CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

March 27, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 20 Comments

ODROID-N2 GPU Drivers, Linux 5.0, and Impressive glmarks-es2 Score

ODROID-N2 was announced last February for $63 (2GB RAM), and $79 (4GB RAM), but Hardkernel was not quite ready to take orders at the time. One of the good news is that the 4GB RAM is now available for pre-order with shipping scheduled to start on April 3. Another good news is on the software side with Hardkernel having released the userland Mali-G52 Wayland driver. It does not work well with Linux 4.9 due to incomplete DRM implementation, but it goes work with Linux 5.0 plus some modifications as further discussed in the aforelinked forum thread. The screenshot above, courtesy of odroid forum member memeka , shows ODROID-N2 running Ubuntu 18.04 + Gnome3 + Linux 5.0 on top of Wayland with GPU drivers providing acceleration as shown by glmark2-es2-wayland test program. The benchmark results are pretty impressive:

=======================================================
    glmark2 2014.03+git20150611.fa71af2d
=======================================================
    OpenGL Information
    GL_VENDOR:     ARM
    GL_RENDERER:   Mali-G52
    GL_VERSION:    OpenGL ES 3.2 v1.r16p0-01rel0.2943fc4ef9657d91ee32c9a58dec6cd2
=======================================================
[build] use-vbo=false: FPS: 961 FrameTime: 1.041 ms
[build] use-vbo=true: FPS: 1592 FrameTime: 0.628 ms
[texture] texture-filter=nearest: FPS: 1491 FrameTime: 0.671 ms
[texture] texture-filter=linear: FPS: 1477 FrameTime: 0.677 ms
[texture] texture-filter=mipmap: FPS: 1524 FrameTime: 0.656 ms
[shading] shading=gouraud: FPS: 1151 FrameTime: 0.869 ms
[shading] shading=blinn-phong-inf: FPS: 1215 FrameTime: 0.823 ms
[shading] shading=phong: FPS: 1043 FrameTime: 0.959 ms
[shading] shading=cel: FPS: 1126 FrameTime: 0.888 ms
[bump] bump-render=high-poly: FPS: 514 FrameTime: 1.946 ms
[bump] bump-render=normals: FPS: 1976 FrameTime: 0.506 ms
[bump] bump-render=height: FPS: 1777 FrameTime: 0.563 ms
[effect2d] kernel=0,1,0;1,-4,1;0,1,0;: FPS: 1139 FrameTime: 0.878 ms
[effect2d] kernel=1,1,1,1,1;1,1,1,1,1;1,1,1,1,1;: FPS: 383 FrameTime: 2.611 ms
[pulsar] light=false:quads=5:texture=false: FPS: 2096 FrameTime: 0.477 ms
[desktop] blur-radius=5:effect=blur:passes=1:separable=true:windows=4: FPS: 389 FrameTime: 2.571 ms
[desktop] effect=shadow:windows=4: FPS: 788 FrameTime: 1.269 ms
[buffer] columns=200:interleave=false:update-dispersion=0.9:update-fraction=0.5:update-method=map: FPS: 103 FrameTime: 9.709 ms
[buffer] columns=200:interleave=false:update-dispersion=0.9:update-fraction=0.5:update-method=subdata: FPS: 129 FrameTime: 7.752 ms
[buffer] columns=200:interleave=true:update-dispersion=0.9:update-fraction=0.5:update-method=map: FPS: 158 FrameTime: 6.329 ms
[ideas] speed=duration: FPS: 356 FrameTime: 2.809 ms
[jellyfish] <default>: FPS: 979 FrameTime: 1.021 ms
[terrain] <default>: FPS: 52 FrameTime: 19.231 ms
[shadow] <default>: FPS: 437 FrameTime: 2.288 ms
[refract] <default>: FPS: 88 FrameTime: 11.364 ms
[conditionals] fragment-steps=0:vertex-steps=0: FPS: 1769 FrameTime: 0.565 ms
[conditionals] fragment-steps=5:vertex-steps=0: FPS: 1769 FrameTime: 0.565 ms
[conditionals] fragment-steps=0:vertex-steps=5: FPS: 1853 FrameTime: 0.540 ms
[function] fragment-complexity=low:fragment-steps=5: FPS: 1783 FrameTime: 0.561 ms
[function] fragment-complexity=medium:fragment-steps=5: FPS: 1726 FrameTime: 0.579 ms
[loop] fragment-loop=false:fragment-steps=5:vertex-steps=5: FPS: 1715 FrameTime: 0.583 ms
[loop] fragment-steps=5:fragment-uniform=false:vertex-steps=5: FPS: 1650 FrameTime: 0.606 ms
[loop] fragment-steps=5:fragment-uniform=true:vertex-steps=5: FPS: 1728 FrameTime: 0.579 ms
=======================================================
                                  glmark2 Score: 1119
=======================================================

