AAEON, an award-winning developer of AI edge computing platforms, announces the BOXER-8220AI box PC powered by NVIDIA® Jetson Nano™. With the latest SoC from NVIDIA built for AI, the BOXER-8220AI offers stable, reliable performance at a price which is competitive and budget friendly.
The BOXER-8220AI is powered by the NVIDIA Jetson Nano, the latest in edge computing technology from NVIDIA. The Jetson Nano SoC combines the quad-core ARM® Cortex®-A57 MPCore processor with NVIDIA Maxwell™ GPU architecture featuring 128 NVIDIA CUDA® cores. This innovative design allows processing speeds up to 472 GFLOPs and is capable of operating multiple neural networks or processing several high-resolution images at the same time. The NVIDIA Jetson Nano also provides the BOXER-8220AI with 4GB RAM and 16 GB eMMC storage.
With the NVIDIA Jetson Nano, the BOXER-8220AI is able to provide both performance and price suitable for entry to mid-level deployment of AI and edge computing applications. With five Gigabit Ethernet ports, the BOXER-8220AI supports up to five input cameras or sensors, and four USB 3.0 ports allow even greater flexibility to integrate with projects.
The BOXER-8220AI is designed with AAEON’s dedication to providing rugged embedded PCs for industrial use. Its fanless design ensures long reliable operation, preventing dust or other contaminants from interfering with components. The BOXER-8220AI thermal design also allows the system to operate in temperatures from -20°C up to 60°C without a loss in performance, perfect for stable operation in almost every work environment.
As with all AAEON solutions, the BOXER-8220AI is backed by AAEON support, including AAEON OEM/ODM and Manufacturer services. Whether it’s configuring the OS, software support, or providing customized configurations, AAEON provide end-to-end support to help bring customer projects to life.
“The BOXER-8220AI is the perfect solution for customers looking for an economical solution with an NVIDIA SoC,” said Ken Pan, Product Manager for AAEON System Platform Division. “Our design offers stable, reliable performance not matched by other systems currently on the market.”
The SparkFun RED-V (pronounced “red-five”) RedBoard is a low-cost, development board featuring the Freedom E310 SoC which brings with it the RISC-V instruction set architecture (ISA).
The RED-V RedBoard comes in the familiar Arduino Uno R3 form factor and includes the SiFive Freedom E310 core, 32MB of QSPI flash, an NXP K22 ARM Cortex-M4 for USB connectivity and operating as a JTAG interface, and a Qwiic connector to make future I2C offerings easy*. The modern USB-C connector makes it easy to program and for more advanced users who prefer to use the power and speed of professional tools, we’ve also exposed the JTAG connector. Additionally, it comes programmed with a simple bootloader making the RED-V the best way to start prototyping and developing your RISC‑V applications.
The on board Freedom E310 (FE310) is the first member of the Freedom Everywhere family of customizable SoCs from SiFive. Designed for microcontroller, embedded, IoT, and wearable applications, the FE310 features SiFive’s E31 CPU Coreplex, a high-performance, 32-bit RV32IMAC core. Capable of running at 320+ MHz, the FE310 is among the fastest microcontrollers in the market. Additional features include a 16KB L1 Instruction Cache, a 16KB Data SRAM scratchpad, hardware multiply/divide, a debug module, flexible clock generation with on-chip oscillators and PLLs, and a wide variety of peripherals including UARTs, QSPI, PWMs, and timers. Multiple power domains and a low-power standby mode ensure a wide variety of applications can benefit from the FE310. The RED-V requires Freedom Studio software or a Zephyr RTOS build environment set up to program the board and interface with it.
What sets the RED-V RedBoard apart from the rest is the completely open-source approach from hardware to ISA. That means anyone can make full use the microcontroller without requiring royalties, licenses, or non-disclosure agreements.
This is a multi-output power supply based on LM2576HV-ADJ and LM317 IC. The power supply provides 3 outputs with input supply up to 55V DC. Output (O1) is adjustable up to 24V DC and load current of 2A, Output (O2) is adjustable to 1.2V-24V with load current up to 500mA and Output (O3) adjustable 1.2V-24V @ 500mA. High voltage LM2576HV-ADJ converts 55V in 24V DC. This output is adjustable but advisable to set the output to 24V DC with help of Trimmer Pot PR1.
Multi-output Power Supply Based on LM2576HV-ADJ – [Link]
While Python currently sits atop the throne of the most popular programming language in the world, languages like javascript have been creeping around the throne with different frameworks and APIs that have taken the language beyond use of web development. This was evident in Espruino as it opened up the doors to the use of javascript in programming microcontrollers. The success of Espruino has enabled the development of several great projects one of which is the Bangle.js smartwatch which was announced at the NodeConf EU conference earlier this month.
