crowd supply

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments on OnChip Open-V Open Source 32-bit RISC-V Processor Launched on CrowdSupply

OnChip Open-V Open Source 32-bit RISC-V Processor Launched on CrowdSupply

Open source hardware gives mostly full control over software and hardware, but there are different levels of openess, with some companies wrongly claiming their product to be open source hardware – with a nice accompanying logo – once they dump some source code somewhere and publish the PDF schematics, while others are doing it right with the release of schematics and PCB layout in source format, as well as software and proper documentation. However even for the latter group, the actual chips are closed source bought directly from silicon vendors or their distributors. So the good news is that you now have the opportunity to bring the meaning of open source hardware to a whole new level thanks to OnChip Open-V 32-bit  processor that is open source, and getting launched on Crowd Supply crowdfunding platform. OnChip Open-V is based on RISC-V (pronounced “risk-five”), comes with peripherals, and should be competitive […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Explore M3 Board based on NXP LPC1768 Cortex M3 MCU Comes with Lots of Tutorials (Crowdfunding)

Explore M3 Board based on NXP LPC1768 Cortex M3 MCU Comes with Lots of Tutorials (Crowdfunding)

Explore M3 is an ARM Cortex M3 development board powered by a micro USB port, with plenty of I/Os, Arduino compatible, and the developers have also written many tutorials to help people getting started as fast and easily as possible. A starter kit with cables and sensors is also available with the board. Specifications: MCU – NXP LPC1768 ARM Cortex M3 @ up to 100MHz with 512KB flash, 64KB RAM, USB – 1x micro USB 2.0 OTG port for programming and power Expansion Headers – 2x 20-pin male headers + 8-pin unpopulated header with 38x GPIOs, 4x UARTs, 2x CAN, 2x SPI, 2x I2C, 6x PWM, 5x ADC, 1x DAC, 2x interrupt pins, I2S audio, and power signal Debugging – JTAG/SWD Debug connector Misc – USB boot and reset buttons Dimensions – 55mm x 25mm The hardware is somewhat similar to mbed LPC1768 board but with a few more I/Os. […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on Espotek Labrador is s $25 5-in-1 Lab-on-a-Board with Oscilloscope, Waveform Generator, etc… (Crowdfunding)

Espotek Labrador is s $25 5-in-1 Lab-on-a-Board with Oscilloscope, Waveform Generator, etc… (Crowdfunding)

We’ve already seen ultra cheap (and low end) electronics lab tools like DSO138 oscilloscope kit for $23, or the $5 USB123 USBee AX logic Analyzer, but EspoTek Labrador combines 5 electronics lab equipments into a single board that claims to act as an oscilloscope, a waveform generator, a variable power supply, a logic analyzer and a multimeter for just $25. EspoTek Labrador specifications and key features: MCU – Atmel ATXMEGA32A4U 8-bit AVR MCU @ 32 MHz with 32KB flash, 4KB SRAM, and 1024 bytes EEPROM Functions 2 channels oscilloscope up to 750ksps, ~100kHz bandwidth, -20 to +20 V range 2 channels waveform generator up to 1 MSPS supporting sinusoidal, square, triangular, sawtooth, and arbitrary waveforms 4.5 to 15V power supply up to 1.5W max 2 channels logic analyzer up to 3 MSPS per channels Multimeter with voltage, intensity, resistance, and capacitance functions USB – micro USB port to connect to […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 26 Comments on Open Source, Modular and Upgradeable EOMA68 CPU Card, Laptop and Micro Desktop Launched (Crowdfunding)

Open Source, Modular and Upgradeable EOMA68 CPU Card, Laptop and Micro Desktop Launched (Crowdfunding)

Rhombus Tech has been working on EOMA68 standard for CPU modules based on PCMCIA at least since 2012, and after previous difficulties, they showcased a laptop prototype taking OEMA68 CPU cards at the beginning of the year, and they’ve now launched a CrowdSupply campaign selling an EOMA68 CPU card based on Allwinner A20 processor, as well as corresponding laptop and micro desktop housings that are both open source, and upgradeable with faster EOMA68 CPU card once/if they become available. Current EOMA68 CPU card specifications:   SoC –  Allwinner A20 dual core ARM Cortex A7 processor @ 1.2 GHz with Mali-400MP2 GPU System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 8GB NAND flash + micro SD slot Video Output – micro HDMI Interface (for 2nd monitor) USB – micro USB OTG port Compliant with EOMA68 standard Two versions of the CPU card are offered with different pre-installed firmware: “Libre Tea Computer Card” […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on Aeroscope is a Bluetooth 4.1 Wireless Oscilloscope Probe Using your Android Tablet or iPad for Display (Crowdfunding)

Aeroscope is a Bluetooth 4.1 Wireless Oscilloscope Probe Using your Android Tablet or iPad for Display (Crowdfunding)

