Monthly Archives: July 2015

Embedded Linux on Raspberry Pi

Developers usually have two common models of development for Embedded Linux. One of them is the cross-platform development, where the aim is to develop programs that will eventually run on platforms different from the one being used by the developer. The other is self-hosted development to generate programs to run on similar platforms as the one being used for the development. The tiny single board computer, the RBPi or Raspberry Pi, lends itself beautifully to self-hosted developments when used as a target system. Although self-hosted developments are preferably done on fast machines running Virtual Mode installations, the major difference in using the RBPi as a target system is the challenge of its limited memory and a relatively slow processor.

The RBPi is an inexpensive and complete single board computer that runs on a 700MHz Broadcom ARM processor. Sporting 512MB of RAM, the SBC displays over high definition video output, supported by a GPU. You can connect a keyboard and a mouse to the on-board USB connectors and use the SD memory card for the OS and file system. Along with an Ethernet port, the SBC has significant expansion ability.

There are several other similar single board computers in the market with some of them being better suited for specific applications. However, the RBPi was specifically designed for educational use, which makes it eminently suitable to the specific purpose of self-hosted development. If your development is targeted at commercial applications, you may look at other SBCs tailored to the specific rigorous environment required by your application.

With a tremendous support base, the RBPi has its own dedicated website, how-to guides, online blogs, magazines and even videos. Follow the Quick Start Guide on the RBPi website and its recommendations of using the NOOBs SD card to install the Raspbian distribution.

The NOOBs SD card displays all the distributions available on it when the RBPi boots up from the SD card. Select the Raspbian and be prepared for the installation since it takes a while. Select only the locale where you live, as that cuts the installation time. After the installation, you can log in with the username as “pi” and the password as “raspberry.” RBPi needs some configuration to allow it to operate without confusion.

The primary configuration required may be that for the keyboard, since RBPi may not be displaying the symbols for the keyboard connected to it. You can use the nano editor to edit the file ‘keyboard’ at /etc/default and change to the proper country code suitable for the keyboard.

The next configuration parameter required may be for the Ethernet port, which by default, is assigned an IP address using DHCP. If your DHCP server is configured to assign the RBPi a different address at each restart of the RBPi, you must change its properties to serve the same IP address to the RBPi each time it submits a request. To do that, follow the tutorial here.

Once you log in to the RBPi, you will see that the distribution is nearly complete, with most of the development tools already installed. Although normally booting up into the command line mode, you can enter the GUI with a “startx” command. For instructions for the development work, follow this.

Flexible Aluminum Battery for Smartphones

Would you be interested in a battery that takes only a second to charge up and is flexible enough to wrap around your smartphone? While manufacturers would be more interested in the flexibility feature, most users will welcome the quick charging time. At Stanford University, researchers claim to have developed such a battery from cheap, plentiful materials. It is flexible and charges up very fast as well.

The new aluminum battery has a foil anode made of flexible aluminum, a cathode of graphite foam and an electrolyte of liquid salt. Researchers at the Stanford University say they discovered this aluminum and graphite battery quite by accident, but have worked on their discovery to improve its performance, especially the graphite cathode part.

Compared to a lithium-ion battery, the aluminum battery with its porous graphite cathode offers only one-third the capacity at a terminal voltage of 2.5V. Therefore, two aluminum batteries must be used in series to power most devices requiring 5V. However, the aluminum battery has a property that gives it an edge over its lithium-ion rival – a very high Coulombic efficiency of above 95%. Researchers are currently engaged in optimizing the capacity and other desirable qualities to match or surpass those of lithium-ion batteries.

The aluminum battery uses a liquid electrolyte, making it cheap and nonflammable. This is an ionic liquid made by mixing two solid precursors – EMIC and AlCl3, where EMIC stands for 1-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium chloride and AlCl3 is aluminum chloride. While both compounds are individually solid, mixing them significantly lowers the melting point of the mixture so that it remains a liquid at room temperatures. The liquid electrolyte and the porous graphite electrode contribute to the super-fast recharging time, and the amount of current the aluminum battery can deliver.

The porous graphite foam cathode presents a large surface area, which is the governing factor for accessing the electrolyte. While charging, the large surface area presents a low energy barrier to the process of intercalation. The team expects the flexibility of the battery will be useful to manufacturers making flexible smartphones in the future.

