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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on 1GHz Renesas RZ/A3M Cortex-A55 MPU embeds 128MB on-chip DDR3L for HMI applications

1GHz Renesas RZ/A3M Cortex-A55 MPU embeds 128MB on-chip DDR3L for HMI applications

Renesas RZ/A3M MPU 128MB DDR3L

Renesas RZ/A3M is an Arm Cortex-A55 microprocessor (MPU) clocked at up to 1.0 GHz with 128MB on-chip DDR3L for cost-effective, yet advanced HMI applications with up to 1280×800 resolution. The RZ/A3M is similar to its predecessor, the Renesas RZ-A3UL, but it integrates 128MB on-chip RAM in a single System-in-Package (SiP), supports both MIPI DSI and parallel display interfaces, and adds a 2D graphics accelerator for smoother user interfaces. Renesas RZ/A3M specifications: CPU – Single-core Arm Cortex-A55 @ up to 1.0 GHz GPU – 2D drawing engine Memory 128KB on-chip SRAM with ECC Built-in 128MB DDR3L-1600 SDRAM (16-bit bus width) Storage SPI Multi I/O Bus Controller× 1 channel (4-bit Double data rate) Boot from Serial NAND or Serial NOR flash SD card host interface Display I/F – 4-lane MIPI DSI or Digital parallel output up to 1280×800 resolution @ 60 Hz Audio – Serial sound interface (SSI/I2S) USB – 1x USB […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on M5Stack Tab5 Review – Part 2: Getting started with ESP32-P4 firmware development using the ESP-IDF Framework and Arduino IDE

M5Stack Tab5 Review – Part 2: Getting started with ESP32-P4 firmware development using the ESP-IDF Framework and Arduino IDE

ESP32-P4 Updated LVGL Image

In the first part of the review, we checked out the hardware of the M5Stack Tab5 ESP32-P4 IoT development kit and tried the demo firmware, whose user interface allows the user to quickly experiment with the camera, microphone, speaker, WiFi, power consumption, GPIOs, RS485, and more. Since there’s no user application for the Tab5 at this stage, I decided to look into software development resources for the ESP32-P4 devkit in the second part of the review. I’ll first follow the instructions to build the demo firmware from source using the ESP-IDF framework, then analyze key aspects of the source and make some small modifications. After that, I’ll have a look at ESP32-P4 Arduino support via M5Unified and M5GFX library. ESP-IDF 5.4.1 installation and ESP32-P4 Hello World program The first step is to get the ESP-IDF 5.4.1 and configure ESP32-P4 following the instructions on the Espressif website, before testing it with […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on PitFusion thermal imager for Raspberry Pi combines Melexis MLX90640 sensor and RGB camera (Crowdfunding)

PitFusion thermal imager for Raspberry Pi combines Melexis MLX90640 sensor and RGB camera (Crowdfunding)

Thermal Camera Raspberry Pi

IVMECH Mechatronics’ PitFusion is a thermal imager designed for the Raspberry Pi based on a Melexis MLX90640 32×24 thermal sensor and an Adafruit 0V5647 RGB sensor comparable to the Raspberry Pi Camera Module v1.3. The kit enables users to capture thermal and visible images simultaneously, and can be useful for automation, robotics, security (human/pet motion detection), non-contact temperature measurement, and environmental monitoring applications. PiFusion specifications: Thermal Sensor – Adafruit LX90640 with 32 x 24 pixel array Camera Sensor – Adafruit 0V5647 comparable to the RPi Camera Module v1.3 with 2592 x 1944 resolution Temperature Range – -40°C to 300°C Frame Rate – Up to 32 Hz (thermal), 30 fps (camera) Spectral Range – 8 µm to 14 µm (optimal for human body and object detection) Host Interfaces – I2C for thermal sensor, CSI for camera) Dimensions – 40 x 30 x 10 mm Weight – 15 grams IVMECH says the […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on M5Stack Tab5 Review – Part 1: Unboxing, teardown, and first try of the ESP32-P4 and ESP32-C6 5-inch IoT devkit

M5Stack Tab5 Review – Part 1: Unboxing, teardown, and first try of the ESP32-P4 and ESP32-C6 5-inch IoT devkit

M5Stack Tab5 Review Camera Test

I’ve just received a review sample of the M5Stack Tab5 ESP32-P4 IoT development kit, which looks like a small tablet with a 5-inch touchscreen display, a 2MP front-facing camera, an ESP32-C6 WiFi 6, Bluetooth, and 802.15.4 wireless module, and various expansion interfaces. Today, I’ll go through an unboxing, a (partial) teardown, and have a quick try with the default firmware and GUI, before checking out how to program the device in the second part of the review. M5Stack Tab5 unboxing I received the Tab5 in its retail package along with an M5Stack-branded transparent sticky tape roll. Not sure why, but thanks M5Stack, sticky tape is always useful, so appreciated! The bottom side of the package has all the key features and specifications that we already covered in our article about the Tab5. The package contains the Tab5 itself, a 2,000mAh/14.8Wh battery, and a cable with six wires for the ExtPort2 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on MIPI C-PHY v3.0 released with 18-Wirestate mode encoding increasing the per-lane performance by up to 35 percent

