AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform

AMD has launched their AMD Embedded R-Series accelerated processing unit (APU) platform designed for mid- to high-end graphics-intensive applications such as digital signage, casino gaming, point-of-sale systems and kiosks, as well as parallel processing applications such as medical imaging and security/surveillance thanks to OpenCL and DirectCompute support. The AMD Embedded R-Series APU combines the “Piledriver” CPU architecture with an AMD Radeon 7000 Series GPU. There are 8 AMD R-Series APUs, 4 in PGA package and 4 in BGA package: R-464L – Quad Core APU @ 2.3/3.2 GHz with Radeon HD 7660G. TDP: 35W (PGA) R-460H – Quad Core APU @ 1.9/2.8 GHz with Radeon HD 7640G. TDP: 35W (PGA) R-272F – Dual Core APU @ 2.7/3.2 GHz with Radeon HD 7520G. TDP: 35W (PGA) R-268D – Dual Core APU @ 3.0/2.5 GHz with Radeon HD 7420G. TDP: 35W (PGA) R-460L – Quad Core APU @ 2.0/2.8 GHz with Radeon HD 7620G. […]

Android 4.0.1 on x86 processors (Intel / AMD)

Last year, I wrote how to run Android 1.6 in a PC. Android-x86 has since made the newer Android versions available for the following devices: ASUS laptops and tablets. Netbooks such as the ASUS Eee PC Intel Atom tablets such as the Tegav2 Tablet HP Pavilion tx2500 AMD persimmon platform AMD Brazos platform such as the MSI 110W tablet. They now have made Android 4.0.1 available for the AMD Brazos Tablet. Android-x86 4.0-devel live and installation iso for AMD Brazos platform is only a developer’s version as it can not be considered stable just yet. Here are the instructions to get the source code if you want to build it yourself and possibly adapt it to your own hardware: $ repo init -u git://git.android-x86.org/manifest.git -b ics-x86 $ repo sync Android-x86’s Chih-Wei Huang says that WiFi, Multitouch ad OpenGL ES for AMD Radeon works, but sound, camera, Ethernet and hardware acceleration for […]

AMD G-Series QSeven Module Conga-QAF by Congatec

Congatec announced the Conga-QAF, a Qseven module powered by AMD G-Series embedded processors. The module will come with either the AMD G-T40R single core or the AMD G-T40E dual core processor, with 2 GB DRAM by default (expandable to 4GB), numerous I/O interfaces and an optional on-board SSD with a capacity of up to 32 GB. If you are not familiar with the QSeven Form Factor and why it is used, please read the beginning of the blog post entitled “QSeven Form Factor Embedded Boards by Seco“. To summarize, this is a standard to allow developers to use modules (based on QSeven specs) to test their software on several processors by inserting those modules in a common main board. Here are the specification of the Conga-QAF Qseven module: CPU AMD G-T40E 1.0 GHz Dual Core (L1 cache 64KB, L2 cache 512kB x2, 6.4 W) AMD G-T40R 1.0 GHz Single Core […]

OpenCL (Open Computing Language) Overview and SDKs

OpenCL (Open Computing Language) is a multi-vendor open standard for general-purpose parallel  programming of heterogeneous systems that include CPUs, GPUs and other processors. OpenCL provides a uniform programming environment for software developers to write efficient, portable code for highperformance compute servers, desktop computer systems and handheld devices. OpenCL standard is managed and defined by the Khronos Group. The latest version (OpenCL 1.1) was ratified by the Khronos Group on the 14th of June 2010 and adds significant functionality for enhanced parallel programming flexibility, functionality and performance including: Host-thread safety, enabling OpenCL commands to be enqueued from multiple host threads. Sub-buffer objects to distribute regions of a buffer across multiple OpenCL devices. User events to enable enqueued OpenCL commands to wait on external events. Event callbacks that can be used to enqueue new OpenCL commands based on event state changes in a non-blocking manner. 3-component vector data types. Global work-offset which […]