The main attraction of the aluminum battery as compared to the lithium-ion batteries currently available is its capability of fast recharge. In fact, even the prototype reached 7.5 times the rate of charging of a commercial lithium-ion battery. Typically, lithium-ion batteries loose significant capacity after they have reached about 1000 recharge cycles. In comparison, an aluminum battery is capable of withstanding more than 7500 charges without any loss of capacity.

That makes the aluminum battery suitable for large installations such as storing solar energy during the day for release at night on the grid. These batteries are a perfect replacement for the lithium-ion batteries that occasionally burst into flames and for alkaline batteries that are bad for the environment. According to the researchers, even if someone were to drill through an aluminum battery, it will not catch fire.

At present, the only drawback is the terminal voltage. However, the researchers are optimistic that with a better cathode material, the aluminum battery can be made into a more powerful commercial battery.

Pico USB Scope for the Raspberry Pi

According to Pico Technology, the beta release of its drivers for the PicoScope oscilloscopes, useful for running on ARM-based single board computers, is available. That includes development systems such as the BeagleBone Black and the ever-popular Raspberry Pi, also known as the RBPi. For the RBPi, the drivers are a specialized armhf build under the control of its Raspbian OS. Pico Technology is offering this Beta release with some caveats.

Although the developers claim to have taken care of ensuring implementation of almost all the driver features, they may not work in all cases. The developers mention that the recommended systems requirement for the drivers specifies resources that most embedded systems will not be able to fulfill entirely. That means when the system is busy, the driver may not have enough resources for processing the data, which may result in the device being dropped or the application to hang. They also expect power surges, fuse blowing and port damage and to guard against this, they suggest powering the system through a separate USB hub.

All this makes it sound like the drivers are more suitable for advanced do-it-yourself people. It also suggests that the drivers are useful for working on other platforms, but Pico may not yet be in a position to offer support for these implementations. At present Pico is focusing their support for only two platforms – the RBPi and the BeagleBone Black.

The Pico USB Scope has advanced display software that assigns almost all the display area to the waveform. Therefore, the user is able to see the maximum amount of data at a time. Additionally, this makes the viewing area much larger and of a higher resolution than that available on a traditional bench top oscilloscope.

The large display area also makes it easier to create a customizable split-screen display for viewing multiple channels or for projecting different views of the same signal simultaneously. The software is capable of displaying both oscilloscope output and spectrum analyzer traces at the same time. Moreover, the software can flexibly control each waveform individually for zoom, pan and other filter settings.

Oscilloscopes frequently require using an analog or DC offset. Most PicoScope Oscilloscopes offer this valuable feature. With DC offset, you can get back the vertical resolution, which is usually lost while measuring small signals. In practice, an analog offset typically adds a DC voltage to the input signal. This is useful if the signal is beyond the range of the ADC of the scope. By adding an offset, the signal is brought back within the range and the display can use a more sensitive range.

For testing purposes, an AWG or arbitrary waveform generator is often required. This generates electrical waveforms that can be either a single-shot or repetitive. With an AWG, you can generate any arbitrarily defined wave shape to inject into a DUT or device under test for analysis by the PicoScope. The progress of the signal through the DUT confirms its proper operation and enables pinpointing any fault inside.

Deep-memory versions of the PicoScope oscilloscopes offer waveform-buffering sizes up to 2 gigasamples, which is much larger than that offered by competing scopes of traditional bench top or PC-based design. A hardware acceleration technique ensures the PicoScope does not slow down while using deep memory and displaying at full speed.

Light up for Wireless Charging

Wi-Charge, a wireless charging company from Israel, has demonstrated a light-based charger at the Mobile World Congress. Along with other few existing wireless charging methods, the Wi-Charge method of charging provides an alternative to support background charging across longer distances compared to those offered by existing rivals. Wi-Charge develops receivers and transmitters that utilize laser light for charging a wide range of devices. The transmitters are typically shaped to fit into wall or light bulb sockets and provide a constant charge. Incidentally, these devices do not operate with infrared light as do some other makes of chargers, and therefore, do not produce unsafe radiation.

The charging system developed by Wi-Charge is called the distributed resonator. It consists of a high-power light source focused with two retro reflective mirrors, very similar to reflectors typically used on a bicycle. One of the mirrors focuses the laser transmitter and the other has a photovoltaic cell at its focal point at the receiving end. This way, Wi-Charge has a closed loop system that prevents the ultra-high energy to stray and enter the human body.