Bangle.js is the first hackable open source JS and TensorFlow-driven smartwatch. NodeConf EU 2019. Kilkenny, Ireland. November 2019. Photo by Nico Kaiser
The smartwatch is a product of NearForm trying to top their previous NodeConfEU badges and was developed by the NearForm Research team in partnership with Gordon Williams.
Not just your ordinary smartwatch, Bangle.js runs the recently release TensorFlow Lite for microcontrollers which means users can not only develop javascript applications, but they can also develop ML-based applications for the watch. This comes in really handy as the goal, as described by NearForm, is to see things snowball into a community-driven Open Health Platform through which people can build their own health apps ( to run on the watch) and stay in control of their health data.
At the core of Bangle.js is the Nordic Semi Nordic Semiconductor NRF52832 SoC using the Bluetooth LE 4.2 Technology and a 32mbit flash. The device comes with an array of sensors including; a KX023 accelerometer, a single 3 axis compass, a BD 1668 heart rate monitor, and 2 zones on/off Holtek touch controller. The display is made up of 240×240 Colour LCD, GPS is included using the U-box UBX-M8130 and three buttons are added for control with a buzzer for sound notification.
The Evolution of Bangle.js – Espruino conference badges of 2017, 2018 and 2019 at NodeConf EU 2019.
Some of the hardware specifications of the device are provided below;
IP68 Waterproof: up to 10m underwater
Nordic 64MHz nRF52832 ARM Cortex-M4 processor with Bluetooth LE
64kB RAM 512kB on-chip flash, 4MB external flash
1.3 inch 240×240 16 bit LCD with 2 zone touch
GPS/Glonass receiver (UBlox)
Heart rate monitor
3 Axis Accelerometer (with Pedometer and Tap detect)
3 Axis Magnetometer
Piezo speaker and Vibration motor
350mAh battery, 1 week standby time
5 x 5 x 1.7 cm case, plastic with stainless steel ring
Can be disassembled with just 4 screws
Quite a lot of work has been done on the software. Some of the features currently available include;
To showcase the Machine Learning capabilities of the device, the demo during the NodeConf EU was a gesture-controlled based app that, through the help of the tensor flow lite, transformed the watch into an HID device for controlling presentation slides.
The Smartwatch is fully programmable and the limits of its ability are defined by your imagination. The smartwatch uses the Open Source (MPLv2) Espruino JavaScript interpreter and it comes with an App Loader to which makes it easy for developers to upload JavaScript-based apps to the device via WEB Bluetooth.
The project is fully Open Source, as such, all the source code, example apps, tools, and documentation are provided under an Open Source license on the project’s GitHub page.
A Kickstarter campaign has been launched for the project and it has already exceeded its goal with a pledge of $96,090 by 990 backers, with 5 days till the end of the campaign.
A well-known electronics store has been selling a very simple lead-acid battery activator for many years. Although I can’t prove it, my lead-acid batteries do seem to last longer since I started using the activator. The principle behind this circuit is very simple. The battery is loaded with a current of about 100 A for a period of 100 µs, which is repeated every 30 seconds. But my circuit is capable of more, which is discussed at length in article from 2017.
Original publication: Elektor Magazine no. 3 / 2017 (March & April), p. 120 – 127.
Physical storage drives have not changed a lot over the years. They have improved in terms of storage capacity and technology but they are definitely still a bit bulky (compared with how small things are becoming) and relatively slow. To offer an improvement to what is currently in the market, GrowthLabs recently announced the launch of a crowdfunding campaign for their Storage Drive device called; HyperDisk.
The HyperDisk
Hyperdisk was designed to become the best backup/storage solution in the market, with super-fast transfer speed, universal compatibility, compact size, and lightweight design. Weighing only 45g and with super slim dimensions of 73.9mm42.8mm10.9mm, the Hyperdisk breaks people’s cognition of heavy and cumbersome SSDs.
While Performance may vary due to variation in the configuration of the host device, Hyperdisk is able to reach a read/write speed of nearly 1000 MB/s when used with a host device and connection cables that support Thunderbolt™, meaning with the right system configuration, it will take Hyperdrive only 20-22s to copy a 20GB file that will take an ordinary USB memory stick 25mins!
