Designed by Universal Machine Intelligence, the M.2 CAN FD adapter is an M.2 to CAN FD converter board that brings two high-speed CAN FD interfaces to projects requiring reliable high-speed communication. It is an M.2 B-key card with a slim form factor and a breakaway design that supports slot lengths like 2242, 2252, 2260, and 2280. The adapter supports CAN FD and CAN 2.0B protocols with speeds up to 5Mbit/s and includes functional isolation between the host and CAN bus for additional safety. Additional features include a built-in network termination switch with split termination, ultra-low power consumption, and compatibility with 12V, 24V, and 48V systems. Designed for industrial environments, this adapter is ideal for applications like industrial monitoring and control, robotics, production line automation, hardware-in-the-loop testing, remote system access, data logging, and embedded computing. M.2 CAN FD adapter specifications: CAN Bus CAN channel – Dual-channel CAN interfaces that are independent [...]

The post M.2 CAN FD adapter adds CAN Bus support to hosts with a spare M.2 Key-B socket appeared first on CNX Software - Embedded Systems News.

Jack Dorsey, who previously owned Twitter and now runs Block, will be giving a talk at FOSDEM 2025 entitled “Infusing Open Source Culture into Company DNA: A Conversation with Jack Dorsey and Manik Surtani, Block’s head of Open Source” and some people don’t like having a billionaire giving a talk at an open-source event and plan to host a protest. I recently wrote about my own FOSDEM 2025 schedule focusing on embedded systems topics, and while the event is usually non-controversial, I was startled by a tweet by FOSDEM organizers who issued a “statement on planned protests during the upcoming FOSDEM 2025”. I eventually found out that it was related to a post by Drew DeVault who did not appreciate having a billionaire talk during the open-source-focused event. The talk is planned in the Janson venue which is the biggest at the event with a capacity of up to 1,500 [...]

The post Jack Dorsey talk at FOSDEM 2025 may lead to protest appeared first on CNX Software - Embedded Systems News.

Olimex has recently released the PICO2-XL and PICO2-XXL open-source hardware RP2350B development boards with up to 16MB flash, 8MB PSRAM, 48 GPIOs, a microSD card slot, and more. The main difference between the two boards is that the PICO2-XL includes 2MB of external QSPI Flash and a compact flat-bottom design, making it ideal for simpler, space-constrained projects. In contrast, the PICO2-XXL offers 16MB of QSPI Flash, 8MB of PSRAM, and a microSD card slot for expanded storage and performance, catering to more demanding applications like IoT and edge computing. Olimex PICO2-XL and PICO2-XXL specifications SoC – Raspberry Pi RP2350B MCU CPU Dual-core Arm Cortex-M33 @150MHz with Arm Trustzone Dual-core 32-bit Hazard3 RISC-V @ 150MHz Up to two cores can be used at the same time Memory – 520KB SRAM 8kB OTP storage Security – Secure boot Package – QFN-80; 10×10 mm Memory – 8MB PSRAM (PICO2-XXL only) Storage PICO2-XL – [...]

The post Open hardware RP2350B boards offer up to 16MB flash, 8MB PSRAM, microSD card slot, 48x GPIOs appeared first on CNX Software - Embedded Systems News.

Elecrow’s CrowPanel Advance is a family of 2.8-inch to 7-inch ESP32-S3 WiFi and BLE displays that supports replaceable modules for Thread/Zigbee/Matter, WiFi 6, 2.4GHz, and LoRa (Meshtastic) connectivity. Those are updates of the CrowPanel (Basic) displays introduced last year. They feature an ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8 module soldered on the back plus headers taking ESP32-H2, ESP32-C6, SX1262 LoRa transceiver, or nRF2401 2.4GHz wireless MCU. CrowPanel Advance 7-inch specifications: Wireless Module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8 SoC – ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core LX7 processor with up to 240MHz Memory – 512KB SRAM, 8MP PSRAM Storage – 384KH ROM Wireless – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 with BLE Storage – 16MB flash PCB antenna Storage – MicroSD card slot Display 7.0-inch IPS capacitive touchscreen display with 800×480 resolution (SC7277 driver) Viewing Angle: 178° Brightness: 400 cd/m²(Typ.) Color Depth – 16-bit Active Area – 156 x 87mm Audio Built-in microphone Speaker connector Wireless Expansion ESP32-H2 module with 802.15.4 radio [...]

