A1 ARM Instances Amazon had first released its 64-bit ARM EC2 A1 Instances back in 2018, which are part of AWS Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), an ever-evolving virtual platform that supports business subscribers utilizing applications in the cloud. Arm Bare Metal Instances The most recent launch is the EC2 A1 ARM Bare Metal Instances, which Amazon is reporting is similar to the previous version of A1 ARM Instances, but with greater reach within the ARM ecosystem. The Servers The new EC2 A1 Arm instances are powered by the AWS Graviton Processors, featuring the 64-bit Arm Neoverse with custom silicon developed by AWS. Features Include Amazon Machine Images (AMI) Elastic Block Store (EBS) Auto Scaling Applications can have more direct access to the processor and memory resources within the underlying server. Some of the different types of scale-out applications the new Instances support and will enhance are – Application Types Web […]
HK1 MAX PLUS TV Box Features Upgraded Rockchip RK3368PRO SoC with USB 3.0, HDR Support
Rockchip RK3368 octa-core Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.2 GHz was introduced in 2015 mostly in TV boxes running Android 5.1 such as Beelink i68 or Tronsmart Orion R68. Unsurprisingly we don’t read much about new Rockchip RK3368 products four years later. But Rockchip appears to have launched a RK3368 “refresh” with RK3368PRO processor equipped with most of the same features, plus the addition of a USB 3.0 interface, and HDR support. The company also updated software support to Android 9.0 Pie. We don’t actually have much information about the processor as we learned about it via a listing on Aliexpress for HK1 MAX PLUS TV box with the following (preliminary) specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3368PRO Octa-Core Arm Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 GHz with Imagination PowerVR G6110 GPU System Memory – 4 GB DDR3 Storage – 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB flash; MicroSD card slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ […]
Khadas VIM3L (Amlogic S905D3) Benchmarks, Settings & System Info
Khadas VIM3L is the first Amlogic S905D3 SBC on the market and is sold as a lower-cost alternative to the company’s VIM3 board with a focus on the HTPC / media player market. Shenzhen Wesion was kind enough to send me a sample for review, and I’ll start by checking out benchmarks and system information in Android 9.0 Pie operating system. I also plan to perform a more detailed review with Android 9.0 and CoreELEC with a focus on media playback. I received the bare board only, and the first thing I did was to install it the heatsink I received for VIM3 and in turn, install it in the acrylic case. The company told me the heatsink is not really necessary “for normal purpose using like watch TV”, but it should be installed for performance tests and heavy workloads. I’d still recommend purchasing the heatsink to make sure it […]
$5 Tang Nano FPGA Board Features GOWIN GW1N “LittleBee” FPGA
Last year, we wrote about Lichee Tang FPGA board powered by Anlogic EG4S20 FPGA and targeting RISC-V development for just under $15. The company, now called Sipeed, has made an even cheaper FPGA board with Tang Nano equipped with GOWIN Semi GW1N FPGA part of the company’s LittleBee family. Sipeed Tang Nano Sipeed Tang Nano specifications: FPGA – Gowin GW1N-1-LV FPGA with 1,152 LUT4, 864 Flip-Flops(FF), 72Kbit Block SRAM, 4x B-SRAM, 96Kbit user flash, 1x PLL, 4x I/O banks System Memory – 64Mbit (8MB) 3.3V PSRAM Display – Standard 40-pin RGB LCD interface with on-board screen backlight driver circuit (default normally open, EN pin can be connected to FPGA) USB – USB Type-C port for download and power supply Expansion – 34 I/O ports and power pins on headers (unpopulated), breadboard-compatible Misc – RGB LED, 2x user buttons, 24MHz crystal oscillator Power Supply – 5V via USB-C port (at least […]
Intel Denverton based Fanless Network Appliance Comes with 6x Ethernet Ports, 2x SFP Cages
