SBC News

Shenzhen Rongpin Electronic Technology (Rongpin) DR4-S905 and DR4-A311D are SO-DIMM system-on-modules (SoM) respectively powered by Amlogic S905D3 quad-core Cortex-A55 processor and Amlogic A311D octa-core Cortex-A73/A53 processor. The modules come with 2GB LPDDR4 and 16GB eMMC flash by default, but can be ordered with up to 4GB RAM and 128GB storage, and the company offered a feature-rich carrier board to test all interfaces provided but the system-on-modules. DR4-S905 system-on-module specifications: SoC – Amlogic S905D3 quad-core Cortex-A55 processor @ 1.9GHz with Arm Mali-G31MP2 GPU up to 800MHz supporting OpenGL ES 3.2, Vulkan 1.0 and OpenCL 2.0, real-time Cortex-M4 …

Following our coverage of a 4.3-inch ESP32-S31 display development board, a Facebook reader pointed out the GUITION JC3636F118C-I-YR1 rotary encoder with a built-in 1.8-inch touchscreen display. It appears to be an update to an earlier ESP32-S3 model, now equipped with an ESP32-S31NRV16 WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, and 802.15.4 SoC with 16MB of PSRAM. The rotary knob also includes 16MB SPI flash, a speaker, a microphone, and an optional rechargeable battery. GUITION JC3636F118C-I-YR1 specifications: SoC – ESP32-S31NRV16 CPU RISC-V HP (High-performance) RV32IMAFCP CPU @ 320 MHz with FPU, SIMD, etc. RISC-V LP (Low-power) MCU core Memory – 512 KB SRAM, 32 KB low-power SRAM, 16MB P…

Nicolai Electronics’ rp2040-ic2-interface open-source firmware for the Raspberry Pi Pico (or other Raspberry Pi RP2040 boards) converts the board into an I2C to USB bridge to connect any I2C sensor or module to a PC or other hardware without GPIOs. The firmware implements the USB protocol expected by the I2C-Tiny-USB kernel driver used by the original I2C-Tiny-USB project for Microchip ATMega 8-bit AVR microcontrollers. The RP2040 is however not a fork of the original project, but instead a complete re-implementation of the firmware. You’ll need to connect your I2C sensor, display, or another module to the SDA (GPIO 2) and SCL (GPIO 3) pins of the Raspberry Pi RP2040 micr…

Avnet RZBoard V2L is an Arm Linux SBC for AI vision applications that’s about the size of a business card (or a Raspberry Pi), and powered by a Renesas RZ/V2L Cortex-A55/M33 processor with an on-chip DRP-AI accelerator. The board also comes with 2GB DDR4, 32GB eMMC flash, 16MB QSPI flash, Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0, multiple USB ports, MIPI DSI/CSI interfaces, as well as a Pi HAT compatible 40-pin GPIO header. RZBoard V2L specifications: SoC – Renesas RZ/V2L with 2x Arm Cortex A55 cores @ up to 1.2 GHz, 1x Arm Cortex M33 real-time core @ 200 MHz, Arm Mali G31 GPU @ 500MHz, DRP-AI accelerator, DRP Simple ISP (full HD), and a H.264 Hardware Video Enc/Dec (fu…

Samsung Electronics has unveiled its first Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 4.0 solution based on the company’s 7th-generation V-NAND and a proprietary controller allowing speeds of up to 23.2 gigabits per second (Gbps) per lane or double the previous UFS 3.1 solutions. In more practical terms, Samsung UFS 4.0 storage will deliver a sequential read speed of up to 4,200 MB/s and a sequential write speed of 2,800 MB/s, corresponding to about 2x and 1.6x faster speeds over UFS 3.1 storage. Samsung also claims that power efficiency has been enhanced with a sequential read speed of up to 6.0 MB/s per milliampere (mA), or about a 46-percent improvement over UFS 3.1. An advanced Re…

SBC Case Builder 2.0 tool to create enclosures for single board computers has been released with a customizer graphical user interface, additional cases & SBCs, support for variable height standoffs, and more. We wrote about the SBC Case Builder tool to easily generate various types of 3D printable enclosures using OpenSCAD earlier this year. The SBC Model Framework used in the solution was focused on ODROID boards, and you had to type the parameters in a configuration file. SBC Case Builder 2.0 software changes that with a convenient-to-use graphical interface allowing for the dynamic adjustment of any of the case attributes. The new version of the software also sup…

Scrcpy 2.0 Android screen mirroring and control utility for Windows, Linux, and macOS has just been released with support for audio forwarding that enables audio to be played back into the computer/laptop, instead of the smartphone, at least for mobile devices running Android 11 or greater. We first reported about Scrcpy open-source utility in 2018, and at the time, it worked relatively well in Ubuntu 16.04 but required quite a few steps for the installation, and it would lag from time to time. I could still use the mouse and keyboard to control my phone, send SMS, chat, browse the web, play games, switch between landscape and portrait modes, and so on. Five years later, …

SDMC DV9286 is an 8K TV box for operators running Android 13 TV OS on an Amlogic S928X octa-core Cortex-A76/A55 processor with 4GB to 8GB RAM, WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, an HDMI 2.1a port, and 8K AV1, H.265, VP9 video decoding support. We had started to see 8K TV boxes based on the Amlogic S928X processor at IBC 2022 last September, but with few details. SDMC DV9286 announcement brings a few more details such as the GPU used in S928X and which version of Android will be used. SDMC DV9286 (preliminary) specifications: SoC – Amlogic S928X octa-core Cortex-A76/A55 processor with Arm Mali-G57 MC2 GPU; 12nm process System Memory – 4GB LPDDR4 (up to 8GB option) Sto…

Seeed Studio has launched two Nordic nRF52840-based Bluetooth LE e-paper kits preloaded with the OpenDisplay open-source firmware for e-paper displays and supporting Home Assistant integration. The OpenDisplay 4.26″ Mono features a 4.26-inch monochrome/grayscale display with 800×480 resolution and partial refresh support, while the OpenDisplay 7.3″ Color Kit is equipped with a 7.3-inch Spectra 6 color e-paper with the same resolution. Both are powered by a 2,000 mAh battery and feature a few buttons for control and reset. Seeed Studio OpenDisplay kits specifications: MCU – Nordic Semi nRF52840 CPU – Arm Cortex-M4F microcontroller @ up to 64 MHz Memory – 256 KB SRAM Storag…

Seeed Studio’s XIAO family of tiny MCU boards expands with the XIAO ESP32C3 board equipped with ESP32-C3 WiFi and Bluetooth LE (BLE) microcontroller, support for LiPo batteries, and following the same 21 x 17.5mm form factor. If I’m counting right, this is the fifth member following the original XIAO based on Microchip SAMD21G18 Cortex-M0+ MCU, XIAO RP2040, and the nRF52840-based XIAO BLE and XIAO BLE Sense boards which I tested with Edge Impulse. XIAO ESP32C3 specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-C3 single-core RISC-V microcontroller @ 160 MHz with 400KB SRAM, 384KB ROM, 4MB flash Wi-Fi 4 & Bluetooth LE 5.0 connectivity Antenna – External u.FL anten…

Seeed Studio has introduced the XIAO IPS touch display series, a family of six compact development boards built around the XIAO ESP32-S3 Plus or XIAO nRF52840 Plus MCU, with 0.96-inch, 1.14-inch, and 1.47-inch IPS color displays. All six boards include a 6-axis IMU, a PDM digital microphone, user buttons, and LiPo battery support. The larger 1.47-inch version adds capacitive touch and a microSD card slot, whereas the 1.14-inch model includes a Grove I2C connector for connecting external sensors. The ESP32-S3 versions support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE connectivity, while the nRF52840 models focus on lower-power Bluetooth LE applications. The boards are designed for portable d…

Seeed Studio XIAO STM32C5 is the company’s first XIAO development board based on an STMicroelectronics MCU, namely a 144 MHz STM32C5A3CG Arm Cortex-M33 microcontroller. It features two CAN FD controllers and a 6-axis IMU with programmable heating for robotics, industrial control, and motion-sensing applications. The board also includes 16MB of external flash, a 48 MHz external crystal, a USB-C port, and battery charging circuitry. One CAN FD channel is connected to an onboard transceiver, while the second requires an external transceiver. The integrated IMU heater allows firmware to control sensor temperature and reduce measurement drift from temperature changes. XIAO STM…

