Orange Pi Zero development board powered by Allwinner H2+ quad core Cortex A7 processor with 256 to 512MB RAM, Ethernet, and USB ports is now available for sale on Aliexpress for just $6.99, which shipping adding $3.39 in my case bringing the total to $10.38.

Orange Pi Zero specifications:

• SoC – Allwinner H2(+) quad core Cortex A7 processor @ 1.2 GHz with Mali-400MP2 GPU @ 600 MHz
• System Memory – 256 to 512 MB DDR3-1866 SDRAM
• Storage – micro SD card slot
• Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet + 802.11 b/g/n WiFi (Allwinner XR819 WiFi module) with u.FL antenna connector and external antenna
• USB – 1x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x micro USB OTG port
• Expansion headers – Unpopulated 26-pin “Raspberry Pi B+” header + 13-pin header with headphone, 2x USB 2.0, TV out, microphone and IR receiver signals
• Debugging – Unpopulated 3-pin header for serial console
• Misc – 2x LEDs
• Power Supply – 5V via micro USB port or optional PoE
  
• Dimensions – 52 x 46 mm
• Weight – 26 grams

Based on the hardware features and likely good availability it’s a serious contender to Raspberry Pi Zero (and Nano Pi NEO) for headless applications, and provided Allwinner H2+ is close enough to Allwinner H3 software support should be fairly good, as I expect armbian support very soon. Allwinner XR819 is a completely new WiFi module, at least to me, so there may be driver issues, but if it is working in the firmware image provided by Orange Pi (none so far), it should be possible to add this to other Linux images too.

The Aliexpress page explains the default version has 256MB RAM, but it’s not really clear whether how we can buy the 512MB version.

Thanks to OvCa77 for the tip.

Tweet Orange Pi Zero development board powered by Allwinner H2+ quad core Cortex A7 processor with 256 to 512MB RAM, Ethernet, and USB ports is now available for sale on…

Outernet goal is to bring knowledge and/or emergency info to places without Internet either to remote places, or where Internet has been temporary shutdown due to natural disasters or political reasons through a satellite feed. In some ways, it works like a typical FM radio, but instead of receiving audio, you’ll get data. The first hardware was based on WeTek Play TV box, and called Lighthouse, but they now have a DIY kit that will work with Next Thing C.H.I.P, Raspberry Pi, or Laptops running Windows 7/10 or Linux, as well as a standalone Outernet Satellite kit including C.H.I.P Allwinner R8 development board.

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Let’s first check out “Basic Outernet DIY Kit” comprised of three items:

• L-Band Antenna
  • Frequency: 1525 – 1559 MHz (Center frequency: 1542 MHz)
  • 8dbi
  • 4″  SMA Male connector
  • Dimensions – 12 cm x 12 cm x 1.5 cm
  • Weight – ~100 grams
    
• RTL-SDR Blog Software Defined Radio/Tuner USB dongle
  • Ultra-low phase noise 0.5PPM TCXO
  • RF-suitable voltage regulator and custom heatsink
  • SMA female connector
  • SDR frequency range of approximately 25MHz – 1700MHz
  • Bias tee (software enabled)
• Outernet/Inmarsat Amplifier (LNA) board
  • Frequency: 1525 – 1559 MHz (Center Frequency: 1542 MHz)
  • Gain – 34 dB
  • Voltage – 3.0V – 5.5V
  • Current Draw – 25 mA
  • Dimensions – 6.5 cm x 1.5 cm x 2.5 cm
  • Weight – 8.5 grams
    

The kit costs $69, but it’s not usable standalone, and you’ll need to connect the USB dongle your own C.H.I.P or Raspberry Pi 3 board running rxOS operating system, or laptop and configure them as explained in the documentation to configure and run the system in order to access Outernet Library through your satellite (DVB-S). It should be possible to use other boards too, but you’d have to handle the software part yourself. It should not be too complicated since the only hardware interface is a USB port.

However, if you want something that mostly works out of the box, you should consider “Deluxe Outnert DIY receiver kit” with included all items from the basic kit, plus a pre-configured C.H.I.P board, and a battery pack for $99.

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Once you’ve assembled the kit, pointed the L-band antenna to the right satellite, and completed the configuration through the web browser of a WiFi enabled device such as a smartphone. Outernet kit will freely download data (textbooks, health guides, courseware, weekly news, emergency info, disaster alerts, crop prices…) depending on your selected satellite, and anybody with a smartphone or computer will be able to access the data updated weekly/daily.

You’ll find the some details explaining how Outernet works and available data on my first post about Outernet, or for the complete details, visit directly Outernet.is.

Tweet Outernet goal is to bring knowledge and/or emergency info to places without Internet either to remote places, or where Internet has been temporary shutdown due to natural disasters or…

Zidoo never stops pushing new hardware, and today I’ve come across the company’s two new models powered by Amlogic S905X processor with Zidoo A5 and A5S sold on GeekBuying for respectively $62.99 and $79.99.

