CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

March 30, 2015March 30, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Tegra X1 Chromebooks Likely in the Works

When Nvidia announced Tegra X1 processor, the company’s main focus appeared to be the automotive market as it introduced Drive PX and CX board for this very market. Since then, Tegra X1 based SHIELD console was unveiled, and I’ve been informed some development activity related to Tegra X1 (Model: Tegra210 / T210) was taking place in Chromium and especially Coreboot source code. There appears to be two hardware platforms based on Tegra X1: smaug and foster which could end-up being Chromebooks or Chromeboxes likely with 4GB RAM. Thanks to David for the information.

March 30, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Wi-Fi SD Card Adapter for micro SD Cards Sells for $15 and Up

Wi-Fi SD cards are mostly used with camera in order to wirelessly transfer photos or/and videos to your computer or mobile device without having to take out the card or transfer them via a micro USB cable. I first discovered this type of card with Toshiba FlashAir in 2011, but now EyeFi seems to be the most popular brand, and comes in different sizes with the 8GB Wi-FI SD card selling for $44 on Amazon US. There are cheaper alternatives with some Wi-Fi SD card adapters accepting micro SD card selling for about $15 and up on Aliexpress or Buyincoins, and DX calls it CY EP-027, but sells it for $23. It does not come with storage but since a 8GB class 10 SD card now costs about $8, it’s still nearly 50% cheaper compared to the 8GB EyeFi SD card. Some features of the card: Max micro SD card […]

March 29, 2015March 30, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments

A5-V11 Mini Router Runs OpenWRT (Linux) For Just $8

In case you you still think OpenWRT capable NEXX WT1520 router is still too expensive at $15, what about an $8 OpenWRT router? That’s what LY mini wireless router costs including shipping, and it’s better known as A5-V11, the name of its PCB. It’s not exactly a 3G/4G router as the casing implied, but it does support external USB 3G/4G dongles like most other routers with USB on the market. A5-V11 specifications: SoC – Mediatek/Ralink) RT5350F MIPS processor @ 360MHz System Memory – 32MB RAM (W9825G6EH-75). Some people reported theirs only have 16MB RAM, so YMMV. Storage – 4MB NAND flash (Pm25LQ032) Connectivity – Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n up to 150 Mbps; 1x 10/100M Ethernet USB – 1x USB 2.0 host port, 1x micro USB port for power Misc – Power LED, factory reset pinhole Power – 5V via micro USB port Dimensions – 6.1 x 2.3 x 1.4 cm Contrary to […]

March 29, 2015March 29, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 17 Comments

$15 NEXX WT1520 Wi-Fi Router Supports OpenWRT

TP-Link WR703N is a popular low cost router well supported by OpenWRT that costs about $23 shipped. But there’s now a new cheaper router that’s been mentioned in comments on CNX Software a few times, with a different processor, but otherwise similar specs plus an extra Ethernet port. NEXX WT1520 is powered by Mediatek RT5350F, sells for $15 including shipping from sites like Banggood, Aliexpress and eBay, and can run OpenWRT, although it’s not officially supported yet. NEXX WT1520(F/H) specifications: SoC – Mediatek (previously Ralink) RT5350F MIPS processor @ 360MHz System Memory – 32MB RAM Storage – 4MB NAND flash Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n up to 150 Mbps with built-in PIFA antenna 2x 10/100M Ethernet (LAN and WAN) USB – 1x USB 2.0 host port, 1x micro USB port for power Misc – Status LED, reset pinhole, power button Power – 5V via micro USB port Dimensions – 63 x 43 […]

March 28, 2015March 31, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

WordPress Mobile Caching with Zencache PRO Cache Plugin

This post has nothing to do with embedded systems, but I’ll document some of the changes I made to the website in the last few days for better mobile support. Recently Google sent me a message recommending to “Fix mobile usability issues found on http://www.cnx-software.com” via Webmaster Tools, and a user recently complained about readability from his smartphone. So I had to fix this issue. This involves WordPress cache plugins and WPtouch Mobile Plugin, the latter automatically generates a mobile version of the website as shown on the right in the screenshot above. In theory, it’s very easy, you simply install WPtouch Mobile plugin, and mobile user agents get served the mobile page while other get the desktop version. But when you mix it with a cache plugin, it can become more complicated, and desktop user may be served mobile pages, and mobile user may get desktop pages. The easiest […]

March 27, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Howchip is Teasing ExSOM-7420SB Development Board Based on Samsung Exynos 7420 Processor

We’ve already seen a few Cortex A53 boards announced in the last few months with Nobel64, as well as Hikey & DragonBoard 410c 96Boards, but none of them are based on the more powerful Cortex A57 cores. Howchip is going to change that with the upcoming ExSOM-7420SB single board computer featuring Samsung Exynos 7420 processor used in Galaxy S6 smartphone. The company has released very few details about the board, except the block diagram above that shows Exynos 7420 with 3GB LPDDR4 PoP memory, and various interfaces such as USB 2.0/3.0, UFS/eMMC, Ethernet, HDMI, MIPI DSI, Camera, as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. The board will support Android 5.0 Lollipop 64-bit. No word about Linux. That’s the video teaser, but you won’t learn much… More details should eventually be published on ExSOM-7420SB product page. Alternatively, Hardkernel will also probably launch an ODROID-XU4? board based on the latest Exynos 7 […]

March 27, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

PiJuice Battery HAT Module for the Raspberry Pi Boards Comes with an Optional Solar Panel (Crowdfunding)

The Raspberry Pi is a low power board that can be powered a few hours or a few days with batteries, and the easiest solution is probably to use a USB power bank connected to the micro USB port of the board, but the solution is not really integrated. That’s where PiJuice comes into play. It’s a HAT compatible module that connects nicely to the latest Raspberry Pi boards with 40-pin header (A+, B+ and B2), and include a 1,400 mAh battery that can be used as UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply), an RTC, and more. Key features of PiJuice HAT: 1400 mAh Lipo battery, good enough to last up to 24 hrs in constant use. 5,000 mAh batteries are also said to be supported. Full UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) solution Integrated RTC (Real Time Clock) On board intelligent on/off switch Low power deep-sleep state with wake on interrupt/calendar event On […]

March 27, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

PiPO X7s mini PC Dual Boots Windows 8.1 and Android 4.4 for $130

Pipo X7 Bay Trail-T mini PC was very popular at the beginning at it sold with an apparently valid Windows 8.1 license for $90, even including one-year subscription for Office 365, which normally sells for $99. Unfortunately, it turned out the Windows license was not so valid, as Pipo used the free Windows 8.1 with Bing for tablets, something that Microsoft did not allow, and mini PCs instead need to use another $25 to $30 license (Windows 8.1 with Bing NTE), which brought Pipo X7 price to around $120, closer to its main competitors. There’s now Pipo X7s, another version based on the same hardware, that can boot both Windows 8.1 (with proper license) and Android 4.4, and can be pre-ordered on GeekBuying for $129.99. The hardware specifications appear to be identical to the Windows only version: SoC – Intel Atom Bay Trail Z3736F @ 1.33 GHz (Burst Freq: 2.16 GHz) […]