CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

June 14, 2019June 14, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

DM&P Vortex86EX2 Dual Core Processor Targets Dual OS Systems, Support ISA & PCI Interfaces

Most people will probably think about Intel and AMD when asked about x86 processors, at least those who understand the question… But there are also other companies such as Zhaoxin (based on VIA Technologies designs) and DM&P. Last time I wrote about the latter was in 2015 with the introduction of DM&P Vortex86DX3 dual-core x86 SoC for embedded systems and the corresponding evaluation board. The company is still making new x86 processors, and I’ve just been information the company unveiled Vortex86EX2 dual-core processor last year with master and slave cores suitable for running two operating systems at the same time without the need for virtualization, nor hypervisor. The new processor still supports ISA & PCI interfaces for legacy expansion cards and targets real-time industrial or automation applications. DM&P Vortex86EX2 specifications: Processor Cores Master @ 600MHz max with Build-in FPU L1/L2 Cache for user interface Slave @ 400MHz max with Build-in FPU, L1 Cache for real-time control GPU – N/A, external …

Continue reading… “DM&P Vortex86EX2 Dual Core Processor Targets Dual OS Systems, Support ISA & PCI Interfaces”

June 14, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Strawberry4Pi Enables Home Automation on Raspberry Pi Boards (Crowdfunding)

Strawberry4Pi is an ecosystem of hardware, firmware, and software to create home automation and IoT projects with for Raspberry Pi boards. The project offers a pre-configured Linux operating system, a mobile app for Android and iOS, as well as two boards with four relays: Strawberry4Pi baseboard Zero for Raspberry Pi Zero (W), and Strawberry4Pi shield A/B for the larger boards such as Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ or Model A. Strawberry4Pi boards specifications: 4x SONGLE relays Misc – Temperature sensor and Wifi configuration button Power Supply Baseboard Zero – 100V-220V via 3-pin terminal block Shield A/B – 5V via 2-pin terminal block Dimensions Baseboard Zero – 97 x 75 mm Shield A/B – 65 x 56 mm Certifications – CE/FCC A 3D printed case and a DIN rail mount are also offered as options. There’s no a whole lot of information about the operating system as most people won’t need to mess with it, but I suppose it’s either based …

Continue reading… “Strawberry4Pi Enables Home Automation on Raspberry Pi Boards (Crowdfunding)”

June 13, 2019June 14, 2019 by Tiwalade Joanna Okedara - 7 Comments

Ugoos AM6 Fanless S922X TV Box Launched for $150

For those that have been waiting for the launch of the Ugoos AM6 S922X TV box, enough of the anticipation. The long wait is now finally over! Earlier in April, we reported the increased mass production of Amlogic processors. With the Ugoos AM6 taking the lead, producing a fan cooled prototype. We are pleased to inform you that a fanless version of the TV box has finally been released, and is available in the market for just $150. Also, we now have some photos of its enclosure While Beelink GT1-K launched around mid-April, its specifications are slightly different from Ugoos features. What Features to Expect from the new AM6 Main Features An Android 9.0 operating system. Fully equipped with the Amlogic S922X CPU, Quad core, ARM Cortex-A73, 1.7GHz + Dual-core ARM Cortex A53 1.8GHz. An ARM Mali-G52 MP6 ( 6ppc ) GPU Up to 2GB LPDDR4 RAM + 16GB EMMC ROM. In addition, approximately 2.4GHz + 5GHz dual band WiFi, …

Continue reading… “Ugoos AM6 Fanless S922X TV Box Launched for $150”

June 13, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 21 Comments

Banana Pi BPI-M4 RPi 3+ Lookalike Board with 4K Video, M.2 Socket Launched for $38

Banana Pi BPI-M4 was unveiled at the beginning of the year as an alternative to Raspberry Pi 3B+ with the same form factor, but equipped with a more capable processor, namely Realtek RTD1395 with support for 4K video output and decoding, Gigabit Ethernet support, PCIe, etc.. SinoVoIP has however made the choice not to go with Gigabit Ethernet, and opted for a cheaper design with Fast Ethernet instead. Having said that, the 4K capabilities of the processor, and PCIe via an M.2 socket are still leveraged in the company’s latest Banana Pi board. What’s changed is that Banana Pi BPI-M4 is now available on Aliexpress for $38 plus shipping in 1GB RAM + 8GB flash storage configuration. Banana Pi BPI-M4 specifications have not changed: SoC – Realtek RTD1395 quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor with Mali-470 MP4 GPU System Memory – 1 GB DDR4 (option 2 GB) Storage – 8G eMMC flash (max 64 GB), micro SD slot up to 256GB Video …

Continue reading… “Banana Pi BPI-M4 RPi 3+ Lookalike Board with 4K Video, M.2 Socket Launched for $38”

June 13, 2019June 13, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

New Release (1.3.5) for H3Droid Android OS Optimized for Allwinner H3 & H2+ Processors

H3Droid project provides Android images for Allwinner H3 & H2+ boards and TV boxes in order to improve on the firmware released by manufacturers. Last time we wrote about was in 2017, but the project released H3droid 1.3.5 recently with several improvements.. The good news is that more boards are supported with a bit fix that for example enables H3Droid to work on Orange Pi Zero (256MB RAM) and Libre Computer Tritium H2+ SBC’s, but the bad news is that it’s still based on Android 4.4 Kitkat, so some apps are not working anymore including Kodi, and the default YouTube app had to be removed since it does work not anymore. Workarounds do exist though, as you can install SPMC fork of Kodi, and play YouTube videos in a web browser, or install it manually after updating Google Play Services. Here’s the full changelog provided by the developers: Added: fex/uboot for: Beelink x2, Sunvell r69 and Libretech h3/h2+ (tritium) Added: …

Continue reading… “New Release (1.3.5) for H3Droid Android OS Optimized for Allwinner H3 & H2+ Processors”

June 13, 2019June 13, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

CHUWI Minibook Amber Lake mini Laptop to sell for $499 and Up (Crowdfunding)

We’ve already covered several Intel Amber Lake mini laptops with the likes of One Netbook One Mix 3 Yoga or GPD Pocket 2 Max both powered by Intel Core m3-8100Y and equipped with respectively 8.4″ and 8.9″ displays with 2560×1600 resolution. Those are ultra-compact yet powerful machines, which come at a relatively high cost, with for instance the Mix 3 Yoga going for about $760. But there’s another model coming up with CHUWI minibook with similar specifications and an 8″ display that will be offered for as low as $499. The trick is that only 300 pieces part of the “Super Early Birds Perk” will be available at that price when the product launches on Indiegogo on June 19. The retail price should be around $669 since the discount is said to be around 25%. There will also be a cheaper Intel Celeron N4100 Gemini Lake model, but price has not been announced. CHUWI Minibook preliminary specifications: SoC – Intel …

Continue reading… “CHUWI Minibook Amber Lake mini Laptop to sell for $499 and Up (Crowdfunding)”

June 12, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Intrinsyc Open-Q 820Pro SoM Comes with a Faster Snapdragon 820E Processor, 4GB RAM

Intrinsyc Open-Q 820 system-on-module was introduced in 2017 with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, 3GB RAM, and a built-in wireless module for 802.11ac WiFi 5, and Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity. The company has now announced an almost identical ultra-compact module but based on Qualcomm Snapdragon 820E and featuring 4GB RAM. Open-Q 820Pro μSoM is a drop-in replacement for Open-Q820 requiring only some software changes. Snapdragon 820E is said to deliver 9% faster CPU and 5% faster GPU speeds at the same power consumption compared to Snapdragon 820. Open-Q 820Pro μSoM specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 820E (APQ8096SG) Embedded Platform with four Kryo cores including 2x cores @ up to 2.342GHz, and 2x cores @ up to 1.6GHz, Adreno 530 GPU @ 652.8 MHz, Hexagon 680 DSP @ 825 MHz System Memory – Dual-channel 4 GB LPDDR4 @ 1866 MHz (PoP) Storage – 32 GB UFS 2.0 1-lane gear3 flash Connectivity Pre-certified 802.11 b/g/n/ac 2×2 MU-MIMO WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 4.1 module …

Continue reading… “Intrinsyc Open-Q 820Pro SoM Comes with a Faster Snapdragon 820E Processor, 4GB RAM”

June 12, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

AMD Ryzen Embedded R1000 powered Atari VCS Game Console is Now up for Pre-order for $249 and up

Atari VCS game console had initially been teased with minimal information a few years ago, then delayed, and even when they launched an Indiegogo campaign last year, the specifications were not set in stone, and although we knew the company planned to use an AMD Ryzen processor, the final choice was announced later in April of this year: AMD Ryzen Embedded R1000 processor. Indiegogo backers should get their console in December 2019, but if you’re prudent with your own money, you may have preferred to wait, it’s now possible to get Atari VCS in March 2020 by pre-ordering it now for $249 and up from Walmart, Gamestop, or Atari’s own website. There will be two model with Atari VCS 800 and Atari VCS 400 sharing many of the same (preliminary) specifications except for the RAM capacity: SoC – AMD Ryzen Embedded R1000 dual-core / quad-thread processor with VEGA 3 graphics System Memory VCS 400 – 4GB DDR4 RAM (upgradable) VCS …

Continue reading… “AMD Ryzen Embedded R1000 powered Atari VCS Game Console is Now up for Pre-order for $249 and up”