The distributed resonator charging device transmitter supports multiple devices. The total number of charging devices ultimately depends on the battery size being charged. The smart home device, which Wi-Charge will release first in the market, will come with a receiver module capable of charging up to 2W with a plug-in transmitter capable of covering a room 15-foot long.

Another model, meant for charging mobile devices, measures 17x17mm and has a transmitter capable of delivering 10W. The model has two receivers capable of charging devices at 5W each. Wi-Charge demonstrated this by charging a Samsung Galaxy S4 at the end of a 10-foot long table capable of rotating up to 80-degrees.

The basic idea behind the Wi-Charge wireless chargers is to keep devices always charged, never allowing them to drain or become empty. For this, their chargers pump in just enough power required for the device to be normally used pus a little extra.

The company has developed other form factors as well. One of their chargers is shaped like a dongle that attaches to a speaker in a phone case with an embedded receiver. Ultimately, the company plans to integrate their transmitters inside smart light bulbs.

Their plan is to integrate the receiver within the device being charged. According to their CEO, the transmitter could be embedded in the front part of the phone or even go under the glass of the screen. As the company is not competing to provide the fastest charging method, users can expect their empty devices to charge up completely within 2-3 hours.

At present, coil-based chargers dominate the wireless charging arena. That makes it a challenging proposition for Wi-Charge to enter the market. Currently, Wi-Charge is working to increase the charging distance of its transmitters to 30 feet, while reducing their size to 10x10mm.

While the consortia of inductive chargers fight each other for dominance, Wi-Charge is confident the very weak value proposition of the inductive chargers will allow their long-range power to be considered superior. Accordingly, Wi-Charge is hoping to partner with larger OEMs to drop the prices of their devices by proliferation.

Energy Monitoring with the Raspberry Pi

If you are looking for an all-in-one device for monitoring your home energy needs, a low-cost single board computer such as the RBPi or Raspberry Pi along with an add-on shield is all you need. The emonPi board is a low-cost shield that is bereft of any enclosure, HDD and LCD.

However, when connected with an LCD for status display, hard-drive for local logging and backup and a web-connected RBPi, the emonPi makes a high-quality and robust unit. Enclose it in a suitable enclosure and you have a stand-alone energy monitoring station.

The design of the emonPi allows it to be a perfect fit for those who install heat-pump monitoring systems. Usually, these systems require several temperature sensors that must also be wired up along with power monitoring. Accompanying modules offer a myriad of options.
For example, the emonPi can also act as an emonBase, as it has options for rad
io (RFM12B/RFM69CW) to receive data from other wireless nodes. These nodes include emonTH, for measuring room temperature and humidity. Another energy-monitoring node, the emonTX V3 can send the current time to the LCD, emonGLCD.

The status LCD makes it easy to install, setup and debug the emonPi system as an energy monitor sensing mode and an all-in-one remote posting base station. This makes the emonPi a great tool for remote administration, since, with a proper networking configuration the RBPi can be accessed remotely. Thus, you may check its log files and even upload firmware onto the ATmega328 of the emonPi.

The emonPi monitors energy through a two-channel CT or current transformer along with an AC sample input. It can power up the RBPi and an external hard disk drive without using an external USB hub. Additionally, the emonPi can function even without a hard disk drive being connected to it.

The RJ45 breakout board makes it very easy to attach several temperature sensors to the RJ45 on-wire temperature bus provided by a DS18B20. This is eminently suitable for multi-sensor setups such as in heat pump monitoring applications. The RJ45 also has IRW and PWM I/Os.

The emonPi is compatible to all models of the RBPi and its options for RFM21B and RFM69CW along with an SMA antenna makes it capable of receiving or transmitting data from other sensor nodes. One can control remote plugs with the OOK or On-Off keying transmitter.

All hardware, firmware and software are open-source and the ATmega328 on the emonPi can remotely upload sketches via the serial port of the RBPi. However, compared to the emonTX V3, emonPi has some disadvantages.

The emonPi module is not capable of making measurements on three-phase systems as there is only one CT monitoring two channels. As the RBPi has high power requirements, it is not possible to power the emonPi from batteries. You cannot also use an AC-AC adapter, because, for measuring real power, you must use both a 5VDC and a 9VAC adapter. Remote location of the utility meter requires Ethernet connection or Wi-Fi connectivity. Additionally, the emonPi requires a larger enclosure as compared to what an emonTX V3 uses.

