CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

October 24, 2019October 23, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

How to Use Wake-on-LAN to Power On Khadas VIM3/VIM3L SBC

Khadas VIM2, Edge and VIM3/VIM3L SBC’s all come with Wake-on-LAN (WoL) support which allows you to power on the board with a specific Ethernet packet. This is not especially useful if your board sits on a desk since you have easy access to the power button, but if you’ve placed the SBC in a cabinet, inside an enclosure without access to the power button, or in another hard-to-reach location this can be a lifesaver. I had never tried the feature until today, so I decided to give it up a go adapting the instructions provided on Khadas Wiki. I’ll use Khadas VIM3L running Android 9.0 and sent WoL packets from my Android phone as well as an Ubuntu 18.04 laptop. Khadas VIM3L WoL Configuration WoL is disabled by default, but it’s really easy to enable in Android 9. Go to Settings->More Settings->Device Preferences->WOL. Make sure Wake on LAN is enabled, […]

October 23, 2019October 23, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

GIGABYTE GA-PICO3350 Apollo Lake Pico-ITX Board Comes with SO-DIMM RAM Slot, SATA and mSATA Storage

GIGABYTE GA-PICO3350 may be the smallest motherboard from the company so far. The Pico-ITX board comes with an Intel Celeron N3350 dual-core Apollo Lake processor with a SO-DIMM slot, SATA port, and mSATA socket that give you more options will selecting RAM and storage. GA-PICO3350 specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron N3350 dual-core Apollo Lake processor @ up to 2.4 GHz with 2 MB cache, Intel HD graphics; 6W TDP System Memory – 1 x DDR3L SO-DIMM socket supporting up to 8 GB DDR3L 1866/1600 MHz Storage- 1x SATA 6Gb/s connector, 1x mSATA connector (multiplexed with mPCIe), 128 Mbit flash for BIOS/UEFI Video Output HDMI 1.4 up to 3840×2160 @ 30 Hz 1x LVDS header 1x flat panel display header Audio – Realtek ALC887 codec, 1x front panel audio header Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet port via Realtek PHY USB – 2x USB 3.0/2.0 ports on the back panel, 2x USB 2.0/1.1 […]

October 23, 2019October 23, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Arm Introduces Ethos NPU Family, Mali-G57 GPU, and Mali-D37 Display Processor

Arm Ethos NPU: Ethos-M37, Ethos-N57 & Ethos-N77

Arm has just announced four new IP solutions with the most interesting being Ethos NPU (Neural Processing Unit) family with both Ethos-N57 and Ethos-N37 NPUs for mainstream devices, but the company also announced the new Arm Mali-G57, the first mainstream Valhall GPU, as well as Arm Mali-D37 DPU (Display Processing Unit) for full HD and 2K resolution. Arm Ethos NPU Family There are three members of the new Ethos family, and if you’ve never heard about Ethos-N77 previously, that’s because it was known as Arm ML processor. The three NPU’s cater to different AI workloads / price-point from 1 TOPS to 4 TOPS: Ethos-N37 Optimized for 1 TOP/s ML performance range 512 8×8 MAC/cycle 512KB internal memory Small footprint (<1mm2) For smart cameras, entry smartphones, DTV Ethos-N57 Optimized for 2 TOP/s ML performance range 1024 8×8 MAC/cycle 512KB internal memory For mainstream smartphones, smart home hubs Ethos-N77 Up to 4 […]

October 23, 2019October 23, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Nordic Semi nRF52833 WiSoC Supports Bluetooth 5.1 Direction Finding, Works up to 105ºC

Nordic Semiconductors had added a new member to their RF52 multi-protocol wireless SoCs with nRF52833 that supports Bluetooth 5.1 direction finding and can operate in a wider temperature range between -40ºC and +105°C. The company also introduced nRF52833 DK development kit for Bluetooth Low Energy, Bluetooth mesh, Thread, Zigbee (802.15.4), and 2.4GHz proprietary applications, and some companies have already announced nRF52833 modules. Nordic Semi nRF52833 Bluetooth 5.1 SoC Key features and specifications: MCU Core – Arm Cortex-M4F @ 64 MHz Memory – 128 KB RAM Storage – 512 KB Flash Connectivity Bluetooth 5.1 @ 2 Mbps/1 Mbps/500 kbps/125 kbps 802.15.4 (Thread/Zigbee) @ 250 kbps 2.4 GHz proprietary @ 2 Mbps / 1 Mbps NFC-A tag TX power – Programmable from +8 dBm to -20 dBm in 4 dB steps Sensitivity Bluetooth 5: -103 dBm at 125 kbps; -98 dB at 500 kbps; -95 dBm at 1 Mbps; -92 dBm at […]

