Retrocomputing enthusiasts will be delighted to learn that a new ZX Spectrum replica is on the market: the ESP32 Rainbow. The single board computer swaps the Zilog Z80 for an ESP32-S3 microcontroller chip running an emulator, bringing the classic 80s computer back to life with a modern twist. It features a built-in color display, a microSD card slot for storage, a built-in touch keyboard in the ZX Spectrum style, and a USB Type-C port for power and data. The keyboard was recreated using full-color UV printing and is the most true-to-life component of the ESP32-S3-based ZX Spectrum single board computer. The touch keys won’t likely offer the best typing experience but that is reminiscent of the original ZX Spectrum. A lovely cherry on top is that the onboard USB-C port supports HID and the device can be used as a keyboard on another computer. The ZX Spectrum is one of [...]

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Qualcomm has added two new IoT modules to its wireless connectivity product series: the Qualcomm QCC730M ‘micro-power’ WiFi 4 module and the QCC74xM tri-radio module, with both modules designed for smart homes, smart appliances, medical devices, and industrial applications. The Qualcomm QCC730M is a dual-band, micro-power Wi-Fi 4 module with a 60MHz Arm Cortex-M4F MCU, 640kB SRAM, 1.5MB RRAM, hardware crypto accelerator, and secure boot, debug, and storage. Its low-power design is ideal for portable, battery-powered IoT devices like IP cameras, sensors, and smart locks. Based on the Qualcomm QCC730 module, it features a 36-pin LGA package with a PCB antenna or RF connector and supports up to 4MB of optional NOR flash. The Qualcomm QCC74xM is Qualcomm’s “first programmable connectivity module,” integrating a 32-bit RISC-V module, optional stacked memory (PSRAM and NOR flash), and a tri-radio chipset for WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and IEEE 802.15.4 (Thread and Zigbee). Its [...]

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Create Your Own Bot (CYOBot) v2 is an open-source, modular robotics platform for students, educators, hobbyists, and future engineers based on the ESP32-S3 microcontroller and featuring up to 16 servo motors for complex control. The CYOBot v2 is a follow-up to the previous quadrupedal robotic platform from the same company. It adds new features such as a modular design, an upgrade to the ESP32-S3 chip, more motor channels, and an expansion block with more peripherals. It also supports integrating AI systems, such as ChatGPT, for added functionality. The CYOBot supports up to three configurations via the CYOBrain — which powers the robotics platform and controls the servo motors — and separate 3D-printed components. The CYOBot Crawler is a four-legged robot powered by eight 180-degree servo motors. The CYOBot Wheeler form factor features four 360-degree motors linked to wheels at the end of each leg and is essentially a hybrid between [...]

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STMicro STSPIN32G0 is a new series of advanced 3-phase motor controllers with variable voltage ranging from 45V to 600V that extend STMicro’s portfolio of devices with an integrated MCU and motor driver. The new series combines a triple-half bridge gate driver with the Arm Cortex-M0+-based STM32G0 microcontroller and is capable of handling six-step and field-oriented control (FOC) algorithms. The integrated design of the STSPIN32G0 series offers cost-savings and “significant BOM area reduction without compromising performance and robustness.” There are two main versions of the STSPIN32G0 series, low-voltage and high-voltage. The low-voltage 3-phase motor controllers include a voltage regulator, one or three shunts, and a gate driver rated at 45V and up to 0.6A. They are mainly targeted at home appliances, power tools, and drones. The high-voltage versions can handle either 250V or 600V, making them suitable for industrial inverters and fans. They are targeted at home appliances, air conditioners, home [...]

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iBASE Technology has unveiled the IB962 3.5-inch single-board computer (SBC) powered by the Intel Core Ultra 5/7 100 Series processor family (formerly Meteor Lake U/H) and delivering an “optimal balance of performance and power efficiency.” The IB962 3.5-inch SBC mostly follows the IB961 board‘s design, offering more powerful SoC options, more system memory, and an HDMI 2.0 display interface supporting 4K resolution at 60Hz. It provides dual Gigabit Ethernet networking, three USB 3.2 ports (two via pin headers), three USB 2.0 ports, and three M.2 slots (M-Key + E-Key + B-Key) for networking, storage, and cellular communication. While IB962 is not a single-board computer in the strictest sense since it uses SODIMM sockets, it is still quite compact and useful for portable or space-constrained applications. It is intended for industrial automation, manufacturing, retail, entertainment, healthcare, and various edge AI applications. It is a larger alternative to AAEON’s PICO-MTU4 Pico-ITX SBC [...]

