CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

August 11, 2015August 11, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Freescale i.MX6 DualPlus and QuadPlus SoCs Gets Faster 2D and 3D Graphics, Higher Memory Bandwidth

Freescale unveiled three new models for its i.MX 6 family processor for consumer, industrial and automotive markets in May. Two models are an upgrade to existing i.MX6 Quad and i.MX6 Dual processors, as the new i.MX 6QuadPlus and i.MX6DualPlus processors features four and two Cortex A9 cores, together with improved 2D and 3D GPUs delivering around 50% faster performance, an “optimized” SDRAM controller, more SRAM, and a prefetch and resolve engine. The third model, i.MX 6UltraLite, features a single ARM Cortex A7 core and hardware security, and targets applications such as electronic Point Of Sales (ePOS). That means there are now 9 i.MX6 processors, and today, I’ll focus on the two new “Plus” versions. Since they are based on the original i.MX6 Quad and i.MX6 Dual processors, the best way to have a look at these is to compare them to their predecessors. Features i.MX 6QuadPlus i.MX 6Quad i.MX 6DualPlus […]

August 11, 2015August 11, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Google Plans Vulkan API Support for Android, Imagination Shows a Demo

Vulkan graphics API is the successors to OpenGL and OpenGL ES API, which will support multi-threaded rendering, move some of the complexity to the applications, and simplify graphics drivers, which may not be a bad things since these tend to be closed source, and bugs may be hard to get fixed. Google, which is now a subsidiary of a new company called Alphabet, has recently announced that Vulkan will be implemented in future versions of Android, although OpenGL ES will still be supported, so developers can select their preferred graphics API for their apps, as Vulkan will be more complex for application programmers than OpenGL ES. Separately, Imagination technologies showcased their Vulkan driver for PowerVR Rogue GPU on the Nexus Player powered by an Intel SoC including a PowerVR G6430 GPU, and compare the Vulkan demo to the same demo using OpenGL ES 3.0 drivers. The difference between Vulkan and OpenGL […]

August 11, 2015August 11, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

Hardkernel ODROID-C1+ Development Board is Now Shipping for $37

We already knew Hardkernel was working on ODROID-C1+ development board, an update the popular ODROID-C1 board with the same Amlogic S805 processor, storage and memory, but with a standard HDMI port replacing the micro HDMI port, I2S support, better micro SD card and HDMI-CEC support, an micro USB OTG port that can be used to power the board, and an included heatsink. The board is now up for sale for $37, or just $2 more than the original ODROID-C1 board. ODROID-C1+ specifications: SoC- Amlogic S805 quad core Cortex-A5 processor with a quad core Mali-450MP2 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – eMMC 4.5 HS200 module socket for up to 64GB storage, and UHS-1 SDR50 micro SD slot Video & Audio Output – Type A HDMI port with CEC support Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet USB – 4x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x micro USB OTG port Expansion Headers 40-pin Raspberry […]

August 10, 2015August 10, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

ps_mem Shows Programs RAM Usage in Linux

There are several ways to see how much RAM is used in a Linux system with tools like free, vmstat, top, etc…, but today I’ve come across ps_mem which displays the RAM used for each program in a neat way. The post on lintut.com explains how to install it on Centos / Fedora:

yum install ps_mem -y

1	yum install ps_mem -y

As a Ubuntu user, I immediately tried apt-get install ps_mem, but there isn’t such package. After running apt-file search, I found it in w3af-console package:

sudo apt-get install w3af-console
sudo chmod +x /usr/share/w3af/core/controllers/profiling/ps_mem.py
sudo ln -s /usr/share/w3af/core/controllers/profiling/ps_mem.py /usr/sbin/ps_mem

sudo apt-get install w3af-console

sudo chmod +x /usr/share/w3af/core/controllers/profiling/ps_mem.py

sudo ln -s /usr/share/w3af/core/controllers/profiling/ps_mem.py /usr/sbin/ps_mem

Another way to install the script is to simply get it from Github. Running the command without options will list of programs with RAM usage from the smallest to the largest:

sudo ps_mem
 Private  +   Shared  =  RAM used	Program 

  4.0 KiB +  33.0 KiB =  37.0 KiB	inetutils-inetd
  4.0 KiB +  35.0 KiB =  39.0 KiB	rpc.idmapd
  4.0 KiB +  39.5 KiB =  43.5 KiB	rpc.mountd
  4.0 KiB +  48.5 KiB =  52.5 KiB	rpc.statd
  8.0 KiB +  62.0 KiB =  70.0 KiB	atieventsd
 44.0 KiB +  46.5 KiB =  90.5 KiB	rtkit-daemon
 96.0 KiB +  18.5 KiB = 114.5 KiB	cat
............
150.5 MiB +   5.1 MiB = 155.6 MiB	gimp-2.8
186.5 MiB +   9.5 MiB = 196.0 MiB	plugin-container
270.8 MiB +  12.1 MiB = 282.9 MiB	compiz
348.5 MiB +  19.0 MiB = 367.5 MiB	nautilus
409.3 MiB +   3.4 MiB = 412.7 MiB	thunderbird
393.8 MiB +  28.0 MiB = 421.8 MiB	Xorg
  2.1 GiB +  11.0 MiB =   2.1 GiB	firefox
---------------------------------
                          5.0 GiB
=================================

sudo ps_mem

Private + Shared = RAM used Program

4.0 KiB + 33.0 KiB = 37.0 KiB inetutils-inetd

4.0 KiB + 35.0 KiB = 39.0 KiB rpc.idmapd

4.0 KiB + 39.5 KiB = 43.5 KiB rpc.mountd

4.0 KiB + 48.5 KiB = 52.5 KiB rpc.statd

8.0 KiB + 62.0 KiB = 70.0 KiB atieventsd

44.0 KiB + 46.5 KiB = 90.5 KiB rtkit-daemon

96.0 KiB + 18.5 KiB = 114.5 KiB cat

............

