Tomisin Olujinmi, Author at CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

August 26, 2024August 26, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 5 Comments

Integrated motor driver and controller bundles ESP32-S3 and TMC2209 for IoT applications

The PD Stepper is a NEMA 17 integrated stepper motor driver and controller board powered by USB power delivery that combines an ESP32-S3 wireless microcontroller, the Trinamic TMC2209 ultra-silent motor driver, and other components onto a single board for Smart Home and automation applications. The maker, Josh R., states that the PD Stepper isn’t another “just because we can” project. It addresses the need for an integrated motor driver and controller module that can used in compact or space-constrained designs. The ESP32-S3 SoC controls the other components on the board and provides wireless connectivity as well as access to development tools and libraries such as ESPHome and ESP-Now. The motor driver IC, Analog Devices’s Trinamic TMC2209, offers efficient, noiseless control of two-phase stepper motors. Other onboard components and connectors include an AS5600 magnetic rotary position sensor, a 3.3V buck converter, a Qwiic/Stemma QT connector, a motor connector, and an AUX […]

August 24, 2024August 25, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 5 Comments

ESP8266-powered Netgotchi network security scanner aims to protect your home network

The Netgotchi network security scanner is a simple, compact device based on an ESP8266 wireless microcontroller with a single goal: to defend your home network from intruders and potential bad actors. It is described as “Pwnagotchi’s older brother,” a network guardian that keeps your network safe instead of penetrating it. If you are unfamiliar with Pwnagotchi, it is an A2C-based (advantage actor-critic) “AI” that can penetrate Wi-Fi networks using WPA key material obtained from passive sniffing or de-authentication attacks. The Netgotchi is a reverse Pwnagotchi that alerts you to intruders or breaches in your network. It runs on a simple microcontroller and cannot employ reinforcement learning like the Pwnagotchi. Rather, it pings the network periodically and reports any new potential security threats. The device’s design is as simple as its purpose. It is an ESP8266 microcontroller connected to an OLED display and running an Arduino .ino script, enclosed in a […]

August 20, 2024August 19, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 5 Comments

ANAVI Dev Mic is a digital omnidirectional microphone based on Raspberry Pi RP2040 MCU (Crowdfunding)

The ANAVI Dev Mic is an open-source microphone board from ANAVI Technology in Plovdiv, Bulgaria powered by the Seeed Studio XIAO RP2040 module and an omnidirectional digital microphone from STMicroelectronics. It is a compact and affordable product that outperforms USB microphones in artificial intelligence and machine learning voice applications. The design is simple and unassuming, with the Seeed Studio XIAO RP2040 module in the center, surrounded by a USB-C port for power and programming and 9 GPIO pins for extensibility. The STMicroelectronics MP23DB01HP microphone (MK1) is mounted on the top of the board with a small hole on the bottom. It is a compact, low-power, digital MEMS microphone capable of capturing sounds from different directions with very low distortion. It uses a PDM (Pulse-Density Modulation) interface created via the programmable inputs/outputs (PIO) on the RP2040. The ANAVI Dev Mic is applicable for conducting AI/ML research, building a voice recognition platform, […]

August 19, 2024August 19, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

$119 MoreSense MS-06 air quality monitor features a Sensirion SCD40 sensor and an ESP32-S3 MCU

The MoreSense MS-06 is an ESP32-S3-based air quality monitor that takes CO², temperature, and humidity readings through a Sensirion SCD40 sensor which offers reliable performance and a lifespan of more than ten years. The MS-06 monitor’s results are identical to the Aranet4’s (considered best-in-class), putting it in a pretty good spot accuracy-wise. It is the latest entry in the MoreSense line of air quality monitors and comes with a more compact design and a touchscreen display. The built-in web server runs an interface that displays measurements, historical data visualizations, setup options, and firmware updates. Operation is completely local; sensor data can be stored on the device or a microSD card. The MoreSense MS-06 air quality sensor can be used to control a ventilation system, contributing to significant energy savings. This can be achieved through your home automation system or by using a smart plug. MoreSense MS-06 specifications: Microcontroller – ESP32-S3 […]

August 13, 2024August 19, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

Google Pigweed SDK now supports Raspberry Pi RP2350 microcontroller

Raspberry Pi Pico 2 (RP2350) with Enviro+ pack hat.

