Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Getting Started with Qoitech Otii Developer Tool using ESP8266 and Raspberry Pi 4 Boards

Getting Started with Qoitech Otii Developer Tool using ESP8266 and Raspberry Pi 4 Boards

Qoitech Otii Arc Raspberry Pi 4

Last month, I received Qoitech Otii Arc power supply, power meter, and DAQ unit that aims at helping hardware and software engineers develop energy-efficient products. I’ve now had time to test the unit with an ESP8266 board and Raspberry Pi 4 SBC, so I’ll show how to get started and my overall experience with the hardware and program. Requirements and Initial Setup The unit takes a 9V power supply or micro USB adapter as power input, but power output is done through banana plugs. I did not have any cables with banana plugs so I bought one on eBay for about $5 shipped. This cable is really convenient with output to USB (female connector), crocodile clips, and hook clips. However, as we’ll see below it may not be suitable for all types of loads, and you may have to make your own with a higher rated cable. You’ll need to […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on ESP RainMaker Eases Cloud Integration & Mobile App Development for ESP32-S2 SoC

ESP RainMaker Eases Cloud Integration & Mobile App Development for ESP32-S2 SoC

ESP RainMaker Android App

Espressif Systems is well-known for its low-cost, well-supported WiFI and Bluetooth SoC for IoT products and projects. But in recent years, the company has also come up with application-specific development boards and corresponding software frameworks to help customer develop their own. Those boards include ESP32-LyraTD-MSC for smart audio applications, or for ESP32-S2-Kaluga-1 multimedia applications using display and camera. The company is now offering another solution to help makers integrate ESP32-S2 secure WiSoC with the cloud and create a mobile app. Meet ESP RainMaker. Specifically, ESP RainMaker provides four main components:: Device Agent SDK to perform network provisioning, OTA updates and facilitate communication with the cloud. Based on the ESP-IDF SDK. Amazon’s AWS powered Transparent Cloud Middleware makes the device’s attributes accessible to the user’s phone applications or other third-party services via RESTful APIs. iOS/Android phone apps to configure and manage the connected device. The apps are “self-adapting”, meaning they can […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM
Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 32 Comments on Palm-Sized Chuwi LarkBox Mini PC Packs a Celeron N4100 Processor, 6GB RAM, and 128GB Storage

Palm-Sized Chuwi LarkBox Mini PC Packs a Celeron N4100 Processor, 6GB RAM, and 128GB Storage

CHUWI LarkBox

One of the smallest Intel mini PC we’ve seen so far was ECS LIVA Q2 Micro PC which Ian reviewed last year with an Intel Celeron N4000 Gemini Lake processor, 4GB RAM, and 32GB eMMC flash housed into a 70 x 70 x 33.4 mm (163.66 cm3) enclosure. CHUWI LarkBox is a similar mini PC with an Intel Celeron N4100 SoC, 6GB RAM, 128GB, and various ports into a 61 x 61 x 43 mm enclosure, that’s a bit taller but marginally smaller with a volume of 160 cm3. CHUWI LarkBox (preliminary) specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron N4100 quad-core Gemini Lake processor @ 1.1 / 2.4 GHz with Intel UHD Graphics 600; 6W TDP System Memory – 6GB LPDDR4 Storage – 128GB eMMC storage, MicroSD card slot Video Output – HDMI up to 4K resolutions Audio – 3.5mm audio jack, digital audio via HDMI Connectivity – Bluetooth 5.0, and I […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Boardcon RK1808 SBC Targets Smart Audio & Computer Vision Applications

Boardcon RK1808 SBC Targets Smart Audio & Computer Vision Applications

RK1808 SBC

Rockchip RK1808 neural network processing unit was initially an IP Block inside RK3399Pro, but the company eventually launched RK1808 Cortex-A35 processor as a standalone solution now providing up to 3.0 TOPS for AI inferencing in modules, USB sticks, and development kits. Boardcon offers another option with EM1808, a Rockchip RK1808 SBC equipped with the processor. The board should be suitable for two main types of AI applications, namely smart audio applications thanks to four audio ports, speaker header, & an onboard 4-mic array, and computer vision with MIPI CSI & DSI interfaces. Boardcon EM1808 board is comprised of a baseboard and CPU module with the following overall specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK1808 dual Cortex-A35 processor up to 1.6GHz with 3.0 TOPS (for INT8) NPU, VPU supporting H.264 1080p60 decode, 1080p30 encode System Memory- 2GB LPDDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash, MicroSD slot, M.2 NVMe SSD interface Display I/F – 26-pin […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Qualcomm 212 LTE IoT Modem Supports LTE Cat NB2, Promises Higher Power Efficiency

