CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

April 11, 2018January 14, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

4K ATV Stick Looks like the Offspring of ChromeCast and FireTV Stick 2017 with a Big “G” Logo

A new Android TV device has shown up on the FCC website, and generated quite a lot of buzz last time online with the source of the story originating from Reddit or Ausdroid, and picked up by many blogs because the device comes with a “G” logo that looks like the one Google might use… But in all likelihood it should just be another TV stick running Android TV OS, and the FCC listing has been submitted by Shenzhen SEI Robotics, an Android TV box manufacturer. The device is based on Amlogic S905X processor with 2GB RAM, and looks like a mix between the ChromeCast and Amazon FireTV 2017 with its short built-in HDMI cable and rounded shape. Hardware specifications: SoC- Amlogic S905X quad core Cortex A53 processor with Arm Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 8GB eMMC flash Video & Audio Output – HDMI 2.0a with […]

April 11, 2018April 11, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Banana Pi BPI-AI-Voice is a $169 Speech Recognition Development Kit based on MicroSemi ZL38063

SinoVoIP has just launched BPI-AI-Voice development platform for speech recognition on Aliexpress for $169, and excluding the different PCB color, it is a clone of the official $299 Microsemi AcuEdge Development Kit for Amazon AVS, which is based on MicroSemi ZL38063 audio processor and comes with two microphones. BPI-AI-Voice key features: Audio Processor – MicroSemi ZL38063 Storage – U2 SPI flash to store ZL38063 firmware Audio 4x on-board digital microphones (AKU441) supporting a 2 microphone configuration for 180° and 360° audio pick-up. 2x low cost class D audio amplifier (NCP2820) Expansion Headers JMMA1 audio header for digital microphone, analog out, and 3 GPIOs JM1-4 digital microphone headers for off-board microphones 40-pin P2 header to connected to Raspberry Pi 3 (I2S, SPI and 8x GPIO used) Debugging – JAIB2/2 auto tuning headers, micro USB port. Power Supply – 5V via micro USB port Dimensions – 70 mm × 66 mm Temperature […]

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

FUZE Bluetooth Credit Card is Vulnerable to Hacking over Bluetooth

FUZE Card is a Bluetooth enabled card with ePaper display that can store up to 30 real credit card. You’d program credit cards into it via Bluetooth Smart (BLE) using a smart phone app, and use it like a normal credit card while paying, after selecting the card you want to use. It’s more convenient than carrying many cards, and more secure since part of the number are hidden (shown as stars ****), so whoever get your card can’t easily make a copy of the information. A problem however is that according to ICE9 Consulting, there’s a security vulnerability that allows credit card numbers to be stolen via Bluetooth: CVE-2018-9119. The full details can be found on ICE9 blog post. They started to make a X-Ray to find out about the main components see (photo below), and the reverse-engineered the Bluetooth protocol using an Android smartphone, and software tools such as Burp […]

April 10, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

HP Chromebook x2 is a 2-in-1 Tablet Running Chrome OS

We’ve recently seen what should be the first Chrome OS tablet with Acer Chromebook Tab featuring a Rockchip RK3399 / OP1 processor, and a 9.7″ display. The device is now joined by a high-end tablet, or more exactly a 2-in-1 tablet/ laptop with HP Chromebook x2. Specifications: SoC – Intel Core M3-7Y30 dual core/four thread processor @ 1.0 / 2.6 GHz with Intel HD Graphics 615 @ 300 / 615 MHz; 4.5W TDP System Memory – 4GB or 8GB LPDDR3-1600 RAM Storage -32GB eMMC flash, micro SD slot up to 256 GB Display – 12.3″ touchscreen display with 2400 x 1600 resolution; Camera – 13MP rear camera, 5MP front-facing camera/webcam Audio – Stereo speakers, dual microphones, headphone jack Connectivity – 802.11 ac 2×2 MIMO WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2 LE USB – 2x USB 3.0 type C ports User Input – Detachable island-style keyboard and an HP Active Pen for pressure-sensitive input. Battery […]

