development board

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments on Portenta H7 Lite cost-optimized Arduino Pro board drops WiFi, USB-C video output, NXP secure element

Portenta H7 Lite cost-optimized Arduino Pro board drops WiFi, USB-C video output, NXP secure element

Arduino Portenta H7 Lite

Arduino Portenta H7 Lite is a cost-down version of Portenta H7 STM32H7 that shaves off a little over $30 of the Arduino Pro board by doing without a wireless module nor USB-C video output and opting for a lower cost Microchip ATECC608 secure element. Arduino says the new board provides a cost-optimized solution for companies developing high-end industrial machinery, laboratory equipment, computer vision, PLCs, robotics controllers, and mission-critical devices. Arduino Portenta H7 Lite specifications (with differences in bold or strikethrough): Microcontroller – STMicro STM32H747XI Cortex-M7 @ 480 MHz + M4 @ 200 MHz MCU  with 2MB dual-bank Flash memory, 1 MB RAM, Chrom-ART graphical hardware accelerator System Memory – 2MB SDRAM (upgradeable up to 64MB) Storage – 16MB QSPI NOR Flash (Upgradeable up to 128MB) Connectivity 2.4GHz WiFi 802.11b/g/n up to 65 Mbps and Bluetooth 5.1 BR/EDR/LE via Murata 1DX module On-board 10/100M PHY Video I/F – MIPI DSI & […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments on Getting started with Bluetrum AB32VG1 RISC-V Bluetooth audio board using RT-Thread

Getting started with Bluetrum AB32VG1 RISC-V Bluetooth audio board using RT-Thread

Bluetrum AB32VG1 RISC-V Bluetooth audio board

Bluetrum AB32VG1 is a development board based on AB5301A RISC-V microcontroller designed for Bluetooth audio applications as well as general-purpose projects that works with RT-Thread real-time operating system. RT-Thread sent me a board for review, and I’ll write about my experience in a getting started guide for Bluetutm AB32VG1 trying out the RT-Thread Studio IDE with the LED blink and audio samples, as there’s no Bluetooth sample at this time… Bluetrum AV32VG1 Unboxing The board ships with a USB-C cable for power and programming. It offers Arduino UNO headers for expansion, a MicroSD card slot, a USB host port, a 3.5mm audio jack, an IR receiver, and a few buttons. There’s nothing to do on the bottom of the board apart from a QR Core for the WeChat app. There are also several configuration jumpers, but I could not find any documentation about these and did not mess with the […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 36 Comments on Mikron MIK32 – Made in Russia 32-bit RISC-V MCU offers features similar to STM32L0 MCU

Mikron MIK32 – Made in Russia 32-bit RISC-V MCU offers features similar to STM32L0 MCU

MIK32 RISC-V made-in-russia

The Mikron MIK32 is a 32-bit RISC-V microcontroller made in Russia with features similar to an STMicro STM32L0 Cortex-M0+ MCU that shows how RISC-V open-source architecture can help lower the barrier to entry, and let more companies design their own chips. The MIK32 microcontroller features CPU IP from Syntacore based in Saint Petersburg following the RV32IMC profile. Clocked at 32 MHz, the MCU comes with I2C, UART, SPI, ADC, DAC interfaces, as well as various timers, an interrupt controller, and more. Mikron MIK32 specifications: CPU Core – 32-bit RISC-V up to 32 MHz with 32 registers,  embedded multiplier, debugger (TAP controller and JTAG interface), and interrupt controller Memory & Storage – 256 bytes OTP ROM, 16KB RAM, 8KB EEPROM Interfaces Storage I/F – SPI, Dual-SPI, Quad-SPI interfaces for NOR and NAND flash  devices 4-channel DMA controller supporting low-power modes 2x I2C, 2x UART with synchronous mode support, 2x SPI 12-bit […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Wio Lite AI – An STM32H725A Cortex-M7 board for AI vision applications

Wio Lite AI – An STM32H725A Cortex-M7 board for AI vision applications

Wio Lite AI

Wio Lite AI is another development board from Seeed Studio’s “Wio Lite” family. The board is based on STMicro STM32H725A Cortex-M7 microcontroller with a dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth module, as well as camera & display interfaces for connected AI vision applications. The board builds upon the earlier Wio Lite and  Wio Lite W600 boards with built-in wireless connectivity but offers much more processing power for computer vision or other applications. Wio Lite AI specifications: MCU – STMicro STM32H725AE Arm Cortex-M7 microcontroller @ 550MHz with DSP instructions, 512 KB flash, 564 KB RAM Memory – 8MB PSRAM (from AP Memory) Storage – 16MB SPI NOR flash and  MicroSD card slot Display I/F – 40-pin FPC connector for LCD RGB565 or RGB888 displays Camera – 24-pin FPC connector for DCMI camera (OV2640) Audio –  12-pin FPC connector for audio Connectivity – Dual-band 2.4GHz / 5GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.1 Expansion – Feather […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on Kryptor FPGA – Tiny MAX10 FPGA board works as a hardware security module (Crowdfunding)

