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

February 9, 2016February 16, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 17 Comments

Ugoos AM1 4K TV Box Review

Ugoos AM1 is yet another TV box based on Amlogic S905. I’ve already published specifications and uploaded some pictures of the nice looking cyan box and its board, so today I’ll report on my experience after actually playing with the device, where I mostly focused on known problems found on other S905 mini PCs, and some extra features added to Ugoos firmware. First Boot, Settings, and First Impressions I filled all three USB ports with a USB webcam, a USB hard drive, and a USB hub with RF dongles for MINIX NEO A2 Lite air mouse, Tronsmart Mars G01 wireless gamepad, and a USB keyboard (convenient for screenshots), and connected Ethernet, HDMI and power cables. A boot will usually take around 30 seconds. Before going through the user interface, I’ll mention that OTA firmware upgrade worked very well, and it was one of the first thing I did before the […]

February 9, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

Wandboard Introduces $69 Hobbitboard Made for Brillo Powered by NXP i.MX6 UltraLite Processor

Wandboard was one of the first to launch boards based on Freescale i.MX6 Solo, Dual and Quad in early 2013. The boards are comprise of an EDM system-on-module and a carrierboard, that makes it not only suitable as a single board computer, but you could also use the boards to start developing software, while making your own carrierboard to match your application. Wandboard.org community sent me an email last night to let me know about their latest board called Hobbitboard, or in full “Hobbitboard Made for Brillo”, powered by NXP i.MX6 UltraLite Cortex A7 processor, which follows the same principle, and includes Hobbit Compute Module and Hobbit I/O Carrierboard. Hobbit Compute Module specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX6 UltraLite Cortex A7 processor @ 528 MHz System Memory – 256MB DDR3 Storage – 4GB eMMC flash Connectivity – 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 (Ampak AP6335) Board Connectors – Two Pico Expansion header […]

February 8, 2016February 8, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

You Can Now Connect ESP8266 Module to Your Color Television (Sort of)

You can do lots of things with ESP8266 WiFi modules, but CNLohr did something rather unexpected as he managed to use GPIO3/RX pin to broadcast NTSC signals first in black & white, and now in color, to his television’s channel 3. On the hardware side, he did have to disconnect the WiFi antenna, and connected a wire antenna to GPIO3/RX pin. He then set I2S to run at 80 Mbps, and pushed data out using DMA buffers, so he could achieved the 61.25 MHz frequency required for NTSC luminance data, and the color data, 3.579MHz higher up. Once the demo is running, you can alter it on the fly using a web neat interface. This is all explained on channel3’s github repository, as well as one a 15-minute video showing the capabilities and limitations, and explaining how you can play around with the parameters. Via ESP8266COM’s Tweet. Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)Jean-Luc […]

February 8, 2016July 17, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 29 Comments

K3 Wintel Keyboard PC Specs, Unboxing and Teardown

K3_Keyboard_PC_Power_Supply_Users_Manual

Keyboard computers have made a – rather quiet – comeback with products like PiPo K1 and T20 keyboard PCs running Windows 10 and/or Android 4.4, and Geekbuying has now sent me another model with K3 Wintel keyboard PC powered by an Intel Atom Z3735F processor with 2GB RAM and 32GB eMMC flash. I’ll go through the specifications first, before taking pictures of the keyboard and tearing it down to see how it has been made. K3 Keyboard computer specifications The hardware specifications are similar to other Bay Trail mini PCs and sticks except for the added keyboard: SoC – Intel Atom Z3735F “Bay Trail” quad core processor @ 1.33 GHz / 1.83 GHz (Turbo) with Intel HD graphics System Memory – 2 GB LPDDR3L Storage – 32 GB eMMC + micro SD card slot Keyboard – 76-key keyboard with touchpanel Video Output – HDMI 1.4, and VGA Audio I/F – […]

February 8, 2016February 16, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 24 Comments

$98 Geek Force Mediatek MT7623 Router Board Features 6 GbE Ports, 3 mPCIe Slots for WiFi, 3G, or LTE (Crowdfunding)

