Devices and Open Hardware (Lots of Linux, BSD, Arduino) (UPDATED)

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Jan 17, 2023,
updated Jan 18, 2023

• itel Linux Smart TVs Launched at Starting Price of INR 8999 • TechVorm

  itel has launched today the L series of Linux Smart Televisions – L3265 and L4365 models. The L series televisions are available in two sizes, 32 inches (L3265) in HD ready and 43 inches (L4365) in Full HD. These TVs are powered by the Coolita operating system and have a memory of 512MB+4GB. The L3265 television is equipped with a 1.5 GHz Quad Core processor, while the L4365 comes with a 1.8 GHz Quad Core processor.

• FreeNAS Vs UnRAID: Which NAS System is Right for You?

  As you generate and store more data in your digital systems, the need for seamless access to that data across multiple locations becomes increasingly important. This is where Network Attached Storage (NAS) comes in.

• Analogg Launches the Ultimate Wireless QMK/VIA Mechanical Keyboard [Ed: Linux support noted]

• SAIC Galaxy 1100: a pre-CDE VUE of the PA-RISC with a security clearance

  Even though I'm a Power ISA bigot through and through (typed on ppc64le!), to this day I still have an enduring sweet spot for Hewlett-Packard's PA-RISC "Precision Architecture" because it was my first job out of college. It doesn't hurt that it was one of the saner RISCs, with a fairly clean instruction set except for its odd deficiency with atomics, and was quite a piledriver in its day due to its cache arrangement and early adoption of SIMD. We ran HP-UX 10.20 on a big K250 where I developed database applications on Informix, later upgrading it to an L-class something or other (I think an L2000). When I was still consulting for the university one of my tasks was even setting up a Visualize C3750 workstation, which was a stupid fast machine at the time and I'm sure served very well for them doing protein visualization. Heck, if Commodore had stuck around longer, we might really have had a PA-RISC Amiga instead of the modern third-party PowerPC systems. (I've got some other wacky PA-RISC machines around here I might introduce you to later.)

• Lean, Green, Raspberry Pi Handheld Machine

  The screen is from Pimoroni, the HyperPixel 4.0 Square. This 4 inch square of IPS goodness packs a 720 x 720 resolution and a full 60fps. Oh and its also a touch screen! Under the screen is a removable Blackberry keyboard. To be specific it is a BBQ20KBD from Solder Party, aka Arturo182. The keyboard connects to the Pi via a USB-C interface using a USB breakout board. The keyboard also features a Stemma QT connector, in case you fancy adding sensors or additional components. If gaming is more your thing, then pdrift is working on a gamepad that takes the place of the keyboard.

• It’s Not Easy Counting Transistors In The 8086 Processor

  For any given processor it’s generally easy to find a statistic on the number of transistors used to construct it, with the famous Intel 8086 CPU generally said to contain 29,000 transistors. This is where [Ken Shirriff] ran into an issue when he sat down one day and started counting individual transistors in die shots of this processor. To his dismay, he came to a total of 19,618, meaning that 9,382 transistors are somehow unaccounted for. What is going on here?

• ZSWatch: This OSHW Smart Watch Is As DIY As It Gets

  We say it often, but it’s worth repeating: this is the Golden Age of making and hacking. Between powerful free and open source software, low-cost PCB production, and high resolution 3D printers that can fit on your desk, a dedicated individual has everything they need to make their dream gadget a reality. If you ever needed a reminder of this fact, just take a look at the�ZSWatch.

• Making a Stylophone Business Card

  In case you aren’t aware, the Stylophone was a stylus-controlled analog synth from the late 1960s. Originally intended as a children’s toy, it was adopted by musicians of the time like David Bowie, John Lennon, Pink Floyd, and Kraftwerk.

  The Stylophone was discontinued in the mid-70s, but a revised version was released in 2007 and it remains on the market today.

• ultraArm P340 Arduino-based robotic arm draws, engraves, and grabs - CNX Software

  Elephant Robotics ultraArm P340 is a robot arm with an Arduino-compatible ATMega2560 control board with a 340mm working radius whose arm can be attached with different accessories for drawing, laser engraving, and grabbing objects.

  We’ve previously written and reviewed the myCobot 280 Pi robotic arm with a built-in Raspberry Pi 4 SBC, but the lower-cost ultraArm P340 works a little differently since it only contains the electronics for controlling the servos and attachments, and needs to be connected to a host computer running Windows or a Raspberry Pi over USB.

• Dev Kit based on Renesas RZ/G2 SOM supports WiFi5, LTE, GPS and BLE

  A few days ago, Beacon EmbeddedWorks presented a Dev-Kit and a System-on-Module (SoM) integrating the RZ/G2 Arm-Cortex multicore processors from Renesas. These embedded devices are equipped with a 3D Graphic Engine, a VPU Decoder/Encoder, up to 64GB of eMMC storage and many other peripherals.

• 10ZiG Rang in New Year with 16.4 Linux Firmware Release Completing NOS™, PeakOS™, RepurpOS™ & Win IoT 64-bit Migration

• 10ZiG Rang in The New Year with 16.4 Linux Firmware Release, Completing NOS™ (Zero), PeakOS™, RepurpOS™, and Windows IoT 64-bit Endpoint Migration

  Just coming off the heels of another very exciting year, including the debut of a mobile Thin Client laptop, a stronger, more powerful All-in-One with webcam, as well as ongoing upgrades to management and repurposing software – 10ZiG has yet more good news to share, celebrating its recent release of 64-bit 16.4 Firmware for PeakOS™ (Linux)-based Endpoints. The 16.4 Firmware release for PeakOS™ and RepurpOS™ completes 10ZiG’s 64-bit software updates for all operating systems including NOS™ (Zero)-based and Windows IoT-based endpoints, across the full line of 10ZiG Thin & Zero Client hardware.

• FindBoard is another single board computer database - CNX Software

  Hackerboards.com single board computer database has been around for several years starting as Board-DB, but I noticed another one called FindBoard while browsing on Aliexpress with some more exotic boards.

  Hackerboards’ database currently features 467 SBCs and MCU boards, while FindBoard has 453 boards. There are some overlaps, but also boards that are not found in the first database.

  Many of the boards on FindBoard are Linux-capable, but they are also some microcontroller boards as we can see from the screenshot above. If Chinese is selected, the “Buy now” will redirect you to Taobao, and if it is English they will be a link to an Aliexpress page.

UPDATE

Another one about the TV:

• LG India starts local manufacturing of Side by Side Refrigerators, Itel launches new Linux Smart TVs

  Itel has launched its new L-series smart TVs in India in two sizes. Meanwhile, LG India has inaugurated a new local manufacturing facility.

• iTel Introduces New Linux-Based Smart TVs in India | Beebom

  iTel has introduced two new smart TVs under its L series in India. The new iTel L4365 and the iTel L3265 are Linux-based and come with Dolby Audio support among other things. Have a look at the price, features, and more details.