Debian Category - Page 100 of 104 - CNX Software

September 10, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Emtrion SBC-SAMA5D36 ARM Cortex A5 Linux Development Board Comes with Dual Ethernet, HDMI Output

A few months ago, I reviewed Atmel Xplained SAMA5D3 development board powered by SAMA5D36 Cortex A5 processor. The kit is supported by the Yocto Project, so I could build and run Poky distribution with a recent Linux kernel (it support mainline), it features Arduino compatible headers, and I found the board to be a nice platform for headless applications, or applications that require an LCD display. However, if you wanted to connect an HDMI display you’d be out of luck, unless you design your own LCD to HDMI add-on board. Emtrion SBC-SAMA5D36 could be an interesting alternative, as it features very similar specifications, but adds an HDMI output port. Emtrion SBC-SAMA5D36 specifications: MPU – Atmel SAMA5D36 single core Cortex-A5 @ 536 MHz System Memory – 256 MB RAM Storage – 512 MB NAND Flash, up to 16 MB NOR Flash, and micro SD Card socket Connectivity – 100Base-TX Ethernet, 10/100/1000Base-TX […]

August 30, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

MinnowBoard MAX Schematics, Board layout, Gerber, and BoM Released

MinnowBoard MAX (aka MinnowBoard2) is an embedded board powered by Intel Atom Bay-Trail-I E3815 (single core) or E3825 (dual core) processor, with 1 to 2GB RAM, SATA II, USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet ports, and more. The board currently officially supports four operating systems: Debian GNU/Linux, Linux built with the Yocto Project, Android 4.4, and Windows 8.1. One of its main selling point is the price as the single core version sells for $99, and the dual core version for $129, rivalling in price with equivalent ARM based development boards. It’s also an open source hardware board, and as it’s now about to ship, CircuitCo released all hardware files under a Creative Commons CC-BY-SA license, allowing anybody with the right skills to create a clone, or their own hardware. Here are the files that have been released: Schematic (PDF) Schematic (Orcad DSN) Board Layout (Allegro BRD) Gerbers Bill of Materials Schematics […]

August 28, 2014February 22, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

MIPS Creator CI20 Development Board Formally Announced, Free to Selected Developers

Earlier this month, I discovered MIPS Creator CI20 development board based on Ingenic JZ4780 dual core MIPS processor thanks to one of my reader. Imagination Technologies has now launched the board, which will run Debian 7 first, soon support Android 4.4 and others Linux distributions, and the company places their MIPS board as a competitor to the popular ARM based boards such as the Raspberry Pi and BeagleBone Black. This is the first board part of Prpl initiative for open source Linux and Android software for the MIPS architecture. As a reminder, I’ll list the hardware specifications again: SoC – Ingenic JZ4780 dual core MIPS32 processor @ 1.2 GHz with Imagination PowerVR SGX540 GPU. 32kI + 32kD per core, 512K shared L2. System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB NOR flash, 1x SD card slot, 1x SD card slot via expansion Video Output – HDMI up to 1080p Audio […]

August 14, 2014April 30, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

Waveshare DVK512 Kits For Raspberry Pi Model B+ Include RTC, Sensors, LCD Display, and More

Beaglebone (Black) expansion boards are called capes, Minnowboard ones are lures, and Raspberry Pi model B+ add-on boards can be HATs (HArdware on Top). When I found a kit for the Raspberry Pi model B+ on DealExtreme, based on Waveshare DVK512 add-ons board I thought it might have found a Chinese HAT, but unfortunately it is not compliant with HAT board specifications as it misses an EEPROM,and the dimensions are not the correct one either. Nevertheless, the kit, as well as extra accessories such as a 3.2″ LCD display, can still be interesting. The kit on DX comes with the following items: DVK512 expansion board that connects to the 40-pin Raspberry Pi B+ header and features PCF8563 RTC chip with battery, an on-board USB to TTL chip for debugging via micro USB, a character LCD interface, connectors for modules connected via UART, SPIO, I2C or GPIO, various jumpers and user […]

