Hardkernel has released the ODROID-M1S, a smaller and more cost-effective single-board computer (SBC) compared to the previously launched ODROID-M1. Designed to commemorate Hardkernel’s 15th anniversary, the ODROID-M1S is priced at $49 and up and features the Rockchip RK3566 system-on-a-chip (SoC).

The ODROID-M1S SBC comes with the Rockchip RK3566 SoC, which is similar to the RK3568 but with fewer peripheral interfaces. The board offers 4GB or 8GB LPDDR4 memory, a 64GB eMMC flash soldered onto the board, HDMI 2.0 and MIPI DSI video interfaces, gigabit Ethernet, a few USB ports, and two GPIO headers. However, compared to the ODROID-M1, the ODROID-M1S does have some feature losses, such as a lower-speed memory, PCIe 2.1 support, the removal of the SPI flash and SATA port, and the MIPI CSI camera connector. The power supply has also been changed from a 12V DC jack to a 5V USB-C port.

Here are the specifications of the ODROID-M1S with the differences from the ODROID-M1 highlighted:

• SoC – Rockchip RK3566 quad-core Cortex-A55 processor @ up to 1.8 GHz with Arm Mali-G52 MP2 GPU @ 800 MHz and 0.8 TOPS AI accelerator
• System Memory – 4GB or 8GB LPDDR4 RAM at 2112 MT/s or up to 1,055 MHz
• Storage
  • 64GB eMMC flash (soldered on PCB) benchmarked at up to 180MB/s with fio
  • MicroSD card slot (UHS-I SDR104, boot priority higher than eMMC flash)
  • M.2 NVMe M-Key 2280 socket (2-lane PCIe 2.1) benchmarked at up to 400MB/s with fio
• Video Output
  • 1x HDMI 2.0 port up to 4Kp60 with HDR and EDID
  • 4-lane MIPI DSI connector (30-pin, while ODROID M1 has a 31-pin connector)
• Audio – 3.5mm headphone jack, mono speaker output (1.3W at 8Ω load)
• Networking – Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port via Realtek RTL8211F Ethernet transceiver
• USB
  • 1x USB 3.0 port
  • 1x USB 2.0 port
  • 1x Micro USB 2.0 OTG port
• Expansion – 40-pin GPIO header + 14-pin GPIO header (both headers optional)

Source: CNX Software – Embedded Systems News.

Firefly has released the ROC-RK3588-RT, a single-board computer (SBC) powered by the Rockchip RK3588(J) processor. The SBC is designed for networking applications such as routers and firewalls, and it comes with one 2.5GbE port and two gigabit Ethernet ports. It is available in both commercial and industrial temperature grades.

The Firefly ROC-RK3588-RT is not limited to networking applications, as it also features three video output interfaces (2x HDMI and USB-C DisplayPort), M.2 sockets for a SATA or NVMe SSD, a WiFi 6/Bluetooth 5.2 module, a 6 TOPS NPU embedded in the Rockchip processor, and a non-standard expansion connector with PCIe Gen 3 and other interfaces.

The specifications of the Firefly ROC-RK3588-RT include:

• SoC: Rockchip RK3588 or Rockchip RK3588J
• System Memory: 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB LPDDR4/LPDDR4x/LPDDR5
• Storage: 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB eMMC flash, M.2 SATA/PCIe 2242 NVMe SSD, MicroSD card slot
• Video Output: HDMI 2.1 up to 8Kp60, HDMI 2.0 up to 4Kp60, USB-C port for DisplayPort 1.4 up to 8Kp30
• Networking: 2.5GbE RJ45 ports, 2x gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports, optional WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 via M.2 E-Key 2230 socket
• USB: 1x USB 3.0 port, 1x USB 2.0 port, 1x USB-C 3.0 OTG port with DisplayPort Alt mode
• Expansion: M.2 SATA/PCIe 2242 socket for SSD, M.2 E-Key 2230 socket for WiFi and Bluetooth module, 60-pin “BTB” connector with PCIe Gen 3, UART, USB, CAN bus, SARADC, GPIOs
• Power Supply: 12V DC via 5.5/2.1mm power barrel jack
• Dimensions: 108.48 x 74.98mm
• Temperature Range: Commercial (-20°C to +60°C), Industrial (-40°C to 85°C)
• Humidity: 10% to 90% RH non-condensing

Source: CNX Software – Embedded Systems News.

The Geniatech XPI-3566-Zero is a new Raspberry Pi Zero clone that offers improved specifications and features. While most Raspberry Pi clones mimic the larger Raspberry Pi Model B, the XPI-3566-Zero takes inspiration from the smaller Raspberry Pi Zero.

The Geniatech XPI-3566-Zero has a similar form factor to the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, measuring 65 x 30mm. However, it boasts a faster processor, enhanced wireless connectivity, built-in eMMC storage, and support for more RAM.

In terms of processing power, the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W is equipped with a 1 GHz Broadcom BCM2710A1 quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 processor with VideoCore IV graphics. In contrast, the XPI-3566-Zero features a more powerful 1.8 GHz ARM Cortex-A55 processor and Mali-G52 2EE graphics. The chip also includes a neural processing unit with up to 1 TOPS of AI performance.

Like the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, the Geniatech XPI-3566-Zero includes a mini HDMI port for video output, a MIPI-CSI camera connector, and a 40-pin GPIO header. However, it deviates from the Raspberry Pi design with two USB-C ports instead of micro USB ports.

