SiFive introduces 2nd Gen Intelligence RISC-V AI CPUs: X160, X180, X280 Gen 2, X390 Gen 2, and XM Gen 2

SiFive has just launched its 2nd Generation Intelligence family, featuring five new RISC-V-based products: the new X160 Gen 2 and X180 Gen 2, and upgraded X280 Gen 2, X390 Gen 2, and XM Gen 2 processors, all featuring scalar, vector, and matrix processing (XM only) capabilities designed for AI workloads. The original Intelligence X280 64-bit RISC-V CPU was introduced in 2021, following the Intelligence X390 NPU in 2023, and the Intelligence XM Series in September 2024. The X160 Gen 2  (32-bit) and X180 Gen 2 (64-bit) are entry-level AIoT CU cores targeting edge compute and IoT applications for automotive, autonomous robotics,...

Realtek RTD1319C SoC with Mali-G57 GPU powers Formuler Z12 Ultra 4K TV box with optional USB DVB or ATSC tuner

Formuler Z12 Ultra is an Android 12 4K TV box powered by a Realtek RTD1319C SoC coupled with 4GB RAM and 128GB eMMC flash, support for Dolby Vision and Atmos, and popular USB ATSC or DVB-T/T2 digital TV tuners. While it was first seen in 2022 on the Formuler Z11 Pro Max, the RTD1319C is new to me, and it appears to be a variant of the RTD1319 quad-core Cortex-A55 SoC introduced in 2020, which replaces an entry-level Mali-G31 MP2 with an older, mid-range Mali-G57 MC1 GPU that should allow for smoother or higher-resolution user interfaces. However, it lacks the...

Photonicat 2 Portable ARM Computer with 5G, NVMe, and 24-Hour Battery Life

Kickstarter recently featured the Photonicat 2, a portable ARM-based computer aimed at travelers, vehicle setups, and homelab users needing reliable connectivity and long runtime. Building on the original Photonicat launched two years ago, the new model delivers higher performance, extended battery life, and added flexibility while staying fully open-source. Photonicat 2 is built around the […]

KIWI 1P5 – A low-cost GOWIN GW1N industrial FPGA board with onboard USB-JTAG/UART

The OneKiwi KIWI 1P5 is a low-cost FPGA board built around the GOWIN GW1N-UV1P5 device. Priced at $14, it is designed for prototyping, digital logic design, and educational applications. The FPGA offers 1.5K LUT4 logic elements, 72Kbit of block SRAM, 96Kbit of on-chip flash, and a single PLL. The board comes with 40 user I/O pins via dual-row 2.54 mm headers, along with an onboard USB-C port for power. Debug and communication are handled by an onboard GOWIN USB-JTAG debugger and USB-to-UART bridge, while user interaction is done through two buttons and two LEDs. Additionally, a DIP switch enables external...

BML Designing RISC-V SoCs with FPGAs : Part-Femto-CPU Memory Access

2025.09.07 : I’m Kevin Hubbard, Electrical Engineer. I’ve spent my 30+ year career designing embedded systems using ASICs, FPGAs, and embedded CPUs. It’s been an amazing journey that I hope others will pursue. I’m giving back now in writing this “BML Designing RISC-V SoCs with FPGAs” series which starts here.

The previous chapter introduced a very simple CPU core capable of executing only 3 of 47 RISC-V machine code instructions. Those three are just enough to increment a 32 bit register in a loop. This chapter enhances femto_cpu.v to include bus read and write access and provides an example of mapping...

YouTube views are down (don't panic)

YouTube views are down (don't panic)

September 15 update: @YouTubeInsider confirmed that the issue is related to viewers who have adblockers enabled—YouTube's been in an arms race with ad blocking tools, and the fallout is a substantial cut in counted views for creators who have a large audience watching from desktop.

Many YouTube content creators, myself included, noticed something in early to mid-August: views were down.

After being on the platform since 2006 (though for me, not being a 'professional' YouTuber until about 5 years ago), I'm used to...

Beelink EQi13 Pro Review – Part 3: Ubuntu 24.04 on an Intel Core i5-13500H mini PC

We’ve already checked out the hardware of the Beelink EQi13 Pro in the first part of the review, and followed up with a detailed review of the Intel Core i5-13500H mini PC running Windows 11 Pro. We’ve now taken the time to test the Beelink EQi13 Pro with Ubuntu 24.04 to find out how well (or not) it performs on Linux. We will specifically report our experience testing features, running benchmarks, checking out the SSD and USB ports, evaluating Gigabit Ethernet and WiFi 6 networking performance, and finally stress testing the mini PC, before measuring the fan noise and power...

MSI unveils MS-CF16 V3.0 Pico-ITX SBC with Alder Lake-N, Amston Lake, and Twin Lake processors

MSI has unveiled the MS-CF16 V3.0, the latest revision of its compact Pico-ITX single-board computer. Designed for fanless, low-power, and wide-temperature operation, the board targets industrial and embedded applications that demand reliability in harsh environments. The MS-CF16 V3.0 supports a wider selection of Intel processors than its predecessor, with all configurations featuring up to 16 […]

BML Designing RISC-V SoCs with FPGAs : Part-Femto-CPU Counter

2025.09.06 : I’m Kevin Hubbard, Electrical Engineer. I’ve spent my 30+ year career designing embedded systems using ASICs, FPGAs, and embedded CPUs. It’s been an amazing journey that I hope others will pursue. I’m giving back now in writing this “BML Designing RISC-V SoCs with FPGAs” series which starts here.

The previous chapter explained RISC-V assembly language and machine code. This chapter introduces a very simple CPU core which is capable of executing only 3 of 47 RISC-V machine code instructions. Those three are just enough to increment a 32 bit register in a loop. Eventually this “Femto-CPU” will flash a...

A Navajo weaving of an integrated circuit: the 555 timer

The noted Diné (Navajo) weaver Marilou Schultz recently completed an intricate weaving composed of thick white lines on a black background, punctuated with reddish-orange diamonds. Although this striking rug may appear abstract, it shows the internal circuitry of a tiny silicon chip known as the 555 timer. This chip has hundreds of applications in everything from a sound generator to a windshield wiper controller. At one point, the 555 was the world's best-selling integrated circuit with billions sold. But how did the chip get turned into a rug?

The 555 chip is constructed from a tiny flake of...