Zidoo A5 & A5S models look exactly the same but have different hardware specifications under the hood:

• SoC –  Amlogic S905X quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.5 GHz with  penta-core Mali-450MP GPU
• System Memory – A5: 1GB DDR3; A5S: 2GB DDR3
• Storage
  • A5 – 8GB eMMC flash + micro SD card slot
  • A5S – 16GB eMMC flash + micro SD card slot
• Video & Audio Output – HDMI 2.0a, AV
• Video Codec – [email protected] Hz video decoding 10-bit HEVC and AVS+ codec support; H.264 up to 4K,VP9 up to 4K,support HDR
• Connectivity
  • A5 – 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0
  • A5S – 10/100M Ethernet, Dual band 802.11 b/g/n/ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0
• USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports
• Misc – IR receiver, reset pinhole for firmware recovery
• Power Supply –  5V/2A

The device will run Android 6.0.1 with ZIUI launcher, and ship with an IR remote control with IR learning function, an HDMI cable, a power adapter, and a user’s manual. Zidoo’s Amlogic S905X TV bxoes are quite more expensive than the competition, but they’ve kept their ZIUI user interface common across all their device, and you’ll get support forums as well as regular OTA firmware updates at least for several months.

YouTube 4K will not be possible since it only works in Android TV OS, and I can’t see anything about DRM, so while Netflix will run, you should not expect Netflix with HD or UHD resolutions. My previous Amlogic S905X TV box reviews found that Amlogic S905X does not bring much to the table compared to Amlogic S905 processor, as I found it to be a little slower, and the only really advantages are VP9 and HDR support, and possibly Android Marshmallow support.  If you don’t have those, Amlogic S905 based Zidoo X5 ($60) is likely to offer about the same – if not better – user experience.

More details about Zidoo A5 & A5S can also be found on the products’ page.

Tweet Zidoo never stops pushing new hardware, and today I’ve come across the company’s two new models powered by Amlogic S905X processor with Zidoo A5 and A5S sold on GeekBuying…

You probably have wished getting started with 3D printer, as I did, but you may have been put off with the high cost associated with 3D printers even the cheaper ones for several hundred dollars, especially if you are unsure whether you’re going to use it often. But there’s now a very affordable 3D printer kit based on Prusa i3 printer that sells on GearBest for $155.99 + shipping (around $30) with DesktopGB coupon.

Anet A8 3D printer specifications:

• Print Area: 220 x 220 x 240mm
• Print speed – 100 mm/s
• Nozzle diameter – 0.4 mm
• Layer thickness – 0.1 – 0.3 mm
• XY-axis positioning accuracy – 0.012 mm
• Z-axis positioning accuracy – 0.004 mm
• Supported materials – ABS, PLA, TPU, Luminescent, Nylon PVA, PP, Wood???
• Material diameter – 1.75mm
• Frame material – Acrylic plate
• Platform board: Aluminum Base
• 2004 LCD screen for configuration
• SD card for offline print
• Supported file formats – G-code, OBJ, STL
• Voltage: 12V
• Weight – 8.5 kg
• Dimensions – 3D printer: 510 x 400 x 415 mm; Package: 520x350x220 mm
• Operating Temperature Range – 10 to 30 C
• Certification – EMC,FCC,LVD,RoHs

The manufacturer recommends Cura or Repetier-Host software for Windows, Linux, or Mac OS to work with the printer. It’s a kit, so you’d need to assemble it, and it should take around a day, although Tulio Laanen, who is experienced with 3D printers and has reviewed Anet A8 in the video below, managed to do it in 4 to 5 hours.

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Overall he was surprised by how well the printer worked considering the price, but he also printed some parts to improve the printer, and the provided filament roll. You’ll also find 3D files for Anet A8 spare part on thingiverse. I have a bunch a development boards without case,  so such printer might be an interesting addition, especially it’s likely to become popular as for less than $200 shipped, it’s cheap and appears to work reasonably well.

Tweet You probably have wished getting started with 3D printer, as I did, but you may have been put off with the high cost associated with 3D printers even the…

Hisilicon Kirin 960 is one of the most powerful ARM mobile processor to date with four ARM Cortex A73 cores up to 2.4 GHz, four low power Cortex A53 cores, and a Mali G71MP8 GPU. It was expected in Huawei Mate 9 smartphone, but we did not have that many details, and now the company has made it official.

Huawei Mate 9 specifications:

• SoC – HUAWEI/HiSilicon Kirin 960 octa-core processor with 4 Cortex A73 cores @ up to 2.4 GHz A73, four Cortex A53 cores at up to 1.8 GHz, a Mali-G71 MP8 GPU, and i6 co-processor/sensor hub
• System Memory – 4GB RAM
• Storage – 64GB UFS 2.0 flash + micro SD card slot up to 256 GB
• Display – 5.9″ FHD (1920 x 1080) display, 373ppi, 16.7M colors
• Audio – 4x microphones, stereo? speakers, 3.5mm headphone jack!
• Cellular connectivity
  • MHA-L29 model: dual SIM support (one share with micro SD slot)
    • SIM1: 4G TDD and FDD LTE, 3G UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA, 3G TD-SCDMA, CDMA EV-DO Rev.A (China Telecom only), 2G GSM
    • SIM2: 3G UMTS (Band 1/2/4/5/6/8/19), CDMA: BC0 (800MHz) only for China Telecom, 2G GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
  • MHA-L09 model: single SIM support with 4G TDD & FDD LTE, 3G UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA, 3G TD-SCDMA, 2G GSM
• Wireless connectivity – 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, GPS/Glonass/Galileo/BDS, NFC
• Camera
  • 20 MP monochrome + 12 MP RGB rear camera, F2.2, OIS (Optical image stabilization), BSI CMOS, Dual-tone flash, PDAF+CAF+Laser+Depth auto focus,2x Hybrid zoom, 4K H.265 / H.264 video recording
  • 8MP front-facing camera with autofocus, F1.9
• USB – 1x USB type C (high speed) port
• Sensors – Fingerprint Sensor, G-Sensor, Gyroscope sensor, Compass, Ambient Light Sensor, Proximity sensor, Hall sensor, Barometer, IR
• Battery – 4,000 mAh good for about two days typical usage, 20 hours video playback, 105 hours music playback, 30 hours of 3G voice calls and 20 hours of 4G browser; About 1 day charge is possible in 20 minutes thanks to 5A charging current.
• Dimensions – 156.9 x 78.9 x 7.9 mm (All metal body)
• Weight – 190 grams

The phone will run Android 7.0 with EMUI 5.0 skin, and ship with a audio headset, a  charger, a USB-C cable, a USB-C to Micro USB adapter, an eject tool, a Quick Start Guide, and a Matte case. Beside faster processor, memory and storage, and a larger display, the phone comes with dual rear cameras for better photos, as well as large battery to longer use between charges.

The phone is expected to sell for 699 Euros inc. VAT in Europe by the end of the year, as well as in other locales but pricing and availability have not been disclosed so far. If you are financially well-off, you could also consider the Porsche edition with more memory (6GB), more storage (128 GB), a smaller 5.5″ display, and a 1395 Euros price tag.

Tweet Hisilicon Kirin 960 is one of the most powerful ARM mobile processor to date with four ARM Cortex A73 cores up to 2.4 GHz, four low power Cortex A53…

Qualcomm launched Snapdragon 410E and 600E processors for the embedded market at the end of September, meaning the processors were easy to source by any company, not matter how small they are, and the company would now offer long term availability often required for embedded systems. Inforce Computing is now leveraging the new Snapdragon 410E processor with their Inforce 6301 micro SoM, and corresponding development kit.

Inforce 6301 micro SoM specifications:

• SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 410E (APQ8016 SoC) quad core ARM Cortex A53 processor @ 1.2GHz, Adreno 306 GPU, and Hexagon DSP @ 700MHz
• Memory – 1GB LPDDR3 @ 533MHz  (Option: 2GB)
• Storage – 8GB eMMC v4.5 flash (Option up to 64GB) NAND, 1x micro SD card interface with support up to HS200
• Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.1 LE, Wi-Fi dual stream 802.11 b/g/n @ 2.4GHz (WC3620), on-board GPS/GNSS/BeiDou/Galileo (WGR7640)
• Video – H.264/263 playback and capture @1080p; H.265 playback @720p;
• Interfaces via 2x 100-pin board-to-board connectors
  • HDMI v1.3a up to 1080p30 and 720p60
  • 4-lane MIPI-DSI up to 1080p30 and 720p60
  • Audio – 1x stereo headphone, 4x line out, 3x microphone inputs; Hi-Fi Audio with 24bit/192Khz playback support HD 5.1 Audio
  • Camera – 2x MIPI CSI: up to 13MP Camera on CSI0 and up to 8MP camera on CSI1
  • I2C, GPIO, UART
  • SDIO 3.0
  • USB 2.0
  • JTAG
• Power Supply – +3.3V/5A Input
• Dimensions – 50 x 28 mm
• Temperature Range –  -30 to 85 Degrees C (Operating)
• Humidity – 5 to 95% RH non-condensing
• Certifications – RoHS and WEEE compliant

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The module can be either pre-loaded with Android Lollipop or Ubuntu/Debian Linux, with board support packages (BSP) provided for development. In order to get started as fast as possible, the company also offers a 60×55 mm carrier board for the module with a micro SD slot, HDMI output, USB 2.0 host ports, and headers with I2C, SPI, UART, GPIOs,…

Inforce 6301 Development Kit with ACC-1C10 carrier board and Inforce 6301 micro SoM

Inforce 6301 can be purchased for $85 in single quantity with a 10-year availability commitment, while the development kit goes for $185 with 7-year availability. You’ll find more details including software and hardware documentation in the previous links to the store, as well as an overview on Inforce Computing 6301 SoM page.

Tweet Qualcomm launched Snapdragon 410E and 600E processors for the embedded market at the end of September, meaning the processors were easy to source by any company, not matter how…

Sonoff TH16 is a WiFi 16A relay that can take external sensors via a 2.5mm jack, while Sonoff Pow is a WiFi relay capable of measuring power consumption. Both have been designed by ITEAD Studio, and feature Espressif ESP8266 WiSoC. The company sent me both items for review, and I’ll start by checking out the hardware a little more closely than what is possible during the product announcement.

