CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

February 5, 2016February 5, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

How to Use Your Old Laptop Screen with Raspberry Pi or Your Computer

After reading an article on Liliputing about using Raspberry Pi Zero with Motorola Lapdock, I decided to look for clones for the device since Motorola Lapdock is now hard to buy at a decent price, if at all, since the product has been discontinued for a while. I did not find anything similar, but instead I came across M.NT68676.2A LCD driver HDMI kit selling for $37.99 on eBay that allows you to re-use your old laptop screen with any development board or computer that comes with HDMI, DVI, or VGA output. The kit is comprised of a monitor control board (M.NT68676.2A), an “inverter” board which depends on your LCD panel model number, a keypad board, an LVDS cable, and a cable to connect all three boards together. M.NT68676.2A monitor control board specifications: Chipset – NT68676 (UFG) Supported Panel – LED/LCD, Single/Dual LVDS (8bit) up to 2048×1152 resolution Video Input “PC-RGB […]

February 5, 2016March 28, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition Tablet is the First Ubuntu “Convergence” Device

Three years ago, Canonical unveiled their plan to develop Ubuntu for Tablets with support for both tablet mode and full desktop convergence, but development took longer than expected, and in the meantimes some companies launched tablets without real mobile / desktop convergence, such as Cube i7-CM or Mastermind UT One, non of which were really successful. However, with the upcoming Ubuntu 16.04 “Xenial Xerus” LTS release, Canonical has worked it out, and the company cooperated with BQ to develop Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition tablet the feature both mobile and desktop modes. BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu edition specifications: SoC – MediaTek MT8163A ARM Cortex-A53 quad-core processor @ 1.5 GHz with ARM Mali-T720MP2 GPU System Memory – 2GB RAM Storage – 16GB storage + microSD card slot for up to 64GB of removable storage Display – 10.1″ multitouch screen; 1920×1200 resolution Video Output – micro HDMI output Audio – Frontal speakers, 3.5mm […]

February 4, 2016February 4, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Maoxiaoer Bluetooth Smart Fishing Float Works with Android and iOS Devices

I used to go fishing a lot when I was a kid, and if in the future I go fishing again, I’d probably just leave the phone at home to enjoy with nature. But if you tend to fall asleep while fishing, or like to fish at night, Maoxiaoer smart fishing float will alert your smartphone over Bluetooth once you get a catch, and its LED will blink. From the outside it jsut looks like a normal blue fishing float made of balsa, but it takes two CR425 batteries to power LEDs and Bluetooth connectivity. The sensitivity of the float’s alarm as well as LED intensity is controlled by an app that runs on Android or iOS. Here are some of the fishing float specifications: Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.0 up to 15 meters Sensitivity – 12 levels Battery life – 8 hours Color – White, black, gold Dimensions – Float […]

February 4, 2016April 29, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

FriendlyARM NanoPC-T2 Board Gets More Storage, WiFi & Bluetooth, Stays Cool, and Costs Less

FriendlyARM NanoPC-T1 board powered by Samsung Exynos 4412 processor with 1GB RAM and 4GB eMMC flash was unveiled at the start of 2014 for $69. The company has now announced NanoPC-T2 with Samsung S5P4418 processor with 1GB RAM, and 8GB Flash, as well as WiFi and Bluetooth, as Gigabit Ethernet all of which were missing in the first version. NanoPC-T2 also has a power management chip, and a larger heatsink, meaning that it does not suffer from overheating like NanoPi2 according to FriendlyARM. NanoPC-T2 specifications: SoC – Samsung S5P4418 quad core Cortex A9 processor @ up to 1.4GHz with Mali-400MP GPU System Memory – 1GB 32bit DDR3 RAM Storage – 8GB eMMC flash, and 1x SD card slot (on the bottom of the board) Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth LE 4.0 (Ampak AP6212) with on-board chip antenna and 1x IPX antenna connector Video Output / Display […]

February 4, 2016November 18, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

How to Check CPU Throttling in Windows 10 or Windows 11

Recent processors all have the ability to adjust the operating frequency to either decrease power consumption or make sure the processor does not overheat. That’s why for example Intel processors have a maximum junction temperature (Tj max) so that if this temperature is reached the processor can slow down (throttle) to cool things off and avoid damaging itself. That also explains why computers with the same processor, storage, and memory may have greatly different performance under load depending on their thermal design. I’m currently testing a fanless mini PC with an Intel Celeron N3150 Braswell processor, and yesterday I noticed the frequency would be stuck at 0.22 GHZ (yes, that’s 220 MHz) at all times, even when starting the web browser and loading long web pages. It was very slow, and I had a few “windows not responding” in the process. I checked the metal box temperature with an IR […]

February 4, 2016February 4, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Olimex H3-OLinuXino-NANO is a Smaller Allwinner H3 Board with HDMI, Ethernet, and Many I/Os

Allwinner H3 processor is quite popular in development boards thanks to some of Shenzhen Xunlong’s Orange Pi boards such as Orange Pi PC or Orange Pi One. However, some specific features may not work 0ut of the box, or are undocumented, so it’s always a plus when more companies create boards for a platform, and that’s exactly what Olimex has done with H3-OlinuXino-NANO, a board that’s smaller than any Orange Pi boards, the first open source hardware Allwinner H3 board on the market, and featuring many more I/O pins available. Olimex H3-OlinuXino-NANO specifications: SoC – Allwinner H3 quad core Cortex-A7 processor @ 1.2 GHz with Mali-400MP2 GPU System Memory – 512MB of DDR3 RAM Storage – micro SD card slot Video Output- HDMI up to 1080p60 Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet USB – 2x USB host ports + 1x micro USB OTG port Expansion – Optional 2x 40-pin headers with GPIOs, […]

February 3, 2016February 3, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 57 Comments

Hardkernel ODROID-C2 64-Bit ARM Development Board to Sell for $40 Next Month

We previously knew ODROID-C2 was in development thanks to a document and source code from Amlogic themselves. We did not have the full details at the time, and Amlogic’s document even got the RAM capacity wrong. Hardkernel has finally announced ODROID-C2 development board based on Amlogic S905 will be selling on March 2016 for $40, and released specifications and some photos. ODROID-C2 specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905 quad core cortex-A53 processor with 3+2 cores Mali-450 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 SDRAM Storage – eMMC module socket with 8, 16, 32, or 64GB module by Toshiba or Sandisk + micro SD slot supporting UHS-1 SD cards. Video Output – HDMI 2.0 Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet (Realtek RTL8211F) USB – 4x USB 2.0 host ports + micro USB OTG port Expansion Header 40-pin header with GPIO, I2C, UART, and ADC ; All I/Os are 3.3V, except ADC that is limited to […]

February 3, 2016February 14, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Gladius GT-500 Rugged Android Smartphone Features a Built-in Barcode Reader, LTE Connectivity

ARBOR technology has introduced Gladius GT-500 “5” Rugged Android Handheld Device” running Android 5.1 on MediaTek MT6735 quad core processor, with LTE connectivity, IP67 rated, and featuring a build-in 1D/2D barcode reader with physical trigger buttons. Gladius GT-500 smartphone specifications: SoC – Mediatek MT6735 quad core Cortex A53 processor @ 1.3 GHz with ARM Mali-T720 GPU System Memory – 2GB LPDDR2 Storage – 16GB eMMC flash + 1x micro SD slot up to 32GB Display – 5″ TFTP LCD; 1280×720 resolution; 5-point glove-friendly projector capacitive touch screen; 400 cd/m2 brightness Cellular Connectivity 2G GSM/GPRS/EDGE (Band 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900) 3G WCDMA (Band 1,2,5,8) 3G CDMA2000 (BC0/BC1) 4G FDD+TDD (Band 1,3,5,7,8,20,38,39,40,41) 4G DRX (Band 1,3,5,7,8,20,38,39,40,41) SIM Sockets – 1 x micro-SIM (3FF) socket supporting 2G/3G/LTE; 1 x micro-SIM (3FF) socket supporting 2G only Other Connectivity – Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1 (BLE, HS compliant), NFC, and GPS/GNSS/Beidou Camera – […]