RAUC open-source OTA update solution enabling A/B updates for embedded Linux images has recently been ported to the Radxa Rock Pi 4 Model B SBC powered by a Rockchip OP1 SoC by the project’s maintainer, Leon Anavi working for Konsulto Group. If you run a Linux distribution like Ubuntu, Debian, or Fedora, packages and OS images are taken care of automatically or by running a few commands. However, software engineers who build custom embedded Linux images with the Yocto Project or Buildroot must handle this themselves. Luckily, there are already open-source OTA firmware update solutions such as Mender, Balena, Torizon, OSTree, Snap, or RAUC, and we’ll look at the latter today. RAUC (Robust Auto-Update Controller) was started by Pengutronix in 2015 and eventually adopted by the community. It’s a lightweight update client that runs on an Embedded Linux device and controls the A/B update procedure when a new firmware revision […]
Olimex open-source hardware NXP i.MX 8M Plus industrial-grade SoM runs mainline Linux
Olimex has just announced the iMX8MP-SOM-4GB-IND industrial-grade, open-source hardware system-on-module based on NXP i.MX 8M Plus Arm AI SoC and 4GB LPDDR4 thar runs mainline Linux and operates in the -20°C to +85°C temperature range. The CPU module also features a wide range of interfaces exposed through female headers including HDMI 2.0, MIPI-DSI, LVDS, dual MIPI CSI, dual Gigabit Ethernet, CAN FS and more. Olimex also designed the iMX8MP-SOM-EVB evaluation board for easy evaluation. Olimex iMX8MP-SOM-4GB-IND system-on-module Specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX 8M Plus (MIMX8ML8CVNKZAB) CPU Quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor @ up to 1.6 GHz Arm Cortex-M7 real-time core @ 800 MHz Cache – 512KB GPU – Vivante GC7000UL 3D GPU, Vivante GC520L 2D GPU VPU – 1080p H.265/H.264 video decoder & encoder DSP HiFi 4 DSP AI accelerator – 2.3 TOPS Neural Processing Unit (NPU) System Memory – 4GB LPDDR4 Storage – EEPROM for Linux configuration Display and camera […]
NetBurner SOMRT1061 – A stamp-sized dual Ethernet SoM powered by NXP’s i.MX RT1061 crossover processor
The NetBurner SOMRT1061 is a System-on-Module (SoM) that comes in a very compact stamp-sized footprint that measures just 25.4mm x 25.4mm, yet boasts a rugged design and 67 usable GPIO pins with edge connectors. These features make this SoM ideal for a wide range of medical, industrial, and robotics applications. The SoM is built around the NXP’s i.MX RT1061 Arm Cortex M7 SoC, and features 1MB of internal SRAM, 32MB of external RAM, and 8MB of flash storage. It also features dual 10/100M Ethernet with PTP, an on-die temperature sensor, three FlexIO modules, two USB OTG 2.0 controllers, I2C, SPI, ADC, SD Card, CAN, UART, and many more. NetBurner SOMRT1061 System-on-Module (SOM) Specifications SoC – NXP i.MX RT1061 Arm Cortex-M7 @ 528MHz. Memory 1MB SRAM on the processor 32MB of external RAM Storage Flash – 1MB boot, 8MB application SDHC – Flash card interface Ethernet Up to two 10/100 Ethernet […]
NXP i.MX 95 SMARC 2.1 system-on-modules – ADLINK LEC-IMX95 and iWave iW-RainboW-G61M
Several companies have unveiled SMARC 2.1 compliant system-on-modules powered by the NXP i.MX 95 AI SoC, and today we’ll look at the ADLINK LEC-IMX95 and iWave Systems iW-RainboW-G61M and related development/evaluation kits. The NXP i.MX 95 SoC was first unveiled at CES 2023 with up to six Cortex-A55 application cores, a Cortex-M33 real-time core, and a low-power Cortex-M7 core, as well as an eIQ Neutron NPU for machine learning applications. Since then a few companies have unveiled evaluation kits and system-on-modules such as the Toradex Titan evaluation kit or the Variscite DART-MX95 SoM, but none of those were compliant with a SoM standard, but at least two SMARC 2.1 system-on-modules equipped with the NXP i.MX 95 processor have been introduced. ADLINK LEC-IMX95 Specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX 95 CPU Up to 6x Arm Cortex-A55 application cores clocked at 2.0 GHz with 32K I-cache and D-cache, 64KB L2 cache, and 512KB […]
