CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

June 28, 2018July 13, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Air-T Artificial Intelligence Radio Transceiver SDR Platform Combines NVIDIA Jetson TX2 and Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA (Crowdfunding)

If often write about low end and cheaper hardware on this blog, but not in this post. Deepwave Digital Air-T (Artificial Intelligence Radio – Transceiver) is a high-end software defined radio platform with continuous frequency coverage from 300 MHz to 6 GHz. The board combines AD9371 RFIC transceiver providing up to 2 x 2 MIMO of 100 MHz of receiving bandwidth, a Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA, and NVIDIA Jetson TX2 module. Air-T hardware specifications & key features: Software-defined Radio Analog Devices 9371 2×2 MIMO transceiver 2 x RX channels (100 MHz each) 2 x TX channels (100 MHz each) Auxiliary RX channels: Observation & Sniffer. Note: Can use either Observation or Sniffer at one time; utilizes one of the RX channels NVIDIA Jetson TX2 for processing 256 NVIDIA CUDA core GPU 6 CPU cores – 2x NVIDIA Denver2, 4x Arm Cortex-A57 8GB RAM 32GB eMMC flash Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA with75k logic […]

June 28, 2018June 28, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

MintBox Mini 2 Apollo Lake Linux Mini PC Launched for $300 and Up

Mintbox Mini 2 / Mini 2 Pro (MB2M) Linux mini PC based on Intel Celeron J3455 Apollo Lake processor and running Linux mint 19 was first announced in March of this year. Compulab has now announced availability of both models, as well as some extra add-on boards: PoE Ethernet device FACET card, 2.5″ HDD FACET card, and GPIO + serial + CANbus FACET Card. The main specifications have not changed with the main differences between the two models between the memory and storage capacities: SoC – Intel Celeron J3455 quad core processor @ 1.5 / 2.2 GHz with 12 EU HD graphics; 10W TDP System Memory & Storage MB2M – 4GB DDR3L-1866 (upgradeable to 16GB via 1x 204-SO-DIMM slot) + 64GB M.2 SSD + micro SD slot MB2M Pro – 8GB DDR3L-1866 (upgradeable to 16GB via 1x 204-SO-DIMM slot) + 120GB M.2 SSD + micro SD slot Display – mini DP […]

June 28, 2018June 28, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

SD Express Adds PCIe and NVMe Interfaces to SD Cards for up to 985 MB/s Transfer Rates

SD cards are known for the convenience, portability, and relatively cheap prices, but not so much for their performance which can be pretty poor especially for the cheaper and lower capacity models, and when fast random I/O is needed. The SD Association have been working on helping customer buy performant cards for their needs with – for instance – the app performance class introduced in SD 5.1 specification, which defines minimum random read and write speeds in Class A1 and Class A2 micro SD cards. However, the association has gone a step further with SD Express found in SD specification 7.0 that adds PCIe and NVMe interfaces to the legacy SD card interface. SD Express will enable theoretical data transfer rate up to 985 MB/s via PCIe 3.0, as well as advanced memory access mechanisms such as Bus Mastering, Multi Queue (without locking mechanism) and Host Memory Buffer thanks to […]

June 27, 2018July 5, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Beelink X45 Basic/Premium NUC Clone Launched for $220 and Up

Last week, we started to read about Beelink X series mini PCs powered by Gemini Lake processors, and with a design similar to Intel NUC mini PCs. Three models will be available at first with Beelink X45 Basic/Premium based on Intel Celeron J4105 processor with respectively 4GB/64GB and 6GB/128GB RAM/storage configurations, and Beelink X55 with a more powerful Intel Pentium Silver J5005 processor, 8GB RAM, and a 128GB SSD. The Beelink X45 models have now showed up on GearBest with pricing starting at $219.99 shipped, but you can bring that down to just under $200 with GBmidyear2018 coupon. Beelink X45 Premium model sells for $259.99 before applying any coupon. [Update: Banggood lists Beelink X45 for $172.99 shipped] Beelink X45 Standard/Premium specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron J4105 quad core Gemini Lake processor clocked @ 1.50 GHz / 2.50 GHz (Turbo) with Intel UHD Graphics 600; 10W TDP System Memory / Storage […]

