CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

April 7, 2015April 8, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 22 Comments

Mygica ATV1900AC Quad Core Media Player Runs Android 5.0 Lollipop

Geniatech has launched a new Amlogic S812 quad core media player that should be one of the very first to run the full version of Android 5.0. It comes with 2GB RAM, 16GB internal flash and fast connectivity options with a Gigabit Ethernet port and 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MIMO. Mygica ATV1900AC specifications: SoC – Amlogic S812 quad core cortex A9r4 @ 2 GHz with Mali-450MP6 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 16GB eMMC flash + micro SD card reader Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi 2T2R Video Output – HDMI 1.4 Audio Output – HDMI, optical S/PDIF Video Codec – H.265 up to 4K2K, H.264, etc… USB – 4x USB 2.0 host ports Misc – IR receiver, reset pinhole, power button, network and power LEDs Power Supply – 5V/2A Dimensions – 168 x 132 x 21 mm Weight – 300 grams. The Android 5.0 Lollipop firmware will […]

April 7, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Kodi 14.2 Linux Tested on MeLE PCG03 with Ubuntu 15.04

I’ve already tested Kodi 14.1 on MeLE PCG03 running Windows 8.1, with the Intel Atom Z3735F device performing greatly for 1080p videos, working DTS and Dolby pass-through (no HD Audio though) and automatic frame rate switching working at all frequencies I tested. Later I installed Lubuntu 15.04 on the mini PC, and I had planned to test Kodi 14.x in Linux to compare the performance in Windows 8.1. Unfortunately, I did not manage to mak HDMI audio, nor the audio jack work in Linux, so instead I purchased a cheap USB sound card from DealExtreme for around $2 US, and connected a pair of USB powered speakers to enable audio output. The USB sound card performs pretty well, and out of the 80 or so videos I used for testing, only one had some saturation issues likely due to the sound card itself. I installed Kodi 14.2 using the recommended […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM

April 7, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

$50 Mimas V2 Spartan 6 FPGA Development Board Comes with a VGA Port, 64MB RAM

Just last week, I wrote about miniSpartan3, an FPGA board powered by Xilinx Spartan 3A. It costs as low as $25, features an HDMI output port, but lacks RAM. Numato Lab’s Mimas V2 is another low cost FPGA board with a more powerful Spartan 6 FPGA, 512 Mb LPDDR memory, and instead of HDMI output, a VGA port has been included on the board. The board can be used for prototype development, signal processing, learning digital electronics and as an educational tool for schools and universities. Technical specifications: FPGA – Xilinx Spartan XC6SLX9 in CSG324 package System Memory – 512Mb LPDDR @ 166 MHz (MT46H32M16LF/W949D6CBHX6E) Storage – 16 Mb SPI flash memory (M25P16) + micro SD card slot Video Output – VGA connector Audio – Stereo jack USB – 1x mini USB 2.0 port for on-board flash programming Expansion Headers – Four 6×2 header with access to 32 I/O pins, […]

April 6, 2015February 2, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

PCOMnetA5 is a Small Dual Ethernet Board Powered by Freescale Vybrid Processor

F&S Elektronik Systeme has introduced a credit card sized industrial board powered by Freescale Vybrid single core Cortex A5 SoC featuring two Ethernet ports, support for RGB panels with resistive touch, and various I/Os headers for USB, UART, CAN and so on. The board is comprised of a baseboard and the company’s PicoMODA5 module with the following combined specifications: SoC – Freescale Vybrid Cortex-A5 processor @ 500 MHz with 512KB cache, NEON instructions and GPU System Memory – 256 MB RAM Storage – 128 MB Flash + µSD slot Display – 18-bit RGB LCD with 4-wire analog resistive PCAP-Touch via I2C Connectivity – 2x 10/100M Ethernet with IEEE1588, optional WiFi USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports via header, 1x micro USB 2.0 device port Other I/Os 2x CAN RS232/RS485 1x I2C, 1x SPI 7x Digital I/O Supply Voltage – +5V DC/ ±5% Dimensions – 80x50mm Operating Temperature Range – […]

