ESP8266 and ESP32 Differences in One Single Table

ESP8266_vs_ESP32

Espressif Systems ESP8266 is a very popular platform for IoT applications relying on WiFi, at least for hobbyists, while Espressif ESP32 is the new solution from the company that adds a CPU core, faster WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2, and various I/Os which should launch very soon. Amica.io released a table showing the main differences between the two processors which are expected to coexist in the market with ESP8266 used in the lower-cost segment, and ESP32 in applications requiring WiFi and Bluetooth, or some of the new interfaces. Some of the features were clearly listed when ESP32 was first announced, but for example, I was not aware that an Ethernet MAC, and a temperature sensor were built into the new SoC. Other interesting features for the new ESP32 processor include a touch sensor, and hardware PWM both of which are missing in ESP8266. The new dual-core processor also builds on existing features, […]

Imagination Releases OpenWrt and LWM2M Stack Source Code for MIPS Creator Ci40 Development Board

MIPS Creator Ci40 is a development board made by Imagination technology that features the company’s Creator cXT200 “Pistachio” SoC with a dual core MIPS interAptiv processor @ 550MHz and Ensigma C4500 RPU for 802.11ac/ BT 4.1 LE connectivity. The boards are supposed to be shipped to Kickstarter backers in April, but in the meantime, the company has released the source code for OpenWrt distribution as well as LWM2M stack for the board. OpenWRT source code is available in OpenWrt repo in FlowM2M gitbub account. Building the code for MIPS Creator Ci40 is quite straightforward:

Select IMG MIPS Pistachio in make menuconfig, save the settings, and then run make to build OpenWrt for the board. This will also build the toolchain, so you don’t need to install any before hand. LWM2M stands for Lightweight Machine to Machine, and is a protocol from the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) for M2M / […]

Khadas Edge2 Arm mini PC

M2.COM is a Standard for IoT Sensors Based on M.2 Form Factor

The IoT ecosystem really feels like a jungle now, not because of a lack of standards, but because everybody thinks about doing their own, so we’ve ended up with a wide range of communication protocols, initiatives, and consortia, and it will take some time until the winners and losers are sorted out. One the of the latest standard is M2.COM platform form factor for sensors that “adopts the standardized M.2 form factor and is defined as an evolutionary module that combines general wireless connectivity with additional built-in computing ability powered by MCU”. M2.COM architecture diagram above describes both software and hardware requirements, but the specifications themselves only define the form factor, as well as mechanical and electrical characteristics: Consistent with M.2 standard Module size: 22 mm x 30 mm PCB thickness: 0.8 mm ± 10% Pin count: 75 pins Module input voltage: 3.3V DC-in Connector mating force: 30N Maximum Connector […]

Stream Live TV to Your Computer or Smartphone with U4 Quad Hybrid Android TV Box, Kodi and TVheadend

TVheadend is a streaming server and recorder for Linux, FreeBSD and Android supporting DVB-S, DVB-S2, DVB-C, DVB-T, ATSC, ISDB-T, IPTV, SAT>IP and HDHomeRun as input sources, and while in theory it should be possible to configure any recent Android TV set-top box with digital TV tuners, configuration is complex, and there’s no guarantee the tuner will be recognized. However, the manufacturer of U4 Quad Hybrid has already configured their box to support HTSP clients, so I’ve installed the latest firmware, and given it a try with my Android smartphone running Kodi 15.2 with TVheadend HTSP client, and I could successfully stream live TV (DVB-T2 free-to-air channels) to my smartphone. Once you’ve scanned the channels using DVB-T2 and/or DVB-S2, there’s no other configuration in U4 Quad Hybrid TV box, but you’ll still need to find out your IP address by going to Setup->Network, and WiFi, Ethernet or 3G depending on your […]

