Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments on Pine64 hostboards for SOQuartz System-on-Module

Pine64 hostboards for SOQuartz System-on-Module

SOQuartz Model-A hostboard

While the Rockchip RK3566 powered SOQuartz system-on-module is designed to be compatible with most Raspberry Pi CM4 baseboards, Pine64 is working on three baseboards, which it calls hostboards, for SOQuartz, with the latest introduced in the Pine64’s November update designed to fit in a server rack. That means we now have the “small form factor” hostboard that’s about the size of a business card, the Model-A hostboard with more features and the same dimensions as Pine A64 SBC, and the new Blade hostboard compatible with server racks. Let’s have a look at the three baseboards. Small form factor hostboard Key features: Compatible with SOQuartz SoM with quad-core Cortex-A55 processor with 2GB to 8GB RAM, optional eMMC flash up to 128GB, and optional WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 module Display Interfaces HDMI 2.0 up to 4Kp60 1x MIPI DSI connector Camera interfaces – 2x MIPI CSI connectors Networking – Gigabit Ethernet […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on DockCase Smart Hub multifunction USB-C dock includes an information display (Crowdfunding)

DockCase Smart Hub multifunction USB-C dock includes an information display (Crowdfunding)

DockCase

DockCase Smart Hub is an 8-in-1 multifunction USB-C dock with HDMI 2.0, up to 10Gbps USB ports, Gigabit Ethernet, and a feature that makes it unique: an information display. At first, a color display on a USB-C hub/dock may feel like a gimmick, but the information displayed may help you troubleshoot issues with USB & Ethernet speeds, video modes up to 4Kp60 HDR, power usage, and more… DockCase Smart Hub specifications: Display – 1.54-inch color HD screen Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 4Kp60 with HDR10, 2/4 lane switchable, 4Kp30 to 4Kp60 upscaling Networking – Gigabit Ethernet USB Input – USB 3.2 Gen 2 up to 10 Gbps supporting up to 100W Output 2x USB 3.2 (10 Gbps) Type-A ports 2x USB 2.0 ports 1x USB 3.2 (10 Gbps) USB-C port Misc – Adjustable cooling fan, button for mode selection. Power Input – Up to 100W via USB-C with […]

Graperain Samsung, Rockchip, and Qualcomm CPU modules, SBCs, and carrier boards
Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments on ECS LIVA Mini Box QC710 Desktop – A $219 Windows on Arm Developer Kit

ECS LIVA Mini Box QC710 Desktop – A $219 Windows on Arm Developer Kit

ECS LIVA Mini Box QC710 Desktop

The “Snapdragon QC710 Developer Kit” for Windows 10 on Arm app development was unveiled last May, and it’s now available for $219 on Microsoft Store as the “ECS LIVA Mini Box QC710 Desktop”. The developer kit can also be purchased at a discount for $197.10 by students, parents(!), teachers, and members of the military. I suppose this applies only to the US military and showing your Taliban membership card may not work. The developer kit looks like a standard mini PC and features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Compute Platform (SC7180), 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC flash, HDMI output, 10/100M Ethernet and WiFi 5, and several USB ports. ECS LIVA Mini Box QC710 Desktop specifications: SoC –  Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Compute Platform (SC7180) with octa-core Qualcomm Kryo 468 (2x Cortex-A76, 6x Cortex-A55) CPU @ up to 2.4 GHz, Adreno 618 GPU System Memory – 4GB Storage – 64GB eMMC flash, MicroSD card […]

Posted on by Sponsored Post - Comments Off on Only 3 days left to get a Raspberry Pi RP2040 + ESP32 board at 80% discount (Sponsored)

Only 3 days left to get a Raspberry Pi RP2040 + ESP32 board at 80% discount (Sponsored)

RP2040 ESP32 discount

There’s always a bunch of DIY electronics on Kickstarter, but right now nothing is as compelling as UDOO KEY. Built by UDOO, a multidisciplinary team that has already completed (and delivered) four highly successful Kickstarter projects, UDOO KEY is an innovative, never-before-seen combination of Raspberry Pi RP2040 and ESP32. Mind you: unlike the newest microcontroller by Arduino, UDOO KEY doesn’t simply use the ESP32 for connectivity. Instead, it features a fully programmable ESP32, offering the widest set of options in the field when it comes to Edge AI. Predictive maintenance, sound recognition, keyword recognition, gesture recognition, face recognition, object detection & classification… these are just a few of the many applications you can build, also thanks to the several programming languages and libraries supported, such as Micropython, C, C++, TensorFlow Lite and TinyML. This is not some fancy mini PC for low-budget gaming, but a platform for AI at the […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments on How to flash firmware to Rockchip devices in Windows and Linux (2021 Edition)

How to flash firmware to Rockchip devices in Windows and Linux (2021 Edition)