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I received Sonoff TH16 together with Sonoff AM2301 temperature and humidity sensor, which I’ll use to use to control an outdoor water pump and gather temperature and humidity data, as well as two Sonoff POW relays,which I plan to use to measure power consumption in my office, both from the power outlets and my aircon. All three WiFi relays support 3500 Watts, and 85 to 250V input.

The packages have three QR codes for eWeLink iOS app, the Android app (coolkit.apk), and the user’s manual in English and Chinese.

Both Sonff TH16 and POW are using the exact same case, but the hole for the sensor jack is not used in Sonoff POW.

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There’s a cover to protect the mains cables tightened with a single screw. Input and Output live terminal are on both sides of the relays, will the ground/earth (E) and neutral (N) can be accessed from the middle terminals.

The company promotes their devices as hackable, but still decided to include a sticker that breaks if you try to open the case. If you bought the device from China, the warranty probably does not matter considering the low price of the device, but if you bought locally and intend to use the warranty in case something breaks, it may be voided if you open the case to flash your own firmware.

Opening the case is very easy. First remove the terminal cover by loosening the screw, and then use a sharp and rigid plastic tool to separate both part of the case. I’ve started with Sonoff POW.

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You’ll find the 4-pin for serial access in order to flash and/or debug your own firmware, the mauin button, two LED, a 16A relay, the 6 input and output terminals, and I’ve glad to see a fuse for safety. Talking about safety, ITEAD has not applied for UL, ETV, or TUV safety certifications (yet), but at least they now have CE certification for all their most recent Sonoff modules.

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We’ll find ESP8266 SoC on the bottom of the board with a PCB antenna as far away as possible from active components to avoid interferences, thick solder for high voltage traces, and some holes in the PCB along high voltage traces likely for safety reasons.

Unsurprisingly, Sonoff TH16 looks almost exactly the same expect for the added 2.5mm jack for the sensor modules.

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The company also seemed to have designed the board to let people add a 9-pin connector to access more I/Os, but for some reasons all holes are filled with solder instead.

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A close up on AM2301 reveals the main specifications of the sensors with 0 to 99.9% relative humidity range, and -40 to 80 C temperature range.
That’s all for the hardware presentation. The next steps will be to install and configure Sonoff modules with the stock firmware and apps.

If I go ahead with my idea of connecting two Sonoff POW in my office the setup will look like the one below.

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The one on the left will measure power consumption from the two outlets where all my equipment is connected, I’ll leave the center cable alone (the light), and the one installed on the right would measure my aircon power consumption. Once I cut the cables, and connect one part to Sonoff POW, the rest of the cable will be too short, so I had to get cut two short cables and re-cable the gang box, and the circuit breaker for the aircon. I would have wished they had arrange the terminals to make it easier to instead the modules within an existing circuit.

All four items can be purchased on ITEAD Studio website with Sonoff TH16 and AM2301 selling for respectively $8.60 and $4.0 on Sonoff TH page, while Sonoff POW goes for $10.50. Shipping is not included, but normally only adds a few dollars if you select registered airmail shipping, instead of EMS or DHL Express.

Tweet Sonoff TH16 is a WiFi 16A relay that can take external sensors via a 2.5mm jack, while Sonoff Pow is a WiFi relay capable of measuring power consumption. Both…

Shenzhen Xunlong had already launched Orange Pi Zero, the cheapest ARM Linux board with networking you can find today, earlier this week, and I’ve just been informed the company has now listed the more powerful Orange Pi PC 2 board powered by Allwinner H5 quad core Cortex A53 processor on Aliexpress for $19.98 plus shipping.Orange Pi PC 2 specifications:

• SoC – Allwinner H5 quad core Cortex A53 processor with an ARM Mali-450MP4 GPU
• System Memory – 1GB DDR3
• Storage – micro SD card slot up to 64GB, 8Mbit SPI NOR flash
• Video Output – HDMI 1.4 with CEC support, AV port
• Audio I/O – HDMI, AV port, on-board microphone
• Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet
• USB – 3x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x micro USB OTG port
• Camera – MIPI CSI Interface
• Expansions – 40-pin Raspberry Pi compatible header
• Debugging – 3-pin UART header for serial console
• Misc – IR receiver; Power button; Power and status LEDs
• Power Supply – 5V/2A via barrel jack. N.B.: the micro USB OTG port cannot be used.
• Dimensions – 85 x 55 mm
• Weight – 38 grams

The board is basically an update of the popular Orange Pi PC board with a faster 64-bit ARM processor, an 8 Mbit SPI flash, and Gigabit Ethernet support. The company will be providing Android, Ubuntu, Debian, and “Raspberry Pi” images. As usual, the latter does not mean you can simply run Raspbian downloaded from Raspberry Pi website on the board, but that instead a Raspbian image with Alwinner H5 Linux kernel and bootloader will be provided. You should probably look out for an armbian images, since it’s the most popular image for Orange Pi boards. It may just take a little while to come out, since Allwinner H5 is a new processor.