How do Airplanes Offer Onboard Wi-Fi?

Not long ago, air travel meant you had to switch off your phone and other electronic devices carried. Even for long-distance air travel, people had to put up with in-flight magazines and movies for entertainment. Fortunately, changes have been made – with more to come.

Today, people value connectivity more than ever. Passengers admiring aerial views prefer tweeting about their experiences and follow up with pictures – not content with merely complaining about the food to their neighbors. Airlines are responding to such demands and nearly 40% of the US fights now provide in-flight Wi-Fi, as do several international long-haul flights.

Onboard Wi-Fi technology is still in the nascent stages and significant problems abound. Fliers are not happy with the slow speeds and unreliable connection, especially when the cost for each device for a full flight is high. A FlightView survey of 600 US passengers inferred Wi-Fi offered in-flight satisfied only about 28% of business travelers. The key problem lies in the manner an airplane’s onboard Wi-Fi technology works – there are two main routes.

A US provider, GoGo, has a network system of 3G ground stations all across the US. Planes communicate with these stations when flying overhead. Although the system is simple, bandwidth can be as low as 3Mbps for the entire flight, making it inadequate per customer for streaming videos.

The company is now moving over to ATG-4 technology, with planes requiring dual modems and directional antennas. That boosts the total bandwidth to about 9.8Mbps – still not a significant increase. Planes flying over the seas cannot link to ground stations, which further worsens the connectivity.

As an alternative approach, some airlines allow planes to connect via a satellite. Earlier, they used legacy L-band technology, which was slow and rather expensive. Now using the higher-frequency Ku-band satellites is more common as they work at 12-18GHz. Not only does this offer good performance, it is economical as well. For example, the FlyNet system from Lufthansa claims its download speed to the aircraft reaches 50Mbps, even at the middle of the ocean.

Passengers can optionally connect in two ways. For example, OnAir, a telecom company, allows connections via GSM and Wi-Fi. If you are using a mobile phone, turn on your GSM mobile phone network and use it just as you would on international roaming. Your regular phone bill reflects the costs.

Wi-Fi connection within the aircraft depends on the airline’s own rules. You pay for bandwidth, time of use or distance traveled. Most service providers offset operational expenses and cost of technology (bandwidth) against the number of passengers opting for the service. That decides the rate the airline charges its passengers for the service.

Airlines are discovering the future for on-board connectivity lies in moving towards the Ka-band, which works at 26.5-40GHz via satellites – potentially increasing the capacity nearly 100 times that offered by the present Ku-band. According to ViaSat, a satellite company, this can mean offering each passenger a speed of about 12Mbps, while lessening the cost about five times – a significant progress for frequent, long-distance fliers.

How Does A Measurement Pillow Work?

In human life, sleep is the period when the body rejuvenates. Two body systems regulate the timing and amount of sleep – the sleep/wake homeostasis and the circadian biological clock. Depending on external circumstances and the health of the individual, people experience different levels of alertness and sleepiness throughout the day. After being awake for a long time, the sleep/wake homeostasis tells the body it is accumulating the need for sleep and that causes us to feel sleepy. It also regulates the period of sleep throughout the night, to let us make up for the hours we will remain awake. The sleep/wake homeostasis balances the wakefulness and sleep periods in the body.

We also have an internal circadian biological clock that regulates the timing of wakefulness and sleepiness throughout the day. The circadian rhythm rises and dips at different times of the day. Typically, an adult has the strongest sleep drive between 2:00-4:00 am and again in the afternoon between 1:00-3:00 pm. However, this varies from person to person.

Sometimes, due to various reasons, things go wrong with the body systems regulating the timing and amount of sleep. Doctors advise monitoring your sleep to know where things are going wrong. However, this becomes a “Catch 22” situation – if you sleep, it is impossible to monitor how you sleep and you cannot sleep if you are monitoring. Now, there is a solution to this dilemma – a measurement pillow.

A chiropractor, Rick Loos, founder of the company Proper Pillow, is all set to develop a pillow containing a set of sensors to monitor the quality of your sleep. The pillow will monitor your sleep position throughout your sleeping time, collect the data and transmit them to an app on your smartphone.

