Audio Category - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

January 10, 2025January 10, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Eclipsa Audio is an open, royalty-free alternative to Dolby Audio

Samsung announced Eclipsa Audio 3D technology, a royalty-free alternative to Dolby Audio, would be integrated into TVs and Soundbars in its 2025 lineup at CES 2025. The press release explains the 3D audio technology was developed in partnership with Google and that “Eclipsa Audio allows creators to adjust audio data such as the location and intensity of sounds, along with spatial reflections, to create an immersive three-dimensional sound experience”. Like 90% of announcements at CES 2025, Eclipsa Audio appeared to be mostly fluff. I also noticed it was developed through the Alliance for Open Media which manages the now-widely-used AV1 video codec, but a search for Eclipsa did not return anything. Luckily the “Arm Editorial Team” saved the day with an interesting article published a couple of days ago with more information about Eclipsa Audio. So let’s have a look. Eclipsa Audio is a multi-channel audio surround format that leverages […]

December 30, 2024December 30, 2024 by Debashis Das - 5 Comments

ESP32-AIVoice-Z01 is an ESP32-S3 AI voice kit with dual microphones, wake word detection, noise reduction and echo cancellation

The ESP32-AIVoice-Z01 is an affordable ESP32-S3-powered AI voice kit designed for creating voice-controlled AI applications. It features Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity through the ESP32-S3 SoC, a dual digital microphone array for accurate voice recognition, and an onboard amplifier. The system also implements audio algorithms for noise reduction and echo cancellation. The ESP32-AIVoice-Z01 board supports Espressif’s WakeNet voice wake-up framework and integrates with the AiLinker open-source backend service framework to enable the connection to various large AI model services like OpenAI, ZhiPu QingYan, TongYi QianWen, and DouBao. These features make this device suitable for developing AI-powered toys, IoT devices, mobile devices, and smart home applications. ESP32-AIVoice-Z01 ESP32 AI voice kit specifications Wireless module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-1U SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 dual-core Xtensa LX7 processor Memory – 8MB PSRAM Storage – 16MB flash Wireless – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity with external antenna Storage – MicroSD card slot Audio Dual digital microphone array […]

December 27, 2024December 30, 2024 by Debashis Das - 4 Comments

HiFi-Amped is a Raspberry Pi Audio HAT with dual DACs and class-D amplifiers

Sonocotta’s HiFi-Amped is a Raspberry Pi Audio HAT designed for Raspberry Pi single-board computers. It features dual PCM5100 DACs and TPA3110 (2x15W @ 8-Ω or 1x 30-W @ 4-Ω) class D amplifiers for high sound quality and power efficiency. Key features of this module include support for both small and large speakers, an external power source to drive speakers and power the Raspberry Pi, and the ability to shut down the amplifiers using GPIO pins for minimal noise when not in use. This makes it ideal for creating a Raspberry Pi-based media center or audio streaming setup. HiFi-Amped specifications: Compatibility – Raspberry Pi 2, 3, 4, 5, Zero, and potentially others with a Raspberry Pi-compatible GPIO header Amplifier – 2x Texas Instruments TPA3110D2 Class-D amplifiers Output Power 4x 10W into 8 ohms @ 13V 4x 15W into 8 ohms @ 16V 2x 30W into 4 ohms @ 16V (bridged mode) […]

December 20, 2024December 19, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

$59 Voice “Preview Edition” adds an offline smart speaker to your Home Assistant server

Nabu Casa has just launched the Home Assistant Voice Preview Edition, a little ESP32 device with an XMOS XU316 audio processor, a dual-microphone array, an internal speaker, and a 3.5mm audio jack, that adds offline smart speaker functions to your Home Assistant server through WiFi. If your Home Assistant server is powerful enough, voice processing will be done directly on your local hardware using Home Assistant Voice software, but with lower-end hardware like a Raspberry Pi 4, audio processing can be done via a privacy-focused cloud instead. The solution also supports expansion thanks to a Grove connector on the bottom of the device. Voice Preview Edition specifications: SoC – Espressif ESP32-S3 dual-core Xtensa LX7 @ up to 240 MHz with vector extension for ML acceleration, 2.4 GHz WiFi & Bluetooth 5.0 LE connectivity Memory- 8 MB octal PSRAM Storage – 16 MB flash Audio DSP/Processor – XMOS XU316 with 16 […]

