CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

July 31, 2022August 2, 2022 by Karl Johnson - 5 Comments

Ortur LU2-10A 10W laser module issues and measuring laser power

Karl here and I will keep this short for you. First I will share my experience installing an upgrade module for the Lasermaster 2 Pro, the Ortur LU2-10A. The LM2Pro came with a 5.5w laser module and this upgrade brings the power up to approximately 10w optical power. Spoiler, I am not happy with the kit. [Update (CNXSoft): The company has put us in direct contact with Ortur engineer, and they’ve promised to help us fix the issue. We’ll update the post if/once it is resolved] The Ortur LU2-10A kit comes with a very simple adapter board that appears to do two tasks. 1 is to adapt wiring, and 2, inject additional power for the higher power laser module. It looks like the board will adapt to a lot of different connection types. I followed the instructions and the first time I plugged everything in the laser came on full […]

July 30, 2022July 31, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 41 Comments

Allwinner H618 processor powers Android 12 TV boxes

Allwinner H618 processor has started to show up in several TV boxes running Android 12, and capable of playing 6K/4K VP9 and H.265 videos with devices such as T95Z Plus and T95 Max, which may be confusing, as companies are reusing those model numbers over and over. Featuring a quad-core Cortex-A53 processor, an Arm Mali-G31 MP2 GPU, and 6K video support, the Allwinner H618 looks exactly like the Allwinner H616 processor except it can run the more recent Android 12 operating system. There’s not much public information about Allwinner H618 at the time of writing, but let’s check T95Z Plus specifications to see if we can find any other new hidden features: SoC – Allwinner H618 quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor @ up to 1.5GHz with Arm Mali-G31 MP2 GPU System Memory – 2GB or 4GB RAM Storage – 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB eMMC flash, MicroSD card socket Video Output HDMI […]

July 29, 2022January 23, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

SolidRun introduces SolidWAN software-defined edge network hardware with NXP LX 16-core Cortex-A72 SoCs

SolidRun has launched two SolidWAN Linux-based system-level solutions for software-defined wide area networks and network security applications with the SolidWAN Single LX2162 based on NXP LX2162 16-core Cortex-A72 SoC designed for small offices (SoHo) and SMBs, and the SolidWAN Dual LX2160 equipped with two NXP LX2160A 16-core Cortex-A72 networking processors targetting enterprise and edge data center applications. SolidWAN Single LX2162 Hardware specifications: SoC – NXP Layerscape LX2162A 16-core Arm Cortex A72 processor @ up to 2GHz System Memory – Up to 32GB DDR4 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash, MicroSD card slot Networking 8x dedicated Gigabit Ethernet ports 2x SFP 10GbE cages 2x SFP 25GbE cages USB – 1x USB 3.0 port Expansion card I/Os Mini PCIe socket with SIM holder for 4G LTE cellular connectivity Mini PCIe socket for WiFi AP mPCIe module Management USB to STM32 for remote management RunBMC compliant socket Development and Debug interfaces – Mini USB, […]

July 29, 2022July 29, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Altium Designer adds 3D PCB layout tool

While we like open-source tools such as KiCAD, Altium has added a pretty cool feature to the Altium Designer program with a 3D layout tool, which as its name implies, allows the design of 3D PCBs… The new 3D layout tool relies on 3D-MID technology that combines electrical circuits with three-dimensional mechanical parts. I’m not sure who really needs this, but I have to admit the results look pretty neat. Altium explains the design process is quite similar to standard 2D PCBs, and designers would create a layout on the surface of a 3D substrate using the standard library components and with the connectivity driven by the schematic design in the same way as with a standard PCB. You can check out how it works in a video shared on Altium’s LinkedIn account. The designer would then export the files in the format required by LPKF Laser & Electronics AG’s […]

July 29, 2022August 4, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 29 Comments

Pinecil V2 soldering iron gets BL706 Bluetooth LE RISC-V MCU, USB PD EPR support

PINE64 is about to launch the second generation Pinecil RISC-V soldering iron with the Pinecil V2 featuring a new Bouffalo Lab BL706 RISC-V microcontroller with Bluetooth LE connectivity, optimizations for higher power levels, as well as tentative support for the new USB PD EPR standard (Extended Power Range) working at up to 28V. I don’t solder every day, but when I do, I use my Pinecil soldering iron, as it’s heating super fast and does the job, and in my case, works quite better than the TS100 soldering iron. So it should come as no surprise that the Pincel is the most popular consumer hardware from the PINE64 community (after SOPine modules), and the new Pinecil V2 is a welcome upgrading building on the same design but with Bluetooth LE connectivity and a lower tip resistance. Pinecil V2 preliminary specifications: MCU – Bouffalo Lab BL706 32-bit RISC-V microcontroller @ 144 […]

July 28, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Review of SunFounder TS7-Pro 7-inch touchscreen display for Raspberry Pi 4

Unboxing SunFounder TS7-Pro touchscreen display SunFounder TS7-Pro is a 7-inch touchscreen display designed for Raspberry Pi 4 board and the company sent us one review sample for evaluation. SunFounder has a wide range of Raspberry Pi and Arduino accessories designed for makers, and the TS7-Pro 7 is their latest offering that’s optimized to work with Raspberry Pi 4 and Raspberry Pi 3. Adding a touchscreen display to a Raspberry Pi may be a bit messy with the display or other accessories such as cameras and/or 2.5-inch drive spread on the table, but the TS7-Pro display simplifies all that with a neater assembly. Let’s start the review with an unboxing The package is compact and the display is well-protected with polyethylene foam to reduce the risk of damage during transport. Accessories such as cables, screws and nuts, adapters, an acrylic enclosure, and a screwdriver are also included in the package. Here’s […]

July 28, 2022August 3, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

7.9-inch ultrawide HDMI display works with Raspberry Pi SBC

If you are looking for an ultrawide display to show information on your PC or Raspberry Pi, there’s a 7.9-inch IPS display with 1280×400 resolution that may meet your requirements. The display is powered through a USB port and takes a video source from its HDMI 1.4 input port, so it should work with any hardware equipped with HDMI output and a USB port. LR79 display specifications: Display – 7.9-inch TFT-LCD IPS display with 1280×400 resolution @ 60Hz, no touch function 178° field of view 5:16 aspect ratio Response Time: 40ms(Typ.)(Tr+Tf) Contrast Ratio: 900:1 Brightness: 500cd/㎡ Color Gamut: 70% NTSC Display Colors: 16.7M Backlight: WLED (19.2V) Connector: 30-pin ZIF Display Input – HDMI 1.4 Power Supply – 5V via micro USB port Dimensions 205.8 x 67.6 x 13.3 mm Active Area – 190.08 x 59.40 mm Weight – 108 grams The display should work with any host with HDMI output, […]

July 28, 2022July 28, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

5V wireless LED lights up thanks to magnetic resonance coupling technology

Wireless power, no matter how inefficient it may be, sounds good and even looks good with the “5V remote wireless power supply LED pack” we feature in this post. It also feels magical with the LEDs lighting up thanks to magnetic resonance coupling technology. The solution comes with a coil as a transmitter and each LED bead also includes a small coil as a receiver. When the two are coupled, energy can be transferred from the transmitter to the receiver through the air, paper, or plastic casing, and the LEDs will light up. The magnetic field intensity in this technology is said to be similar to that of the Earth’s magnetic field, and it will not be harmful to human health and other devices. Specifications: Transmitter Module Input Voltage – 5 V Power – 0.5W (10 LEDs) Transmitting Coil Outer Diameter – 70mm, inner diameter 65mm, thickness 0.5mm Transmitter Board […]