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Challenger RP2040 UWB board is now available for purchase

Posted on 4 April, 2023 by mixos

Introducing the Challenger RP2040 UWB development board

Designed for IoT and embedded systems developers, the Challenger RP2040 UWB board is a high-performance development board that utilizes advanced Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology to deliver unparalleled connectivity and precision. Powered by the popular Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller, together with the DWM3000 module from Qorvo, the board offers UWB localization, time-of-flight ranging, and communication up to 10 Mbps, enabling accurate indoor positioning, seamless asset tracking, and improved wireless communication.

Arduino Compatible

In addition to its advanced features, the Challenger RP2040 UWB board is also compatible with popular development platforms such as Arduino and CircuitPython, making it easy for developers to get started. It comes with a range of resources such as software libraries, technical documentation, and example code, enabling developers to quickly prototype and develop applications.

We believe that the Challenger RP2040 UWB board will be a game-changer for the IoT industry, and we are proud to be at the forefront of this innovation. We are confident that our customers will appreciate the board’s performance, reliability, and versatility, and we are excited to see the amazing projects that they will create with it.

Purchase Information

The Challenger RP2040 UWB board is now available for purchase on our website, as well as through authorized distributors.

Orange Pi 5B 16GB Single Board Computer Review

Posted on 3 April, 20235 April, 2023 by Rakesh Kumar, Ph.D.

The Rockchip-RK3588S 8-core 64-bit processor, which includes a quad-core A76 + quad-core A55, is in the heart of the Orange Pi 5B. It is built with 8nm design process which makes it faster, consumes less power, brings superior performance to various AI scenarios, and has up to 2.4GHz base frequency. It has an integrated ARM Mali-G610 MP4 GPU, high-performance 3D and 2D image acceleration modules built in, and an AI accelerator NPU with up to 6 Tops of computing power. It has 16GB (LPDDR4/4x) to meet the requirements of products with ample RAM and 128GB eMMC memory, dual-band Wi-Fi6, BT5.0, and can connect up to an 8K display.

An Upgrade of Orange Pi 5

The Orange Pi 5B adds wireless communication Wi-Fi 6 and BT 5.0 to provide a stronger and more stable signal and faster network transmission Wi-Fi supports 2T2R 802.11 ax/ac/a/b/g/n, uses two frequency bands of 2.4GHz and 5GHz, and has MIMO standard. Wi-Fi uses two antennas, one of which is shared with BT and uses a PCIe 2.1 interface; BT5.0 uses the UART/PCM interface 128GB eMMC memory is also added to provide more stable and reliable long-time performance to Orange Pi 5B.

Features

Processor: Rockchip-RK3588S 8-core 64-bit processors with Orange Pi OS which doubles the performance.

Numerous Interfaces Easy to Expand: Orange Pi 5B Single Board Computer has many interfaces, such as HDMI output, Type-C, USB3.0, USB2.0, RJ45 gigabit network interface, TF card socket, 3.5mm headphone jack, MIPI LCD interface, MIPI Camera interface, multi-functional 26 Pin expansion interface, etc.

Software: The Orange Pi 5B is compatible with the Orangepi OS, which was created by Orange Pi and is also supported by Android 12, Debian 11, Ubuntu 22.04, and Ubuntu 20.04. Users can run Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Telegram, and other apps smoothly after installing Aurora Store.

Maximum Support 8K@60fps: Images can be rendered in 8K high-definition thanks to powerful video encoding and decoding. This makes images clearer and more detailed.

Multi-Channel Input and Output: It can send 8K video over HDMI 2.1, USB-C (DP1.4), and dual MIPI D-PHY. It can have more than one screen with different displays, and it can take three MIPI interface camera inputs.

