CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

December 28, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Help Testing TLS 1.3 Compatibility for a More Efficient & Secure Internet

Transport Layer Security (TLS) is the protocol that allows for secure websites (via https), and currently, TLS 1.2 is the version most commonly used today, with 1.0 and 1.1 still supported by many servers for backward compatibility with older browsers, including the one running this blog. TLS 1.3 is the next version, already supported in libraries and server software such as wolfSSL or nginx, and promises to be more efficient – important for battery operated devices (IoT) – thanks to features like zero-RTT (0-RTT) mode, speedy with a restructured handshake state machine, and more secure. However, changes in security protocol may mess up connection with some browsers or middleboxes, as I experience when I enabled https on CNX Software using Let’s Encrypt with nginx and Cloudflare, with around 0.5% of users losing access due to using older web browsers and operating systems such as Internet Explorer on Windows XP. According […]

December 27, 2017December 27, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

More Details about Goldmont Plus Microarchitecture (used in Gemini Lake Processors)

2017 was the year of systems based on Intel’s low power, low cost Apollo Lake processors, and provided Intel does not suddenly decide to cancel yet another product, they will be replaced by Gemini Lake processors in 2018. The former is based on Goldmont microarchitecture, while the latter relies on the updated Goldmont microarchitecture. Intel has now released a document entitled “Intel 64 and IA-32 Architectures Optimization Reference Manual” where you’ll find more gritty technical details about Goldmont Plus in chapter 16 “SOFTWARE OPTIMIZATION FOR GOLDMONT PLUS, GOLDMONT, AND SILVERMONT MICROARCHITECTURES”. The enhancements over Goldmont include: Widen previous generation Atom processor back-end pipeline to 4-wide allocation to 4-wide retire, while maintaining 3-wide fetch and decode pipeline. Enhanced branch prediction unit. Improved AES-NI instruction latency and throughput. 64KB shared second level pre-decode cache (16KB in Goldmont microarchitecture). Larger reservation station and ROB entries to support large out-of-order window. Wider integer execution […]

December 27, 2017December 27, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

ALio Proto Board Supports Through Hole, DIP, and SMD Components (Crowdfunding)

Perfboards and stripboards are very useful to design your own simple electronic boards without having to design your own board from scratch. However, you have to select through hole or DIP components, as – while possible with some efforts – such boards are not designed for SMD components. AERD, an open source electronic development startup based in Indonesia, has designed ALio prototyping boards supporting both through hole and SMD components, as well as some common connectors/accessories such as micro SD card, USB connector, and so on. Three versions of the board (basic, embedded, Arduino) are available with the following specifications & features: Fits SMD and PTH components at the same time. Double layer bus (top and bottom) Other components/headers All versions – 1.1 mm pitch pad for micro SD/SD card breakout Embedded & Arduino only – mini & micro USB pads, 1x SPI breakout Arduino only – Arduino header, one […]

December 27, 2017December 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

$17 Sonoff S31 Wireless Smart Socket Includes Energy Monitoring Function

ITEAD Studio has just launched another Sonoff Smart Home product with Sonoff S31 WiFi smart socket with energy monitoring. Just like Sonoff switches, light bulbs, and their other products, the device can be controlled using eWelink app for Android or iOS, and supports integration with Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant. It should be noted that the company only provide a US plug version for now, and so far, there’s no Wiki link, so while it’s likely based on ESP8266 or ESP8285 like their other Sonoff devices, it may not be designed to be easily hackable, although I suspect the electronics may be similar to Sonoff POW switch (TBC). Sonoff S31 hardware specifications listed by ITEAD: Voltage Input – 90~264V AC, 50/60HZ Max. Current – 16A Max. Power – 4200W (Note package above reads max load: 220V/10A) Gang – 1x US type with ground Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n WiFi with support […]

December 27, 2017December 27, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

UBPorts Ubuntu Touch Firmware to Add Android App Support using Anbox

Last spring, Canonical stopped working on mobile and convergence, and dropped any work on Unity, which explains why Ubuntu 17.10 is now running Gnome desktop environment by default. The company had to take this decision because there was little interest from manufacturers for such solution, and instead they refocused on the more profitable IoT and cloud markets. However, some members of the community still wanted to run Ubuntu on their phone, and that’s why UBPorts community decided to carry on development on their own and released their first stable Ubuntu Touch image for supported smartphones last summer. A phone running Ubuntu Touch is great, but you’d have a very limited set of app to play with, so the developers are now working on adding support for Android apps support. There are various ways to implement such features, but they went with Anbox, as it executes Android apps natively in a […]

December 26, 2017June 26, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments

What’s the Best Android TV Box (2017/2018 Edition)?

Since I was often asked which TV box to buy, I wrote a guide entitled “What’s the best Android TV box?” in April 2016. Time has passed, new products have launched, I tested more devices, and got further reader feedback, so it’s time for an update. There’s still no device that rules them all, and since everybody has different requirements and price points, what could the best Android TV box ever to one person, maybe be a piece of junk to another. Before purchasing a TV box, you should consider what you plan to do with it, and find the device with matches your needs and budget. So first, I’ll provide a list of things to look for – beside the SoC/RAM selection – before selecting three TV boxes that stand out (in no particular order), as well as alternatives worth looking at. Things to Look for The list is […]

December 26, 2017December 26, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

SATXTREM OTT Box & WiFi Router Combo Runs Android 7.1 on Amlogic S905X Processor

There are so many Amlogic S905X/S912 TV boxes on the market that offer the same features, I’ve long stopped reporting on all new models, unless they have very specific features, or are made by some of the most popular companies. SATXTREM OTT Box & WiFi Router appear to be a difference beast – as its name implies -, as it’;s both an Android 7.1 TV box, and an Android WiFi router thanks to three Ethernet ports. SATXTREM TV box & router specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X quad core Cortex A53 processor @ up to 1.5 GHz with ARM Mali-450MP3 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (Options: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB) + micro SD slot up to 32GB Video Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60 Hz, AV port (composite) Video Codecs – 4K 10-bit H.265 up to 60 fps, VP9 up to 60 fps, […]

December 24, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Khronos Group Releases Neural Network Exchange Format (NNEF) 1.0 Specification

The Khronos Group, the organization behind widely used standards for graphics, parallel computing, or vision processing such as OpenGL, Vulkan, or OpenCL, has recently published NNEF 1.0 (Neural Network Exchange Format) provisional specification for universal exchange of trained neural networks between training frameworks and inference engines. NNEF aims to reduce machine learning deployment fragmentation by enabling data scientists and engineers to easily transfer trained networks from their chosen training framework into various inference engines via a single standardized exchange format. NNEF encapsulates a complete description of the structure, operations and parameters of a trained neural network, independent of the training tools used to produce it and the inference engine used to execute it. The new format has already been tested with tools such as TensorFlow, Caffe2, Theano, Chainer, MXNet, and PyTorch. Khronos has also released open source tools to manipulate NNEF files, including a NNEF syntax parser/validator, and example exporters, which can […]