We’ve seen a few interesting and relatively powerful router board launched last year, with the likes of MQMaker WiTi or Turris Omnia, AsiaRF has now designed Geek Force board powered by Mediatek MT7623N/MT7623A quad core network processor combined with 2GB RAM, six Gigabit Ethernet ports, and optional 802.11ac and 3G connectivity via the three mPCIe slots available on the board. The board also features two HDMI ports, and supports multimedia capabilities such as H.264, MPEG-2, or VC-1 hardware video decoding. Geek Force board preliminary specifications: SoC – MediaTek MT7623A or MT7623N quad-core ARM Cotex-A7 @ 1.3GHz with Mali-450MP GPU (MT7623N only) System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 2GB eMMC or NAND Flash + SD card slot up to 128 GB, and maybe SATA via the mPCIe slots Connectivity – 6 Gigabit Ethernet ports (WAN / LAN behavior defined by firmware), 802.11 b/g/n WiFi & Bluetooth 4.0 via MT6625L with […]

February 7, 2016February 19, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Izitron I-SEN1 Environmental Sensors Board Works with XBee Modules

Izitron, a start-up based in the South of France, has designed a board with temperature, pressure, humidity and light sensors and a XBee header to provide a way to monitoring environmental variables for weather monitoring, agriculture, industrial applications, and more. I-SEN1 technical specifications: Sensors Temperature – Microchip MCP9700-E/T0; accuracy: ±4°C Accuracy from 0°C to +70°C | -4°C/+6°C Accuracy from -40°C to +150°C; temperature range: -40 to 125 °C Pressure – Infineon KP236N6165; accuracy: 2%; pressure range: 60 kPa to 165 kPa; temperature range: -40 to 125 °C Humidity – Honeywell HIH-5030-001; accuracy: ±3% RH; range: 0 to 100% RH; temperature range: -40 to 85 °C Light – AMS TSL14S-LF; reponsivity: 16 mV/ (uW/cm2); temperature range: 0 to 70 °C Header for XBee RF module Power Supply 5V via micro USB 5 to 12V via Wago terminal block 2x batteries No power management chip Power on/off button Power consumption – Up […]

February 6, 2016February 8, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Winsat V8 Angel Android Set-top Box Supports Satellite, Terrestrial and Cable Television

A few years ago, there were only a few Android TV boxes with digital TV tuners, but in the last year, more and more models have been coming to market. Winsat, aka Yuwhua Technology Limited, has been making satellite, terrestrial, and cable TV receivers for several years, but their latest V8 Angel model runs Android 4.4, and supports DVB-S2, DVB-T2 and DVB-C. The company has not provided a complete list of specifications, and the processor, memory and storage are unspecified, but here’s what we do know: Video Output – HDMI and AV Audio Output – HDMI, AV, and optical S/PDIF Tuners – DVB-S2, DVB-T2, and DVB-C support via LNB IN and RF IN antenna connectors Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, Bluetooth, and WiFi USB – 2x USB host ports Misc – Mechanical power switch, frontal panel LCD display Power Supply – 12V Dimensions – 156 x 92 x 26 mm The […]

February 5, 2016February 5, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

ProView S3 Affordable 3-Axis Smartphone Stabilizer Helps Shooting Better Videos (Crowdfunding)

Smartphone stabilizers (aka gimbals) for smartphones allow you take much better videos while on the move, as they smooth the shaking that occurs when you walk, run, or bike. Stabilizers are currently available, such as KumbaCam or other white brand stabilizers, are sold for $250 to $400, but Navin, a Taiwanese company, has designed a cheap video stabilizer for smartphones with ProView S3 that starts at $125 + shipping via Indiegogo. ProView S3 3-axis stabilizer can handle larger size smartphones, features orientation sensors, precision motors, and stabilization algorithms to provide smooth video recording. Some of ProView S3 specifications and features include: Adjustable mount from 67mm to 78 mm width Wind resistant thanks to algorithms and mechanical design Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.0 for wireless firmware updates Dual IMU sensors with tilt, roll, and pan motors. Underslung shot- You can take videos upside down too… 4 operational modes – Full Lock (no […]