You may also be interested in Orange Pi PC 2 Schematics (PDF), and visit Orange Pi PC 2 product page for more details, that is if it loads, and it does not here…

Tweet Shenzhen Xunlong had already launched Orange Pi Zero, the cheapest ARM Linux board with networking you can find today, earlier this week, and I’ve just been informed the company…

In the first few years when Android TV Boxes/mini PCs started to hit the markets, in the 2012-2014 period, online firmware update was inexistent for the vast majority of the boxes, and if you wanted to update your firmware you had to use some windows tools like USB Burning Tool for Amlogic, AndroidTool for Rockchip, or PhoenixUSBPro / PhonixSuite for Allwinner platforms. All those tools have poor design, for example the window is not resizable, so it’s impossible to your an old netbook (1024×600 resolution), and then you have to install drivers which is easy, for after detection of the box may be hit and miss, and you have to follow a procedure with the right power sequence with a USB cable connected to a USB OTG port (not always properly marked) and the recovery pin hole or button. It’s taken me close to 4 hours in the past to update firmware through that method switching between USB ports and computers to find out what may be wrong… Luckily in recent years, many devices are now supporting OTA firmware updates, or an easy offline update procedure using a micro SD card or USB flash drive. That means most people should not need to torture themselves using such terrible tools and procedure, unless your TV box is somehow bricked, in which case Windows tools, or their Linux equivalent, are required.

I’ve writing about this because Rikomagic must have been nostalgic and decided not to provide OTA firmware update, and only distribute MK22 TV box firmware as an IMG file for Amlogic USB Burning Tool, both of which can be downloaded on Rikomagic download page. Even though I must have had to use such tools for nearly two years, I was naively expecting it update the firmware in a few minutes, since I used such tools extensively in the past. I was wrong, and I did managed to flash the firmware after two hours, most of it due my own mistakes, as I forgot some of the caveat, and did not read the complete instructions. So I’ll report my experience in case it can help somebody.

The first challenge was to find which one of the USB ports is the OTG one, as there are three, and no specific markings. At first, none of the ports would be detected due the wrong recovery sequence as explained, but I eventually found out it was the lonely USB port on the side, on the left of the micro SD slot and recovery pinhole.

I know that normally you need to insert a toothpick in the recovery button and apply power, before releasing the recovery button, and I did just that and could not get into recovery mode at anytime. My mistake was that I had also inserted the USB cable, and it took me a while to realize it would also power the power through USB, not enough to show anything on the TV, but enough to boot the processor, and prevent me from accessing recovery mode. So the correct procedure, is to enter recovery mode by pressing the recovery button, applying power, and a few second later release the recovery button, and only then you can insert the USB cable.

After that I fired up a Windows 7 virtual image through VirtualBox, and installed USB Burning Tool and drivers by clicking on setup_v2.0.5.15_build7.exe downloaded from Rikomagic website. The installation went smoothly, but after enabling “Amlogic” device in Virtual Box, it would report the device is not supported, so I removed the drivers and reinstalled them, and I could get “Worldcup Device” in the Device Manager.

Good, now I can start USB Burning Tool, change the language to English in the program, and the TV box is detected, so I loaded the firmware file (File->Import Image… RKM MK22_161031.img), hoping to get ready to flash the firmware, but I got another error message “Get key failed” with the mac = 0 on the right window when click on Start button… Very odd.

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But I’m not the only one with the issue, and for some reasons, Amlogic decided to add a license to their factory software… Hard to understand why, but I should definitely have read the provided “MK22.MK06 Software installation intructions-161013.doc” manual, as it explicitly states to

copy the folder”license” to the path when you set by this step. For example: I set C:Program Files (x86)AmlogicUSB_Burning_Tool

And there’s indeed a license folder in the downloaded file from Rikomagic, so I copied the directory to C:Program Files (x86)AmlogicUSB_Burning_Tool, overwriting the current license directory, and started USB burning tool again. Hmm… same “get key failed” error… Should I reboot? Let’s do it, but same error again after reboot.

So I decided to uninstall everything, and start from start with the drivers and USB Burning Tool, and made sure I copied the license directory before starting USB burning tool. After which I started the program, loaded the firmware file, click on Start button, and after just under 7 minutes I had managed to flash the firmware! Woohoo!

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That was a painful experience. So while there’s a case (firmware recovery) for such tools and images, end users should not be asked to install the firmware through that method. It’s complicated, and the default settings wipe out your data and apps.

Tweet In the first few years when Android TV Boxes/mini PCs started to hit the markets, in the 2012-2014 period, online firmware update was inexistent for the vast majority of…

Nintendo NES Classic Edition is a small replica of Nintendo NES, both adapted to modern times with an HDMI output, and keeping with nostalgia thanks to connectors for original game controllers, and pre-loaded with 30 classic games.