Speed Comparison with similar devices
This super speed is achieved thanks to HyperDisk’s the M.2 NVMe on which it is based along with other features. the M.2NVMe performs virtually 2x faster than SATA SSDs and 10x faster than traditional HDDs. Also, the core and its Intel flash are tightly closed and protected by its shell which offers reasonable protection against shock and vibration, ensuring that the Hydisk runs with a low failure rate and with zero noise. Besides, the shell is coated with waving aluminum alloy and touched with frosted feel, offering you a sense of the future, and contributing to the effective temperature management system that helps guarantee its perfect performance — around 60℃ in operating and 30℃ in static storage.
Compatible with a Wide Range of Devices
HyperDisk comes with a USB 3.1 Gen 2 USB interface and it is compatible with all Mac and Windows computers, along with Android smartphones and pads that support the Type C OTG or connection via the use of an adapter to convert the USB type to the one supported by the device.
To allow it meet the need of different people, HyperDisk comes with different capacity including 512GB/1TB/2TB, so either your need is an external storage for your phone or computer or you need a storage device for photography or Video, the Hyperdisk has something for you.
Some of the key features of the Hyperdisk in bullet points include;
Up to 1,000MB/s read and write
45g only, and smaller than a credit card
Intel flash
512GB/1TB/2TB size option available.
3.1 Gen 2 interface (10 Gbps) and M.2 NVMe
Compatible with iPad, Mac and Windows computers, Android devices
Change for new within 1 year and 3-year warranty
To increase confidence in the product, HypersDisk currently offers a 3-year limited warranty and a 1-year change for new service, with the later service promising that a new HyperDisk will be sent to you to replace your defective and malfunctioning one within the first year. Besides, The reasons for your return must however, be non-human factors.
The device is only currently being sold only through its Kickstarter campaign which is due to end soon, with global delivery scheduled for January 2020, but the team mentioned the existence of plans for a sale in physical outlets in the near future.
More information on the product and how to participate in the crowdfunding campaign can be found on the project’s page on Kickstarter.
Even with the advent of several file-sharing platforms and the proliferation of internet access to enable their use, the “old” regular way of moving a file from one place to the other via USB drives is still in vogue. Especially for large files like the video and picture contents which creatives need to move around for editing before the final version is released. However, while the size of these drives has increased over time, the same cannot be said for their quality. The speed at which some of the drives copy data and their design for efficiency is still quite terrible. Solving these inefficiencies is what led Darren Mak and his team to create their new product called WarpDrive.
Weighing only 29g / 1oz, with a thickness of around 10mm, the warp drive is smaller than your standard debit/credit card and is designed to save you time and work efficiently. It comes with USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 NVMe interface through which it provides high-speed data transfer up to 850MB/s, which is 5.6x faster than the average external HDDs.
Speed Test
This means you could transfer a video that would normally take say 50 mins with regular USB Memory Stick, in just 47 seconds using the WarpDrive.
Exploded View of the Warp Drive
The enclosure of the WarpDrive is an indicator of how much thoughtfulness went into its design. The enclosure is made of aluminum, which is a great heat conductor, helps to keep the flash controller cool at all times, to ensure the high amount of heat generated as a result of the device’s speed does not affect its performance. Asides from the functional impact of the aluminum enclosure, the metallic surface also gives it an exotic look that complements Macbooks and Ipads Perfectly. To ensure the splendid metallic finish is retained over the lifespan of the WarpDrive, it was made scratch-resistant through the use of a silicone bumper that protects the drive. To further protect the drive and in-turn the data stored on it, the WarpDrive was designed to match up to the IP67 rating. This means it can be dropped into a body of water, up to a meter deep for half an hour, without being damaged.
Water-Resistant
The WarpDrive is compatible with all the popular operating systems and machines including android, Windows, Linux and the macOS operating systems. As mentioned earlier, it comes with USB Type-C connector which makes it easy to connect the device some of the latest devices which uses the Type C port, but it can also be connected to Windows-based PCs and older macOS PCs using a USB Type-C to USB A cable, or to newer iOS gadgets with a USB Type-C to Type-C cable.
Compatible with all kind of devices thanks to the connectors.
A highlight of some of the crucial features of the device is provided in the table below;
WarpDrive Specifications
According to the Crowdfunding campaign being run on Indiegogo, WarpDrive is currently available in Red and Space Grey Colors with the possibility of other colors existing later not ruled out.
The Crowdfunding campaign is expected to run till the end of November 2019, with manufacturing commencing immediately with deliveries scheduled for March 2020.
More information on the product and the crowdfunding campaign can be found on the product’s IndieGoGo page.
This is a multi-output power supply based on LM2576HV-ADJ and LM317 IC. The power supply provides 3 outputs with input supply up to 55V DC. Output (O1) is adjustable up to 24V DC and load current of 2A, Output (O2) is adjustable to 1.2V-24V with load current up to 500mA and Output (O3) adjustable 1.2V-24V @ 500mA. High voltage LM2576HV-ADJ converts 55V in 24V DC. This output is adjustable but advisable to set the output to 24V DC with help of Trimmer Pot PR1.