150.5 MiB + 5.1 MiB = 155.6 MiB gimp-2.8

186.5 MiB + 9.5 MiB = 196.0 MiB plugin-container

270.8 MiB + 12.1 MiB = 282.9 MiB compiz

348.5 MiB + 19.0 MiB = 367.5 MiB nautilus

409.3 MiB + 3.4 MiB = 412.7 MiB thunderbird

393.8 MiB + 28.0 MiB = 421.8 MiB Xorg

2.1 GiB + 11.0 MiB = 2.1 GiB firefox

---------------------------------

5.0 GiB

=================================

You can also check the full command line for the programs: sudo ps_mem -s Private + Shared = RAM used Program 4.0 KiB + 31.5 KiB = 35.5 KiB /sbin/getty -8 38400 tty5 4.0 KiB + 32.0 KiB […]

August 10, 2015September 22, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

MeegoPad T04 Cherry Trail mini PC Sells for $136

Right after writing about MeegoPad T03 TV stick, I noticed another product on Amazon, namely MeegoPad T04 which for once is not based on a Bay Trail processor, but instead the newer Intel Atom x5-Z8300 Cherry Trail quad core processor, and which sells for $139 on Aliexpress or $136 on Amazon US. [Update: T04 is now sold on Gearbest for $123.99 with MGT04 coupon] Since the descriptions on Amazon and Aliexpress can’t be fully trusted, these are only tentative specifications for MeegoPad T04, which are quite similar to the ones listed for Tronsmart Ara x5: SoC – Intel Atom x5-Z8300 “Cherry Trail” quad core processor @ 1.44 GHz (Bust freq: 1.84 GHz) with Intel Gen8 HD graphics (2W SDP) System Memory – 2 GB Storage – 32 GB eMMC + micro SD slot Video Output – HDMI Audio I/O – HDMI, 3.5mm microphone jack Connectivity – Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, […]

August 10, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

MeegoPad T03 TV Sticks Runs Windows 8.1 and Android 4.4, Features an Improved Thermal Design

If you were expecting a new processor for MeegoPad T03, you’ll be disappointed that hardware-wise the third MeegoPad hardware specifications are basically the same as MeegoPad T01 and T02, but the new version of the stick should not get as hot as the first two versions, and runs a dual boot image with Windows 8.1 and Android 4.4, that can be upgraded to Windows 10, contrary to some other dual boot Bay Trail devices. MeegoPad T03 specifications are indeed mostly the same of the previous models: SoC – Intel Atom Z3735F “Bay Trail” quad core processor @ 1.33 GHz – 1.83 GHz with Intel HD graphics Gen 7 System Memory – 2 GB DDR3L Storage – 32 GB eMMC + micro SD slot up to 64GB Video & Audio Output – HDMI 1.4 Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 1x USB 2.0 host port, 2x micro […]

August 10, 2015August 10, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Weightless-P Standard is Designed for High Performance, Low Power, 2-Way Communication for IoT

Weightless was unveiled over two years ago, as a new standards for IoT leveraging “white space” spectrum, previously used by analog TV broadcasts, for free M2M / IoT communication using low power (10 years battery life) and cost-efficient hardware ($2 hardware) offering a range of 5 to 10 km. Development kits and base stations were scheduled for Q2 2014, but there’s either been some delays or they are only available to Weightless members, as you need to register to get notified once hardware becomes available. The Weightless SIG (Special Interest Group) has not stopped working on the standard as there are now three Weightless standards: Weightless-W (using White band spectrum), Weightless-N (sub-GHz spectrum), and and newly announced Weightless-P offering similar features as 3GPP carrier grade solutions, but at lower costs and lower power consumption. The key features of Weightless-P are shown below: Excellent capacity and scalability for IoT deployment FDMA+TDMA […]

August 9, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 59 Comments

List of Rockchip RK3368 Android mini PCs

Last year, Rockchip RK3288 was always going to be popular, since it offered a massive performance upgrade compared to its predecessor (Rockchip RK3188) with Cortex A17 cores replacing Cortex A9 cores, and a Mali-T764 GPU replacing an aging Mali-400MP4 GPU, plus the addition of 4K video output and decoding, as well as H.265 video codec support. So many manufacturers got involved that I decided to write a list of RK3288 TV boxes and sticks. Rockchip RK3368, the company’s new “flagship” processor for 2015, is a bit less exciting despite providing eight 64-bit ARM cores, since Cortex A53 cores are significantly less powerful than the Cortex A17 cores found in RK3288, and the performance of the PowerVR G6110 GPU used in the processor is a bit of an unknown for now. RK3368 might still rank pretty well in benchmark since it comes with eight cores instead of four cores, but I’m […]