Hardware, Arm64, Banana Pi, and Various GNU/Linux Devices

posted by Roy Schestowitz on May 04, 2026

• Emmanuel Kasper: Arm64 GNU/Linux Desktop: one year after, all systems up

  So I am using Debian on a System76 Arm64 (aarch64) workstation since 9 months, and I can say: everything works. It should be noted that I use very few proprietary software, so I rely mostly on Debian packages for what I am doing. What I can say is basically all open source software which exists today, takes care to build on aarch64 or is available as a binary, either in the Debian archive, in a Flatpak or Snap, or in a Microsoft's proprietary prison Microsoft's proprietary prison GitHub Artefact. From 3D games, to Kubernetes tooling, practically everything open source is compiled for aarch64 GNU/Linux as well. Same thing for server software, every container image built is also proposing an aarch64 binary today.

• CNX Software ☛ Boardcon PICOT536 SoM and EMT536 SBC feature Allwinner T536 Edge Hey Hi (AI) processor

  Back in April last year, Allwinner released the T536 SoC, and since then, we’ve seen MYiR Tech and Forlinx introduce SoM and SBC based on it. The latest to join the lineup is Boardcon, which has recently launched the PICOT536 SoM and EMT536 SBC for industrial HMI, machine vision, robotics, and other edge computing applications. As a reminder, the Allwinner T536 SoC features a quad-core Arm Cortex-A55 CPU, XuanTie E907 and E902 RISC-V coprocessors, and a 2 TOPS NPU for edge AI.

• CNX Software ☛ Banana Pi BPI-OM7 Hey Hi (AI) 3D camera pairs BPI-M7 RK3588 SBC with ORBBEC Gemini 2 depth camera

  Banana Pi BPI-OM7 is an Hey Hi (AI) 3D depth camera that combines Banana Pi BPI-M7 low-profile Rockchip RK3588 SBC with an ORBBEC Gemini 2 depth camera, targeting applications in 3D vision, robotics, edge AI, and spatial perception. The solution ships with 8GB of RAM and a 64GB eMMC flash by default, offers HDMI and USB-C video outputs, dual 2.5GbE networking, and a few USB ports.

• Ruben Schade ☛ Installing the 250466 in my “Aldi” Commodore 64

  We’re onto the third instalment of my Commodore 250466 series. In the first post I explained how and why I bought the last C64 longboard, and in the second I explored the board in more detail and confirmed it worked!

  Today, it’s time to install this beautiful piece of mid-1980s 8-bit computing into my empty breadbin: [...]

• Linux Gizmos ☛ Adiuvo Explorer Board aims to bring Artix UltraScale+ FPGA to $99 platform

  Adiuvo is developing the Explorer Board, a compact FPGA platform built around the Artix UltraScale+ AU7P, targeting embedded, signal processing, and high-speed I/O applications. The design aims to provide access to UltraScale+ capabilities at a lower price point.

• Linux Gizmos ☛ Argon Industria PoE+ HATs add 25W Ethernet power and optional NVMe to Raspberry Pi 5

  Argon40 has introduced two Industria PoE+ HATs for the Raspberry Pi 5, providing power and data through a single Ethernet cable using the IEEE 802.3af/at PoE+ standard. Both boards deliver up to 25W output, supplying 5V/5A for full operation.

• Linux Gizmos ☛ MSI MS-CF27 3.5-inch SBC with Alder Lake-N, quad GbE, and triple display

  Following earlier platforms such as the MS-CF16 V3.0 and MS-CF19, MSI has introduced a new 3.5-inch SBC based on Intel Alder Lake-N, Twin Lake-N, and Amston Lake processors, continuing its focus on fanless, low-power, wide-voltage embedded systems with expanded connectivity and I/O.

• Linux Gizmos ☛ Cardputer Mesh Kit features ESP32-S3 handheld with LoRa and GNSS support

  The Cardputer Mesh Kit is a portable communication platform that combines an ESP32-S3-based handheld controller with LoRa mesh networking and GNSS positioning. The kit is built around the Cardputer-Adv core unit and the Cap LoRa-1262 expansion module, and comes preloaded with Meshtastic firmware for out-of-the-box operation.