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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on ZimaBoard 2 micro server review – Part 1: Unboxing, teardown, and ZimaOS interface

ZimaBoard 2 micro server review – Part 1: Unboxing, teardown, and ZimaOS interface

ZimaBoard 2 review

We’ve just received a review sample of the ZimaBoard 2 micro server and mini PC powered by an Intel Processor N150 “Twin Lake” CPU. The system features two 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports, two SATA III ports, two USB 3.1 ports, and a miniDP video port supporting 4K resolution. IceWhale Technology provided us with the ZimaBoard 2 model 832 prototype with 8GB RAM and 32GB eMMC flash preloaded with the ZimaOS operating system for review. In this article, we will unbox the device and its accessories, perform a teardown, and boot the micro server with the pre-installed ZimaOS and check the web dashboard. In the second part of the review, we will test ZimaOS in more detail, run some benchmarks since it’s our first Twin Lake mini PC, install an Ubuntu virtual machine, test the SATA ports and PCIe 3.0 x4 slot, and more. ZimaBoard 2 unboxing We received a package […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 19 Comments on Beelink ME Mini is a compact 6-slot SSD NAS and mini PC powered by an Intel N150 Twin Lake SoC

Beelink ME Mini is a compact 6-slot SSD NAS and mini PC powered by an Intel N150 Twin Lake SoC

Beelink ME Mini

Beelink was one of the first companies to launch an Intel Processor N150 mini PC with the EQ14 model, and they’ve now launched the ME Mini 6-slot SSD NAS based on the Twin Lake processor, coupled with 12 GB RAM, 64GB eMMC flash, and a 2TB NVMe SSD. The compact NAS/computer also features two 2.5GbE ports, a WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 wireless module, HDMI 2.0 video output, and a few USB ports. Like the Beelink EQ14, it comes with an integrated 100/240V power supply instead of an external power brick. Beelink ME Mini specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N150 quad-core Twin Lake processor @ up to 3.6 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel UHD graphics @ 1.0 GHz; TDP: 6W System Memory – 12GB LPDDR5 4800 MHz; note: a 16GB LPDDR5 model will also be available Storage 5x M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0 x1 sockets 1x M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on HydraLink USB-to-Automotive Ethernet dongle works over a single twisted pair (Crowdfunding)

HydraLink USB-to-Automotive Ethernet dongle works over a single twisted pair (Crowdfunding)

Hydralink

HydraLink is a compact USB-to-Automotive Ethernet dongle that supports 100BASE-T1 and 1000BASE-T1 standards over a single twisted pair (no large RJ45 connector needed) and provides a solution for diagnosing, testing, and prototyping automotive networks. The rationale behind HydraLink is that the automotive sector is undergoing a shift from CAN-based systems to advanced Automotive Ethernet networks like BroadR-Reach (802.3bw) that allow multiple in-vehicle systems to simultaneously access information over unshielded single twisted pair cables.  So as I understand it, the HydraLink is the modern equivalent of OBD-II USB scanners relying on Ethernet instead. HydraLink specifications: Networking – 100 Mbps or 1000 Mbps automotive Ethernet via 2.54 mm pin header (Note: the board below features a Broadcom BCM89811 BroadR-Reach automotive Ethernet RGMII transceiver limited to 100BASE-T1 data rate) USB – USB 3.0 Gen 1 Type-C port Misc – Link activity and link speed LED indicators Power Supply –  5V via USB interface […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Banana Pi BPI-CM6 is an octa-core RISC-V system-on-module compatible with Raspberry Pi CM5 carrier boards

Banana Pi BPI-CM6 is an octa-core RISC-V system-on-module compatible with Raspberry Pi CM5 carrier boards

Banana Pi BPI-CM6

Banana Pi BPI-CM6 is a SpacemIT K1 octa-core RISC-V system-on-module that follows the design of the Raspberry Pi CM5, and offers up to 16GB LPDDR4 RAM, up to 128GB eMMC flash, a gigabit Ethernet controller, and a WiFi 6 + Bluetooth 5.2 module. While it remains (mostly) compatible with the Raspberry Pi CM5, the BPI-CM6 exposes some additional I/Os from the K1 SoC through an additional 100-pin B2B connector. The company also offers a credit card-sized carrier board for the RISC-V SoM with HDMI, dual GbE, two M.2 PCIe x2 sockets, a few USB ports, and more. Banana Pi BPI-CM6 specifications: SoC – SpacemIT K1 CPU – 8-core X60 RISC-V processor @ 1.6 GHz GPU – Imagination IMG BXE-2-32 @ 819 MHz with support for OpenGL ES3.2, Vulkan 1.3, OpenCL 3.0; 20 GFLOPS VPU – H.265 and H.264 1080p60 decoding/encoding NPU – None, but the RISC-V cores can deliver up […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments on CM5-DUAL-ETH-MINI-BOX is a dual gigabit Ethernet router box for the Raspberry Pi CM5

CM5-DUAL-ETH-MINI-BOX is a dual gigabit Ethernet router box for the Raspberry Pi CM5

