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Mainline Linux on 64-bit ARM Amlogic SoCs, and TV Boxes such as Wetek Hub / Player 2, NEXBOX A1 / A95X, etc…

We’ve already seen Neil Armstrong, part of BayLibre, worked on adding Amlogic SoC (S905/S905X/S912) to mainline Linux via our virtual schedule for the Embedded Linux Conference & OpenIoT Summit 2017. But at the time, although we could see some activity in Linux 4.10 including support for Nexbox A95X and Nexbox A1, they did provide that much details the work that had been done, but since then, ELC 2017 videos have been released, and BayLibre wrote a short post about 3D Graphics support in mainline Linux. We can see that I/Os, USB host, composite video output, Ethernet, eMMC/SDIO, and PSCI and SCPI features have already been added to Linux 4.10. but some important features have not yet including HDMI, Mali support, Audio, and high speed eMMC modes. HDMI is actually planned for Linux 4.12, which could be released in about 18 weeks if we keep the 10 weeks kernel release schedule […]

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Gemini PDA Pocket PC Runs Android & Linux on Mediatek X25 Deca-Core Processor (Crowdfunding)

GPD Pocket 7″ portable computer running Windows or Ubuntu Linux is getting some competition, as Gemini PDA has a similar form factor with a 5.7″ display and a keyboard, but instead of featuring an Intel processor, it is equipped with Mediatek X25 deca-core ARM Cortex A72/A53 processor, and runs either Android or Linux. Gemini PDA specifications: SoC – Mediatek X25 deca-core ARM processor with 2x Cortex A72 @2.5GHz, 4x Cortex A53 @2.0GHz, 4x Cortex A53 @1.55GHz and Mali-T880 MP4 GPU @ 850 MHz System Memory – 4GB RAM Storage – 64GB flash, micro SD card slot (covered) Display – 5.7” QHD+ (2880×1440) multi-touch display; 18:9 aspect ratio Audio – Dual side mounted speakers, integrated ambient microphone, 3.5mm audio jack Connectivity WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, GPS with A-GPS, NFC 4G + WiFi model adds: GSM – 850/900/1800/1900MHz WCDMA – 900/2100MHz LTE – 1/2/3/4/5/7/17/20 VoLTE – Compatible SIM slot + eSIM […]

Graperain Samsung, Rockchip, and Qualcomm CPU modules, SBCs, and carrier boards
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Karl’s Home Automation Project – Part 2: 433 MHz / WiFi MQTT Bridge, Door & PIR Motion Sensors

Karl here again for part 2 of my home automation project. We will be looking at how to automate your lights based on time of day and motion. In the first part we setup Home Assistant and uploaded firmware to basic Sonoff Wifi switches. Today we will setup a 433 MHz to MQTT bridge and some sensors. 433 MHz Depending on your country 433 MHz is an open frequency to use to communicate with. There are hundreds of different types of devices that use 433 MHz to communicate information. We will be focusing on 2 today from Gearbest: WMS07 motion sensor (left) and WDS07 door/window sensor (2 parts, right). I am not taking the door/window sensor apart, since it is super basic, but I’ve included some photos of the PIR motion detector. 433 MHz Bridge While contemplating how to get presence on a per room basis I ran across this […]

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NComputing RX300 is a Raspberry Pi 3 based Thin Client for Windows & Linux

NComputing is a company specializing in thin clients, which are low power computers that run code from one or more powerful servers, so for example you could edit photos in Photoshop running in Windows 10 using a Raspberry Pi 3 board connected to an HDMI display. That’s exactly what the company had done with RX300 “cloud-ready” thin client based on the Raspberry Pi 3, and optimized specifically for the company’s vSpace Pro desktop virtualization solution for Linux and Windows. Ncomputing RX300 hardware specifications: Based on Raspberry Pi 3 model B board powered by Broadcom BCM2837 quad core Cortex A53 processor System Memory – 1GB RAM Storage – 8GB micro SD pre-loaded with software Video Output – 1x HDMI 1.4 port Audio – Via HDMI, 1x speaker jack (16bit/22kHz high quality audio) Connectivity – 10/100 Mbps Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1 USB – 4x USB 2.0 host ports with […]

