CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

March 5, 2017March 5, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

GOLE 360 Video Camera Review & 360 Degrees Videos Desktop Experiments

GOLE has designed GOLE 360 video camera to connect to your smartphone via its micro USB, or USB type C port, and let you shot 360 degrees videos or photos. The company has sent me a review sample with a USB type C port in order to test it with Vernee Apollo Lite Android smartphone. I’ve spent about two days playing with it, so I’ll report my experience with the 360° camera, and my attempts at playing the videos back on my computer. GOLE 360 Unboxing The camera is sent in a white retail box with “Micro USB” or “Type C” option, and as requested I got the latter. The camera comes with a pouch, a useful user’s manual in English, and a USB to USB type C cable. I did not use the latter since I instead charge the camera with my phone’s power adapter and cable. One side […]

March 4, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 19 Comments

HiKey 960 Development Board Powered by Hisilicon Kirin 960 Cortex A73/A53 Processor To Sell for $239

LeMaker is about to launch a successor to Hikey board with a new 96Boards compliant development board with HiKey 960 featuring the powerful Hisilicon Kirin 960 processor found in Huawei Mate 9 smartphone, as well as 3GB LPDDR4 memory, 32GB UFS storage, HDMI, USB 3.0 ports and so on. Hikey 960 board specifications: SoC – Kirin 960 octa-core big.LITTLE processor with 4x ARM Cortex A73 cores @ up to 2.4 GHz, 4x Cortex A53 cores @ up to 1.8 GHz, and a Mali-G71 MP8 GPU System Memory – 3GB LPDDR4 SDRAM Storage – 32GB UFS flash storage + micro SD card slot Video Output / Display Interface – 1 x HDMI 1.4 up to 1080p, 1x 4-lane MIPI DSI connector Connectivity – Dual band 802.11 b/g/n/ac? WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1 with two antennas USB – 2 x USB 3.0 type A host ports, 1x USB 2.0 type C OTG port […]

March 3, 2017May 8, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 35 Comments

$12 AI Light ESP8266 based WiFi RGB Light Bulb Supports MQTT via ESPurna Open Source Firmware

AI-Thinker is famous in the maker world for their ESP8266 modules, but they’ve also recently launched a WiFi RGB light bulb that sells for about $12.5 and up on eBay and Aliexpress. Some people noticed, and bought samples online, including Xose Pérez (aka Tinkerman), ESPurna open-source firmware developer, who could confirm ESP8266 was used in the light bulb, did some investigations, and eventually added the light bulb into ESPurna, which means it can be managed using MQTT or a web interface. AI Light looks very similar to Philips Hue, but comes with WiFi instead of Zigbee. AI Light “M1636” key features: RGBW LED E27 bulb with 16.7M colors Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n WiFi Encryption – AES Voltage Range – 110-240V LED Power – 5 watts WiFi Power Consumption – ≤0.3W Temperature Range – -5~45degree Humidity – ≤80% Certifications – FCC, CE, ROHS If you’re going to use the stock firmware, […]

March 3, 2017March 3, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Gemini PDA Pocket PC Runs Android & Linux on Mediatek X25 Deca-Core Processor (Crowdfunding)

GPD Pocket 7″ portable computer running Windows or Ubuntu Linux is getting some competition, as Gemini PDA has a similar form factor with a 5.7″ display and a keyboard, but instead of featuring an Intel processor, it is equipped with Mediatek X25 deca-core ARM Cortex A72/A53 processor, and runs either Android or Linux. Gemini PDA specifications: SoC – Mediatek X25 deca-core ARM processor with 2x Cortex A72 @2.5GHz, 4x Cortex A53 @2.0GHz, 4x Cortex A53 @1.55GHz and Mali-T880 MP4 GPU @ 850 MHz System Memory – 4GB RAM Storage – 64GB flash, micro SD card slot (covered) Display – 5.7” QHD+ (2880×1440) multi-touch display; 18:9 aspect ratio Audio – Dual side mounted speakers, integrated ambient microphone, 3.5mm audio jack Connectivity WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, GPS with A-GPS, NFC 4G + WiFi model adds: GSM – 850/900/1800/1900MHz WCDMA – 900/2100MHz LTE – 1/2/3/4/5/7/17/20 VoLTE – Compatible SIM slot + eSIM […]

March 3, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

System76 Starling Pro ARM Server Powered by 2 Cavium ThunderX 64-bit Processors Sells for $6400 and Up

64-bit ARM servers are starting to show up more and more for sale, and after servers such as Softiron Overdrive 1000, Avantek H270-T70, and Gigabyte MP30-AR0, System76, a company selling only Ubuntu powered computers and servers, has launched Startling Pro ARM server equipped with two Cavium ThunderX_CP 48-core processors, and a choice of two operating systems: Ubuntu 16.04.2 LTS 64-bit or Ubuntu 16.10 64-bit. System76 Starling Pro ARM “stap1” server specifications: Processor – 2× Cavium ThunderX_CP 48 core 64-bit ARMv8 processor @ up to 2.5 GHz (96 cores in total) System Memory – Up to 1024 GB quad-channel registered ECC DDR4 @ 2400MHz Storage – Up to 4x 3.5″ drives, 32 TB in total Video Output – VGA port Virtualization – ARM Virtualization Host Extensions Networking – 3x 40-Gigabit QSFP+ (Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable+), 4x 10 Gigabit SFP+, 1x Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45) Expansion – 1x PCI Express x16 (Gen3 x8) […]

March 2, 2017March 2, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Broadcom APDS-9500 Tiny Proximity & Gesture Sensor Supports up to 9 Gestures

You can use advanced methods to implement gesture control using devices like Leap Motion, or a camera with a computer vision program like OpenCV, but if you have cost and size constraints, and can work with a limited number of gestures, Broadcom APDS-9500 proximity & gesture sensor might be a useful component as it comes in a 18-pin package, and supports up to 9 gestures. The chip also provides proximity detection for sensing objects approaching or departing. Avago / Broadcom APDS-9500 key features: Gesture output – 9 gesture recognition: g move up, move down, move left, move right, move forward, move backward, circle-clockwise, circle-counterclockwise and wave Proximity output – Object brightness output and size output Cursor mode output – X and Y output Range – up to 60 cm Image output – SPI output; 30 × 30 pixels / 60 × 60 pixels; 9-bit gray scale Ambient light immunity I2C-bus interface compatible with […]

March 2, 2017April 10, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Beelink AP42 Apollo Lake Mini PC Comes with a VESA Mount, an M.2 SSD Slot

Beelink has launched an update to their Beelink BT7 Cherry Trail mini PC with Beelink AP42 using a similar mechanical design, but upgrading the processor to an Intel Pentium N4200 coupled with 4GB DDR3 memory, and a 64GB eMMC flash. Like the previous model it can be mounted behind a VESA compatible monitor or TV, and can also be upgraded with your own M.2 SSD. Beelink AP42 specifications: SoC – Intel Pentium N4200 quad core Apollo Lake processor @ 1.10 GHz (baseline) / 2.50 GHz (burst) with Intel Gen9 HD graphics @ 200/750 MHz with 18EU (6W TDP) System Memory – 4 GB DDR3 Storage – 64 GB eMMC storage, SD card slot, M.2 SSD slot up to 320 GB Video Output – HDMI 1.4 up to 4K @ 30 Hz Audio – 3.5mm headphone jack and HDMI Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, dual band 802.11 b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0 […]

March 2, 2017June 18, 2018 by Karl Johnson - 11 Comments

Karl’s Home Automation Project – Part 2: 433 MHz / WiFi MQTT Bridge, Door & PIR Motion Sensors

Karl here again for part 2 of my home automation project. We will be looking at how to automate your lights based on time of day and motion. In the first part we setup Home Assistant and uploaded firmware to basic Sonoff Wifi switches. Today we will setup a 433 MHz to MQTT bridge and some sensors. 433 MHz Depending on your country 433 MHz is an open frequency to use to communicate with. There are hundreds of different types of devices that use 433 MHz to communicate information. We will be focusing on 2 today from Gearbest: WMS07 motion sensor (left) and WDS07 door/window sensor (2 parts, right). I am not taking the door/window sensor apart, since it is super basic, but I’ve included some photos of the PIR motion detector. 433 MHz Bridge While contemplating how to get presence on a per room basis I ran across this […]