CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

November 27, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Graperain Introduces G8916 Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoM and LTE Mobile Development Board

Qualcomm applications processors used to be found mostly in consumer devices like smartphones and tablets, but recently the company has expended their use to the embedded space, and for example, we’ve seen Snapdragon 410 64-bit ARM processor used in DragonBoard 410c board, Intrinsyc Open-Q 410 SoM, Inforce 6309 SBC, and today I’m going to have a look at Graperain G8916 system-on-module that’s also integrated into a 4G/LTE mobile development platform. G6916 CPU module specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 (MSM8916) quad core Cortex A53 processor @up to 1.4GHz with Adreno 306 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 (2GB optional) Storage – 8GB eMMC 4.5 flash (16 and 32GB optional) + micro SD support up to 128GB via I/Os Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, FM, NFC/RFID, GPS/GLONASS with 4x on-module antenna connectors. Cellular Connectivity TD-LTE – B38/B39/B40/B41; FDD-LTE – B1/B2/B5/B/B26 TD-SCDMA -B34/B39 GSM – 850/900/1800/1900 CDMA – 1x/EVDO […]

November 27, 2015November 27, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Segger emPower is an embOS RTOS Evaluation Board with a J-Link OB Debug Interface

Segger, a company specializing in embedded software and hardware debugging tools, has recently launched Segger emPower, an evaluation board powered by Freescale Kinetis K66 Cortex M-4 MCU and including a J-LInk OB debug probe (JTAG/SWD), specially designed to evaluate the company’s embOS real-time operating system. emPower board hardware specifications: MCU – Freescale Kinetis K66 (MK66FN2M0VMD18) ARM Cortex M4F MCU @ 180MHz with with 256KB SRAM and 2MB flash memory Storage – 1Gbit NAND Flash + micro SD card connector Display I/F – 20-pin display adapter connector (5 V/3.3 V, SPI, PWM for backlight control) for small TFT displays Connectivity – Fast Ethernet USB – 1x USB device, 1x USB host (Full speed) Debugging On-board debug probe J-Link-OB with drag & drop (STM32F072, mini A/B-type connector); SWD/SWO only, no CDC/VCOM port support External debug interface (19-pin Cortex-M) including trace Expansion 3x Sensor Expansion Interface Devices (SExI) headers providing I2C, SPI buses, […]

November 26, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

ESP32 Module Schematics and Board Files

Espressif teased about their ESP32 WiSoC with WiFi and Bluetooth LE a few weeks ago in a letter addressed to developers, but did not release that much information. The company has now released some documents in the forums (registration required) concerning ESP32 module including PCB processing requirement, schematics and PCB layout, and bill of materials. The very first modules will actually be based on ESP31 processor, which only slightly differs from ESP32 with some swapped pins. The BoM is pretty small with several capacitors and resistors, one inductance, a 26 MHz crystal, ESP31, and a Gigadevice flash. The schematics have been designed with Orcad 16.6, so if you don’t have the program, you can read the schematics with Orcad 16.6 Lite, which is free to download. I’ve also printed the schematics to a PDF file. I’m not sure how to open the .pcb file which should be the module’s PCB […]

November 26, 2015December 13, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 39 Comments

Raspberry Pi Zero is a $5 Board Based on Broadcom BCM2835 Processor

The Raspberry Pi board had some serious competition price-wise with products such as Orange Pi PC, NanoPi, or even C.H.I.P, but the Raspberry Pi foundation has lowered the price barrier even further with the Raspberry Pi Zero board, based on the same processor as the original Raspberry Pi (model 1) boards but clocked at a higher speed, and in a much smaller form factor, and launching at an unbeatable price: $5. Raspberry Pi Zero specifications: Processor – Broadcomm BCM2835 ARM11 processor @ 1GHz with VideoCore IV GPU System – 512MB RAM Storage – microSD slot Video Output – mini HDMI port and composite video (via 2 unpopulated pins) USB – 2x micro USB OTG ports for data and power Expansion – 40-pin through-holes Power Supply – 5V via micro USB port Power Consumption – 0.5-0.7W (100-140mA at 5.09V) according to Raspi.TV Dimensions – 65mm x 30mm x 5mm The board […]

