CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

February 3, 2020February 3, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Raspberry Pi 4 is Now OpenGL ES 3.1 Conformant, Work on Vulkan Drivers Started

Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 4 was launched last June with a new Broadcom BCM2711 SoC featuring an upgraded Videocore VI GPU supporting OpenGL ES 3.0 graphics API. Some drivers only implement a subset of OpenGL 3.0/3.1 3D graphics standard defined by the Khronos Group, and the good news is that Raspberry Pi 4 Model B is now OpenGL ES 3.1 conformant, as it passed all tests in Khronos conformance test suite. That means that any Linux programmed using OpenGL ES 3.1 API should work out of the box, although in some cases there may be issues/bugs that were not detected by the test suite. The Vulkan API is an evolution of OpenGL ES API that is meant to be more power-efficient as it better makes utilize of multi-core processors. The Raspberry Pi Foundation has also started working on Vulkan support for Raspberry Pi 4, and while the driver is […]

February 3, 2020March 16, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Reolink Argus PT Review – A Solar powered Pan-Tilt Security Camera

Last year, I reviewed Reolink Argus Eco solar powered security camera, and I’m still using it to date. It’s working fairly well, although sometimes motion detection will not be triggered, or triggered too slowly so it’s not impossible to miss important footage. The PIR function can be tweaked so maybe it’s just a question of finding the right settings for a given location. Nevertheless, the company has now launched a new model called Reolinkg Argus PT that is very similar to the Argus Ego but with PT (Pan, Tilt) function, and I received a sample for review. Since both models are so similar, I recommend reading Argus Eco review first, as I’ll focus on the differences. Reolink Argus PT Unboxing I received two packages like las time: the camera itself, and Reolink solar panel. The camera comes with a WiFi antenna, a wall-mounting set, a USB cable, and some documentation. […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM

February 2, 2020February 1, 2020 by Stephen Vicinanza - 8 Comments

Sania Box Raspberry Pi 4 based DIY Kit is Designed for STEM Education (Crowdfunding)

Sania Box, A Special Kind of DIY RPi4 Based Kit The 13-year-old Sania Jain is a young entrepreneur, published writer and tech aficionado who now offers an embedded computer kit called Sania Box. The Raspberry Pi 4 based embedded system kit comes with an add-on board and has been designed to develop coding skills in anyone 8 years old or more, and for learning IoT, STEM, and for all kinds of DIY fun. Background Some DIY RPi-based kits can be found in our archives, such as the Piper Computer Kit 2 made for children’s education, but there’s now another option thanks to Sania Jain who has been designing, building, and writing in the STEM arena for some time. Sania Jain’s accomplishments are amazing, and look to be just her beginning in STEM-based endeavors. A Concept With Wide Reach The Sania Box was conceived by Sania Jain and built by Moonshot […]

February 1, 2020December 1, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 17 Comments

Rockchip RK3566, RK3588, RV1109 SoC’s Coming in 2020 based on Rockchip Processor Roadmap

Last year, Rockchip had a presentation in China where they highlighted their processor roadmap for 2020, and we learned about processors such as Rockhip RK3588 Cortex-A76/A55, RK3530 Cortex-A55 SoC’s, and RV1109 camera processor, but we had limited details about the processors at the time. CNX Software has now received a more detailed roadmap that reveals some of the specifications about the new processors, and some Rockchip products that people may not be aware of such as a 3D structured light module and a 4G module. Rockchip RK3566 Rockchip RK3530 is not shown in the roadmap, but there’s a similar RK3566 processor, so I assume the company just changed the name. Rockchip RK3566 specifications: CPU – Quad-core Arm Cortex-A55 @ 1.8GHz GPU – Arm Mali-G52 2EE NPU – 0.5 TOPS with support for INT8/ INT16 Multi-Media 8M ISP 2.0 with 3F HDR(Line-based/Frame-based/DCG) Support MIPI-CSI2,4-lane 1080p60 H.265, H.264 encoding 4K H.264/H.265/VP9 60fps […]

January 31, 2020January 31, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 32 Comments

Coronavirus Impact on Manufacturing and Shipping from China

Unless you are living under a rock, you may have heard about the coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China. The Hubei province, and much of China, is in complete lockdown with many businesses closed, and people staying home as the government extended Chinese New Year for a few days until the epidemic is under control. This should obviously have an economic impact, at least in the short term, for the next few weeks or months since people are asked to stay home, and so much of what we consume is manufactured in China. And indeed, I’ve seen more and more companies announcing delays due to the virus, and I’ll provide some examples. Freetronics, an Australian company selling boards and other electronics products, has issued a notice explaining they are directly impacted since they work with manufacturers are based in Wuhan, Beijing, and Shenzhen: Bare PCBs for both Freetronics and SuperHouse products […]

January 31, 2020January 31, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

Reminder: Sometimes Crowdfunding Campaigns Go Wrong

Many products are launched via crowdfunding campaigns, and in theory, both the business and end-users benefit from the opportunity. It helps companies evaluate the demand before committing to large expenses, and reduce their financial risk, while end-users pledging in a crowdfunding campaign will be the first-ever to get the product, and often at a significant discount compared to the eventual retail price. But the flip-side is that they are risks for backers, they did not just buy a product online, but bet on the developers to deliver the products. Sometimes the project fails due to incompetence, unexpected challenges, or even fraudulent behavior from the developers. I remember one project where one of the developers just decided to buy a house with the funds raised instead of developing the promised 3D printer. I was reminded of this important point by email this morning, as I covered TAIHE Gemini 15.6″ full HD […]

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

January 31, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Google ADT-3 Developer Kit is Now Available for Purchase for $79

Google ADT-3 Android TV 10 Developer-Kit

Google released Android TV on Android 10 last month while announcing the Google ADT-3 developer kit to help developers make sure their TV apps are ready for the latest version of the operating system. The developer kit, that’s basically a TV box, was not available at the time, and we had limited information, but Google ADT-3 can now be purchased for $79 on Askey, an ASUS Computers subsidiary. We also know the full specifications for Google ADT-3: SoC – Amlogic S905Y2 quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.8 GHz with an Arm Mali-G31 MP2 GPU System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 8GB eMMC flash Video Output – HDMI 2.1 port up to 4K Ultra HD resolution @ 60 Hz Connectivity – 802.11ac (2.4GHz / 5GHz) 2T2R WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2 classic+LE USB – 1x Micro USB port Misc – Bluetooth Pairing / Recovery Button, red/green status indicator Power Supply […]

January 30, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Ntablet Android & Linux Tablet Features a Replaceable RK3288 CPU Module, GPIO Board

Most tablets on the market either run Android or Windows, and while some have tried to launch Linux tablets, none of the products have really caught on, although the upcoming PINETAB might change that. Another option might be Ntablet 7″ tablet that runs either Android, Debian or WebOS Linux operating systems, but also offers some innovative features such as a replaceable Rockchip RK3288 CPU module, and an external GPIO board for makers. Ntablet hardware specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3288 quad-core Cortex-A17 processor @ 1.8 GHz with Mali-T760 quad-core GPU System Memory – 2GB LPDDR3 Storage – 16GB eMMC flash, MicroSD card slot up to 32GB Display – 7″ touchscreen IPS display with 1920×1200 resolution Video Output – Micro HDMI port Audio – 3.5mm headphone jack Camera – 5MP front-facing camera (OV5648 sensor) Connectivity – 802.11b/g/n/ac WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 4.0 via Ampak AP6255 module USB – 1x USB 2.0 port, […]