CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

March 20, 2023March 22, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Texas Instruments unveils AM62A, AM68A and AM69A Arm Cortex Vision processors and devkits

Texas Instruments AM62A, AM8, and AM69A Arm Cortex-A53 or Cortex-A72 Vision processors come with 2 to 8 CPU cores and deep learning accelerators delivering from 1 TOPS to 32 TOPS for low-power vision and artificial intelligence (AI) processing in applications such as video doorbells, machine vision, and autonomous mobile robots. Three families and a total of 6 parts are available: AM62A3, AM62A3-Q1, AM62A7, and AM62A7-Q1 single to quad-core Cortex-A53 processors support one to two cameras at less than 2W in applications such as video doorbells and smart retail systems. Equipped with a 1TOPS vision processor, the AM62A3 is the cheapest model of the family going for US$12 in 1,000-unit quantities. AM68A dual-core Cortex-A72 processor can handle one to eight cameras in applications like machine vision, with up to 8 TOPS of AI processing for video analytics. AM69A octa-core Cortex-A72 SoC supports up to 12 cameras and achieves up to 32 […]

March 20, 2023March 22, 2023 by Karl Johnson - 4 Comments

xTool D1 Pro 20W Review – Mandala Art with a 20W laser engraver and cutter

Hey Karl here. I am going to be sharing my experience with the xTool D1 Pro 20W. It is a 20W laser cutter/engraver with a 340x390mm working area. It has been heavily reviewed and I will comment on a few points I have not seen spoken about. I join a lot of Facebook groups for these reviews to get real-world feedback and ideas to write about. With nearly all forms of digital fabrication, I regularly read about misconceptions and frustration that stem from unknowingly purchasing a machine that requires a substantial amount of time and patience to learn. For this review, I kept a daily log and will summarize the time it took me to complete one project. I did get sidetracked on a few aspects and will take that time out. I am excited to share the results of the laser power testing I have been doing. Logs will […]

March 20, 2023March 18, 2023 by Sponsored Post - 1 Comment

NVIDIA Jetson powered SmartCow Ultron controller targets Smart Cities and autonomous infrastructure deployments (Sponsored)

SmartCow, an AI engineering company specializing in video analytics, AIoT devices, and smart city solutions, and an NVIDIA Metropolis partner, has released a new version of the Ultron controller. Smartcow Ultron is an AI-enabled controller with sensor fusion capabilities that empowers industrial applications of vision AI at the edge. Powered by the NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX system-on-module and compatible with Jetson Orin NX, Ultron is suitable for smart traffic and manufacturing that can leverage its high computing power and low latency for vision AI applications in various configurations. It is also applicable in smart factories, smart cities, smart buildings, and smart agriculture. Ultron takes automation a step further than traditional PLC solutions with vision analysis. Based on powerful NVIDIA Jetson modules, Ultron can handle demanding visual AI processing workloads, with model architecture such as image classification, object detection, and segmentation. The new version of Ultron enhances the flexibility of its […]

March 19, 2023March 25, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

A first look at GL.iNet GL-S200 Thread Border Router kit with three nRF52840 Thread boards

GL-S200 Thread Border Router review with Thread Dev Boards

GL.iNet are better known for their routers, but the company is also offering IoT gateways and Smart Home hubs such as the GL-S10 BLE to MQTT IoT gateway. The company is now preparing to launch the GL.iNet GL-S200 Thread Border Router in early April, and I’ve been asked to do some beta testing before launch, so GL.iNet have sent me a kit with the GL-S200 and three Thread development boards acting as IoT nodes. A Thread Border Router acts as a WiFi or/and Ethernet gateway connecting to battery-powered Thread sensor nodes equipped with a low-power 802.15.4 radio. In this first post, I’ll go through the hardware and specifications, before reporting my finding in a separate post next week. GL-200 Thread Border Router kit unboxing and specifications The development boards are all identical and they were each kept in an antistatic bag. But let’s open the GL-S200 package first. The Thread […]

