CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

April 16, 2026April 16, 2026 by Debashis Das - No Comments

IP65-rated TWOWIN T808P-G Edge AI computer features 8x GMSL2 cameras, aviation-grade M12/M16 connectors

TWOWIN Technology has introduced the TW-T808P-G, a rugged, fan-cooled, IP65 edge AI computer built around the NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX system-on-module (SoM). Designed specifically for autonomous driving, unmanned delivery vehicles, and smart inspection scenarios, the system provides up to 157 TOPS of AI performance and features various connectivity options for real-time processing in industrial and smart infrastructure environments. Housed in an aluminum alloy enclosure, the device features aviation-grade M12 and M16 connectors for Gigabit Ethernet (PoE), RS232/RS485 serial communication, and power. Other features include two FAKRA connectors for up to eight GMSL2 cameras, USB 3.0, CAN Bus, GPIO, HDMI, and M.2 NVMe storage. It also supports optional Wi-Fi, 4G/5G, and RTK GPS for centimeter-level positioning. With a wide 9–36V input, a zero-power standby design using automotive ACC (ignition) control, and an operating range of -40°C to +70°C, the system is designed for applications such as security monitoring, smart gas stations, […]

April 15, 2026April 16, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Orange Pi Zero 3W – An Allwinner A733 SBC in Raspberry Pi Zero form factor

Orange Pi Zero 3W is Raspberry Pi Zero-sized SBC powered by an Allwinner A733 octa-core Arm Cortex-A76/A55 SoC paired with up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, a microSD card slot, and footprints for eMMC flash or UFS storage. Other features include a 4K-capable mini HDMI port, two USB-C ports, one with DP 1.4 Alt mode, a MIPI DSI display connector, two MIPI CSI camera connectors, a WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4 module, and a 40-pin GPIO header. OrangePi Zero 3W specifications: SoC – Allwinner A733 CPU Dual-core Arm Cortex-A76 @ up to 2.00 GHz Hexa-core Arm Cortex-A55 @ up to 1.79 GHz Single-core RISC-V E902 real-time core up to 200 MHz GPU – Imagination Technologies BXM-4-64 MC1 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 3.2, Vulkan 1.3, OpenCL 3.0 VPU 8Kp24 H.265/VP9/AVS2 decoding 4Kp30 H.265/H.264 encoding AI accelerator – 3 TOPS NPU System Memory – 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 12GB, or […]

Reminder: enable ZRAM on your Linux system to optimize RAM usage (and potentially save money)

With the price of RAM getting out of control, it might be a good idea to remind Linux users to enable ZRAM so they can get better performance without upgrading memory, or save money on their next single board computer by selecting a board with the right amount of memory.

I had already written about the subject when I enabled ZRAM on a ODROID-XU4Q in 2018 using zram-config, and did the same on my Ubuntu laptop at the time. In recent days, I found Firefox crashing often due to running out of memory on my system with 16GB of RAM, and the Linux 7.0 release reminded me about ZRAM, since there were some related changes. So I decided to check the current swap configuration on my Ubuntu 24.04 laptop:

April 15, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

LimeSDR Micro M.2 2280 SDR card pairs NXP LA9310 baseband processor with LMS7002M RF transceiver (Crowdfunding)

The LimeSDR Micro M.2 2280 software-defined radio (SDR) card combines an NXP LA9310 baseband processor and a Lime Microsystems LMS7002M transceiver, and targets integration into portable or embedded solutions with a spare M.2 PCIe Gen3 x1 socket. The module is offered in a 1T2R configuration by default, but can be expanded to 1T4R via an FPC connector, supports a 30 MHz to 3.8 GHz frequency range, and up to 100 MHz bandwidth. Target applications include 4G LTE/5G, future RAN research, custom user equipment/modems, drone communications, IoT, satellite communications, and custom waveform generation. LimeSDR Micro M.2 SDR card specifications: SoC – NXP LA9310 programmable baseband processor Vector Signal Processing Accelerator (VSPA) Gen 2 up to 80 GFLOPs Control Processor – Arm Cortex-M4 at up to 307 MHz Storage – 512 Kbit EEPROM memory for NXP LA9310 initial configuration RF Lime Microsystems LMS7002M RF transceiver Channels – 1T2R expandable to 1T4R via […]

April 14, 2026April 15, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

PocketTerm35 – A Raspberry Pi 4/5-based handheld Linux terminal with 3.5-inch touch display and built-in keyboard