April 10, 2018April 10, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Advantech and SocioNext Collaborate for 8K 60Hz Real-Time HEVC Video Encoding, Streaming, and Decoding Solutions

The first live event to be broadcasted in 8K resolution should be the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020, but but broadcasters will use large and expensive infrastructure equipment to achieve this feat. However, the cost of this solution will be prohibitive for most other situations, so Advantech and SocioNext have collaborated to provide more affordable solutions for live 8Kp60 HEVC video encoding and decoding. One of those solution is Advantech VEGA-3304 that is said to be the first 8Kp60 HEVC acquisition encoder, and comes with 16 x SDI-3G inputs Key features: 1-ch 8Kp60, 4-ch 4Kp60 or 16-ch 1080Kp60 HEVC real-time encoding in Main 8, Main 10 4:2:2 modes Video acquisition over built-in 16-ch 3G-SDI inputs HDR support Double width, ¾ length PCI Express x16, compatible with server GPU slots The PCIe card supports Linux and Windows, and simple-to-use API and example code for FFmpeg and GStreamer multimedia are provided. It can […]

April 9, 2018April 9, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 17 Comments

RasPad is a Tablet Kit for Raspberry Pi 3 B+ and Other Development Boards (Crowdfunding)

Many people interesting in coding and working on projects with the Raspberry Pi just likely connect the board to a monitor, USB keyboard and mouse, and to a power adapter, but if you are interested in having some more compact and portable RasPad tablet kit may be for you. The kit is compatible with Raspberry Pi boards, including the latest Raspberry Pi 3 B+, as well as other Arm/x86 Linux development boards including Tinker Board, LattePanda or BeagleBone Black. [Update: The design likely only works with RPi form factor, so if you use other boards with HDMI output, you may have to leave them out of the housing] RasPad key features: Display – 10.1″ IPS touch screen Video – HDMI port Audio – 2W speaker, audio jack Misc – 3 buttons (volume/brightness +, volume/brightness -, power), micro “USB touch” port Battery – Good for about 3 hours Power Supply – […]

April 9, 2018April 29, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

MX10 May Be the First TV Box to Run Android 8.1 “Oreo”

Android 8.0 “Oreo”was launched in August 2017 for smartphones and tablets, and it normally takes some time before the operating system is ported to TV boxes. So far, I had no seen any boxes running Android 8.x, but today I’ve come across MX10 TV box based on Rockchip RK3328 processor, that’s said to run Android 8.1 “Oreo”. MX10 TV box specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3328 quad core Cortex A53 processor with Arm Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 4GB DDR4 RAM Storage – 32GB eMMC flash + SD card slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K 60Hz with HDR support + 3.5mm AV port (composite) Audio Output – Via HDMI, AV port (stereo audio), coaxial S/PDIF output Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi USB – 1x USB 3.0 port, 3x USB 2.0 ports Power Supply – 5V2A Dimensions – The box ships with a power adapter, a remote […]

April 9, 2018April 9, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

TinyFPGA BX is a Tiny Open Source Hardware iCE40 FPGA Board that Fits into a Breadboard (Crowdfunding)

Last Friday, I wrote about Fipsy, a $10 breadboard-friendly FPGA board powered by Lattice Semi MachXO2 FPGA with 256 LUTs, but I then remember I had covered a board somewhat similar with TinyFPGA board last year based on either the same MachXO2-256 (TinyFPGA A1), or a slightly more powerful MachXO2-1200 FPGA (TinyFPGA A2). It happens the developer is now running a crowdfunding campaign on Crowdsupply for TinyFPGA BX board, which can be used with a breadboard, and is powered by Lattice Semi ICE40LP8K FPGA that will offer more flexibility thanks to 7,680 LUTs. TinyFPGA BX specifications: FPGA – Lattice Semi ICE40LP8K FPGA with 7,680 four-input look-up-tables, 128 KBit block RAM, Phase Locked Loop Storage – 8 MBit of SPI Flash Expansion 2x 14-pin header for I/Os, GND and Vin 21x solder pads on back of the board USB – 1x micro USB 2.0 FS port for programming Oscillator – 16 […]