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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on LaserPecker LP5 Review – Part 2: A 20W diode & fiber laser engraver tested with LDS software, rotary extension, safety enclosure

LaserPecker LP5 Review – Part 2: A 20W diode & fiber laser engraver tested with LDS software, rotary extension, safety enclosure

LaserPecker LP5 review Rotary Extension Safety Enclosure Featured Image

We have already checked the specifications, done an unboxing, and shown how to assemble the LaserPecker LP5 2-in-1 fiber & diode laser engraver along with its safety enclosure and rotary extension in the first part of the review. In the second part of the review, we will report our experience using the LaserPecker LP5 laser engraver with various materials such as plywood, stainless steel, rubber, and aluminum, as well as a ceramic cup and an insulated tumbler using either the LDS software on Windows or the LDS mobile apps on an iPad. Using the LaserPecker LP5 laser engraver with LDS software LaserPecker Design Space (LDS) is a laser engraving and cutting software designed specifically for the LaserPecker laser engravers. It’s meant to allow users to easily create projects with personalized engraving, complex patterns, and precise cutting of various materials. It can run on Windows and macOS with Intel or Apple […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments on Geniatech AIM M2 M.2 module features Kinara Ara-2 40 TOPS AI accelerator

Geniatech AIM M2 M.2 module features Kinara Ara-2 40 TOPS AI accelerator

Kinara Ara 2 M.2 Module

There are plenty of M.2 AI modules based on accelerators such as Hailo-8, MemryX MX3, or Axelera AI, but the Geniatech AIM M2 module is based on the Kinara Ara-2 40 TOPS AI accelerator that we’ve yet to cover here on CNX Software. The Key-M module is designed to handle Generative AI and transformer-based models such as Stable Diffusion at a lower price point than competitors, and operates at a typical sub-2W power consumption in computer vision workloads. Target applications include AI assistants/Copilot, gaming, smart retail, physical security, and factory automation. Geniatech AIM M2 specifications: AI Accelerator Kinara Ara-2 NPU with 40 TOPS of AI power Package – 17x17mm FCBBA System Memory – 16GB RAM (4GB/8GB Option) Host interface – PCIe Gen4 x4 Security – Secure boot and encrypted memory access Misc – Heatsink cooling Supply Voltage – 3.3V Power Consumption – Under 2 Watts (typical) TDP – 12 Watts […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments on Home Assistant 2025.3 released with dashboard view headers, tile card improvements, better SmartThings integration

Home Assistant 2025.3 released with dashboard view headers, tile card improvements, better SmartThings integration

Home Assistant 2025.3

The popular Home Assistant has gotten an update with version 2025.3 that brings dashboard view headers, several tile card improvements, better map clustering, streamed responses from LLMs, and improved SmartThings integrations. Let’s have a look at some of the improvements starting with dashboard view headers which allow users to add a title and welcoming text to dashboards using Markdown and templates. You can also add badges next to the headers. Home Assistant 2025.3 also brings plenty of improvements to tile cards: Adding a circular background around tiles that perform actions, and leaving the ones that just show extra information without a circle Features of a tile card can now be positioned inline in the tile card (e.g. on/off button) New features: switch toggle, counter toggle (to increase, decrease, or reset a counter entity), animations when hovering over atile card Editor improvements for ease of use The new version of Home […]

Posted on by Sayantan Nandy - 1 Comment on iBASE IB996 full-size PICMG 1.3 CPU card features Intel Q670E chipset, supports 12th to 14th Gen Intel Core desktop processors

iBASE IB996 full-size PICMG 1.3 CPU card features Intel Q670E chipset, supports 12th to 14th Gen Intel Core desktop processors

iBASE IB996 CPU Card

The iBASE IB996 full-size PICMG 1.3 CPU card, built on the Intel Q670E chipset, supports 12th to 14th Gen Intel Core desktop processors. It is designed for industrial and embedded applications with dual 2.5GbE LAN, DDR5 support, and extensive I/O options including PCI and PCIe x16 interfaces. We haven’t covered this type of card on CNX Software before, so some basic explanations are needed. PICMG 1.3, or SHB Express, is an industrial standard for System Host Boards (SHBs) supporting PCIe, PCI, and PCI-X interfaces first ratified in 2005 (PCIMG 1.0). It uses a backplane to separate the processing unit from I/O, enabling modular design and easy integration. Commonly used in industrial automation, medical systems, and embedded computing, it ensures compatibility and scalability for high-performance applications. iBASE IB996 CPU card specifications: Supported SoC – 14th, 13th, and 12th Gen Intel Core i9/i7/i5/i3 desktop processors (LGA1700 socket) based on the Raptor Lake-S […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on SagireEdge AI 600 SMARC SoM and devkit feature Qualcomm QCS6490 AIoT processor for Edge AI applications

