Category: Processors

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Hardkernel ODROID-XU4 Development Board Now Supports Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Hardkernel ODROID-XU4 Development Board Now Supports Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Android 6.0 source code was released in October, but so far few development boards are supporting it properly. There’s Android 6.0 for Raspberry Pi 2, but without GPU hardware acceleration is not really usable, and Intrinsyc Open-Q 820 board that will start shipping in a few days with Android 6.0 on Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, is pricey and with limited availability. So there are only two options that I’m aware of LeMaker Hikey with Android 6.0 as part of the Reference Platform Release 2015.12, and Hardkernel ODROID-XU4 with an unofficial port for Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow by voodik odroid community member, which should also work for ODROID-XU3 and XU3 Lite boards. Despite being an alpha version, the current image looks pretty good, as most required features seem implemented: Android 6.0.1 Lollipop Cyanogenmod 13.0 with Linux kernel 3.10.9 OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0/3.0 (GPU acceleration) OpenCL 1.1 EP (GPU acceleration) Multi-user feature is enabled […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments on Unboxing and Teardown of HD23 TV Box with Built-in Camera

Unboxing and Teardown of HD23 TV Box with Built-in Camera

HD23_mini_PC_Camera

HD23 (aka MX HD23) is an Android TV Box designed for video conference or home monitoring that includes a 2.0 MP camera and can easily be placed on top of the television. It might actually be a clone of a product called TVPRO based on GearBest’s introduction video for the product, or at least it’s heavily inspired by that platform. GearBest sent me a sample so that I can check how the mini PC’s camera performs. MX HD23 Unboxing I’ve received the device in a retail package via DHL. Everything is neatly packed in separate smaller boxes inside the package.HD23 mini PC comes with an IR remote control taking two AAA batteries, a mini USB OTG adapter, a 5V/1.5A power supply, an HDMI cable, and a Setup and User Guide in English. On the front of the device we’ve got a power button, the camera, a camera LED, a microphone […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments on Dune HD Solo 4K is a High-End Media Player with a SATA Bay, a DVB-T2 Tuner, and Sigma Designs SMP8758 Processor

Dune HD Solo 4K is a High-End Media Player with a SATA Bay, a DVB-T2 Tuner, and Sigma Designs SMP8758 Processor

Dune HD, a company specializing in “high-performance digital media players”, has just unveiled Dune HD Solo 4K media player based on  Sigma Designs SMP8758 dual core Cortex A9 processor, supporting 10-bit HEVC video decoding up to 2160p @ 30 fps, HD audio pass-though, and including a SATA tray. Dune HD Solo 4K specifications: SoC – Sigma Designs SMP8758 dual core Cortex A9 processor @ 1.2 GHz with an ARM Mali-400 GPU and VXP image processing engine System Memory – 1GB Storage – 4GB flash for firmware, internal HDD rack with hot swap function for a 2.5″ SATA drive, SD card reader (TBC) Video Output – HDMI 1.4b up to 1080p60 and 4K @ 30 Hz (including 23.976, 25, 29.97, 50, 59.94Hz refresh rates), and composite video Audio Output – HDMI, analog stereo audio, coaxial S/PDIF (shared via AV port). 24-bit /192 KHz audio support Video codecs – MPEG2, MPEG4, XVID, […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on Review of Light Biz OS Operating System for Desktop Use (Writing a Blog Post)

Review of Light Biz OS Operating System for Desktop Use (Writing a Blog Post)

This is take 2 of using an Android mini PC as a desktop PC, as I’m currently writing this post from GeekBox TV box with Rockchip’s Light Biz OS, an operating systems based on Android 5.1 with some optimizations for desktop use. I’ve already installed various productivity apps such as Gimp and Microsoft Excel, and at first this was a problem sinc Light Biz OS “internal storage” partition was too small to install some programs, so I had to resize the “userdata” partition to 6GB to make it usable. I normally blog with Firefox in Ubuntu 14.04, so right now, I’m writing with Firefox for Android, and not WordPress Android app, which would have been another option. One of the first challenge was to create links, and I could copy links with a long click providing access to copy tools in Firefox, and copy the links with Ctrl+V in Firefox. […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments on Tronsmart Orion R68 TV Box Discounted to $39? Nope.

