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Texas Instruments Tiva C Series Connected LaunchPad Unboxing and Quick Start Guide

Texas Instruments Tiva C Series TM4C1294 Connected LaunchPad is an evaluation kit for the Internet of things with a Cortex-M4 MCU (Tiva TM4C1294), an Ethernet port, and USB interfaces for power and debugging. At $19.99 including shipping via Fedex, it’s one of the cheapest ways to get devices online. I’ve purchased one via TI e-Store, and already received it. I’ll post some pictures of the kit, go through the Quick Start Guide, and provides links to resources to go further. EK-TM4C1294XL Connected LaunchPad Unboxing I’ve received the kit in the package below with feature a QR Code linking to http://www.ti.com/launchpad, as well basic specifications (refer to my previous post for specs), list of tools (Code composer studio, Tivaware, Keil, IAR…) and package content. In the box we’ve got the board itself, a retractable Ethernet cable, a USB to micro USB cable for power and debugging, and Connect LaunchPad Quick Start […]

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Linaro 14.03 Release with Linux Kernel 3.14 and Android 4.4.2

Linaro 14.03 has just been released with Linux Kernel 3.14-rc7 (baseline), Linux Kernel 3.10.33 (LSK), and Android 4.4.2. This month, I could not find any major changes or updates, but work has been performed on big.LITTLE, Samsung Arndale / Arndale-octa, HiSilicon K3V2 and D01 boards and Broadcom Capri hardware, as well as ARMv8 models. Here are the highlights of this release: Linaro Stable Kernel (LSK) 3.10.33-2014.03 big.LITTLE support – ARM MP patch set, IKS (ARMv7 only). Interactive scheduler enhancements ARMv8 features – CPU frequency scaling, CPU topology, CPU suspend Power efficient workqueue support Android v3.10 patch set from AOSP GATOR ARMv8 4xA57 4xA53 FVP (Fixed Virtual Platform) and Versatile Express TC2 support Linux Linaro 3.14-rc7-2014.03 GATOR version 5.17 Android topic (linaro-android-3.14-merge) updated to get the recent code from AOSP uprobes v7 (new version) Updated big-LITTLE-pmu topic from ARM LT (Landing team) Updated basic Capri board support from Broadcom LT (bcm590xx […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM
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Review of Mele X1000 Blu-Ray Android TV Box (Telechips TCC8935)

Mele X1000 is an Android media player based on Telechips TCC8935 dual core Cortex A9 that is said to support Blu-ray video playback. You can refer to Mele X1000 specs for more technical details, as well as my previous Mele X1000 Unboxing post for pictures of the device, as well as the PCB.  Today I’ll review Mele X1000, by showing off the user interface, and going through the different settings, test video playback including a Blu-ray ISO, wi-fi performance, and report whether all other features such as Bluetooth, USB mass storage, USB webcam, etc… work as expected. First Boot, Settings and First Impressions This media player comes with an infrared remote and corresponding AAA batteries, but during most the tests I’ve actually switched to Mele F10 RF remote (not included) as it’s just more convenient to navigate menus, and I’ve also test an Android Remote app compatible with the device, […]

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ECS LIVA is a Complete Sub $200 mini PC based on Intel Bay Trail-M SoC

Many low cost Intel mini PCs sold on the market do not include storage and memory, and you have to add them yourself. On the contrary, ECS LIVA desktop computer powered by an Intel Bay Trail-M processor will work out of the box as it comes with 32GB eMMC and 2GB DDR3L, both soldered on board, and will sell for less $200 once it becomes available. Here are the currently available specifications of this small x86 computer: SoC – Unspecified Intel Bay Trail-M SoC. It should be on of the N2800, N2900 or N3500 series. System Memory – 2GB DDR3L Storage – 32GB eMMC Video Output – 1x HDMI, 1x VGA Audio – 2-ch audio combo jack (Realtek ALC282) Connectivity 1x Gigabit Ethernet (Realtek RTL8111G) IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 (AzureWave AW-NB136NF 2) USB – 1x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0 Expansion – M.2 interface (NGFF) Thermal – […]

