CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

February 16, 2017February 16, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

$175 Bben MN17A Celeron N3450 Apollo Lake Mini PC Comes with an mSATA SSD Slot

The first Apollo Lake mini PC available from China was Voyo V1 VMac Mini with a Celeron N3450 or Pentium N4200 processor, but there’s now a new model with Bben MN17A with Celeron N3450, 4GB RAM, and 32GB eMMC flash, and the ability to add your own storage via an SSD bay. Bben MN17A mini PC specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron N3450 quad core processor @ 1.1 GHz / 2.2 GHz and 12 EU Intel HD graphics 500 @ 200 MHz / 700 MHz; 6W TDP System Memory – 4GB DDR3L (up to 8GB) Storage – 32GB eMMC flash (Options for 16, 64 or 128 GB) + mSATA SSD bay + micro SD slot up to 128 GB Video Output – HDMI 1.4b port up to 4K @ 30 Hz Audio – HDMI + 3.5mm audio jack Connectivity – Fast Ethernet, dual band 802.11 b/g/n/ac WiFi, and Bluetooth 4.2 (Intel […]

February 16, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

MYD-C437x-PRU Development Board Leverages TI Sitara AM437x Programmable Real-time Unit

MYIR Technologies launched MYC-C437x system-on-module based on TI Sitara AM437X processor, and the corresponding MYD-C437x development board at the end of 2015, but the latter did not make use of the processor’s PRU-ICSS (Programmable Real-Time Unit Subsystem and Industrial Communication SubSystem) block. The company has now released a new version of the baseboard called MYC-C437x-PRU which exposes I/Os pins to leverage the PRU-ICSS and enable implementation of protocols like EtherCAT and Profibus.MYD-C437x-PRU industrial development board specifications: System-on-Module – MYC-C437x module with SoC – Texas Instruments AM437x ARM Cortex A9 processor @ up to 1GHz with PowerVR SGX530 GPU (AM4378/AM4379 only) System Memory – 256 or 512MB (default) DDR3 SDRAM Storage – 4GB eMMC Flash (reserved 256/512MB Nand Flash design), 16MB QSPI Flash (unpopulated by default), 32KB EEPROM Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet PHY Storage – 1x micro SD slot Serial ports – 1x 3-wire RS232 debug serial port, 2x 5-wire RS232 serial […]

February 15, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Janz Tec emPC-A/RPI3 is an Industrial Embedded Controller Based on Raspberry Pi 3 Board

We see more and more industrial devices making use of Raspberry Pi boards, after Kunbus RevolutionPi RevPi Core industrial computer based on Raspberry Pi Computer Module, and RailPi 2.0 embedded computer equipped with a Raspberry Pi 3 (or ODROID-C2) board, Janz Tec is now offering another option with emPC-A/RPI3 industrial embedded controller featuring Raspberry Pi 3 board, and supporting variable DC power input, 24V digital inputs and outputs, and interfaces such as CAN, RS485… Janztec emPC-A/RPI3 specifications: SoC – Broadcom BCM2837 quad core ARM Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.2 GHz (but limited to 4x 600 MHz on purpose to avoid overheating) and VideoCore IV GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR2 RAM Storage – externally accessible micro SD slot Video Output – HDMI 1.4 port Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet port, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth LE (BCM43143) USB – 4x USB 2.0 ports Debugging – 1x 9-pin D-SUB connector for serial debug […]

February 15, 2017February 21, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 21 Comments

GPD Pocket Cherry Trail 7″ Portable Computer Runs Ubuntu 16.04 or Windows 10 (Crowdfunding)

GPD HK launched GPD WIN Windows 10 portable gaming console with a Cherry Trail Atom x7 processor and a 5.5″ display last year on Indiegogo, and while the crowdfunding campaign works very well with over $700,000 raised, the company realized many people just wanted an affordable portable computer, so they removed the joyticks, increased the display size, and upgraded the processor in their GPD Pocket 7″ portable computer powered by an Intel Atom X7-Z8750 SoC and pre-loaded with either Windows 10 Home or Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. GPD Pocket specifications (subject to change): SoC – Intel Atom x7-Z8750 quad core Cherry Trail processor @ 1.6 / 2.56 GHz with a 16EU Intel HD graphics Gen9 System Memory – 8GB LPDDR3-1600 Storage – 128GB eMMC flash Display – 7″ multi-touch display with 1920×1200 resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio; Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Video Output – micro HDMI port for final model (prototype has […]

February 15, 2017February 23, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

$369 CHUWI Hi13 2-in-1 Windows 10 Tablet is Equipped with a 3000×2000 Display, Supports Ubuntu / Linux

I’ve recently reviewed CHUWI LapBook 14.1 laptop powered by an Intel Apollo Lake Celeron N3450 quad core processor, and found it to be a perfectly usable entry-level laptop with a few caveats like potential issues with USB ports, and the lack of brightness keys. The company is now about to launch with a higher end model, with the same processor, but instead of a 14.1″ Full HD display it will come with a high resolution 3000×2000 touchscreen 13.5″ display. The tablet will sell with Windows 10, but the company also claims support for Ubuntu, and other Linux distributions will likely work too. CHUWI Hi13 specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron N3450 quad core “Apollo Lake” processor @ 1.1 GHz / 2.2 GHz (Burst frequency) and 12 EU Intel HD graphics 500 @ 200 MHz / 700 MHz (Burst freq.); 6W TDP System Memory – 4GB DDR3L memory Storage – 64 GB […]

February 14, 2017February 14, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Intel Atom Z3735F (Bay Trail) vs Intel Celeron N4200 (Apollo Lake) Benchmarks Comparison

Intel introduced new processors every year, but in most cases the performance improvement from new processor with a similar power profile is only incrementally better, as we’ve seen in our Atom X7-Z8700 vs Pentium N4200 benchmarks comparison, which means it’s not really worthwhile to upgrade performance-wise, unless you really a specific feature or interface found in the new processor. But what if we compare to processor from 2 to 3 years ago? Intel Atom Z3735F was a popular choice two years ago, and if you’re looking for a cheap Intel mini PC or TV box, that’s still the cheapest option with prices under $80. So I’ve decided to compare Intel Atom Z3735F (Bay Trail) processor with 2W TDP to the latest Pentium Celeron N4200 (Apollo Lake) with 6W TDP. To do so, I gathered benchmarks results from MeLE PCG03 mini PC (PCMark 8) and PCG01 TV stick (Passmark + 3Dmark) […]

February 14, 2017February 15, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Realtek RTD1295 SoC and Zidoo X9S TV Box Patchsets for Initial Mainline Linux Support

Realtek RTD1295 is a quad core Cortex A53 processor with built-in Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 and SATA found, and is found in some TV boxes such as Zidoo X9S or Eweat R9 Plus that run Android 6.0 and OpenWrt on top of Linux 4.1. Andreas Färber has been working on Mainline Linux support for the SoC using Zidoo X9S, and just submitted patchsets for enablement of RTD1295. Andreas explains: This mini-series adds initial support for the Realtek RTD1295 SoC and the Zidoo X9S TV box. With these patches CPU0 can be booted with earlycon. PSCI doesn’t work despite present in the vendor device tree; as enable-method it instead used a custom “rtk-spin-table” that I sadly have no source code of. The UARTs use a custom interrupt controller that I again lack source code of; with interrupts = <GIC_SPI 41 IRQ_TYPE_LEVEL_HIGH> it can boot into an initrd. The boot process is […]

February 14, 2017February 14, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

Dragino OLG01 Outdoor Single Channel LoRa Gateway Runs OpenWrt, Supports Passive PoE

Dragino Technology, a Shenzhen based startup focusing on the Internet of Things, had already designed LoRa shields & Hats for Arduino & Raspberry Pi boards which can be useful for LoRa nodes, but the company has now launched Dragino OLG01 LoRa gateway running OpenWrt that communicates with nodes over LoRa, and to the cloud using WiFi, Ethernet, or 3G/4G. Dragino OLG01 specifications: WiSoC – Atheros AR9331 MIPS processor @ 400MHz System Memory – 64MB RAM Storage – 16MB flash MCU – Atmel ATMega328P AVR MCU with 32KB flash, 2KB SRAM Connectivity 802.11 b/g/n WiFi with antenna 2x 10/100M Ethernet with support for passive PoE Optional 3G/4G module connected to internal USB socket (TBC) Semtech SX1276/78 LoRa wireless module + SMA connector (antenna not provided) up to 5~10 km range USB – 1x USB 2.0 host port Power Supply – 12V DC power jack or PoE Three models are offered with […]