SparkFun has recently released the Digi X-ON LoRaWAN development kit an all-in-one IoT development kit designed to simplify the setup and deployment of LoRa-based IoT systems. It includes the Digi HX15 Gateway, SparkFun IoT Node for LoRaWAN, and the ENS160/BME280 environmental sensor, enabling rapid prototyping and connectivity with the help of the Digi X-ON cloud platform. The SparkFun IoT Node is built around the Raspberry Pi RP2350 microcontroller, which features 16MB flash, 8MB PSRAM, multiple GPIOs, LiPo battery support, microSD storage, and USB-C connectivity. It also integrates the Digi XBee LR module for long-range LoRaWAN communication with pre-activated cloud connectivity. With an onboard Qwiic connector and Arduino support, this development kit is ideal for applications like industrial monitoring, environmental sensing, smart agriculture, remote data collection, and more. Digi HX15 gateway specifications Microprocessor – STMicro STM32MP157C MPU with dual-core Cortex A7 @ 650 MHz, Cortex-M4 @ 209 MHz with FPU/MPU, 3D […]
Kidwants KN1 is a $104 mini PC with a large touchpad on its top cover
Most mini PCs have pretty much the same features these days, but the Kidwants KN1 mini PC has a rather unique feature since it integrates a touchpad in its top cover allowing the user to interact without a mouse. The specifications are low-end with an Intel Celeron N4000 dual-core Gemini Lake processor first introduced in 2017, 8GB LPDDR4 RAM, and 128GB eMMC flash. The mini PC also offers two 4K-capable HDMI video outputs, Ethernet and WiFi 5 connectivity, five USB ports, and an audio jack. Kidwants KN1 specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron N4000 dual-core Gemini Lake processor @ 1.10 GHz / 2.6 GHz (Turbo) with Intel UHD graphics; 6W TDP System Memory – 8GB LPDDR4 RAM Storage 128GB eMMC flash M.2 2280 SATA socket for up to 1TB SSD Video – 2x HDMI ports up to 4Kp60 Audio – 3.5mm audio jack Connectivity Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port Dual-band Wi-Fi 5 […]
Radxa Orion O6 Review – Part 1: Unboxing, Debian 12 installation, and first benchmarks
Radxa sent me a sample of the Orion O6 mini-ITX motherboard for review. The system is powered by an CIX P1 (CD8180) 12-core Armv9 processor, equipped with 16GB RAM, and offers features like 5GbE, HDMI and DisplayPort, a PCIe Gen4 x16 slot, and more. It’s one of the most anticipated boards of the first part of 2025 since it’s powerful, offers a good performance/value ratio, and eventually promises to boot any ISO Arm64 image through an open-source BIOS / EDKII bootloader. I’ll start this review with an unboxing, NVMe SSD and WiFi module installation, and a short tutorial showing how to install Debian 12 operating systems before getting some system information and running a few benchmarks. In a few weeks, I’ll publish a more detailed review with features testing and more benchmarks to see what works and what doesn’t at this very early stage. Radxa Orion O6 unboxing I received […]
Altair ALT1350 based HL7900 5G LPWA module supports Wi-SUN, GNSS, and NB-IoT over non-terrestrial networks
The HL7900 5G LPWA module from Semtech (Sierra Wireless) is a globally certified solution built around Sony’s Altair ALT1350 chip and designed for low-power IoT applications. It is certified by major U.S. carriers, including AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, as well as Japan’s KDDI, and has achieved global regulatory certifications (FCC, CE, ISED, etc.) and industry certifications (PTCRB, GCF) for carrier interoperability. This chip features an ultra-low-power sensor hub MCU for efficient environmental monitoring. Additionally, it includes integrated sub-GHz and 2.4GHz radios supporting short-range protocols such as Wi-SUN including U-Bus Air, NB-IoT, and 5G NTN along with GNSS and Wi-Fi-based indoor/outdoor tracking. Furthermore, this chip supports embedded SIM support, secure edge-to-cloud connectivity, and over-the-air updates. These features make this chip useful for applications such as asset tracking, urban navigation, and other IoT solutions requiring reliable, low-power connectivity with global reach. Semtech HL7900 specifications: MCU – Sony ALT1350 5G cellular IoT chip […]
