Operating Systems Category - CNX Software

June 9, 2025June 9, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Calixto Systems introduces i.MX93 VERSA SO-DIMM SoM and EVK with NXP i.MX 93 Edge AI SoC

India-based Calixto Systems has unveiled the i.MX93 VERSA SO-DIMM system-on-module (SoM) powered by an NXP i.MX 93 Arm Cortex-A55/M33 SoC with Ethos-U65 micro NPU for Edge AI applications, as well as an evaluation kit (EVK). The system-on-module features up to 2GB LPDDR4x RAM, 16GB eMMC flash, a gigabit Ethernet PHY, and exposes various I/Os through a 200-pin SO-DIMM edge connector, such as MIPI DSI, LVDS, and parallel RGB display interfaces, MIPI CSI and Parallel camera interfaces, dual GbE (on PHY on-module, one on carrier), and more. The i.MX93 VERSA module targets smart industrial automation, healthcare, retail, and connected edge systems with specific size, performance, and power efficiency requirements. i.MX93 VERSA specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX 93 CPU Up to 2x Arm Cortex-A55 up to 1.7 GHz 2x Arm Cortex-M33 up to 250 MHz GPU – PXP 2D GPU with blending/composition, resize, color space conversion NPU – Arm Ethos-U65 NPU @ […]

June 8, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

ZimaBoard 2 Review – Part 2: An Intel N150 micro server and mini PC tested with ZimaOS, Ubuntu 24.04

We’ve already checked out the hardware of the ZimaBoard 2 micro server in the first part of the review with an unboxing and a teardown of the Intel N150 mini PC, followed by a first boot to ZimaOS and a walk-through of the web dashboard to see what features it had to offer. I’ve now connected two SATA drives to the ZimaBoard 2 and done further testing with ZimaOS, notably checking system information and testing storage and networking performance. I also installed Ubuntu 24.04 on the ZimaBoard 2 for further testing for people preferring to use the system as a mini PC with SATA storage. ZimaOS v1.4.1 update When I connected to the web dashboard again, there was a new update for ZimaOS v1.4.1. Before and after the update is completed, I was shown the change log with new features like a scheduled shutdown function and a list of bug […]

June 6, 2025June 7, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments

Intel Celeron N4020 dual-core mini PC sells for $45 with 4GB RAM, 128GB eMMC flash

We’ve seen x86 mini PCs for under $100 a few times, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one going for under $50, and that’s exactly what the Wo-we HU-MNPC05-L mini PC has to offer as the system is sold for $44.99 on Amazon with an old Intel Celeron N4020 dual-core Gemini Lake Refresh processor first introduced in 2019. What’s even more surprising is that it’s not a barebone model like cheaper mini PCs usually are, but it ships with 4GB of RAM and a 128GB eMMC flash. No sane person would likely attempt to use the thing as a Windows Desktop, but it may be an option for Linux distributions for workloads similar to what you would typically run on a Raspberry Pi 4/5, or for older Windows applications, or as a basic HTPC. Wo-we HU-MNPC05-L specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron N4020 dual-core Gemini Lake Refresh processor @ 1.1 […]

June 6, 2025June 7, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Raspberry Pi 5-based portable AI learning platform features 41 modules, supports Arduino Nano, RPi Pico, and Micro:bit boards (Crowdfunding)

CrowPi 3 is a Raspberry Pi 5-powered all-in-one portable AI learning and development platform with a 4.3-inch touchscreen display, plenty of plug-and-play electronic modules, a breadboard area, and support for Arduino Nano, Raspberry Pi Pico, and BBC Micro:bit MCU boards for expansion. It’s basically another take on the CrowPi 2 laptop based on the Raspberry Pi 4 with similar modules placed under the keyboard, but in a different form factor. The CrowPi 3 portable learning platform replaces the 11.6-inch Full HD display with a 4.3-inch display and does away with the keyboard, but is equipped with a more powerful Raspberry Pi 5 SBC capable of handling real-time AI tools such as ChatGPT and LLaMA (with smaller, distilled models). CrowPi 3 specifications: Main Board – Raspberry Pi 5 SBC Compatible MCU boards Arduino Nano boards BBC Micro:bit boards Raspberry Pi Pico boards Display – 4.3-inch IPS touchscreen display with 800×480 resolution […]

June 6, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Jetway PIC-ASL1 – A low-power Intel Atom x7213RE/x7433RE fanless industrial Pico-ITX SBC

