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

October 25, 2016May 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Theobroma Systems Introduces Micro Qseven Allwinner A64 System-on-Module

Theobroma Systems, an Austrian based engineering services and embedded systems solutions company, has been designing Allwinner based systems-on-module compliant with Micro Qseven standard for a while, starting with Allwinner A31 A31-μQ7 module in 2015. The company has now launched A64-μQ7 system-on-module powered by Allwinner A64 quad core Cortex A53 processor. A64-μQ7 module specifications: SoC – Allwinner A64 quad core ARM Cortex A53 processor with Mali-400MP2 GPU System Memory – Up to 2GB DDR3 on module Storage – Up to 64GB eMMC flash, Up to 16MB SPI NOR flash Display I/F (via edge connector) – HDMI 1.4 up to 4K @ 30 Hz, MIPI DSI up to 1920×1200 @ 60 Hz Connectivity – 10/100/1000 Mbps PHY USB – 7x USB 2.0 ports including one dual-role port Other I/Os – On-module communication offload controller for CAN, UART, 8x GPIO, I2S, I2C, SMBus, SPI, FAN Security – Optional Global Platform 2.2.1 compliant JavaCard […]

October 25, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Renesas SK-RZG1M Board Powered by R8A7743 Processor Gets Mainline Linux Support

Another board has gotten initial mainline Linux support recently, with Renesas SK-RZG1M starter kit board based on Renesas RZ/G1M dual core ARM Cortex A15 SoC with 2GB RAM, a SATA interface, HDMI, LVDS, AV Ethernet bridge, and more. Renesas SK-RZG1M starter kit board actually has the exact same features as Renesas R-Car M2 Porter board except for the processor: SoC – Renesas RZ/G1M (R8A7743) dual core ARM Cortex-A15 processor @ 1.5GHz with PowerVR SGX544MP2 3D GPU, Renesas 2D graphics processor System Memory – Dual channel 2GB DDR3 Storage – On-board 4 MB SPI, and 64 MB SPI, 1x SATA rev 3.1 connector, 1x SD card slot, and 1x micro SD card slot Video Output / Display I/F – HDMI (via ADV7511), and LVDS + touchscreen Analog Video In – ADV7180 video decoder with RCA jack, NTSC/PAL/SECAM autodetection Audio codec – AK4643EN with 3.5mm jacks for Line In and Line Out Connectivity […]

October 25, 2016October 25, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

NXP Unveils MCUXpresso Development Tools for LPC and Kinetis Microcontrollers

After NXP bought Freescale, you had development tools for Freescale Kinetis MCUs such as Design Studio or Kenetis SDK, and others such as LPCXpresso for NXP LPC microcontrollers. The company has worked to unifying software and tools support between its ARM Cortex-M MCU families, and has now announced MCUXPresso software and tools for both NXP Kinetis and LPC MCUs. MCUXpresso unifies thousands of Kinetis and LPC microcontrollers under a set of compatible tools including MCUXpresso SDK – Open-source software MISRA-compliant development kit (SDK) with peripherals drivers, wireless & wired connectivity stacks, middleware, real-time OS, getting started guides, API documentation, and application examples. MCUXpresso IDE – Integrated development environment (IDE) for editing, compiling and debugging. It also integrates MCU-specific debugging views, code trace and profiling, multicore debugging, etc… Both free and professional edition of the IDE will be available, and LPCXpressor and previously Freescale Freedom & Tower platforms will be supported. […]

October 24, 2016October 25, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Jumper Ezbook 2 Cherry Trail Laptop with 14″ Full HD Display, 4GB RAM, 64 GB Storage Sells for $190 (Promo)

I’ve just received a newsletter from GearBest entitled “Shop Like a BOSS | Sub-$200 Ultrabooks, Gaming Gear + More” and showing “Jumper Ezbook 2 Ultrabook” laptop powered by an Intel Atom X5-Z8300 quad core processor with 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, and a 14″ 1920×1080 display selling for $189.89 if you click on a customized link (working once) in the newsletter. If you are not subscribed to the newsletter you can still get it for about $195 including shipping on GearBest or GeekBuying, which still seems like a decent deal for the features. Jumper Ezbook 2 specifications: SoC – Intel Atom x5-Z8300 quad core Cherry Trail processor @ 1.44 GHz with Intel HD graphics (2W SDP) System memory – 4GB DDR3L Storage – 64 GB eMMC flash + micro SD card slot up to 128 GB Display – 14″ LED display with 1920×1080 resolution QWERTY keyboard with touchpad Video Output – […]