Earlier this month, we saw how the humble ESP32-S3 could be turned into an SDR transmitter and receiver; then we saw developer h0m3us3r release the w1700k-sdr project, which turns a Gemtek W1700K Wi-Fi 7 router into a wideband SDR receiver. The LR2021-SDR open-source project by Samuel Reynolds (SAMS0N1TE) follows the same principle and turns the Semtech LR2021 LoRa transceiver into a software-defined radio (SDR) capable of receiving signals from 100 MHz to 2.74 GHz. Using an undocumented command in the chip’s ROM, this project exposes raw 16-bit I/Q samples, allowing software to decode P25 Phase 1 digital voice, POCSAG pager messages, and analog FM signals without an exte…

We just wrote about the Infineon XENSIV PAS CO2 Shield2Go board to measure carbon dioxide (CO2) levels last week, but I’ve just come across two more hardware with a CO2 sensor designed for makers, but based on Sensirion SCD40 sensor instead, and mostly designed to monitor indoor CO2 levels since high concentrations may impact your health negatively. The first one is the M5Stack UNIT CO2 that’s designed to be connected to one of the company’s Core modules through an I2C interface, and TeHyBug portable mini sensor device equipped with ESP8285 WiFi microcontroller, as well as optional AHT10 temperature & humidity sensor and BMP280 pressure sensor, besides the SCD40 senso…

ELECFREAKS Wukong 2040 is a multifunctional breakout board designed for Raspberry Pi Pico. It is equipped with interfaces for four DC motors, up to twelve servos, a buzzer, A\B buttons, RGB “rainbow” lights, a Reset button, etc… The board can be powered by a single 18650 3.7V LiPo battery and integrates a power management IC that monitors the battery level and can also charge the battery via a USB charger. Battery life is typically 60 minutes per charge but can last over 120 minutes depending on the load. Wukong 2040 key features and specifications Description of the Wukong 2040 interfaces Specifications and dimensions of the Wukong 2040 Expansion Board for Raspberry Pi…

Morpheans ShaRPiKeebo is a portable Linux computer based on Raspberry Pi Zero W or Zero 2 W SBC that reminds me of the Allwinner R8 powered PocketCHIP handheld computer that was introduced in 2016, and was quite popular (for a niche product) at the time. The ShaRPiKeebo comes with a physical QWERTY keyboard, a daylight-readable screen, and Wi-Fi & Bluetooth connectivity, but also adds a 433 MHz LoRa radio that should make it usable as an off-the-grid communicator. Just like PocketCHIP, the ShaRPiKeebo can be used for system administration, retro-gaming, pen testing, STEM education, and all sort of maker projects. ShaRPiKeebo specifications: Supported SBCs via 40-pin G…

SiFive has announced two new RISC-V Performance cores with the P670 and P470 processors with RISC-V Vector Extension for AI/ML, media and sensor processing, and designed for high volume applications such as wearables, smart home, industrial automation, AR/VR, and other consumer devices. The P670 is comparable to the Cortex-A78, and the P470 is comparable to the Cortex-A55. Both support the standardized RISC-V RVA22 profile for better OS compatibility and implement RISC-V Vector v1.0 and Vector Cryptography extensions. The SiFive Performance P470 and P670 share the following features: Full RISC-V RVA22 profile compliance Full, Out-of-Order, RISC-V Vector implementation, ba…

RISC-V is coming to your car too, with the introduction of SiFive Automotive E6-A, X280-A, and S7-A RISC-V processors designed for automotive applications such as infotainment, cockpit, connectivity, ADAS, and electrification. Those are built on the existing SiFive Essential 6-series E6 32-bit real-time cores, SiFive Intelligence X280 64-bit RISC-V processor with AI extensions, and SiFive S7 64-bit real-time cores (equivalent to Cortex-R7/R8), but adds safety, security, and performance required by the automotive market such as ASIL compliance. Each new core targets specific applications within a vehicle: The SiFive E6-A series will be found in system control boards, hardw…

Open Acoustic Devices’ HydroMoth is the underwater equivalent of the AudioMoth full-spectrum acoustic device that records audio samples mostly to monitor wildlife. Still based on a Silicon Labs EFM32 Wonder Gecko MCU, the HydroMoth is firmware-compatible with AudioMoth, enables audio recording at up to 60 meters deep, and has been tested to last two months at a depth of 30m using three AA batteries. HydroMoth key features and specifications: Wireless microcontroller – Silicon Labs EFM32 Wonder Gecko Cortex-M4F MCU @ 48MHz with 256kB Flash, 32kB RAM Storage – MicroSD card slot to store audio data Audio capture Onboard analog MEMS microphone acting as contact hydrophone Ana…

Silicon Labs has just announced the tiny BG27 Bluetooth LE and MG27 multiprotocol wireless SoCs designed for small devices, and they will be especially useful in connected health applications, or the so-called Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), as well as wearables, sensors, switches, smart locks, and commercial and LED lighting. Both chips feature a Cortex-M33 core clocked at 76.8 MHz, up to 768KB flash, and up to 64KB RAM, but the BG27 only supports Bluetooth LE, Mesh, and propriety 2.4 GHz connectivity, while the MG27 also adds an 802.15.4 radio for Zigbee, OpenThread, and Matter protocols Silicon Labs BG27 and MG27 specifications: CPU – Arm Cortex-M33 @ 76.8 MHz with …

Silicon Labs announced various new products at its annual Works With Developer Conference including the FG25 Arm Cortex-M33 SoC designed for sub-GHz Wi-SUN FAN networks for Smart Cities and applications such as smart metering, street lighting, electricity distribution automation, municipal infrastructure, and more. The microcontroller runs at up to 97.5 MHz, features 512KB RAM and up to 1920 KB flash, operates at up to 125°C, consumes as little as 2.6 μA in deep sleep mode, and can offer a range of up to 3 km when used in combination with the new EFF01x front-end module delivering up to +30 dBm output power. Silicon Labs FG25 (EFR32FG25) specifications: CPU core – Arm Cor…

Sipeed has launched the Lichee RV Dock Pro kit for the company’s Lichee RV Allwinner D1 RISC-V module that builds on the earlier Lichee RV Dock carrier board and adds a MIPI/RGB LCD connector, two built-in microphones, as well as an on-board JTAG+UART debugger based on Bouffalo Lab BL702 microcontroller. Lichee RV Dock Pro specifications (preliminary): Supported system-on-module (SoM) – Lichee RV module with Allwinner D1 RISC-V processor @ 1 GHz, 512MB DDR3, MicroSD card slot, and USB Type-C OTG port Storage – Optional SPI flash Display interfaces HDMI port up to 4Kp30 MIPI LCD/RGB interface for up to 720p30 display Audio – 3W power amplifier, 2x analog microphone, suppor…

Sipeed LM4A is a quad-core RISC-V system-on-module based on the T-Head TH1520 SoC found in the ROMA laptop and destinated to be found in a Raspberry Pi SBC competitor as well as a cluster board. The LM4A, which stands for Lichee Module 4 Model A, comes with 4GB to 16GB RAM, and up to 64GB flash, and connects to the carrier board through a 260-pin SO-DIMM connector. The TH1520 is one of the rare RISC-V SoCs with a 3D GPU, and the SBC based on LM4A has been shown to outperform the Raspberry Pi 4 in benchmarks as we’ll see below. Sipeed LM4A specifications: SoC – Alibaba T-Head TH1520 quad-core RISC-V Xuantie C910 (RV64GCV) processor @ 2.5 GHz, Xuantie C906 audio DSP @ 800 M…

Sipeed has launched the M1s and M0Sense AI modules. Designed for AIoT application, the Sipeed M1s is based on the Bouffalo Lab BL808 32-bit/64-bit RISC-V wireless SoC with WiFi, Bluetooth, and an 802.15.4 radio for Zigbee support, as well as the BLAI-100 (Bouffalo Lab AI engine) NPU for video/audio detection and/or recognition. The Sipeed M0Sense targets TinyML applications with the Bouffa Lab BL702 32-bit microcontroller also offering WiFi, BLE, and Zigbee connectivity. Sipeed M1s AIoT module The Sipeed M1S is an update to the Kendryte K210-powered Sipeed M1 introduced several years ago. Sipeed M1s module specifications: SoC – Bouffalo Lab BL808 with CPU Alibaba T-head C…