Jetway PIC-ASL1 is a low-power, fanless Pico-ITX SBC built around the Intel Atom x7213RE or x7433RE Amston Lake SoC for industrial use. This SBC is very similar to the Alder Lake-N-based JPIC-ADN1, which Jetway released just last year. While both boards support up to 32GB DDR5 memory and dual displays via HDMI 2.0b and LVDS/eDP, the PIC-ASL1 adds industrial-grade resilience with shock/vibration resistance, a Nano SIM slot for cellular connectivity, and an Intel PTT for security. It also features a similar I/O layout, including dual USB 3.2 Gen 2, four USB 2.0, serial headers, two M.2 expansion slots, and a SATA III port for storage. Additionally, the PIC-ASL1 complies with various industrial standards, making it more suitable for use in harsh industrial environments compared to the ADN1. Jetway PIC-ASL1 specifications: Amston Lake SoC (one or the other) Intel Atom x7213RE dual-core processor @ 2.0 to 3.4 GHz with 6MB cache, […]

June 4, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Vortex86EX3 Twin Core x86 processor targets legacy industrial applications running Windows, Linux, DOS, WinCE, QNX…

D&MP Vortex86EX3 is a Twin Core x86 SoC for industrial applications with a master CPU and a Slave CPU, each capable of running an operating system independently, be it Windows 10 IoT, Linux, legacy OS like WinCE or DOS, or an RTOS like QNX. Like its predecessors, such as the DM&P Vortex86EX2 or Vortex86DX3, the Vortex86EX3 – also written Vortex86 EX3 – supports older PCI and ISA interfaces, as well as more recent interfaces such as PCIe, and the usual serial, CAN Bus, and GPIO found in this type of processor. The Vortex86EX3 is the most powerful x86 SoC from the company so far, with two cores clocked at up to 1.2 GHz to 1.6 GHz. The comparison table below lists the specifications and main features of the Vortex86DX3 (2015), Vortex86EX2 (2019), and the new Vortex86EX3. The Vortex86EX3 is not listed on the Vortex86.com website yet, and instead, I found […]

June 3, 2025June 3, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Credit card-sized industrial Allwinner T113-i SBC operates in the -40 to 85°C temperature range

Ebyte ECB30-P4T13IA5ME8G-I is a credit card-sized industrial-grade SBC powered by an Allwinner T113-i Cortex-A7 SoC with 512MB DDR3 RAM and 8GB flash, all part of the company’s ECK30-T13IA5ME8G-I castellated system-on-module. The single board computer is also equipped with a microSD card slot, a gigabit Ethernet port, four USB 2.0 ports, a 3.5mm audio jack, a WiFi 4 module, and the usual 40-pin GPIO header that’s more or less compatible with the one found on Raspberry Pi SBCs. What’s different is the lack of HDMI output, and the board features an MIPI DSI connector instead. Ebyte ECB30-P4T13IA5ME8G-I specifications: System-on-Module – Ebyte ECK30-T13IA1GE8G-I SoC – Allwinner T113-i CPU Dual-core Arm Cortex-A7 clocked at up to 1.2 GHz 64-bit XuanTie C906 RISC-V real-time core DSP – HiFi4 VPU Video decoder – H.265 up to 4K @ 30 FPS, H.264 up to 4K @ 24 FPS, MPEG-1/2/4, JPEG, Xvid, Sorenson Spark up to 1080p60 […]

June 3, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Vecow PBC-2000 – An Intel Atom x7211RE fanless embedded system for industrial use

Vecow PBC-2000 is a fanless embedded system that houses the company’s EPBC-2000 2.5-inch Pico-ITX SBC powered by an Intel Atom x7211RE SoC. The PBC-2000 supports a wide -40°C to 70°C temperature range, dual 2.5GbE LAN, serial and USB interfaces, and comes with wall and optional DIN rail mounting options. Other features include support for up to 16GB DDR5 4800MHz SO-DIMM memory, as well as a SATA III port and an M.2 socket for storage. The system also features an external SIM card socket for 5G/4G/LTE connectivity, and an M.2 E-Key slot for wireless modules. Additional features include a 12V DC power input via a 2-pin terminal block, hardware monitoring with auto-throttling, a watchdog timer, and support for Wake-on-LAN and PXE boot. Vecow PBC-2000 and EPBC-2000 specifications: SoC – Intel Atom x7211RE dual-core Amstom Lake processor @ 2.0 to 3.4 GHz with 6MB cache, 16EU Intel UHD graphics; TDP: 9W System Memory […]