CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

June 27, 2016June 27, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Eny EVR02 Virtual Reality Headset Powered by Rockchip RK3288 Processor Supports Full HD, 2K and 4K Displays

Rockchip has recently introduced Rockchip RK3399 processor promoting it as the “best choice for VR all-in-one“, but as development is still in progress, some companies has decided to use Rockchip RK3288 instead in their Android based all-in-one virtual reality headsets. Eny Technology is one of them via their EVR02 head mount display that features a 1920×1080 display but default, but the company also said they can support 2K and 4K displays on request. Eny EVR02 VR head mount display specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3288 quad core Cortex A17 processor @ 1.8 GHz with ARM Mali-T764 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 16GB flash (8GB optional) + micro SD slot Display – 5.5″, 1920×1080 resolution or optional 2K or 4K display Lenses 2x low dispersion/aspheric lenses usable by people with myopia up to 300 degrees Diameter – 42mm At least 90 degrees field of view (FOV) material – highly […]

June 26, 2016June 26, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

$599 Softiron Overdrive 1000 Server is Powered by AMD Opteron A1100 64-bit ARM Processor

ARMv8 servers have been around for a year or so, but normally only available to companies, mostly due to their very high price. LeMaker Cello board based on AMD Opteron A1120 quad core SoC have changed that since it’s priced at $299, but I’m not sure it’s shipping right now, and it’s not a complete solution fitted with memory and storage, and lacks an enclosure. The good news is that Softiron has just launched Overdrive 1000 server powered by AMD Opteron A1100 series processor, with 8GB DDR4 RAM, a 1TB drive, and a case. Softiron Overdrive 1000 server specifications: SoC – AMD Opteron A1100 series quad core ARM Cortex A57 processor System Memory – 2x RDIMM slots fitted with 8GB DDR4 DRAM and expandable to 64GB Storage – 2x SATA 3.0 connector with one fitted with a 1TB HDD Connectivity – 1x GBase-T Ethernet USB – 2x USB 3.0 ports […]

June 25, 2016June 26, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

Review of PocketCHIP Hackable Handheld Linux Computer

It’s not that easy to describe PocketC.H.I.P in a couple of words, as it’s so versatile. It’s a Debian based portable Linux computer with a resistive touchscreen and battery, but also a retro gaming console thanks to PICO-8, as well as a hardware development platform for IoT application with expansion header providing access to I/Os including GPIOs, I2C, SPI, UART…, and WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. Furthermore you can easily dismantle the device, in order to use the CHIP board, based on Allwinner R8 Cortex A8 processor, for a different project. So when Next Thing asked me if I was interested in reviewing Pocket CHIP, I was pretty excited, but when I received it, I scratched my head as there are so many ways to review the item, and it works out of the box with the firmware pre-loaded inside the internal flash, so a getting starting guide would have been […]

June 24, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Micrium µC/OS RTOS Is Now Free for Makers and Startups

According to UBM embedded market study for 2015, Micrium µC/OS real-time operating system only came second after FreeRTOS when the company asked close to 1,000 engineers and managers around the world which operating systems they were currently using in their embedded products. The OS appears to be particularly popular in Asia, and the results are all the more impressive considering it’s a commercial operating systems. But Micrium decided to bring more people on board by announcing a free version called µC/OS for Makers targeting hobbyists and startups (<$100k revenues) in February earlier this year. The real-time operating system includes a preemptive multitasking real-time kernel with optional round robin scheduling, has a low footprint (6K to 24K bytes code space, 1K+ bytes data space), support various types of targets including ARM Cortex-M and Cortex-A based MCU and processors such as STMicro STM32, NXP Kinetis, Cypress PSoC5, etc.., as well as Atmel […]

June 24, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Dreamcade Replay is a Retro Gaming Console Powered by Intel Braswell or Cherry Trail Processor (Crowdfunding)

If you are old enough to have played with Sega or Atari game console, and feel nostalgic about playing retro games, Dream Arcades Inc. plans to launch a vintage gaming console powered by Intel Braswell or Cherry Trail processor, running Windows 10 and preloaded with licensed retro games such as Pacman, Asteroids, Canyon Bomber, Slot Machine, Warlords, and many other. The console also has Sega/Atari ports to be used with your old game controllers. Three main products will be offered: Wireless Arcade Controller, Replay Classic game console, and Replay Mobile arcade machine, with the last two using the same hardware with the following preliminary specifications: SoC – Intel Atom x7-Z8700 Cherry Trail quad core processor, or Intel Celeron J3160 (or other) Braswell quad core processor with Intel HD graphics System Memory – 4GB Storage – 64GB eMMC flash + micro SD and SD slots Video Output – HDMI Display (Arcade […]

June 24, 2016June 24, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

Does Amlogic S905X Support USB 3.0?