Raspberry Pi CM5 dual gigabit Ethernet router

Waveshare CM5-DUAL-ETH-MINI-BOX is a dual gigabit Ethernet router box designed for the Raspberry Pi CM5. It offers a familiar design with a metal enclosure that looks suspiciously similar to FriendlyELEC’s family of NanoPi routers powered by Rockchip processors, such as the NanoPi R2S Plus or NanoPi R3S. The router also features a microSD card slot to boot the OS on the Raspberry Pi CM5 Lite, a USB 3.0 Type-A port, a USB Type-C port for power and eMMC flash programming, power and boot buttons, and a 40-pin GPIO header accessible without opening the case (after lifting a cover). CM5-DUAL-ETH-MINI-BOX specifications: Supported SoMs – Raspberry Pi CM5 and CM5 Lite, and potentially compatible alternatives like the Raspberry Pi CM4,  Orange Pi CM5, Radxa CM5, etc… Networking 2x Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports: one GbE exposed directly through the CM5 board-to-board connector, and the other via a RealTek RTL8111H PCIe controller WiFi 5 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments on HoneyComb Ryzen V3000 – An AMD Ryzen V3C18I mini-ITX motherboard with dual 10Gbps SFP+, 2.5GbE, dual SATA III

HoneyComb Ryzen V3000 – An AMD Ryzen V3C18I mini-ITX motherboard with dual 10Gbps SFP+, 2.5GbE, dual SATA III

HoneyComb Ryzen V3000

SolidRun HoneyComb Ryzen V3000 is a mini-ITX motherboard powered by an AMD Ryzen Embedded V3C18I processor, supporting up to 64GB of DDR5 memory and M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD storage, and equipped with two 10 Gbps Ethernet SFP+ cages, a 2.5GbE RJ45 jack, and two SATA III ports for advanced networking and storage applications. The solution is comprised of a mini-ITX motherboard and a Ryzen V3000 CX7 COM Express module, which the company introduced in 2022. As an industrial motherboard, it’s designed to operate in the -40°C to +85°C temperature range. HoneyComb Ryzen V3000 specifications: Ryzen V3000 CX7 COM Express module SoC – AMD Ryzen Embedded V3C18I octa-core/16-thread processor clocked at 1.9 GHz / 3.8 GHz (Turbo) with 4 MB L2 cache and 16 MB L3 cache; TDP: 15W System Memory – Up to 64GB (2x 32GB), ECC/Non-ECC DDR5 memory up to 4800 MT/s via two SODIMM sockets. Dimensions – 125 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on W6300-EVB-Pico2 board combines RP2350 MCU with WIZnet W6300 QSPI Ethernet controller for 80+ Mbps data rate

W6300-EVB-Pico2 board combines RP2350 MCU with WIZnet W6300 QSPI Ethernet controller for 80+ Mbps data rate

W6300-EVB-PICO2 board with Raspberry Pi RP23500 and W6300 QSPI Ethernet controller

WIZnet W6300-EVB-Pico2 is a development board that combines a Raspberry Pi RP2350 MCU with the company’s new W6300 QSPI Ethernet controller capable of 80+ Mbps data rates. WIZNet has made several 10/100Mbps Ethernet controllers over the years that connect to microcontrollers via SPI, but the speed is often limited to 15 to 70 Mbps due to a low SPI clock frequency and small buffers. The WIZNet W6300 Ethernet controller can deliver higher speed thanks to a 150MHz system clock, a QSPI interface with four data lines, 64KB SRAM, and 4KB TX/RX buffer for each of the 8 sockets. W6300 QSPI Ethernet controller W6300 features and specifications: Host Interface – High-speed QSPI (MODE 0/3), system bus with 2 address signals & 8-bit data Internal 32KB SRAM for Tx/ Rx buffers (64KB in total) 8x independent sockets with 64KB Memory 10BaseT / 10BaseTe / 100BaseTX Ethernet PHY Integrated Auto negotiation (Full and […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Radxa Dual 2.5G Router HAT adds 2.5GbE networking and M.2 NVMe storage support to Raspberry Pi 5-compatible SBCs

Radxa Dual 2.5G Router HAT adds 2.5GbE networking and M.2 NVMe storage support to Raspberry Pi 5-compatible SBCs

Radxa Dual 2.5G Router HAT

The Radxa Dual 2.5G Router HAT is an expansion board adding 2.5GbE networking and an M.2 PCIe x1 socket for NVMe SSD storage to the Raspberry Pi 5 and compatible SBCs with a PCIe FFC connector. We had previously seen Raspberry Pi 5 HATs with 2.5GbE such as the Pineberry HatNET! 2.5G, or even one with 2.5GbE and NVMe SSD (52Pi W01 U2500 HAT), but the Radxa Dual 2.5G Router HAT is the first to implement two 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports to enable routing, and also features an NVMe SSD as a bonus. Radxa Dual 2.5G Router HAT specifications: Supported SBCs – Raspberry Pi 5, Radxa ROCK 2F, Radxa ROCK 2A, Radxa ROCK 5C, the upcoming Radxa 4D (RK3576), and potentially others PCIe Switch – ASM2806 PCIe 3.0 switch chip with PCIe Gen3 x2 upstream and four PCIe 3.1 lanes downstream up to 8GT/s Storage – 1x M.2 M-Key socket […]

UP 7000 x86 SBC