development board

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Intrinsyc Introduces Open-X 8M SoM and Mini-ITX Development Kit with Optional LCD Display

Intrinsyc Introduces Open-X 8M SoM and Mini-ITX Development Kit with Optional LCD Display

Intrinsyc announced their own NXP i.MX 8M system-on-module, as well as a corresponding development kit back in February 2018 for Embedded World 2018. Somehow I missed it until today when the company tweeted about the kit unboxing video, so let’s have a look, starting with the module itself.Open-X 8M SoM specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX 8M quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor @ up to 1.5 GHz, Arm Cortex-M4 core with 256 KB tightly coupled memory (TCM), Vivante GC7000Lite GPU System Memory – 3GB LPDDR4 RAM Storage – 16GB eMMC Flash Video – 4Kp60 HEVC/H.265 main, and main 10 decoder, 4Kp60 VP9 decoder, 4Kp30 AVC/H.264 decoder, 1080p60 MPEG-2, MPEG-4p2, VC-1, VP8, RV9, AVS, MJPEG, H.263 decoder On-module Connectivity – WiFi  802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2.4/5.0 GHz 2×2 MU-MIMO + Bluetooth 4.1 pre-certified module 3x 100 pin board to board connectors exposing: Display Interfaces HDMI 2.0a up to 4096 x 2160 at 60 Hz 4-lane MIPI […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments on Rockchip Reveals RK3308 & RK3326 Evaluation Boards for Smart Speakers and Smart Displays

Rockchip Reveals RK3308 & RK3326 Evaluation Boards for Smart Speakers and Smart Displays

Rockchip introduced RK3308 & Gemini quad core Cortex-A35 processors for smart AI solutions last month, and now the company has shared one more tweet about evaluation boards based on RK3308 and RK3329 (Gemini) processors for respectively smart speakers and smart displays. EVB-VA-RK3326 is a smart display evaluation platform powered by Rockchip RK3326 processor with four Cortex A35 core and a Mali-G31 MP2 GPU. It comes with a main board, a microphone array, some speaker, and a display. EVB-RK3308 looks very similar with instead feature a main board powered by RK3308 quad core Cortex A35 processor which supports  DDR3/DDR3L/LPDDR2/DDR2 memory, and comes with an audio codec with 8x ADC/2x DAC, support for 8-channel I2S/TDM, and USB 2.0 host + OTG interface(s). That’s the only information we have since the company has not published any details on their website. If you represent a company and are interested in developing products based on […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments on Hikey 970 Development Board is Now Up for Pre-order for $299.99

Hikey 970 Development Board is Now Up for Pre-order for $299.99

Four A.I. development boards compliant with 96Boards specifications were announced at Linaro Connect HK 2018 last month: HiKey 970, Ultra96, as well as ROCK960 PRO & Enterprise Edition. So for we only knew pricing for Ultra96 ($249), but I’ve now noticed Hikey 970 “Super Edge AI Computing Platform”  is now up for pre-order for $299.99 on Lenovator website, with shipping planned for the end of April. [Update: Also found on Seeed Studio for the same price] Hikey 970 specifications: SoC – Huawei/Hisilicon Kirin 970 with 4x Cortex A73 @ 2.36GHz,  4x Cortex A53 @ 1.8GHz, Arm Mali G72-MP12 GPU, NPU (Neural Processing Unit) with 256MAC/cycle @ 960MHz System Memory – 6GB 1866MHz, 4 Channel LPDDR4x Storage – 64GB UFS storage, micro SD card slot, PCIe Gen3 on M.2 M key connector Video Output – HDMI 1.4 type A up to 1080p60 (TBC), 1x 4-lane MIPI DSI (via HS expansion connector) […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on $1.80 CH551 Mini Development Board Features 8-bit C51 Core, USB Interface, and I/Os

$1.80 CH551 Mini Development Board Features 8-bit C51 Core, USB Interface, and I/Os

Last year, WCH (Nanjing QinHeng Corp.)’s launched a CH55x family of microcontroller based on an 8-bit C51 core with a USB interface, and extra I/Os depending on the selected part number Electrodragon is now listing a tiny USB development board based on CH551 for $1.80, and the chip itself sells for as low as 1.60 RMB (0.25 USD) on Taobao. Specifications: MCU – WCH CH551 8-bit C51 micro-controller USB – 1x USB type A port I/Os – 18 through holes exposing all I/Os from the MCU including GPIOs, USB, 3.3V, 5V GND Misc – On-board power led, user LED (P3.0) Power – 5V via USB port (or pin?) You won’t need an external hardware – such as a USB to TTL board – to program the boards since the MCU supports USB. To enter into programming mode,  short connect the two pins in the middle of the board (DL) with […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on ESP32-LyraT Speech Recognition Board Sold for 22 Euros

