Banana Pi BPI-KVM – A KVM over IP solution based on Rockchip RK3568 SoC

Banana Pi BPI-KVM

Banana Pi has started working on the BPI-KVM box based on a Rockchip RK3568 SoC, but it’s not a mini PC, and instead, it is a KVM over IP solution designed to remotely control another computer or device as if you were on-site with, for example, the ability to turn on and off the connected device, access the BIOS, and so on. Commercial KVM over IP solutions used to be expensive, but people have started to use Raspberry Pi SBCs with an expansion board such as the PiKVM v3, and more recently Raspberry Pi CM4-based KVM over IP solutions have been launched for under well $200. Seeing the popularity of these solutions, Banana Pi has decided to join the fray with its own BPI-KVM powered by an IO-rich Rockchip RK3568 processor that provides all interfaces needed for this type of application. Banana Pi BPI-KVM (preliminary) specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3568 […]

Olimex ESP32-SBC-FabGL board runs DOS, offers VGA , PS/2 keyboard and mouse connectors

Olimex ESP32-SBC-FabGL

Olimex ESP32-SBC-FabGL is an ESP32 single board computer that can serve as the brain of a retro computer with a VGA port, a 3.5mm audio jack, and two PS/2 ports for a keyboard and mouse that are handled by the open-source FabGL graphics library. The board also comes with a microSD card slot, a buzzer, and various expansion interfaces, and can be powered via its USB port or a LiPo battery.  FabGL implements several emulators including an Intel 8080 CPU emulator that allows the system to run various versions of DOS among other things. ESP32-SBC-FabGL specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-WROVER dual-core WiFi and Bluetooth module with 4MB flash, 8MB PSRAM Storage – MicroSD card slot Display – VGA connector, 12-pin LCD HAT connector to enable handheld designs Audio – 3.5mm audio jack, built-in buzzer USB – 1x USB-C port for power and programming User inputs – PS2 keyboard connector, PS2 […]

Weibu N10 Review – An OEM Mini PC tested with Ubuntu 22.04, Windows 11

Weibu N10 industrial mini PC

Weibu is a B2B company offering total solutions and OEM/ODM services. Their target clients are computer manufacturers like Acer and Hisense as they don’t sell directly to end users. With their products both the specifications and accessories can be customized according to their customer’s requirements. One of their product lines is mini PCs and they have sent a pre-production sample of their N10 design to showcase their capabilities. In this review, I will look at the various options available for the N10 and briefly look at performance running both Windows and Ubuntu. Weibu N10 hardware overview The key selling feature of this mini PC is the wide range of ports suitable for commercial/industrial usage together with various options for the processor. The N10 is an actively cooled mini PC and the device is 145 x 128 x 54mm (5.71 x 5.04 x 2.13 inches) large with a metal top that […]

x86 system-on-module features 1GHz DM&P Vortex86DX3 processor

Vortex86DX3 x86 system-on-module

DM&P Vortex86DX3 is an x86 embedded processor launched in 2015 that we’ve previously found in single board computers and mini PCs, but I’ve just noticed ICOP was offering the SOM304D3 system-on-module based on the single and dual-core versions of the Vortex86DX3 SoC. The SOM304D3 is available with 1 or 2GB DDR3 RAM, works in a wide temperature range (up to -40°C to +85°C), and is designed for space-constrained industrial applications, especially those requiring legacy interfaces like ISA, IDE, and/or a parallel port (aka printer port). SOM304D3 specifications: SoC – DM&P Vortex86DX3 single or dual-core x86 processor @ 1 GHz, 2D GPU System Memory – 1GB or 2GB DDR3 Storage – Optional 4GB eMMC flash; SPI flash for AMI BIOS 4x 76-pin board-to-board connectors: Storage – SATA 1.0, IDE, SD Display VGA up to 1920 x 1080 @ 60Hz TFT LCD up to 1024 x 768 @ 60Hz Audio – 1x […]