Tronsmart Orion R68 TV Box Discounted to $39? Nope.

Tronsmart Orion R68 is an octa-core Android TV box powered by Rockchip RK3368 processor with 2GB RAM, and 16GB internal storage. I actually received a sample a a few months ago, but I have not reviewed it yet as I’ve been waiting for a firmware upgrade to fix some of the issues I had in Beelink i68, but it has yet to come. Nevertheless, the device which normally sells for $75 on GeekBuying, is now sold for $39 shipped on Aliexpress in what looks like am amazingly good deal reported by AndroidPC.es. At first, I was about to write a post about this excellent deal, especially as I saw the link indicated 114 orders, but then on the top left corner, I noticed “Hot CCTV” seller had no feedback score and the store opened on December 9, 2015. It’s quite possible a store will do a promotion to gain attention, but […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on How to Resize Android’s Internal Storage Partition in Rockchip Devices

How to Resize Android’s Internal Storage Partition in Rockchip Devices

I installed Light Biz OS firmware on GeekBox yesterday, but I’ve quickly realized many applications such as Gimp Inkscape would not install due to the small 1.94GB “internal partition”, so I asked how to increase the partition size in GeekBox forums last evening, and got an answer overnight from “dewet”. The good news is that it worked so I’ll share the steps I followed in a computer running Ubuntu 14.04. It might also be possible to perform the same tasks within a Windows machine with Rorkchip’s Factory tools First let’s download the utils with relevant scripts and binaries:

Now copy your device or board’s firmware file “update.img” to the working directory, and unpack it:

The output should look like:

The files will be in the “output” directory. For our purpose “parameter” file, and especially the last line (CMDLINE) where we will want to adjust the userdata partition […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on Spartixed is a $34 FPGA Board Based on Xilinx Spartan 6 (Crowdfunding)

Spartixed is a $34 FPGA Board Based on Xilinx Spartan 6 (Crowdfunding)

Spartixed is another low cost FPGA board launched on Kickstarter, powered by Xilinx Spartan 6 LX4 FPGA, with a 7-segment display, some headers and buttons, and targeting people who want to learn VHDL/Verilog on the cheap. Spartixed board specifications: FPGA – Xilinx Spartan 6 LX4 FPGA (exact part not disclosed) Storage – 16 Mbit flash for program, I2C or SPI EEPROM Display – 3 digit 7- Segment Display USB – 1x micro USB port for power and debugging Expansion – 26-pin unpopulated header, optional SPI Bus A/D Converter Debugging – 14-pin JTAG connector, UARt port via USB connector Misc – 3x push button switches, 8 slide switches for input, 2x user LEDs, 1x power LED, 1x config. ready LED. Power – 5V via Micro USB Connector or 5 to 12 V via external power supply. Dimensions – N/A You can follow the project via its blog, and already access some […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 19 Comments on Rockchip RK3128 TV Box Boards with 512MB RAM, 8GB Storage Sell for $15 and Up

Rockchip RK3128 TV Box Boards with 512MB RAM, 8GB Storage Sell for $15 and Up

Rockchip RK3036 dual core Cortex A7 processor was showcased by Rockchip at CES 2015 and said to enable $10 H.265 TV boxes, and yesterday I noticed some code made it to mainline Linux for Rockchip RK3036 Kylin board. While I have not been able to find any information about that board, or any other RK3036 boards or devices so far, I’ve been informed that RK3128 boards with 512MB RAM and 8GB storage were selling for $11.50 (75 CNY) for 1K orders, and around $15 (100 CNY) and up for samples. Specifications listed for the board shown above: SoC – Rockchip RK3128 quad core ARM Cortex A7 @ 1.3 GHz with ARM Mali-400MP2 GPU System Memory – 512MB to 1GB LPDDR2/DDR3 or DDR3L Storage – 4 to 8 GB NAND flash + micro SD slot Connectivity – Ethernet, and WiFi Video Output – HDMI 1.4 and composite RCA output Audio Output […]

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