CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

October 5, 2021October 5, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Android 12 source code pushed to AOSP

Google has now pushed Android 12 source code to AOSP (Android Open Source Project), after introducing Android 12 new features and the developer preview in February, and the first Android 12 Beta in May. The latest version of the mobile operating system should become available on recent Google Pixel phones in the next few weeks, followed by phones from Samsung, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Tecno, Vivo, and Xiaomi. You can download the code with the following command :

repo init -u https://android.googlesource.com/platform/manifest -b android-s-beta-5
repo sync

1 2	repo init -u https://android.googlesource.com/platform/manifest -b android-s-beta-5 repo sync

Eventually, there should be an Android 12 tag in the manifest similar to android-12.0.0.0_r1. But that still means developers can start retrieving the source code to adapt the operating system to their needs, for example, to implement support for single board computers or TV boxes that do not use Android TV OS. The release notes for the source code list of the changes made to Android 12 OS including: Support for Android […]

October 4, 2021June 1, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

UDOO KEY ESP32 & RP2040 board launched for $4 (Crowdfunding)

UDOO is known for its x86 boards that embed an Arduino compatible MCU, but the UDOO KEY is different, as it does without an Intel or AMD processor, and instead, combines Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller with Espressif ESP32 WiFi & Bluetooth WiSoC. As we noted in the past combining Raspberry Pi Pico/RP2040 with ESP32 does not make a lot of sense in most cases, but here’s the UDOO KEY will be offered for just $4 for the first 1,000 units, so they’ll basically throw the ESP32 for free since it’s the same price as one Raspberry Pi Pico, before eventually selling the device for $20. UDOO KEY specifications: MCU- Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller @ 133 MHz with 264KB of on-chip SRAM Storage – 8MB QSPI Flash for RP2040 Wireless module – ESP32-WROVER-E with ESP32-D0WD-V3 dual-core WiFi + Bluetooth SoC, 16MB SPI flash, and 8MB PSRAM Sensor – […]

October 4, 2021October 4, 2021 by Ian W MORRISON (Linuxium) - 5 Comments

MINIX NGC-5 Review – Windows 10, Ubuntu 20.04, and external GPU

MINIX has just launched a new mini PC in their NGC range called the NGC-5. Although it uses a somewhat dated Intel eighth-generation Core i5 processor, the integrated Iris Plus Graphics 655 is notable for being one of the more powerful iGPU solutions. MINIX kindly sent one for review and I’ve looked at performance running both Windows and Ubuntu together with using an eGPU. Hardware Overview The NGC-5 physically consists of a 153 x 153 x 43mm (6.02 x 6.02 x 1.57 inches) square plastic case. As an actively cooled mini PC, it uses Intel’s older 14 nm++ Core i5-8279U Coffee Lake processor which is a quad-core 8-thread 2.40 GHz processor boosting to 4.10 GHz with Intel’s Iris Plus Graphics 655. The front panel has just a LED power indicator whereas the rear panel includes dual gigabit Ethernet ports, dual USB 3.1 ports, a DisplayPort 1.2, an HDMI 2.0a port, […]

October 4, 2021October 15, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Build a LoRaWAN weighing scale with TTGO T-Weigh ESP32 board, HX711 modules

Ever wanted to build your own LoRaWAN connected weighing scale? Me neither, but apparently those types of products already exist for logistics and inventory management, and LilyGO’s latest ESP32 board – the TTGO T-Weigh – is designed for this exact purpose with a Semtech SX1272 based LoRa module, and four HX711 24-bit ADC chips. The board can handle up to four scales that transfer weight data over WiFi, Bluetooth or LoRaWAN, and should be useful in applications that require weighting goods or products where there are limited connectivity options including logistics, farming. TTGO T-Weigh specifications: Wireless modules TTGO T-Micro32 module based on ESP32-PICO-D4 SiP with ESP32 dual-core processor, 4MB SPI flash, 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 4.2/5.x TTGO LORA32 module based on Semtech SX1262 transceiver (EU868/US915)with -22 dBm Tx power, -148 dBm sensitivity, up to 62.5 kbps LoRa bitrate, up to 300 kbps FSK bitrate Antennas WiFi/Bluetooth – Ceramic […]