April 6, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

JYE Tech DSO138 is a $23 DIY Oscilloscope Kit

Back in 2012, I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered they made Digital Storage Oscilloscope (DSO) for less than $200, and today, you can find several oscilloscopes for less than $100, albeit with limited performance, such as DS201. But if you don’t need a high speed DSO and just want to have some fun, JYE Tech DSO138 is a single channel oscilloscope DIY kit that you need to assemble yourself, and sells for just $23 on Banggood, or about $30 on Aliexpress, or Ebay. DSO138 key specifications: MCU – STM32F103C8 ARM Cortex-M3 processor Display – 2.4 -inch color TFT display Analog bandwidth – 0 – 200KHz Sampling rate – 1Msps max Sensitivity – 10mV/Div – 5V/Div Sensitivity error – < 5% Vertical resolution – 12-bit Timebase – 10us/Div – 500s/Div Record length – 1024 points Input impedance : 1MΩ Maximum input voltage : 50Vpp (1:1 probe), 400Vpp (10:1 probe) Built-in […]

April 6, 2015April 6, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Intel Compute Stick is up for Pre-order for $110 and Up (USA Only)

Intel Compute Stick is finally available for pre-order on US based online merchants such as Amazon and Newegg with prices starting at $109.99 and up excluding shipping and two versions with either Linux or Windows 8.1. Both versions of the device share most of the specifications: SoC – Intel Atom Z3735F Quad-Core “Bay Trail” processor @ 1.33 GHz (1.83 GHz burst frequency) and Intel HD Graphcis System Memory – 2 GB DDR3 (Windows) or 1 GB DDR3 (Linux) Storage – 32 GB eMMC (Windows) or 8 GB eMMC (Linux) + micro SD slot Video & Audio Output – HDMI 1.4a Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 1x USB 2.0 port, 1x micro USB port for power Misc – Power button Power Supply – 5V/2A via micro USB port. Dimensions and Weight – N/A The Windows 8.1 model is codenamed BOXSTCK1A32WFCR, comes with 2GB RAM and 32GB […]

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs and SoMs in 2025

April 5, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

EasyFinder Integrates Bluetooth Location Technology into AAA & AA Batteries (Crowdfunding)

Products leveraging Bluetooth Location technology have been around for a couple of years with tags like SticknFind, that you can stick to any devices and locate them with your Bluetooth enabled smartphone. A Texan inventor decided to integrate this technology into a rechargeable battery to easily let people find their remote controls or other battery operated device. The Bluetooth transmitter is part of an AA battery, but they also provide a AA sleeve if your device requires larger batteries. Once you’ve installed the battery, you need download and install EasyFinder app on your Android or iOS smartpphone, tablet, or smartwatch. It will let you register the battery, and estimate your device position, and once you are close enough, you can make the battery ring to find it more easily. In case you perfectly know where your remote control is, but you just lost your phone somewhere, you can touch the […]

April 4, 2015September 5, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 48 Comments

Xiaomi Mi Box Mini Review

After showing pictures of Xiami Mi Box Mini, it’s now time for a “review”, but a bit different from my other reviews, as Xiaomi tiny media player is much different. First the firmware is in Chinese only, and there’s only one external port HDMI output. So first I’ll show the user interface is Chinese, then explain how you can install your own Android apps, and finally run some benchmark to evaluates Mediatek MT8568, Wi-Fi and storage performance. Xiaomi Mi Box Mini Setup and Chinese User Interface The device is super small, but in my case it was almost too big, as it takes enough space to potentially cause problems with the adjacent plug. This little issue will of course depend on your power extension. You then need to connect the 1.5 meter HDMI cable, which should be long enough for most setups, and you’ll see some guide asking you to […]