Sipeed Maix-III development kit is composed of a core board equipped with AXERA AX620A AI processor and a carrier board exposing several interfaces such as Ethernet, USB, and camera connectors. resources. As noted in our earlier article about the AXERA AX620A chip, it is a quad-core Arm Cortex-A7 chip with an NPU offering a maximum of 14.4 TOPS @ INT4 or 3.6TOPSs @ INT8, and as such, this development board mainly targets AI vision applications. The board is an upgrade to the earlier Speed Maix II with an Allwinner V831 processor. Thanks to the low power consumption of the AXERA AX620A SoC, the Sipeed Maix-III board can be powered directly through its USB port as the syst…

We’ve just written about the Arducam ToF camera to add depth sensing to Raspberry Pi, but there are now more choices, as Sipeed has just introduced its MetaSense ToF (Time-of-Flight) camera family for microcontrollers and robots running ROS with two models offering different sets of features and capabilities. The MetaSense A075V USB camera offers 320×240 depth resolution plus an extra RGB sensor, an IMU unit, and a CPU with built-in NPU that makes it ideal for ROS 1/2 robots, while the lower-end MetaSense A010 ToF camera offers up to 100×100 resolution, integrates a 1.14-inch LCD display to visualize depth data in real-time and can be connected to a microcontroller host, …

Startup SMLIGHT has launched the SLZB-06 Zigbee 3.0 to Ethernet, USB, and WiFi adapter with PoE support that works out of the box with open-source software such as Home Assistant and Zigbee2MQTT. The device combines Texas Instruments’ СС2652Р microcontroller for Zigbee with ESP32 for WiFi, data transfer to Ethernet or USB, and peripheral functions such as LEDs and a button.The design is complemented with Microchip LAN8720 for Ethernet. SMLIGHT SLZB-06 specifications: Wireless SoCs Texas Instruments CC2652P1FRGZR Arm Cortex-M4F microcontroller @ 48 MHz with 352KB flash, 256KB ROM for protocols and library functions, 80+8KB SRAM, integrated power amplifier, Bluetooth 5.2…

Qualcomm Snapdragon X75 is the latest 5G Modem-RF System from the company bringing 5G Advanced connectivity to smartphones, PCs, industrial IoT, vehicles, and 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) routers. 5G is getting more confusing than ever, as after just having launched a 5G NR-Light modem for smartwatches, industrial IoT, and XR glasses, Qualcomm introduced the first “5G Advanced” modem with the Snapdragon X75 targetting a wide range of applications that benefit from the improvements in speed, coverage, mobility, power efficiency, etc… made possible by the 5G NR Release 18. Snapdragon X75 key features and specifications: Cellular Technology – 5G NR, LTE, LAA, WCDMA, TD-SC…

tOCORAD32, aka ESP32 Software Controlled Radio, is a hackable, open-source hardware ESP32-based amateur radio board for walkie-talkie and data communication applications. The board comes with an ESP32 module with WiFi 4 and Bluetooth connectivity, an RDA Microelectronics RDA1846 RF IC used in many commercial walkie-talkies and offering a range up of to 5 km, a small display, a speaker, and a 18650 battery holder. SOCORAD32 specifications: Microcontroller module – ESP32-WROOVER-32E with ESP32 dual-core microcontroller, 4MB flash, 2.4 GHz WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, built-in PCB antenna Walkie-talkie chip – RDA1846 single-chip transceiver for Walkie-Talkie applications…

SolidRun has launched two SolidWAN Linux-based system-level solutions for software-defined wide area networks and network security applications with the SolidWAN Single LX2162 based on NXP LX2162 16-core Cortex-A72 SoC designed for small offices (SoHo) and SMBs, and the SolidWAN Dual LX2160 equipped with two NXP LX2160A 16-core Cortex-A72 networking processors targetting enterprise and edge data center applications. SolidWAN Single LX2162 Hardware specifications: SoC – NXP Layerscape LX2162A 16-core Arm Cortex A72 processor @ up to 2GHz System Memory – Up to 32GB DDR4 Storage – 8GB eMMC flash, MicroSD card slot Networking 8x dedicated Gigabit Ethernet ports 2x SFP 10GbE c…

SolidRun RZ/G2LC SOM is a system-on-module based on Renesas RZ/G2LC single or dual-core Cortex-A55/M33 processor and designed for AI-enhanced human-machine-interface (HMI) applications, industrial and building automation, video surveillance, IoT, etc… The module is also equipped with 1GB DDR4 RAM, 8GB eMMC flash, and a wireless module with dual-band WiFi 4 and with Bluetooth 4.2 all packed into a tiny footprint measuring just 47 x 30mm that makes it suitable for space-constrained devices such as video doorbells and compact IP cameras. SolidRun RZ/G2LC SOM specifications: SoC – Renesas RZ/G2LC single or dual-core Arm Cortex-A55 processor @ up to 1.2 GHz with, 1x Cortex-M33…

Lumination Labs’ Sonatino is an ESP32-S3 board designed for audio applications that follows the Raspberry Pi Zero dimensions so that it can be used with some of the cases designed for the Raspberry Pi Zero. The wireless audio board features Cirrus Logic WM8524 audio DAC and WM8782 audio DAC capable of 24-bit 192kHz stereo output and mono input respectively, a speaker amplifier and two pins for speaker connection, a 3.5mm audio jack, as well as a microSD card slot for the storage of audio or other data. Sonatino specifications: Wireless Module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 with SoC – ESP32-S3 dual-core LX7 microprocessor @ up to 240 MHz with Vector extension for machine learning Me…

ITEAD has sent us a Sonoff iHost Smart Home Hub for review, and this device seems to be what many SONOFF fans have been waiting for, especially in terms of local control. meaning it can work without an Internet connection. SONOFF is known for its durable devices and good interoperability, but they are still catching up with other companies in terms of local control. Finally, the iHost Smart Home Hub fills the gap. In addition to local control, it also comes with privacy features as data stay local. SONOFF plans to expand its ecosystem by including devices from other brands compliant with standards such as Zigbee 3.0. Furthermore, the iHost Smart Home Hub is more like a pl…

SONOFF iHost is a Smart Home Hub that enables local control of SONOFF smart switches, lightbulbs, Zigbee sensors, and so on without having to require a connection to the cloud (e.g. eWelink). Future software upgrades will also add more devices such as the ones flashed with Tasmota firmware and any device compatible with the Matter IoT protocol. The gateway is based on either a Rockchip RV1109 SoC with 2GB RAM or a Rockchip RV1126 with 4GB RAM and offers 10/100M Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth LE, and Zigbee 3.0 connectivity, as well as a USB 2.0 port to allow for more connectivity. SONFF iHost Smart Home Hub specifications: SoC and Memory Rockchip RV1109 dual-core Arm Cortex-A7…

SONOFF MINI Extreme (aka MINIR4) is a ridiculously small WiFi smart switch based on ESP32 wireless microcontroller and designed to be connected to a load such as a light bulb and a wall switch that can be a momentary switch, a door exit switch, an SPDT switch, a latching switch, or even dry contact sensors. The tiny form factor (39.5×33 x16.8mm) enables the WiFi smart switch to fit into various boxes, even the smaller European gang boxes. Just like other SONOFF home automation devices, the MINIR4 works with eWelink mobile app, but it also implements some new interesting features such as the ‘Detach Relay’ mode. SONOFF MINI Extreme (MINIR4) specifications: MCU – Espressif …

In this post, we’ll review the SONOFF Mini Extreme, also known as MINIR4, WiFi smart switch based on ESP32 wireless MCU by installing it into a wall-mounted light switch box and controlling it with both the eWelink mobile app for Android and the SONOFF R5 scene controller. SONOFF MINIR4 Installation We’ve already gone through the specifications, unboxing, and teardown in the announcement, so I’ll get straight to the installation part. Note this review was done with a light switch “box” (about 11x6cm) in Thailand, so your mileage may vary. The first challenge is that contrary to the similarly-sized SONOFF ZBMINI Extreme Zigbee switch, the MINIR4 WiFi switch requires a neut…

ITEAD has introduced the SONOFF NSPanel Pro Smart Home control panel running Android 8.1 on a Rockchip PX30 quad-core Cortex-A35 processor and acting as a Smart Home gateway thanks to an 802.15.4 radio for Zigbee 3.0, and 2.4 GHz 802.11b WiFi for connectivity. The NSPanel Pro follows the ESP32-powered SONOFF NSPanel introduced just last year but offers much more flexibility with Android, 2GB RAM, 8GB eMMC flash, and also offers a slightly larger 3.95-inch capacitive touchscreen display with 480×480 resolution. SONOFF NSPanel Pro specifications: SoC – Rockchip PX30 quad-core Cortex-A35 processor with Arm Mali-G31 GPU System Memory – 2GB DDR3 Storage – 8GB eMMC 5.1 flash Di…