Intel Atom C3000 “Denverton” processors were introduced in 2016 for low power servers and network appliances with four to sixteen cores, and in the following years, many products based on the SoC were launched including GIGABYTE MA10-ST0 server motherboard, AAEON FWS-2360 desktop network appliance, and Supermicro A2SDi-2C-HLN4F Mini-ITX motherboard among others. New Denverton platforms did not get much coverage on CNX Software in the last couple of years, and an article on LinuxGizmos reminded me those still existed, as US-based WIN Enterprises recently launched LP-82000 fanless network appliance powered by Intel Denverton C3338, C3558, or C3758 processor and featuring six Gigabit Ethernet ports, as well as two SFP cages. LP-82000 specifications: SoC (one or the other) Intel Denverton C3338 dual-core processor @ 1.50 GHz / 2.20 GHz (Turbo); 4 MB cache; TDP: 8.5 W Intel Denverton C3558 quad-core processor @ 2.20 GHz; 8 MB cache; TDP: 16 W Intel Denverton […]
PiPo Snapdragon 850 2-in-1 Laptop to Sell for around $400
Current Qualcomm based Windows 10 laptops are mostly interesting for people wanting all-day battery life and/or being always connected over 4G LTE, as they are still pretty expensive, and performance somewhat underwhelming, although Snapdragon 8cx processor should change that. Chinese-based PiPo, known for their tablets, mini PCs and Arm Android laptops, is working on solving affordability of Arm Windows 10 laptop with their Snapdragon 850 2-in-1 laptop, heavily inspired by Huawei MateBook E 2019, and expected to sell for half the price or around $400. PiPo 2-in-1 laptop preliminary specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 octa-core Kryo 385 Arm cores clocked @ up to 2.96 GHz with Adreno 630 Visual Processing Subsystem, Hexagon 685 DSP Systmem Memory – 8GB RAM Storage – 256GB flash storage Display – 12.3″ IPS display with 3000×2000 resolution, 10-point touch Audio – 3.5mm audio jack, Connectivity – WiFi 5 802.11ac/b/g/n + 4G LTE Camera – […]
Rockchip RK2108 Smart Audio Dock Converts Tablets into Smart Displays
Last April, Rockchip published a roadmap to 2020 with processors such as RK3588 Cortex-A76/A55 or RK3530 quad-core Cortex-A55 SoCs. Part of the roadmap was also Rockhip RK2108 Arm Cortex-M4 microcontroller with an Audio DSP which did not get as much coverage. The company has now announced RK2108 based smart docks that convert tablets into smart display / speakers so that they can be waken-up and controlled by voice commands. Rockchip RK2108 audio MCU supports A/D audio interface, MIPI DSI/MCU LCD interface and USB2.0 interface, and comes with the following key features: Built-in audio DSP for voice/audio signal processing Audio pre-processing, active noise reduction, AEC, etc… for improved voice recognition Customizable wake-up words and offline instructions Ultra-low power consumption in both standby and operating modes The RK2108 smart dock pictured above connects to compatible Android tablets over USB or Bluetooth, and turns those into smart display products that can handle voice […]
Ryzen Embedded Powered Tranquil PC Mini Multi Display PC Features 4x 4K DisplayPort Outputs
The Multi-Display Embedded AMD Ryzen Mini PC Tranquil’s mini multi-display PC (MMDPC) is a fanless workhorse housed in a full aluminum enclosure, running an embedded AMD Ryzen V1605B APU on the Sapphire Tech FS-FP5V motherboard announced in 2018. A Fanless Mini PC The durable housing for the MMDPC is a very artistically designed case that is quiet and functional, offering a back panel I/O that has 4x 4K capable DisplayPort outputs, 2x Ethernet ports, and USB a 3.1 Type C port. The barebone PC does require your own RAM, M.2 SSD, and operating system. The MMDPC Was Designed for Efficiency and Durability The PC is meant for an industrial environment and is fanless for efficient cooling and durability. Built to withstand the hazards of industry and the environment, the chassis’s fanless design cuts down on dust, debris, and moisture, which usually affect other industrial mini PCs. The removal of the […]