If you planned to add your own games however, the lack of USB ports, micro SD card slot, or any other storage or network interface could make it impossible. But based on a recent photo tweeted by Peter Brown, senior review editor at GameSpot, there may be light out of the tunnel, as while the main storage device (4Gbit NAND flash) is soldered to the board, the main board is powered by Allwinner R16 quad core Cortex A7 processor with a Mali-400MP2, and it’s quite likely UART / serial console and/or FEL interfaces are exposed on the board, making it possible to hack the device and potentially load your own games.

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The other side of the board would really help finding out whether the UART pins are indeed available where I marked them. If so, it would still be quite inconvenient to hack the board, as you’d need to connect a USB to serial debug board (normally a couple of dollars) in order to access the terminal, and either copy/paste code, or transfer data to the board. If some of the other connectors are carrying USB signal, it might also be possible to do some hardware hacking to add USB ports.

Software-wise, some references for Allwinner R16 Parrot board can be found in mainline Linux. Allwinner also released Linux based Tina OS for the processor on Github a few weeks ago.

Thanks to Zoobab for the tip.

Tweet Nintendo NES Classic Edition is a small replica of Nintendo NES, both adapted to modern times with an HDMI output, and keeping with nostalgia thanks to connectors for original…

The Embedded Linux Conference and OpenIoT Summit Europe 2016 conferences took place on October 11 – 13 in Berlin, Germany, with many interesting talks about Linux, development boards, power management, embedded systems, software optimization, tools, and so on, as well as a few keynotes.

The Linux Foundation has recorded most talks and keynotes, and made the videos available on their website. A free registration is required, and will redirect you to the full unlisted playlist on YouTube.

Tim Bird keynote can be watch directly without registration.
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You can also download the slides for each presentation.

Thanks to Harley for the tip.

Tweet The Embedded Linux Conference and OpenIoT Summit Europe 2016 conferences took place on October 11 – 13 in Berlin, Germany, with many interesting talks about Linux, development boards, power…

MYC-C7Z015 CPU Module specifications:

• SoC – Xilinx XC7Z015-1CLG485C (Zynq-7015) dual core ARM Cortex-A9 processor @ 667 MHz (up to 866MHz) with Artix-7 class FPGA subsystem with 74K logic cells, 46,200 LUTs, 160 DSP slices, 4x high-speed SerDes transceivers up to 6.25 Gbps, 4x four PCIe Gen2 hardened, integrated IP blocks
• System Memory – 1GB DDR3 SDRAM
• Storage – 4GB eMMC flash, 32MB QSPI Flash (16MB optional)
• Connectivity – 1x Ethernet PHY, 1x USB PHY
• I/Os and peripherals via 2x 140-pin board-to-board connectors:
  • 1x Gigabit Ethernet
  • 1x USB OTG 2.0
  • Up to 2x serial ports, up to 2x I2C, up to 2x CAN BUS, 1x SPI
  • 1x independent differential ADC, 16-channel ADC
  • 1x SDIO
  • Bank 13  – PL I/O configurable as up to 18 LVDS pairs and 1 single-ended I/O or 37 single-ended I/O
  • Bank 34 – PL I/O configurable as up to 24 LVDS pairs and 2 single-ended I/O or 50 single-ended I/O
  • Bank 35 – PL I/O configurable as up to 24 LVDS pairs and 2 single-ended I/O or 50 single-ended I/O)
• Misc – External watchdog,  3x LEDs for power, FPGA programming, and user.
• Power supply – 5V/0.5A
• Dimensions – 75mm x 55mm (12-layer PCB design)
• Temperature Range – 0~70 deg. Celsius (commercial grade)

MYC-C7Z015 CPU Module Block Diagram

One of the extra features brought by Zynq-7015, compared to Zynq-7010/7020 SoCs, is the presence of four high speed transceivers. The company will provide a BSP to customers with Linux 3.15.0, all drivers, gcc toolchain, bootloader, a ramdisk and a rootfs.

In order to speed up development for your project, the company can also offers MYD-C7Z015 baseboard for the module with the following interfaces:

• Connected to ARM Cortex A9 processor (Processing System = PS):
  • 4x USB 2.0 host ports (through USB Hub)
  • 1x RS232 DB9 port
  • 1x micro card slot to boot the system
  • 1x CAN terminal block
  • 1x 10/100/1000M Ethernet port
  • 1x 2.54mm pitch 14-pin JTAG interface used by both PL & PS
  • 1x battery backed RTC
  • 1x User Button
  • 1x I2C for LCD and resistive touch screen
  • Jumpers
• Connected to FPGA fabric (Programmable Logic = PL):
  • 1x XADC interface
  • 1x Xilinx standard LPFMC interface
  • 3x PMoD connectors
  • 1x HDMI port: 16-bit YCrCb, up to 1080p display, no audio
  • 1x LCD/Touch screen interface: 16-bit RGB, signals multiplexed with HDMI, supports resistive and capacitive touch screen
  • 1x SFP optical transceiver module interface
  • 1x PCIe slot
  • 2x LEDs: 1x for FMC module detection, 1x for power

Click to Enlarge

MYC-C7Z015 computer-on-module sells for $189 in single unit, MYD-C7Z015 development board and accessories – such as cables and power supply – goes for $369. 4.3″ and 7″ resistive or capacitive LCD Modules are also available for respectively $60 and $99.