June 27, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Canonical Releases Ubuntu 16.04 LTS Certified for Intel NUC

In the x86 world, the theory is that you can take a single Linux distro image should work on any x86 compatible hardware. But for Atom-class processors however, including Bay Trail, Cherry Trail, Apollo Lake and Gemini Lake it has not always been the case, especially with features like audio output, Bluetooth, touchpad, and others. That’s why for example, Linuxium (Ian Morrison) decided to write isorepin.sh script in order to respin Ubuntu ISO images for such platforms and fix various issues. However, it appears Canonical and Intel have decided to take matters into their own hand, and have now released Ubuntu 16.04 LTS certified for Intel NUC mini PCs, kits, and boards for IoT deployment. Canonical made available both Ubuntu Desktop and Ubuntu Core images. Most supported devices are based on Intel 7th generation Intel Core processors: NUC7i5DNKPC Mini PC with Intel Core i5-7300U NUC7i3DNKTC Mini PC with Intel Core […]

June 27, 2018June 27, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Qualcomm IPQ8078 based H3C WA6628 802.11ax WiFi Enterprise Router Supports up to 1000 Concurrent Clients

802.11ax WiFi aims to deliver aggregate throughput up to 10 Gbps, and better manage use cases with many users providing with up to 4 times average throughput per user compared to 802.11ac. We’ve already seen some ASUS 802.11ax routers, but if you ever have to organize an event with hundreds or thousands of users, or setup WiFi in crowded places like airports or train stations, Qualcomm IPQ8078 (datasheet) powered H3C WA6628 802.11ax enterprise router could be an interesting as the company claims its 12 stream channels can serve data to up to 1000 client devices simultaneously. The WA6628 routers comes with a 10G Ethernet port, built-in Bluetooth, and is said to improve wireless network transmission rates by at least three times compared to 802.11ac Wave 2 access points. Some of highlights of Qualcomm IPQ8078 SoC / WA6628 router include: 8×8 MU-MIMO doubles the number of devices which can be concurrently […]

June 27, 2018June 27, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

WPA3 WiFi Security Formally Introduced, WiFi Easy Connect Allows Easier Setup of Headless Devices

While I still see some open WiFi access points from time to time in the wild, most people are using WPA2 authentication to connect securely to their own WiFi router, or public ones instead of WEP that has been found to be insecure many years ago. WPA2 is not quite secure as it once was, as last year WPA2-PSK was cracked. It’s not that bad, as it may still take several days with a strong password requiring a large password file for the hack to work. Still a new revision was needed, and the WiFi alliance has just introduced Wi-Fi WPA3 security. Just like with WPA2, there are personal and enterprise modes for WPA3 WPA3-Personal WPA2-Personal Pre-shared Key (PSK) is replaced with Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE), which is said to be resistant to offline dictionary attacks where an adversary tries possible passwords without further network interaction. WPA3-Personal/SAE enables: Natural […]

June 27, 2018June 27, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Snapdragon Wear 2500 Launched for the 4G LTE Kid Watch Market

Qualcomm has made several announcements at Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2018. We’ve already covered Snapdragon 632, 639, and 629 processors for mid- and high-tier smartphones, but the company has also finally announced a new SoC for wearables succeeding Snapdragon Wear 2100. Meet Snapdragon Wear 2500, specifically targeting 4G children watches. Qualcomm is usually not the best company when it comes to releasing technical details about their processors, but here what Snapdragon Wear 2500 specifications should look like: Processor – 4x Arm Cortex A7 GPU – Adreno-class GPU Connectivity – Fifth generation 4G LTE modem with RF front-end (RFFE), location engine, “Bluetooth streaming architecture”, NXP NFC solution Camera I/F – 5MP Ultra-low power sensor hub working with InvenSense sensors Power – Wearable PMIC reducing Rock Bottom Sleep Current (RBSC) by percent, charger, fuel gauge Compact package Snapdragon Wear 2500 is designed for low power with up to 14 percent longer battery […]