CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

April 17, 2016April 17, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

RTU-5025 GSM Relay Controller Supports Up to 64 Phone Numbers

We’ve already seem boxed WiFi and Bluetooth wireless relays that can be used to turn on and off appliances using a smartphones or web applications, but I’ve just been made aware that GSM relay controllers such as RTU 5025 could also be a good options since they allow for authentication using the mobile number, can be used with any phone, not only smartphones, and don’t cost anything to operate, beside the eventual maintenance cost of the SIM card inside the device, since the relay does not actually answer calls. It can also send an SMS to the owner each time the relay is activated, in which case the cost of SMS might have to be considered. RTU 5025 specifications and key features: Connectivity – GSM PHASE 2/2+@ 850/900/1800/1900 MHz with SIM card slot + GSM antenna Output Relay – 3A/240V Rated Voltage – 12V/1A Working Temperature – -10 to 60 […]

April 16, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Mini PCs and Cloudbooks Powered by Intel Apollo Lake Pentium and Celeron Processors, Successors of Braswell SoCs, are Expected in H2 2016

Intel released a presentation entitled “Design Considerations and Reference Designs for Entry, Value and Mainstream PCs” at IDF 2016 Shenzhen, explaining the company vision about low power laptops and mini PCs. At the core of those devices will be “Apollo Lake” Pentium and Celeron Processors with 6 to 10W TDP replacing Braswell processors with better CPU and graphics performance, lower power consumption, and low overall BoM cost. Beside mini PCs, the processors will also find their way into what Intel calls Cloudbooks, some sort of laptops with 2 to 4GB RAM, 32 to 64GB storage, no hard drive, and displays whose size ranges from 11.6″ to 14″. So it looks like Cloudbooks may be the new Netbooks, with better performance and larger displays. Cost savings on the mainboard are achieved thanks to the integration of many features (Signal Processor, SD Card bridge chip, Spead Spectrum Clock…), low power consumption leading […]

April 16, 2016April 16, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Intel Compute Stick STK2mv64CC Powered by Core m5-6Y57 vPro Processor is Up for Pre-order for $485

Intel announced five new Computer Sticks at the beginning of the year, and so far 4 have been launched, and the Intel Core m3 have been benchmarked showing about to double the performance compared to the Cherry Trail versions, but the most powerful model based on Core m5 had yet to be launched. The news is that if you have some spare cash, you can now pre-order Intel Compute Stick STK2mv64CC based on Core m5-6Y57 vPro processor for $485 on Amazon US with shipping scheduled for May 12, 2016. That’s quite a steep price, so let’s see what you’d get for $500: SoC – Intel Core m5-6Y57 vPro dual core/four thread processor @ 1.1 GHz/2.8GHz with Intel HD Graphics 515 @ 300MHz/900Mhz (4.5 W TDP, configurable to 3.5W and 7W) System Memory – 4 GB DDR3L @ 1833MHz dual channel memory Storage – 64 GB eMMC + micro SDXC v3.0 slot with […]

April 15, 2016April 15, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Software Matters, or How SinoVoIP Crippled Banana Pi M2+ Performance.

The most common way to use a development board is to simply go to the manufacturer website, and download the images from there. They are the ones who made the hardware after all, and they should be the most knowledgeable about their platform. But it may not always be true as tkaiser found out when he ran some Phoronix benchmarks on Banana Pi M2+ (aka BPI M2+) board with SinoVoIP (the manufacturer), Armbian, and Raspbian images. The results speak for themselves. The last three columns are what is of interest here, and in some benchmark Banana Pi M2+ is about 3 times slower with SinoVoIP image compared to Armbian, while with others the performance is quite similar. John The Ripper password cracker benchmark shows a massive difference between distributions… … while FLAC audio encoding not so much. So what’s going on here? First Jon the Ripper is a multi-threaded applications, […]

April 15, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

$200 Kangaroo Mobile Desktop Pro mini PC Features a Larger Dock with 2.5″ SATA Slot, VGA, HDMI, and More

The original Kangaroo Mobile Desktop PC came with an Intel Atom x5-Z8500 processor, 2GB RAM, and 32GB flash, as well as a small dock to add HDMI, two USB ports, and DC input. The company also launched an upgraded “Plus” version with 4GB RAM and 64GB flash a few months ago, but now they have introduced the Pro version with the same CPU “module”, but a larger dock, making the device over twice as thick by adding a 2.5″ SATA bay, Ethernet, VGA, etc… Kangaroo Mobile Desktop Pro specifications (bold highlights show difference with original model): SoC – Intel Atom x5-Z8500 Processor @ 1.44 GHz (up to 2.24 GHz) with 2M Cache and Intel Gen8 Graphics System Memory – 2GB LPDDR3 Storage – 32GB eMMC + micro SD slot + 2.5″ slot for SSD or HDD Video Output – HDMI and VGA Audio Output – HDMI and 3.5mm audio jack […]

April 15, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Intel Showcases Core m Compute Stick Prototype with RealSense Camera at IDF 2016 Shenzhen

Intel appears to be all-in with their Realsense technology at IDF 2016 Shenzhen, as together with RealSense Robotic Development Kit, the company is showcasing an Intel Core m “Skylake” TV Stick, based on similar hardware as STK2MV64CC Compute Stick with a Core m3 or m5 vPro processor, but adding a Realsense F200 3D depth camera and an array of microphones. The full specifications are not available, but we do know the stick also comes with one USB 3.0 ports, and a yellow USB 2.0 port which should be always-on, a micro USB port for power, and a micro HDMI port to connect the your TV. The stick is supposed to be placed on top of your TV so you’d then be able to control the user interface, play games, etc… using gestures, with potentially other applications made possible thanks to 3D depth sensing such as Windows Hello which allows you […]

April 14, 2016April 14, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Intel RealSense Robotic Development Kit Features Atom x5 UP Board, Realsense R200 Depth Camera

An Intel Developer Forum is currently taking place in Shenzhen, China, which may explains why we have several Intel products announcements targeting developers such as the launch of Quark D2000 development board. Another product for makers and developers is Intel RealSense Robotic Development Kit combining Raspberry Pi like UP Board powered by Intel Atom x5-Z8350 processor with Intel RealSense camera (R200) in order to bring 3D / depth vision to robots. UP Board specifications have changed a little as the processor is now Z8350 instead of Z8300, and they now have a version with 4GB RAM used in the kit: SoC – Intel Atom x5-Z8350 “Cherry Trail” quad core processor @ 1.44 GHz (Burst frequency: 1.92 GHz) with Intel Gen8 HD graphics System Memory – 4GB DDR3L-1600 Storage – 32 GB eMMC flash Video Output / Display – HDMI 1.4b, MIPI DSI/eDP interface Audio I/O – HDMI, I2S Connectivity – […]

April 14, 2016April 14, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

UDOO x86 Development Board Combines Quad Core Intel Motherboard with Arduino 101 Board for $89 and Up (Crowdfunding)

UDOO is known for their ARM based development board with an MCU to control I/Os from Arduino compatible headers such as UDOO Quad or UDOO NEO. The community has now launched a new board called UDOO x86 powered by a quad core Intel processor, and integrating the Intel Curie compute module with Quark SE MCU used in Arduino 101, and the Arduino UNO headers. The basic version will come with Atom x5-E8000 Cherry Trail Braswell processor while the advanced version will feature Celeron N3160 Braswell processor. UDOO x86 Basic and Advanced specifications: SoC Basic – Intel Atom x5-E8000 quad core processor @ 1.04 / 2.0 GHz GHz with 12EU Intel HD graphics @ 320 MHz (5W TDP) Advanced – Intel Celeron N3160 quad-core processor @ 1.6 GHz / 2.24 GHz (Turbo) with 12EU Intel HD graphics@ 320 MHz/640Mhz (4W SDP / 6W TDP) System Memory Basic – 2 GB DDR3L […]