The post CrowPanel Advance: ESP32-S3 displays with replaceable WiFi 6, Thread, Zigbee, LoRa, and 2.4GHz wireless modules appeared first on CNX Software - Embedded Systems News.

The eMotion Ultra is a Home Assistant-compatible 60GHz mmWave radar presence sensor with a built-in IR blaster with a 15-meter range, a brightness sensor, and a temperature/humidity sensor. It is powered by an Armv8-M KM4 microcontroller with built-in Wi-Fi connectivity and is targeted at simplifying complex smart home setups. The eMotion Ultra 60GHz mmWave radar presence sensor module is reported to be able to “cover up to 40 square meters (430 square feet) using just one device.” It can be configured for up to 4 zones with personalized automations for each zone. The exact Armv8-M KM4 module used isn’t named but is likely based on a Realtek RTL8720CM wireless SoC or other Realtek Ameba microcontroller. Potential applications include security management, lighting automation, home climate control, energy management, and rental property management. We have seen similar presence sensors such as the RoomSense IQ, Seeed Studio’s mmWave fall detection kit, SONOFF SNZB-06P, [...]

The post Home Assistant-compatible 60GHz mmWave radar sensor features a built-in IR blaster (Crowdfunding) appeared first on CNX Software - Embedded Systems News.

VBEST’s Tail Insert Detector is a USB-C and Lightning cable/device tester that reports “real-time” current and voltage of each pin on its built-in display for easy debugging and testing. VBEST Tail Insert Detector highlights and specifications: Port compatibility – USB Type-C male and Lightning male ports Display – Color LCD display Features – Real-time current and voltage detection Misc – Push switch for power and display mode Power 5V via USB-C female port (on the side) Built-in battery Dimensions – 52 x 35 (estimated) x 14mm Sadly, there’s not much in the way of documentation, so it’s unclear how many display modes there are. I’m also confused by the “real-time” voltage and current reporting, because we’re also told it takes 5 seconds to detect “abnormal pins”. The VBEST’s device is very similar to the A2C caberQU and C2C caberQU boards used to respectively test USB-A to USB-C and USB-C to [...]

The post USB-C and Lightning tester features an LCD display showing the voltage of each pin appeared first on CNX Software - Embedded Systems News.

Imagination Technologies has decided to exit the RISC-V CPU market to redirect its resources to the development of its GPU and AI products. This was reported by eeNews Europe following an interview with the company: Imagination exited its standalone line of CPUs to increase our investment in graphics, AI and compute at the edge which we believe is transformational for our business […]  We remain committed to the RISC-V ecosystem and believe this change to our business allows us to partner more easily with the wider ecosystem as providers of the GPU of choice for RISC-V The company announced its entry into RISC-V IP core in 2021 with the introduction of the Catapult 32-bit and 64-bit RISC-V CPU cores, followed by the 32-bit RTXM-2200 real-time core in 2022, and the cost-optimized APXM-6200 RISC-V core was introduced last year. But all those RISC-V CPU cores are gone and won’t be found [...]

The post Imagination exits the RISC-V CPU market appeared first on CNX Software - Embedded Systems News.

Sacred Labs’ FlipMods Combo is a 3-in-1 expansion module for the Flipper Zero that combines an ESP32 WiFi and Bluetooth SoC, Texas Instruments CC1101 Sub-GHz wireless microcontroller, and an unnamed GPS module. The expansion module is housed in a neat 3D-printed case and features a built-in GPS antenna, external WiFI/Bluetooth & Sub-Ghz antennas, as well as a switch to send the GPS data to the ESP32 chip or the Flipper Zero. The ESP32 module is preloaded with the Marauder firmware also used in the ESP32 Marauder Pocket Unit and Mayhem v2 for Flipper Zero for penetration testing with Wi-Fi scanning, de-authentication attacks, packet sniffing, and more. FlipMods Combo specifications: Wireless modules ESP32-WROOM-32UE for WiFi and Bluetooth; external SMA antenna (long) Texas Instruments CC1011 for 315, 433, 868, and 915MHz ISM bands; external SMA antenna (short) GPS module with internal antenna Storage – MicroSD card slot up to 32GB USB – [...]

The post FlipMods Combo is a 3-in-1 Flipper Zero expansion module with ESP32, GPS, and CC1101 modules appeared first on CNX Software - Embedded Systems News.

