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May 21, 2019May 21, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 20 Comments

Espressif ESP32-S2 Secure WiFi MCU Comes with an Xtensa LX7 Core @ 240 MHz

Espressif Systems has unveiled a new ESP32 WiFi MCU based on Cadence (previously Tensilica) Xtensa LX7 core instead of the usual Xtensa LX6 core(s). ESP32-S2 is powered by a single Xtensa LX7 core clocked at 240 MHz, supports Wi-Fi HT40 @ 2.4 GHz, and provides up to 43 GPIOs. Espressif ESP32-S2 specifications: CPU – Cadence Xtensa single-core 32-bit LX7 microcontroller @ up to 240 MHz, and ultra-low-power co-processor System Memory – 320 kB SRAM, external SPIRAM support up to 128 MB in total, 16 KB RTC memory Storage – 128 kB ROM, up to 1 GB of external flash support Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n 1×1 transmit and receive with HT40 support with data rate up to 150 Mbps Support for TCP/IP networking, ESP-MESH networking, TLS 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2 and other networking protocols over Wi-Fi Support Time-of-Flight (TOF) measurements with normal Wi-Fi packets I/O & peripherals 43x programmable GPIOs 14x […]

May 18, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Embedded Linux Conference & Open Source Summit 2019 Schedule

In the last few years, I covered the Embedded Linux Conference and IoT Summit schedules since both were happening at the same time and in the same location. But the Linux Foundation have recently announced the Embedded Linux Conference will combine with the Open Source Summit, so the IoT Summit appears to have been phased out. The full schedule for the events taking place on August 21 – 23, 2019 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, USA, has also been released, so I’ll create a virtual schedule with some of the sessions most relevant to this blog. Wednesday August 21, 2019 11:30 – 12:05 – What’s New with U-Boot? by Simon Glass, Google LLC U-Boot is a widely used bootloader in embedded systems. Many users are unaware of the wide feature-set of U-Boot, particularly features added in the last few years. This talk aims to bring users (and prospective users) […]

May 7, 2019May 7, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

ARBOR IoT-800N Android/Ubuntu Panel PC Targets Automotive Applications, Industrial Automation

Rockchip PX30 is a low cost low power quad core Arm Cortex-A35 processor mostly designed for car infotainment systems. Last month, we also found the processor in ARBOR SOM-RP301 system-on-module designed for retails kiosks such as automated currency exchange machines, electronic restaurant menus, , ticketing kiosks, etc… ARBOR has now launched another Rockchip PX30 platform with their IoT-800N 8″ Panel PC running Android 8.1 or Ubuntu 16.04, and designed for automotive applications such as fleet management or driver fatigue monitoring thanks to interfaces like OBD-II, as well as industrial automation. ARBOR IoT-800N specifications: SoC – Rockchip PX30 Quad-core Arm Cortex-A35 processor System Memory – 2GB DDR4 memory soldered on board Storage – 16GB eMMC flash soldered on board, microSDHC/microSDXC/microSD card socket up to 128GB Display – 8” TFT LCD display with 1024 x 600 resolution, 5-point projected capacitive touchscreen Camera – 8MP front-facing MIPI CSI camera with auto-focus Audio – […]

April 11, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

ConBee II ZigBee USB Gateway Dongle and Phoscon Gateway

Dresden-Elektronik has released a new ZigBee USB dongle/stick called ConBee II (a.k.a. ConBee 2) as a direct replacement the first-generation version, as well as the new Phoscon Gateway Raspberry Pi based Zigbee Hub. Beside new Zigbee hardware, the company has also released a new version of deCONZ graphical user interface used to set up and control any ZigBee network without any programming, as well as a new corresponding “Phoscon App” mobile app for home automation control. ConBee II Zigbee USB dongle The new “ConBee II” ZigBee USB dongle/stick features improved signal amplifier with longer radio range, and is based on a 32-bit Arm Cortex-M0 microcontroller (Microchip ATSAMR21E18A) instead of an 8-bit AVR based MCU. Key features: Connectivity – 2.4 GHz Zigbee USB Gateway Compatibility Philips Hue, IKEA Trådfri, OSRAM Lightify, XIAOMI Aqara and many other Zigbee items Zigbee Home Automation, Zigbee Light Link, Zigbee 3.0 Dimensions – 60 x 18 […]

April 6, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Avnet Azure Sphere MT3620 Starter Kit Features Two mikroBUS Sockets