Oscilloscopes used to be rather bulky equipment, but recent full featured oscilloscopes have come down in size, and even become portable and battery operated with products such as DSO Quad. But since many of us already own Android tablets or iPads, Aeroscope wireless oscilloscope probe is quite a neat solution as it transmits images of the waveform over Bluetooth 4.1 to your tablet. Aeroscope specifications: Analog Bandwidth  – 100 MHz Sample Rate – 500 M samples/second Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.1 with 200-ft range Input Range – +/-40 V DC Accuracy – +/- 3% Offset Range – +/- 40V or +/- 20V offset for 20mV/div setting Sample Memory Depth – 10k Input Impedance – 10MΩ || 12pF Resolution – 20 mV/division to 10 V/division Battery – 950 mAh battery good for 4 to 8 hours of use depending on settings Activity sensor – (for extended use) Dimensions – 118 x 30 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments on ELLO 2M is a DIY Computer with a Keyboard, a 7″ Touchscreen Display and a Prototyping Area (Crowdfunding)

ELLO 2M is a DIY Computer with a Keyboard, a 7″ Touchscreen Display and a Prototyping Area (Crowdfunding)

ELLO_2M

The traditional way to play with electronics is to get a board (e.g. Arduino), a breadboard to wire components & sensors to the board, and a computer for programming.  ELLO 2M combines all that into a single piece of hardware with a 7″ touchscreen display, a Microchip PIC32 micro-controller board, a solderless prototyping area made of PGA sockets, and a keyboard. ELLO 2M hardware specifications: MCU – Microchip PIC32MX470 32-bit micro-controller @ 120 MHz with 128kB RAM (512kB RAM in the ELLO 2M “hacker” versions) Extra System Memory – Optional on-board serial non-volatile data RAM Storage – 3x micro-SD cards (one permanently built-in and two for removable storage); internal serial FRAM Display – 7″ LCD touch-screen panel with 800×480 pixel resolution Audio – Small speaker and buzzer Keyboard – Replaceable QWERTY keyboard Connectivity – 2.4GHz RF communication module with simple communication protocol Expansion – Expansion receptacle, electronic prototyping space with […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments on LimeSDR Open Source Hardware Software Defined Radio Goes for $199 and Up (Crowdfunding)

LimeSDR Open Source Hardware Software Defined Radio Goes for $199 and Up (Crowdfunding)

Canonical and Lime Micro showcased SoDeRa software defined radio (SDR) a couple of months ago, with a promise to launch a crowdfunding campaign later this year. They’ve fulfill their promise, and launched the open source SDR, renamed to LimeSDR, on Crowdsupply. LimeSDR board specifications: FPGA – Altera Cyclone IV EP4CE40F23 Altera FPGA compatible with EP4CE30F23 System Memory – 256 MB DDR2 SDRAM RF Lime Microsystems LMS7002M RF transceiver with continuous coverage of the frequency range between 100 kHz and 3.8 GHz; 61.44 MHz bandwidth 4 x TxOut and 6 x RxIn U.FL connectors Power Output (CW): up to 10 dBm Wi-Fi, GSM, UMTS, LTE, LoRa, Bluetooth, Zigbee, RFID, Digital Broadcasting, configurable through apps. USB – 1x micro USB3 via CYUSB3014-BZXC Cypress Microcontroller  for control, data transfer and power Misc – Status LEDs, RGB LEDs, 4x switches Power – USB or external power supply Dimensions –  100 mm x 60 mm The board […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments on giggleBits Hackable ARM & FPGA Router Comes with an SFP Cage and 5 Gigabit Ethernet Ports (Crowdfunding)

giggleBits Hackable ARM & FPGA Router Comes with an SFP Cage and 5 Gigabit Ethernet Ports (Crowdfunding)

Remember Snickerdoodle board? If you don’t, the board is one of the cheapest Xilinx Zynq available on the market, and the project is currently on CrowdSupply, and 75% funded with 28 days left. They’ve just posted an update about a new daughterboard that I found interesting: giggleBits which provides 5 Gigabit Ethernet and an SFP cage on top of WiFi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth connectivity already found on Snickerdoodle board. giggleBits + snickerdoodle specifications: SoC/Memory/Storage/WiFi via Snickerdoodle board: SoC Xilinx Zynq-7010 dual core Cortex A9 processor @ 667 MHz + FPGA with 430K gates or Xilinx Zynq-7020 dual core Cortex A9 processor @ 866 MHz + FPGA with 1.3million gates (~430K ASIC gates) System Memory – 512MB or 1GB LPDDR2-800 Storage – micro SD card slot, 16MB boot flash Ti Wilink 8 –  single or dual band 802.11 b/g/n WiFi + Bluetooth 4.0 Expansion – 4x 40-pin TFM headers for access […]