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Cambridge-based hardware and cloud computing company, Signaloid has begun crowdfunding for the C0-microSD – a tiny, programmable iCE40UP5K FPGA system-on-module (SoM) in a microSD card form factor. It comes preloaded with a RISC-V softcore and users can also load custom FPGA designs onto the board. Part of the Signaloid C0-microSD’s unique appeal is its SD card form factor, which allows it to fit in unused full SD or microSD slots. This allows the implementation of FPGA-based hardware acceleration in systems without traditional expansion interfaces like PCIe M.2 slots. It can also be interfaced with as a standard SD block device and used to bring hardware-accelerated data processing to existing industrial automation, manufacturing, and robotics systems. The iCE40UP5K FPGA SoM has two main use cases: a hot-pluggable FPGA module or a hot-pluggable RISC-V co-processor module. The SD interface allows you to load custom FPGA bitstreams and applications onto the module from [...]

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Renesas has expanded its Arm Cortex-M85-based RA8 series to include two new entry-level MCUs, RA8E1 and RA8E2. The new microcontrollers perform similarly to other Arm Cortex-M85-based microcontrollers and are offered at a lower price point thanks to a streamlined feature set to reduce costs. The RA8E1 and RA8E2 groups of microcontrollers will be useful for high-volume applications in industrial and home automation, healthcare, office equipment, and consumer products. We have previously covered other models in Renesas’ RA8 series, including the Renesas RA8T1, RA8D1, and the very first Cortex-M85 microcontroller, the Renesas RA8M1. The RA8 series consists of microcontrollers based on the Arm Cortex-M85 core with a performance of 6.39 CoreMark/MHz and Arm’s M-Profile Vector Extension which provides a 4x performance boost for DSP and ML workloads while maintaining low power consumption. The RA8E1 and RA8E2 Cortex-M85 microcontroller groups differ mostly in clock speed, available internal and external memory, communication interfaces, [...]

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The M5Stack Module LLM is yet another box-shaped device from the company that provides artificially intelligent control without internet access. It is described as an “integrated offline Large Language Model (LLM) inference module” which can be used to implement local LLM-based solutions in smart homes, voice assistants, and industrial control. Module LLM is powered by the AX630C SoC, equipped with 4GB LPDDR4 memory, 32GB storage, and a 3.2 TOPS (INT8) or 12.8 TOPS (INT4) NPU. M5Stack says the main chip has an average runtime power consumption of 1.5W, making it suitable for long-term operation. It has a built-in microphone, speaker, microSD card slot, and USB OTG. The USB port can connect peripherals such as cameras and debuggers, and the microSD card slot supports cold and hot firmware updates. The M5Stack Module LLM joins the list of other offline, on-device LLM-based solutions, such as the SenseCAP Watcher, Useful Sensors’ AI in [...]

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The USB Insight Hub is a USB testing tool based on the ESP32-S2 wireless SoC made by Ecuador-based company Aerio Solutions SAS and aimed at developers and tech enthusiasts. The Insight Hub connects to a computer via a USB Type-C port and expands it to three downstream ports, each with a 1.3-inch color display screen that displays information about the serial device such as its assigned enumeration name, voltage, and current. The enumeration name displayed helps to identify all virtual ports running through the Insight Hub. This feature is quite handy when multiple devices are connected. Although the hub features a Wi-Fi-enabled SoC, it doesn’t currently support wireless networking. Each downstream port is connected to a dedicated voltage and current meter for real-time feedback. Also, the hub implements configurable short-circuit, over-current, and back-current protection. It also allows you to control the individual activation and deactivation of the D+/D- data lines [...]

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STMicroelectronics (STMicro) has announced the ST1VAFE3BX biosensor, a highly integrated chip that combines “cardio and neurological sensing with motion tracking and embedded AI functionalities,” and is targeted at healthcare and fitness wearables. The ST1VAFE3BX biosensor chip integrates biopotential inputs with an accelerometer and a machine learning core for reduced power consumption. It features a complete vertical analog front end (vAFE) for simplified detection of vital signs in electrocardiography, electroencephalography, and other healthcare monitoring applications. Inertial sensing by the accelerometer is synchronized with biopotential sensing “to infer any link between measured signals and physical activity.” The integrated machine-learning core (MLC) and finite state machine (FSM) allow for ultra-low-power and accurate biopotential input recognition at a degree of responsiveness that is reportedly faster than the current industry standard. The ST1VAFE3BX is aimed at applications in healthcare and fitness wearables such as smartwatches, smart patches, sports bands, connected rings, and smart glasses. It [...]