Wyse Announced Two Linux Thin clients: Z50S and Z50D

Wyse Technology announced that its fastest thin clients ever, the Z90D7  and Z90DW are now shipping at VMworld 2011.  You can have a look at AMD Embedded G-Series mini-PC, motherboard and thin client for details about the devices. In addition, Wyse also introduced two new Linux-based members of its Z class family – the Wyse Z50S and Wyse Z50D.  Both thin clients run Wyse Enhanced SUSE Linux Enterprise. The press release also indicated that “the Z50 thin clients are built on the same exact advanced single and dual core processor hardware platform as the Wyse Z90 thin clients, the upcoming Linux-based Wyse Z50 promises more of the same industry leading power and capability on an enterprise-class Linux operating system”. Wyse did not provide further details but based on the statement above, we can probably safely assume that Z50S will use the single core AMD G-T52R and the Z50D will be […]

AMD G-Series Vehicle Computer: Portwell PCS8277

Portwell announced a vehicle PC (The PCS-8277) that features an AMD G-Series processor (T56N), 2 bays for SATA devices, 2 gigabit Ethernet ports, 2 USB port, support for wireless networking (3G, Wifi etc..) and a GPS receiver. This type of device is well suited for applications such as digital signage in public transport (subway, buses). PCS-8277 In-Vehicle PC has the following system and I/O specifications: CPU: AMD G-T56N Dual Core 1.6GHz System Memory: 2 x DDR3 1066MHz SO-DIMM up to 8GB Chipset: AMD A55E Controller Hub lrDA: IrDA (SIR, Consumer IR) with TTL level Audio: Realtek ALC662 HD Codec onboard Expansion: 2 x 2.5” drive bay for SATA Type Hard Disk Drive / SSD SIM Card Socket: 1 x SIM Card socket supported onboard with eject MIO: 3 x RS-232 (2 with RS-422/485) DIO: Port 4 in and 2 out with Relay 12V / 80mA USB: 4 x USB 2.0 […]

AMD G-Series based Digital Signage: Ibase SI-18

Ibase announced a digital signage player – the Signature Book SI-18  – based on the dual-core AMD G-Series T56N running at 1.6 GHz.  The IBase SI-18 is currently sold with 2GB RAM and a 160GB 2.5″ HDD, but it can support up to 4GB of RAM and 1TB of disk storage. It also features DVI output, gigabit Ethernet, two USB ports, an audio jack, a serial port and a Mini PCI slot for Wi-Fi or Bluetooth support. The device weights 800g and just measures 125.5mm (W) x 125.5mm (L) x  36 mm (H). IBase claims it is the smallest x86 digital signage player in the world. Ibase SI-18 Digital Signage Player Here are Ibase SI-18 specifications: System Mainboard EB900 CPU Type AMD G-Series Dual-Core APU (Accelerated Processing Unit): T56N=1.6GHz @ 18W TDP CPU Package 413-BGA Chipset AMD A55E Controller Hub Memory DDR3-1066 Graphics ATi Radeon HD6310 series graphics processing system […]

AMD G-Series SDK and Development Boards

Earlier this year, AMD announced its new Embedded processors G-Series aimed at set-top boxes, smart tv, digital signage, point of sales, media servers and more in order to compete with Intel Atom solutions as well as ARM based processors. Please refer to the link above for an overview and details about the 5 processors of the AMD G-series: T56N – Dual core @ 1.6GHz with Radeon HD 6310 GPU T48N – Dual core @ 1.4 GHz with Radeon HD 6310 GPU T40N – Dual core @ 1.0 GHz with Radeon HD 6250 GPU T52R – Single core @ 1.5 GHz with Radeon HD 6310 GPU Today, I’ll discuss about the development boards and software development kits available for this platform. AMD G-Series Development Boards and Reference Designs AMD Provide two reference designs and one development board: AMD Embedded G-Series Platform Mini-ITX Reference Design. No details are publicly available as this […]

EmbeddedTS embedded systems design