CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

June 25, 2019June 25, 2019 by Stephen Vicinanza - 7 Comments

PanGu Board an SBC Based on the STM32MP1 Processor

The PanGu Board is a single board computer (SBC) that is feature-rich and versatile, at an affordable price point. The board powered by STMicroelectronics STM32MP1 processor was released in February of 2019 and hadn’t really made much a splash in the pool of microprocessors available at the time. The processor is now the main feature of the PanGu Board, an SBC with a host of features and utilizing the Arm dual-core Cortex–A7 MPU and the Cortex-M4 coprocessor to allow for more enhanced multimedia ability and all the heavy real-time processing that users are calling for today. Hardware Features MPU Dual Cortex-A7, 650MHz Cortex-M4, 209Mhz 3D GPU Flash & Memory 16-bit DDR3L, up to 1GByte 8-bit eMMC Flash Quad-SPI NOR Flash Supports Micro SD Audio 3.5mm stereo headphone jack support microphone input Display Parallel RGB LCD interface, the resolution up to WXGA (1366×768) MIPI DSI interface Support for resistive and capacitive […]

June 24, 2019June 30, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 63 Comments

Raspberry Pi 4 Benchmarks & Mini Review

Raspberry Pi 4 has just been released with many improvements over Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ including a faster processor, a proper Gigabit Ethernet port, USB 3.0 interfaces, and 4K video support. That’s the theory, but how does it work in practice? I can now let you know as I’ve received a Raspberry Pi 4 sample courtesy of Cytron, and ran some tests and benchmarks on the very latest boards from the Raspberry Pi foundation. System Info Before starting with the benchmarks, let’s go through some basic system info:

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ cat /etc/issue
Raspbian GNU/Linux 10 \n \l

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ uname -a
Linux raspberrypi 4.19.46-v7l+ #866 SMP Fri Jun 7 18:00:39 BST 2019 armv7l GNU/Linux

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ df -h
Filesystem      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/root        13G  4.7G  7.4G  39% /
devtmpfs        334M     0  334M   0% /dev
tmpfs           463M     0  463M   0% /dev/shm
tmpfs           463M  6.4M  456M   2% /run
tmpfs           5.0M  4.0K  5.0M   1% /run/lock
tmpfs           463M     0  463M   0% /sys/fs/cgroup
/dev/mmcblk0p6  253M   40M  213M  16% /boot
tmpfs            93M     0   93M   0% /run/user/1000
/dev/sda4       200G  175G   24G  89% /media/pi/USB3_BTRFS
/dev/sda2       241G  181G   48G  80% /media/pi/USB3_EXT4
/dev/sda1       245G  182G   63G  75% /media/pi/USB3_NTFS

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ cat /proc/cpuinfo 
processor	: 0
model name	: ARMv7 Processor rev 3 (v7l)
BogoMIPS	: 270.00
Features	: half thumb fastmult vfp edsp neon vfpv3 tls vfpv4 idiva idivt vfpd32 lpae evtstrm crc32 
CPU implementer	: 0x41
CPU architecture: 7
CPU variant	: 0x0
CPU part	: 0xd08
CPU revision	: 3

....
processor	: 3
model name	: ARMv7 Processor rev 3 (v7l)
BogoMIPS	: 270.00
Features	: half thumb fastmult vfp edsp neon vfpv3 tls vfpv4 idiva idivt vfpd32 lpae evtstrm crc32 
CPU implementer	: 0x41
CPU architecture: 7
CPU variant	: 0x0
CPU part	: 0xd08
CPU revision	: 3

Hardware	: BCM2835
Revision	: a03111
Serial		: 00000000ea51204b

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ cat /etc/issue

Raspbian GNU/Linux 10 \n \l

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ uname -a

Linux raspberrypi 4.19.46-v7l+ #866 SMP Fri Jun 7 18:00:39 BST 2019 armv7l GNU/Linux