December 10, 2024December 10, 2024 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Sipeed’s MaixCAM-Pro AI camera devkit adds 2.4-inch LCD, 1W speaker, PMOD interface on top of WiFi 6 and BLE 5.4

Sipeed has recently released the MaixCAM-Pro AI camera devkit built around the SOPHGO SG2002 RISC-V (and Arm, and 8051) SoC which also features a 1 TOPS NPU for AI tasks. The module includes a 2.4-inch color touchscreen and supports up to a 5MP camera module. Other features include WiFi 6, BLE 5.4, optional Ethernet, built-in audio capabilities, a PMOD interface, GPIOs, and more. Additionally, it features an IMU, RTC chip, and AXP2101 power management for enhanced performance. The module is designed for AI vision, IoT, multimedia, and real-time processing applications. Just a few months back, Sipeed introduced the MaixCAM AI camera devkit, which is also built around the SOPHGO SG2002 RISC-V SoC. The new module improves on the MaixCAM with a redesigned PCB, upgraded casing, and various new features including a 2.4-inch IPS touchscreen (640×480), a 1W speaker, expanded IO interfaces, a power button, and an illumination LED. It also […]

November 27, 2024November 26, 2024 by Debashis Das - No Comments

LILYGO T-Bao tiny AI robot combines ESP32 and Kendryte K210 RISC-V chip, features camera and display

The T-Bao AI robot is a compact embedded device/robot that combines an ESP32 and a K210 RISC-V microcontroller and can perform face recognition and robotics applications. This compact device features a 1.54-inch 240×240 capacitive touch screen, a 2MP OV2640 camera, a MAX98357A I2S audio amplifier, a DRV8833 motor driver, an MPU6050 6-axis motion sensor, and an AXP202 PMU for power management. Additionally, it supports USB charging, offers LEGO blocks compatibility, and can move around with integrated caster wheels. These features make it usable for educational projects, robotics, IoT applications, and embedded systems prototyping. LILYGO T-Bao specifications SoCs Kendryte K210 dual-core 64-bit RISC-V processor @ 400 MHz with 8MB on-chip RAM, various low-power AI accelerators delivering up to 0.5 TOPS ESP32-D0WDQ6-V3 dual-core Xtensa LX6 processor, 240 MHz, 16MB Flash, 8MB PSRAM Display – 1.54-inch capacitive touch LCD (240×240) Camera – 2MP OV2640 with rolling shutter, UXGA (1600 x 1200) resolution, 180-degree […]

November 5, 2024November 5, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

M5Stack releases AX630C-powered offline “Module LLM” for local smart home and AI applications

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 […]

October 28, 2024October 28, 2024 by Sayantan Nandy - 1 Comment

Datanoise PicoADK v2 music synthesizer is a Raspberry Pi RP2350 board for audio experimentation

PicoADK v2 Synthesizer Development Platform

After the success of PicoADK v1, Datanoise has recently announced the launch of its PicoADK v2 music synthesizer built around the Raspberry Pi RP2350 MCU. The board supports projects like custom synthesizers, audio effects, and noise generation, and the 8 MB QSPI PSRAM of the RP2350 makes it ideal for memory-intensive applications such as long delays. Additionally, it features a SWD debug port, microSD card support, a MIDI-in circuit with an optocoupler, USB Type-C, user and power LEDs, and more. Previously, we have written about various similar synthesizer boards, like the Arduino-based MIDI controller, and we have seen products like the TinyLlama x86 retro computer, which uses the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W as a MIDI synthesizer. PicoADK v2 music synthesizer specification Microcontroller – Raspberry Pi RP2350A MCU CPU – Dual-core Arm Cortex-M33 processor @ 150MHz Memory – 520KB internal RAM Storage – 8KB OTP Package – QFN-60; 7×7 mm Memory – Optional 8MB QSPI […]