Siflower SF21H8898 SoC features a quad-core 64-bit RISC-V processor clocked at up to 1.25 GHz and a network processing unit (NPU) for handling traffic and is designed for industrial-grade gateways, controllers, and routers. The chip supports up to 2GB DDR3, DDR3L, or DDR4 memory, offers QSGMII (quad GbE), SGMII/HSGMII (GbE/2.5GbE), and RGMII (GbE) networking interfaces, and USB 2.0, PCIE 2.0, SPI, UART, I2C, and PWM interfaces. Siflower SF21H8898 specifications: CPU – Quad-core 64-bit RISC-V processor at up to 1.25 GHz Cache 32KB L1 I-Cache and 32KB L1 D-Cache per core Shared 256 KB L2 cache Memory – Up to 2GB 16-bit DDR3/3L up to 2133Mbps or DDR4 up to 2666Mbps Storage – NAND and NOR SPI flash support Networking 1x QSGMII interface (Serdes 5Gbps rate) for 4x external Gigabit Ethernet PHYs 1x SGMII/HSGMII interface (Serdes1.25/3.125Gbps rate) supporting Gigabit and 2.5Gbps modes 1x RGMII interface for Gigabit Ethernet 1x MDIO interface [...]

The post Siflower SF21H8898 is a quad-core 64-bit RISC-V SoC for industrial gateways, routers, and controllers appeared first on CNX Software - Embedded Systems News.

Jetway MTX-MTH1 is a thin industrial Mini-ITX SBC built around Intel Core Ultra 5/7 Meteor Lake processors with Intel Arc Graphics and support for up to 96GB of DDR5 memory. The most interesting features of this compact board are the three 2.5GbE jacks and four HDMI 2.1 video outputs for 4K and 8K displays. Additionally, it features multiple USB ports, a PCIe Gen 5 x8 slot, M.2 slots for storage and 4G LTE/5G, serial ports, and GPIO interfaces. With industrial environmental tolerance (-20°C to 60°C) this thin Mini-ITX motherboard is ideal for industrial automation, AI processing, edge computing, and embedded systems. Jetway MTX-MTH1 specifications: SoC (one or the other) Intel Core Ultra 7 Processor 155H (Meteor Lake, TDP 28W) with Intel Arc Graphics Intel Core Ultra 5 Processor 125H (Meteor Lake, TDP 28W) with Intel Arc Graphics System Memory – 2x DDR5 5600MHz SO-DIMM, up to 96GB Storage SATA III [...]

The post Jetway MTX-MTH1 thin Mini-ITX SBC features Intel Core Ultra 5/7 SoC, three 2.5GbE, four HDMI 2.1, PCIe Gen5 x8 slot appeared first on CNX Software - Embedded Systems News.

SONOFF sent us a sample of the MINI-D Wi-Fi smart switch with a dry contact design for review. If you’re familiar with the larger SONOFF 4CH Pro model, which features four channels, the MINI-D operates similarly but is smaller in size and comes with the latest software features. The principle of a dry contact is that the relay contacts are not directly connected to the device’s power supply circuit. Instead, the contacts are isolated and require an external power source to supply power to the load. Make it flexible to use the SONOFF Mini-D in various scenarios such as controlling garage doors, thermostats, or high-current electrical devices through a contactor, like water pumps. It can also manage low-power DC devices such as solenoid valves or small electric motors (<8W). Because the power supplied to the MINI-D and the power passed through its relay can come from different sources, it offers [...]

The post SONOFF MINI-D Review – A Matter-enabled dry contact WiFi switch tested with eWeLink, Home Assistant, and Apple Home appeared first on CNX Software - Embedded Systems News.

Waveshare has recently launched DDSM Driver HAT (B), a compact Raspberry Pi DDSM (Direct Drive Servo Motor) motor driver designed specifically to drive the DDSM400 hub motors. This board is built around an ESP32 MCU and supports wired (USB and UART) and wireless (2.4GHz WiFi) communication. Additionally, the board features a physical toggle switch, which lets it choose between the ESP32 control or USB control modes. On ESP32 control mode you can control the device through a built-in web application. In the USB control mode, the motor driver can be controlled via USB from a host computer sending JSON commands. An XT60 connector is used to power the board, and programming is done through a USB-C port that connects to the ESP32. The board is suitable for robotics projects, especially for mobile robots in 6×6 or 4×4 configurations. Waveshare DDSM Driver HAT (B) specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-WROOM-32E ESP32 [...]

