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BeagleBone AI
$128 beagleboard.org
Based around the powerful Texas
Instruments Sitara AM5729 processor, the
BeagleBone AI includes 1GB DD3 RAM,
16GB eMMC flash on-board, 72 GPIO pins,
and runs off of USB 3.0 Type-C. The board
has a lot of flexibility with IoT projects
and caters to both machine learning
applications and industrial robots. With
the AM5729, the BeagleBone AI has some
unique features. One, in particular, is
the use of TI’s programmable real-time
units (PRUs). For any application that
needs high accuracy and time-critical
operations, these can be used without
having a dedicated FPGA or specialized
microcontroller board to do so, cutting
down the layers and costs of a project that
requires low latency.
The BeagleBone AI comes with four
Embedded-Vision-Engine (EVE) machine
learning cores. These cores are supported
by an optimized TI Deep Learning
framework (TIDL) with OpenCL API and
pre-installed software tools. The TIDL API
combined with PRUs is a deadly combo for
precise industrial robot applications. The
Sitara AM57x SoC line is geared towards
making smart factories. I would hardly call
the BeagleBone AI a typical SBC. —Mel Ho
Creality CR-30
The Print Mill
$999 creality3dofficial.com
Creality’s latest offering in the 3D printer
market provides a new and interesting
angle, literally. By canting the print rails
by 45° and replacing the print bed with a
conveyor belt, the CR-30 adds two stand-
out capabilities that make this machine
really shine: assembly line automation
and printing beyond a traditional bed size.
With the CR-30, you can automate multiple
productions of a file, using the conveyor
belt to move them out of the way, and
ultimately off the machine. Or, you can
utilize the moving bed to achieve what is
effectively an infinite print axis. This latter
feature means you can print really long
items — cosplay swords and such.
There are a few rough edges to the user
experience, but overall I got acceptable
prints without much tinkering.
If you need to churn out prints or
absolutely need to print large models, it’s
a must-have at this price point. But for
everyone else, your mileage may vary.
—Caleb Kraft
More details and a video overview:
makezine.com/go/creality-belt-printer
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