Waveshare PocketTerm35 is a portable handheld terminal for the Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 single board computers featuring a 3.5-inch touchscreen display and a built-in QWERTY keyboard. The device also features Gigabit Ethernet and USB 3.0/2.0 ports from the Raspberry Pi SBC, gaming buttons, a built-in stereo speaker, a 3.5mm audio jack, a USB Type-C port for power, and an optional 5,000 mAh battery. PocketTerm35 specifications: Compatible SBC – Raspberry Pi 4 Model B and Raspberry Pi 5 MCU – Raspberry Pi RP2040 MCU for keyboard, brightness, and volume Storage – Optional 64GB microSD card with OS Display – 3.5-inch 640 × 480 IPS display with 5-point capacitive touch; toughened glass panel, 6H hardness Audio Built-in 8Ω 2W stereo speaker 3.5mm audio jack Networking – Gigabit Ethernet ports (on Pi 4/5) USB – 2x USB 3.0 ports, 2x USB 2.0 ports (on Pi 4/5) User Input 67 keys QWERTY silicone keyboard […]

April 14, 2026April 14, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

192 MHz WCH CH32V205 RISC-V MCU offers a 480 Mbps USB 2.0 interface

WCH CH32V205 is a 32-bit RISC-V MCU clocked at up to 192 MHz with 32KB SRAM, 256KB flash, and a USB 2.0 high-speed Host/device interface with a 480 Mbps PHY. The new microcontroller also features another USB 2.0 full speed (12 Mbps) Host/Device interface, a USB PD port, eighty GPIOs, a 16-channel 12-bit ADC, a 16-channel touchkey interface, and other interfaces such as CAN Bus, USART, I2C, SPI, and QSPI. WCH CH32V205 specifications: MCU core – QingKe 32-bit RISC-V3B core processor up to 192 MHz Memory & Storage 32KB SRAM 256KB Flash Flexible Static Memory Controller (FSMC) Peripherals USB 480Mbps high-speed USB 2.0 controller and PHY Full-speed USB 2.0 controller and PHY USB PD and Type-C controller and PHY 8x USARTs, 2x I2C, 2x SPI , 1x QuadSPI 1-wire (default)/ 2-wire serial debug interface 1x CAN 2.0B Up to 80x GPIO with 16 external interrupts Programmable Protocol I/O Controller (PIOC). Note: […]

April 14, 2026 by Debashis Das - No Comments

DeskUp Pro smart standing desk controller integrates with Home Assistant and Homey Pro Smart Home hubs

Designed by SmartHomeGuys in the UK, the DeskUp Pro is an ESP32-based standing desk controller compatible with Home Assistant, Homey Pro, and other Smart Home hubs, using the desk’s standard RJ11/RJ12 connection. Many modern standing desks come with a controller from Jiecang or another company featuring an RJ12 port. The DeskUp Pro plugs directly into this port, draws power without an external USB supply, and bridges the desk’s controls to your 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network. This allows you to automate your desk height, set health-focused standing reminders, or use voice assistants like Google Home and Alexa, all while keeping the desk’s original physical keypad fully functional. DeskUp Pro specifications: MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-C6 or ESP32-S3 microcontroller with 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE Desk connectivity – Built-in RJ11/RJ12 cable for data and power USB – USB Type-C port for initial setup and firmware flashing Misc Supported Jiecang control boxes JCB36NE2 (used […]

April 13, 2026April 14, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Trail Mate open-source firmware leverages Meshtastic and MeshCore for ESP32 off-grid handhelds

vicliu624’s Trail Mate is an open-source firmware for off-grid communication and GPS coordinates sharing, leveraging the Meshtastic, MeshCore, and other projects, and designed for ESP32 handhelds such as LILYGO’s T-LoRa Pager or M5Stack’s Tab5 with a LoRaWAN module. The Trail Mate firmware provides a fixed north-up GPS map, direct LoRa text messaging through Meshtastic or MeshCore mesh networks without relying on a smartphone, and prioritizes stability, efficiency, and interoperability over feature density. Trail Mate user interface highlights: Simple main menu with four icons: GPS, LoRa chat, tracker, and system utilities. GPS map Fixed North-Up map orientation (no rotation) Fully offline map rendering from SD card tiles (png/jpg files) Three switchable base layers: OSM / Terrain / Satellite Optional contour overlay for terrain shape awareness Real-time position marker for the current GPS fix Discrete zoom levels optimized for embedded systems Simple breadcrumb trails for path awareness Fast in-page layer switching via […]