=======================================================

glmark2 2014.03+git20150611.fa71af2d

=======================================================

OpenGL Information

GL_VENDOR: ARM

GL_RENDERER: Mali-G52

GL_VERSION: OpenGL ES 3.2 v1.r16p0-01rel0.2943fc4ef9657d91ee32c9a58dec6cd2

=======================================================

[build] use-vbo=false: FPS: 961 FrameTime: 1.041 ms

[build] use-vbo=true: FPS: 1592 FrameTime: 0.628 ms

[texture] texture-filter=nearest: FPS: 1491 FrameTime: 0.671 ms

[texture] texture-filter=linear: FPS: 1477 FrameTime: 0.677 ms

[texture] texture-filter=mipmap: FPS: 1524 FrameTime: 0.656 ms

[shading] shading=gouraud: FPS: 1151 FrameTime: 0.869 ms

[shading] shading=blinn-phong-inf: FPS: 1215 FrameTime: 0.823 ms

[shading] shading=phong: FPS: 1043 FrameTime: 0.959 ms

[shading] shading=cel: FPS: 1126 FrameTime: 0.888 ms

[bump] bump-render=high-poly: FPS: 514 FrameTime: 1.946 ms

[bump] bump-render=normals: FPS: 1976 FrameTime: 0.506 ms

[bump] bump-render=height: FPS: 1777 FrameTime: 0.563 ms

[effect2d] kernel=0,1,0;1,-4,1;0,1,0;: FPS: 1139 FrameTime: 0.878 ms

[effect2d] kernel=1,1,1,1,1;1,1,1,1,1;1,1,1,1,1;: FPS: 383 FrameTime: 2.611 ms

[pulsar] light=false:quads=5:texture=false: FPS: 2096 FrameTime: 0.477 ms

[desktop] blur-radius=5:effect=blur:passes=1:separable=true:windows=4: FPS: 389 FrameTime: 2.571 ms

[desktop] effect=shadow:windows=4: FPS: 788 FrameTime: 1.269 ms

[buffer] columns=200:interleave=false:update-dispersion=0.9:update-fraction=0.5:update-method=map: FPS: 103 FrameTime: 9.709 ms

[buffer] columns=200:interleave=false:update-dispersion=0.9:update-fraction=0.5:update-method=subdata: FPS: 129 FrameTime: 7.752 ms

[buffer] columns=200:interleave=true:update-dispersion=0.9:update-fraction=0.5:update-method=map: FPS: 158 FrameTime: 6.329 ms

[ideas] speed=duration: FPS: 356 FrameTime: 2.809 ms

[jellyfish] <default>: FPS: 979 FrameTime: 1.021 ms

[terrain] <default>: FPS: 52 FrameTime: 19.231 ms

[shadow] <default>: FPS: 437 FrameTime: 2.288 ms

[refract] <default>: FPS: 88 FrameTime: 11.364 ms

[conditionals] fragment-steps=0:vertex-steps=0: FPS: 1769 FrameTime: 0.565 ms

[conditionals] fragment-steps=5:vertex-steps=0: FPS: 1769 FrameTime: 0.565 ms

[conditionals] fragment-steps=0:vertex-steps=5: FPS: 1853 FrameTime: 0.540 ms

[function] fragment-complexity=low:fragment-steps=5: FPS: 1783 FrameTime: 0.561 ms

[function] fragment-complexity=medium:fragment-steps=5: FPS: 1726 FrameTime: 0.579 ms

[loop] fragment-loop=false:fragment-steps=5:vertex-steps=5: FPS: 1715 FrameTime: 0.583 ms

[loop] fragment-steps=5:fragment-uniform=false:vertex-steps=5: FPS: 1650 FrameTime: 0.606 ms

[loop] fragment-steps=5:fragment-uniform=true:vertex-steps=5: FPS: 1728 FrameTime: 0.579 ms

=======================================================

glmark2 Score: 1119

=======================================================

I’ve never seen such as high score (1,119 points) on Arm hardware. […]

March 27, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 29 Comments

Beelink GT1-K TV Box Features Amlogic S922X SoC, Android 9.0 OS

Amlogic S922 processor was first shown in roadmaps in early 2018, and since then we know there are at least two variants with Amlogic S922X and S922D processors both coming with Cortex A73 & A53 cores, and an Arm Mali-G52MP GPU, but the latter adds a Neural Network co-processor. So far the only hardware announced with Amlogic S922X was ODROID-N2 SBC, but since most Amlogic processors are primarily designed for TV box, it was just a question of time before we see some Amlogic S922X TV boxes hit the market, and the first model to surface is Beelink GT1-K “King” TV box running Android 9.0 OS. Beelink GT1-K specifications: SoC – Amlogic S922X hexa-core big.LITTLE processor with 4x Arm Cortex A73 cores @ up to 1.8 GHz, 2x Arm Cortex A53 cores @ 1.9 GHz, Arm Mali-G52MP GPU @ 846MHz; 12nm manufacturing process System Memory – 4GB LPDDR4 RAM Storage […]