ITEAD has sent us a Smart Home kit for review including the SONOFF NSPanel Pro Android control panel and Zigbee gateway, an enclosure stand, the CAM Slim WiFi camera, and four Zigbee modules, namely the SNZB-01 wireless switch, the SNZB-02 temperature & humidity sensor, the SNZB-03 motion sensor, and the SNZB-04 door/window sensor. In this review, we’ll configure the NSPanel Pro controller with the eWelink app in Android, show how to add the WiFi camera and Zigbee devices directly to NSPanel Pro, and go back to the eWelink app for more advanced features such as scenes with triggers and actions. Sonoff NSPanel Pro kit unboxing Let’s get started by having a closer look …

SONOFF POW Elite is an ESP32-powered smart power meter switch that can handle up to 20A max load to monitor the power consumption of all appliances in a whole room. The data can be visualized in real-time on the built-in LCD or via the eWelink app, up to six-month of hourly power consumption history can be saved, and the system can also be integrated with third-party solutions such as a Home Assistant, IFTTT, and Alexa Energy dashboard. SONOFF POW Elite specifications: WiSoC – Espressif Systems ESP32 dual-core Xtenxa processor @ up to 240 MHz with 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity Wireless – 2.4GHz 802.11 b/g/n WiFi 4 (Bluetooth does not seem to be used) Power…

We’ve previously tested the SNZB-02 Zigbee temperature and humidity sensor with the SONOFF NSPanel Pro smart panel, but ITEAD has now launched the SONOFF SNZB-02D that integrated the same features plus a 2.5-inch display to visualize the data. They’ve sent us a SNZB-02 sample for review, so after listing the specifications we’ll test SONOFF’s latest Zigbee sensor with Home Assistant. SONOFF SNZB-02D specifications Display – 2.5-inch black&white display Connectivity – Zigbee 3.0 Sensors Temperature sensor with -9.9°C to 60°C range, ±0.2°C accuracy Humidity sensor with 5%—95%RH range, ±2%RH accuracy Battery – 3V CR2450 coin-cell battery good for about 2 years with a 5-s…

SONOFF TX Ultimate smart touch wall switch, also known as the SONOFF T5, is another wireless switch from the company with up to 3 gangs, RGB color edge lights around the 86x86mm switch, as well as support for gestures and custom covers. Gestures like swipe left or right are possible because the full area of the SONOFF T5 switch acts as a touch sensor, and the RGB LEDs around the device enable ambient lights in the room at night. The switch can also provide haptic feedback to the user during use with a built-in speaker and vibration motor. SONOFF TX Ultimate specifications: Model numbers – T5-1C-86, T5-2C-86, T5-3C-86 depending on the number of buttons Wireless – 2.4 GHz…

ITead has just released a new “ZBDongle-E” Zigbee 3.0 USB adapter with Silicon Labs Mighty Gecko EFR32MG21 Arm Cortex-M33 microcontroller with a +20dBm radio for extended range. The new dongle is an upgrade to the popular Texas Instruments CC2652P-based Sonoff Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus, also known as “ZBDongle-P”, with a more compact design, and support for new features such as Sonoff ZBDongle-E specifications: Wireless MCU – Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 Arm Cortex-M33 multiprotocol wireless MCU @ 80 MHz with 64KB RAM, 768KB flash, +20 dBm 802.15.4 radio for Zigbee 3.0 and Thread support, and as well as a Bluetooth 5.1 Low Energy radio Connectivity – Zigbee 3.0 with SMA antenn…

SONOFF ZBMINI Extreme (aka ZBMINI-L2) is an ultra-compact Zigbee smart switch that can control home appliances and lights without a neutral wire and can fit into almost any mounting box. The tiny wireless switch can fit into the smallest EU-type/86-type/120-type mounting box, and works with gateways supporting the Zigbee 3.0 protocol such as ZBBridge Pro, NSPanel Pro, SmartThings Hub, Amazon Alexa Echo speaker, and so on. It also supports external switches, voice control, eWelink app control, and other features. SONOFF ZBMINI Extreme (ZBMINI-L2) specifications: MCU – Silicon Labs EFR32MG22 Arm Cortex-M33 @ 76.8 MHz Zigbee microcontroller with up to 512 kB flash, up to 32 …

ITEAD has just introduced the SONOFF Zigbee Bridge Pro WiFi <-> Zigbee gateway as an upgrade to the Sonoff ZBBridge gateway launched in 2020. Both devices look exactly the same, and the changes are under the hood with the EFR32MG21 and ESP8266/ESP8285 combo being replaced by Texas Instruments SimpleLink CC2652P and ESP32 chips to boost the number of supported sub-devices from 32 to 128. Other changes include the addition of a buzzer acting as an alarm or doorbell chime, as well as a “built-in high-precision local RTC” for gateway time synchronization of local scene schedules. SONFF Zigbee Bridge Pro (aka ZB Bridge-P) specifications: Wireless MCUs Texas Instruments C…

Sony ALT1350 is a new ultra-low-power 5G LPWA LTE-M/NB-IoT chip that supports Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) for satellite connectivity and also integrates sub-GHz and 2.4 GHz radios for short-range communication and improved efficiency. The chip is comprised of an Arm Cortex-M4 microcontroller core as well as an Arm Cortex-M0+ always-on core for sensors and will be upgradable to 3GPP Release 17 to support higher bitrates for Cat-M1 (eMTC) and Cat-NB2 (NB-IoT). It also implements GNSS, cellular and wifi-based location, supports AI acceleration, and embeds a secure element for secure communication. Sony ALT1350 specifications: MCU cores Arm cortex-M4 with 1MB NVRAM and 752…

Raspberry Pi recently received a strategic investment from Sony (Semiconductor Solutions Corporation) in order to provide a development platform for the company’s edge AI devices leveraging the AITRIOS platform. We don’t have many details about the upcoming Raspberry Pi / Sony device, so instead, I decided to look into the AITRIOS platform, and currently, there’s a single hardware platform, LUCID Vision Labs SENSAiZ SZP123S-001 smart camera based on Sony IMX500 intelligent vision sensor, designed to work with Sony AITRIOS software. LUCID SENSAiZ Smart camera SENSAiZ SZP123S-001 specifications: Imaging sensor – 12.33MP Sony IMX500 progressive scan CMOS sensor with rolling…

Firefly EC-A1684JD4 FD and EC-A1684XJD4 FD are nearly identical Edge AI embedded computers based on respectively SOPHON BM1684 and BM1684X Arm AI SoC delivering up to 32 TOPS of AI inference, and capable of decoding up to 32 H.265/H.264 Full HD videos simultaneously for video analytics applications. The BM1684(X) SoCs are equipped with eight Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 2.3 GHz to run Linux, and the systems come with up to 16GB RAM, 128GB flash, two Gigabit Ethernet ports to receive the video streams, one HDMI output up to 1080p30 for monitoring, as well as RS232 and RS485 DB9 connectors, and a few USB ports. Firefly EC-A1684JD4 FD and EC-A1684XJD4 FD specifications: SoC …

SparkFun introduced two new development boards called IoT RedBoard, both based on the ESP32-P4 v3.x (ESP32-P4X) and compatible with the Arduino UNO R3 form factor. The main difference is that one features an ESP32-C5 for Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5 LE, Zigbee, and Thread connectivity, while the PoE version includes 10/100 Mbps Ethernet and Power over Ethernet (PoE) support. They also include MIPI CSI/DSI camera and display connectors, two USB-C ports, a microSD card slot, Qwiic expansion, Arduino R3-compatible headers, and LiPo battery charging and monitoring. These features make it suitable for HMI, edge computing, and IoT applications. SparkFun IoT RedBoard ESP32-P4 specificat…

Sparkfun NanoBeacon is a module equipped with InPlay IN100 NanoBeacon Bluetooth 5.3 beacon SoC, a Qwicc connector, and a few GPIOs designed to work with Bosch Sensortec BME280 3-in-1 humidity sensor, measuring humidity, air pressure, and ambient temperature, and the BMA400 ultra-low power accelerometer sensor. The IN100 NanoBeacon SoC consumes less than 650nA in sleep mode, supports proprietary, Bluetooth, Google Eddystone, and Apple iBeacon beacon modules, and offers a long range of up to several hundred meters. Sparkfun NanoBoard specifications: Bluetooth Beacon SoC – IN100 NanoBeacon SoC (See datasheet for details) Memory – 4 KB SRAM + 4 Kbit OTP memory Bluetooth 5.3 …

