freertos News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

July 10, 2024July 10, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

Microchip PIC64GX is a quad-core 64-bit RISC-V microprocessor for real-time processing

Microchip has introduced its first 64-bit RISC-V microprocessor family with the PIC64GX pin-to-pin compatible with the company’s PolarFire SoC FPGA devices and designed for edge designs for the industrial, automotive, communications, IoT, aerospace, and defense segments. The PIC6GX MPU supports asymmetric multiprocessing (AMP) to run Linux, real-time operating systems, and bare metal in a single processor cluster with secure boot capabilities. The company further claims the PIC64GX MPU is “the first RISC-V multi-core solution that is AMP capable for mixed-criticality systems”. The first member of the PIC64GX RISC-V family is the PIC64GX1000 microprocessor. Microchip PIC64GX1000 specifications: CPU Quad-core SiFive U54 64-bit five-stage, single-issue, in-order pipeline RISC-V (RV64GC) processor at up to 625 MHz with AMP and deterministic latencies, PMP and MMU units Single-core SiFive E51 64-bit RISC-V (RV64IMAC) monitor processor core at up to 625 MHZ with PMP unit Cache L1 memory subsystem with Single-Error Correct, Double-Error Detect (SECDED) Flexible […]

June 26, 2024June 25, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

SiFive announces Essential Gen4 RISC-V CPUs for embedded applications

As the RISC-V Summit Europe 2024 is underway, SiFive has announced the fourth generation of its “Essential” RISC-V CPUs (Essential Gen4) with improved power efficiency and more flexible interfaces for SoCs used in embedded devices. The update covers 32-bit and 64-bit RISC-V cores including the U6 and U7-series 64-bit application processors, the S2, S6, and S7 64-bit real-time embedded processors, and the E2, E6, and E7 32-bit real-time embedded processors. Essential Gen4 IP keys features: Up to 40% runtime power reduction 8x different baseline embedded 32-bit and 64-bit cores From 2-stage single-issue to 8-stage superscalar Improved L2 cache and enhanced L1 memory Configuration and integration options CPU type, profile, and options On-chip memories selection System, peripheral, and front ports Advanced power management and security Debug and trace Software support includes embedded Linux and FreeRTOS operating systems and Eclipse-based IDE for C/C++ development. That’s another low-quality, light-on technical details announcement from […]

June 17, 2024June 18, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Cavli C17QS Cat 1.bis cellular IoT and GNSS module offers more memory, global support, a new FreeRTOS SDK

Cavli C17QS Cat 1.bis cellular IoT module with FreeRTOS SDK

Cavli Wireless C17QS is a Cat 1.bis cellular IoT and GNSS module that builds up on the Qualcomm QCX216-powered C16QS Cat 1.bis Cellular IoT module introduced last year, with more memory (2MB RAM) and storage (8MB flash), a wider range of LTE bands, multi-band (L1 and L5) GNSS, and a new FreeRTOS SDK for more flexibility compared to the C16QS. The Cavli C17QS Cat 1bis module is designed around a Qualcomm QCX217 Arm Cortex-M3 microcontroller clocked at up to 306MHz clock speed and running FreeRTOS real-time operating system. The module features a range of interfaces including UART, USB 2.0, USIM, SWD, ADCs, I2S, I2C, SPI, and GPIO pins. The new module is pin-to-pin compatible with the C16QS module for easier design upgrades. Cavli C17QS specifications: Wireless IC – Qualcomm QCX217 Arm Cortex-M3 @ 306 MHz, cellular modem-RF Memory – 2MB RAM Storage – 8 MB flash Cellular connectivity LTE CAT […]

May 21, 2024May 21, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

BreadboardOS firmware for the Raspberry Pi RP2040 features a Linux-like terminal

Cavin McKinley’s BreadboardOS is an open-source firmware platform for the Raspberry Pi RP2040 MCU (for now) built around FreeRTOS and with a feature-packed CLI that reminds me of the Linux terminal.

The terminal implementation is based on a fork of the microshell project with some additional customization. It is organized into POSIX-style folders/files providing a familiar user interface for interacting with the hardware on the MCU.