Microsoft and MediaTek worked together to design MediaTek MT3620 Arm Cortex-A7 processor with Microsoft Pluton security sub-system required for Microsoft Azure Sphere IoT ecosystem. We’ve already covered boards from Seeed Studio including the just announced low cost MT3620 mini dev board. But Microsoft also cooperated with Avnet which has recently introduced Azure Sphere MT3620 Starter Kit equipped with two mikroBUS sockets enabling the platform to leverage one of the 633 “click boards” available from MikroElektronika. Just like the latest Seeed Studio board, Avnet Azure Sphere MT3620 Starter Kit is comprised as a baseboard with a soldered-on CPU module that can later be used for mass-production is a custom designed board. Specifications: Azure Sphere MT3620 CPU Module Mediatek MT3620AN single core Arm Cortex-A7 processor @ 500 MHz with 4MB SRAM, dual core Arm Cortex-M4F real-time core @ 200 MHz with 64KB RAM, Microsoft Pluton security sub-system, and WiFi. Storage – TBD […]

March 12, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Kontron SMARC-sAL28 System-on-Module Supports ECC Memory, Up to 5 TSN Ethernet Ports

Many systems-on-module are equipped with one Gigabit Ethernet transceiver / PHY, but NXP LS1028A powered Kontron SMARC-sAL28 SoM is equipped with two Gigabit Ethernet PHY, and can optionally support up to 5 TSN-capable Gigabit Ethernet ports directly from the controller thanks one PCIe line that can be used as a QSGMII (Quad Serial Gigabit Media Independent Interface) port. Furthermore, the module comes with up to 4GB non-ECC or ECC memory. “What is TSN?” you may ask. It stands for “Time-Sensitive Networking“, provides distributed time synchronization and deterministic communication using standard Ethernet networks for applications such as distributed synchronized measurements, coordinated distributed data logging, next-generation computer numeric control machining, automotive networks, and more as explained on National Instruments website. But let’s go back to Kontron SMARC-sAL28 system-on-module with the hardware specifications: SoC – NXP LS1028A dual Arm Cortex A72 processor, 3D GPU System Memory – Up to 4GB DDR3L ECC or […]

March 7, 2019November 17, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

NXP i.MX 8X/8M based AI-ML and Thor96 Boards Target AI and IoT Applications,

We’ve already covered several 96boards platforms announced at Embedded World 2019, but we’re not quite done yet, as Arrow Electronics also introduced two NXP i.MX 8X/8M powered 96Boards CE Extended development boards with AI-ML board equipped with i.MX 8M quad core Arm Cortex-A35 processor coupled with 2GB RAM, an mPCIe slot for cellular connectivity, and Thor96 SBC featuring NXP i.MX 8M processor with 2GB RAM as well, but also two HDMI ports, a Thread and Zigbee module, and more. Arrow AI-ML Board AI-ML key features and specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX 8X quad core Arm A35 processor @ 1.2 GHz, Cortex-M4F real-time core @ 266 MHz, Tensilica HiFi 4 DSP Core, GC7000 Lite 3D GPU with 4x Vec4 Shaders with 16 Execution Units System Memory – 2 GB LPDDR4 @ 1,600 MHz Industrial Temp by Micron Storage – Micro SD card slot Video Output / Display Interface HDMI Output Dual […]

March 7, 2019August 22, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

$30 Arch Mix Development Board Features NXP i.MX RT1052 Crossover Processor

NXP i.MX RT Arm Cortex-M7 crossover processors are supposed to fill the gap between microcontrollers and more powerful application processors thanks to real-time capabilities, and a higher CPU frequency. We’ve already covered several i.MX RT1050 series platforms including NXP’s own evaluation board and Forlinx OK1052-C development kit comprised of a carrier board and an i.MX RT1052 system-on-module. But if you’d like to experiment with NXP i.MX RT processor using a cheaper, smaller, and easier to purchase development platform, Seeed Studio has started to sell Arch Mix development board for $29.90 plus shipping. Arch Mix board specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX RT1052 Arm Cortex-M7 processor @ up to 528MHz System Memory – 32MB SDRAM Storage – Optional 64MB Hyperflash, 8MB QSPI flash, microSD card socket Display I/F – RGB LCD interface USB – 1x micro USB 2.0 host port, 1x USB OTG port for data and power Expansion Headers – 2x […]