CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

June 30, 2017July 2, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

H3Droid Android Firmware is Designed for Allwinner H3 Boards & Devices

Allwinner H3 boards such as Orange Pi PC and NanoPi NEO are mostly interesting due to their ability to run Linux and control I/Os, and while they also support Android, most people wanting to run Android are better served with TV boxes instead, as they come with enclosure, power supply, HDMI cable, and an IR remote control. That does not mean there’s no use case for Android on development boards, and that’s why probably KotCzarny, and other developers, have decided to work on H3Droid project to provide better Android images for Allwinner H3 boards and devices than the firmware released by manufacturers. Some of the improvements include “sane DRAM/CPU settings”, support for Custom recovery system, Google Play Store and more USB network adapters, as well as the removal of apps and feature unusable for people outside out China. You’ll also be able to access the board via SSH if you […]

June 30, 2017July 31, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

VIA ALTA DS 4K Digital Signage Player is Powered by Zhaoxin ZX-2000M Quad Core Cortex A17 Processor

VIA has just announced their latest ALTA DS 4K digital signage player with a “quad core Cortex A17 processor”, which I first assumed must be Rockchip RK3288 processor since it’s one of the few with that processor core. But the processor is actually from a company I had never heard before: Shanghai Zhaoxin Semiconductor that does both x86 and ARM SoCs for various markets. But let’s check out the product with VIA ALTA DS 4K Digital Signage specifications: SoC – Zhaoxin ZX-2000M quad core ARM Cortex-A17 processor @ up to 1.4GHz with 2D/3G GPU supporting OpenGL ES 3.0, and a video processing unit System Memory – 2GB DDR3 @ 1600MHz Storage – 8GB eMMC Flash memory, SD card slot Video Output – HDMI 1.4 with CEC support Video Codecs – MPEG-2, VC-1, H.264 and H.265 video decoding up to 3840x2160p @30fps; H.264 encoding Connectivity – 1x Gigabit Ethernet port (Realtek RTL8211FS-CG), […]

June 30, 2017July 21, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 31 Comments

Libre Computer’s Le Potato Amlogic S905X Development Board Goes for $25 and Up (Crowdfunding)

Up to now there were two notable Amlogic S905(X) development boards: ODROID-C2 and Khadas Vim. Shenzhen Libre Technology Co., Ltd, a Shenzhen startup, is about to bring one more to the market with Le Potato board, aka AML-S905X-CC, powered by Amlogic S905X processor with 1 or 2 GB RAM, and in a form factor similar to the Raspberry Pi 3 board. Le Potato /AML-S905X-CC board specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X quad core ARM Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.5 GHz with penta core ARM Mali-450MP GPU, and Amlogic Video Engine 10 System Memory – 1GB or 2GB DDR3 RAM Storage – 1x micro SD Card slot with UHS SDR104 support, eMMC module connector with HS400 support Video Output – HDMI 2.0 Port, 3.5mm TRRS “AV” jack with CVBS (480i / 576i) Audio Output – HDMI, AV jack (stereo audio), SPDIF output header, and I2S header Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet USB – 4x […]

June 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

USB type C to HDMI Cables Coming Soon thanks to HDMI Alt Mode for USB Type-C

Some devices already support video output over a USB type C connector, but they normally rely on DisplayPort over USB type C, so you’d either need a monitor that supports DisplayPort, or some USB Type C to HDMI converter. A DisplayLink dock is another solution, but again it converts video and audio signals. But soon you’ll be able to use a simple USB type C to HDMI cable between a capable device (camera, phone, computer, TV box…) and any HDMI TV or monitor. This is being made possible thanks to HDMI Alt Mode for USB Type-C that supports all HDMI 1.4b features including: Resolutions up to 4K (@ 30 Hz) Surround sound Audio Return Channel (ARC) 3D (4K and HD) HDMI Ethernet Channel (HEC) Consumer Electronic Control (CEC) Deep Color, x.v.Color, and content types High Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP 1.4 and HDCP 2.2) There’s no video or audio conversion inside […]

