CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

TIL: The Android Camera App Supports QR Code Scanning (in Some Phones)

QR Code are pretty common, and until today I used a third-party app to scan the codes and get the embedded information such as a webpage. But I’ve just read in LinkedIn that the default camera app can read QR codes. No need to install any third-party app, no need to reach any menu, just point for two or three seconds and it will work as shown in the short video below. I’m always running out of space on with Xiaomi Mi A2 phone since it only has 32GB flash, and no MicroSD card slot. So if beside saving some time while scanning QR code, I can get rid of one app that’s always a plus. Except it does not work on my phone. Instead I had to tap on the right of the camera app to switch to Google Lens (or launch Google Lens manually), and the QR code will automatically be detected. It’s not ideal. but it …

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

ctxLink Open Hardware WiFi Debug Probe is based Black Magic Probe (Crowdfunding)

Last month, we wrote about Blip nRF52840 dev board that also included an STM32F103 MCU running the open source Black Magic Probe (BMP) firmware for debugging and programming. Based on the original Black Magic Probe hardware product page, BMP is a JTAG and SWD adapter used for programming and debugging ARM Cortex MCUs, and does not require intermediate programs such as OpenOCD or STLink server. Instead, you can run GNU Debugger (GDB) and select the virtual COM port offered by the debug board. The reason I’m bringing BMP again today, is because a new open source hardware wireless debugging probe for Cortex-M based on Black Magic Probe has been launched in the last few days. ctxLink key features and specifications: Microcontroller – STMicro STM32F401RE Arm Cortex -M4F MCU at up to 84 MHz Connectivity – 802.11b/g/n WiFi via Microchip WINC1500 module USB – 1x micro USB port for connection to host computer and/or power Debugging Features Implements SWD and JTAG …

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October 6, 2019October 6, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Tiny USB WiFi Camera Supports Motion and AI Human Detection

When I first saw U21 HD camera it reminded me of SOOCOO G1 is action camera with a flexible stick, since the camera also comes with a flexible hose which allows you to orient it as you please. But it’s a different bear, as U21 is a surveillance camera powered over USB and featuring WiFi connectivity. I can’t see any motion detection, so it may have some dose of “AI” since it claims to support motion and human detection so you only get relevant alerts. It is currently sold (pre-orders) on Banggood for $33.65 including shipping with order starting to be processed on October 30th. U21 USB WIFI camera key features and specifications: MCU / WiSoC – No information (yet) Storage – MicroSD card slot up to 128GB for up to one month of recording (8GB = 2 days); Cloud storage via third party (paid) Camera – 14mm lens, HD resolution Alerts – Motion detection, AI human detection (provided and …

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October 5, 2019October 5, 2019 by Stephen Vicinanza - 5 Comments

AMD Ryzen Embedded SBC Supports 4x 4K Displays Ready for Linux and Windows

The Release of the IB918 SBC The IBASE Technology Inc has released its IB918 3.5″ disk sized SBC, based on the AMD Ryzen V1000 or R1000 SoC with several different options for the base chip system. The new computers can support Windows or Ubuntu and offer several different core options. The Basics The board supports 4 simultaneous 4K displays through 2 HDMI ports, eDP and LVDS, as well as 2x GbE 2.0 and storage options include a SATA III port, and an M.2 NVMe socket. The supports offer a choice in which SoC can be loaded, either the Ryzen Embedded R1000 SoC or the already marketed and more powerful V1000 which supports both Ubuntu and Windows. Background and other AMD Ryzen Embedded SBC’s AMD Ryzen Embedded R1000 Series SoC’s UDOO BOLT AMD Ryzen Embedded Sapphire FS-FP5R 5×5 Motherboard with the embedded AMD Ryzen R1606G or R1505G processor onboard. IBASE MI988 with the AMD Ryzen Embedded V1000 SoC Mini ITX Motherboard …

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October 4, 2019October 4, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Commell Unveils LP-178 Whiskey Lake Pico-ITX SBC