March 26, 2019June 10, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments

AI Core XM2280 M.2 Card is Equipped with two Myriad X 2485 VPUs

AAEON released UP AI Core mPCIe card with a Myriad 2 VPU (Vision Processing Unit) last year. But the company also has an AI Core X family powered by the more powerful Myriad X VPU with the latest member being AI Core XM2280 M.2 card featuring not one, but two Myriad X 2485 VPUs coupled with 1GB LPDDR4 RAM (512MB x2). The card supports Intel OpenVINO toolkit v4 or greater, and is compatible with Tensorflow and Caffe AI frameworks. AI Core XM2280 M.2 specifications: VPU – 2x Intel Movidius Myriad X VPU, MA2485 System Memory – 2x 4Gbit LPDDR4 Host Interface – M.2 connector Dimensions – 80 x 22 mm (M.2 M+B key form factor) Certification – CE/FCC Class A Operating Temperature – 0~50°C Operating Humidity – 10%~80%RH, non-condensing The card works with Intel Vision Accelerator Design SW SDK available for Ubuntu 16.04, and Windows 10. Thanks to the two […]

March 26, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

T-bao T15A 15.6″ Portable Display Works with Phones, Computers and Game Consoles

In recent months we’ve seen several lightweight portable displays that works with phones or computers such as the 12.5″ ultra-lightweight LAPSCREEN display or TAIHE Gemini 15.6″ Full HD / 4K portable display. But AFAIK, the former is not available for purchase just yet, and the latter was launched via a crowdfunding campaign and shipping appears to be scheduled for May 2019. If you want something similar that ships today, T-bao T15A 15.6″ portable display may be an options. It comes with two USB-C ports one for power, one to connect USB-C devices like smartphones, and a mini HDMI port for laptops, computers, game consoles and so on. T-bao T15A display specifications: Screen – 15.6″ IPS display with 1920×1080 resolution, W-LED backlight, 178-degree viewing angle Ports 1x mini HDMI 2x USB type-C ports including one for host device input, one for power 1x micro USB port to connect keyboard and mouse […]

March 25, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Amlogic S922D, A311D, and A311X AI Processors Feature a Neural Network Coprocessor

We already know Amlogic is preparing to launch a few new processors with Amlogic S922X Hexa-core Cortex-A73/A53 processor found in the upcoming ODROID-N2 board, as well as Amlogic A311D processor with a very similar features. At the time, I had been told A311 would include an NPU (Neural network Processing Unit) but with zero details. I still don’t have much details about the NPU inside A311D processor, except for performance of up to 5 TOPS (Trillion Operations Per Second). So it appears the same NPU will be found in Amlogic S922D processor that, based on the table above, has the exact same specifications as Amlogic S922X except for the extra Neural Network AI co-processor that delivers up to 2.5 TOPS (16-bit?) and 5.0 TOPS (8-bit?) A.I. performance. I’ve also been informed that another Amlogic A311X processor would also be introduced with the NPU. Both A311X and A311D are said to […]

March 25, 2019March 25, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

PYNQ-Z2 Python FPGA Board Adds Raspberry Pi Header, 24-Bit Audio Codec

PYNQ-Z1 is a board by Digilent powered by Xilinx Zynq-7020 Arm Cortex-A9 + FPGA SoC that’s designed specifically for PYNQ, an open-source project that aims to ease the design of embedded systems with Xilinx Zynq Systems on Chips (SoCs) by leveraging the Python language and libraries. PYNQ-Z2 is very similar to PYNQ-Z1, but it’s made by Taiwanese company TUL, and the board is slightly longer to allow for an extra 40-pin Raspberry Pi compatible header, and Analog Devices ADAU1761 24-bit audio codec. PYNQ-Z2 board specifications: SoC – Xilinx Zynq-7020 (XC7Z020-1CLG400C) dual core Arm Cortex-A9 processor @ 650 MHz with FPGA with 13,300 logic slices, each with four 6-input LUTs and 8 flip-flops System Memory – 512MB DDR3 Storage – Micro SD card slot, 16MB QSPI Flash with factory programmed globally unique identifier (48-bit EUI-48/64 compatible). Video – HDMI In and HDMI Out Audio – Mic in, Line Out ADAU1761 codec […]

March 24, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

ESP-WROOM-5C is a Side-Mounted ESP8285 WiFi Module

You’d think by now we’d have enough ESP8266 or ESP8285 WiFi modules, but based on an FCC listing, we now know that Espressif Systems has been working on another ESP8285 WiFi module – ESP-WROOM-5C – designed to be side-mounted. ESP-WROOM-5C specifications: SoC – Espressif Systems ESP8285 Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n WiFi 4 @ 2412 MHz ~2462 MHz; Station/SoftAP/SoftAP + Station modes WPA/WPA2 security with EP/TKIP/AES encryption PCB antenna Peripheral interface I2C/IR Remote Control GPIO/PWM Operating voltage – 2.7V ~ 3.6V Operating current – Average: 80 mA Minimum current delivered by power supply – 500 mA Dimensions – 19 x 16 x 3.2 mm Temperature Range – -40°C ~ 105°C Reliability Tests – HTOL/HTSL/uHAST/TCT/ESD The module supports firmware upgrade over UART or OTA (Over-The-Air). Software development can be done with the IDF SDK for custom firmware, but “Cloud Server development” is also possible, and an Android/iOS app can be provided for user […]