CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

December 10, 2019December 10, 2019 by Stephen Vicinanza - 12 Comments

FreeMesh WiFi 5 Mesh Network Router Runs OpenWrt

FreeMesh W1326 LTE Router Mesh Network Access FreeMesh has launched an open-source mesh router, the WE1326 LTE FreeMesh Router (included are two nodes) that runs OpenWrt open-source operating system. Open Source and “Hackable” Mesh System FreeMesh enters the mesh market with source code posted on Gitlab, a user-hackable/customizable mesh in other words. FreeMesh uses OpenWrt – the OpenWrt project is a Linux operating system aimed at embedded systems. The focus is on removing the need for a static firmware, where there is only one option for software for the hardware being purchased. The Offerings and Markets The company is targeting the residential market, where most mesh systems are almost double the $150.00 price tag of the FreeMesh. It is reported that there are other ZBT WE826-WD based mesh routers on the market, check out the LinuxGizmos.com article for more information. FreeMesh Specifications FreeMesh Router CPU Dual Core 880MHz MediaTek MT7621AT ROM SPI […]

December 9, 2019February 16, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

I2CMini is tiny USB to I2C Bridge for your PC or SBC (Crowdfunding)

Last year, we wrote about Excamera Labs SPIDriver tool to control and monitor SPI devices from your computer, but this year the company launched another similar product for I2C: I2CDriver. Both debugging tools show signals and information on a small display, but if all you want to do os to control I2C devices from your computer or isolated from an SBC, Excamera Labs has now come up with the tiny I2CMini USB to I2C bridge board. I2CMini key features & specifications: Fast transfer – sustained I²C transfers at 400 and 100 kHz I²C pullups – programmable I²C pullup resistors, with automatic tuning Dual I²C ports – a castellated 0.1″ header, plus a Qwiic standard connector Jumpers – Color-coded Sparkfun Qwiic jumper included for instant connection 3.3 V output: output levels are 3.3 V, all are 5 V tolerant Supports all I²C features – 7- and 10-bit I²C addressing, clock stretching, […]

December 9, 2019December 10, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Testing NVIDIA Jetson Nano Developer Kit with and without Fan

A few weeks ago I received NVIDIA Jetson Nano for review together with 52Pi ICE Tower cooling fan which Seeed Studio included in the package, and yesterday I wrote a getting started guide showing how to setup the board, and play with inference samples leveraging the board’s AI capabilities. I’ll now test the board with the stock heatsink in both 5W and 10W modes, and see if thermal throttling does occur, and then I’ll fit the tower cooling fan to find out if we can extract more performance that way and how much lower the CPU temperature is. Jetson Nano Stress Tests with Stock Heatsink Let’s install SBC-Bench testing utility,

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ThomasKaiser/sbc-bench/master/sbc-bench.sh
chmod +x sbc-bench.sh

1 2	wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ThomasKaiser/sbc-bench/master/sbc-bench.sh chmod +x sbc-bench.sh

check it’s properly installed,

sudo ./sbc-bench.sh -m
Time        CPU    load %cpu %sys %usr %nice %io %irq   Temp
15:05:06:  922MHz  0.05   5%   1%   2%   0%   0%   0%  35.0°C
15:05:11:  922MHz  0.13   3%   1%   1%   0%   0%   0%  35.0°C
15:05:16:  922MHz  0.12   3%   1%   1%   0%   0%   0%  34.8°C

sudo ./sbc-bench.sh -m

Time CPU load %cpu %sys %usr %nice %io %irq Temp

15:05:06: 922MHz 0.05 5% 1% 2% 0% 0% 0% 35.0°C

15:05:11: 922MHz 0.13 3% 1% 1% 0% 0% 0% 35.0°C

15:05:16: 922MHz 0.12 3% 1% 1% 0% 0% 0% 34.8°C

and run it in 5W mode:

sudo nvpmodel -m 1

sudo ./sbc-bench

sbc-bench v0.6.9

Memory performance:
memcpy: 3685.3 MB/s 
memset: 8555.4 MB/s 

7-zip total scores (3 consecutive runs): 2877,2885,2854

OpenSSL results:
type             16 bytes     64 bytes    256 bytes   1024 bytes   8192 bytes  16384 bytes
aes-128-cbc     284837.64k   525113.11k   639412.05k   706251.09k   728449.02k   729841.66k
aes-128-cbc     284316.13k   525028.93k   634287.70k   704675.84k   728088.58k   728973.31k
aes-192-cbc     262002.90k   458230.17k   544725.93k   588999.68k   604075.35k   604607.83k
aes-192-cbc     261583.66k   458583.96k   538986.92k   588138.84k   602303.15k   604067.16k
aes-256-cbc     247370.60k   405101.35k   466444.29k   501432.32k   512816.47k   513370.79k
aes-256-cbc     247650.51k   405270.40k   469783.72k   502266.54k   513187.84k   512977.58k

Full results uploaded to http://ix.io/23rg. Please check the log for anomalies (e.g. swapping
or throttling happenend) and otherwise share this URL.

