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New carrier boards and mini-PCs for Jetson

Posted on 5 February, 2020 by Tope Oluyemi

Diamond Systems has unveiled a Stevie carrier board for Nvidia’s high-end Jetson AGX Xavier module. Diamond also promoted some other Jetson carriers and embedded systems, which all ship with Linux BSPs. They include Diamond Systems’ Elton, also for the Xavier, the Jethro and Ziggy carriers, both of which support the earlier Jetson TX2 and industrial-temperature Jetson TX2i. Diamond also included the Ziggy-based ZiggyBox mini-PC and its Jetbox-Nano enclosure for Nvidia’s Jetson Nano Development Kit for the Jetson Nano module.

STEVIE™ carrier for NVIDIA Jetson AGX Xavier

At 105 x 92mm, the Stevie board is slightly larger than the 100 x 87mm Jetson AGX Xavier module. The high-end Nvidia Xavier has 10x the energy efficiency and more than 20x the performance of the Jetson TX2. It features 8x ARMv8.2 cores and a 512-core Nvidia Volta GPU with 64 tensor cores and 2x Nvidia Deep Learning Accelerator (DLA) engines. Available also is a 7-way VLIW vision chip, and also a 16GB 256-bit LPDDR4 RAM and 32GB eMMC 5.1. Stevie enables a host of real-world ports for easier connectivity. coastline ports features includes an HDMI port, 2x Gigabit Ethernet, and 2x USB 3.1 ports. The block diagram available suggests there’s another HDMI port, which probably serves as an input interface.

The Stevie board enables connectors for up to 8x MIPI-CSI HD cameras or 4x 4K cameras. It is also equipped with a micro-SD slot plus mini-PCIe and M.2 slots supporting I/O add-ons and SSD storage. Additional features include 2x CAN, 4x serial, an audio interface, and a 9-20VDC input. Stevie’s MCU-driven data acquisition circuit has a 12-bit A/D up to 1MSPS, 12-bit D/A, and 3.3V GPIO. Diamond offers support for these interfaces with a free C-language programming library, a GUI control panel for “convenient control and monitoring of real-world processes and also a ready-to-run data logging capability.”

The CTI Rogue carrier for the Xavier has a similar set of I/O. It enables more USB ports and M.2 slots but is limited to 6x CSI cameras. Let’s take a look at the other Jetson carriers and embedded systems promoted.

Jethro

Jethro’s carrier extends the mid-range hexa-core Jetson TX2 module with 256-core Pascal graphics, and also the similar Jetson TX2i, which enables-40 to 85°C and 10-year support. The two modules feature 8GB LPDDR4, 32GB eMMC 5.1, and 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth. The 107 x 76mm Jethro has the same temperature range of the TX2i. It enables headers with latching connectors, which improves ruggedization. Available also is 9-18VDC (TX2) or 5.5-18VDC (TX2i) DC input.

Jethro carrier features a microSD slot and an M.2 2242 socket for up to 256GB SSDs. It is further equipped with a mini-PCIe slot that supports Nimbelink Skywire cellular modules. Interface options include single GbE, USB 3.0, and HDMI headers plus 2x USB 2.0, 2x RS-232, and 2x 4-lane CSI camera inputs. Available also is a DAQ array and software stack with 12x GPIO much like the Stevie and Elton.

Ziggy, ZiggyBox, and Jetbox-Nano

The Ziggy has conventional coastline ports, and has a TX2-like 87 x 50mm footprint. Unlike Stevie, it supports -40 to 85°C. Coastline ports include GbE, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, micro-USB OTG, and HDMI. interface features include 2x RS-232, a single 4-lane CSI connector, and a utility connector with I2C, UART, power, and reset pins. Available also is a DAQ layout and power inputs which are identical to Jethro’s. Additionally, a microSD slot is on the flipside.

The ZiggyBox system exposes all real-world ports and incorporates COM/DIO and DAQ ports. It features WiFi and Bluetooth antennas for the TX2/TX2i’s wireless module, with a heat sink, and support for an optional fan.

Diamond offers a Jetbox-Nano enclosure kit for Nvidia’s $99 Jetson Nano Development Kit. At 125 x 95 x 34mm, the steel enclosure is “rugged” and “low-cost.” Its standard ports are visible on one side, and the left side enables access to the serial port and camera flex cable port. However, on the right side, there is a GPIO port and optional connector and on the rear is a programming button for software updates. Finally, there is a DIN-rail mount available.