November 26, 2015November 26, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Xiaomi MiPad 2 Tablet Runs Android or Windows 10 on Intel Atom x5-Z8500 Processor for $156 and Up

Xiaomi launched their first MiPad tablet last year with an Nvidia Tegra K1 processor and running Android, and the company recently introduced an update with MiPad 2, with similar features to the original one, but replacing the ARM processor by an Intel Atom x5-Z8500 quad core “Cherry Trail” processor supporting both Android and Windows. Gizmo China made a comparison table between the two model’s specifications which I reproduced and edited below. Model Mi Pad Mi Pad 2 Processor Nividia Tegra K1 quad core Cortex A15 @ 2.2 GHz Intel Atom X5-Z8500 quad core x86 up to 2.24GHz RAM 2 GB LPDDR3 Internal Storage 16 GB/32 GB + micro SD slot 16 GB/64 GB, no micro SD slot Display 7.9″ (2048 x 1536 pixels) Connectivity 802.11ac 2×2 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.0 802.11ac 2×2 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.1 USB micro USB USB type-C Camera 8 MP/ 5 MP Battery 6700 mAh 6190 […]

November 26, 2015November 26, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Add an SSD, WiFi, and RTC to Your Raspberry Pi 2 Board with a $49 CSB502SSD Add-on Board (Crowdfunding)

If you wish your Raspberry Pi 2 could be a little more responsive, including WiFi connectivity and keep the time even when network is not available, and a few extra goodies then Pi 2 Design‘s CSB502SSD add-ons board (Raspberry Pi HAT) could be worth a look. CSB502SSD technical specifications: Storage – mSATA socket for up to 1TB on-board storage via PL2571 USB to SATA bridge controller USB – 2x extra USB 2.0 ports Connectivity – GWF-3M08 WiFi 802.11 b/g/n module (Ralink RT5370) with IPEX connector and up to 150 Mbps connection. Real Time Clock – DS1339 with 16mm coin cell battery backup and programmable alarm. Sensors – 1-Wire DS18B20 temperature sensor to monitor the health of SSD drive. 64-bit ID to identify the shield Power Supply – 8V-24V DC input (Up to 27.5W) for peripherals and Raspberry Pi 2. Dimensions – Full size Raspberry Pi 2 I/O Shield Since the […]

November 26, 2015November 26, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Inforce 6309 micro SBC is Software Compatible with DragonBoard 410c Board, Includes an Ethernet Port

I’ve recently written a review of DragonBoard 410c with Android, one of the first board part of Linaro’s 96Boards initiative that’s supposed to get Android and Debian distributions with recent Linux kernel & U-Boot, together with full source code. Inforce Computing has now launched Inforce 6309 micro Single Board Computer (SBC) with the same footprint, albeit different connectors’ placements, and software compatible with DragonBoard 410c development board powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor. The board targets applications such as industrial automation, “sophisticated” IoE devices, medical devices, augmented reality computing, and robotics and drones. Inforce 6309 micro single board computer specifications: SoC- Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 (APQ8016) quad-core ARM CortexA53 @ 1.2 GHz with Adreno 306 GPU and Hexagon QDSP6 @ 700 MHz System Memory – 1GB LPDDR3 @ 533MHz, Single-channel 32-bit (4.2GBps) Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (eMCP package with RAM) + micro SD slot Video Output / Display […]

November 25, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

Android 5.1 Firmware for Rockchip RK3288 TV Boxes by Ugoos and CloudNetgo

There are times when you are happy to have spend a little extra for a device to get better software support, and while most Rockchip RK3288 TV boxes are still running Android 4.4, a few companies have been porting Android 5.1 Lollipop to their products, including Ugoos and CloudNetgo. Ugoos has been working on Android 5.1 for RK3288 for while, releasing several beta firmware in the process, and the latest beta firmware (3.0.2b) includes Light Biz OS (aka Multiwindow) support to provide a better Android desktop experience, OTA firmware updates, and several bug fixes. One new small-yet-neat option is to customize the use of the power LED on the devices (WiFi, Ethernet, IR, CPU usage….), or if you don’t like it turn it off. The Android 5.1.1 firmware (still beta) is available for three devices: Beta Firmware v 3.0.2 for Ugoos UT3 – See Ugoos UT3 specs Beta Firmware v […]