CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

May 25, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

Zigbee Firmware News – TI Z-Stack 3.0 Zigbee for CC2530 & ptvo Zigbee FW Configuration Tool

We’ve been writing about Zigbee more in recent months with either product announcements such as Sonoff ZBBridge WiFi to Zigbee gateway, and open-source software updates such as Tasmota support for Zigbee connectivity. We’ve recently been tipped about Zigbee-related news, namely TI Z-Stack 3.0 Zigbee router firmware port to Sonoff BASICZBR3, and ptvo Zigbee Configurable Firmware v2.4 GUI tool designed to create alternative Zigbee switch and router firmware for TI CC253x based modules and devices TI Z-Stack 3.0 Zigbee Router Firmware on Sonoff BASICZBR3 Kirovilya, a well-known open-source developer and founder of ioBroker open-source home automation software, has ported TI Z-Stack 3.0 Zigbee router firmware to CC2530 and tested it on Sonoff BASICZBR3 with DS18B20 waterproof temperature sensor. This is significant as Sonoff BASICZBR3 is only shipped with TI Z-Stack Home 1.2 Zigbee router firmware and I was told no one else had ported TI Z-Stack 3.0 Zigbee to CC2530 chip […]

May 24, 2020May 25, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 33 Comments

iWave Systems i.MX8M Mini Devkit Targets Low-cost Facial Recognition Systems

iWave Systems i.MX8M Mini Board is a development platform based on an update versions of the company’s iW-RainboW-G34M-SM i.MX 8M Mini system-on-module and designed specifically for low-cost facial recognition systems thanks to NXP eIQ ML software, and MIPI display and camera. iWave Systems i.MX8M Mini (aka iW-RainboW-G34D) specifications: SoM SoC – NXP i.MX8M Mini Q/QL/D/DL/S/SL with up to 4x Cortex-A53 cores, 1x Cortex-M4F real-time core, Vivante 3D and 2D GPUs System Memory – 1GB LPDDR4 (Expandable up to 4GB) Storage – 8GB eMMC Flash (Expandable), optional 2MB QSPI Flash optional Micro SD slot Wireless – Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0. PMIC – BD71847AMWV i.MX8M SODIMM Carrier Board Storage – MicroSD slot Display I/F – MIPI DSI display connector Camera I/F – MIPI CSI camera connector Audio – Audio codec, 3.5mm Line In/Out jack Networking – Up to 2x Gigabit Ethernet ports (One is Optional) USB – 2x USB […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM

May 23, 2020May 24, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 19 Comments

Allwinner Submits A100 Initial Support to Mainline Linux

You may also have already used boards based on Allwinner processors with mainline Linux support. But so far you had to thank linux-sunxi community for all the mainlining work they do, and AFAIK Allwinner was not involved. But today, I noticed Allwinner A100 initial support was submitted by Frank Lee with an AllwinnerTech dot com email address, and although the company was involved in some other patchsets, AFAIK it might be the first time they work on mainlining one of their processors. Allwinner A100 is a mid-range tablet processor with a quad-core Cortex-A53 processor, an Imagination PowerVR GE8300 GPU, 4K video decode and 1080p encode that looks to be a replacement for/upgrade to the popular Allwinner A64. The patchset itself brings initial support for the four Cortex-A53 cores, clock and pinctrl, as well as the Device Tree file. There’s also mentioned of Allwinner Perf1 Allwinner A100 SBC with 1GB DDR3, […]

May 22, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Advantech Edge AI Computer and PoE NVR Feature NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX SoM

Advantech NVIDIA-Jetson-Xavier NX Edge AI Computer

Following the launch of NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX SoM last year, we noted several third-party carrier boards and embedded PCs had been announced, and we expected more to come soon. Advantech has now unveiled two systems based on NVIDIA latest module with respectively MIC-710AIX edge AI computer and MIC-710IVX NVR system equipped with eight PoE ports. MIC-710AIX edge AI computer Specifications: SoM – NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX with 6-core NVIDIA Carmel ARM v8.2 64-bit CPU, 6MB L2 + 4MB L3 caches 384-core NVIDIA Volta GPU with 48 Tensor Cores 2x NVDLA deep learning accelerators System Memory – 8GB 128-bit LPDDR4x Storage – 16 GB eMMC 5.1 flash Storage – M.2 2280 Key-M socket for SSD; SD card socket Video Output – HDMI up to 3840×2160 @ 60 Hz Networking – 2x Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45) via Intel i210IT controller USB – 1x USB 3.0 host port, 1x USB 2.0 host port, […]

