EDATEC has released two fanless cases for the Raspberry Pi 5 single-board computer (SBC), filling the gap for official fanless cases for this latest SBC. The two cases, ED-Pi5Case-B and ED-Pi5Case-O, offer different designs and cooling solutions.

Both cases are made of aluminum and are available in either silver or black. They provide easy access to all ports and interfaces of the Raspberry Pi 5, including the GPIO header, MIPI connectors, PCIe FPC connector, and PoE header. However, the closed enclosure blocks the battery and UART connectors, while both cases block the fan connector.

EDATEC claims that the ED-Pi5Case-B can reduce the temperature by 20 to 25°C, while the lighter ED-Pi5Case-O can reduce it by up to 15°C. Both cases come with three thermal pads to cover the Broadcom BCM2712 CPU, the wireless module, and the PMIC. They also add thermal conductive silicon on the bottom of the board.

The ED-Pi5Case-B features a low-profile, closed design with a small black plastic window on the top right for wireless connectivity. EDATEC states that this case benefits from strong WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, enhanced by the semi-transparent wireless window. On the other hand, the ED-Pi5Case-O is an open case with two heatsinks placed on the top and bottom of the Raspberry Pi 5.

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.

BeagleV-Fire is a new single board computer powered by Microchip PolarFire MPFS025T penta-core RISC-V SoC FPGA. It follows the BeagleBone Black form factor for compatibility with BeagleBone capes expansion boards. The BeagleV-Fire features a Microchip PolarFire MPFS250T FCVG484E SoC FPGA with a penta-core RISC-V CPU, 2GB LPDDR4 system memory, and various storage options including 16GB eMMC and a MicroSD card socket. It also includes a MIPI CSI camera connector, Gigabit Ethernet port, USB 2.0 Type-C port, and multiple expansion options such as M.2 E-Key socket and BeagleBone Cape add-on headers. The board supports Ubuntu and comes with preinstalled Linux for easy setup. The BeagleV-Fire is available for $149 and can be purchased from various distributors. More information can be found on the official product page.

Source: CNX Software – Embedded Systems News.

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.

Radxa has introduced the Radxa Zero 3W single-board computer (SBC), which features a 1.6 GHz Rockchip RK3566 processor and up to 8GB of RAM. The board is designed in the compact Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W form factor, making it one of the most powerful Arm Linux SBCs in this size.

The Radxa Zero 3W comes with various features, including an optional eMMC flash with up to 64GB capacity, a microSD card slot, a micro HDMI port, two USB Type-C ports, WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 wireless connectivity, a MIPI CSI camera connector, and a 40-pin Raspberry Pi GPIO header.

Here are the specifications of the Radxa Zero 3W:

• SoC: Rockchip RK3566 with a quad-core Arm Cortex-A55 processor clocked at 1.6 GHz, Arm Mali G52-2EE GPU, 0.8 TOPS AI accelerator, and 4Kp60 video decoding capabilities
• System Memory: 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB LPDDR4
• Storage: Optional 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB eMMC 5.1 flash, and a microSD card slot
• Video Output: Micro HDMI port up to 1080p60
• Camera: MIPI CSI connector compatible with Raspberry Pi Camera V1.3 and Raspberry Pi Camera V2
• Wireless: WiFi 4 (802.11 b/g/n) and Bluetooth 5.0
• USB: 1x USB 3.0 Type-C host port and 1x USB 2.0 Type-C OTG port
• Expansion: 40-pin GPIO header with multiple interfaces
• Power Supply: 5V/1A (minimum) via USB-C OTG port
• Dimensions: 65 x 30mm

Radxa provides Debian and Ubuntu OS images, as well as a hardware access/control library for Linux. To get started, users will need a 5V power supply, a microSD card, and necessary peripherals like an HDMI monitor or TV, USB keyboard and mouse, and potentially a USB to serial debug board and a MIPI CSI camera.

Despite having a similar form factor to the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, the Radxa Zero 3W has some connector differences, such as micro HDMI instead of mini HDMI, and a different placement of the MIPI CSI connector and microSD card slot.

Performance-wise, the Radxa Zero 3W with the Rockchip RK3566 processor has been found to be significantly faster than the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W in benchmarks. The RK3566 processor has been in the market for several years, and benchmark results are available.

The Radxa Zero 3W is listed on AllNet China, starting at $15 for the model with 1GB RAM and no eMMC flash or GPIO headers. The price goes up to $66 for the variant with 8GB RAM, 64GB eMMC flash, and female GPIO headers soldered to the board. However, all variants are currently sold out, and it is unclear when there will be stock available.

In addition to the Radxa Zero 3W, Radxa is also working on a wider Zero 2 Pro board with a 2.2 GHz Amlogic A311D processor, which will offer even more performance and require a proper cooling solution with a heatsink and a small fan.

Source: CNX Software – Embedded Systems News.

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.