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MSI MS-CF16 is a fanless single board computer (SBC) in the Pico-ITX form factor powered by low-power Intel Alder Lake-N or Amston Lake series processors. It features up to 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, offers dual independent display support via HDMI and LDVS/eDP connectors, and integrates other peripherals such as 2.5GbE and 1GbE LAN ports, multiple USB 3.2 and USB 3.0 ports, and two M.2 (B-Key and E-Key) sockets. The MS-CF16 is a smaller and more power-efficient alternative to the MS-CF17 3.5-inch SBC which we covered previously. It is perfect for industrial and embedded applications such as industrial automation, edge computing, medical devices, outdoor signage, and general computing in demanding conditions. It’s far from the first Alder Lake-N or Amston Lake Pico-ITX single board computer we’ve written about, and competing solutions include Jetway’s JPIC-ADN1, AAEON’s PICO-ASL4, DFI’s RPP051, and Kontron 2.5”-SBC-AML/ADN Alder Lake-N/Amston Lake Pico-ITX SBC covered by Sayantan earlier today. MSI [...]

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The Renesas RX260 and RX261 two new 64 MHz microcontrollers part of the high-performance, high-efficiency RX product family with integrated capacitive touch-sensing and high power efficiency in both active and standby modes. The microcontrollers are based on the RXv3 core with a performance score of 355 CoreMark @ 64MHz, which is “2.5 times higher than competing 64 MHz class MCUs.” The chips are also power-efficient, with a consumption rate of 69μA/MHz during active operation and 1μA only in standby mode. According to Renesas, the chips are up to 25% more efficient in active mode and 87% more efficient in standby mode than other 64 MHz class MCUs. Another competing factor is the onboard 8KB of data flash, eliminating the need for external EEPROM. The RX260 and RX261 Group MCUs support noise- and water-resistant capacitive touch via Renesas’ third-generation capacitive touch IP (CTSU2SL). They also integrate an “automatic judgment function” that [...]

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StreamUnlimited and Realtek Semiconductor Corp have collaborated on the Stream210 audio streaming module based on the Ameba Smart RTL8730E Arm Cortex-A32 chip from the Ameba E series, with support for Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and Matter for edge computing and IoT solutions. We have looked at previous Ameba IoT products, such as the Ameba RTL8722DM development board, Ameba Arduino, Ameba RTL8195AM module, and the Ameba RTL8710BN. The Ameba Smart chip is the first entry in the series to feature a Cortex-A32 processor. The Stream210 module is aimed at various audio and IoT applications, including digital radios, streaming audio receivers, wireless speakers, smart speakers, home automation products, and Wi-Fi headphones. Other wireless audio modules we’ve covered in the past include the Up2Stream Pro HiFi board, TTGO T9, and 8devices’ Tobufi module. Stream210 specifications: SoC – Ameba Smart RTL8730E dual-core Arm Cortex-A32 processor @ 1.3GHz Memory – 2Gbit RAM Storage – 2Gbit [...]

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Spectra is a JavaScript-based hackable smartwatch based on the ESP32-S3 WiFi and Bluetooth microcontroller that aims to offer the quality of high-end consumer smartwatches with the repairability of a maker-targeted device. The Spectra smartwatch combines the ESP32-S3 microcontroller with a Nordic Semi nRF52832 co-processor to optimize the battery life. The ESP32-S3 is maxed out with 8MB of RAM and 32MB of external flash memory, and the microSD card slot in the watch supports up to a 512GB memory card. It shares a similar concept with the Bangle.js and the Bangle.js 2 customizable smartwatches. According to the maker, Spectra is not bound to be fully open-source, since the project uses “external proprietary code [they] aren’t allowed to share.” They plan to publish Arduino libraries and hardware design files, but there is no live GitHub repository yet. Other hackable smartwatches include the TinyWatch S3, the ZSWatch, and the Sensor Watch Pro. Spectra [...]

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The MSI MS-CF17 is a fanless 3.5-inch single board computer powered by the Intel 13th Gen Raptor Lake-P series with options for embedded and industrial SKUs. It comes with up to 32GB of DDR5 SODIMM memory and features an M.2 M key (PCIe Gen4) socket and a SATA III storage slot. It also supports four 2.5GbE ports, four internal COM ports, eight USB interfaces, and M.2 Key-B and Key-E sockets for wireless expansion. It supports four independent displays via four HDMI 2.0 ports and an eDP/LDVS display interface. Potential applications for the fanless single board computer include industrial automation, digital signage, edge computing, transportation, and imaging systems MSI MS-CF17 specifications: SoC – Intel 13th Gen Raptor Lake-P Embedded/Industrial SKU Series; P-core: 4.3GHz ~ 4.9GHz; E-core: 3.2GHz ~ 3.7GHz; Intel Iris Xe Graphics (Core i5/i7) or Intel UHD Graphics (Core i3) Core i7-1365UE / i5-1345UE / i5-1335UE / i3-1315UE / U300E, [...]