May 22, 2020May 22, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Powkiddy X2 is a Low-End Nintendo Switch Lookalike

Powkiddy specializes in handheld gaming consoles, and if their latest Powkiddy X2 portable game console looks familiar, it’s because it looks just like a Nintendo Switch. But the comparison stops there. The NVIDIA processor is replaced by a quad-core Cortex-A7 processor, the display has a lower resolution, the controllers aren’t detachable, and unsurprisingly you can’t play any Nintendo Switch games. Powkiddy X2 specification: SoC – Quad-core Cortex-A7 processor @ 1.3 GHz (possibly Rockchip RK3128) System Memory – TBD Storage – TBD flash storage, MicroSD card slot Display – 7″ IPS display with 1024×600 resolution Video Output – Mini HDMI output Audio – 3.5mm audio jack; speaker(s); MP3/MP4 audio playback USB – 2x Micro USB port to connect external gamepads User input – 2x rockers, 2x D-PADs, select and start keys, function key, L&R; power & reset keys, volume control Battery – 3,000 mAh The console is said to come with […]

May 22, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Updated x86/x64 Software Optimization Manual Reveals More Intel Tremont Details

Tremont Microarchitecture Processor Pipeline

We first found out about Tremont microarchitecture in April 2018 in some Intel documents and Linux mainline source showing it was likely meant to be Goldmont Plus successor. Last year, Intel formally announced Tremont architecture providing some of the details with a block diagram and key features. But this morning, we were informed by email of a new revision of the x86/x64 Software Optimization Manual (PDF) with even further details about Tremont architecture. If you want to know all the details, jump to 4.1 Tremont Architecture section of the document, but here are some of the highlights / improvements over Golmond Plus microarchitecture: Enhanced branch prediction unit. Increased capacity with improved path-based conditional and indirect prediction. New committed Return Stack Buffer. Clustered 6-wide out-of-order front-end fetch and decode pipeline. Banked ICache with dual 16B reads. Two 3-wide decode clusters enabling up to 6 instructions per cycle. Deeper back-end out-of-order windows. […]

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs and SoMs in 2025

May 21, 2020May 21, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

MARK AI Robot Kit Aims to Teach AI & Robotics to 12+ Years Old (Crowdfunding)

We’ve written about Kendryte K210 RISC-V AI processor, and Sipeed M1 module several times including in our getting started for Maixduino and GroveAI HAT boards for low-power AI inference such as object recognition or face detection using Arduino and Micropython programming. Shenzhen-based Tinkergen, a STEM Education owned by Seeed Studio, has now leveraged the low-cost processor to design MARK AI robot kit, where MARK stands for Make A Robot Kit, in order to processor an educational AI Robotics platform for children ages 12 years old and more. MARK will ship as a kit with the main parts and components including a chassis, a cover, two wheels, stepper motors, a pan-tilt camera with K210 processor, a 2.4″ LCD display, Grove & Arduino compatible MARKduino interface board, some sensors, and six AA batteries. Tinkergen offers pre-trained model to recognized objects like humans, books, pens, or smartphones, as well as traffic signs, numbers […]

May 21, 2020May 21, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 17 Comments

We live in a Sad World – Purism Anti-Interdiction Services are (Somewhat) Popular

A few years ago, we learned the NSA may intercept networking gear during shipping in order to modify it to provide backdoor access to the hardware, and it’s likely other national security agencies around the world also modify hardware on transit for spying purposes. I’d think most people would not really care, and only high-profile business and governmental targets may take preventive measures, but according to a recent post from Purism, their Anti-interdiction services are fairly popular among their customers. Wait… What? What is “anti-interdiction”. The only definition I know of is: “the action of prohibiting or forbidding something”. But it turns out there’s another definition that applies here: the action of intercepting and preventing the movement of a prohibited commodity or person. Purism laptops are not exactly prohibited, but you get the point, and the anti-interdiction services are meant, not to prevent, but detect interdiction of laptops or other […]

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