SparkFun Thing Plus Matter – MGM240P board targets the development of applications using the Matter IoT protocol and features the MGM240P module based on Silicon Labs EFR32MG24 Arm Cortex-M33 wireless microcontroller with an 802.15.4 radio for Zigbee and OpenThread plus a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.3 radio. The board also offers two rows of I/Os for upto 21 GPIOs and a Qwiic connector for expansion, another EFRM32 MCU acting as a J-link debugger, a microSD card, and can be powered via USB-C or a LiPo battery. SparkFun Thing Plus Matter – MGM240P specifications: MGM240P wireless module SoC – Silicon Labs EFR32MG24 microcontroller CPU – 32-bit Arm Cortex-M33 @ 39 MHz (MC…

Blues Wireless Sparrow is a LoRaWAN solution designed to connect a group of low-cost, low-power device sensors for shared data backhaul to the cloud. It is comprised of STMicro STM32WLE5 LoRa-based sensors whose data is then routed through the company’s Notecard-powered WiFi or cellular gateway and ultimately a cloud app hosted on AWS, Microsoft Azure, or other IoT cloud platforms. The company claims the Notecard and Sparrow solutions ease the development of IoT networks in a way that was previously only available “to sophisticated engineering firms”, and now Blues Wireless supports cellular, WiFi, and LPWAN technologies. Let’s have a look at the “Sparrow Essentials” boar…

Quantum computing promise a leap in the performance of applications relying upon parallelism using the properties of quantum physics like superposition, interference, and entanglement to perform computation instead of flipping “0” and “1” like traditional transistors. It will be used in scientific simulations, cryptography, machine learning, computational biology, and more. So far, I had seen massive quantum computers in research labs, but companies like Intel and IBM are working on providing quantum processors with hundreds and thousands of qubits that should eventually be found in supercomputers. It’s unclear to me whether we’ll ever see “quantum accelerators” in embedd…

STMicro ST87M01 is a compact, low-power, programmable LTE Cat NB2 (NB-IoT) industrial cellular module with GNSS geo-location capability for “massive IoT” deployments and asset tracking applications. STMicro already had several LPWAN solutions such as the STM32WL LoRa SoC, a Wi-SUN transceiver, a few SigFox chips, and a bunch of proprietary sub-GHz chips, but no cellular IoT solutions of their own although the STM32 microcontroller can be found in many third-party solutions. The ST87M01 NB-IoT and GNSS module changes that, so let’s have a closer look. ST87M01 NB-IoT module specifications: Cellular LTE, Category NB2, Release 15 Worldwide regional bands coverage Single-tone …

We’ve already seen the Raspberry Pi RP2040 MCU in a 3D printer controller board, so it should come as no surprise that the dual-core microcontroller also found its way into a Pick-and-Place (PnP) machine control board. Designed by Thea Flowers, the Starfish board leverages the RP2040 MCU capabilities to control three Trinamic TMC2209 motor drivers, MOSFET drivers to control DC vacuum pumps, two vacuum sensors, and offer RS485 and I2C connectivity for feeders and peripherals respectively. Starfish specifications: MCU – Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Cortex M0+ microcontroller at up to 133 MHz with 264 kB of embedded SRAM Storage – QSPI flash Motor drivers – 3x TMC2209 drive…

With the Star64 and VisionFive 2 single board computers, we’ve already got two hardware platforms based on the StarFive JH7110 quad-core RISC-V processor, but somehow we did not get the detailed specifications of the new processor, and some details such as the presence of AI accelerators or exact PCIe specifications were lacking. Some documentation for the StarFive JH7100 processor has been released and answers some of those questions. It’s actually an SoC with six RISC-V cores, of which four 64-bit RISC-V cores run the main OS, plus a 64-bit RISC-V monitoring core, and a 32-bit RISC-V real-time core. The AI accelerators found in the JH7100 (Neural Network Engine and NVDL…

As expected, StarFive has officially unveiled the JH7110 quad-core RISC-V processor with 3D GPU and the VisionFive 2 SBC. I just did not expect the company to also launch a Kickstarter campaign for the board, and the version with 2GB RAM can be had for just about $46 for “early birds”. The VisionFive 2 ships with up to 8GB RAM, HDMI 2.0 and MIPI DSI display interfaces, dual Gigabit Ethernet, four USB 3.0/2.0 ports, a QSPI flash for the bootloader, as well as support for eMMC flash module, M.2 NVMe SSD, and microSD card storage. VisionFive 2 specifications: SoC – StarFive JH7110 quad-core 64-bit RISC-V (SiFive U74 – RV64GC) processor @ up to 1.5 GHz with Imagination BXE-4-…

Canonical has been working on RISC-V support for Ubuntu for a while and released Ubuntu 20.04/21.04 64-bit RISC-V images for QEMU and HiFive boards last year. Now the company has released an Ubuntu 22.04.1 Server image for the StarFive VisionFive V1 RISC-V single board computer. While that’s a good development, The VisionFive V1, and other RISC-V platforms, are nowhere close to being Ubuntu-certified hardware, and Canonical posted a note reading “It is an early RISC-V developer access through Ubuntu 22.04.1.” The VisionFive V1 SBC is a pretty good platform for development with a StarFive JH7100 dual-core RISC-V processor, 8GB RAM, Gigabit Ethernet and WiFi connectivity, H…

STEPFPGA MXO2Core miniature FPGA development board is based on Lattice MXO2-4000 FPGA, and designed for education with an easy-to-use Web IDE, instead of the more traditional tools that can be frustrating to use, and detailed tutorials. The board also comes with a 2-digit segment display, some LEDs, push buttons, and a 4-way DIP switch, as well as two rows of twenty pins for I/O expansion, and a USB Type-C port used for power, programming, or mass storage. STEPFPGA MXO2Core specifications: FPGA – Lattice Semi MachXO2 X02-4000 FPGA with 4320 LUTs Display – 2-digit segment display USB – 1x USB Type-C port for power, programming (UART), and mass storage Expansion – 2x 20-pin…

STMicroelectronics has just announced the STM32Cube.AI Developer Cloud opening access to a suite of online AI development tools for the STM32 microcontrollers (MCUs) allowing developers to generate, optimize, and benchmark AI working on the company’s 32-bit Arm microcontrollers. The company sus the STM32Cube.AI Developer Cloud is based on the existing STM32Cube.AI ecosystem of desktop tools with the added benefit of being able to remotely benchmark models on STM32 hardware through the cloud in order to save on workload and cost. Some of the highlights of the online tools include: An online interface to generate optimized C-code for STM32 microcontrollers without requiring…

STMicro has added three new families to its STM32U5 Cortex-M33 microcontroller series with the entry-level STM32U535/545 with as little as 128KB flash, the STM32U595/5A5 with up to 4MB of Flash and 2,514KB of RAM, and the STM32U599/5A9 with similar features as the STM32U595/5A5 by adding the new NeoChrom 2.5D GPU plus TFT-LCD and DSI display interfaces. STMicro also announced that STM32U5 series MCUs were the first general-purpose MCUs to receive NIST-embedded random-number entropy source certification. As of now, along with the STM32U575/585 introduced in February 2021 with an optional Chrom-ART 2D GPU, STMicro offers eight product lines as part of the STM32U5 MCU series…

STMicroelectronics’ STM32MP13 1 GHz single-core Arm Cortex-A7 microprocessor series is the latest addition to the Linux-capable STM32MP1 family, with a cost-optimized design that does without the Cortex-M4 real-time core found in the original STM32MP15 series, while still offering Ethernet, CAN FD, camera and display depending on the specific SKU: STM32MP131, STTM32MP133, or STM32MP135. STM32MP131 The STM32MP131 is a single-core Cortex-A7 core clocked at 650 MHz or 1GHz with Ethernet connectivity and is the most cost-effective part of the new STM32MP13 series. Four parts are available in three different packet sizes (TGBGA 289, TFBGA 320, and LFBGA 289) as well as some p…