New NXP i.MX 93-based system-on-modules launched by MYiR, Variscite, and Compulab
We have covered announcements about early NXP i.MX 93-based system-on-modules such as the ADLINK OSM-IMX93 and Ka-Ro Electronics’ QS93, as well as products integrating the higher-end NXP i.MX 95 processor such as the Toradex Titan Evaluation kit. Three additional NXP i.MX 93 SoMs from Variscite, Dart, and Compulab are now available. Targeted at industrial, IoT, and automotive applications, the NXP i.MX 93 features a 64-bit dual-core Arm Cortex-A55 application processor running at up to 1.7GHz and a Cortex-M33 co-processor running at up to 250MHz. It integrates an Arm Ethos-U65 microNPU, providing up to 0.5TOPS of computing power, and supports EdgeLock secure enclave, NXP’s hardware-based security subsystem. The heterogeneous multicore processing architecture allows the device to run Linux on the main core and a real-time operating system on the Cortex-M33 core. The processor is designed for cost-effective and energy-efficient machine learning applications. It supports LVDS, MIPI-DS, and parallel RGB display protocols […]
Linux 6.9 release – Main changes, Arm, RISC-V, and MIPS architectures
Linus Torvalds has just announced the release of Linux 6.9 on LKML: So Thorsten is still reporting a few regression fixes that haven’t made it to me yet, but none of them look big or worrisome enough to delay the release for another week. We’ll have to backport them when they get resolved and hit upstream. So 6.9 is now out, and last week has looked quite stable (and the whole release has felt pretty normal). Below is the shortlog for the last week, with the changes mostly being dominated by some driver updates (gpu and networking being the big ones, but “big” is still pretty small, and there’s various other driver noise in there too). Outside of drivers, it’s some filesystem fixes (bcachefs still stands out, but ksmbd shows up too), some late selftest fixes, and some core networking fixes. And I now have a more powerful arm64 machine […]
NXP i.MX 8M Plus powered DIN-Rail IoT gateway takes DIO, RS232, RS485, and ADC expansion modules
Compulab IOT-DIN-IMX8PLUS is a DIN Rail IoT gateway powered by an NXP i.MX 8M Plus AI SoC that takes various expansion modules with digital inputs and outputs (DIO), RS232, RS485, or ADC. The new model looks to be an evolution of the Compulab IOT-GATE-IMX8PLUS Arm Linux IoT gateway introduced in 2022 with many of the same features, except the IOT-DIN-IMX8PLUS is designed to be installed in a cabinet or other installation with a DIN Rail, and can easily be connected to additional I/O modules. Compulab IOT-DIN-IMX8PLUS specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX 8M Plus Quad or Quad-lite CPU Quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor @ up to 1.8 GHz Arm Cortex-M7 real-time core @ 800 MHz GPU – Vivante GC7000UL 3D GPU, Vivante GC520L 2D GPU VPU – 1080p H.265/H.264 video decoder & encoder DSP HiFi 4 DSP AI accelerator – 2.3 TOPS Neural Processing Unit (NPU) on i.MX 8M Plus Quad only […]
Ronetix launches NXP i.MX93 SoMs in SMARC and OSM-L form factors
Austrian embedded equipment manufacturer, Ronetix, has released two i.MX93 system-on-modules (SoMs): the RNX-iMX93-OSM that follows the Open Standard Module (OSM) form factor, and the RNX-iMX93-SMARC compliant with the SMARC 2.1 (smart mobility architecture) standard. Ronetix i.MX93 SoMs are powered by the NXP i.MX93 processor featuring a 64-bit dual-core Arm Cortex-A55 application processor running at 1.7GHz and a Cortex-M33 core running at 250MHz for low-latency and real-time tasks. The SoC supports up to 2GB LPDDR4 RAM and 512GB eMMC storage, and the integrated Arm Ethos-U65 microNPU offers up to 0.5 TOPS of computing power for machine vision applications and intelligent energy management (IEM). Applicable for industrial automation and IoT, the SoMs also feature two CAN and Ethernet interfaces to aid high-speed data transfer. Other hardware featuring the i.MX93 that we have covered recently include the ADLINK OSM-IMX93, MaaXBoard OSM93, and Ka-Ro Electronics’ QS93. The RNX-iMX93-SMARC system-on-module comes in 82 x 50mm […]