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

October 14, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

$24 Wall Socket Router Includes WiFi, Ethernet, USB, and a Phone Jack

There are already several small routers or repeater that you can connect to a wall socket, but that’s not what I’m taking about here, as I’ve been informed about a wall socket, or gang box, being the router itself. It supports 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, and features two RJ45 Ethernet ports, an RJ11 phone jack, and a USB port for 3G dongle or charging mobile devices. “In-color” wall router specifications and features: SoC, memory and storage – Unknown Connectivity 802.11 b/g/n with support for WiFi relay, WiFi hotspot 2x Ethernet LAN ports (external), 1x Ethernet WAN port (internal) RJ11 phone jack USB – USB port up to 5V/2A for charging, USB mass storage, or a 3G USB dongle Misc – Power on/off button for USB port?, two terminal blocks for mains and phone line. Power Supply – AC 110V-240V or PoE The product description also mentions the router supports cloud storage, […]

October 14, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Freescale Kinetis KW41Z Wireless MCU Supports Bluetooth 4.2, Zigbee, and Thread

Freescale has unveiled a new wireless micro-controller part of their Kinetis MCU family with Kinetis KW41Z, based on an ARM Cortex M0+ core, and supporting both the latest Bluetooth 4.2 specifications, as well as a 802.15.4 radio allowing support for Zigbee and Thread. Kinetis KW41Z main features and specifications: ARM Cortex-M0+ core @ 48 MHz, with up to 512 KB Flash memory, up to 128 KB SRAM, and an integrated balun Multi Protocol Radio 2.4 GHz radio, Bluetooth Low Energy 4.2 compliant IEEE 802.15.4-2011 standard compliant radio Receiver Sensitivity (Typ.) – BLE: -96 dBm; 802.15.4: -102 dBm Programmable Transmitter Output Power up to +4 dBm I/Os – 2x I2C, 2x SPI, LPUART, TSI, CMT and GPIOs with interrupt capabilities Analog modules – 16-bit ADC, 12-bit DAC, 6-bit High Speed Analog Comparator (CMP) Security – AES-128 Accelerator (AESA), True Random Number Generator (TRNG) Operating Voltage Ranges Bypass Voltage: 1.71V to 3.6V […]

October 14, 2015October 14, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

BLOCKS Modular Smartwatch Replaces the Watchband With Smart Modules (Crowdfunding)

While Project Ara aims to create a modular smartphone, the guys behind BLOCKS have designed a modular smartwatch with the Core (the main watch) and various hot swappable smart modules that clip together with a clasp make the watch band. BLOCKS’ Core specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor System Memory – 512 MB RAM Storage – 4GB flash (ePoP) Display – 1.36″ round display, resolution: 360 pixels diameter Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 Sensors – Accelerometer / Gyro Audio – Microphone Misc – Power button, vibration motor IP Rating – IP67 (but target is IP68) Battery – 400 mAh battery; good for ~1.5 days on a charge Dimensions – TBD Weight – TBD So the Core module is already a standalone smartwatch on its own, and they do provide one without module, but just a simple strap. The watch runs a modified version of Android Lollipop, and […]

October 14, 2015February 12, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 26 Comments

Linux Quick Start Guide for Roseapple Pi Board based on Actions Semi S500 Processor

Roseapple Pi is a development board powered by Actions Semi S500 processor with 2GB RAM, a USB 3.0 port and more, that is based on Actions Semi Bubblegum-S500 reference design also used by Lemon Pi board. The team behind the project sent me an early sample to try it out. I’ll take some pictures, before explaining how to install and setup Debian 8.1, and how to build and run your own minimal image from source. These instructions should also work for Lemon Pi and LeMaker Guitar boards. Roseapple Pi Photos I received the board in a bubble envelope with a thank you letter, and the board itself in an anti-static bag. No other accessories were provided. Ports, connectors, and headers from top left counter-clockwise: 4-pin UART console, two USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.0 port, 10/100 Ethernet, a 40-pin Raspberry Pi comptabile header, a MIPI DSI connected, a micro USB […]