June 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

NFV PicoPod is a Cluster of Six MACCHIATOBin Networking Boards for OPNFV, ODP, DPDK and OPF

If you are interested in networking applications, you may have already heard about Marvell ARMADA 8040 based SolidRun MACCHIATOBin board with multiple 10Gbps and Gbps network interfaces, three SATA ports, and more. PicoCluster has decided to make a cluster of 6 MACHIATOBin boards coupled with a Marvell Prestera DX 14 port, 10GbE switch for OpenDataPlane (ODP), Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK), OpenFastPath(OPF) as well as OPNFV (Open Platform for Network Functions Virtualization) . The main features of the full assembled kit – named Cube – include: 6x MACCHIATOBin quad core Cortex A72 boards (24 cores in total) 1x Prestera DX 10GbE 14-port switch board 6x fans Power Supply Acrylic case The cluster kit comes with 64GB micro SD cards pre-loaded with the latest OPNFV Danube software release for ARM integrated by ENEA Software AB. The cluster is said to be compliant with the OPNFV Pharos specification. Three pre-order options are […]

June 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

μduino May Be the World’s Smallest Arduino Board (Crowdfunding)

OLIMEXINO-85S may have held the title of the world’s smallest Arduino (compatible) board for the last few years, being barely bigger than a micro SD card as it measures about 16.9 x 12.7 mm, but there’s a new mini champion in town with μduino board measuring just 12 x 12 mm. μduino board specifications: MCU – Microchip Atmel ATMEGA32U4 8-bit AVR microcontroller @ 16 MHz with 2,560 bytes of RAM, 32KB flash, and 1024 bytes of EEPROM (Arduino Leonardo compatible) I/Os 6x Analog I/O ports 14x Digital I/O ports (including Rx/Tx) including 7x PWM 1x Analog reference voltage port 1.27mm pitch Programming / Debugging – 1x micro USB port; 6-pin ICSP programming ports (load custom bootloaders, program other boards, etc) Misc – Status LED, reset button Power Supply – 5V via micro USB port; 5V voltage regulator (accepts up to 16V DC); 2x 5V ports; 2x ground ports Dimensions – 12x […]

June 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Canonical Releases Ubuntu Core 16 for Raspberry Pi 3 Compute Module

Now that Canonical has refocused its development efforts on Cloud and IoT, Ubuntu Core has become even more important for the company, which has just released Ubuntu Core 16 for the Raspberry Pi 3 Compute Module, which is better suited for industrial projects than Raspberry Pi boards, for example thanks to the more resilient built-in storage of CM3 module. Ubuntu Core was already supported on Raspberry Pi 2 & 3, Intel Joule, DragonBoard 410c, Intel NUC, and Samsung Artik boards, as well as KVM to run Ubuntu Core in a virtual environment. One of the advantages of running Ubuntu Core is the availability of snaps and branded app stores, making it easy to provide updates, and promote app for the platform. Screenly is one commercial project that will take advantage of Ubuntu Core on CM3 module for their digital signage applications. You’ll find instructions to get started with Ubuntu Core […]

June 28, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

LAKE I Home Cloud TV Box with HDMI Input, SATA Bay Sells for $78

Realtek RTD1295 based Android TV boxes are usually interesting devices as they play 4K videos relatively well – minus 4K H.264 @ 30 fps -, support HDMI input with PVR and PiP functions, and often come with a SATA interface for NAS functions handled with OpenWrt. Zidoo X9S and EWEAT R9 Plus are examples of such devices, and I found them to work pretty well in my reviews, but they are quite pricey with prices ranging from $130 to $200 (with internal SATA bay) including shipping. A cheaper option is Beelink SEA I, which I started to review, but one firmware update wiped out the HDCP key, and the product became unusable with the company unwilling/unable to provide the HDCP key. There’s now a new even cheaper model with LAKE I Home Cloud TV box sold for $77.99 on GearBest with GBLAKEI coupon. LAKE I Home Cloud TV box specifications: […]