The post ESP32-based Waveshare DDSM Driver HAT (B) for Raspberry Pi supports DDSM400 hub motors appeared first on CNX Software - Embedded Systems News.

The IPEM PiHat is a HAT (Hardware Attached on Top) board for the Raspberry Pi that turns the single-board computer into a mains power energy monitor with four CT clamps. It provides an accurate way to track energy usage in home, office, and solar energy systems and is compatible with single-phase, two-phase, and three-phase electrical systems. The Raspberry Pi-based power energy monitor uses CT (current transformer) cable clamps to sample and measure data which can be used to report and analyze electric energy usage. This data can be used to save and divert energy to reduce costs and inefficiencies. The system is easy to set up and does not require a professional electrician. It uses a CT current clamp clipped over the building’s main power cables and connected to the local mains circuit for voltage and frequency measurement. The add-on board comes in two variants: IPEM PiHat and IPEM PiHat [...]

The post Ditronix’s IPEM PiHat turns your Raspberry Pi into a mains power energy monitor (Crowdfunding) appeared first on CNX Software - Embedded Systems News.

The OpenFlexture Microscope is a DIY, open-source, 3D-printed microscope built around the Raspberry Pi 4, a Raspberry Pi Camera Module v2, and a choice of optics or various qualities up to lab-grade optics. It can be motorized using low-cost geared stepper motors and can achieve a resolution of up to around 100 nanometers I found out about the OpenFlexture Microscope in one of the sessions at the upcoming FOSDEM 2025 event whose description partially reads: The OpenFlexure Microscope is an open-source laboratory-grade digital robotic microscope. As a robotic microscope, it is able to automatically scan microscope slides creating, enormous multi-gigapixel digital representations of samples. The microscope is already undergoing evaluation for malaria and cancer diagnosis in Tanzania, Rwanda, and the Philippines. As an open project, our key goal is to support local manufacturing of microscopes in low-resource settings. [..] high-quality consistent documentation has enabled thousands of microscopes to be built [...]

The post OpenFlexture Microscope is an open-source, 3D-printed microscope based on Raspberry Pi 4 SBC and Camera Module v2 appeared first on CNX Software - Embedded Systems News.

IBASE Technology’s INA1607 is a fanless uCPE (universal Customer Premises Equipment) and SD-WAN (Software-defined WAN) appliance powered by an Intel Atom x7405C Amston Lake processor coupled with up to 16GB ECC or non-EEC DDR5 memory. The embedded computer comes with offers up to 64GB eMMC flash, features a 2.5-inch SATA bay, offers four 2.5GbE RJ45 ports, two dual-function GbE ports (RJ45/SFP), and supports wireless expansion for WiFi 6 or 4G LTE/5G modules through mini PCIe and M.2 slots and up to six antennas. IBASE INA1607 specifications: SoC – Intel Atom X7405C quad-core Amston Lake processor @ up to 2.2GHz with 6MB cache; TDP: 12W System Memory – Up to 16GB DDR5 4800MHz ECC/Non-ECC via SODIMM socket Storage 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB eMMC flash M.2 2280 B-Key 3042/3080 socket for SATA III or PCIe SSD 2.5-inch SATA drive bay Networking 4x 2.5GbE RJ45 ports via Intel i226-V controllers 2x GbE RJ45 [...]

The post IBASE INA1607 is a fanless uCPE/SD-WAN appliance powered by an Intel Atom x7405C Amston Lake SoC appeared first on CNX Software - Embedded Systems News.

Morse Micro MM8108 is a new WiFi HaLow (802.11ah) SoC with a throughput of up to 43.33 Mbps, and improved range and power efficiency compared to its predecessor the Morse Micro MM6108 introduced in 2022 and supporting up to 32.3 Mbps transfer rate. The new chip is also smaller at just 5x5mm in a BGA package instead of 6x6mm in a QFN48 package for the MM6108/MM6104, adds a USB 2.0 host interface besides SDIO 2.0 and SPI, as well as a MIPI RFFE (Radio Frequency Front-End) for integration and interoperability with multi-radio systems. Morse Micro MM8108 specifications: 32-bit RISC-V Host Applications Processor (HAP) Single-Chip IEEE802.11ah Wi-Fi HaLow transceiver for low-power, long-reach IoT applications Worldwide Sub-1 GHz frequency bands (850MHz to 950MHz) On-chip 26 dBm power amplifier with support for external FEM (Front End Module) option 1/2/4/8 MHz channel bandwidth for up to 43.3 Mbps data rate using 256-QAM modulation at [...]