Specification

Processor: Rockchip RK3588S (8nm LP process)
CPU: 8-core 64-bit processors, Quad-core A76, Quad-core A55 with 2.4GHz main frequency.
GPU: ARM Mali-G610 MP4
NPU: Built-in AI accelerator with up to 6 Tops of computing power.
RAM: 16GB (LPDDR4/4x)
Memory: 128GB eMMC
USB: Type-C, USB3.0,USB2.0,TF Card Support
Video: 8K@60fps, HDMI 2.1
Audio: CODEC:ES8388, HDMI 2.1 eARC
Camera: MIPI CSI 4Lane, 2 x MIPI D-PHY RX 4 Lane
Ethernet: 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet
Expansion port: For extending UART, PWM, 12C, CAN, and GPIO interfaces.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth: Wi-Fi supports 2T2R 802.11 ax/ac/a/b/g/n, uses 2 x frequency bands of 2.4GHz and 5GHz, and has MIMO standards. PCIe 2.1 interface. BT5.0 uses the UART/PCM interface.
Others: 1 x MaskROM key,1 x Recovery key, 1 x On/Off key. LED indicator.
Power: Type C power supply 5V @ 4A.
Software: Orangepi OS, Android 12, Debian 11, Ubuntu 22.04, and Ubuntu 20.04
Dimension: 62 mm x 100 mm
Weight: 52g

Variety of Applications: Orange Pi 5B Mini PC can be used in high-end tablets, edge computing, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, AR/VR, intelligent security, smart homes, and many others. It can be used in all AIoT industries. Orange Pi Single Board Computers can make a computer, a wireless server, games, music, sounds, HD video, a speaker, Android, and Scratch since Orange Pi is open source.

Purchase Information

Orange Pi 5B 16GB RAM Single Board Computer can be bought from Aliexpress for 149 USD and also can be bought from Amazon without customs clearance with a fee charged based on the user’s location.

Palm-sized SI-111-N Fanless 4K Digital Signage Player

Posted on 31 March, 20233 April, 2023 by mixos

IBASE Technology Inc., a leading global provider of industrial-grade digital signage players, is pleased to unveil the SI-111-N, a palm-sized fanless 4K digital signage player system based on the Intel® Atom® x6211E and Celeron® N6210 processors. Equipped with an HDMI 2.0b port that supports 3840 x 2160 @60Hz resolution, the industrial-grade system enables businesses to easily connect to a 4K display and create immersive visual experiences that attract attention and effectively promote their products or services.

IBASE values sustainable development and ESG practices. The SI-111-N incorporates various energy-saving features, including IBASE’s proprietary iSMART green technology that enables power on/off scheduling with power resume capabilities, and the Observer utility that remotely monitors system voltages and temperature to ensure the system is operating efficiently while minimizing energy consumption. The SI-111-N’s extensive I/O connectivity offers a rich array of expansion options, reliable data handling, and wireless operation, which includes 1x 2.5GbE LAN, 1x COM (RS-232) port, 1x M.2 M-Key (2280) and 1x M.2 E-Key (2230) sockets.

SI-111-N FEATURES:

Intel® Atom® x6000 / Pentium® / Celeron® Processors
iSMART intelligent energy-saving & Observer remote monitoring technologies
2x DDR4-3200 SO-DIMM, Dual channel
1x HDMI 2.0b
3x USB 3.1
1x 2.5GbE LAN port
1x COM (RS-232)
1x M.2 M-Key (2280) for storage
1x M.2 E-Key (2230) for WiFi, Bluetooth or capture card options
TPM 2.0 and watchdog timer
Industrial-grade robust, fanless and compact design

The SI-111-N is an excellent solution for businesses that require a compact, energy-efficient, and powerful digital signage player that can operate seamlessly with 4K displays. It measures 181 x 123 x 21.5mm and is available in two models, the SI-111-N and SI-111-N11E. Both models come with 8GB of DDR4-3200 SO-DIMM memory, 128GB M.2 storage, and a 60W power adaptor. The SI-111-N operates from -10°C to 50°C, while the SI-111-N11E can withstand a wider temperature range of -20°C to 70°C for harsh environments. The systems are compatible with Win10 IoT Enterprise (64-bit) and Linux Ubuntu (64-bit) OS.