STMicro STLINK-V3PWR is a new in-circuit debugging and programming probe made for STM32 microcontrollers and that is said to provide accurate power measurement. The probe is especially useful for battery power IoT and wireless applications and is able to measure current values from nanoamps up to ~500mA with up to ±0.5% accuracy. The STLINK-V3PWR can also power the target over a single USB cable up to 2A. STMicro STLINK-V3PWR key features and specifications: 1‑Quadrant source measurement unit: Programmable voltage source from 1.6 to 3.6 V Output current rating 500 mA with over-current protection (OCP) at 550 mA Programmable sampling rate from 1 SPS to 100 kSPS Dynamic mea…

STMicroelectronics has announced the STM32H5 Arm Cortex-M33 clocked at up to 250 MHz and supporting STM32Trust TEE Secure Manager to boost both performance and security in “next generation smart applications”. The STM32H5 family has three product types with the higher-end STM32H563/573 with up to 2MB flash, 640KB SRAM, Ethernet and hardware security, the STM32H562 with a similar design but less interfaces, and the entry-level STM32H502 with 128KB flash, 32KB SRAM. STM32H5 key features and specifications: MCU core – Arm Cortex-M33 core with TrustZone technology, digital signal processing (DSP) and floating-point unit (FPU) running up to 250 MHz; Up to 375 DMIPS and a 1023…

STMicro introduced the VL53L8 multi-zone direct Time-of-Flight (dToF) sensor last month, but here’s another ToF sensor with VL53L5CP specifically designed for the PC market with the enablement of features such as user detection, gesture recognition, and intruder alert. STMicro says the ranging sensor continuously scans its field of view to map the scene and gather intelligence without using a camera or recording images. With 64 (8×8) zones within a wide 61-degree field, the VL53L5CP can detect and track multiple targets, calculating at their X/Y/Z coordinates and motion at high speed. VL53L5CP features: 940 nm invisible Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) and i…

STMicro VL53L8 multi-zone direct Time-of-Flight (dToF) sensor doubles the ranging performance of VL53L5 sensor – up to 4 meters – or reduces the power consumption by half when operating in common conditions. STMicro ToF sensors are some of the most popular devices to accurately measure distance in real-time, and the earlier VL53L0X and VL53L1X sensors integrated a single photon avalanche diode. STMicro VL53L5 changed that with multi-zone support (up to 64 zones), and VL53L8 FlightSense sensor builds on the solution with improvements in terms of range and efficiency. STMicro VL53L8 ToF sensor specifications: Low-power 32-bit microcontroller running the firmware 940 nm invi…

The Storaxa is a multi-purpose device powered by an Intel Celeron N6005 Jasper Lake processor which works as a 5-bay SATA NAS, which also happens to take up to four NVMe SSDs, a 4K media center with HDMI and DisplayPort interfaces, and a WiFi 6 router equipped with four 2.5GbE ports. The solution is fitted with 16GB RAM, comes with four 10 Gbps USB 3.2 ports and two USB 2.0 ports, and runs Proxmox VE to handle both TrueNAS SCALE and OpenWrt for the NAS and router functions respectively. Storaxa specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron N6005 quad-core Jasper Lake processor @ 2.0GHz / 3.3GHz (Turbo) with 32EU Intel UHD graphics @ 450 / 900 MHz (Turbo); 10W TDP System Memory – 16…

Qualcomm QCX216 LTE IoT modem was announced at the end of last year as one of the first solutions supporting the new CAT1.bis standard enabling smaller, simpler, and cheaper modules with a single antenna design. This chip also integrates a WiFi scanner exclusively used for indoor positioning. Cavli Wireless C16QS CAT1.bis is one of the first cellular IoT modules based on the Qualcomm QCX216, and we now have a clearer idea of what “cheaper” means since the company says it will sell those for less than $5 to OEMs, although that price is likely in very high quantities, possibly 100k+ or one million pieces. Cavli C16QS specifications: Wireless IC – Qualcomm QCX216 with dual-c…

Synaptics SYN4382 is a triple combo SoC with Wi-Fi 5/6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and IEEE 802.15.4 (Zigbee/Thread/Matter) radios, and manufactured with a 16nm process to lower power consumption for IoT and multimedia applications. The chip can deliver up to 1,200 Mbps WiFi throughput, supports dual-band (RSDB) 2.4 and 5 or 6/6E GHz operation to combine the links at different frequencies, as well as features such as LE Audio for multiple concurrent audio streams in a multi-device environment. Synaptics SYN4382 key features: Wireless Triband 2×2 Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) with 1200 Mbps throughput, RSDB, and support for legacy 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio, Channel Sou…

Syncbotic Syncbot is a four-wheel autonomous mobile robot (AMR) platform for research and education that can be fitted with an NVIDIA Xavier NX or an Intel Apollo Lake/Tiger Lake-based controller running Ubuntu 20.04 operating system with ROS 2 framework, and comes with an motion control MCU board with an EtherCat master and running Zephyr OS. The robot comes with four 400W TECO servo motors, can handle up to 80kg payloads for sensors and a robotic arm, features 12V and 24V power output for sensors, four USB 3.0 ports, and can also be equipped with an eight-camera kit with Intel RealSense and ToF cameras. Syncbot AMR specifications: Robot Controller Platform (one or the o…

Synergy Logic SLM-RP4 industrial PLC is built around a Raspberry Pi 4 SBC and designed for industrial automation, machine control, data acquisition, and Industrial IoT (IIoT) applications. The DIN-rail mountable controller supports 24V DC input and an SPI-based backplane that connects up to eight Synergy Logic I/O modules, providing up to 128 I/O points. It also features Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, USB ports, two micro-HDMI outputs, and a fanless aluminum enclosure. The system runs Raspberry Pi OS with OpenPLC pre-installed for standard IEC 61131-3 logic programming. Synergy Logic SLM-RP4 specifications: SBC – Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (2GB RAM) Storage – 16GB m…

MYIR Tech has launched the MYC-JX8MMA7 system-on-module combining an NXP i.MX 8M Mini quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor with an AMD Xilinx XC7A25T Artix-7 FPGA. The 82 x 45mm CPU module comes with 2GB LPDDR4, 8GB eMMC flash, and 32MB QSPI Flash for the Arm processor and 256MB DDR3 and 32MB QSPI Flash for FPGA. It exposes I/Os through an MXM 3.0 edge connector and can operate in the industrial temperature range (-40 to 85°C). MYC-JX8MMA7 CPU module specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX 8M Mini with quad-core Cortex-A53 processor @ up to 1.6 (industrial) or 1.8 GHz, Cortex-M4F real-time core @ 400 MHz, Vivante GC320 and Vivante GCNanoUltra 3D/2D GPUs, 1080p60 H.265, H.264, VP8, V…

Most mini PCs ship with Windows, or no OS at all for barebone models, but Linux-hardware specialist System76 offers the Meerkat mini PC with either Pop!_OS 22.04 or Ubuntu 22.04 with a choice of processors from the 12th Gen Alder Lake, 11th Gen Tiger Lake, or 10th Gen Comet Lake families. All models support up to 64GB RAM, M.2 NVMe SSD storage, and are equipped with four HDMI/DisplayPort video outputs, Ethernet, and USB ports. There’s also a Tall version of the Meerkat that adds a 2.5-inch SATA bat, and the Alder Lake models, called Meer7, specifically supports the more recent USB4 and 2.5GbE interfaces. System76 Meerkat “Meer7” (Alder Lake) specifications: Alder Lake P-S…

LilyGO has launched a new ESP32-S3 WiFi & BLE camera board with the T-Camera S3 also featuring a small display, a PIR motion sensor, and a microphone, as well as an optional plastic shell. The T-Camera S3 is an evolution of the TTGO T-Camera ESP32 board introduced in 2019 with many of the same features, but the ESP32 microcontroller has been replaced with an ESP32-S3 microcontroller with vector extensions that makes it suitable for machine learning and computer vision applications. The new board also comes with a larger 16 MB SPI flash, more I/Os, and a few other small changes. T-Camera S3 specifications: ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 wireless module SoC – ESP32-S3FN16R8 dual-cor…

There are plenty of ESP32 series boards with display usually TFT or E-Ink, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one with an AMOLED display and that’s what Lilygo is offering with the “T-Display-S3 AMOLED” board equipped with an ESP32-S3 WiFi and Bluetooth microcontroller and a 1.9-inch AMOLED display. The new board is almost the same as the T-Display-S3 board introduced last year, except for a display with higher resolution, more vibrant colors, and a wider viewing angle, plus a 3D antenna, and a few extra I/Os. T-Display-S3 AMOLED specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3R8 dual-core Tensilica LX7 @ up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration, …