ESP32-LyraT Speech Recognition Board Sold for 22 Euros

Just last week, we wrote about Espressif ESP-ADF Audio development framework that can be used to develop smart speakers and other audio applications with ESP32 boards. There was only one board with documentation at the time however: ESP32-Lyra-T. One tiny problem: it was not for sale just yet, but today Olimex has announced the board is in stock, selling it for 22 Euros. Main features: Wireless module – ESP32-WROVER module with WiFi and Bluetooth LE Audio Many audio inputs – Wi-Fi, BT-audio, DLNA, 3.5mm audio Line-in 3.5mm headphone jack 2x microphones Speaker connectors Storage – micro SD slot Debugging – JTGA header, USB UART Misc  – Touch sense buttons, function/boot/reset keys,  DIP switch for configuration Power – 5V via micro USB port; battery header + charger chip You’ll find documentation on Espressif website (user guide) as well as on Github’s ESP-ADF (getting started guide). Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)Jean-Luc started CNX Software in […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 21 Comments on Banana Pi BPI-W2 Multimedia Router / NAS Board Launched for $93

Banana Pi BPI-W2 Multimedia Router / NAS Board Launched for $93

RTD1296-Development-Board

SinoVoIP has really been busy for products launches this month, as Banana Pi BPI-W2 is the fourth board they’ve started selling on Aliexpress. The board is designed for media, storage, and networking application, thanks to its Realtek RTD1296 quad core processor combined with 2GB RAM, dual Gigabit Ethernet, dual SATA interfaces, M.2 slots, USB 3.0/2.0 ports, HDMI 2.0a output and input, and more. Banana Pi BPI-W2 specifications have not changed since the early announcement last fall: SoC – Realtek RTD1296 quad core Cortex A53 processor with ARM Mali-T820 MP3 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR4 RAM Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (optional 16, 32 or 64GB), 2x SATA 3.0 interfaces,  micro SD slot up to 256GB Video Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60 Hz, mini DP Input – HDMI 2.0 input up to 1080p60 Playback – HDR, 10-bit HEVC/H.265 up to 4K @ 60fps, H.264 up to […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Ring:bit Car is a $20 Robot Kit for BBC Micro:bit

Ring:bit Car is a $20 Robot Kit for BBC Micro:bit

Elecfreaks has launched a robot kit designed for BBC Micro:bit that comprised of a chassis, and Ring:bit board with 3 channels of GPIO, among which 2 channels are used for driving servos. The kit can be used to teach children to control a mini car using Microsoft MakeCode visual programming editor.   Ring:bit board specifications: Supports up to 3 servos with up to 2x external line detection modules when being shifted to P2. Misc – Power switch, function selection Power Supply 3x AAA batteries. Input Voltage – 3.9V-4.5V DC Dimension – 65.00 x 51.70 mm Weight – 27 grams The rest of the kit includes plastic parts for the chassis, two plastic gears, two servos, as well as screws for assembly. Documentation is somewhat limited, but you’ll find a user guide at the bottom of Ring:bit board product page, and the company points to a tutorial on Tinkercademy. As mentioned […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on Banana Pi BPI-ESP32 Board Follows Arduino UNO Form Factor, Works with Webduino and Arduino IDE

Banana Pi BPI-ESP32 Board Follows Arduino UNO Form Factor, Works with Webduino and Arduino IDE

BPI-UNO32

SinoVoIP has been pretty busy those days, as beside launching a BBC Micro:bit clone based on ESP32, and BPI-AI-Voice speech recognition board (also a clone or MicroSemi AcuEdge kit), the company has now started to take orders for Banana Pi BPI-ESP32 board for $10.99 plus shipping on Aliexpress. As the name implies, the based is based on ESP32 WiSoC, supports Arduino shields since it follows Arduino UNO form factor, and can be programming with web based Webduino visual programming IDE, or the Arduino IDE. BPI-ESP32 (aka BPI-UNO32) board specifications: Wireless module – ESP-WROOM-32 WiFi 802.11b/g/n, and Bluetooth 4.2 LE module; 4MB flash Expansion – Arduino headers with GPIOs, ADC, Ethernet, VP/VB, UART, I2C, Touch interface, etc… (See pinout table below) Misc – Buzzer, Tx/Rx LEDs, power LED, RGB LED, buttons Power Supply 5V/1A via micro USB 12V via 5.5mm DC jack Dimensions – 68 x 53 mm The company has […]