NanoPC-T6 LTS SBC adds USB ports, 32MB SPI flash, drops 4G LTE support

NanoPC-T6 LTS

NanoPC-T6 LTS is an update to the Rockchip RK3588-powered NanoPC-T6 SBC introduced in May 2023, which removes the mini PCIe socket and SIM card slot for 4G LTE connectivity, but adds two USB 2.0 ports, a USB-C debug port, a 10-pin header with UART and USB 2.0, and comes with 32MB SPI flash by default. The single board computer is offered with up to 16GB RAM and 256GB eMMC flash and also features M.2 sockets for NVMe storage and a wireless module, two 2.5GbE RJ45 ports, two HDMI 2.1 output ports, one HDMI 2.0 input port, MIPI DSI and CSI interfaces, and a 40-pin GPIO header for expansion. NanoPC-T6 LTS specifications with changes in bold or strikethrough: SoC – Rockchip RK3588 CPU – Octa-core processor with 4x Cortex-A76 cores @ up to 2.4 GHz, 4x Cortex-A55 cores @ 1.8 GHz GPU – Arm Mali-G610 MP4 GPU with support for OpenGL […]

Linux 6.7 release – Main changes, Arm, RISC-V, and MIPS architectures

Linux 6.7 release

Linus Torvalds has just announced the release of Linux 6.7, following Linux 6.6 LTS a little over two months ago: So we had a little bit more going on last week compared to the holiday week before that, but certainly not enough to make me think we’d want to delay this any further. End result: 6.7 is (in number of commits: over 17k non-merge commits, with 1k+ merges) one of the largest kernel releases we’ve ever had, but the extra rc8 week was purely due to timing with the holidays, not about any difficulties with the larger release. The main changes this last week were a few DRM updates (mainly fixes for new hw enablement in this version – both amd and nouveau), some more bcachefs fixes (and bcachefs is obviously new to 6.7 and one of the reasons for the large number of commits), and then a few random […]

NanoPi R2S Plus dual GbE SBC and router gets 32GB flash, USB-C debug port, M.2 socket for WiFi

NanoPi R2 Plus

NanoPi R2S Plus dual GbE SBC and router is an update to the Rockchip RK3328-powered NanoPi R2S SBC that was introduced in 2020 with the new model adding a 32GB eMMC flash, a USB-C debug port for easier debugging without having to open the enclosure, and an M.2 socket for an optional SDIO WiFi module. The NanoPi R2 Plus still comes with 1GB DDR4 memory, a microSD card, two gigabit Ethernet ports implemented through the RK3328’s GMAC and a USB 3.0 controller, adds one extra USB 2.0 port, and ditches the micro USB port used for power with a USB-C port. NanoPi R2S Plus specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3328 quad-core Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 GHz with Arm Mali-450MP2 System Memory – 1GB DDR4 RAM Storage – 32GB eMMC flash, MicroSD card slot, SPI flash footprint Connectivity 1x Gigabit Ethernet (WAN) up to 941 Mbps (measured) via Realtek RTL8211F gigabit Ethernet controller […]

Radxa X2L Intel Celeron J4125 SBC goes for as low as $39

Radxa X2L

Radxa X2L is an inexpensive Intel Celeron J4125 Gemini Lake Refresh single board computer (SBC) that ships with 2GB to 8GB RAM, an M.2 socket for SSD storage, another M.2 socket for a wireless module, and offers a range of ports such as dual HDMI, gigabit Ethernet, four USB port, and a 40-pin GPIO header. The price starts at $39, a price point that reminds me of the Atomic Pi SBC introduced a few years ago with an Atom X5 Cherry Trail processor, but the Radxa X2L is easier to use, offers better performance and modern features, as well as a low-profile form factor that’s about the size of a smartphone, just a bit thicker. Radxa X2L specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron J4125 quad-core Gemini Lake Refresh processor @ 2.0 / 2.7 GHz (Turbo) with Intel UHD Graphics 600 @ 250/750 MHz; 10W TDP MCU – Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller […]

EXT-2.5GE-RK3588-RT is a quad 2.5GbE Ethernet expansion board for ROC-RK3588-RT SBC