BBC Micro:Bit Board is Now Getting into the Hands of British Students

After several delays, BBC is now giving free Micro:Bit Bluetooth LE enabled boards to UK students with the goal of getting them interested in coding and electronics in a way that’s even easier and cheaper than using a Raspberry Pi board. Micro:bit specifications: MCU – Nordic nRF51822 Bluetooth SoC based on Cortex M0 core @ 16MHz with 16KB RAM 2x user buttons, 1x reset button 25x red user LEDs  in a 5×5 matrix Connectivity – Bluetooth LE Sensors – Compass, magnetometer, accelerometer USB – 1x micro USB port for port and programming Expansion – 20-pin edge connector, 5x “rings” for 3V, GND, and 3 digital/analog I/Os Power – 5V via USB or battery port to connect two AAA batteries Dimensions – 4cm x 5cm There are four ways to “code” the board: Code Kingdoms JavaScript  graphical ‘drag and drop’ and text-based programming, Microsoft Block Editor graphical, drag and drop code […]

ViXS Xcode 6800 Series Processors Support 4K 12-bit HEVC with HDR, VIDITY DRM

Now that 4K televisions are becoming more and more common, and 4K content is starting to be available via satellite (DVB-S2), online (Netflix, Amazon..), and off-line via UHD blu-ray discs, a new consumer initiative has been launched by the UHD Alliance. The UltraHD Premium logo will allow consumers to make sure their new 4K television also supports specific performance metrics for resolution, high dynamic range (HDR), peak luminance, black levels and wide color gamut. many of these new features will allow requires new content, and set-top box beside the compliant television. ViXS Xcode 6800 dual core Cortex-A9 dual-core processor will meet the requirement with a 4K 12bit HEVC (Main12) 60 fps video decoder, HDR Tone Mapping engine, HDMI 2.0a, and more. Some of the key features of ViXS Xcode 6800 processor: CPU – Dual core ARM Cortex A9 processor GPU – 3D graphics engine compliant with OpenGL-ES 2.0 and OpenGL-ES […]

UP 7000 SBC

NXP Introduces QorIQ LS1046A Quad Cortex A72 Communication Processor with 10 GbE, SATA 3.0, PCIe 3.0, etc…

NXP has unveiled a new QorIQ communication processor with LS1046A based on quad ARM Cortex-A72 cores, and including 10GbE, PCIe Gen.3, SATA 3.0, and USB 3.0 interfaces. The processors targets CPE and vCPE (virtual Customer Premise Equipment), routers, NAS, and service provider gateways for the home and small office, as well as single board computers. QorIQ LS1046A key specifications: CPU – Four ARM Cortex -A72 cores with 2MB L2 cache; 32,000 CoreMarks. Memory  – 32-/64-bit DDR4 memory controller Storage – SATA 3.0 controller, quad SPI Connectivity 2x 10 Gigabit Ethernet controllers 1x 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet controller 4x Gigabit Ethernet controllers Other peripherals 3x PCIe 3.0 Controllers, x4, x2, x 1 3x USB 3.0 with integrated PHY 4x UART, 4x I2C, SPI, GPIO JTAG Support for hardware-based virtualization via ARM SMMU Packet processing acceleration –  Packet classification and distribution; hardware work scheduling, shaping, and buffer management. Integrated security engine – High-speed […]

Sinlinx SIN-A33 Plus Allwinner A33 Development Board Features LCD, MIPI-DSI, and VGA Interfaces

Allwinner A33 has never been a popular processor for development boards and single board computers, despite its $5 price tag for a quad core processor (in 2014), as without HDMI support, it’s been mostly used in low cost Android tablets. But this morning, I’ve come across Sinlinx company on linux-sunxi mailing list, and one of their latest development board – Sinlinx SIN-A33 Plus – is based on their older Allwinner A33 and features LCD, VGA & camera interfaces, I/Os headers, Ethernet and WiFi/Bt connectivity, and various other ports. Sinlinx SIN-A33 Plus specifications: SoC – Allwinner A33 quad core Cortex-A7 @ 1.3 GHz with Mali-400MP2 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 4GB eMMC, SD card slot Video Output – LCD connector, MIPI DSI header, and VGA port Audio – 3.5mm audio jacks for microphone and headphone, speaker header Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, WiFi and Bluetooth USB – 3x USB […]

Khadas VIM4 SBC