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Dublin-based Taoglas has unveiled the AntJack described as “an industry-first Wi-Fi antenna for an RJ45 Jack”. The AntJack, also known as the FXM100, can be mounted on any standard RJ45 Ethernet connector to create a 2-in-1 solution that saves space and enhances wireless performance across 2.4 GHz, 5.8 GHz, and 7.1 GHz frequency bands. It is a compact (26.6 x 15.6 x 13.1 mm), omnidirectional dipole antenna with support for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 6/6E, and Wi-Fi 7. It can be used in various applications, such as modems and routers, industrial gateways, factory automation, industrial robotics, and test and measurement systems. The AntJack is especially well-suited for embedded applications with space constraints and positioning challenges such as 4 x 4 or 8 x 8 MIMO configurations. It features an easy “peel and stick” design manufactured from flexible PCB material with adhesive conductive foam, allowing straightforward installation on RJ45 connectors. According to Oliver [...]

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The EZ-USB FX20 is a programmable USB controller supporting speedy transfers via USB 20Gbps and LVDS interfaces. It is the latest addition to Infineon’s EZ-USB line designed to add USB connectivity to devices with high-performance requirements in AI, image processing, and other demanding applications. It offers up to six times the bandwidth of its predecessor, the EZ-USB FX3. The FX20 is powered by a dual-core MCU subsystem, with ARM Cortex-M4F and ARM Cortex-M0+ cores. It features 512KB flash, 128KB SRAM, 128KB ROM, and seven serial communication blocks (SCBs). The cryptography accelerator and high-bandwidth data subsystem enable Direct Memory Access (DMA) data transfers via the supported interfaces. The programmable USB controller includes 1MB of SRAM for USB data buffering. EZ-USB FX20 specifications: CPU – Dual-core, ARM Cortex-M4F core@ 150 MHz, ARM Cortex-M0+ core @ 100 MHz Memory – 512KB flash, 1024 + 128KB SRAM USB – USB 3.2 Gen 2 x2 [...]

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Jumperless V5 is a one-of-a-kind, programmable breadboard based on a Raspberry Pi RP2350B microcontroller that lets you skip the jumper wires and jump right into prototyping. It is described as “an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for hardware.” The Jumperless V5 also removes the need for test equipment as it comes with built-in power supplies and can function as a multimeter, oscilloscope, function generator, and logic analyzer. As the name implies, the Jumperless V5 breadboard is a revamped version of the original Jumperless, with significant upgrades to make the board easier to use. The Jumperless V5 features a 14 x 30 LED matrix display under the breadboard, a probe for making connections and measurements, four ±8 V, 300 mA power supplies, daisy-chain headers, and overcurrent/overvoltage protection. The software-defined jumpers allow all points to be connected. The four individually programmable ±8 V power supplies, GPIOs, and management channels for voltage, current, and [...]

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Joey Castillo of Oddly Specific Objects has released a follow-up to the Sensor Watch, aptly named Sensor Watch Pro. The Sensor Watch Pro remains a board swap for the classic Casio F-91W or A158W digital watch that replaces the original quartz movement with the low-power ARM Cortex-M0+ microcontroller. The Sensor Watch Pro retains features from the Sensor Watch Lite and comes with a few upgrades such as a louder piezo buzzer, an RGB LED, an infrared light sensor, and a completely soldering-free experience. The new watch integrates a custom-fabricated metal spring connector that previously had to be manually soldered after purchase. We had also looked at other hackable watches in the past, such as Bangle.js, Bangle.js 2, and Watchy. Buyers can opt for a custom LCD that extends the number of segments available from 72 segments to 92 segments. It comes with an onboard temperature sensor and can be connected [...]

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Congatec has released a new line of Ryzen Embedded 8000-powered COM Express Type 6 Compact computer-on-modules with the conga-TCR8 module series offering up to 39 tera operations per second (TOPS) for AI inference and 128GB of DDR5-5600 memory with error correction code (ECC) for data-sensitive and data-critical applications. The Ryzen Embedded 8000 processor series comes with either six or eight ‘Zen 4’ cores, an integrated XDNA neural processing unit (16 TOPS), and the AMD Radeon RDNA 3 graphics unit which can be used as a general-purpose graphics processing unit with up to 12 compute units (adding up to 39 TOPS for the SoC). Graphics output is supported by four displays with up to 8K resolution, and peripheral options include six PCIe Gen 4 slots, four USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, four USB 2.0 ports, and three DisplayPort interfaces. The conga-TCR8 Type 6 modules are intended for high-volume applications that require [...]

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