sudo nvpmodel -m 1

sudo ./sbc-bench

sbc-bench v0.6.9

Memory performance:

memcpy: 3685.3 MB/s

memset: 8555.4 MB/s

7-zip total scores (3 consecutive runs): 2877,2885,2854

OpenSSL results:

type 16 bytes 64 bytes 256 bytes 1024 bytes 8192 bytes 16384 bytes

aes-128-cbc 284837.64k 525113.11k 639412.05k 706251.09k 728449.02k 729841.66k

aes-128-cbc 284316.13k 525028.93k 634287.70k 704675.84k 728088.58k 728973.31k

aes-192-cbc 262002.90k 458230.17k 544725.93k 588999.68k 604075.35k 604607.83k

aes-192-cbc 261583.66k 458583.96k 538986.92k 588138.84k 602303.15k 604067.16k

aes-256-cbc 247370.60k 405101.35k 466444.29k 501432.32k 512816.47k 513370.79k

aes-256-cbc 247650.51k 405270.40k 469783.72k 502266.54k 513187.84k 512977.58k

Full results uploaded to http://ix.io/23rg. Please check the log for anomalies (e.g. swapping

or throttling happenend) and otherwise share this URL.

The temperature never went over 44.5°C, and no throttling occurred. tegrastats during 7-zip multi-core test:

CPU [100%@1428,100%@1428,off,off] EMC_FREQ 3%@1600 GR3D_FREQ 0%@76 APE 25 PLL@41.5C CPU@43.5C PMIC@100C GPU@43.5C AO@52.5C thermal@43.5C POM_5V_IN 3348/2567 POM_5V_GPU 0/0 POM_5V_CPU 1549/912
RAM 1211/3956MB (lfb 515x4MB) SWAP 0/1978MB (cached 0MB) IRAM 0/252kB(lfb 252kB) CPU [100%@1428,100%@1428,off,off] EMC_FREQ 3%@1600 GR3D_FREQ 0%@76 APE 25 PLL@41.5C CPU@44C PMIC@100C GPU@43.5C AO@52C thermal@43.5C POM_5V_IN 3348/2568 POM_5V_GPU 0/0 POM_5V_CPU 1549/912
RAM 1239/3956MB (lfb 508x4MB) SWAP 0/1978MB (cached 0MB) IRAM 0/252kB(lfb 252kB) CPU [100%@1428,100%@1428,off,off] EMC_FREQ 3%@1600 GR3D_FREQ 0%@76 APE 25 PLL@41.5C CPU@44C PMIC@100C GPU@43.5C AO@52.5C thermal@43.5C POM_5V_IN 3348/2569 POM_5V_GPU 0/0 POM_5V_CPU 1549/913
RAM 1265/3956MB (lfb 502x4MB) SWAP 0/1978MB (cached 0MB) IRAM 0/252kB(lfb 252kB) CPU [100%@1428,100%@1428,off,off] EMC_FREQ 3%@1600 GR3D_FREQ 0%@76 APE 25 PLL@41.5C CPU@43.5C PMIC@100C GPU@43.5C AO@52.5C thermal@43.5C POM_5V_IN 3348/2571 POM_5V_GPU 0/0 POM_5V_CPU 1510/914

CPU [100%@1428,100%@1428,off,off] EMC_FREQ 3%@1600 GR3D_FREQ 0%@76 APE 25 PLL@41.5C CPU@43.5C PMIC@100C GPU@43.5C AO@52.5C thermal@43.5C POM_5V_IN 3348/2567 POM_5V_GPU 0/0 POM_5V_CPU 1549/912

RAM 1211/3956MB (lfb 515x4MB) SWAP 0/1978MB (cached 0MB) IRAM 0/252kB(lfb 252kB) CPU [100%@1428,100%@1428,off,off] EMC_FREQ 3%@1600 GR3D_FREQ 0%@76 APE 25 PLL@41.5C CPU@44C PMIC@100C GPU@43.5C AO@52C thermal@43.5C POM_5V_IN 3348/2568 POM_5V_GPU 0/0 POM_5V_CPU 1549/912

RAM 1239/3956MB (lfb 508x4MB) SWAP 0/1978MB (cached 0MB) IRAM 0/252kB(lfb 252kB) CPU [100%@1428,100%@1428,off,off] EMC_FREQ 3%@1600 GR3D_FREQ 0%@76 APE 25 PLL@41.5C CPU@44C PMIC@100C GPU@43.5C AO@52.5C thermal@43.5C POM_5V_IN 3348/2569 POM_5V_GPU 0/0 POM_5V_CPU 1549/913

RAM 1265/3956MB (lfb 502x4MB) SWAP 0/1978MB (cached 0MB) IRAM 0/252kB(lfb 252kB) CPU [100%@1428,100%@1428,off,off] EMC_FREQ 3%@1600 GR3D_FREQ 0%@76 APE 25 PLL@41.5C CPU@43.5C PMIC@100C GPU@43.5C AO@52.5C thermal@43.5C POM_5V_IN 3348/2571 POM_5V_GPU 0/0 POM_5V_CPU 1510/914

Only two Cortex-A57 cores are used even under load, and power […]