The post Morse Micro MM8108 WiFi HaLow SoC supports up to 43.33 Mbps transfer rate, improves range and power efficiency appeared first on CNX Software - Embedded Systems News.

Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-AMOLED-1.8 is an ESP32-S3 development board with an AMOLED display and AI audio support fully housed in a plastic enclosure. The most interesting feature of this devkit is its 1.8-inch AMOLED display with a 100000:1 contrast ratio and a wide 178° viewing angle, plus support for AI speech using its built-in microphone and speaker, and a built-in battery for IoT and AI applications. Other features include a QMI8658 6-axis IMU for motion detection, a PCF85063 RTC for time, and an ES8311 audio codec for high-quality audio. The ESP32-S3 provides Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity and the board also features a USB-C port for power and programming. The AXP2101 power management IC enables battery charging and optimization, while GPIO, I2C, and UART pads allow expansion. Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-AMOLED-1.8 specifications Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3R8 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 @ up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration. Memory – [...]

The post Fully enclosed ESP32-S3 board features 1.8-inch AMOLED, microphone & speaker for AI audio applications appeared first on CNX Software - Embedded Systems News.

SMARTHON Smart City IoT Starter Kit for micro:bit is an educational kit for 10+ years old teaching basic projects from turning an LED to more complex projects with multiple sensors, IFTTT integration, and mobile app development. The company sent us a sample of the Start Kit along with a BBC Micro:bit board for review, and we’ll report our experience with the kit in this review. Unboxing of SMARTHON Smart City IoT Starter Kit for micro:bit The package I received includes the SMARTHON Smart City IoT Starter Kit for Micro:bit and a BBC Micro:bit V2 board since it’s not included in the starter kit. The bottom side of the package lists the main components and features a QR code pointing to the product page. The package includes cardboard and wooden models, various cables, a 180° servo, a screw set, a city map, the Smarthon IoT:bit carrier board for the BBC Micro:bit, [...]

The post Review of SMARTHON Smart City IoT Starter Kit for BBC Micro:bit appeared first on CNX Software - Embedded Systems News.

NXP Semiconductors has launched the MCX L series of ultra-low-power Arm Cortex-M33 MCUs with the MCX L14x and MCX L25x SKUs. The new series offers similar peripherals as the rest of the MCX portfolio but uses a new “power management architecture that supports always-on, battery-powered applications” The MCX L series uses a dual domain architecture, with “real-time processing and ultra-low-power sensing functions in a single device.” The Arm Cortex-M33 core supports real-time processing functions while the Arm Cortex-M0+ core offers always-on operation in the ultra-low-power sense domain. The new microcontrollers reportedly use three times less power than their predecessors. The ultra-low-power series is targeted at energy-constrained applications, powered by a battery, ultracapacitor, or power harvesting circuit. These include building control, industrial sensing, smoke and fire alarms, flow meters, smart appliances, and motion detectors. NXP MCX L14x and L25x specifications: CPU Main core: Arm Cortex-M33 microcontroller @ up to 96 MHz [...]

The post NXP MCX L14x and MCX L25x ultra-low-power Cortex-M33 MCUs target energy harvesting and battery-powered devices appeared first on CNX Software - Embedded Systems News.

In response to community feedback for more I/O options, Seeed Studio has recently launched the Seeed Studio XIAO Plus series with 23 castellated mounting pins (20 GPIOs, 3 power pins) and improved back solder points, improving compatibility with carrier boards for complex projects. The new series includes the XIAO ESP32S3 Plus, XIAO nRF52840 Plus, and XIAO nRF52840 Sense Plus which are direct upgrades of the XIAO ESP32S3, XIAO nRF52840 BLE, and XIAO nRF52840 Sense boards. The new design allows for easier assembly and scalable production, with double the I/O options. XIAO ESP32S3 Plus The Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32S3 Plus is a compact development board with a total of 23 pins on the board out of which 11 are through-hole GPIO pins 9 additional SMD castellations GPIO pins and 3 through-hole are power pins. The board is built around an ESP32-S3 MCU so it has 2.4GHz WiFi and BLE 5.0 connectivity. Other [...]

The post Seeed Studio XIAO Plus series adds more GPIOs through castellated holes appeared first on CNX Software - Embedded Systems News.