Elton

According to Diamond, the Elton board is the only Nvidia Jetson carrier that features a PCI/104-Express expansion socket. Elton is aimed at direct deployment, and has a 100 x 87mm size. According to Diamond, the -40 to 85°C. tolerant system is designed for “high performance computing and AI applications in mobile and harsh environments.”

Elton’s PCI/104-Express connector supports PCI-104, PCIe/104 type 1 (x8 lane), and PCIe/104 OneBank (4x x1 lanes). The M.2 socket available, supports up to 256GB PCIe x4 NVMe storage, and a USB-based LTE socket supports NimbeLink SkyWire cellular modems. Elton features an industry-standard MIPI-CSI camera socket, which enables up to 8x HD or 4x 4K cameras. Additional interfaces include 2x GbE, 2x USB 3.1, 2x USB 2.0, 4x RS-232/422/485, and 2x CAN, plus. Media features includes HDMI, LVDS, and audio interfaces. Available also is a DAQ interface, software stack just like Stevie’s, with 6x ADC, 2x DAC, and 13x GPIO.

According to Diamond, all the connections use pin headers compatible with common latching and non-latching cables, thereby improving shock and vibration resistance. Finally, there’s also a UFS flash socket, a heat spreader, battery support, enclosure mounting tabs, and series of cable and connector options.

There’s no pricing or availability information provided for the “preliminary” Stevie carrier for the Jetson AGX Xavier. The other boards and systems are available now without pricing. More information can be found on Diamond’s Stevie, Elton, Jethro, Ziggy and ZiggyBox, and Jetbox-Nano product pages.

Arduino Pro IDE

Posted on 5 February, 20205 February, 2020 by Emmanuel Odunlade

From its lack of simple things like code IntelliSense to more complex requirements like a debugger, quite a number of articles and comments have been written in the past about the inadequacies of the Arduino IDE. Many have pointed out how the IDEs’ attempt at simplifying things makes it unusable for professional embedded software developers. The Arduino team has however been listening and a few months back announced the release of the Arduino IDE Pro. For today’s article, we will take a look at the new IDE and discuss some of its new features along with their uses.

The Arduino Pro IDE is part of Arduino’s plan to provide users with tool options for use in project development. While the Pro IDE is a product still in development, the Alpha binary was released by Arduino during the announcement to allow interested users to get their hands on it and provide feedback. The initial release plan included features like;

A Dual Mode – The Dual mode allows users to switch between the Classic Arduino look and Pro’s File System view which only reveals advanced features when you need them
Modern fully-featured development environment – The New Pro IDE comes with a Modern look, multi-panel IDE with an integrated file system view which makes developing large, multi-file, repository-based projects easy.
Debugger – The debugger is one of the major demands of professional firmware developers and it’s one of the features scheduled to be implemented in future versions of the IDE. Some of the debugger features highlighted for the IDE include the ability to; Set breakpoints, view trace, step through execution and debug applications without the use of the serial monitor and the timing issues it brings.
Support for Additional Languages – While the embedded world still regards C and C++ as official languages, it is impossible to ignore the growing influence around the use of other programming languages like Python. Obviously seeing a future where this will be mainstream, the New Pro IDE is being designed with the ability to support other programming languages
Support for third-party plug-ins and board – The Classic Arduino IDE made life easier for a lot of users with the Arduino Library and Board managers, which made it easier to install Board definitions and several third-party libraries. The Arduino Pro IDE will also support these in several ways in a cleaner more modern environment
Basic Code Intellisense – Yes, we will finally be getting some code auto-complete features in the Pro IDE. While Arduino claims these features may be limited to ARM boards, here is hoping it’s usable across board.
Git Integration – Version control is not negotiable for the type of large projects the Pro IDE is being created to serve.
Dark Mode – For certain users, the Darkmode isn’t just to ease off the pressure on the eye, it’s a geek statement, but either way, taking the light out will definitely make long term development easier for users.

Quite a number of work on features and bug fixes has been done since the first release. The current version (which still has some stability issues) was released in December with fixes to some of the problems from the previous versions. Some of the things fixed in the latest version(v0.0.3) as listed on the Github page include;

Install/uninstall/update cores and libs (pinning a specific version)
Fixed macOS shortcuts
Restore last opened sketch when switching mode
Fixed search toolbar for libs
Select the right CLI version to avoid conflict with local installations
Avoid duplicates in outline view
Fixed serial monitor
Confirm Exit is now working
Fixed text contrast while using the dark theme

Arduino, no doubt, deserves a lot of credit for setting the maker community ablaze with their series of boards which were instrumental to the journey of several makers and while they have had a lot of setbacks in recent times which slowed down their influence on the community, the pro-IDE might just be the next game-changing tool they need to get back to the community frontlines.