MIPI C-PHY v3.0 released with 18-Wirestate mode encoding increasing the per-lane performance by up to 35 percent

MIPI C-PHY v3 0 18-wirestate encoding

The MIPI Alliance has recently released the MIPI C-PHY v3.0 specification, defining the physical layer for connecting cameras and displays. The main change in MIPI C-PHY Version 3.0 is the addition of an 18-Wirestate mode encoding option – instead of the 6-Wirestate mode encoding used in previous versions – that increases the maximum performance of a C-PHY lane by approximately 30 to 35 percent. The MIPI Alliance claims this enhancement delivers up to 75 Gbps over a short channel for ultra-high-resolution image sensors. The table below shows the key features and differences between versions of the MIPI C-PHY specification. Interestingly, the symbol rate decreased for MIPI C-PHY v3.0 compared to v2.1 (7.0 Gsps vs 8.0 Gsps for short channel), but the data rate increased from 18.3 to 24.9 Gbps, a 36% increase, due to the more efficient encoding option 32b9s that transports 32 bits over nine symbols (3.56 bits per symbol) while maintaining […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - 1 Comment on Zalmotek RA6M1, RA8M1, and RZ/A3U SoMs follow Adafruit Feather form factor, support carrier board for robotics and industrial control

Zalmotek RA6M1, RA8M1, and RZ/A3U SoMs follow Adafruit Feather form factor, support carrier board for robotics and industrial control

Zalmotek RZ A3UL, RA8M1, and RA6M1 SoM

Romanian company Zalmotek has recently introduced three new SoMs, the RA6M1, RA8M1, and RZ/A3UL, and a modular carrier board designed for embedded applications such as robotics, industrial control, and edge computing. There are a few things that I find interesting about this setup. The SoM comes in Adafruit Feather form factor and, as a result, supports various Adafruit FeatherWings. The modular carrier board supports the Dynamixel motor driver module, the Particle M-SoM breakout module, Ethernet, and CAN modules. The RA6M1 Feather SoM is powered by a Renesas RA6M1 Arm Cortex-M4 CPU at up to 120 MHz, with 512 KB flash and 96 KB SRAM while the RA8M1 Feather SoM features a Renesas RA8M1 64-bit Arm Cortex-M85 running at up to 360 MHz with 128 Mbit SPI flash, the RZ/A3UL Feather SoM is based on a Renesas RZ/A3UL 64-bit Arm Cortex-A55 CPU at up to 1 GHz, with 512 Mbit OctaFlash […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on IBASE EC3100 – A fanless NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX/Nano embedded computer with up to 6x GbE ports (4x with PoE)

IBASE EC3100 – A fanless NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX/Nano embedded computer with up to 6x GbE ports (4x with PoE)

IBASE EC3100 Fanless Embedded Computer

IBASE EC3100 is a fanless edge AI computer powered by NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX or Orin Nano module with up to six GbE ports, including four with PoE for cameras, a wide 9V to 36V DC input, and a -20°C to 70°C temperature range for industrial environments. The EC3100 is equipped with a choice of modules from the Jetson Orin Nano 4GB up to the Jetson Orin NX 16GB, delivering a maximum of 157 TOPS of AI performance. The embedded system also features an HDMI 2.1 video output, audio input and output jacks, optional WiFi and/or 4G LTE/5G cellular connectivity, RS232 and CAN Bus DB9 connectors, and several digital inputs and outputs. EC3100 specifications: System-on-Module (one or the other) EC3100-NANO-4 – NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano 4GB with 8-core Arm Cortex-A78AE CPU @ 1.5 GHz, 512-core NVIDIA Ampere architecture GPU with 16 Tensor Cores; 34 TOPS max EC3100-NANO-8 – NVIDIA Jetson […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on Espressif Systems ESP32-P4-EYE development kit looks like a camera

Espressif Systems ESP32-P4-EYE development kit looks like a camera

ESP32-P4-EYE

Espressif Systems’ ESP32-P4-EYE is a development kit designed for AI vision applications that looks like a standard camera. It combines an ESP32-P4 RISC-V microcontroller with an ESP32-C6 WiFi 6, BLE, and 802.15.4 SoC, and is equipped with a MIPI-CSI camera, a 2MP display, a microphone, and a MicroSD card to store photos or videos. There’s also a rotatory encoder to control the menu on the LCD or adjust the zoom, a fill/flash light, a few buttons, an LED, and support for either USB or battery power. The company says the ESP32-P4 camera devkit targets smart surveillance, vision-based edge AI, real-time image detection, and audio-visual IoT interfaces. ESP32-P4-EYE specifications: Microcontroller – ESP32-P4 MCU Dual-core RISC-V microcontroller @ 400 MHz with AI instructions extension and single-precision FPU Single-RISC-V LP (Low-power) MCU core @ up to 40 MHz GPU – 2D Pixel Processing Accelerator (PPA) VPU – H.264 and JPEG codecs support Memory […]

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