Proper Pillow Plus will have a network of pressure sensors to collect the data. It will use BLE or Bluetooth Low Energy to transmit this data. Of course, this requires a power source, a sensor network with ADCs, and a micro-controller with a BLE radio. Normally, all data collected will remain stored until you decide to transmit it to your smartphone. Watch the pillow doing its work here. Proper Pillow also provides better sleep by giving its user a proper spine alignment.

According to Dr. Loos, the Proper Pillow Plus will contain 9-12 pressure sensors, a digitizer board, a micro-controller with Bluetooth capabilities, a battery, a microphone and a temperature probe. It will use 3-point redundancy to detect correctly the head and neck of the sleeper. The microphone will record various sounds such as the person’s breathing and external sounds such as a dog’s bark. The pillow will also record the ambient temperature to know if the sleeper woke up due to changes in temperature. The pressure sensors will determine how much time the user spent on his back or on his side.

Usually, the hardware will remain in low-power mode to maximize power efficiency. The algorithm wakes the hardware only when there is a change is pressure due to the sleeper’s movements. The slow changes in pressure and temperature permit low-speed digitization.

What are Counterfeit SD Cards?

Many of us use SD or Secure Digital memory cards, but seldom do we check if the total capacity actually matches that specified on the card. According to the Counterfeit Report, several dishonest sellers on Alibaba, Amazon, eBay and other reputed sites offer deep discounts for high capacity cards. They use common serial numbers with cards and packaging nearly identical to the authentic products from all major SD card brands.

According to tests conducted by the Counterfeit Report, although the cards work, buyers usually purchase a card based on the specifications printed on it. What they think and buy as a 32GB SD card, may turn out to be a counterfeit with a capacity of only 7GB. Counterfeiters usually overwrite the real memory capacity, imprinting a false capacity figure to match any model and capacity they prefer. Usually, the actual memory capacity cannot be determined by simply plugging the card into a computer, phone or camera. Only when the phony card reaches its limit, it starts to overwrite files, leading to lost data.

According the Craig Crosby, publisher of the Counterfeit Report, such fake cards also come in capacities that do not exist in any product line and counterfeiters target mostly cards above 32GB. They make a great profit on selling fake cards, with practically no consequence.

Usually, people cannot make out counterfeit cards from real ones, until these stop working. Usually, the blame falls on the manufacturer for making faulty products. This may happen even if you buy from a major retailer, as counterfeiters buy genuine items, only to exchange them unopened with their fakes.

Although software packages are available to test whether the card capacity matches the specifications on its packaging, organizations find it time-consuming, especially if they have bought cards in bulk. Additionally, the problem is not with SD cards alone, counterfeiters make fake portable flash drives including USB sticks as well.

Although the SD Association does make standards and specifications for SD cards to promote their adoption, advancement and use, they do not monitor the trade of products such as SD memory cards. The responsibility of counterfeit SD cards falls in the realm of law enforcement.

Manufacturers of SD memory card products can contract with several SD standards-related organizations for different intellectual property related to SD standards. Additionally, SDA member companies can resort to compliance and testing tools for confirming their products meet the standards and specifications, providing assurance to users about interoperability with other products of similar nature.

Consumers, especially bulk purchasers, should be careful to buy from authorized resellers, distributers and sellers. The best resource for any enquiry is the manufacturer of the SD memory card product.

This malaise is not restricted to counterfeit SD cards alone. It is a part of a larger problem. According to the Counterfeit Report, several other items face the same situation. Phony items exist for iPhones, other smartphones, airbags and many other peripherals such as chargers. It is very difficult for consumers to make out the counterfeits and many are even unaware of the existence of such phony high-end items.

Rechargeable Batteries from Packing Materials

Sweden was in the news recently for their extreme recycling capacity. Swedes recycle waste to the extent that they have to import garbage from other countries for use as landfills. Others countries struggling to recycle their garbage may be interested in generating rechargeable batteries from discarded packing materials that do not degrade when used as landfills.

At Purdue University, researchers have found a new way to recycle discarded peanut-shaped packing materials. They are turning these materials into components that can be used for making rechargeable batteries. Additionally, they claim their batteries can outperform those currently in use.