August 13, 2014February 22, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

MIPS Creator CI20 Development Board Powered by Ingenic JZ4780 SoC

There are plenty of ARM based development boards running Linux and Android, but with MIPS it’s a different story. Microchip does have some affordable development board powered by their MIPS MCUs, but these don’t have the hardware specs to run Linux based operating systems, and Ingenic Newton Platform for wearables can run Android and Linux, but it appears to be reversed to companies with virtual no documentation. There are some MIPS platform running OpenWRT on hardware such as routers or Wi-Fi boards, but these can’t be considered fully supported development boards. But Imagination Technologies is trying to make MIPS more relevant, first by launching Prpl developers’ community, and MIPS Creator CI20 development board powered by Ingenic JZ4780 dual core MIPS32 (Xburst) core processor with PowerVR SGX540 GPU should soon be available with complete documentation and source code. Let’s go through the hardware specifications first: SoC – Ingenic JZ4780 dual core […]

August 2, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments

Dual Core VolksPC Android and Debian Mini PC Gets Crowdfunded

Last months, I tested VolksPC’s Android/Debian unified distribution on MK808 mini PC, which runs both operating systems at the same time, and allows you to switch instantaneously and seamlessly between the two. I was impressed by the performance and stability of the system, although there were still a few software bugs, as well as issues related to MK808 hardware (Wi-Fi disconnection), and possibly its 5V/1A power supply (system reboot when inserting SD card reader or flash drive). The company has now started a crowd-funding campaign on Indiegogo to manufacture dual core Android TV box with their unified distribution. VolksPC specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3066 dual core ARM Cortex-A9 processor @ 1.4Ghz with Mali-400MP4 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 8 GB NAND Flash (for Android), 8GB MicroSD card (Debian Wheezy) Video Output – HDMI 1.3, AV jack Audio Output, HDMI, AV jack, and optical S/PDIF Connectivity – 10/100M […]

July 29, 2014July 29, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 22 Comments

Hardkernel Unveils $30 Raspberry Pi Compatible Module with RTC, ADC, and LiPo Battery Support

Hardkernel is better know for its ODROID boards powered by Samsung Exynos SoC. So I was surprised to discover ODROID-W, “a miniature computing module which is fully compatible with all software available for the Raspberry-Pi”. Software compatible, really? Yes, because they used the same Broadcom BCM2835 SoC found in the Raspberry Pi, packaged it in a smaller form factor, while keeping HDMI, USB, and CSI interface, and expansion headers, and all that for $30, plus just $9 for shipping. Let’s go through ODROID-W specifications first: SoC – Broadcom BCM2835 ARM1176JZ-F processor @ 700 Mhz with VideoCore IV GPU System Memory – 512MB LPDDR2 (Samsung K4P4G324EB PoP) Storage – microSD slot + eMMC socket (bottom of the board) Video Output – micro HDMI (with NXP IP4791CZ12 protection IC) USB – micro USB connector, and USB host (not soldered) Expansion Headers: R-Pi compatible 26-pin expansion header (through holes) R-Pi compatible 15-pin CSI […]

July 28, 2014July 28, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

MPL CEC10 Compact Embedded Computers Feature Bay Trail SoCs, 5 Gigabit Ports, Rugged Enclosures

MPL, a company specializing in industrial PCs based in Switzerland, has recently announced their CEC10 series “Compact Embedded Computer” featuring Intel Bay Trail-I E3800 processors, with 5 Gigabit Ethernet ports using RJ45, M12, or SFP connectors, and supporting industrial and extended temperature ranges, and as well as various rugged housings. Specifications for MPL CEC10: SoC – Intel Atom E3800 series single, dual, or quad processor @ up to 1.91GHz with Intel HD graphics. System Memory – up to 4GB DDR3L ECC-RAM Storage: mSATA interface Optional 2.5-inch SATA HDD/SSD Optional eMMC flash (soldered) Video Output- DisplayPort, optional eDP / VGA Connectivity – 5x gigabit Ethernet ports. RJ45 connectors by default, but the system also supports M12 connectors or SFP cages. USB – 1x USB 3.0 host port, 1x USB 3.0 device port, 2x USB 2.0 ports Serial – 1x RS-232 port, optional RS-232/422/485 or extra RS-232 port Expansion Slots: Mini-PCIe slot […]