You find all the details, including documentation, and purchase links via Paypal on MYIR Tech MYC-C7Z015 CPU module product page.

Tweet MYIR Tech launched the low cost Z-Turn board powered by Xilinx Zynq-7010/7020 ARM+FPGA SoC last year, and the company has now introduced a new system-on-module powered by Xilinx Zynq-7015…

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m going to announce the results the whole world is eagerly waiting for today, and as you’ve probably guessed it, by that I mean CNX Software Giveaway Week 2016 contest… obviously… We had seven winners sharing the prizes shown below from Android TV boxes, to a Linux TV stick, and an Android virtual reality headset.

Click to Enlarge

2016 has been an interesting year so far, putting statisticians, pundits, pollsters, and generally speaking odds to shame, and random.org apparently decided to join that trends, as while most of the blog’s traffic – and I’d assume entries – come from the western world (North America / Western Europe), random.org mostly selected winners from other countries:

• VR SKY CX-V3 VR headset – Dainis, Latvia
• WeTek Core TV box – Homer, Morocco
• Vana Player Hifi Linux audio player – Fakham, Pakistan
• MeLE PCG02U Ubuntu TV stick – Ziggy, Singapore
• Coowell V4 Android tv box with camera – Pavlos, Greece
• K1 Plus T2 S2 Android STB – Lasent, Hungary
• Zidoo X9 Android TV box with HDMI input – ““, Estonia

I’ve just sent the 7 parcels to the above winner this morning.

Thank you everybody for playing. Let’s do it again sometimes.

Tweet Ladies and gentlemen, I’m going to announce the results the whole world is eagerly waiting for today, and as you’ve probably guessed it, by that I mean CNX Software…

Eurotech has recently EDCK 4001 “Everyware Device Cloud Development Kit” for professionals who wish to experiment with and/or develop  IoT/M2M applications. It includes the company’s ReliaGATE 10-11 IoT gateway powered by Texas Instruments Sitara AM3352 Cortex A8 processor, DirectLOGIC DL05 PLC, and a control/demo board with buttons, LEDs, and rotary encoder, as well as all necessary cables and accessories.

Click to Enlarge

ReliaGATE 10-11 gateway specifications:

• SoC – Texas Instruments AM3352 ARM Cortex A8 processor @ 800MHz
• Memory – 512MB DDR3
• Storage –  4GB eMMC flash, user accessible micro SD Slot
• Connectivity – 2x 10/100Mbps, WiFi and Bluetooth, optional Cellular connectivity and GPS via ReliaCELL
• USB – 3x USB 2.0 host ports; noise and surge protected
• Serial – 2x RS-232/RS-485 (Surge protected, RS-485 termination and Fail-safe Resistors); 1x Serial Console TTL
• CAN – 2x CAN 2.0b bus with 5V/100mA power out
• Digital I/O – 2x Digital Input 5V (TTL), 1KV opto-isolated – 2x Digital Output (40VDC), 30mA sink
• Misc – RTC, external watchdog, temperature sensor, accelerometer, 5x LEDs (1x power, 4x user), 1x reset button, 1x user button
• Power Supply – 9 to 36V DC input with transient protection, vehicle ignition sense
• Power Consumption – 2W Idle; 15W Max
• Dimensions – 140x95x45mm
• Weight – 160 grams
• Temperature Range – Operating: -20 to +70°C; storage: -40 to +85°C
• Certifications – CE, FCC, E-mark, IC, UL60950, RoHS2, REACH, IP40

ReliaGATE 10-11

The gateway runs an Linux 3.14 based operating systems built with Yocto Project 1.6, and the company provides both an Eclipse based SDK and Eurotech’s Everyware Software IoT framework based on Java/OSGi, as well as trial licenses for Everyware Cloud and Bitreactive Reactive Blocks visual model-driven development environment.

Everyware Software Framework Architecture

ReliaGate gateway is connected to DirectLOGIC DL05 PLC with the following key features:

• 8x built-in inputs and 6x built-in outputs, expandable to 30 I/O total
• 8x combinations of AC or DC powered PLC units with AC, DC and relay I/O
• 6KB program and data memory
• 2x communication ports
• Supports MODBUS RTU master/slave, DeviceNET slave, Profibus slave and Ethernet networking
• 129 instructions, including four PID loops
• Supports functions such as FOR/ NEXT loops, subroutines, and drum sequencers
• Removable terminal block connectors

The PLC is itself connected to a demo board with one momentary button, three ON/OFF buttons, three LEDs, one RGB LED, and a quad counter. The kit is completed with a 24V/1A power supply, power blades for wall mount adapter, an internal dipole WiFi & Bluetooth antenna  with an RP-SMA connector, an Ethernet cable, a USB to TTL debug board, and wall mount brackets in aluminum.

EDCK 4001 development kit is said to be available now for an unstated price. However for reference, the PLC sells for $125, and Reliagate 10-20 gateway (based on NXP i.MX6 instead of AM3352) for about $400, adding about $100 the accessories and demo board should give a rough idea about the total price of the kit. You’ll find more details on the product page.