anyon_e DIY laptop features Rockchip RK3588 SoC, 13.3-inch 4K AMOLED display, aluminum chassis
We’ve already seen several Rockchip RK3588 laptops with the Cool Pi laptop and GenBook RK3588, as well as the open-source hardware MNT Reform Next. anyon_e is another open-source DIY laptop based on Rockchip RK3588 octa-core Cortex-A76/A55 SoC but with higher-end specifications compared to competitors. The anyon_e features a 13.3-inch 4K AMOLED display, a wireless QWERTY mechanical keyboard, a custom aluminum chassis that keeps the thickness of the laptop to just 18mm, and a battery good for about 7 hours. It’s based on the FriendlyELEC CM3588 core board found in the CM3588 NAS Kit. anyon_e laptop (preliminary) specifications: SoM – FriendlyELEC CM3588 SoC – Rockchip RK3588 CPU – 4x CortexA76 cores @ up to 2.4 GHz, 4x CortexA55 core @ 1.8 GHz GPU – Arm Mali-G610 MP4 GPU Video decoder – 8Kp60 H.265, VP9, AVS2, 8Kp30 H.264 AVC/MVC, 4Kp60 AV1, 1080p60 MPEG-2/-1, VC-1, VP8 Video encoder – 8Kp30 H.265/H.264 video encoder […]
NXP EdgeLock A30 Secure Authenticator chip enables battery authentication for compliance with EU regulation 2023/1542
NXP recently launched the EdgeLock A30 Secure Authenticator chip, a Common Criteria EAL 6+ certified secure authentication designed for IoT devices, including battery authentication applications. It complies with the EU’s Batteries Regulation 2023/1542, which mandates the inclusion of a Digital Product Passport (DPP), by 2027 to ensure traceability, sustainability, and safety in battery manufacturing and recycling. Alasdair Ross, Senior Director, NFC IoT Security, NXP explains: Secure authentication helps to ensure brand protection, consumer safety, and product traceability, fostering trust and shielding devices from physical damage. Smaller than a grain of rice, the EdgeLock A30 is designed to fit into even the smallest of devices. It supports multiple authentication use cases, making it easier for developers to support a variety of devices and accessories with a single solution, including device to device, cloud to device, counterfeit protection, and storage or protection of device identity. To address these requirements NXP’s EdgeLock A30 […]
GEEKOM A6 Ryzen 7 6800H mini PC review – Part 1: specifications, unboxing, and teardown
GEEKOM A6 is a mid-range mini PC powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 6800H octa-core/sixteen thread processor with AMD Radeon Graphics 680M, up to 64GB dual-channel DDR5, up to 2TB NVMe (PCIe 4.0 x4) SSD storage, 2.5Gbos Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. It also features several USB4, USB 3.2, and USB 2.0 ports, supports up to four separate 4K monitors via HDMI 2.0 ports and USB Type-C ports, and comes with Windows 11 Pro pre-installed. GEEKOM sent us a sample of the A6 mini PC for review, and we’ll start with a look at the specifications, an unboxing, and a teardown in the first part of the review, before testing Windows 11 and Ubuntu 24.04 in more detail in the next parts. As its name implies, it should offer a middle ground between the Ryzen 7 5800H-powered GEEKOM A5 and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS-based GEEKOM A7 mini PCs […]
WL-AC1000 AP controller can manage large fleets of wireless routers and access points
Wallys Tech WL-AC1000 is an access point (AP) controller designed to manage and optimize the operation of multiple access points (APs) within large-scale wireless networks that you may find in factories, airports, hotels, train stations, etc… The WL-AC1000 is powered by a quad-core Arm processor coupled with 1GB RAM, 8MB NOR flash, and 256MB NAND flash. It is equipped with four GbE ports and one 2.5GbE port to connect the access points through switches. It’s available as a desktop version and a 1U enclosure to mount in a rack. Wallys Tech WL-AC1000 specifications: SoC – Quad-core ARM 64-bit A53 @ 1 .8 GHz processor (likely some Qualcomm QCS part) System Memory – 1GB (2x 512MB) DDR3L Storage 8MB NOR flash 256MB NAND Flash Networking Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port with PoE 3x Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports 2.5Gbps Ethernet RJ45 port Power Supply – 24V DC Dimensions WL-AC1000-E – 192 x 122 […]