December 9, 2019 by Stephen Vicinanza - No Comments

Congatec Conga-SMX8-Nano SMARC 2.0 CoM Features NXP i.MX 8M Nano Processor

Congatec Announces Ultra-Low-Power SMARC 2.0 CoM Congatec has come out with a new CoM, the Conga-SMX8-Nano that carries up to 4x ARM Cortex-A53 and 1x Cortex-M7 cores with a full spectrum of options. The SMARC 2.0 module can meet ultra-low-power requirements, offers low cost, as well as high-level performance. Background Information Background on NXP i.MX 8M Nano processors and modules have been reported in our report about iWave’s iW-RainboW-G34M-SM SoM and the introduction of the i.MX 8M Nano ARM Cortex-A53 and M7 processor to the market. A Board for the Industry The intention here is to develop a board that has high performance, ultra-low power requirements and can reach high volumes at low cost. The modules are scalable to the conga-SMX-8-Mini CoM, with options for a multitude of setups across types. Example Uses for conga-SMX8-Nano The company offers the example of a complex medical user interface that engineers might want […]

December 8, 2019February 27, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 46 Comments

ROCK Pi SATA HAT Targets ROCK Pi 4 & Raspberry Pi 4 NAS

Radxa ROCK Pi 4 is a single board computer (SBC) powered by Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core processor and inspired by Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+. The company has now designed ROCK Pi SATA HAT expansion board to design 4-bay NAS based on Raspberry Pi 4 and ROCK Pi 4. There are 3 models with support for 2, 4 or 5 drives: Dual/Quad SATA HAT connected over two USB 3.0 ports and working with both boards Penta SATA HAT connected over PCIe and compatible with ROCK Pi 4 only ROCK Pi Dual/Quad SATA HAT Specifications: 2x or 4x SATA connectors supporting 2.5″ or/and 3.5″ HDD/SSD 2x USB 3.0 port to connect to RPi 4 via one or two JMS561 USB to SATA controllers Storage Features – HDD suspend mode, UASP, software RAID 0/1/5 Misc Fan and heatsink header for Raspberry Pi 4 CPU cooling Optional PWM control fan for HDD heat dispatching […]

December 7, 2019June 25, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

AI inference using Images, RTSP Video Stream on NVIDIA Jetson Nano Devkit

Last month I received NVIDIA Jetson Nano developer kit together with 52Pi ICE Tower Cooling Fan, and the main goal was to compare the performance of the board with the stock heatsink or 52Pi heatsink + fan combo. But the stock heatsink does a very good job of cooling the board, and typical CPU stress tests do not make the processor throttle at all. So I had to stress the GPU as well, as it takes some efforts to set it up all, so I’ll report my experience configuring the board, and running AI test programs including running objects detection on an RTSP video stream. Setting up NVIDIA Jetson Nano Board Preparing the board is very much like you’d do with other SBC’s such as the Raspberry Pi, and NVIDIA has a nicely put getting started guide, so I won’t go into too many details here. To summarize: Download the […]

December 6, 2019December 6, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

$7 Sonoff D1 Smart Dimmer Switch Supports Mobile App, RF433 Remote, and Voice Assistants

Sonoff D1 Smart Dimmer Switch & RF433 Remote

ITEAD Studio Sonoff is a family of WiFi or/and 433 MHz RF connected smart home switches, sockets, light bulbs or other products for home automation. They are usually based on ESP8266 WiSoC and while the pre-loaded firmware works with eWelink Android/iOS app and popular voice assistant, it’s also possible to load open-source firmware such as Sonoff-Tasmota or ESPurna to add MQTT and other protocols in order to integrate those with home automation solution such as Domoticz, or something control those from your web browser. The company has now launched another Sonoff device, namely Sonoff D1 smart dimmer switch which – as its name implies – will allow you to dim incandescent and dimmable LED lights. Sonoff D1 smart dimmer switch specifications: Connectivity – RF433 and 802.11b/g/n WiFi 4 Max Current – 1A Max Power – 400W for Incandescent lamp, and 150W for LED light Power Supply – 110V-230V AC input […]

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

Nordic Semi nRF52832 Powered PineTime Dev Kit is Now Available for $24.99

PineTime was announced as a $25 smartwatch & companion for PinePhone Linux smartphone which itself sells for $150. PineTime specifications are still not frozen, but we do know it will be based on Nordic Semi nRF52832 or nRF52840 wireless SoC, come with a 1.3″ 240×240 capacitive touch display, and support a variety of operating systems such as ZephyrOS, FreeRTOS, Arm Mbed or NuttX depending on community involvement. So far it was not available for purchase, but in Pine64’s December update about their various projects, Lukasz Erecinski announced the PineTime dev kit is now available for pre-order for $24.99. PineTime Dev Kit specifications: WiSoC – Nordic Semiconductor nRF52832 ARM Cortex-M4F @ 64 MHz with 512KB Flash, 64KB RAM, Bluetooth 5.0 LE connectivity Storage – 4 MB SPI NOR Flash Display – 1.3″ 240×240 IPS capacitive touchscreen with 65K colors Sensors – Accelerometer, PPG Heart Rate Sensor Actuator – Vibrator Battery Built-in […]