LilyGO T-Display-S3 is an ESP32-S3 WiFi and Bluetooth LE IoT development board with a 1.9-inch color LCD and support for LiPo batteries that follows the company’s T-QT ESP32-S3 board with a tiny 0.85-inch display introduced earlier this month. The new board offers the same layout as the previous T-Display RP2040 or ES32 boards, but the 1.14-inch display has been replaced with a larger 1.9-inch display that covers most of the board, and thanks to the ESP32-S3 microcontroller, gains proper Bluetooth 5.0 support, as well as vector instructions for AI acceleration. T-Display-S3 specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3R8 dual-core Tensilica LX7 @ up to 240 MHz…

T-Display-S3 Touch is an update to the T-Display-S3 “Basic” ESP32-S3 board that adds a 320×170 touchscreen using a CST816 I2C touchscreen sensor. The rest of the specifications remains the same with an ESP32-S3R8 dual-core WiFi and Bluetooth LE microcontroller, 16MB flash, a 1.9-inch 320×170 color display, a USB Type-C port, a few I/Os, and support for a LiPo battery. T-Display-S3 Touch specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3R8 dual-core Tensilica LX7 @ up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration, 512KB RAM, 8MB PSRAM, wireless connectivity Storage – 16MB flash Connectivity via ESP32-S3 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi 4 with 40 MHz bandwidth …

LilyGO has been very busy in recent weeks, and their latest product is the “T-Dongle ESP32-S2” development board that looks very much like Espressif ESP32-S3-USB-OTG board development board but is equipped with the single-core WiFi-only ESP32-S2 processor instead of the dual-core ESP32-S3 SoC with WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0. The T-Dongle ESP32-S2 board is designed for the development of USB applications and comes with USB OTG female and male ports, as well as the same 1.14-inch color display found on T-Display RP2040/ESP32 and T-PicoC3 boards. T-Dongle ESP32-S2 development board specifications: Wireless SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S2 single-core Xtensa LX7 processor @ up …

LilyGO T-Dongle-S3 is a USB dongle based on ESP32-S3 dual-core microcontroller with WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, a microSD card slot, as well as an optional 0.96-inch color display. You may remember the company launched the T-Dongle ESP32-S2 last spring, and I first thought it was an update to ESP32-S3, but the new T-Dongle-S3 has quite more compact design and a smaller set of features that makes it suitable for data logging and displaying basic information over a wireless connection. T-Dongle ESP32-S2 development board specifications: Wireless SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 with Dual-core 32-bit Xtensa LX7 microcontroller up to 240MHz RISC-V ULP Co-processor …

LilyGo has launched yet another product based on the ESP32 family of microcontrollers with the T-Embed WiFi IoT controller powered by an ESP32-S3 dual-core processor, equipped with a color display and a rotary encoder, and powered by a battery. The device is programmable and can be used to control Smart Home and IoT devices connected over WiFi or Bluetooth. It also integrates a microphone and speaker, a microSD card for data logging, as well as a Grove connector and an 8-pin GPIO header for expansion. T-Embed specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 module with an ESP32-S3 dual-core Xtensa LX7 processor with WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, 4 to 16MB QSP…

We’ve seen two announcements of high-end RISC-V cores this week with the SiFive P670 and Andes AX65 processors each with a 4-way out-of-order people, but Alibaba’s T-Head Semiconductor Xuantie C908 is a little different with a dual-issued, 9-stage in-order pipeline and support for the RISC-V Vector extension acceleration targeting mid-range AIoT applications. The C908 64-bit RISC-V core adopts the RV64GCB[V] instruction and complies with the RVA22 profile for better compatibility with Android and other “rich” operating systems. The company says its performance is between the C906 and C910 cores introduced in 2020 and 2019 respectively. XuanTie C908 highlights: RV32GCB[V] …

Lilygo has launched yet another ESP32-S3 board with an integrated display, but the T-HMI has a larger 2.8-inch color display and a resistive touch panel suitable for HMI (Human Machine Interfaces). It is also equipped with three Grove connectors for expansion with sensors or actuators. Like all the recent ESP32-S3 boards from Lilygo, the T-HMI features the ESP32-S3NR8 WiFi 4 and Bluetooth MCU with 8MB PSRAM, as well as a 16MB SPI flash, a microSD card slot, a few buttons, and power from USB or a LiPo battery. Lilygo T-HMI board specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3R8 dual-core Tensilica LX7 @ up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration, …

LilyGo T-Relay-8 is an ESP32 WiFi & BLE board equipped with eight 5V relays supporting up to 250V AC or 28V DC, as well as 16-pin GPIO header for expansion. The board offers a more compact solution than the usual two-board setups with an ESP32 board and a separate 8-relay “Arduino” module, and also integrates optocouplers for improved safety. LilyGo T-Relay-8 specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-WROVER-E module with ESP32 dual-core processor with 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity, 4MB flash, 8MB PSRAM Relays – 8x HRS4H-S-DC5V 5V relays up to 250VAC/10A or 28VDC/10A with octocoupler isolation, blue LEDs for status Expansion – 16-pin header (unpopulated) …

T-Watch-Keyboard-C3 is a device that looks like a miniature PC replica comprised of an ESP32-C3 powered keyboard, and the TTGO T-Watch ESP32 programmable device with a 1.54-inch touchscreen display. The LilyGo TTGO T-Watch ESP32 programmable touchscreen display has been around for a while, and the company used to provide an accessory keyboard based on Microchip ATSAM20 Cortex-M0+ microcontroller that has now been replaced with ESP32-C3 WiFi and Bluetooth RISC-V microcontroller to create the T-Watch-Keyboard-C3 devices pictured below. T-Watch-Keyboard-C3 specifications: TTGO T-Watch MCU – ESP32-D0WDQ6 dual-core microcontroller @ 240 MHz with WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 4.x with…

T8-Pro is a low-cost mini PC powered by an Intel Celeron N5095 Jasper Lake processor that offers features such as triple 4K HDMI output and dual Gigabit Ethernet usually found in more expensive models for the industrial/embedded market. The actively-cooled mini PC is equipped with 8GB RAM and an M.2 2242 SSD of 128GB to 1TB capacity. It also comes with a WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2 module, three USB 3.0 ports, and a 3.5mm audio jack. T8-Pro mini PC specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron N5095 quad-core Jasper Lake processor @ 2.0GHz / 2.9GHz (Turbo) with 4MB cache, 16EU Intel UHD Graphics; 15W TDP System Memory – 8GB LPDDR4X (Up to 16GB, but not offered for sale) Storage – 128…

Tektronix is better known for its high-end and pricey oscilloscopes, but has now introduced the 1 Series DPO, a line of low-cost digital phosphor oscilloscopes starting at just $450, with optional AI-assisted control through the new Tek Intelligence connector. These oscilloscopes are designed for electronics testing, embedded development, education, and everyday circuit debugging. The 1 Series DPOs feature up to four analog channels, 50 MHz to 200 MHz bandwidth, 12-bit vertical resolution, and up to 1.25 GS/s sampling rate. They also integrate a 7-inch touchscreen and 10 Mpoints of memory per channel, support I2C, SPI, and UART protocol decoding, and implement built-in wa…

Teledyne e2v Hydra3D+ is a high-resolution Time-of-Flight (ToF) CMOS image sensor with 832 x 600 resolution, designed for 3D detection and measurement, and that can operate in real-time without motion artifacts. The first ToF sensor I used was an STMicro VL53L0X ranging sensor that could measure distances accurately and quickly up to 2 meters away, then the company started to launch multi-zone ToF ranging sensors such as the VL53 that enabled new features such as touch-to-focus, multiple-target identification, flash dimming, or video tracking assistance, and one variant used for human detection. But the 832×600 resolution of Hyrdra3D+ brings even more interesting use case…

Telink TLSR8273-M-EH is a multi-protocol wireless connectivity module with energy harvesting capabilities implemented through Nowi’s PMIC, and designed for batteryless devices (or ones with “forever batteries”) such as TV remote controls, but also wearables, and electronic shelf labels among others. The solution is based on a 48MHz RISC microcontroller that supports Bluetooth 5.1 LE, 802.15.4 (Zigbee/RF4CE/6LoWPAN/Thread), and 2.4GHz proprietary protocols. With a single module integrating all main components required for batteryless operation, Telit says its solutions reduce BOM and size, as well as supply chain complexity, and improves user-friendliness by removing the n…