BlueSCSI v2 Pic is a Compact Solution for Retro Computing Enthusiasts

Posted on 30 March, 202330 March, 2023 by Saumitra Jagdale

BlueSCSI v2 is back with a second version of their popular SCSI hard drive emulator. The BlueSCSI hardware can reproduce SCSI devices like hard drives, optical drives, SD cards, CD-ROMs, and many more. The product is targeted to provide a reliable and cost-effective solution for vintage computer enthusiasts who are looking to upgrade their old computers. The new version of BlueSCSI is based on raspberry pi pico’s RP2040 microcontroller.

The new BlueSCSI v2 is completely open source, with open hardware and open design. The SCSI2SD firmware is a popular open-source firmware that is used by many SCSI to SD Card adapters. It provides a SCSI interface that allows the adapter to emulate a SCSI device, such as a hard drive or CD-ROM. This allows vintage computers and gaming consoles to access the SD card as if it were a SCSI device. The BlueSCSI v2 adapter uses a modified version of the ZuluSCSI’s SCSI2SD firmware, which has been bifurcated from the original codebase. This means that the BlueSCSI v2 firmware is based on the original SCSI2SD code but has been modified to suit the specific needs of the BlueSCSI v2 adapter. The modified firmware is open-source, which means that it can be modified and improved upon by the community.

One of the benefits of using the Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller is its flexibility. The microcontroller features a large number of GPIO pins that can be used to interface with a variety of hardware devices, such as SD cards and SCSI interfaces. The Pico also features built-in support for SPI and I2C communication protocols, which are commonly used in SCSI to SD Card adapters.

In the first version of the BlueSCSI a blue pill microcontroller was used, which is now replaced by raspberry pi pico’s RP2040 microcontroller. This results in better performance in terms of processing power, data transfer speed, and future expandability of the device. For comparison, version one on a 10Mbit data bus could transfer 1.3MB/sec, but the new version can transfer 5.8MB/sec on a 5Mbit data bus. It can transfer up to 8.4MB/sec on a 10Mbit bus.

One of the new features of v2 is the SCSI toolbox, and this is an application interface with two major functions. First is that it allows moving files between the host computer and the root of the SD card. This makes file transfer from modern machines a hassle-free process. The second feature is that the new version allows SD hot swapping while powered and attached to the host computer. Some of the advanced features include better human-readable logs, USB serial logging, and onboard LEDs to show the status of the device.

The BlueSCSI v2 retails at the same price as version 1 but gives many new features. To learn more about the emulator, visit the product page.

PD with Current Monitor using STUSB4500 and ATtiny1604

Posted on 30 March, 2023 by Saumitra Jagdale

The Power Deliverer utilizes a USB-C power adapter as a power source for a range of fixed voltages. The device displays a list of voltages and current sources from the adapter, which the users can select. Once a voltage option is selected, the Power Deliverer continuously monitors the current usage and presents it on the device’s display. The Power Deliverer is based on STUSB4500, INA181, and ATtiny1604 microcontrollers. The output display used is a 128×32 OLED display which features excellent contrast and brightness.

The current monitor works by measuring the voltage drop across a current sensing resistor, and it is placed between the positive voltage output and the load. It is commonly known as a “high-side” current monitor. However, the positive rail can be as high as 20V. It becomes impractical to directly measure this using an analog input on the microcontroller. Therefore, to measure this voltage drop, two matched high-precision voltage dividers are required, or an alternative option would be to use an analog sensor like the INA181A2.

Working and Circuitry of Power Deliverer

When the user connects the Power Deliverer board to the USB-C charger, it displays a range of voltages and current options available. The device can offer a maximum of 20V at 5A. A green LED also lights up to show that the output is active. If the charger is not supported, the display shows “NO PD” as the output.

The STUSB4500 is a USB power delivery controller and is controlled via the I2C interface by an ATtiny1604 processor. The way the STUSB4500 works is that it allows you to define between one and three Sink PDOs, and it automatically selects the highest-voltage Source PDO available from the charger with the required current capability. Thus STUSB4500 works as a regulator which controls the power supply by allowing the required amount of power. The initial default PDOs are 5V 1.5A, 15V 1.5A, and 20V 1A.