March 18, 2023 by Ian W MORRISON (Linuxium) - 24 Comments

Weibu N10 Core i3-N305 mini PC review with Windows 11 and Ubuntu 22.04

I’ve previously reviewed Weibu’s N10 mini PC, however, they have now extended the range of CPUs available to the N10 through the addition of Alder Lake processors. As a reminder, Weibu is a B2B company that offers total solutions and OEM/ODM services and they don’t sell directly to end users as their target clients are computer manufacturers like Acer and Hisense. Weibu have sent a pre-production sample of their latest N10 based on a Core i3-N305 Alder Lake N-Series processor to showcase its capabilities in this review. I will revisit the specification of the N10 and briefly look at the performance running both Windows 11 Pro and Ubuntu 22.04. Weibu N10 product specifications Weibu list the N10 specifications on their website as: However this probably needs qualifying as ‘Memory Capacity’ states ‘2*SO-DIMM’ which is correct for many processors, but Intel’s Core i3-N305 processor in the mini PC sample I received […]

March 17, 2023March 17, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

WisDuo RAK11720 LoRaWAN & Bluetooth LE module features Ambiq Apollo3 Blue low-power MCU

RAKwireless WisDuo RAK11720 is a LoRaWAN and Bluetooth LE (module) equipped with Ambiq Apollo3 ultra-low-power BLE 5.0 microcontroller and a Semtech SX1262 LoRa transceiver. The Wisduo RAK11720 is pin-to-pin compatible with the STM32WL-based Wisduo RAK3172 LoRaWAN module, and provides an easy upgrade path for IoT applications that require Bluetooth LE connectivity and more memory. WisDuo RAK11720 specifications: MCU – Ambiq Apollo3 Blue AMA3B1KK-KBR-B0 Arm Cortex-M4F microcontroller locked at up to 96 MHz with 1MB flash, 348 SRAM, Bluetooth LE 5.0, and an active power consumption of less than < 6 μA/ MHz LoRa Semtech SX1262 sub-GHz radio transceivers LoRaWAN 1.0.3 specification compliant Supported bands: EU433, CN470, IN865, EU868, AU915, US915, KR920, RU864, and AS923-1/2/3/4 LoRaWAN activation via OTAA/ABP LoRa Point-to-Point (P2P) communication Long-range – greater than 15 km with optimized antenna Antennas – 2x IPEX antenna connectors or RF pads for LoRa and Bluetooth I/O expansion – UART, I2C, SPI, […]

March 17, 2023March 20, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Synaptics SYN4382 SoC supports Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and 802.15.4 connectivity

Synaptics SYN4382 is a triple combo SoC with Wi-Fi 5/6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and IEEE 802.15.4 (Zigbee/Thread/Matter) radios, and manufactured with a 16nm process to lower power consumption for IoT and multimedia applications. The chip can deliver up to 1,200 Mbps WiFi throughput, supports dual-band (RSDB) 2.4 and 5 or 6/6E GHz operation to combine the links at different frequencies, as well as features such as LE Audio for multiple concurrent audio streams in a multi-device environment. Synaptics SYN4382 key features: Wireless Triband 2×2 Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) with 1200 Mbps throughput, RSDB, and support for legacy 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio, Channel Sounding (HADM = High Accuracy Distance Measurement) for accurate positioning 802.15.4 radio for Thread and Zigbee Matter interoperability Smart Co-Ex for coexistence in the 2.4 GHz band Multipoint external coexistence interface for LTE, GPS On-chip power amplifiers (PAs) and low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) with support for external PAs […]

March 17, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

System76 Meerkat Alder Lake Linux mini PC ships with Ubuntu 22.04 or Pop!_OS 22.04

Most mini PCs ship with Windows, or no OS at all for barebone models, but Linux-hardware specialist System76 offers the Meerkat mini PC with either Pop!_OS 22.04 or Ubuntu 22.04 with a choice of processors from the 12th Gen Alder Lake, 11th Gen Tiger Lake, or 10th Gen Comet Lake families. All models support up to 64GB RAM, M.2 NVMe SSD storage, and are equipped with four HDMI/DisplayPort video outputs, Ethernet, and USB ports. There’s also a Tall version of the Meerkat that adds a 2.5-inch SATA bat, and the Alder Lake models, called Meer7, specifically supports the more recent USB4 and 2.5GbE interfaces. System76 Meerkat “Meer7” (Alder Lake) specifications: Alder Lake P-Series SoC (one or the other) Intel Core i3-1220P 10-core/12-thread (2P+8E) processor clocked at up to 4.4 GHz with 12 MB cache, 64EU Intel HD graphics; TDP: 28W Intel Core i5-1240P 12-core/16-thread (4P+8E) processor clocked at up to […]