP again today, is because a new open source hardware wireless debugging probe for Cortex-M based on Black Magic Probe has been launched in the last few days. ctxLink key features and specifications: Microcontroller – STMicro STM32F401RE Arm Cortex -M4F MCU at up to 84 MHz Connectivity – 802.11b/g/n WiFi via Microchip WINC1500 module USB – 1x micro USB port for connection to […]

October 6, 2019October 6, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Tiny USB WiFi Camera Supports Motion and AI Human Detection

When I first saw U21 HD camera it reminded me of SOOCOO G1 is action camera with a flexible stick, since the camera also comes with a flexible hose which allows you to orient it as you please. But it’s a different bear, as U21 is a surveillance camera powered over USB and featuring WiFi connectivity. I can’t see any motion detection, so it may have some dose of “AI” since it claims to support motion and human detection so you only get relevant alerts. It is currently sold (pre-orders) on Banggood for $33.65 including shipping with order starting to be processed on October 30th. U21 USB WIFI camera key features and specifications: MCU / WiSoC – No information (yet) Storage – MicroSD card slot up to 128GB for up to one month of recording (8GB = 2 days); Cloud storage via third party (paid) Camera – 14mm lens, HD […]