October 4, 2021October 4, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Sofabaton X1 – IR, WiFi & Bluetooth remote control supports over 500k devices (Crowdfunding)

The Sofabaton X1 remote control system aims to replace all your other remote controls in your house thanks to infrared, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity implemented through the X1 Hub, plus an integrated 2-inch on the remote itself for configuration and device selection. The company claims that over 500,000 devices are supported including TVs, DVD & Blu-Ray players, set-top boxes, gaming consoles, etc…, and voice commands are also supported through Google Home and Amazon Alexa voice services. SofabatonX1 specifications: X1 Hub Connectivity 2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi 4 Bluetooth 5.0 LE & Bluetooth 3.0 Infrared – 10 kHz to 100 kHz Power Supply – 5V/2A via USB Type-C port Material – PMMA X1 Remote Connectivity – Not mentioned… Display – 2-inch display with clickable scroll wheel User input – D-Pad, Backlit volume, trick modes, 4x customizable buttons, etc… Battery – 1,050 mAh LiPo battery good for about 2 months on a charge […]

October 3, 2021October 4, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 41 Comments

MochaBin-5G SBC offers 10GbE, WiFi 6, 5G for $159 and up (Crowdfunding)

Globalscale Technologies has a follow-up to their low-cost ESPRESSOBin SBC based on Marvell Armada 3700LP SoC. The MochaBin-5G SBC is powered by a Marvell Armada 7040 quad-core Cortex-A72 processor, and offers 10GbE networking for as little as $159, with as well as optional WiFi 6 and 5G connectivity. The single board computer is equipped with 16GB eMMC flash, up to 8GB DDR4, and plenty of high-speed interface with multiple Ethernet ports, USB 3.0 ports, M.2 socket for SATA and Cellular, and a mini PCIe for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. MochaBin-5G specifications: SoC – Marvell Armada 7040 quad-core Corex-A72 processor @ up to 1.4GHz System Memory – 4GB or 8GB DDR4 (soldered down) Storage – 16GB eMMC flash, 4MB SPI NOR flash for bootloader, SATA connector, M.2 2280 socket for SATA III SSD Networking 1x 10GbE SFP+, 1x 1GbE SFP (via 88E1512 PHY) 4x Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 LAN ports via Topaz […]

October 2, 2021April 5, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 22 Comments

Getting Started with the Yocto Linux BSP for Polarfire SoC FPGA Icicle Kit

Getting Started Guide PolarFire SoC FPGA Icicle Kit

Last month I received Microchip PolarFire SoC FPGA Icicle development kit that features PolarFire SoC FPGA with a Penta–core 64-bit RISC-V CPU subsystem and an FPGA with 254K LE, and booted it into the pre-installed Linux operating systems based on OpenEmbedded. Today, I’ll show how to get started with the Yocto BSP and run the EEMBC CoreMark benchmark, and I’ll check out the FPGA with Libero SoC Design Suite in a couple of weeks. Operating Systems supported by PolarFire SoC FPGA My initial idea was to focus this part of the review on Linux on RISC-V status, checking some system information, running some benchmarks (e.g. SBC-Bench), compiling the Linux kernel, and installing services like a LEMP stack (Linux, Nginx (pronounced Engine-X), MySQL, PHP) which could be used for WordPress hosting for instance. But then I looked at the operating systems supported with Microchip PolarFire SoC FPGA. There’s a Yocto Linux […]

October 1, 2021October 13, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Pocket P.C. devkits ship, U-blox GNSS module replaced by SIMCom SIM33ELA

The Pocket P.C. (aka Popcorn Computer) is a handheld Linux computer based on Allwinner A64 with 2GB RAM, 32GB storage, a 4.95-inch Full HD display, and a QWERTY keyboard that was introduced in 2019, and reminds me of PocketCHIP from a few years also with an Allwinner processor, a display, a keyboard, and a battery. The initial plan was to start shipping the device by May 2020, and there are been delays for reasons we’ll explain below, but the good news is that Source Parts has just announced the developer units had been shipped. So what happened exactly, besides the COVID-19 pandemic, government lockdowns, and supply chain disruptions? Source Parts first encountered issues with the quality of PCBs delivered by the manufacturer, which ended up with them having to switch to a new manufacturer. Getting the display to work was also a challenge, and Icenowy, a developer involved with linux-sunxi […]