The display used is a 128×32 monochrome OLED display based on the SSD1306 display controller. To fit five power profiles on a 32-bit pixel display, the 5×5 matrix form factor is used. The Power Deliverer is compatible with Apple’s 35W dual power adapter (A2676), Apple’s 96W power adapter (A2166), Apple’s 140W power adapter (A2452), a UGREEN 20W PD Fast Charger with PPS (CD137), and an AUKEY Omnia Mix 3 90W charger (PA-B6S).

For more information on the power deliverer, visit the project page.

Adafruit’s Metro M7 Features NXP iMX RT1011

Posted on 30 March, 2023 by Tope Oluyemi

After being teased nearly three years ago, Adafruit finally announced its Arduino Uno-layout Metro M7 development board, based on the NXP i.MX RT1011 “crossover microcontroller unit,” is heading to production. Adafruit first announced the design of the Metro M7 back in 2020, shortly after revealing the Metro ESP32-S2, which is based on Espressif‘s Wi-Fi-capable module of the same name. The Metro ESP32-S2 is now available to purchase for $19.95 before volume discounts, but the Metro M7 has taken longer to reach production.

About the Metro M7, Adafruit says

“We stayed in and worked on the Metro M7 featuring the i.MX RT1011 (the lil’ sister chip to the RT1062 that stars in the Teensy 4)’’. They continue ‘‘This chip is really fast, clocking at 500 MHz, and has 128k of RAM. For flash, it uses an external QSPI chip which we’ll share for filesystem use as well.”

Adafruit’s Metro M7 is a powerful device, featuring NXP’s i.MX RT1011, part of the company’s “crossover microcontroller unit” range. This chip has a single Arm Cortex-M7 core running at 500MHz and 128kB of SRAM, and is paired with an Espressif ESP32-WROOM-32 module as a Wi-Fi coprocessor, a concept Adafruit has dubbed “AirLift.”

On the board, there is 4MB of quad-SPI (QSPI) flash memory with execute-in-place (XIP) support, a USB Type-C port for data and power with a barrel jack for 6-12V DC power, a physical reset button plus boot-mode switches, a Serial Wire Debug (SWD) connector, power switch, and a STEMMA QT connector for external I2C hardware.

Adafruit has created a UF2 bootload for the Metro M7 board to make it easy to install the CircuitPython firmware, making it likely the fastest non-Linux-capable Arduino UNO-compatible board on the market. You don’t need any special DFU/firmware-updater software to use UF2, as it allows you to simply drag-and-drop UF2 files and has a nice LED/NeoPixel indicator. Any computer can be used to program a UF2-bootloader device, and once installed, you can access the UF2 bootloader by double-clicking the reset button. Anyone who has used an Arduino Uno in the past will find the spacing of the pin headers to be immediately familiar, and they should offer at least partial compatibility with Arduino Uno shield accessories.

The Metro M7 board is out of stock at the Adafruit store, where it is sold for $29.99.

If you want to be notified when the board is back in stock, you can leave your email on the Adafruit website. For more information about the Metro M7, visit Adafruit blog.

SparkFun LoRaSerial Kit Boosts The Range of Your Transmission

Posted on 30 March, 2023 by Tope Oluyemi

The SparkFun LoRaSerial Kit is a great way to transmit data over LoRa, providing you with a range far greater than that of WiFi or Bluetooth®. We’ve been able to successfully transmit data over a 9mi (15km) line-of-sight using two LoRaSerial radios with a larger 5.8dBi antenna on the transmitter and the stock 1/2 wave dipole antenna on the receiver. This kit is a pair of serial radio modems that simply passes serial back and forth between one another, allowing you to report data every few seconds even if it’s located beyond WiFi or Bluetooth® range.

The SparkFun Kit features a LoRa SX1276-based 915MHz unlicensed band radio with 902-928MHz configurable output, 256-bit AES GCM encryption, AT command set, built-in Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) technology, point-to-point and multipoint configurations, 3D printed enclosure (may darken over time), configurable air speeds from 400 bps (40 bytes per second) to 19200bps (1920 bytes per second), configurable standard serial data rates from 2400 to 115200bps, 4-LED RSSI indicator, 3.3 to 5V operation, USB-C connection available for industrial systems and single-board computers (SBCs like Raspberry Pi), 6-pin JST connector available for embedded systems (5V and 3.3V tolerant I/O) with flow control, small footprint, lightweight, easily mountable, and open source software and hardware with 1 Watt (30dBm) power output.