Rockchip RK3588 SBC Seven Ethernet ports

In a recent article, we covered the ROC-RK3588-RT SBC, one of its main features was its three ethernet ports: one 2.5GbE and the other two standard ethernet ports. This setup made this board ideal for routers and firewalls. To enhance its capabilities, Firefly recently launched the EXT-2.5GE-RK3588-RT, a 2.5GbE Ethernet Expansion Board, which adds four more 2.5GbE ports to the ROC-RK3588-RT Rockchip RK3588 SBC. We’ve previously covered many SBCs, mini PCs, and motherboards from Firefly, such as their Rockchip RK3588 SBCs with 32GB RAM, the Firefly AIO-1684XQ motherboard, and the Firefly Station P3D mini PC. Feel free to check them out if you’re interested. While searching, I found limited documentation, but upon closer inspection, I discovered that the board uses the RTL8125BG IC for Ethernet control and the PI6C557-05 IC as a spectrum clock generator. There is also some kind of PMIC on the board recognizable by the big inductor, […]

2023 Year in review – Top 10 posts, statistics, and what to expect in 2024

CNX Software Happy New Year 2024

It’s the last day and last article of the year, so we will look at some highlights of 2023, some traffic statistics on the CNX Software website, and speculate what interesting developments may happen in 2024. Looking back at 2023 The semiconductor shortage that had happened since 2020 started to fade away in early 2023, and supplies for most electronics components and devices seem to be adequate at this time, so that was a bright spot this year, and hopefully, it will stay that way in 2024 despite geopolitical tensions. We did not have any super exciting new Arm application processors from Rockchip, Amlogic, or Allwinner announced this year, although the Amlogic S928X penta-core Cortex-A76/A55 CPU started to show up in some 8K TV boxes. The launch of the Raspberry Pi 5 SBC with a Broadcom BCM2712 quad-core Cortex-A76 processor was probably the main highlight for Arm on this side […]

Sipeed Longan Pi3H – A Raspberry Pi Zero-sized board with gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 6, HDMI, and USB ports

Lichee Longan Pi3H

Sipeed Longan Pi3H is a Raspberry Pi Zero-sized single board computer (SBC) powered by an Allwinner H618 quad-core Cortex-A53 processor and equipped with full-size connectors namely an HDMI 2.0 video output, two USB 2.0 Type-A ports, and a gigabit Ethernet RJ45 jack. It also offers WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity, features the usual 40-pin GPIO header found in Pi Zero boards and relies on a USB OTG Type-C port for power. Its design is unusual for a board of that size, not only because of the full-size ports, but also because it’s comprised of a carrier board and a replaceable LM3H CPU module with the Allwinner H618 SoC, RAM, and eMMC flash. Sipeed Longan Pi3H specifications: SoC – Allwinner H618 CPU – Quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor @ up to 1.5GHz with 1MB L2 cache GPU – Arm Mali-G31 MP2 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 1.0/2.0/3.2, OpenCL 2.0, Vulkan […]

Youyeetoo R1 – A feature-rich Rockchip RK3588S SBC with M.2 sockets, NFC, etc.. for $99 and up

Cyboboard R1 SBC

Youteetoo Cyboboard R1, or just Youyeetoo R1 for shorts, is a Rockchip RK3588S SBC that packs quite a lot of features in a 100×69.3mm form factor with two M.2 sockets for NVME/SSD or 4G LTE, and WiFi and Bluetooth connector, support for NFC, four display interfaces, two MIPI CSI camera interfaces and more. The board is offered with up to 32GB RAM and 256GB eMMC flash, and also comes with a gigabit Ethernet port, five USB interfaces, a built-in microphone, several audio inputs/outputs, a 30-pin header for expansion, and it can support HDMI input via an adapter connected to one of the MIPI CSI ports. Youyeetoo R1 specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3588S CPU – Octa-core processor with 4x Cortex-A76 cores @ up to 2.2-2.4 GHz, 4x Cortex-A55 cores @ up to 1.8 GHz GPU –  Arm Mali-G610 GPU with OpenGL ES 3.2,  OpenCL 2.2, and Vulkan 1.2 support VPU – […]