October 24, 2016October 25, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 28 Comments

Beelink GT1 TV Box Review – Part 2: Android Marshmallow Firmware

I’ve previously reviewed other Amlogic S912 TV boxes such as M12N MXQ Plus or Qintaix Q912, but Beelink GT1 has the advantage of being quite cheaper at $56 and up, but still come with many of the same features as more expensive devices. I’ve already posted pictures, and checked out the hardware design in the first part of Beelink GT1 review, so in the second part I’ll report my experience with Android, including video and audio capabilities, hardware features testing, and some benchmarks. First Boot, OTA Firmware Update, Settings, and First Impressions The device comes with two USB ports only, so I connected a USB hard drive to one of the port, and a USB hub to the other with the RF dongles for MINIX NEO A2 Lite air mouse and Tronsmart Mars G01 gamepad, as well as a USB keyboard to take screenshots. I completed the setup by adding […]

October 24, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments

Zidoo X8 Android TV Box, OpenWrt NAS, and HDMI Recorder Sells for $109

I posted my review of Zidoo X9S Android TV box, HDMI recorder and OpenWrt NAS a few days ago, and despite some limitations with regards to 4K video playback, the device is working pretty well. The $140 price tag might be a little more than some people are ready to pay, and the good news is that the company has now launched a cheaper model based on the same processor called Zidoo X8, without the external SATA port, and less storage. Zidoo X8 specifications: SoC – Realtek RTD1295 quad core Cortex A53 processor @ 1.4 GHz with ARM Mali-T820 MP3 GPU System Memory – 2 GB DDR3 Storage – 8 GB eMMC flash + micro SD slot + SATA 3.0 interface Video I/O – HDMI 2.0a output, AV output and HDMI 2.0 input (Support up to 4K60 input, but record/stream up to 1080p @ 30 Hz) Audio I/O – HDMI […]

October 23, 2016October 23, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

Aikun Morphus X300 Android Game Console with 3D Display Integrates Detachable Game Controllers

Earlier this week, Nintendo unveiled their innovative switch game console that can be used in various configuration such as a portable game console, and a TV connected game console by inserting the portable game console into its dock, and detaching the game controllers on each side of the display. There are many ways to play with the console in single or multiplayer mode, and the best way to understand what’s possible is to check out the video on Nintendo Switch product page. Few other details were provided but we do know it’s based on a custom Nvidia Tegra processor, and it should be available in March 2017. It turns out Aikun is already selling a similar concept with their Morphus X300 game console, available on Amazon.co.uk for 299 GBP, and slated to ship next month. Gaming performance should be much lower than Nintendo Switch but still enough for many Android […]

October 22, 2016October 22, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Webduino Smart ESP8266 Board is Designed to be Programmed via Websocket and Blockly Editor

Webduino Smart board reminds me of Witty ESP8266 board with its RGB LED and photocell sensor, but the design is a little different, and does not come with an extra USB to TTL board, as it’s designed to be programmed over the air using Blockly Editor. Webduino Smart specifications: WiFi Module – AI Thinker ESP-12F module with Espressif ESP8266 WiSoC Connectivity – WiFi 802.11 b/g/n 2x 8-pin headers with GPIOs, ADC (Connected to Photocell), UART, VCC, 3.3V, GND, and Reset. USB – 1x micro USB port for power Misc – Photo resistor, RGB LED, micro switch button for firmware upgrade (connected to GPIO 4) Dimensions – 3 x 2.5 cm (See comparison to AA and AAA batteries below) While Witty board was mostly targeting mainland China market with all documentation in Chinese, Webduino Smart does have some documentation in English, and is made by Banana Pi team (SinoVoIP). The default […]