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ df -h

Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on

/dev/root 13G 4.7G 7.4G 39% /

devtmpfs 334M 0 334M 0% /dev

tmpfs 463M 0 463M 0% /dev/shm

tmpfs 463M 6.4M 456M 2% /run

tmpfs 5.0M 4.0K 5.0M 1% /run/lock

tmpfs 463M 0 463M 0% /sys/fs/cgroup

/dev/mmcblk0p6 253M 40M 213M 16% /boot

tmpfs 93M 0 93M 0% /run/user/1000

/dev/sda4 200G 175G 24G 89% /media/pi/USB3_BTRFS

/dev/sda2 241G 181G 48G 80% /media/pi/USB3_EXT4

/dev/sda1 245G 182G 63G 75% /media/pi/USB3_NTFS

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ cat /proc/cpuinfo

processor : 0

model name : ARMv7 Processor rev 3 (v7l)

BogoMIPS : 270.00

Features : half thumb fastmult vfp edsp neon vfpv3 tls vfpv4 idiva idivt vfpd32 lpae evtstrm crc32

CPU implementer : 0x41

CPU architecture: 7

CPU variant : 0x0

CPU part : 0xd08

CPU revision : 3

....

processor : 3

model name : ARMv7 Processor rev 3 (v7l)

BogoMIPS : 270.00

Features : half thumb fastmult vfp edsp neon vfpv3 tls vfpv4 idiva idivt vfpd32 lpae evtstrm crc32

CPU implementer : 0x41

CPU architecture: 7

CPU variant : 0x0

CPU part : 0xd08

CPU revision : 3

Hardware : BCM2835

Revision : a03111

Serial : 00000000ea51204b

$ inxi -Fc0
System:
  Host: raspberrypi Kernel: 4.19.46-v7l+ armv7l bits: 32 Console: tty 1 
  Distro: Raspbian GNU/Linux 10 (buster) 
Machine:
  Type: ARM Device System: Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Rev 1.1 details: BCM2835 
  rev: a03111 serial: 00000000ea51204b 
CPU:
  Topology: Quad Core model: ARMv7 v7l variant: cortex-a72 bits: 32 
  type: MCP 
  Speed: 1500 MHz min/max: 600/1500 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1500 2: 1500 
  3: 1500 4: 1500 
Graphics:
  Device-1: bcm2835-vc4 driver: vc4_drm v: N/A 
  Device-2: bcm2835-hdmi driver: N/A 
  Display: tty server: X.org 1.20.4 driver: modesetting unloaded: fbdev 
  tty: 80x24 
  Message: Advanced graphics data unavailable in console. Try -G --display 
Audio:
  Device-1: bcm2835-audio driver: bcm2835_audio 
  Device-2: bcm2835-hdmi driver: N/A 
  Sound Server: ALSA v: k4.19.46-v7l+ 
Network:
  Message: No ARM data found for this feature. 
  IF-ID-1: eth0 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full 
  mac: dc:a6:32:00:9e:9c 
  IF-ID-2: wlan0 state: up mac: dc:a6:32:00:9e:9d 
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 946.35 GiB used: 540.58 GiB (57.1%) 
  ID-1: /dev/mmcblk0 vendor: SanDisk model: SL16G size: 14.84 GiB 
  ID-2: /dev/sda type: USB vendor: Seagate model: Expansion size: 931.51 GiB 
Partition:
  ID-1: / size: 12.68 GiB used: 4.71 GiB (37.1%) fs: ext4 
  dev: /dev/mmcblk0p7 
  ID-2: /boot size: 252.0 MiB used: 39.3 MiB (15.6%) fs: vfat 
  dev: /dev/mmcblk0p6 
Sensors:
  Message: No sensors data was found. Is sensors configured? 
Info:
  Processes: 179 Uptime: 4h 37m Memory: 1000.5 MiB used: 324.1 MiB (32.4%) 
  gpu: 76.0 MiB Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Shell: bash inxi: 3.0.32

$ inxi -Fc0

System:

Host: raspberrypi Kernel: 4.19.46-v7l+ armv7l bits: 32 Console: tty 1

Distro: Raspbian GNU/Linux 10 (buster)

Machine:

Type: ARM Device System: Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Rev 1.1 details: BCM2835

rev: a03111 serial: 00000000ea51204b

CPU:

Topology: Quad Core model: ARMv7 v7l variant: cortex-a72 bits: 32

type: MCP

Speed: 1500 MHz min/max: 600/1500 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1500 2: 1500

3: 1500 4: 1500

Graphics:

Device-1: bcm2835-vc4 driver: vc4_drm v: N/A

Device-2: bcm2835-hdmi driver: N/A

Display: tty server: X.org 1.20.4 driver: modesetting unloaded: fbdev

tty: 80x24

Message: Advanced graphics data unavailable in console. Try -G --display

Audio:

Device-1: bcm2835-audio driver: bcm2835_audio

Device-2: bcm2835-hdmi driver: N/A

Sound Server: ALSA v: k4.19.46-v7l+

Network:

Message: No ARM data found for this feature.