Note: Keep PR1 at 50% before power up the project and set the Output-1 24V DC, then O2 and O3 can be set using P1 and P2.
When talking about current or voltage, these signals can be fitted into two main categories : DC and AC. DC states for “Direct Current“, this definition regroup the signals that are constant in time : their amplitude and sign (+ or -) remain unchanged. AC states for “Alternating Current“, these signals are alternating between positive and negative values, periodically at a certain frequency. AC signals should not be mistaken with variable signals that present no pattern in their evolution over time.
In this tutorial we will explore in three sections the topic of AC waveforms. In the first section, a general presentation of AC signals is given along with important definitions associated with. A second section will deal more specifically about the generation of AC signals and the important components present in the AC circuitry. Finally, a third section focuses on the AC power application, including mathematical definitions and the importance that AC signals play in the distribution of domestic power.
Presentation
AC signals have many shapes from sinusoidal to triangular, square, ramp wave etc … Despite their various shapes, they present one important similarity : the periodicity. In Figure 1, different shapes of AC waves are represented in blue along with their periodical pattern in red that highlights the periodicity.
fig 1 : Different types of AC waveform
We can now introduce two linked and important definitions : the frequency and the period. As seen in Figure 1, the elementary pattern (in red) is reproduced for each signal five times during one unit of time (one second). This quantity is called the frequency (f) and it is expressed in Hertz or invert of a second (Hz=1/s).
The period (T) is a similar definition and is equal to the invert of the frequency : T=1/f. It represents the duration of an elementary pattern, and in our example, we can see that this duration is 0.2 s which is indeed equal to 1/(5 Hz).
It is worth mentioning that among the different shapes of AC signals represented in Figure 1, the sine wave is by far the most used. Triangular or square signals can be found in specific domains such as in acoustic amplification.
Moreover, sine wave have the property to be the “building blocks” of any other AC signals according to Fourier’s analysis. Indeed, any periodical signal can be written as a serie (an infinite sum) of sine functions. An approximation of an AC signal can however be obtained with the first terms of the serie. For example, an approximation with the three first terms of a the square signal sq(t) from Figure 1 with f=5 Hz is, as already mentioned in a previous article :
eq 1 : Fourier serie of a square signal
We can indeed confirm it by plotting on the same graph the original square signal with it’s approximation :
fig 2 : Fourier’s approximation of a square signal
AC generation
Turbine-based generation
In the modern society, AC generation can be done with many different infrastructures : dams, nuclear power plant, coal plant, wind turbines … Despite the different sources of energy they use, these infrastructures generate an AC signal with the same principle.
The method to generate AC electricity is called turbine-based generation and transforms in two steps a primary energy (fossil fuels, wind, water movement …) into an AC power signal. The intermediary step consists in transforming the primary energy into the rotation of a turbine. The flowchart of this generation is presented below in Figure 3 :
fig 3 : Flowchart of the turbine-based generation of AC power
As seen in Figure 3, the transformation of energy is based on the turbine, which is a mechanical component and also an electromagnetic effect known as induction.
Let’s clarify what the turbine and electromagnetic induction consists of. Without going too much into the details, a turbine has two main components : a rotor and a stator. The rotor is the part in rotation, this rotation is generated by the primary source of energy that can be harvested from our environment. The stator is stationary and surrounds the rotor as a ring, it is in the stator that will generate the AC energy. This architecture is illustrated in Figure 4 :
fig 4 : Simple view of the turbine-based AC generation
Both the rotor and stator can either be permanent magnets, having the property of generating a constant magnetic field, or electromagnets that generate the same field when a current passes through them.
The creation of an electric signal in the stator comes from the fact that a variable magnetic field is generated thanks to the rotation of the rotor. An opposite magnetic field is generated in the stator via an electrical signal in order to moderate this cause. It is precisely this counter-acting electrical signal that becomes the AC source. This effect is known as the electromagnetic induction or Lenz’s law.
Transformers
Worldwide, electricity is distributed from the provider to the consumer in its AC form. As we will see in the next section, the reason why this is privileged and possible is the use of transformers in the AC circuitry.