Packing materials have always presented a challenge when they have to be disposed. It is not very cost-effective to recycle them. For one, they are light and their large size makes it expensive to transport them to the recycling center. Additionally, they take up a lot of space in landfills. Vinodkumar Etacheri, Ph.D. explained this in a presentation of the research at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

The other reason why packing materials are not suitable is they can be harmful to the environment. Although they may not contain CFCs or ozone depleting gasses, packing materials are usually made from recycled or new polystyrene, which was also used for making Styrofoam. While the exact constituents may vary, packing materials usually contain different types of chemicals.

Among them may be potentially harmful substances such as heavy metals, chlorides and phthalates. These leach into the environment easily when in a landfill. They deteriorate the soil and water quality. Although marketers claim newer material they use for making packing material is more environmentally friendly, the chemicals and detergents used in the starch-based alternatives also contaminate the ecosystem.

A new process developed by the researchers converts the packing material into high-tech nano-particles and carbon micro sheets. These are useful in making anodes for rechargeable batteries.

Lithium ion batteries have lithium ions moving between electrodes as the batteries charge and discharge. When the new anodes replace the conventional graphite ones in commercial lithium ion batteries, the performance gain is dramatic. The anodes made of nano-partcles and carbon micro sheets increase the storage capacity of the lithium ion batteries several folds.

The porous microstructure of the new anodes allows the lithium ions to diffuse in quickly and create more surface area within the micro sheets. The increased surface area offers greater electrochemical interactions. In addition, the disordered crystal structure and the porous nature of the new anodes can store more lithium ions beyond their theoretical limit.

According to the researchers, they use a relatively low temperature for the new process. This is a crucial factor in producing these new materials with their advantageous architecture. While other researchers make micro sheets at temperatures as high as 4,000°F, researchers at Purdue University have kept the temperature of their process at only 1,100°F. Instead of the more layered arrangement of carbon atoms at the higher temperature, the lower temperature generates less-ordered materials. That actually increases the electrical storage capacity by about 15%. The lower temperature process also allows the materials to remain more environmentally friendly.

Raspberry Pi and the Intel Edison

The Intel Edison is an extremely small computing platform suitable for embedded electronics. Intel has packed the Edison with many technical goodies within its tiny package. That makes it a robust single board computer, powered by the Atom SoC dual-core CPU. It includes an integrated Bluetooth LE, Wi-Fi and a 70-pin connector. A huge number of shield-like blocks are available to stack on top of each other on this connector.

Do not be misled by its small size, as the Edison packs a robust set of features within the tiny size. It has a broad spectrum of software support, along with large numbers of IO, delivering great performance with durability. Its versatile features are a great benefit to beginners, makers and inventors. The high-speed processor, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radio on board makes it ideal for projects that need low power, small footprint but high processing power. These features make the Edison SBC suitable for those who cannot use a large footprint and are not near a larger power source.

In addition, the Intel Edison Mini Breakout exposes the native 1.8V IO of the Intel Edison module. On this board is a power supply, a battery charger, USB OTG power switch, USB OTG port, UART to USB Bridge and an IO header.

So, how does the Intel Edison SBC compare with the RBPi or the Raspberry Pi SBC? The first question that comes to mind when starting a comparison between the two is the lack of a USB port on the Edison to plug in the keyboard and mouse. Compared to the RBPi, the Edison also lacks video output, has low processor speed, higher cost and it is not possible to use the IO connector without an extra board.

Although Intel claims it as an SBC, unlike the RBPi, the Edison is a module meant for deeply embedded IoT computing. On the other hand, the RBPi has always been a low-cost computing terminal to be used as a teaching tool. That the RBPi platform also has hardware hack-ability is a bonus feature and purely incidental.

The Edison, a deeply embedded IoT computing platform, does not have video output because usually, Wi-Fi enabled robots do not need video. Since wearables do not need keyboard and mouse, the Edison does not have a USB port. To keep power consumption on the low side for portable applications, Intel has deliberately kept the processor speed low.

Although the Edison is comparatively higher-priced as compared to the RBPi, the difference is lower when you add the cost of an SD card, a Wi-Fi card and a Bluetooth dongle to that of the RBPi. Not only does the Edison integrate all this, it is more of a bare ARM A9 or A11 SoC that can be integrated easily into a product.

Finally, three things need highlighting. The Edison has a Quark micro-controller; it operates at 1.8V and is very small. The RBPi, without the addition of the communication modules, occupies about 93 cubic centimeters, whereas the Edison and its breakout board together require only 14. The RBPi requires about 48 square centimeters of footprint, while the Edison needs only 17.