BreadboardOS running on Raspberry Pi Pico board

BreadboardOS highlights:

FreeRTOS-based
Tools for checking system resources such as ps, top, free, and df commands
Interaction with chip I/O and serial buses from the terminal using commands such as cat and echo, for example, you can print the list of GPIOs with:

April 10, 2024 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Variscite DART-MX95 SoM – Edge Computing with dual GbE, 10GbE, Wi-Fi 6, and AI/ML capabilities

Introduced at Embedded World 2024, the Variscite DART-MX95 SoM is powered by NXP’s i.MX 95 SoC and features an array of high-speed peripherals including dual GbE, 10GbE, and dual PCIe interfaces. Additionally, this SoM supports up to 16GB LPDDR5 RAM and up to 128GB of eMMC storage. It features a MIPI-DSI display interface, multiple audio interfaces, MIPI CSI2 for camera connectivity, USB ports, and a wide range of other functionalities, making it highly versatile for a variety of applications. Previously, we have covered many different SoMs designed by Variscite, including the Variscite VAR-SOM-6UL, Variscite DART-MX8M, and Variscite DART-6UL SoM, among others. Feel free to check those out if you are looking for products with NXP SoCs. Variscite DART-MX95 SoM Specifications SoC – NXP i.MX 95 CPU Up to 6x 2.0GHz Arm Cortex-A55 cores Real-time co-processors – 800MHz Cortex-M7 and 250MHz Cortex-M33. 2D/3D Graphics Acceleration 3D GPU with OpenGL ES 3.2, […]

April 10, 2024April 10, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

Imagination launches the APXM-6200 RISC-V “Catapult” CPU for cost-sensitive consumer and industrial applications

Imagination has expanded its Catapult product portfolio to include a new RISC-V core, the Imagination APXM-6200 CPU. The APXM-6200 is a 64-bit, in-order application processor with an 11-stage, dual-issue pipeline. There isn’t much information on the new Imagination RISC-V core on the product page but we know it offers “best-in-class” performance density, a minimal silicon footprint, and industry-standard security features. The CPU is targeted at intelligent consumer and industrial applications and delivers a 2.5x improvement in performance density and a 65% improvement in normalized performance over comparable Arm Cortex-A53 and other cores on the market. It’s also faster than the Cortex-A510 Armv9 core in SpecINT2k6. Imagination claims that combining the APXM-6200 CPU with their GPUs will ensure a 2x increase in bus utilization and a 2x reduction in memory traffic. It also comes with RISC-V vector extensions, and AI compute libraries and supports fast data coupling with AI accelerators for […]

April 5, 2024April 24, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Toradex Aquila AM69 SoM features TI AM69A octa-core Cortex-A72 AI SoC, rugged 400 pin board-to-board connector

Toradex Aquila AM69 is the first system-on-module (SoM) from the company’s Aquila family with a small form factor and a rugged ~400-pin board-to-board connector targetting demanding edge AI applications in medical, industrial, and robotics fields with Arm platforms that deliver x86 level of performance at low power. The Aquila AM69 SoM is powered by a Texas Instruments AM69A octa-core Arm Cortex-A72 SoC with four accelerators delivering 32 TOPS of AI performance, up to 32GB LPDDR4, 128GB eMMC flash, built-in WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 module, and a board-to-board connector for display, camera, and audio interfaces, as well as dual gigabit Ethernet, multiple PCIe Gen3 and SerDes interfaces. All that in a form factor that’s only slightly bigger (86x60mm) than a business card or a Raspberry Pi 5. Toradex Aquila AM69 specifications: SoC – Texas Instruments AM69A Application processor – Up to 8x Arm Cortex-A72 cores at up to 2.0 GHz […]

February 13, 2024March 24, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 21 Comments

Duo 256M is a compact SBC based on SG2002 multi-architecture SoC

Duo 256M is a small board powered by SOPHGO SG2002 multi-architecture Arm/RISC-V/8051 SoC with 256MB of on-chip RAM and a 1 TOPS NPU, a microSD card for storage, a camera connector, a USB-C port for power and programming, and two headers for GPIO expansion. We covered the SOPHGO SG2002 (and SG2000) Arm+RISC-V+8051 AI SoC earlier this month saying a couple of boards were expected very soon. We’ve already covered Sipeed LicheeRV Nano with optional Ethernet or WiFi 6, and now we’ll look at the Duo 256M designed by Milk-V Technology in more detail since it’s available now. Duo 256M specifications: SoC – SOPHGO SG2002 Main core – 1GHz 64-bit RISC-V C906 or Arm Cortex-A53 core (selectable) Minor core – 700MHz 64-bit RISC-V C906 core Low-power core – 25 to 300MHz 8051 MCU core NPU – 1 TOPS INT8, supports BF16 Integrated 256MB DDR3 (SiP) Storage MicroSD card slot 32Gbit NAND […]