SagireEdge AI 600 SMARC SoM and devkit feature Qualcomm QCS6490 AIoT processor for Edge AI applications

Qualcomm QCS6490 SMARC SoM

Sagire AI’s SagireEdge AI 600 is a SMARC-compliant system-on-module (SoM) and a development kit based on Qualcomm QCS6490 octa-core Cortex-A78/A55 IoT processor and designed for Edge AI applications. The module comes with 8GB LPDDR5 and 128GB UFS storage, a WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.5 wireless module, a CAN Bus controller, and on-module camera and audio input connectors. Its MXM 3.0 edge connector exposes additional camera interfaces, a MIPI DSI display interface, PCIe Gen3 x2, gigabit Ethernet, a few USB interfaces, and a range of low-speed I/Os. SagireEdge AI 600 SoM specifications: SoC – Qualcomm QCS6490 CPU – Octa-core Kryo 670 with 1x Gold Plus core (Cortex-A78) @ 2.7 GHz, 3x Gold cores (Cortex-A78) @ 2.4 GHz, 4x Silver cores (Cortex-A55) @ up to 1.9 GHz GPU – Adreno 643L GPU @ 812 MHz with support for Open GL ES 3.2, Open CL 2.0, Vulkan 1.x, DX FL 12 DSP – […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on LattePanda Mu is an x86 Compute Module based on Intel Processor N100 CPU

LattePanda Mu is an x86 Compute Module based on Intel Processor N100 CPU

LattePanda Mu x86 Compute Module N100

The LattePanda Mu is a compute module/system-on-module based on the popular Intel Processor N100 quad-core Alder Lake-N processor that can run Windows or Linux and aims to provide a more powerful solution than the Raspberry Pi 5 and upcoming Raspberry Pi CM5 (Compute Module 5). The LattePanda Mu does not follow any SoM standard and instead comes in a custom 69.6 x 60mm form factor using a 260-pin SO-DIMM edge connector. The module is equipped with 8GB RAM and 64GB eMMC flash by default, and the interfaces exposed through the edge connector (PCIe, USB, Ethernet, HDMI…) make it suitable for a range of applications such as IoT, robotics, digital signage, and edge computing through custom carrier boards. LattePanda Mu specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N100 quad-core Alder Lake-N processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel HD graphics @ 750 MHz; TDP: 6W System Memory – […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments on Kodi 21.0 Omega released with FFmpeg 6, LG webOS support, and more

Kodi 21.0 Omega released with FFmpeg 6, LG webOS support, and more

Kodi 21.0 Omega

Kodi 21.0 “Omega” has just been released with the latest version of the open-source media center adding 3,750 commits since the release of Kodi 20.0 “Nexus” on January 15th, 2023 that notably added AV1 hardware decoding in Android and x86. The new Kodi 21.0 version updates FFmpeg to version 6, adds native support for LG webOS televisions after some reverse-engineering, and implements new features such as Dolby Vision on-the-fly profile conversion in Android, native windowing in macOS that does not rely on the SDL library, and an in-game player viewer to view which game port each player’s controller is currently connected to. Most of the changes were not user-facing and instead, were under-the-hood improvements to the stability, performance, and security of Kodi. You’ll find more changes in the Kodi 21.0 Alpha/Beta/RC pre-release announcements and the complete list of changes on GitHub.  That also means Kodi v22 “P*” development has started. […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - 4 Comments on SolidRun’s first COM Express module is powered by the AMD Ryzen V3000 series APU

SolidRun’s first COM Express module is powered by the AMD Ryzen V3000 series APU

AMD Ryzen COM Express with SO DIMM Sideways 1030x687

SolidRun has recently introduced the “Ryzen V3000 CX7” x86-based CoM Express 7 module powered by an AMD Ryzen V3000 Series V3C48 or V3C18I APU. This module is designed with AMD’s 6nm ‘Zen3’ architecture and can reach speeds up to 3.8GHz. It supports up to 96 GB of DDR5  memory, which can be either ECC or non-ECC, offering strong performance for different uses. The module features 20 PCIe Gen4 lanes, dual 10Gbps Ethernet MAC, and two SATA Gen3 6Gbps interfaces (on V3C18I and V3C48 models) all these features make this module useful for high-speed networking, embedded computing, and storage applications. Previously we have seen many similar COM Express & other modules based on the Ryzen V3000 Series of APUs including the ADLINK Express VR7 (COM Express) and another custom CPU module found in SolidRun Bedrock V3000 fanless industrial computer. Feel free to check those out if you are looking for similar […]

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