ROHM’s New Efficient Power Management IC Optimized for i.MX 8M Nano Processors

Posted on 5 February, 2020 by mixos

ROHM today announced the availability of a highly integrated and efficient power management IC (PMIC),BD71850MWV, optimized for NXP^® Semiconductors’ i.MX 8M Nano family of application processors, which features exceptional computing, and audio performance.

It is the latest addition to ROHM’s growing portfolio of PMICs designed for NXP’s i.MX application processors. With the BD71837AMWV for i.MX 8M Quad and Dual applications processors and the BD71847AMWV for i.MX 8M Mini family application processors, ROHM offers power solutions for all members of the i.MX 8M series.

i.MX 8M Nano applications processors allow customers to incorporate a voice interface to audio streaming devices at minimal cost. They integrate up to four Arm® Cortex®-A53 cores operating at up to 1.5GHz along with an Arm Cortex-M7 that operates at up to 750 MHz for low standby power consumption. In addition, support for advanced audio functions and various high-speed interfaces makes the i.MX 8M Nano ideal for a wide range of consumer and industrial applications.

Leveraging ROHM’s expertise in analog power and advanced BCD process, BD71850MWV integrates all power rails required by the processor as well as power supplies for DDR and common system IO. In addition to DC/DC converters with industry-leading efficiency of 95%, the PMIC features programmable power sequencer for flexible power control and management, seamless hardware control interface to i.MX 8M Nano, buffered sleep clock, protection functions, etc. The high level of integration, customizations for i.MX 8M Nano applications processors, and programmability help to shorten development time, to lower system BOM cost and to minimize the solution footprint. This product is the only* PMIC mounted on the i.MX 8M Nano processor evaluation kit by NXP semiconductors, allowing users to immediately evaluate the operation with the processor. (*As of January 2020)

ROHM will continue to expand its product portfolio to support future members of the i.MX 8M family while offering optimized solutions for different applications and market segments.

more information: www.rohm.com

Novasom launches PoE adapters designed to the IEEE802.2AX standard

Posted on 4 February, 2020 by mixos

With the diffusion of the IoT (Internet of things) and the numbers of Wi-Fi and wireless nodes continuing to grow together the applications requiring power (more than you can do with a battery and/or an ultra-low consumption node), the idea of using only one cable to bring connectivity and power – especially to a large number of nodes – is becoming more and more popular and welcomed in a lot of applications.

The source of a PoE circuit (often called an injector because the power is generated not used) is something we can rarely control. It is simply a DC power between 21 and 44 V with enough power capacity to allow the proper “class” standard of PoE (let’s say between some watts and some tens watts). Our experience as an industrial manufacturer (and user) suggests to us that we have to focus our attention on the PoE “adapter” that is the place where the PoE power is used and transformed.

We are industrial oriented, and considering the amount and the kind of toy PoE adapters on the market that we have seen and tested, for consideration in our SBC applications, we felt we needed something more to properly power our industrial devices, where the 24/7/365 mission profile is a must. We were unable to find an extended temperature range module that would keep up with our SBC offerings, because it seems no one offers it with proper assurances and, for example, meets the need for conformal coating, necessary to survive the condensing humidity. Last but not least, these modules were not protected from spike, surge, cabling errors (typical problems that you can face on the power line of a complex wiring). So, your “industrial application”, we hope made with a Novasom board, probably will fail because you cannot find an industrial rugged certified PoE module, minded and build to last…Till now.

Our new class of PoE PD adapters has been developed to exactly fit this gap, giving you a warranted rugged solution that you can use to power your devices.
Perfect to be used with your Novasom board!

The Novasom PoE adapters is a class of PoE PD devices designed to the standard IEEE802.2AX, while adding more features to this standard to allow a long lifetime in an industrial environment. These products are industrially designed, considering a 27/7/365 mission profile, an extended temperature range -40 85°C and critical EMC conditions to assure a long life without effort., from a HW and a SW point of view, thanks to the RASPMOOD approach.

The Novasom PoE Adapters will be available at the Booth Texim Europe at the Embedded World 2020 in Nuremberg.

TEXIM EUROPE GmbH
Hall 1/1-450 – Exhibition Centre
90471 Nürnberg
Germany

USB-C PD module provides 9V-12V-15V-20V and sells for 1€

Posted on 4 February, 2020 by mixos

This is a tiny USB-C PD QC4 module that is able to deliver four voltages 9V-12V-15V-20V depending on the module you have purchased. There are two versions of the module. One is the 15V,20V version and you can select the output voltage using a solder jumper and the other is the 9V, 12V and you select the voltage in the same way. The seller notes that the module you purchase may provide a randomly selected voltage and you have to check before powering your device. Also, it doesn’t support charging information negotiation or other voltages and it is not guaranteed to be compatible with all the chargers. In other words, you should use the modules on your own risk and always test it before applying an output voltage on your devices.