Hey Karl here. The timing couldn’t have been more opportune when I was asked to review the TerraMaster F4-423 4-bay NAS. Let me explain why. I run Unraid as my OS of choice for my home lab. I have found it easy to maintain and hard to break. My old rig had a 3900X with 3 cores, 6 threads dedicated to docker containers, and the remaining cores running VM’s. It has been a fun and learning experience. I have run it with several different VM configurations over the past few years. The majority of the time I ran 2 VM’s. One personal and one work and I would RDP over to the work VM. If I wanted to game I had a third gaming VM and allocated all resources to it. It’s not super co…

Texas Instruments Sitara AM623 and AM625 Arm Cortex-A53 AIoT processors were just introduced last month, but Forlinx has already introduced the OK6254-C SBC powered by the Sitara AM6254 quad-core processor with up to 2GB DDR4, and an 8GB eMMC flash. The board features two Gigabit Ethernet ports, CAN FD and RS485 interfaces, plus plenty of I/O headers, support for up to three displays via LVDS and parallel RGB interfaces, as well as optional support for 4G/5G cellular connectivity that makes it suitable for all sorts of industrial applications. Forlinx OK6254-C specifications: FET625x-C SoM SoC – Texas Instruments AM6254 quad-core Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.4GHz with Corte…

Texas Instruments has just introduced its low-cost MSPM0 Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller portfolio comprised of the MSPM0L series with a 32 MHz CPU, up to 64 kB of flash, and 4 kB SRAM, and the MSPM0G series with an 80 MHz CPU, up to 128 kB of flash and 32 kB SRAM. Texas Instruments MSPM0L MSPM0L1306 key features: CPU – Arm 32-bit Cortex-M0+ core @ up to 32 MHz Memory – Up to 4KB SRAM Storage – Up to 64KB flash Digital peripherals 3-channel DMA controller 4x 16-bit general-purpose timers, each with two capture/compare registers supporting low-power operation in STANDBY mode, supporting a total of 8 PWM channels Windowed watchdog timer Analog peripherals 12-bit 1.45-Msps an…

Texas Instruments AM62A, AM8, and AM69A Arm Cortex-A53 or Cortex-A72 Vision processors come with 2 to 8 CPU cores and deep learning accelerators delivering from 1 TOPS to 32 TOPS for low-power vision and artificial intelligence (AI) processing in applications such as video doorbells, machine vision, and autonomous mobile robots. Three families and a total of 6 parts are available: AM62A3, AM62A3-Q1, AM62A7, and AM62A7-Q1 single to quad-core Cortex-A53 processors support one to two cameras at less than 2W in applications such as video doorbells and smart retail systems. Equipped with a 1TOPS vision processor, the AM62A3 is the cheapest model of the family going for US$12 …

There are already Python editors such as Thonny, but the BBC thought those were not good enough and released a new web-based Python editor specifically designed for the micro:bit education board targeting 11 to 14 years old pupils. The micro:bit Python editor includes drag and drop code examples, code structure & error highlighting, auto-complete feature, a simulator to test the code before uploading it to the micro:bit board, and a Quick ideas section to help pupils get started with projects. The BBC’s micro:bit Python editor works with both the micro:bit V1 and V2, but note the simulator shows a micro:bit V2, so if you are using the previous generation micro:bit, so…

The Wi-R protocol is a non-radiative near-field communication technology that uses Electro-Quasistatic (EQS) fields for communication enabling the body to be used as a conductor and that consumes up to 100x less energy per bit compared to Bluetooth. In a sense, Wi-R combines wireless and wired communication. Wi-R itself only has a wireless range of 5 to 10cm, but since it also uses the body to which the Wi-R device is attached, the range on the conductor is up to 5 meters. While traditional wireless solutions like Bluetooth create a 5 to 10-meter field around a person, the Wi-R protocol creates a body area network (BAN) that could be used to connect a smartphone to a pace…

InPlay has just announced a Wafer Level Chip Scale Package (WLCSP) for its NanoBeacon SoC IN100, making it the world’s smallest Bluetooth System-on-a-Chip (SoC) at just 2.0 x 1.1 x 0.35mm. The NanoBeacon IN100 is not new per se, and we covered the still tiny Bluetooth SoC when writing about Sparkfun NanoBeacon Bluetooth 5.3 module based on the DFN8 package measuring 2.5×2.5mm. The highlights include its low-code/no-code interface and an ultra-low power consumption of below 1 uW. InPlay NanoBeacon SoC IN100 specifications: Memory – 4 KB SRAM + 4 Kbit OTP memory Bluetooth 5.3 compliant Beacon Modes: Proprietary, BT, Google Eddystone, and Apple iBeacon compliant 2.4GHz RF f…

Theengs is a manufacturer agnostic open-source set of tools to decode BLE sensors and integrate those into smart home and IoT solutions such as Home Assistant with notably support for autodiscovery to automatically create the sensor. Theengs can be installed on various hardware from ESP32 to an Android phone or a Raspberry Pi SBC, and the solution currently supports close to forty BLE sensors from various companies including Xiaomi, Honeywell, and RuuviTag. There are six components: The Theengs Decoder library developed in C++ for portability and translating data from sensors into human-readable data using the JSON format. The Python-based Theengs Gateway acting as a BL…

Powered by an Intel Celeron J6412 quad-core Elkhart Lake processor, the Jetway MI05-0XK thin mini-ITX networking board is equipped with six 2.5GbE ports, up to 16GB RAM via a single SO-DIMM socket, as well as M.2 sockets for storage, WiFi and/or cellular connectivity, some serial ports, and an optional HDMI port for video output. Four variants are offered: the standard MI05-00K model without eMMC flash nor TPM, the MI05-02K with a TPM 2.0 chip, the MI05-03K with a 32GB eMMC flash, and finally the MI05-07K with both the TPM 2.0 security chip and 32GB eMMC flash. Jetway MI05-0XK specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron J6412 quad-core Elkhart Lake processor @ 1.2 GHz / 2.6GHz (B…

Think Silicon NEOX GPU family with models optimized for graphics (NEOX|G) or artificial intelligence (NEOX|A) is based on the RISC-V RV64C ISA instruction set with adaptive NoC, and offers up to 64 cores delivering up to 409.6 GFLOPS at 800MHz with support for FP16, FP32 and optionally FP64 and SIMD instructions. The NEOX GPUs can be integrated into microcontrollers, crossover processors, and even more powerful application processors, and target AI, IoT/Edge, and media processing in consumer and industrial devices. Each shader of the GPU is a programmable 64-bit RISC-V (RV64GC) core running a real-time operating system (RTOS) and the GPU is supported by lightweight graphi…

Electronic components have shrunk a lot over the year, but batteries are usually one of the larger items in a design. ITEN changes that with solid state lithium-ion micro-batteries in the shape of SMD components with up to 100 µAh capacity. This is clearly not going to power your next smartphone, but ITEM micro-batteries could be found in ultra-low-power sensors potentially replacing non-rechargeable coin cell batteries with much higher capacities (e,g. 100 mAh). ITEN says their solid-state micro-batteries are superior to coin cell batteries because those are polluting, difficult to assemble on PCB, costly to recycle and require periodic maintenance once a battery is de…

Texas Instruments has unveiled the SimpleLink CC33xx family of Wi-Fi 6 companion IC with optional Bluetooth 5.3 Low Energy designed to be connected to a microcontroller (MCU) or a microprocessor (MPU) for secure and power-efficient IoT devices, The SimpleLink CC3000 supports 2.4 GHz WiFi 6, and interfaces over SDIO, SPI, and/or UART to the host system, while the SimpleLink CC3301 also adds support for Bluetooth 5.3 LE. Both chips can operate in high-temperature environments up to 105ºC. Texas Instruments CC3300/CC3301 specifications: Wireless 2.4 GHz WiFi 6 (802.11ax) up to 50 Mbps; Support for TWT and OFDMA, multirole (Access Point and Station) CC3301 only – Bluetooth 5.…

Texas Instruments has just launched the new Sitara AM62 family with AM623 and AM625 single to quad-core Cortex-A53 processors designed to provide IoT gateways and HMI applications with AI processing at low power, in some cases with up to 50% reduction in power consumption. The AM623 processor specifically targets Internet of Things (IoT) applications and gateways that may benefit from object and gesture recognition, while the AM625, equipped with a 3D GPU, should power HMI applications with edge AI and up to two full-HD displays. Sitara AM623 and AM625 processors Sitara AM623/AM625 key features and specifications: CPU – Single, dual, or quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor …