CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

January 29, 2017October 8, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Satechi USB Type-C Power Meter Measures up to 65 Watts

CHARGER Doctor is a popular USB power meter for USB 2.0 ports that can help you check whether your charger delivers the promised amperage, and if you are dealing with USB powered device you can easily measure the power drawn by that device. But we are now in 2017, and USB type C has become more and more popular, and can deliver higher voltages higher than 5V, as well as higher currents. So if you are looking for USB type C power meter, Satechi has you covered. Satechi USB-C power meter key features and specifications: Voltage Range – 4V-20V Current Range – 50mA-10W Max readable Power – 65W Indicates power over time (mAh) and current direction (e.g. charger to laptop, or laptop to phone). USB 3.1 data pass-through supported Dimensions – 6.3 x 2 x 0.8 mm Weight – 8.6 g Beside just measuring power usage, several blogs report this USB-C […]

January 28, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

Lenovo Yoga Book 2-in-1 Hybrid Laptop Features a Drawing Pad instead of a Keyboard, Ships with Windows, Android or DOS

Lenovo has launched yet another 2-in-1 hybrid laptop, but the Yoga Book has some interesting new feature as it does not come with an actual keyboard, but instead a large “Create Pad” (Wacom digitizer) that allows you to draw sketches, take notes, and yes, it can also be converted into a virtual keyboard too when needed. Lenovo has a $499 version with Android 6.0, and another one with Windows 10 for $549, but I initially found it on GearBest, selling the device for $642.91 shipped with DOS operating system instead to give the user the option to install his/her own choice of operating system. Lenovo Yoga Book specifications: SoC – Up to Intel Atom x5-Z8550 quad core Cherry Trail processor System Memory – Up to 4 GB LPDDR3 Storage – Up to 64 GB internal storage, and micro SD slot supporting up to 128 GB Display – 10.1″ IPS LED […]

January 27, 2017January 27, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Add a 2.5″ Hard Drive to Voyo VMac Mini mini PC with a $20 Custom SATA Cable

When I tore down Voyo VMac Mini mini PC, I noticed a 2.5″ mounting mechanism, and some weird 9-pin SATA connector, but since the hard drive would be so close to the components I assumed this specific case was not designed for a drive, but the board would be compatible. However, it’s now possible to purchase a $20 custom SATA cable from “Voyo Official Store” on Aliexpress to do just that.All you have to do is to open the case, connect the cable to the motherboard, and the hard drive, and mounting the hard drive to the mechanism with four screws. I’m not sure whether you should also use some kind of insulation between the drive and motherboard, as it will be really close, but the company does not mention anything about that. Cooling might also be an issue even though there’s a fan in the mini PC. It’s not […]

January 27, 2017July 12, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Voyo VMac Mini mini PC Benchmarks with Intel Celeron N3450 Apollo Lake Processor

Following up yesterday’s post about Voyo VMac Mini mini PC benchmarks with Intel Pentium N4200 processor, I’ve switched to its cheaper little brother powered by Intel Celeron N3450 processor and performed the same benchmarks to compare the performance difference with the Pentium version, as well as older Braswell and Cherry Trail systems. I’ve run HWiNFO64 before running the benchmarks to get more details about computer, and especially the processor. Celeron N3450 is a quad core processor clocked at 400, 800, and 1,100 MHz, and up to 2.2 GHz in burst mode. It’s quite similar to Pentium N4200, except the later has a higher burst frequency (2.5 GHz), and a better GPU with 18 EU, instead of just 12 EU on the Celeron. My exact version of the processor is stepping B0/B1 with sSPEC SR2YA/SR2Z6. I forgot to comment about supported features compared to Cherry Trail and Braswell processors yesterday, and […]

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

BitScope Blade Industrial Mounting & Power Systems Support Up to 40 Raspberry Pi Boards

BitScope Designs, a manufacturer of embedded mixed signal test, measurement and data acquisition systems, has announced the launch of a new models of their industrial desktop, rack or wall mountable power and mounting power systems with BitScope Blade Uno, Duo, and Quattro supporting respectively 1, 2 and 4 Raspberry Pi 3/2/B+/A+ boards. The blades can also be mounted in a 19″ rack with up to 40 Raspberry Pi boards. The three systems share many of the same specifications: Power Supply Unregulated 9V to 48V DC power, compatible with most 12V & 24V UPS, most DC solar power systems 4A (peak) switch mode supply built-in 2.1mm socket or industrial power tabs Can be used with low cost passive PoE, Can power external USB, HDD & SSD 5V auxiliary power for example for Pi Display Expansion& I/O ports Full access to RPi’s I2C, SPI, UART & most GPIO Slot for camera connector […]

January 26, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

YokaTV KB1 Android TV Box is Equipped with Two HDMI 2.0 Inputs

We’ve seen in the past some TV boxes with one HDMI input such as Zidoo X9 or EWEAT R9 Plus in order to record an external video source, and possibly use some other features like PiP or video UDP streaming. However, I’ve recently become informed that YokaTV KB1 Android TV boxes, powered by an Amlogic S905X, and not one, but two HDMI 2.0 input ports, on top of its HDMI 2.0a output port. YokaTV KB1 specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905X quad core ARM Cortex A53 processor @ up to 1.5 GHz with an ARM Mali-450MP GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 16GB eMMC flash *4 to 32GB flash optional), micro SD slot up to 32GB Video Output – HDMI 2.0a up to 4K @ 60 Hz, 3.5mm AV jack (composite) Video Input – 2x HDMI 2.0 ports Audio Output – HDMI, AV (stereo audio), and optical S/PDIF Connectivity […]

January 26, 2017February 7, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Voyo VMac Mini mini PC (Intel Pentium N4200) Benchmarks

Since I’ve now received Intel Apollo Lake hardware with Voyo VMac Mini mini PCs, I’ve going to run some benchmarks with Pentium N4200 and Celeron N3450 processor to compare the performance against older generation low power mini PC based on Braswell and Cherry Trail processors. I’ll get started with the Pentium N4200 version that’s both more expensive and powerful. But before starting with the benchmarks, I’ve run HWiNFO64 to get a bit more info about the system, and the processor in particular. The processor is the quad core Pentium N4200 stepping B0/B1 with sSPEC SR2Y9/SR2Z5 clocked between 400 and 1,100 MHz, and up to 2,5 GHz in burst mode. It also comes with a 18 EU HD graphics Gen9-LP. IMHO, PCMark 8 Home Accelerated 3.0 is one of the best benchmark as it replicates typical use cases such as web browsing, video conference, light gaming, photo editing, and so on. […]

January 26, 2017February 7, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Checking Fan Noise and Other Sound Levels with Benetech GM1352 Sound Level Meter

I wrote about UNI-T UT353 Sound Level Meter a few months ago as I thought it could be a neat way to measure fan noise on some TV boxes and mini PCs in an objective way. I finally ended up buying Benetech GM1352 model instead for $13.9 on DX (now available for $12.83 on Aliexpress or around $18 on Amazon), but I did not really use it so far, since I did not get a new device with a fan. I’ve now had the chance to try it since the Voyo VMac Mini mini PC comes with a fan. Let’s just go through some of GM1352’s key features first: Noise Levels & Accuracy – 30 to 130 dB with +/- 1.5 dB accuracy (94dB @ 1 KHz) Frequency Range – 31.5 to 8 KHz Measurement features – MAX/MIN & Data hold Display – 1.7″ LCD display with backlight Buttons – […]