The module is sold on www.aliexpress.com for 0.98€ +0.44€ shipping.

Vishay VCNL36821S IRED Integrated Proximity Sensor

Posted on 4 February, 20204 February, 2020 by mixos

Vishay VCNL36821S IRED Integrated Proximity Sensor is fully integrated with an infrared emitter, a photodiode for proximity measurement, and a signal processing IC in a single package with a 12-bit ADC. With a range of up to 30cm (12″), this stand-alone component simplifies the use and design-in of proximity sensors as no mechanical barriers are required to optically isolate the emitter from the detector. The VCNL36821S is offered in a miniature, surface mount, 2.55mm x 2.05mm leadless package (LLP) with a low profile of 1mm. The device is designed to meet the low height requirements needed for use in smartphones, mobile phones, digital cameras, and tablet PC applications.

Features

Surface mount package type
2.55mm x 2.05mm x 1.0mm (LxWxH) in dimension
Integrated modules
- Infrared emitter (IRED)
- Proximity sensor (PS)
- Signal conditioning IC
Interrupt function
Small light hole opening design
Immunity to red glow issues (940nm)
1.7V to 3.6V supply voltage range
Low power consumption I²C (SMBus compatible interface)
168-hour floor life, MSL 3, according to J-STD-020
I²C bus (PS) output type
-40°C to +85°C temperature compensation

Specifications

Supply voltage range
- 1.7V to 3.6V sensor
- 2.5V to 3.6V IR LED
Temperature range
- -40°C to +85°C operating
- -40°C to +100°C storage

100µA to 300µA supply current
1µA (typical) shutdown current
940nm (typical) peak wavelength of IRED
156mA (maximum) IRED driving current
Lead-free, halogen-free, and RoHS compliant

With its standard I²C bus serial digital interface, easy access is allowed to the “proximity signal”. The programmable interrupt function offers wake-up functionality for the microcontroller when a proximity change occurs reducing processing overhead by eliminating the need for continuous polling. The implemented infrared emitters cathode is connected to the driver internally and does not need to be externally connected. The IRED features a peak wavelength of 940nm, emits light that reflects off an object to allow detection within 30cm of the sensor, and has a programmable drive current from 50mA to 156mA.

Block Diagram

more information: www.vishay.com

Boardcon Releases Idea3288 SBC for Intelligent Devices

Posted on 4 February, 2020 by mixos

After launching EM3288 SBC based on RK3288 in 2016, Boardcon introduced Idea3288 with a more compact structure this month.

The Idea3288 SBC is equipped to deliver 4K Ultra HD video at 60Hz through HDMI 2.0, making it suitable for applications that require 4K video decode capabilities. And the miniDP, MIPI DSI and LVDS output up to 3840*2160 resolution also supported.

The platform is available with a WiFi&BT module with 802.11b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity. It is equipped with a 4G LTE (optional) that delivers 100Mbps downlink and 50Mbps uplink data rates.

The Idea3288 is designed to be flexible to meet customer’s application requirements. It is well suited Intelligent POS, TV box, Access control system, automotive IoT, Vending Machine and Commercial Display.

Idea3288 specifications

CPU – Rockchip RK3288 Quad-core Cortex-A17 @ 1.8GHz
Memory- 2GB LPDDR3
Storage
– 8GB eMMC flash
– MicroSD slot
– 1x M.2 SSD interface
Power Supply – DC 5V/3A
USB – 3x USB2.0 Host, 1x USB OTG
Audio – 3.5mm jack for Audio input/output
Camera –13M Camera (optional) via MIPI CSI (26-pin header or 24pin FPC connector)
Display
– HDMI 2.0 for 4K@60Hz with HDCP 1.4/2.2
– 40-pin header for LVDS
– 26-pin MIPI DSI
– mini Display Port (mDP)
Connectivity
– Gigabit Ethernet port (RJ45) via Realtek RTL8211E
– 802.11b/g/n WiFi (2.4GHz) + Bluetooth 4.0
– Optional 4G module (with GPS) via mini PCIe socket + SIM card slot
Misc – Recover/Power/Reset button, UART, IR in, RS485, CAN, GPIO, RTC, POE
Dimension – 135mm x 90mm

more information: www.boardcon.com

BOXER-6641: Delivering More Power for Industrial Computing

Posted on 4 February, 20204 February, 2020 by mixos

AAEON, an award-winning leader in industrial computing, announces the BOXER-6641, their latest fanless box PC, featuring 8th Generation Intel® Core™ and Xeon® processors. The BOXER-6641 is the most powerful fanless solution currently available on the market.