Google Pigweed, a collection of open-source libraries for embedded software development, now supports the Raspberry Pi RP2350 MCU and comes as a software development kit (Google Pigweed SDK). These libraries, also called modules, are building blocks that make embedded software development faster and more reliable. It targets tiny 32-bit microcontrollers such as STMicro STM32L452, Nordic Semi nRF52832, and the Raspberry Pi Pico line of microcontrollers. The library components have shipped in Google Pixels, Nest thermostats, robots, satellites, and drones. On August 8, the Pigweed project was released as a software development kit (SDK) in developer preview with official support for Raspberry Pi RP2350 and the associated Pico 2 development board. The new release uses the Bazel build system – a feature upstreamed into the Pico SDK by the Google Pigweed team – and a complete, open-source Clang/LLVM toolchain. The Google Pigweed SDK includes sample code, modules, and a comprehensive tutorial […]

August 6, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

SparkFun Thing Plus – NORA-W306 – A dual-band Wi-Fi 4 and BLE 5.3 IoT board

SparkFun Thing Plus – NORA-W306, is a dual-core, dual-band WiFi 4 and BLE 5.3 microcontroller board in the AdaFruit Feather form factor based on the u-box NORA-W306 module and targeted at low-power wireless applications. The u-blox module integrates the Realtek RTL8720DF chip, a dual-core ARM Cortex-M33 and Cortex-M23 microcontroller with dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and Bluetooth 5.3 Low Energy. It offers up to 4MB of encrypted flash and has an onboard PCB antenna. It’s very similar to the RealTek RTL8720DN we covered a few times in the past, but comes with embedded flash. The SparkFun Thing Plus – NORA-W306 board features a USB-C connector for programming, data, and power. The USB data lines are protected against electrostatic discharge and are connected to a CP2102N USB-to-serial converter for uploading code or serial. This board includes a 2-pin JST-style connector for a LiPo battery, a single-cell charger, and a LiPo fuel […]

August 2, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 2 Comments

200 MHz Microchip dsPIC33A 32-bit digital signal controller offers double-precision FPU, high speed analog interfaces

Top digital signal controller (DSC) vendor, Microchip Technology Inc., has launched the dsPIC33A series as the newest addition to its portfolio of high-performance DSCs. These digital signal controllers combine the capabilities of a digital signal processor (DSP) with the extensive peripherals of a microcontroller (MCU). The dsPIC33A series is built around a 32-bit architecture and operates at 200MHz – currently the highest clock speed for a dsPIC. The core includes a double-precision floating-point unit (DP FPU) and a DSP instruction set for numerically intensive operations in closed-loop control algorithms. The dsPIC33A architecture offers high-performance, high-precision real-time control and signal processing in various applications. The family of DSCs launching the dsPIC33A series, dsPIC33AK128MC1xx, features up to 128KB of flash memory, and an extensive set of built-in peripherals. It comes in different packages, including SSOP, VQFN, and TQFP, with pin counts ranging from 28 to 64 and sizes starting as small as […]

July 29, 2024July 29, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 4 Comments

ODrive Micro is a compact, brushless motor controller designed for space-constrained robotics applications (Crowdfunding)

ODrive Micro is a high-performance servo motor drive from ODrive Robotics that comes in an ultra-compact, 32 x 32mm form factor. The controller provides up to 100W continuous power for driving brushless servo motors. The ODrive Micro is the latest in a series of motor controllers from ODrive and builds on the company’s established software and hardware ecosystem. This includes support for CAN Bus, programming libraries, and a web-based graphic user interface for easy and intuitive setup. The Micro features a CAN interface for daisy-chaining other controllers and an onboard 12-bit magnetic encoder for direct mounting without needing an external encoder. It also offers the option to mount hall, quadrature, and SPI external encoders via the J1 header on the board. The ODrive Micro is aimed at robotics applications where space is premium, including hobbyist and professional use. It is similar to the Wukong 2040, ClearCore, and the Serial Bus […]