Qualcomm 212 LTE IoT Modem Supports LTE Cat NB2, Promises Higher Power Efficiency

Qualcomm 212 LTE IoT Modem

A few years ago, Qualcomm launched Snapdragon 212 processor for smart speakers. This post has nothing to do with this, but strangely the company decided to reuse the 212 number in its new Qualcomm 212 LTE IoT modem with the claim of being the “world’s most power-efficient single-mode (NB2) chipset”. Specifically, Qualcomm 212 LTE IoT Modem is said to require less than one micro-amp (1uA) of sleep current, support ultra-low system-level cut-off voltage (as low as 2.2V) with provisions for adapting power usage according to varying source power levels. Qualcomm® 212 LTE IoT Modem key features and specifications: MCU Core – Arm Cortex M3 @ up to 204 MHz Cellular Connectivity 3GPP Rel.14 LTE capabilities: Cat-NB2 with multi-carrier NPRACH and Paging, Cat-NB2 Release Assistance Indication (RAI), Cat-NB2 with larger TBS and 2 HARQ processes Peak Speeds – DL: 127 kbps; UL: 158.5 kbps Frequency Bands (700Mhz to 2.1 GHz for […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments on XCY X41 Mini PC Is Powered by an Intel Core i7-10510U Comet Lake Processor

XCY X41 Mini PC Is Powered by an Intel Core i7-10510U Comet Lake Processor

Comet Lake Mini PC

Released in August 2019, Intel’s  10th generation Comet Lake-Y and U-Series processors have been found in several laptops, but there have been less Comet Lake mini PC‘s announced with the new processors. XCY X41 barebone mini PC has been around for a while with Intel’s 6th Gen to 8th Gen processor but has recently been upgraded with a variant featuring the 15W Intel Core i7-10510U 10th Gen Comet Lake processor. XCY X41 mini PC (Comet Lake version) specifications: SoC – Intel Core i7-10510U quad-core/octa-thread Comet Lake-U processor @ 1.80 GHz / 4.90GHz (Turbo) with 8MB cache, 24 EU Intel UHD Graphics 620; 15W TDP (TDP up: 25 W / TDP down: 10 W) System Memory – 2x 260-pin SO-DIMM slot for up to 32GB DDR4 2400/2666MHz Storage – M.2 2280 socket for NVME SSD, SD card slot Video Output 1x HDMI up to 4096×2304 @ 24Hz 1x DisplayPport up to […]

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs and SoMs in 2025
Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments on Sonoff ZBBridge WiFi to Zigbee Gateway Launched for $16.90

Sonoff ZBBridge WiFi to Zigbee Gateway Launched for $16.90

Sonoff ZBBridge

Since the end of last year, ITEAD has introduced several Zigbee Sonoff products such as Sonoff Basic R3 Zigbee, but so far customers had to rely on third-party hardware for the gateway, and they very recently launched a CC2531 Zigbee USB dongle to ease the task. But now the company’s just-launched Sonoff ZBBridge WiFi to Zigbee gateway allows people to control compatible Zigbee devices using eWelink mobile app. Sonoff ZBBridge specifications: Wireless Connectivity – 2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n WiFi 4 and Zigbee 3.0 Power Input – 5V/1A Dimensions – 62 x 62 x 20 mm (PC V0) Weight – 35 grams Temperature Range – -10 to 40°C The gateway is working with BASICZBR3 Smart Switch, S31 Lite zb Smart Plug, and the upcoming SNZB-01 Wireless Switch, SNZB-02 Temperature & humidity sensor, SNZB-03 motion sensor, and SNZB-04 wireless door/window sensor. It will also work with other smart devices certified by the ZigBee […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX SoM Launched for $459, Third-Party Carrier Boards & Edge Computers Available

NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX SoM Launched for $459, Third-Party Carrier Boards & Edge Computers Available

NVIDIA announced the Jetson Xavier NX system-on-module last November with an NVIDIA Xavier SOC with 6 NVIDIA Carmel Arm v8.2 cores, a 384-core NVIDIA Volta GPU and two NVDLA deep learning accelerators for a combined 21 TOPS at 15 Watts. The 69.6 x 45 mm module also includes 8 GB LPDDR4x RAM and a 16GB eMMC flash with a 260-pin SO-DIMM providing various I/Os from PCIe to MIPI CSI and display interfaces such as HDMI and eDP. NVIDIA expected the module to be “available in March for $399 to companies looking to create high-volume production edge systems”, and at the time I thought it would be hard to purchase for simple mortals, but the company just sent an email announcing the launch of the module and it’s now listed for $459 on Arrow Electronics with no stock and a 16 weeks lead time. While there’s no Jetson Xavier NX development […]

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