This LoRaSerial Kit is perfect for GNSS RTK and many other geospatial scenarios, as it supports both simple point-to-point communication and multipoint broadcasting, allowing one device to produce and disseminate data to multiple other devices. Pressing the train button on both radios with the LoRaSerial firmware will generate a new random network ID and AES encryption key to share, making pairing radios in the field as easy as a single button press. This innovative and straightforward training method ensures that bringing the radios near each other is both secure and simple.

SparkFun is currently offering radios in the LoRaSerial Kit that utilize 915MHz modems, which are allowed in most parts of the world. However, please check your local restrictions before purchasing, as the radios are fully configurable to restrict frequencies, channels, dwell time, power output, and a variety of other settings to make them compatible with your local regulations.

SparkFun states that LoRaSerial is designed to operate at the physical layer of LoRa, sending data directly to an endpoint, rather than on the data and network layers like LoRaWAN. Therefore, LoRaSerial is not intended to be used with LoRaWAN.

For more information about the LoRaSerial Kit and documentation, visit the product page.

BrainChip has brought second-generation Akida platform to the market

Posted on 30 March, 2023 by Abhishek Jadhav

BrainChip has unveiled the second generation of its Akida platform, designed for energy-efficient and intelligent edge devices for the rapidly growing demand for artificial intelligence in the IoT ecosystem. The new Akida platform features a neural processing system designed for embedded edge AI applications, featuring 8-bit processing and advanced capabilities such as time domain convolutions and vision transformer acceleration. This enables the device to deliver high performance in sub-watt devices, moving from perception to cognition.

The key highlight of the Akida is the Temporal Event-based Neural Nets (TENN) spatial-temporal convolutions that enable the processing of raw time-continuous streaming data such as video analytics, target tracking, and audio classification. At the same time, time series analytics is used in forecasting and predictive maintenance. These capabilities are important for application in industrial, automotive, digital health, smart home, and smart city industries.

Temporal Event-based Neural Nets are a type of neural network that can handle temporal data which changes over time. They process this data only when there is a change in the input stream, inspired by how the human brain processes sensory data. The spatial temporal convolutions are used to extract features from the input data relevant to the task. Combining these two allows the Akida platform to perform complex tasks with low power consumption.

“We see an increasing demand for real-time, on-device intelligence in AI applications powered by our MCUs and the need to make sensors smarter for industrial and IoT devices,” said Roger Wendelken, Senior Vice President in Renesas’ IoT and Infrastructure Business Unit. “We licensed Akida neural processors because of their unique neuromorphic approach to bring hyper-efficient acceleration for today’s mainstream AI models at the edge.

Another upgrade to the Akida platform is the addition of Vision Transformers (ViT) acceleration. This edge neural network has been used to process data in various computer vision tasks such as image classification, object detection, and semantic segmentation. This acceleration mechanism, when combined with Akida’s ability to process multiple layers simultaneously, allows it to self-manage the execution of complex networks like RESNET-50.

The device combines efficiency and performance to enable very differentiated solutions that include secure, small form factor devices like hearable and wearable devices and medical devices for monitoring the heart that consumes only microwatts of power. According to the press release, the platform will be publicly available in Q3 of 2023.

Hailo introduces Hailo-15 vision processor with exceptional AI capabilities

Posted on 30 March, 202330 March, 2023 by Abhishek Jadhav

Hailo has introduced the Hailo-15 series of advanced vision processors, which are specifically created to be incorporated into smart cameras. The Hailo-15 lineup raises the benchmark for computer vision and video processing using deep learning, offering exceptional AI capabilities for a range of applications in diverse industries.