The BOXER-6641 is designed to provide users with unmatched flexibility and performance. Available with two chipsets, the H310 (BOXER-6641-A1) and C246 (BOXER-6641-A2), the system offers a range of processors from the 8th Generation Intel® Core™ and Xeon® processor family (formerly Coffee Lake), from Celeron® G4900T and Pentium® G5400T up to Xeon® E-2124G (up to 71W). Combined with up to 32GB of ECC or non-ECC DDR4 2666MHz RAM and support for two hard drives, the BOXER-6641 is currently the most powerful fanless industrial system available on the market.

The BOXER-6641 is built to easily integrate into any industrial application. I/O features include six COM ports and up to eight USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (A2 model). The BOXER-6641 also comes with four Intel® Gigabit Ethernet ports, including one Intel® i219 chipset, with built-in support for Intel® vPRO and Active Management Technology (Intel® AMT) available on BOXER-6641-A2. The BOXER-6641 is expandable with two mPCIe slots, capable of supporting AI applications with solutions such as AAEON’s AI Core X with Intel® Movidius® Myriad™ X VPU.

The BOXER-6641 is designed with several key features to ensure reliable service in harsh industrial environments. In addition to fanless construction, the BOXER-6641 offers wide voltage input of 10V to 35V, wide operating temperature range from -20°C to 55°C (-20°C to 45°C with 71W processor), and an all-metal chassis. The BOXER-6641 is easy to maintain, with only six screws needed to remove the top heatsink to access the CPU, and removing the bottom panel provides easy access to the memory and storage devices.

AAEON supports customers through its Manufacturer Services and OEM/ODM programs, including custom I/O configurations and end-to-end total solutions for industrial applications. This brings a greater level of flexibility to the BOXER-6641 and helps reduce time-to-market for systems integrators and independent software developers.

“With the 8th Generation Intel® processors, including Xeon® technology and the C246 chipset, BOXER-6641 offers a greater level of power than any other fanless embedded box PC on the market,” said Raven Hsu, Product Manager with AAEON’s System Platform Division. “BOXER-6641 can power a range of industrial applications, including factory automation, machine vision, and more.”

more information: www.aaeon.com

Pine64 SOEdge AI Module Delivers 3.0 TOPS using Rockchip RK1808 SoC

Posted on 4 February, 20204 February, 2020 by mixos

The SOEdge is a 3TOPS compute module that can be paired with the SOPine base board or USB 3.0 and PCIe adapters for development. It can connect to a SBC, such as the ROCKPro64 or a regular PC. We initially planned the release of the SOEdge module last year, but Pinebook Pro and PinePhone delays pushed it back to this year.

Features:

Rockchip RK1808 dual-core Cortex-A35 processor with a 3.0 TOPS Neural Processing Unit
2GB DDR4 PC-2133 RAM
16GB eMMC flash
PMIC – Rockchip RK809-2
204-pin SO-DIMM connector (same as the SOPine modules)

Tentative price: ~ $30

Tentative release date: ~ April/May 2020

The HardROCK64 is a RK3399 based SBC

Posted on 4 February, 20204 February, 2020 by mixos

Pine64 has launched a smaller and cheaper “HardRock64” variant of its RK3399-based RockPro64 SBC that removes the PCIe and USB Type-C.

The board features:

The RK3399 hexa-core SOC found in the Pinebook Pro and on the ROCKPro64
2xUSB 3.0
2xUSB 2.0
WiFi AC and BT 5.0
Gigabit Ethernet
Full GPIO pins
SPI flash
eMMC socket
mSD card slot
Fan & RTC headers
Heatsink mount
CSI connector
DSI connector
IR receiver
5V barrel jack for power
Digital video out

The board will run all ROCKPro64 OS images with little or no tweaks (we checked) and probably most Pinebook Pro OS with a ‘simple’ device tree tweak. In other words, if you don’t need all of the ROCKPro64’s functionality – e.g. PCIe or USB-C – then this may just be the board for you.

The board does run hot so a heatsink is pretty much mandatory. A couple of different options will be sold by us to match your needs and expected the SOC load.

The board will ship in 3 LPDDR4 RAM configurations (tentative $ pricing):

1GB ~ $35
2GB ~ $45
4GB ~ $55

Tentative release date: April 2020