We’ve previously covered several Intel Whiskey Lake-U SBCs in various form factors such as the Commell LE-37N 3.5″ board, ASRock IMB-1216 mini-ITX motherboard, or UP Xtreme with a custom 122×120 form factor. But if your project or application requires a more compact form factor, Commell has just announced LP-178 Whiskey Lake Pico-ITX SBC with either Intel Core i7-8665UE or Celeron 4305UE 8th generation embedded processor. LP-178 board specifications: SoC (one or the other) Intel Core i7-8665UE quad-core/octa-thread processor @ 1.7GHz / 4.4GHz (Turbo) with Intel UHD Graphics 620; 8MB cache; 15W TDP Intel Celeron 4305UE dual-core processor @ 2.0GHz with Intel UHD Graphics 610; 2MB cache; 15W TDP FCBGA1528 package System Memory – SO-DIMM socket for up to 16GB DDR4 RAM Storage – 1x SATA 3.0 interface Video Output / Display I/F HDMI port up to 4K resolution DisplayPort output DP to VGA or LVDS via an optional adapter Triple independent display support Audio – Realtek ALC262 HD audio coded; …

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October 4, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

BASIC Compiler & Programming on Arduino Zero Boards (Crowdfunding)

Arduino boards are normally programmed using Arduino “programming language” that’s more like an API using C/C++ language. But when I started in high-school I remember learning Pascal and BASIC programming languages. Bruce Eisenhard also learned BASIC in the past, so he decided to port his company’s ARM BASIC compiler to Arduino Zero, and it should also work on other boards based on Microchip SAMD21G Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller. The compiler includes floating-point, strings, inline assembly, interrupts, pre-processor, and the BASIC firmware supports direct access to hardware registers so you can control digital and analog I/Os, ADCs, and other peripherals using BASIC programming language. A runtime monitor also facilitates debugging. The IDE used for development is called BASICtools that’s a free 30MB download which install programs and documentation. There are also libraries and examples from blinky to more complex code. It’s been possible to run interpreted BASIC on Arduino for a while, but Bruce notes compiled BASIC is at least 20 times …

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October 4, 2019October 4, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Wio Lite RISC-V WiFi Board with ESP8266 Module Launches for $6.9

Released this summer, GigaDevice GD32V generated a lot of buzz, as a cheap general-purpose 32-bit RISC-V MCU, and soon after the $5 Longan Nano development board with LCD display and enclosure was launched to the market. However, many applications benefit or require some network connectivity with WiFi. Espressif Systems is a founding member of the RISC-V Foundation, so RISC-V WiSoCs (Wireless SoCs) are coming, but AFAIK none of those are available yet. In the meantime, Seeed Studio has launched Wio Lite RISC-V board which brings WiFi connectivity to GD32V MCU through an ESP8266 WiFi module. Wio Lite specifications: MCU – Gigadevice GD32VF103CBT6 RISC-V (rv32imac) microcontroller @ 108 MHz with 128KB Flash, 32KB SRAM Wireless Module – ESP8266 WiFi Wio Core with 802.11b/g/n/ WiFi 4 connectivity Storage – MicroSD card slot USB – 1x USB Type-C port for power and programming Expansion – I/O headers for GD32 MCU, I/O header for Wio core ESP8266 module Debugging – Unpopulated 6-pin JTAG header …

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October 3, 2019October 3, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

MINIX NEO J50C-4 (64GB) Mini PC Review – Part 1: Unboxing & Teardown

MINIX demonstrated their latest fanless NEO G41V-4 mini PC at IFA 2019 together with a MINIX NEO J50C-4 mini PC that I thought was last year’s model since I reviewed it last September with Windows 10 Pro and the company’s MINIX NEO W2 air mouse for computers. So when I received another MINIX NEO J50C-4 sample for review I was confused but noticed the eMMC flash capacity was increased from 32GB to 64GB. So I asked, and it’s a relaunch due to the shortage of Intel Gemini Lake processors: The increased storage capacity, from 32GB to 64GB eMMC, is the only difference from the sample you received last year. While we announced NEO J50C-4 last year, due to the Intel CPU shortage we never actually officially released. The Intel CPU shortage meant we only sold a couple of hundred units that we managed to produce before the CPU stock ran dry. Now the CPU shortage is over, we’re doing an …

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