CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

November 10, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

G12S Amlogic S905X2 Android TV Box Comes with 2T2R WiFi 5 Connectivity

Several Amlogic S905X2 TV boxes running Android have launched with products such as X96 Max, Beelink GT1 Mini, H96 Max X2, or Mecool KM9. Some of those boxes come with WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, and others feature better WiFI 802.11ac (WiFi 5), but according to ACEMAX no model comes with a 2T2R (2 transmit / 2 receiver) antenna setup (aka 2×2 MIMO) except for their G12S TV box sold on Aliexpress for $55.99. So if you aim for the best WiFi throughput possible in your TV box, it might be worth having a go. ACEMAX normally adds their brand on OEM product, and the actual manufacturer should be ShiningWorth with the G12x2 model. G12x2 / G12S TV box specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X2 quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 2.0 GHz with Mali-G31 MP2 “Dvalin” GPU System Memory – 4GB LPDDR4 Storage – 32GB or 64GB eMMC flash, micro SD card […]

November 10, 2018November 12, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 53 Comments

Giveaway Week – ANAVI Infrared pHat + Light pHat Starter Kit

Leon ANAVI works as a software engineer, but designs some open source hardware boards as a hobby, and usually sends me his creations for review. That means I have a bunch of his products, and today I’ll be giving away ANAVI Light pHat Starter Kit, and ANAVI Infrared pHat. The light sensor in the kit above will not be included, since I have no idea where it is… The winner still get the board and RGB LED string, and a few stickers. After connecting to a Raspberry Pi board and adding a 12V power supply, you’ll be able to control the LED as I did in “Getting Started with ANAVI Light pHat Starter Kit with RGB LED Strip, Light Sensor“. ANAVI Infrared pHat will also be part of the winning package, and you may consider reading the instructions showing how to control an air conditioner with a Raspberry Pi board. […]

November 9, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Linux on DeX (Linux on Samsung Android Phones & Tablets) Enters Private Beta

Samsung unveiled “Linux on Galaxy” a little over a year ago with the aim of allowing developers to running Linux desktop on their high Galaxy smartphones coupled with DeX Station dock, keyboard, mouse and display. It was not quite ready for public consumption yet, so I registered to their mailing list to get more information in due time. This morning, I received an email with the subject “Register for the Linux on DeX beta trail” that reads in part: As an early adopter, you signed up for Linux on Galaxy at the Samsung Developer Conference (SDC) 2017. This service allows you to project a Linux development environment onto a desktop environment, complete with a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. So you can bring your code with you, wherever you go. This year, we have renamed the service Linux on DeX, and are beginning a private beta trial. Please visit our booth […]

November 9, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

96Boards AI Sophon Edge Developer Board Features Bitmain BM1880 ASIC SoC

Bitmain, a company specializing in cryptocurrency, blockchain, and artificial intelligence (AI) application, has just joined Linaro, and announced the first 96Boards AI platform featuring an ASIC: Sophon BM1880 Edge Development Board, often just referred to as “Sophon Edge”. The board conforms to the 96Boards CE specification, and include two Arm Cortex-A53 cores, a Bitmain Sophon Edge TPU delivering 1 TOPS performance on 8-bit integer operations, USB 3.0 and gigabit Ethernet. Sophon Edge specifications: SoC ASIC – Sophon BM1880 dual core Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.5 GHz, single core RISC-V processor @ 1 GHz, 2MB on-chip RAM, and a TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) that can provide 1TOPS for INT8,and up to 2 TOPs by enabling Winograd convolution acceleration System Memory – 1GB LPDDR4 @ 3200Mhz Storage – 8GB eMMC flash + micro SD card slot Video Processing – H.264 decoder, MJPEG encoder/decoder, 1x 1080p @ 60fps or 2x 1080p @ 30fps H.264 decoder, […]

November 9, 2018November 11, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 76 Comments

Giveaway Week – ThaiEasyElec 3G Raspberry Pi HAT

3G-GPS-Tracker-Raspberry-Pi-Board-Configuration

You’ll need a 40-pin Raspberry Pi board for this giveaway. Quectel UC20 based ThaiEasyElec 3G Raspberry Pi HAT adds 3G / 2G connectivity to the popular development board. I”l send the board with the full kit include GPS/GLONASS antenna, cellular antenna, headers and spacers. I explained how to use the board in “How to Use 3G and GPS on Raspberry Pi” post, and I found that it was pretty easy working with GPS and 3G using Hologram SIM card by following the instructions provided by ThaiEasyElec. I could also find alternative connection method for this type of board on the Internet. To enter the draw simply leave a comment below. Other rules are as follows: Only one entry per contest. I will filter out entries with the same IP and/or email address. Contests are open for 48 hours starting at 10am (Bangkok time) every day. Comments will be closed after […]

November 8, 2018October 3, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 71 Comments

Rock Pi 4 Raspberry Pi Compatible RK3399 Board to Sell for $39 and Up

The long awaited RPi 4 is almost finally here! Except we’re not talking about Raspberry Pi 4, but Rock Pi 4 designed by Radxa team, back after three years following the launch of Radxa Rock 2 Square, with the new SBC just unveiled by Tom Cubie, Radxa founder. Rock Pi 4 single board computer is powered by a Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core processor coupled with 1 to 4GB RAM, and following Raspberry Pi 3 and ASUS Tinker board form factor. There will be two variants with Rock Pi 4 Model A and Model B sharing most of the same specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3399 big.LITTLE hexa-core processor with 2x Arm Cortex-A72 @ up to 1.8 GHz, 4x Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.4 GHz, a Mali-T864 GPU with support OpenGL ES1.1/2.0/3.0/3.1, OpenVG1.1, OpenCL, DX11, and AFBC, and a VPU with 4K VP9 and 4K 10-bit H265/H264 decoding System Memory – 1, 2 […]

November 8, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

The First 802.11ax WiFI 6 Routers are Now Shipping for $350 and Up

802.11ax WiFi, to be known as WiFi 6 for consumer, promises a much higher throughput up to 10 Gbps, and a better ability to manage high density scenario (i.e.). crowded places where may users connect at the same time. ASUS announced several 802.11ax routers at CES 2018, and the entry-level model – ASUS RT-AX88U – with a combined maximum throughput of 6000 Mbps (referred to as AX6000) is now sold on Amazon for $349.99. NETGEAR has also unveiled their own WiFi 6 routers with respectively Nighthawk AX80 (RAX80) and Nighthawk AX120 (RAX120) routers. I’ve already covered ASUS routers in a previous post, and the 12-stream RAX120 will only become available in Q1 2019, so I’ll focus on the spaceship looking 8-stream RAX80 router since it’s available now. RAX80 WiFi 6 router specifications: SoC – Broadcom BCM49408 quad core Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.8GHz with network packet co-processor @ 800 MHz WiFi […]

November 8, 2018November 8, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

Xiaomi Mi Box S is Now Available Worldwide for $55.99 (Promo)

Xiaomi Mi Box S TV box running Android TV 8.1 launched last month as an upgrade to the popular Xiaomi Mi Box with very similar specifications, but a new remote control, and a cheaper $60 price tag. That means if you already own a working Mi Box you probably don’t want to upgrade, but if you haven’t already that’s a better deal. There’s one caveat however. It’s only available in the US at Walmart, so if you leave in another part of the world it’s not easily possible to order one, except going via a US forwarder. The good news is that you can now purchase it on GearBest for $55.99 with coupon GBMIBOXS (Note: they only have 1,000 pieces at this price). Xiaomi Mi Box S specifications as a reminder: SoC – Amlogic S905X quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.5GHz with penta-core Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – […]