CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

July 26, 2023July 26, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 29 Comments

Banana Pi BPI-R3 Mini – A low-profile 2.5GbE router board powered by MediaTek Filogic 830 SoC

Banana Pi BPI-R3 Mini router board is powered by MediaTek MT7986 (Filogic 830) quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor with 2GB DDR4, an 8GB eMMC flash, two low-profile 2.5GbE ports, and WiFi 6 support. It also comes with an M.2 PCIe socket that can be used with an NVMe SSD or a 5G cellular module. The BPI-R3 Mini is based on many of the same chips as found on the Banana Pi BPI-R3 board, but with a much more compact design that makes it suitable as a 2.5GbE firewall, wireless router or repeater, home security gateway, home automation gateway, NAS device, and more. Banana Pi BPI-R3 Mini specifications: SoC – MediaTek MT7986A (Filogic 830) quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor with hardware acceleration engines for Wi-Fi offloading and networking System Memory – 2GB DDR4 RAM Storage – 8GB eMMC flash, 128MB NAND flash, M.2 2230 NVMe SSD socket Networking 2x 2.5GbE RJ45 ports via […]

July 26, 2023April 5, 2024 by Sponsored Post - 4 Comments

An Intel NUC Alternative: Azulle’s Elite (Sponsored)

When it comes to compact and powerful computing solutions, the Intel NUC (Next Unit of Computing) series has long been a favorite among tech enthusiasts. However, since Intel’s most recent End of Life announcement for the NUC line, the market has changed to a series of highly effective alternatives. Azulle Elite – An Intel NUC alternative Azulle’s Elite is here to challenge that dominance. With its cutting-edge 13th Gen Raptor Lake CPU, quick-turn configure-to-order advantage, and a host of impressive features, the Elite offers a compelling alternative to the Intel NUC lineup. Azulle’s Elite is the latest model in a series of generational models that have existed for years, now perfected, and designed to fit all enterprise-level needs. Just like its former Intel NUC counterparts, the Elite offers the perfect combination of size, performance, sustainability, and reliability to power modern businesses. The sleek design and small footprint make it an […]

July 25, 2023July 25, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Flipper Zero hardware & wireless hacking tool gets an app “store” with open-source app

Flipper Zero portable multi-tool for pentesters and hardware hackers has now gotten an app “store” with currently around 100 free and open-source apps available through the device’s Android or iOS app. I missed it at the time, but the Flipper Zero launched on Kickstarter in July 2020 and was massively popular with close to 5 million dollars raised from almost 38,000 backers. The tool looks like a toy but it allows hacking with GPIOs and short-range wireless protocols such as Bluetooth, RFID, NFC, and infrared. Flipper Zero specifications: Wireless MCU – STMicro STM32WB55RG with Arm Cortex-M4 application core @ 64 MHz, Arm Cortex-M0+ network core @ 32 MHz, 1024 KB flash, 256KB SRAM Storage – MicroSD card slot up to 64GB Display – 1.4-inch monochrome LCD (black on orange background) with 128×64 resolution via ST7565R SPI display controller Connectivity Bluetooth 5 LE & 802.15.4 via STM32WB55 microcontroller Bluetooth LE – […]

July 25, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

STMicro STHS34PF80 IR sensor for motion and presence detection aims to replace PIR sensors

STMicro STHS34PF80 is a new IR sensor designed for IoT and Smart Home devices requiring motion and/or presence detection that offers an alternative to traditional passive infrared (PIR) sensors and is mostly useful for building automation. The latest IR sensor from STMicro contains thermal transistors (MOSFETs) that can not only detect motion but also stationary objects, something that’s not feasible with conventional PIR detectors that require motion for object detection. The company further adds that PIR sensors need a Fresnel lens to sense moving objects, but the STHS34PF80 detector does not require a lens and as a result, enables much smaller designs. STHS34PF80 key features and specifications: Range up to 4 meters without lens for objects measuring 70 x 25 cm² Integrated silicon IR filter IR sensitivity – 2000 LSB/°C RMS noise – 25 LSBrms Operating wavelength – 5 µm to 20 µm Local temperature sensor accuracy – ±0.3 °C […]

July 25, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Intel AVX10.2 ISA to enable AVX-512 capabilities on E-cores

Intel AVX10 SIMD instructions will succeed AVX-512 instructions with AVX10.2 adding support for Intel E-cores to bring multimedia and AI acceleration to low-power cores, while the earlier AVX10.1 will add version-base enumeration and make 512-bit instructions optional, but still only work on Intel (Xeon) P-cores. The new Intel Advanced Vector Extensions 10 (AVX10) architecture was unveiled in an update to the Advanced Performance Extensions (Intel APX) bringing AVR-512-like support to new hybrid processors with P-cores and E-cores, as well as potentially their entry-level versions with E-cores only. Intel explains the new SIMD architecture includes all the capabilities and features of the Intel AVX-512 ISA, both for processors that feature 256-bit maximum vector register sizes, as well as for processors that feature 512-bit vector registers. The AVX10 ISA adds a new version-based enumeration scheme that reduces the number of CPUID feature flags needing to be checked for feature support. As mentioned […]

July 24, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

ARBOR ELIT-1060 compact, fanless Celeron N6210 terminal supports up to three 4K displays

Compact Intel Celeron N6210 fanless display terminal

ARBOR’s ELIT-1060 triple display terminal is a rugged fanless mini PC powered by an Intel Celeron N6210 dual-core Elkhart Lake processor with two HDMI 2.0 ports and one DisplayPort connector each supporting up to 4Kp60 resolution. The system comes with a 4GB DDR4 SO-DIMM, 32GB eMMC flash, two 2.5GbE Ethernet ports, an M.2 socket for wireless expansion, several USB 3.0/2.0 ports, and one RS232/422/485 serial port. While the company markets it for “high-intensity digital signage applications”, I could also see it being used in various other applications thanks to its networking capabilities and expansion ports. ARBOR ELIT-1060 specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron N6210 dual-core Elkhart Lake processor up to 2.6 GHz with Intel UHD graphics System Memory – 4GB DDR4 SO-DIMM memory expandable to up to 32GB RAM Storage 32GB eMMC flash M.2 M-key socket (2260/2280, PCIe Gen.3 x2/SATA interface) for an NVMe or SATA SSD Video Output 2x HDMI […]

July 24, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

ButtonBoard is a 3cm round WiFi IoT board with BME280 and IMU sensors (Crowdfunding)

ButtonBoard round shap ESP8285 WiFi IoT board

ButtonBoard is a tiny round-shaped board based on the ESP-01F WiFi IoT module (ESP8285), equipped with a BME280 air pressure, humidity, and temperature sensor, an IMU sensor, and designed for wearables electronics projects. ButtonBoard specifications: Wireless module – ESP-01F module with ESP8285 Tensilica L106 microcontroller @ 80/160 MHz with 2.4GHz WiFi connectivity, PCB antenna; package: 11 x 10 mm USB – Micro USB port Sensors Bosch Sensortec BME280 pressure, temperature, and humidity sensor, and altimeter. IMU sensor Expansion – Through holes for up to 10x GPIOs, I2C, SPI, USART Misc – Reset button Power Supply – 5V via micro USB port; onboard power management Dimensions – About 3cm diameter The ButtonBoard can be programmed with the Arduino IDE via USB or WiFi, MicroPython, Lua, and Scratch, and they also mention support for ChatGPT through the current API, but I could not find any code samples at this time. They do […]

July 24, 2023July 25, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Feature-rich, low-profile Rockchip RK3588 SBC is made for digital signage displays, industrial PCs, NVR, and more

Shenzhen Runwelltec RWA027-RK3588 is a low-profile SBC powered by a Rockchip RK3588 and equipped with plenty of connectors and ports. Those make the 11mm thin RK3588 board suitable for network video recorders (NVR), smart digital signage displays, industrial PCs, face recognition solutions, etc… The ultrathin board comes with up to 16GB RAM and up to 256GB eMMC flash, supports NVMe and SATA storage, provides HDMI 2.1 video output and five other LCD interfaces with optional USB/I2C touchscreen support, as well as two 4K-capable HDMI input ports, offers Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, up to nine USB interfaces, six UART, and so on. RWA027-RK3588 specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3588 CPU – Octa-core processor with 4x Arm Cortex-A76 cores @ up to 2.4 GHz, 4x Arm Cortex-A55 cores GPU – Arm Mali-G610 MP4 GPU with support for OpenGL ES3.2, OpenCL 2.2, Vulkan1.1 AI Accelerator – 6 TOPS NPU VPU […]