October 23, 2019November 24, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Khadas VIM3L SBC Review with Android 9 Firmware

Khadas VIM3L is the first and so far only Amlogic S905D3 SBC on the market, so I first ran some benchmarks and checked system info. But it is also designed to be an HTPC, I’ll continue the review with some 4K video and audio playback testing, some gaming, and I/O benchmarks. Khadas VIM3L Unboxing As you may remember (or not), VIM3L ships either as a bare board pre-loaded with Android 9 or as an HTPC kit with the board running CoreELEC. I’ve received the bare board which also comes with two WiFi antennas. It can do much more than a simple TV box however, since it also comes with an M.2 NVMe socket (extra adapter board required), and sockets with MIPI DSI + touchscreen, and MIPI CSI camera. It’s one of the few boards with a low profile Ethernet connector, so if you ever wanted to build a farm of […]

October 22, 2019October 22, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

VersaLogic Harrier Credit-Card Sized Computer is Powered by Intel Atom E3930/E3950 Processor

Back in 2016, we wrote about VersaLogic Osprey industrial and military-grade computer based on Intel Atom Bay Trail processor, and slightly larger than a credit card. The company is now back with an upgrade with many of the same features, and the exact form factor, but VersaLogic Harrier comes with a choice of more powerful dual-core and quad-core E39xx Apollo Lake processors. VersaLogic Harrier (VL-EPU-4011) board specifications: SoC – Intel Atom E3930 dual-core @ 1.3 GHz or E3950 quad-core @ 1.6 GHz Apollo Lake processor with Intel HD Graphics 505 System Memory – 2GB or 8GB ECC-DDR3L (soldered) Storage 8GB or 32GB eMMC flash MicroSD slot SATA 2.0 port with latching connector mSATA via mini-PCIe slot Display Single-channel 18/24-bit LVDS up to 1024×768 @ 60Hz 1x mini-DisplayPort++ with HDMI and audio support up to 4096×2160 Connectivity – 2x Gigabit Ethernet ports with latching connector, network boot option on one of […]

October 22, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

SolidRun ClearFog GTR A385 NVR Platforms Feature Up to 8 Gigabit Ethernet PoE Ports

A Networking Video Recorder (NVR) is designed to record and playback videos from multiple IP cameras usually connected over Ethernet, and in many cases powered over Ethernet (PoE). The main purpose is for security applications allowing caretakers to monitor multiple cameras at the same time on a mosaic screen. There are plenty of turnkey NVR solutions on the market, but SoliRun, an embedded systems company known for its modules and single board computers, recently introduced the ClearFog GTR A385 family that supports up to eight PoE/PoE+ Gigabit Ethernet Ports. The ClearFog GTR A385 family currently includes two modules with GTR S4 supporting up to four cameras, and GTR L8 up to eight cameras. Specifications: SoC – Marvell ARMADA A385 dual-core Armv7 (Cortex A9 class) up to 1.3Ghz System Memory – Up to 2GB on-board DDR3L Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (default), 2x 7 pin SATA (optional replacement for 2 x […]

October 22, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Imagination iEW220 Low Power Dual-band 802.11n WiFi IP Solution Targets IoT, Automation and Wearables

Imagination-low-power dual-band WiFi IP solution

Imagination Technologies is better known for their PowetVR GPUs and as the previous owner of MIPS technology, but they do have other products as well and the company just announced their second generation 802.11n WiFi IP designed for low power applications Ensigma iEW220 is an IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n 1X1 SISO Wi-Fi IP solution comprised of RF, baseband and MAC, and supporting both 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrum. iEW220 specifications: RF Features Dual-band 2.4 and 5 GHz RF including PA Power efficient AGC Optimized PLL power consumption Customized PA to minimize Tx power consumption Power optimized DAC/ADC design Integrated transmit/receive switch for RF Single pin RF antenna interface IEEE 802.11 PHY Support (2.4/5 GHz) IEEE 802.11b DSSS/CCK (up to 11 Mbps) IEEE 802.11a/g OFDM (up to 54 Mbps) IEEE 802.11n OFDM MCS 0-7, (20/40 MHz channels, up to 72.2/150 Mbps) Station, soft AP and Wi-Fi direct with up to four associated devices Tx […]