The XPI-3566-Zero supports WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0, offering improved wireless connectivity compared to the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W’s WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 4.2. The entry-level model of the Geniatech board comes with 512MB of LPDDR4 memory and 8GB of eMMC flash storage, but it can be configured with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

One notable difference is that the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W has a microSD card reader, which the Geniatech XPI-3566-Zero lacks.

Overall, the Geniatech XPI-3566-Zero offers an attractive alternative to the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, with a more powerful processor, improved wireless capabilities, and expanded memory and storage options.

Source: Liliputing.

Libre Computer has announced their latest single-board computer called the AML-A311D-CC Alta. This board is powered by an Amlogic A311D hexa-core processor, which includes an integrated neural processing unit (NPU) for hardware-accelerated AI tasks. The AML-A311D-CC Alta also features Raspberry Pi-compatible connectors, including a 40-pin GPIO header, and 22-pin MIPI-DSI and MIPI-CSI display and camera connectors.

The heart of this single-board PC is the Amlogic A311D processor, which consists of 4 ARM Cortex-A72 cores clocked at up to 2.2 GHz, and 2 Cortex-A53 cores clocked at up to 1.8 GHz. The GPU is a Mali-G52 quad-core, and the NPU offers 5 TOPS (tera operations per second) of AI performance.

In terms of memory and storage, the board features LPDDR4X memory, 16MB of SPI NOR Flash storage, an eMMC 5 connector for optional onboard storage, and a microSD card reader for removable storage.

The AML-A311D-CC Alta also offers a range of ports, including 4 USB 3.0 Type-A ports, 1 USB Type-C port, 1 HDMI 2.1 port, 1 3.5mm audio jack, and 1 Gigabit Ethernet port. The USB Type-C port can be used for power and data, and the board also supports Power Over Ethernet (PoE). Additionally, there is an IR receiver for using a remote control with the board.

Libre Computer claims that the performance of the AML-A311D-CC Alta should be similar to their ROC-RK3328-CC Renegade system, which is powered by a Rockchip RK33288 processor. However, the AML-A311D-CC Alta offers additional features such as more USB 3.0 ports and an integrated NPU.

Source: Liliputing.

CanMV-K230 is a credit card-sized development board for AI and computer vision applications based on the Kendryte K230 dual-core C908 64-bit RISC-V processor with built-in KPU (Knowledge Process Unit) and various interfaces such as MIPI CSI inputs and Ethernet.

The CanMV-K230 development board features the following specifications:

• SoC – Kendryte K230
  • CPU
    • 64-bit RISC-V processor @ 1.6GHz with RISC-V Vector Extension 1.0, FPU
    • 64-bit RISC-V processor @ 800MHz with support for RV64GCB instruction set
  • AI accelerator
    • KPU with support for INT8 and INT16
    • Compatible with TVM, TensorFlow, Pytorch, ONNX
    • Typical network performance: Resnet 50 ≥ 85fps @ INT8; Mobilenet_v2 ≥ 670fps @ INT8; YoloV5S ≥ 38fps @INT8;
  • “DPU” using 3D structured light depth calculation up to 1280x800 @ 30fps
  • VPU – Video encoding/decoding for H.264/H.265/JPEG/MJPEG up to 4Kp40/4Kp20
• System Memory: 512MB LPDDR3
• Storage – QSPI flash, microSD card slot
• Display – HDMI port, MIPI DSI connector up to 1080p60
• Audio – 3.5mm audio jack
• Camera – Up to 5MP camera, up to 3-ch MIPI CSI inputs
• Networking
  • 10/100Mbps Ethernet RJ45 port
  • WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 4.0 via AP6212 wireless module
• USB – 1x USB 2.0 OTG Type-C port port
• Expansion – 40-pin GPIO header with up to 29x GPIOs, 5x PWM, 4x I2C, 2x UART
• Misc – Buttons, RGB LED
• Power Supply – 5V via USB-C port
• Dimension – 85 x 56 mm

The Kendryte K230 processor offers higher efficiency compared to the K510 and K210 SoCs, with Mobilenet V1, Resnet 50, and YoloV5S achieving up to 341 FPS/TOPS. While the documentation for the CanMV-K230 development board is mostly available in Chinese at this time, there are over 30 AI demos available for users to experiment with. Overall, the CanMV-K230 development board provides a compact solution for AI and computer vision applications, with the Kendryte K230 processor delivering improved performance and efficiency.

Source: CNX Software – Embedded Systems News.

Three weeks ago, Raspberry Pi unveiled their latest flagship product, the Raspberry Pi 5. Since then, they have provided insights into the architecture, I/O controller, software stack, image signal processor, and official accessories of the new device.

Behind the scenes, Raspberry Pi has been working with Sony UK Technology Centre in Wales to ramp up manufacturing and production test processes. The good news is that the first mass-production units will begin shipping to customers this week. The priority for shipping will be given to subscribers of The MagPi and HackSpace magazines who took advantage of the Priority Boarding promotion.

By the end of next week, all existing Priority Boarding orders will have shipped, and all approved resellers in countries with signed compliance paperwork will have received initial stock of both the 4GB and 8GB variants. This means that pre-order customers can expect to start receiving their parcels soon. Raspberry Pi aims to increase their production rate to fulfill all backorders and have the device in stock at all approved resellers by the end of the year.

Early users have already shown excitement for the Raspberry Pi 5, and the company looks forward to seeing what people will do with the device. They encourage users to share their tinkering experiences with the new Raspberry Pi 5.