Zidoo M6 rockchip firmware update

We’ve written several articles detailing methods to flash firmware to Rockchip devices in Windows or Linux over the years, with tools like RKAndroidTool, RkFlashKit, upgrade_tool, or the open-source rkdeveloptool utility. This is mostly useful to flash another OS or if the device does not boot, as most products will now support OTA firmware updates. But following my review of Zidoo M6 with Android 11, I’ve now got a Linux image for the Rockchip RK3566 mini PC, so let’s revisit the firmware flashing methods in 2021. Zidoo sent me instructions for Windows, but since I’m a Ubuntu user, I flashed the firmware with the Linux tools used by Firefly. The same methods should work for the older processors such as RK3066, RK3288, and RK3399, besides the more recent Rockchip RK3566 and RK3568 processors. How to flash Rockchip firmware in Linux [Important update: If your device comes with both eMMC flash and […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments on Android 12 on Raspberry Pi 4 – (Almost) everything works

Android 12 on Raspberry Pi 4 – (Almost) everything works

Android 12 Raspberry Pi 4

Android 12 (AOSP) source code was released last month, and a developer took the opportunity to port Android 12 to the Raspberry Pi 4 single board computer and derivatives. More specifically, KonstaT created an unofficial build of LineageOS 19.0 for Raspberry Pi 4, Raspberry Pi 400 keyboard PC, and Compute Module 4 working on systems with at least 2GB of RAM. While it’s reserved for advanced users, the Android 12 build appears to work pretty well with most features supported including: Video HDMI display including CEC Touchscreen/multi-touch (USB touchscreens, Waveshare SPI touchscreens) Hardware-accelerated graphics (V3D, OpenGL & Vulkan) Audio HDMI, 3.5mm jack, USB microphones, Bluetooth speakers/headphones Audio DACs such as Hifiberry DAC+ Connectivity Ethernet WiFi including tethering Bluetooth including Bluetooth tethering GPS using external USB modules USB tested with USB mouse, keyboard, storage, etc… USB-C: ADB, MTP, PTP, USB tethering I/Os (GPIO, I2C, SPI) tested with Remote controls via external […]

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs and SoMs in 2025
Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Portwell COM Express Tiger Lake-H module supports 2.5GbE, PCIe Gen 4, 8K, up to 64GB DDR4

Portwell COM Express Tiger Lake-H module supports 2.5GbE, PCIe Gen 4, 8K, up to 64GB DDR4

Portwell PCOM-B657VGL COM Express TIger Lake-H

Portwell PCOM-B657VGL joins other COM Express and COM HPC modules based on Intel Tiger Lake-H Xeon, Core, and Celeron embeddded processors such as ADLINK Express-TL and Congatec conga-HPC/cTLH. Just like its competitors, the Portwell COM Express Type 6 Basic module offers 8K video output, PCIe x16 Gen 4, up to 64GB DDR4, USB 3.2 Gen 2, and 2.5GbE networking for a wide range of higher-end embedded applications such as industrial automation, medical equipment, graphics-intensive applications, and artificial intelligence. Portwell PCOM-B657VGL specifications: SoC (one or the other) General Embedded Intel Celeron 6600HE dual-core processor @ 2.6GHz with 8MB L3 Cache, 16EU Intel UHD graphics, 35W TDP Intel Core i3-11100HE processor with 4 cores / 8 threads @ 2.4GHz (up to 4.4GHz in Turbo Boost) with 8MB L3 Cache, 16EU Intel UHD graphics, 45/35W cTDP Intel Core i5-11500HE processor with 6 cores / 12 threads @ 2.6GHz (up to 4.1GHz in Turbo […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments on GL.inet GL-S10 – A compact BLE to MQTT IoT Gateway

GL.inet GL-S10 – A compact BLE to MQTT IoT Gateway

GL.inet GL-S10

GL.inet is better known for its WiFi routers, but the company’s latest model, the GL-S10, can not be used as a WiFi access point, and instead, the ESP32 powered device acts as a BLE to MQTT IoT gateway over Ethernet or WiFi. The gateway will gather data from Bluetooth LE devices such as beacons, and be used in warehouses, shopping malls, airports, exhibition halls, tourist attractions, etc… for personnel management, asset management, environmental monitoring, indoor navigation, and more. GL.inet GL-S10 specifications: SoC – Espressif ESP32-D0WD dual-core processor with WiFi and BLE connectivity System Memory – 8MB RAM (PSRAM) Storage – 4MB NOR flash  Connectivity 10/100M Ethernet port IEEE 802.11 b/g/n WiFi 4 @ 2.4 GHz up to 150 Mbps; station mode only Bluetooth 4.2 LE with GAP and GATT support, can act as GATT server or GATT client MQTT connectivity to the cloud Misc – 3x LEDs (Power, Internet. BLE), […]

Boardcon LGA3576 Rockchip RK3576 System-on-Module designed for AI and IoT applications