CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

April 24, 2018April 24, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 20 Comments

NanoPi K1 Plus is a $35 Allwinner H5 Development Board using Raspberry Pi Form Factor

Almost exactly one year ago, FriendlyELEC launched NanoPi K2 board powered by Amlogic S905 processor, following Raspberry Pi 3 form factor, but adding an eMMC flash socket, Gigabit Ethernet, 4K video playback, an I2S header, more memory (2GB RAM), and doing without a camera or LCD display interface. The company has now launched another similar looking model – NanoPi K1 Plus – based on Allwinner H5 processor, also equipped with one DVP camera connector, but losing one USB 2.0 port, and HDMI is limited to 4K @ 30 Hz. NanoPi K1 Plus specifications: SoC – Allwinner H5 quad-core Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.3+ GHz with Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – micro SD card slot, eMMC flash interface Video Output – HDMI 1.4 up to 4K @ 30 fps, CVBS (composite) Audio HDMI digital audio output 3.5mm audio jack On-board microphone 7-pin 2.54mm pin header Connectivity – Gigabit […]

April 24, 2018April 25, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

GalliumOS is a Linux Distribution for (Intel) Chromebooks & Chromeboxes

When I wrote about Crostini VM to run Linux apps on Chromebooks last week, I was informed about GalliumOS, described as a fast and lightweight Linux distro for ChromeOS devices – meaning Chromebooks and Chromeboxes – that is based on Xubuntu. Compared to ChromeOS, GalliumOS – and other Linux distributions – provides the ability to run more programs and more flexibility, and GalliumOS is said to deliver improved performance, longer battery life, better touchscreen support, etc.. compared to competing Linux distributions. You can go over the Download page to retrieve an image for your Chromebook or Chromebox, and either replace ChromeOS or go for a dual boot setup. The distribution does not support any Arm Chromebooks for now, and only works with some Intel devices with or without caveats depending on the model used. Check out the hardware compatibility matrix for details. The source code can be found on Github. […]

April 24, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Kite is an Open Source Hardware Android Smartphone Powered by Snapdragon 450 Processor (Crowdfunding)

Kite is an open source hardware Android phone kit specifically targeting makers which you can assemble yourself into a Kitephone. The phone is based on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 mainboard (Kiteboard v2), and comes with a 720p touchscreen display module, a 12MP camera, antennas, buttons, a 3,000 mAh battery, and a Raspberry Pi HAT compatibility board to optionally interface to external hardware. Kiteboard v2 specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 octa-core Arm Cortex A53 @ 1.8 GHz with Adreno 506 GPU System Memory – 2 GB RAM Storage – 16 GB storage + microSD card slot Connectivity Cellular LTE Cat. 6/3G/2G, 2x nano SIM slots (dual-SIM dual standby) Two variant North America with LTE FDD Bands: 2,4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 14, 25, 26 LTE TDD Bands: 41 WCDMA 850, 1700, 1900, 2100 GSM 850, 1900 Rest of the World (Europe, Russia, etc…) LTE FDD Bands: 1, 3, 5, 7, […]

April 23, 2018April 23, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

This Smartphone Tripod with Microphone is Designed for Audio/Video Recording

More and more use cases are being handled by smartphones, and we’ve recently seen smartphone stands helping with specific applications such as keyboard and mouse mobile gaming, or a flexible lazy holder allowing you to carry the phone around hands-free among other things. I’ve now come across another smartphone stand that’s designed for audio recording with a built-in microphone, and that could be useful to video bloggers, or others requiring high(er) quality audio recording on the go. Specifications & key features: Microphone Material – ABS + Aluminum alloy Monomer: Electrets condenser Directivity – Heart-shaped Test voltage: 1.5V Impedance: 220Ω Sensitivity: -39db±3dB (0dB=1V/Pa at 1kHz) S/N: ≥65dB 3.5mm audio jack connector 360 degree tube rotation design for microphone holder Foldable tripod with adjustable clamp for smartphone The accessory works with any phones that comes with a 3.5mm audio jack, or adapter for phones with a USB type C port only. The […]

April 23, 2018April 23, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Primebook Laptop Runs Android based PrimeOS with Start Menu, Multi-Tasking Support, Key Mapping, etc…

After solutions such as Remix OS and Phoenix OS, PrimeOS is the latest attempt to bring Android OS to the desktop with support for a start menu, a status bar with pinned apps, multiple windows & multi-tasking, key mapping for playing games with keyboard, various power modes, and so on. Floydwiz Technologies Pvt. Ltd has ported their Prime OS to Arm and x86 laptops which they call Primebooks. The first model is based on Rockchip RK3288 Arm processor with the following specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3288 quad core Cortex A17 processor @ up to 1.8 GHz with Arm Mali-T764 GPU System Memory – 2 GB LPDDR3 RAM Storage – 64 GB flash + micro SD slot up to 256 GB Display – 14.0″ TN LCD HD Display (non-touch) Video Output – mini HDMI port Audio – 3.5mm audio jack, built-in microphone and speaker Connectivity – WiFi 802.11 b/g/n + Bluetooth […]

April 23, 2018April 23, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Making a DIY Case Out of PVC Pipes & Fittings for Electronics Projects

If you’ve ever visited Thailand, you may have noticed blue PVC pipes that are for water supplies, and usually visible since most of the time they are not placed underground. The pipes and fittings are very cheap, easy to find, and one person found out those could be used to make DIY cases for electronics projects. The two specimen above are a LoRaWAN node & gateway. The former is based on ESP07(ESP8266) module and RFM95W LoRa 868/915Mhz RF transceiver module, together with battery and sensors, while the latter is 1-channel LoRaWAN gateway or repeater, but I could not find the full details of the hardware design. I find that’s a clever idea, the design is pretty neat, and not everybody owns a 3D printer. An additional benefit is that it should be suitable for waterproof cases by adding some pipe glue to the unmovable parts, and a PVC screw cap […]

April 23, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

24 Orange Pi Zero Boards Cluster and ArmWizard’s Debian Image

ArmWizard forum member “-W.-” needed a cluster to test his firmware build and deployment solution for Orange Pi Zero boards which can deploy the firmware to multiple boards from one single board. So he procured 24 Orange Pi Zero boards, a 24-port switch, some USB hubs and debug board, as well as some other accessories, power supplies, and two wooden planks. That’s the results after assembly. So we have 4 tower of six Orange Pi Zero boards fairly neatly connected to the 24-port Ethernet switch with 30 cm Ethernet cables, and four black USB hubs for the USB to TTL debug boards. The side view below shows the boards are powered by micro USB cables connected to three different power supplies, cooling achieved via four fans, and the power extension is hidden right underneath close to the Ethernet switch. The cluster will also be used for machine learning latter on, […]

April 22, 2018April 22, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

My Experience with Dodocool AC750 WiFi Repeater

A while ago, I tested Dodocool DC30S USB type C Hub with HDMI, USB port, and a card reader, and recently the company asked me whether I wanted to review another of their accessories. My ISP has recently taken the habit of being down several hours each month, so I rely on my neighbor’s WiFi (with he’s permission) in those case, but since the signal is too weak, I’m using a wireless audio streamer and a power bank to extend the signal and connect it to my router using WDS Bridging. Then I saw Dodocool DC24 802.11ac WiFi repeater, so I decided to give it a chance. Dodocool DC24 A750 Repeater Unboxing I received the device is a cardboard box with some specifications. It’s an AC750 router/repeater with 300 Mbps @ 2.4 GHz + 433 Mbps @ 5 GHz. The product page linked above has some more details with the […]