A transformer consists in its simple description of a core that can transport a magnetic field and two windings (N1 and N2) symmetrically positioned around the core that constitute the primary (V1, I1) and secondary circuit (V2, I2) such as illustrated in Figure 5 below. This transfer is also possible thanks to the electromagnetic induction phenomenon.
fig 5 : Transformer’s architecture
The most important fact to keep in mind about transformers is that they are able to change passively the amplitude of voltage and current of AC signals according to the following formula :
eq 2 : Transformer’s identity
AC power
The RMS value
As we mentioned in the previous section, everyone, even a non-scientist is familiar with the AC electricity in our household. A part from a few exceptions, AC power is delivered to consumers at 120V or 220 V of amplitude and 50Hz or 60 Hz of frequency.
However, if you measure the mains voltage with a multi meter or oscilloscope the AC signal coming from your outlets (in Europe), you will see a sine wave with a top amplitude of 220×√2≈310 V. This maximum amplitude is called the Peak value whereas the 220 V we are familiar with is called the RMS value (for Root Mean Square).
In order to understand better this concept, let’s consider a positive half wave of a sine signal and intermediate values in t1, t2, … represented in Figure 6 :
fig 6 : Positive half wave sine with intermediate values
The RMS value for any periodic signal (including sine signals) is defined on a half wave such as :
eq 3 : Formula of the RMS value
Due to the particular symmetry of the values V(ti) highlighted in Figure 6, the RMS value for sine waves is always equal to :
eq 4 : RMS value of a sine signal
So why is the RMS value so important ? Because it is the equivalent DC amplitude that is dissipated in an output resistance (TV, microwave …). It represents the average value that will indeed be seen as a DC signal by any appliance we use.
Distribution of power
This final subsection will focus around one question : why is electricity distributed in AC form instead of DC ? This question can be answered in two parts that are linked : less losses are observed at higher voltage and AC electricity can be transformed (via transformers).
In order to understand the first affirmation about the losses, let’s consider a transmission line of resistance R where an AC power signal (V, I) is carried. Note that V≠R×I since the AC signal generation precedes the transmission. The input power is Pi, the output power is Po and the power losses are noted Pl.
fig 7 : Power transmission in a line
The power values satisfy the following equations :
Pi=V×I
Pl=R×I2
Po=Pi-Pl
The efficiency of this line is given by the ratio Po/Pi=1-(R×I)/V. The transmission efficiency is thus improved if the voltage is increased. This is the reason why transmission lines do not carry an AC signal directly in 220 V RMS value because the losses would be too important. Power is rather distributed at around a few hundreds of kV to minimize the losses of the transmission line.
However, the signal used in domestic application is much lower and this is where transforming the signal is extremely necessary and interesting. Indeed, the use of transformer allow the electricity providers to either step-down or step-up the voltage such as illustrated in the following Figure 8 that indicates the orders of magnitude at every stage of the distribution :
fig 8 : Example of an electricity distribution network
Now we have understood why electricity is distributed in AC waves : transformers allow to easily step-up or down the power signal in order to distribute it to a large number of customers and to avoid unnecessary losses during its transportation.
Conclusion
This tutorial has first of all introduced us to the concept of AC wave signals. These signals can be characterized by 3 factors :
The amplitude peak : it is the maximum that the signal reaches from its reference (0 V or 0 A).
The frequency or period : it denotes how fast the signal repeats itself
The pattern : it gives the shapes of the signal (sine, triangle, square …)
Among all the different AC signals that can be generated, sine waves are the most important because they are naturally generated by turbines and any periodical signal can be written as a Fourier’s serie.
The generation of such electric signals has been presented in two parts in a second section. We have seen that a turbine-based generation is the system exploited in any infrastructure to harvest a primary source of energy and convert it into AC energy. This is possible thanks to a physical law called the electromagnetic induction that is responsible for generating an AC current when a magnet rotates into another magnet.
In the second part, another important component of the AC power circuitry is present : the transformer. It also works thanks to the induction phenomenon and is useful to passively transform the voltage and current of a signal.
Finally a last section deals more specifically with the AC power topic. A first paragraph explains the meaning of the RMS value of a periodical signal : it representσ the effective power dissipated in a load by an AC signal. A last subsection is here to explain that AC waves are preferred over DC for the distribution of electricity since their voltage can easily be stepped-up to transport the power without losses in transmission lines, or stepped-down to provide the specific energy needs of different consumers.
This is a keystroke injection device (also called badusb). It is similar to a well-known USB rubber ducky made by hak5, but has much extended functionality, lower price and is also completely open source. It looks and feels like an ordinary USB flash drive, but acts as a keyboard that types in a preprogrammed payload. This payload can do anything from configuring a network to installing a reverse shell, since the device can basically do whatever an admin can with a terminal, but taking only a few seconds. This makes it a very powerful tool for automating sysadmin tasks or use in penetration testing.