CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

April 4, 2016April 4, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 20 Comments

Tiny Microwave Radar Module Detects Movements Up to 9 Meters Away for $2

PIR sensors are used to detect motion for example to turn on or off a light bulb when motion is detection. One such sensor is HC-SR501 motion detector, which costs around $1, and is tiny (32 x 24 mm), but not quite thin due to the design that needs to capture infrared light, with an height of around 2 centimeters. If you’d like something almost as cheap, just as small, but much thinner, microwave radar modules could be a good alternative. XYC-WB-DC is one of those modules with the following specs: Operating Frequency – 5.8 GHz Detection angle – 360° Detection range – 6-9 meters Working Voltage – 3.3-20VDC; Standby current – <3mA; Transmit power – <2mW; Dimensions – 32 x 23 mm Operating temperature range – -20 ~ +80 Centigrade; Potential advantages over PIR sensors include wider detection angle, and lower power consumption, HC-SR501 datasheet reports respectively 120 degrees […]

April 3, 2016May 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Open Source Mali-200 / Mali-400 GPU Lima Driver Gets New Commits

The Lima driver, a project aimed at providing an open source driver for ARM Mali-400 and Mali-200 GPUs, was introduced 4 years ago, and after some reverse engineering work, a Quake 3 demo was showcase later in 2013 with an intermediate version of the Lima drivers. However, the main developer (libv) eventually lost interest or lacked time to further work, and the latest commit was made in June 9, 2013. But another developer (oklas) committed some code to limadriver-ng just a few days ago. But don’t get too excited, as the modifications are minor with some build fixes, some other Makefile modifications, and only one C file modified with 6 new lines of code. But maybe that’s just the beginning… We’ll see. Mali-400 GPU is now rather old, so why would somebody work on this? One explanation could be C.H.I.P and Pine A64 boards are both based on Allwinner SoCs […]

April 2, 2016May 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 22 Comments

Low Cost Development Boards Linux Benchmarks – Raspberry Pi vs Banana Pi vs Orange Pi vs ODROID

LoveRPi, a distributor and reseller of electronic boards and accessories, has run benchmarks from the Phoronix Suite on several low cost development boards: $46* Banana Pi M2 based on Allwinner A31s quad core Cortex A7 processor @ 1.0 GHz with Armbian (Ubuntu 14.04) $74* Banana Pi M3 based on Allwinner A83T octa core Cortex A7 processor @ 1.80 GHz with Debian 8.3 $32 ODROID-C1+ based on Amlogic S805 quad core Cortex A5 processor @ 1.5 GHz with Ubuntu 14.04 $40 ODROID-C2 based on Amlogic S905 quad core Cortex A53 processor @ 2.0 GHz with Ubuntu 16.04 $74 ODROID-XU4 based on Samsung Exynos 5422 quad core ARM Cortex-A15 @ 2.0GHz quad core ARM Cortex-A7 @ 1.4GHz with Ubuntu 15.10 $10 Orange Pi One based Allwinner H3 Cortex A7 processor @ 1.2 GHz with Armbiam (Debian 8.3) $15 Orange Pi PC based on Allwinner H3 Cortex A7 processor @ 1.3 GHz with […]

April 1, 2016April 1, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 24 Comments

Orange Pi Brick is a $1 Raspberry Pi Zero Compatible Smart Block

Shenzhen Xunlong Orange Pi boards are popular with some developers and hobbyists thanks to their low price, but the company is also aware that some are critical of their products. Some of the complaints include that their boards are too difficult to use due to lack of proper firmware and documentation, they are called “Orange Pi”, but aren’t even made with orange color, with some people even going as far as saying their boards are just bricks just good enough to collect dust. The company has taken all remarks into consideration, and has come up with a product that’s simple to use and orange, while breaking the price barrier, as it will be sold for just $1. Yep. You read that right. One Dollar. I’ve worked with the company to get the exclusive, believe me you won’t find this on any other sites, and they’ve sent me an early sample. […]

April 1, 2016April 1, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Ultracker US360 360 Degrees Camera Features 4 Wide-Angle Lenses, Runs Android