IF-ID-1: eth0 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full

mac: dc:a6:32:00:9e:9c

IF-ID-2: wlan0 state: up mac: dc:a6:32:00:9e:9d

Drives:

Local Storage: total: 946.35 GiB used: 540.58 GiB (57.1%)

ID-1: /dev/mmcblk0 vendor: SanDisk model: SL16G size: 14.84 GiB

ID-2: /dev/sda type: USB vendor: Seagate model: Expansion size: 931.51 GiB

Partition:

ID-1: / size: 12.68 GiB used: 4.71 GiB (37.1%) fs: ext4

dev: /dev/mmcblk0p7

ID-2: /boot size: 252.0 MiB used: 39.3 MiB (15.6%) fs: vfat

dev: /dev/mmcblk0p6

Sensors:

Message: No sensors data was found. Is sensors configured?

Info:

Processes: 179 Uptime: 4h 37m Memory: 1000.5 MiB used: 324.1 MiB (32.4%)

gpu: 76.0 MiB Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Shell: bash inxi: 3.0.32

For reference, you’ll find Raspberry Pi 4 Linux boot log here. Phoronix benchmarks Let’s go ahead and install the latest version of Phoronix benchmarks:

sudo apt install php-cli php-gd php-xml php-zip 
wget http://phoronix-test-suite.com/releases/repo/pts.debian/files/phoronix-test-suite_8.8.1_all.deb
sudo dpkg -i phoronix-test-suite_8.8.1_all.deb

sudo apt install php-cli php-gd php-xml php-zip

wget http://phoronix-test-suite.com/releases/repo/pts.debian/files/phoronix-test-suite_8.8.1_all.deb

sudo dpkg -i phoronix-test-suite_8.8.1_all.deb

Now let’s run the test to compare the performance of Raspberry Pi 4 model B to some other Arm Linux boards including Raspberry Pi 3 Model B.

phoronix-test-suite benchmark 1709271-TY-1704029RI26

1	phoronix-test-suite benchmark 1709271-TY-1704029RI26

For reference, my office has an […]

June 24, 2019June 24, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments

Raspberry Pi 4 vs Pi 3 – What are the differences?

So now that the Raspberry Pi 4 model B has just been launched, it may be worth checking out the differences against the previous latest single board computer from the Raspberry Pi foundation, namely Raspberry Pi 3 model B+. Let’s get straight to the Raspberry Pi 4 vs Pi 3 B+ comparison table. Features/Specs Raspberry Pi 4B Raspberry Pi 3 B+ Release date 24th June 2019 14th March 2018 SoC Broadcom BCM2711 quad-core Cortex-A72 @ 1.5 GHz Broadcom BCM2837B0 quad-core Cortex-A53 @ 1.4 GHz GPU VideoCore VI with OpenGL ES 1.1, 2.0, 3.0 VideoCore IV with OpenGL ES 1.1, 2.0 Video Decode H.265 4Kp60, H.264 1080p60 H.264 & MPEG-4 1080p30 Video Encode H.264 1080p30 Memory 1GB, 2GB, or 4GB LPDDR4 1GB LPDDR2 Storage microSD card Video & Audio Output 2x micro HDMI ports up to 4Kp60 3.5mm AV port (composite + audio) MIPI DSI connector 1x HDMI 1.4 port up […]

June 24, 2019June 25, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 140 Comments