VESA compatible mini PC is powered by Vortex86DX3 x86 processor

VESA-compatible Vortex86DX3 mini PC

ICOP EB-3362-I fanless mini PC powered by DM&P Vortex86DX3 x86 processor coupled with 2GB DDR3 of memory and designed to be mounted on the back of a VESA compatible display or monitor, a wall, or even a DIN rail through an adapter. The mini PC will be mostly useful for legacy x86 applications with features like VGA video output, multiple DB9 COM ports, as well as SATA storage.  The wide 8V to 24V input voltage and -20 to 70C  temperature range will also make it suitable for some industrial applications. ICOP EB-3362-I specfications: SoC – DM&P Vortex86DX3 dual-core x86 processor @ 1GHz System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – SATA interface, SD card socket Display Output – VGA up to 1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz Networking 10/100M Ethernet RJ45 port Optional additional Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port Optional WiFi via USB 2.0 port, and external antenna USB – 3x USB […]

Your VGA monitor may be easier to repair than you think

Repair VGA monitor LG Flatron W1934S

When a VGA monitor does not start at all, a common reason is that one or two capacitors are damaged. All you need to do to repair it is to replace them, and you’re good to go. It’s quite easier than you think, and I’ll show you how. I was tasked with repairing a VGA monitor, namely an LG Flatron W1934S, that would not turn on anymore. All I could see what the blue power LED blinking regularly, about every two seconds. Since so far, I had a 100% success rate in failing to repair TVs, I was not confident, and I thought maybe the monitor is some special state making it not turn on, as it happened to me with another monitor a few years ago. But a web search revealed the problem was probably a power supply board issue with one of the capacitors damaged and, in theory, […]

MSI Cubi N JSL mini PC comes with Celeron N4500 or Pentium N6000 Jasper Lake processor

MSI Cubi N JSL

MSI has announced a new variant of its Cubi N family of mini PCs with the MSI Cubi N JSL mini PC powered by a Jasper Lake processor either an Intel Celeron N4500 or a Pentium Silver N6000. The 0.45L computer also comes with up to 16GB dual-channel DDR4 memory, NVMe and SATA storage, HDMI and VGA outputs, and four USB 3.2 ports. MSI Cube N JSL specifications: SoC (one or the other) Intel Celeron N4500 dual-core processor @ 1.1GHz / 2.8GHz (Burst frequency) with Intel UHD graphics; 6W TDP Intel Pentium N6000 Silver quad-core processor @ 1.1 GHz / 3.1GHz (Burst frequency) with Intel UHD graphics; 6W TDP System Memory – 2x DDR4 2933MHz SO-DIMMs, Up to 16 GB Storage 2x M.2 SSD combo (NVMe PCIe Gen3x2) 1x 2.5-inch HDD/SSD Video Output – 1x HDMI 1.4 up to 4Kp30 (TBC), 1x VGA Audio Realtek ALC233 audio codec 1x Mic-in/Headphone-out […]

Open hardware Raspberry Pi Pico VGA, SD Card, and Audio demo board to support QVGA video playback

Abhishek recently posted an overview of Raspberry Pi RP2040’s two PIO blocks with examples in C and Micropython using some PIO assembler code. He used some basic examples like blinking an LED, but the Raspberry Pi Foundation also mentioned the programmable IO could be used to drive a VGA display, read and write data from a MicroSD card at reasonable speeds, and so on. However, the Raspberry Pi Pico does not have any of those interfaces, and it would be nice to have a board that does. It turns out there’s such a board in “Chapter 3. The VGA, SD Card & Audio Demo board for Raspberry Pi Pico” of  “Hardware Design with RP2040.pdf” document. It will be sold as the “Pimoroni Pico VGA Demo Base” board for 19.50 GBP inc. VAT (about $22 US ex. VAT), but since the KiCad hardware files are open-source, I’d assume other companies may […]

EDATEC Raspberry Pi 5 fanless case