Hailo has introduced a family of VPU (Vision Processing Unit) consisting of three models: Hailo-15H, Hailo-15M, and Hailo-15L. Each of these variants is designed to cater to different processing requirements and budgets of smart camera manufacturers and AI application providers. The Hailo-15 series can significantly improve the efficiency and accuracy of various industries such as smart cities, manufacturing, and retail, enabling them to detect incidents quickly, increase productivity, reduce downtime, and enhance customer satisfaction.

“Hailo-15 represents a significant step forward in making AI at the edge more scalable and affordable,” stated Orr Danon, CEO of Hailo. “With this launch, we are leveraging our leadership in edge solutions, which are already deployed by hundreds of customers worldwide; the maturity of our AI technology; and our comprehensive software suite, to enable high performance AI in a camera form-factor.”

The Hailo-15 AI vision processor enables the Hailo-15 camera development kit to offer exceptional AI analytics and superior image quality. This development kit provides all the necessary components for creating and testing a camera prototype that meets the increasing demand for advanced video processing and analytics at the edge of the network. Hailo is responding to this trend by incorporating cutting-edge AI capabilities directly into the camera.

Previously, the company had launched a Hailo-8 processor for edge AI, which had the capacity to perform up to 26 tera-operations per second (TOPS), surpassing all other edge processors by a significant margin. The Hailo-8 neural chip utilizes neural network core properties, enabling edge devices to run deep learning applications more efficiently, effectively, and sustainably than other AI chips and solutions. Additionally, the Hailo-8 chip reduces costs considerably.

BeaglePlay is an open-source hardware platform with TI AM625 processor

Posted on 30 March, 202330 March, 2023 by Abhishek Jadhav

The BeagleBoard Foundation has released BeaglePlay, an open-source performance platform that provides a flexible solution for users with varying levels of experience. With its wide range of connectivity options, BeaglePlay allows users to connect with numerous sensor and prototyping systems, making it an incredibly versatile tool for developers.

BeaglePlay utilizes an open-source Linux approach based on the Texas Instruments AM625 processor that features four 64-bit Arm Cortex-A53 processor cores and low-latency microcontroller subsystems. The processor also includes a dedicated Texas Instruments SimpleLink CC1352P7 sub-1 GHz and 2.4-GHz wireless microcontroller and a Texas Instruments WiLink WL1807MOD Wi-Fi module.

BeaglePlay comes with a tailored Debian Linux image from the BeagleBoard Foundation that includes a pre-installed desktop and features such as a Wi-Fi access point and BeagleConnect gateway functionality allowing rapid and flexible development options. Additionally, the software supports several application libraries and examples from Linux, Zephyr, MicroPython, and other open-source frameworks, making it effortless for users to incorporate various features into their projects.

Specifications of BeaglePlay hardware device

Processor: Texas Instruments AM62x Sitara processor series– TI AM6254 multicore A53 with R5, M4s and PRUs
Integrated power management: TPS6521901
Memory: 2GB DDR4 memory
Storage: 16GB eMMC and microSD card slot
Wireless connectivity: WL1807MOD module for 2.4GHz and 5GHz dual-band Wi-Fi and CC1352P7 for Bluetooth Low Energy
Ethernet: Realtek RTL8211F-VD-CG gigabit Ethernet phy
Interfaces: USB Type-C, HDMI port, mikroBUS connector, Grove, QWIIC, CSI connector, and an OLDI connector

Furthermore, BeagleConnect technology allows users to connect to remote sensors up to a distance of 1km away, using the sub-1GHz IEEE 802.15.4 wireless network to a BeagleConnect Freedom, which is particularly beneficial for remote sensing applications. This feature significantly enhances the flexibility of the BeaglePlay platform.

The Texas Instruments AM625 application processors are intended for developing Linux applications and are equipped with embedded features such as 3D graphics acceleration and dual-display support. These processors are available in two sizes: an industrial-grade 13×13 mm package (ALW) and a 17.2×17.2 mm package (AMC), which meets the AEC-Q100 automotive standard.

The processors have integrated Cortex-M4F cores and specialized peripherals, which can be separated from the rest of the AM62x processor to meet functional safety requirements for industrial and automotive applications. The board is currently listed on Element 14 for $108.90.