Raspberry Pi 4 Features Broadcom BCM2711 Processor, Up to 4GB RAM

Long expected, the Raspberry Pi 4 model B has finally launched, and it should not disappoint with a much more powerful Broadcom BCM2711 quad-core Cortex-A72 processor clocked at up to 1.5 GHz, 1 to 4GB LPDDR4, 4K H.265 video decoding and output support, a proper Gigabit Ethernet port, as well as USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports. Raspberry Pi 4 comes with all those extra features, but the form factor remains the same, and importantly the price is still $35 for the version with 1GB RAM, making Raspberry Pi alternatives suddenly much less interesting. Raspberry Pi 4 specifications: SoC – Broadcom BCM2711 quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARMv8) @ 1.5GHz with VideoCore VI GPU supporting OpenGL ES 3.0 graphics System Memory – 1GB, 2GB or 4GB LPDDR4 Storage – microSD card slot Video Output & Display I/F 2x micro HDMI ports up to 4Kp60 (Currently 1080p60 max. in dual-display configuration, although 2x 4Kp30 is […]

June 24, 2019July 17, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

ODROID-H2 Rev B Review – Part 1: Kit Unboxing and Assembly

ODROID-H2 was announced in October 2018 as the first x86 SBC from Hardkernel. The board features an Intel Celeron J4105 Gemini Lake processor, two SO-DIMM slots for memory, two SATA ports and M.2 NVMe slot for storage, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, a mix of USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports, as well as HDMI and DisplayPort video outputs. The board went for sale the following month for $111, and the first batch of 2,000 boards was sold within 24 hours. In normal cases, this should not be a big problem, and in a few weeks, the company should have been able to produce more boards to fulfill the demand. But Intel decided to prioritize higher-end processors, and Gemini Lake SoCs’ manufacturing was put on the back foot. That means Hardkernel had to wait over 6 months to get supply of the Celeron J4150 processors. In the meantime, the company slightly redesign […]

June 23, 2019 by Stephen Vicinanza - 5 Comments

Google to Roll Out RCS App as an Alternative to SMS

The Rich Communication Services (RCS) is a messaging platform that allows messaging from carrier to carrier and between phone and carrier, that is positioned to replace SMS but has had its share of pushback from the communication industry. The service has been around for a long time but had very little noteworthy attention since its inception in 2007. Named the GSM Association in 2008, there were many upgrades, but three years after the GSMA formed the steering committee to oversee the project, the project platform was named Rich Communication Services and now called simply RCS. Between 2007 and the present there have been many versions of the RCS platform, and Google stepped in in 2010 and has been helping with updates right up into its announcement that it would be offering an opt-in version of the platform on all Android devices this month, June 2019, called RCS Chat. The advantages and […]

June 22, 2019June 28, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 20 Comments

Create Minimal Debian Upstream Images with Debos and Armbian

Debos Armbian Debian Orange Pi Zero Plus 2 H5

[Update June 28: Post updated with correct procedure thanks to Collabora help] Armbian provides lightweight Debian or Ubuntu images for various Arm Linux SBC, and over the years has become the recommended source for stable firmware images for boards part of Orange Pi & Banana Pi families, and others. Uncompressed images are still over 1GB and come with Armbian-specific tools, kernel and bootloader. If you’d like to leverage Armbian images, but instead create a Debian upstream image with only the packages you intend to use, Collabora explains how to do just that with Orange Pi Zero +2 H5 and Libre Computer AML-S905X-CC (aka Le Potato) boards using Debos Debian OS builder. I’ve decided to give a try at the instructions for Orange Pi Zero Plus2 H5 in my laptop running Ubuntu 18.04 to better understand how this all works. I’ll assume you’ve already installed Docker, and made sure you’ve got […]

June 21, 2019February 22, 2021 by Tiwalade Joanna Okedara - 3 Comments

LEGO Minifigure shaped Mini SAM M4 Board Supports CircuitPython and Arduino

If you are a fan of the Lego movie. Perhaps you have always wanted to use Lego bricks to make something innovative and techy. Then the Mini SAM M4 board is here for you, as it is a LEGO minifigure-sized development board. Additionally, the design and layout of the board is based around the classic 1980’s ‘spaceman’, and is made by Ben Shockley. Although the board is very small, it has a lot of wonderful features. It comes with an analog reference decoupling/filtering capacitors. Also, it has an analog to digital ferrite bead, as well as a debounce circuitry for the reset and user buttons. Furthermore, the board’s software and firmware can be developed using CircuitPython or Arduino. The development board is either based on the Microchip SAMD51G 48-Pin 32-Bit ARM – Cortex M4F MCU (Mini SAM M4), or features the Microchip SAMD21G 48-Pin 32-Bit ARM Cortex -M0+ MCU running […]