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MINIX NEO U9-H Media Hub Review – Part 2: Android 6.0 Firmware & Kodi 17

MINIX NEO U9-H is the successor of MINIX NEO U1 media hub with an upgrade from four to eight cores with Amlogic S912 processor, as well as added support for VP9 and HDR. The company sent me a sample, and I’ve already checked out NEO U9-H hardware in the fist part of the review, so I’ll report by testing results in Android 6.0 and Kodi 17 in the second part. Since the user interface & many of the features have not changed, I’ll refer to MINIX NEO U1 review from time to time. First Boot, OTA Firmware, Settings and First Impressions I connected the MINIX A3 air mouse RF to one of the USB port, a USB 3.0 hard drive to another, and a USB hub to the last one with Tronsmart Mars G01 gamepad, a USB keyboard to take screenshots for the review, and a USB webcam. There’s also […]

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Raspberry Pi Zero W Adds WiFi & Bluetooth, Sells for $10

The first Raspberry Pi was launched 5 years ago on February 29, 2012, and the Raspberry Pi foundation has made an habit of announcing new products on the anniversary of the board. This year is no exception, as the foundation has just announced Raspberry Pi Zero W, based on the popular Raspberry Pi Zero, but potentially much more useful, as they added a WiFi and Bluetooth LE module to the board. Raspberry Pi Zero W specifications: SoC – Broadcom BCM2835 ARM11 processor @ 1GHz with VideoCore IV GPU System Memory – 512MB RAM Storage – microSD slot Video Output – mini HDMI port and composite video (via 2 unpopulated  pins) Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 (same Cypress CYW43438 wireless chip as Raspberry Pi 3 Model B) USB – 1x micro USB OTG port, 1x micro USB port for power only Camera – 1x CSI camera connector Expansion […]

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs and SoMs in 2025
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Compulab IOT-GATE-iMX7 is an NXP i.MX7 IoT Gateway for Industrial Applications

CompuLab has introduced IOT-GATE-iMX7 compact fanless IoT gateway and industrial controller built around the company’s CL-SOM-iMX7 system-on-module, and offering Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G and Zigbee connectivity.Compulab IOT-GATE-iMX7 gateway specifications: SoC –  NXP i.MX 7 dual ARM Cortex-A7 processor @ up to 1GHz with ARM Cortex-M4 core @ 200Mhz, 2D graphics engine System Memory – Up to 2GB DDR3L-1066 Storage – Up to 32GB on-board eMMC + micro-SD socket Connectivity Dual Gigabit Ethernet Dual band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n Bluetooth 4.1 BLE Optional 3G cellular module via mini PCie socket Optional ZigBee NXP JN5168 module Display – DVI up to 1920×1080 using a HDMI connector Audio – 3.5mm jacks for stereo line out, stereo line in USB – 4x USB2.0 host ports, type-A connectors Serial – 1x RS485 / RS422 port, RJ11 connector; 1x RS232 port, ultra-mini serial connector; 1x serial console via UART-to-USB bridge, micro-USB connector Expansion mini-PCIe socket, full-size embedded […]

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LibreELEC v8.0.0 Released with Kodi 17.0 (Krypton)

LibreELEC is a JeOS (Just enough Operating System) based on Linux that creates a media center appliance platform for Kodi (formelly XBMC), and a fork of OpenELEC. The developers have now released LibreELEC v8.0.0 with the latest Kodi 17.0 “Krypton”. Beside the update to Kodi 17, some of the changes since the last stable version (v7.95.3) include: Fix for TVheadend issues in the WeTek Play 2 DVB driver Fix for interactive governor causing slowdown issues on the WeTek Core Fix for missing Bluetooth “connect and trust” option when pairing Fix for missing ir-keytable streamzap support after recent changes Updates to refine lirc repeat timing changes Update WeTek Play 2 remote keymap to expose more buttons Updates to linux-amlogic 3.10 (arm) and 3.14 (aarch64) kernels Add hexdump busybox applet needed for Odroid_C2 overclocking The full list of changes can be found on github. While it’s possible to update from an existing […]

Boardcon LGA3576 Rockchip RK3576 System-on-Module designed for AI and IoT applications