Despite Amlogic roadmap claiming none of the upcoming Amlogic TV box SoCs will support USB 3.0, I’ve been informed that Amlogic S905X might already support USB 3.0. So I had a check with NEXBOX A5 TV box. First we can see dwc3 (DesignWare USB3) module is loaded:

lsmod
Module                  Size  Used by
dwc3                   17981  0 
mali                  233433  36

lsmod

Module Size Used by

dwc3 17981 0

mali 233433 36

then this happens when I connect a USB 3.0 hard drive or flash drive:

[ 4812.378262@0] usb 1-2: new high-speed USB device number 7 using xhci-hcd
[ 4812.798557@0] usb-storage 1-2:1.0: USB Mass Storage device detected
[ 4812.801416@0] scsi1 : usb-storage 1-2:1.0

[ 4812.378262@0] usb 1-2: new high-speed USB device number 7 using xhci-hcd

[ 4812.798557@0] usb-storage 1-2:1.0: USB Mass Storage device detected

[ 4812.801416@0] scsi1 : usb-storage 1-2:1.0

The important point here is xhci, which stands for “eXtensible Host Controller Interface” and supports USB 1.x to USB 3.x devices. The next step is to check performance, but since S905X is running Android 6.0, I went through permission issues with both A1SD bench and Disk Speed apps, so I reverted to using dd to read a large file to /dev/null. Result with USB 3.0 hard drive:

dd if=Sintel-Bluray.iso of=/dev/null bs=1024*1024*32                           
47+1 records in
47+1 records out
1593180160 bytes transferred in 42.681 secs (37327620 bytes/sec)

dd if=Sintel-Bluray.iso of=/dev/null bs=1024*1024*32

47+1 records in

47+1 records out

1593180160 bytes transferred in 42.681 secs (37327620 bytes/sec)

That’s about 35.6 MB/s, which would be an excellent USB 2.0 transfer rate, but not quite USB 3.0 material, […]

June 23, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Armtronix AC Powered WiFi Quad Relay Board is Powered by ESP8266 SoC (Crowdfunding)

Armtronix, an Indian startup, has come to kickstarter to launch a quad relay board with an AC terminal based on ESP8266, and the company also offer a complete kit allowing you to build your own wireless power strip with the board. WiFi quad relay board specifications: Wireless module – ESP8266 module 4x Relays to connect four AC/DC loads with terminals offering both MO and NC options “ModeMCU” headers to connect additional sensors such as PIR, IR, Temperature, Humidity, Limit switch etc. USB – micro USB port for programming. Misc – LEDs Power Supply – Terminal with 100-240V AC to 5V DC converter. Dimensions – 145 x 60 x 22 mm. The WiFi Quad Relay Board can be programmed as “MQTT Client” for networking/home automation integration using Arduino IDE, and controlled/ setup with a smartphone running a web browser. Some code is already available on the company’s github account. The crowdfunding […]

June 23, 2016June 23, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Forlinx i.MX6UL Linux Single Board Computer Supports ESAM Embedded Security Control Module

Forlinx Embedded has introduced i.MX6UL single board computer (SBC) based on NXP i.MX 6Ultralite Cortex A7 processor with 512 MB RAM, 8GB storage, that includes two Ethernet interface, an LCD interface, a CAN bus, as well as ESAM (Embedded System Access Module) support via either a SIM card like slot, or a 8-pin DIP chip compatible with ISO7816 standard, and typically used in the financial, telecommunications, transportation sectors for authentication and secure data transfer. Forlinx I.MX6UL board specifications: System-on-module: SoC – NXP i.MX 6Ultralite ARM Cortex A7 processor @ up to 528 MHz with 2D graphics GPU System Memory – 512 MB LvDDR3 memory Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (but hardware manual says 1GB eMMC flash, but also mentioned MTFC8GACAAAM-1M WT so it must 8GB after all…) 2x 80-pin board to board connectors with signals for 2x CAN bus, 2x USB device, 2x SDIO, 2x 10/100M Ethernet, 24-bit RGB, 4x […]