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Compulab CM-T54 Computer-on-Module Powered by Texas Instruments OMAP5432

CompuLab has introduced CM-T54 Computer-on-Module (CoM) powered by Texas Instruments OMAP5432 SoC with dual ARM Cortex-A15 CPU @ 1.5GHz coupled with Imagination Technologies PowerVR SGX544 GPU. The module also features up to up to 4GB DDR3,  up-to 64GB eMMC, and provides Ethernet, SATA, USB 3.0 interfaces among others. Target applications include digital signage, industrial media players and IPTV. CM-T54 specifications: SoC – Texas Instruments OMAP5432 dual Cortex-A15 @ 1.5GHz with PowerVR SGX544 GPU, 2x Cortex M4 cores, IVA-HD video subsystem and TMS320DM64 32-bit DSP core System Memory – 512MB – 4GB DDR3-1066, single / dual-channel 32-bit data bus Storage – Up to 64GB eMMC flash, SATA II interface, 3.0 Gbps, Up to 3x MMC/SD/SDIO (3V levels) up to 32GB each. Display Parallel 24-bit display. Up to 1920×1080 @ 60Hz HDMI 1.4. Up to 1920×1080 @ 60Hz MIPI/DSI (4x lanes) @ 1Gbps Optional LVDS. Up to 1920×1080 @ 60Hz Support for […]

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Mele X1000 Blu-ray Navigation Android Box Unboxing

Beside Mele Cast S1 Wi-Fi display dongle, Mele also sent me their X1000 Blu-ray Navigation Android Box. This device is interesting as it features a new SoC, namely Telechips TCC8935 dual core Cortex A9, supports Blu-ray navigation, SATA drives, and comes pre-loaded with XBMC. You can read my Mele X1000 post to get the full hardware specifications. Today, I’ll show unboxing pictures and video, as well as photos of the PCB. In a few days, I’ll follow up with a complete detailed review. Mele X1000 Unboxing Pics and Video I’ve received the device in a carton box, with a sticker showing the specs, and providing a link to meleshop.com. The product is listed in this site but they don’t actually sell it there. and instead Mele X1000 can be purchased in Aliexpress for $179, including shipping via Singapore Post. In the package, you’ll find the media player, an IR remote […]

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs and SoMs in 2025
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USB 3.0 Connectors and Receptacles Explained

The other day, I opened one of the products I received for review, and I found a blue connector on the board with no description. USB 3.0 connectors are blue this connection seemed “funny” with two internal connectors, and I though it must have been something else, and asked on Google+. It turned out this is a USB 3.0 Standard-B receptacle. As my knowledge about USB 3.0 connectors was obviously lacking, I’ve decided to investigate and have a look at the different existing and upcoming USB 3.0 connectors that we should find in different types of devices and computers now or very soon. Standard-A USB 3.0 connectors and receptacles This is the easy one, it looks very similar to the USB 2.0 connectors, except it’s blue and adds 5 pins for USB 3.0 connectivity. It’s backward compatible with USB 2.0, and the receptacle is used for hosts. Most people must have […]

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ITEAD Studio IBOX AllWinner A20 mini PC Review

ITEAD Studio IBOX is an AllWinner A20 based mini PC currently running Android or Linux distributions currently featured on Indiegogo. I’ve already written about IBOX in a separate post, where you can get all the specifications, but the company has also sent me a unit (engineering sample) for review. Since the system is still in development, and it’s mostly a development platform, I won’t do a review with video testing, system performance, etc… as usual, but rather show the progress and current issues in terms of hardware and software, and I’ll also mention documentation, and shortly try Android 4.2 (pre-installed) and the Debian 7.0 image released by the company. IBOX Unboxing Pictures I’ve received the device in a cartoon box containing the device itself and a 9V/2A power supply. If you are or become a backer on Indiegogo you’ll also receive an add-on board providing access to a SATA connector,  […]

Boardcon CM3588 Rockchip RK3588 System-on-Module designed for AI and IoT applications