October 13, 2015October 13, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 26 Comments

How to Reduce SD Card Firmware Images Download Size

So I’ve just received a Roseapple Pi board, and I finally managed to download Debian and Android images from Roseapple pi download page. It took me nearly 24 hours to be successful, as the Debian 8.1 image is nearly 2GB large and neither download links from Google Drive nor Baidu were reliable, so I had to try a few times, and after several failed attempt it work (morning is usually better). One way is to use better servers like Mega, at least in my experience, but another way to reduce download time and possibly bandwidth costs is to provide a smaller image, in this case not a minimal image, but an image with the same exact files and functionalities, but optimized for compression. I followed three main steps to reduce the firmware size from 2GB to 1.5GB in a computer running Ubuntu 14.04, but other Linux operating systems should also […]

October 13, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

MeegoPad T02 Intel TV Stick with Ubuntu 14.10 Now Sells for $72

MeegoPad T02 has been around for a while running either Windows 8.1, Ubuntu, Android, or dual booting the operating systems. But in what might now be the cheapest Ubuntu computer based on an Intel processor, MeegoPad T02 pre-loaded with Ubuntu 14.10 is now selling for $72 shipped on GearBest. As a reminder, here are Meegopad T02 specs: SoC – Intel Atom Z3735F “Bay Trail” quad core processor @ 1.33 GHz (Burst frequency: 1.83 GHz) with Intel HD Gen 7 graphics System Memory – 2 GB DDR3L-1333 Storage – 32 GB eMMC + micro SD slot up to 64GB Video & Audio Output – HDMI 1.4, 1x audio jack Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi USB – 2x USB host ports, 1x micro USB 2.0 port Misc – Power button Power Supply – 5V/2A via micro USB port. Dimensions – 12.0 x 4.3 x 1.0 cm Weight – 55 grams The package […]

October 12, 2015January 19, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

MeLE PCG03 Plus mini PC Gets Cherry Trail x5-Z8300 Processor

Beside MeLE PCG02 TV stick with Ethernet, MeLE also showcased an upgraded version of its MeLE PCG03 mini PC with MeLE PCG03 Plus replacing Atom Z3735F processor with a more recent Intel Atom “Cherry Trail” x5-Z8300 processor. MeLE PCG03 Plus specifications show they’ve only changed the processor: SoC – Intel Atom x5-Z8300 “Bay Trail” quad core processor @ 1.44 GHz (Bust freq: 1.84 GHz) with Intel HD Gen8 graphics System Memory – 2 GB DDR3L Storage – 32 GB eMMC + SD card slot Video Output – HDMI 1.4, and VGA Audio I/F – HDMI, 3.5mm earphone jack Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 3x USB 2.0 host Misc – Power Button, power LED, Kensington security lock Power Supply – 12V/1A Dimensions – 150 x 120 x 40 mm There should be some performance improvements over the previous model, but nothing phenomenal. MeLE PCG03 […]

October 12, 2015April 8, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

MeLE PCG02 Intel TV Stick Features an Ethernet Port

I’ve previously reviewed MeLE PCG01 TV stick powered by Intel Atom Z3735F, and found it to be well designed, without overheating issues, so that this Intel TV stick performed just as well as as bigger mini PCs. NotebookItalia found out that the company is now about to launch a new version at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair 2015. MeLE PCG02 is still based on the same Bay Trail processor, but it interestingly comes with an Ethernet port rarely found on TV sticks. Apart from the extra Ethernet port taking the place of one USB port, the specifications are pretty similar: SoC – Intel Atom Z3735F “Bay Trail” quad core processor @ 1.33 GHz (Bust freq: 1.83 GHz) with Intel HD graphics Gen 7 (2W TDP) System Memory – 2 GB DDR3 Storage – 32 GB eMMC + micro SD slot Video & Audio Output – HDMI Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, […]