Via HackerBoards

Tweet Eurotech has recently EDCK 4001 “Everyware Device Cloud Development Kit” for professionals who wish to experiment with and/or develop  IoT/M2M applications. It includes the company’s ReliaGATE 10-11 IoT gateway…

8Devices, a Lithuanian company specialized in the development and manufacturing of electronic equipment, is known for their Carambola and Carambola2 WiFi modules powered by Ralink and Qualcomm Atheros WiSoCs. The company has now introduced a new dual band WiFi module called Rambutan that comes in commercial and industrial temperature range through respectively Qualcomm Atheros QCA9557 & QCA9550 SoCs.

Rambutan and Rambutan-I modules specifications:

• SoC
  • Rambutan – Qualcomm Atheros QCA9557 MIPS processor @ 720 MHz
  • Rambutan-I – Qualcomm Atheros QCA9550 MIPS processor @ 720 MHz
• System Memory – 128 MB DDR2
• Storage – 128 MB Flash
• Connectivity
  • WiFi – 802.11 a/b/g/n, 2.4 or 5 GHz, 2×2 MIMO, 300 Mbps data rate, 21 dB per chain output power; 2x u.FL connectors
  • Ethernet – Atheros AR8032 10/100M Ethernet PHY
• 68x half holes with
  • 2 x USB 2.0 host port
  • 2 x serial port
  • 1x 100 Base-T Ethernet port;  1000 Base-T Ethernet port  (SGMII interface)
  • I2S, SPI, I2C, GPIO, PCIe, MDIO
• Power Supply – +3.3V DC; max power consumption: 3.7 W
• Dimensions – 46.9 x 31.8 mm
• Temperature Range – Rambutan: 0 – 65° C; Rambutan-I: -40 – 85° C

Beside the wider temperature range, Rambutan-I features QCA9550 SoC with the following advantages over QCA9557:

• 5 and 10 MHz channelization supported in a 4.9 GHz frequency band only
• Loopback mode to assist FIPS AES certification
• High Tx power accuracy at lower power level
• Small packet size (96 Bytes) in AES encryption at full packet rate
• 8 bits spectral analysis resolution

Rambutan Pinout Diagram

The modules run OpenWrt with the source code to be provided on 8devices’ github account, while support is handled through their forums. The company also offers Rambutan development kit with a baseboard for the module with some interesting features and expansion for this kind of board:

• Ethernet – 1x 1000 Base-T Ethernet port, 1×100 Base-T Ethernet port
• USB – 1x USB Type-A socket, 1x Mini USB Type-A socket for serial console and power
• Expansion:
  • 2x 20-pin 2.54 mm pitch through holes for I/Os such as GPIOs, USB, UART, SPI, JTAG, …
  • Mini PCIe socket
• Misc –  reset and user buttons, DIP switch for bootstrap options, 2x integrated antennas
• Power Supply – 5V via mini USB port
• Dimensions – 125 x 77 mm (estimated)

Rambutan DVK (Click to Enlarge)

Rambuta can be purchased now for $35, Rambutan-I for $49, and Rambutan development kit for $79. You’ll find more information, include a product brief, a datasheet, and the development board’s schematics on 8devices Rambutan’s product page.

Tweet 8Devices, a Lithuanian company specialized in the development and manufacturing of electronic equipment, is known for their Carambola and Carambola2 WiFi modules powered by Ralink and Qualcomm Atheros WiSoCs….

November 11 is Single’s day in China, and just like Valentine’s day, it is used for commercial purpose to make people buy stuffs. It’s also Black Friday before Black Friday, as Chinese online stores will also offer discounts to their customers, and this remains true for stores catering to oversea customers, so you may find a few interesting deals from 11.11 day festivities around the web. I’ve gathered a few of the offers from the most popular Chinese sites catering to overseas markets.

GeekBuying has an “11.11 Carnival” that actually started on November 1st, and ending on November 12th. They have promotions changing every day, as well as some coupons such as DB1111 $15 coupon if you spent over $215.

Aliexpress calls it “11.11 Global Shopping Festival” instead. You can buy coupons for half price, and check out for products with the red SALE icon on the left of the price as shown in the screenshot below. Just don’t believe the 50% discount, and you’re likely to have just a few dollars off.

So if it’s not November 11th yet on such device, you’ll see an inflated price, but if you wait until Singles’ Day you’ll get the price shown in red.

Next up is GearBest’s “11.11 Sales Storm” which will last until November 14th, and offers flash sales for various items. Again don’t expect for miracles, unless maybe you are lucky. For example, Beelink GT1 is $55, about $1 or $2 cheaper than usual.

I could not find any specific 11.11 promotion on DealExtreme, but Banggood Singles Day event has some snap up sales, e.g. T95Z Plus for $11.11, which will be close to impossible to get since those are obviously stock limited, as well as some coupons for various caterogies, and for instance you can get an 8% discount using ele1111 for electronics category.

Tweet November 11 is Single’s day in China, and just like Valentine’s day, it is used for commercial purpose to make people buy stuffs. It’s also Black Friday before Black…