Kryptor FPGA – Tiny MAX10 FPGA board works as a hardware security module (Crowdfunding)

Kryptor FPGA

Kryptor FPGA, sometimes just called Kryptor, is a compact Intel/Altera MAX10 FPGA development board mostly designed for encryption, and acting as a dedicated Hardware Security Module (HSM) with a custom soft-core from Skudo OÜ. But obviously, you could also use the FPGA board for other purposes. Hardware encryption can be quite more secure than software-based encryption with reduced attack surfaces, especially since data processing can be done in the FPGA RAM. The HSM can be used to encrypt files, videos, emails, IoT messages, etc… from various hardware platforms including Arduino and Raspberry Pi boards. Contrary to closed-sourced commercial solutions, the soft-core is open-source and as such can be verified by third parties to make sure there aren’t any backdoors or security flaws. Kryptor FPGA specifications: FPGA – Intel/Altera MAX10 8K LE ( 10M08DAF256C8G) FPGA @ 100 MHz with 8000 logic elements (LE), 1376 Kb flash, 378 Kb total RAM, up […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on NXP i.MX RT500 Cortex-M33 Crossover MCU integrates DSP, 2D GPU for wearables and IoT devices

NXP i.MX RT500 Cortex-M33 Crossover MCU integrates DSP, 2D GPU for wearables and IoT devices

MIMXRT595-EVK

NXP i.MX RT500 is the second Cortex-M33 Crossover MCU following the NXP i.MX RT600 Series announced in 2018, and optimized for low-power HMI applications such as wearables and Smart Home & IoT devices. NXP Crossover MCUs are typically clocked at 600 MHz or more, but NXP i.MX RT500 Cortex-M33 is limited to 200 MHz, and combined with 200 MHz Tensilica Fusion F1 DSP as well as a 2D GPU, and power optimizations that enable long battery life of up to 40 days on a charge for wearables like smartwatches. NXP i.MX RT500 key features and specifications: MCU Core – Cortex-M33 @ up to 200 MHz with Arm TrustZone, M33 built-in Memory Protection Unit (MPU), PowerQuad hardware accelerator for DSP functions, CASPER crypto coprocessor for asymmetric cryptographic algorithms DSP Core – Cadence Tensilica Fusion F1 DSP @ up to 200 MHz On-Chip Memory Up to 5 MB of system SRAM accessible […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments on Allwinner V833 AI video development board runs Tina Linux or Melis RTOS

Allwinner V833 AI video development board runs Tina Linux or Melis RTOS

Allwinner V833 AI camera development board

Lindenis V833 is an AI video/camera development board based on Allwinner V833 single-core Cortex-A7 processor with a 400 MOPS AI accelerator (NPU) and running OpenWrt-based Tina Linux or Melis RTOS based on the RT-Thread kernel. The board comes with up to 3GB RAM, a MicroSD card socket, MIPI DSI, MIPI CSI, and BT1120 interfaces for video output and input, Gigabit Ethernet, 2.4 GHz WiFi, and a few other I/Os. Lindenis V833 specifications: SoC – Allwinner V833 single-core Arm Cortex-A7 processor @ up to 1.2 GHz with H.265/H.265 1080p video encoder, MJPEG 1080p video encoder, 400 MOPS AI accelerator (See PDF datasheet) System Memory – Up to 3GB DDR3/DDR3L Storage – MicroSD card slot with support for SDHC and SDXC, SPI NOR flash Display Interfaces 4-lane MIPI-DSI up to 1080p BT1120 output Touch panel header Video In 4-lane MIPI-CSI camera interface BT1120 input Audio – 3.5mm Line-in jack, built-in microphone Connectivity […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Magicbit is a wire-free, modular STEM education platform (Crowdfunding)

Magicbit is a wire-free, modular STEM education platform (Crowdfunding)

Magicbit ESP32

Magicbit board joins other ESP32 platforms for the STEM education market such as the Crowbits Master Kit or ESP32-based Micro:bit clones with visual programming and Arduino and/or MicroPython support, a mobile app, and training materials such as project tutorials and online courses. Magicbit is designed to be wire-free with the hexagonal board offering four module’s connectors, an OLED display, buttons, a buzzer, and more. You can still use cables if you’d like with six crocodile clip holes and an expansion connector. Magicbit hardware specifications: Wireless module based on ESP32 dual-core processor @ 240 MHz with 520kB RAM and 2.4 GHz WiFi & Bluetooth 4.2/5.x LE connectivity, plus 4MB flash storage Display – OLED display Audio – Buzzer USB – 1x Micro USB port for power and programming Expansion 4x module expansions Motor driver Misc – Reset button, 2x user buttons, potentiometer, light sensor, LEDs Power Supply – 5V via MicroUSB […]

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