We’ve already seen 360 degrees cameras with some rather expensive setups with multiple GoPros, as well as more affordable solutions (around $500) such as Gyroptic 360 Camera and ALLIe cameras. Taiwan based Ultracker Technology is now promising a 360 degree camera for around 300 dollars with their US360 model featuring four lenses for up to 1080p30 or 6144×1760 @ 6 fps video recording or live streaming. US360 camera specifications: FPGA implementation Camera Image Sensors – 4x 2.4 MP Sony Exmor CMOS Sensor Lens – 4x 2.3mm wide angle lenses View angle – 360° x 200° Image Settings Image Adjustment – Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Sharpness, DWDR, AEC, AGC, AWB, Noise Reduction (2D/3D) Image Orientation – Flip, Mirror, 360˚ Rotation Photo format – JPEG Video Codec – H.264 or MJPEG Resolution & frame rate – 6144 x 1792 @ 6 fps , 1920 x 1080 @ 30 fps , 1280 x 720 […]

March 31, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

Unboxing and Teardown of Zidoo X1 II Android TV Box

MXQ-4K, the first Android TV box based on Rockchip RK3229 I received, was a massive disappointment to me as it was unusable to play 4K videos possibly due to CPU throttling and/or poorly optimized USB storage support. So I was eager to try another device based on the latest Rockchip media processor with support for 4K 10-bit H.265 and H.264 video playback, and Zidoo sent their Zidoo X1 II TV box for review on CNX Software. Today, I’ll start by checking the device and the hardware, before testing the firmware later on. Zidoo X1 II Unboxing I got the device by DHL in the usual Zidoo’s white and green package with some icons representing the key features: 4K, 3D, ZIUI user interface, WiFI, 10-bit HEVC… ZDMC is the custom version of Kodi developed by the company, and that makes Zidoo one of the rare companies to respect Kodi’s trademark. The […]

March 31, 2016March 31, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

LONG-CZ J8 Could Be The World’s Smallest Phone

Smartphone displays are getting bigger each year, but at the other end of the spectrum, LONG-CZ J8 phone could the world’s smallest at just 68 x 23 x 11 mm, and 18 grams. It takes micro SIM card to make calls, but also doubles (triples?) as a Bluetooth headset and FM Radio. LONG-CZ J2 specifications: Processor – Mediatek Display – 0.6″‘ OLED display Cellular Connectivity – GSM 850/900/1800/1900 via micro SIM card slot Connectivity – Bluetooth 3.0 USB – 1x micro USB port for charging Battery – Capacity TBD; Up to 5 hours talk time, 96 hours standby time. Dimensions – 68 x 23 x 11mm Weight 18g The phones ships with a data cable, a user’s manual in English and Chinese, a strap, one ear loop, and two ear caps. Nine languages are supported: English, French, Italian, Russian, Hindi, Russian, Thai, Portuguese, and Spanish. The phone is not quite […]

March 31, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

MJ Technology Ubuntu Tablets Powered by Intel Atom Cherry Trail Processors Launched on Indiegogo

BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu tablets officially launched a few days ago, but it’s you’d like an Ubuntu tablet with better hardware specifications, MJ Technology have now launched their own Ubuntu tablets powered by Intel Atom x5 or x7 quad core processors with 2GB to 4GB RAM, and 64GB, 128GB or 256GB internal storage. There are four models – Tanto, mini Tanto, Wakizashi, and Katana – with the following specs: SoC mini Tanto – Intel Atom x5-Z8300 quad core processor up to 1.84 GHz with Intel HD Gen8 graphics Tanto, Wakizashi, Katana – Intel Atom x7-Z8750 quad core processor up to 2.40 GHz with Intel HD Gen8 graphics System Memory mini Tanto, Tanto – 2GB LPDDR3 Wakizashi, Katana – 4GB LPDDR3 (2x2GB) Storage mini Tanto, Tanto – 64GB eMMC flash + micro SD Slot up to 128GB Wakizashi, Katana – 128 GB eMMC flash or 256GB SSD + micro SD Slot […]