DeepRad is a software-defined radio (SDR) receiver built in the RTL-SDR form factor. The modular SDR receiver offers advantages over other RTL-SDR-based devices which make it easier to integrate with other components and build custom solutions for your specific applications. The DeepRad SDR receiver is based on the RTL-SDR dongle and features the same Realtek RTL2832U demodulator chip with an R860T tuner. The module features D+ and D- pins for USB connection, V+ for 5 V power supply, solderable jumpers for oscillator selection, an RF pin for antenna connection, and 8 shield pin connectors for shielding and support. The module is targeted at custom designs, with the user free to choose the best components for their application. It is as versatile as a typical SDR receiver, with applications ranging from FM radio listening to aircraft tracking. We have previously covered other RTL-SDR receivers, such as the KrakenSDR and the RTL-SDR […]
Infineon AIROC CYW20829 Bluetooth LE 5.4 MCU and module family targets industrial, consumer, and automotive applications
Infineon has recently released the AIROC CYW20829 Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) 5.4 family which now includes SoCs and modules. These SoCs include two Cortex-M33 MCU cores: one 48 or 96 MHz application core for the peripherals, security, and system resources, and one communication core for the 2.4 GHz RF transceiver with up to 10 dBm transmit power and -98 dBm receive sensitivity. This high integration reduces bill-of-material (BOM) costs for a wide variety of applications, including PC accessories, low-energy audio, wearables, solar micro inverters, asset trackers, home automation, and others. Back in 2021, we saw Infineon release the AIROC CYW5557x family of Wi-Fi 6/6E SoCs for IoT and streaming devices with features like enhanced range and improved network efficiency. More recently, Infineon announced the PSOC Edge E81, E83, and E84 MCU based on Cortex-M55/M33 microcontrollers. Feel free to check those out if you are looking for Infineon-specific MCUs. Infineon AIROC […]
Linamp – A Raspberry Pi 4-based audio box with Winamp look and feel
Linamp is a media player box based on Raspberry Pi 4 SBC and a touchscreen display with a GUI that replicates the popular Winamp media player’s GUI that older readers may remember from the late 90s and early 2000s when it was one of the most popular music players for Windows. Rodmg found some renders of what a real Winamp player could look like online, and it inspired him to create his own. As its name implies Linamp runs on Linux (DietPi) instead of Windows, and the hardware is based on a Raspberry Pi 4, a 7.9-inch touchscreen display, a USB DAC, and various connectors and cables, all housed in a custom-designed metal enclosure and a 3D-printed front cover both designed with Onshape. Here’s the complete list of off-the-shelf items used for the build: SBC – Raspberry Pi 4 with a 32 GB microSD card, a set of passive heat […]
ReSpeaker Lite Voice Assistant Kit combines XMOS XU-316 and ESP32-S3 for advanced voice processing, Home Assistant integration
Seeed Studio’s ReSpeaker Lite Series includes the ReSpeaker Lite 2-Mic Array and Voice Assistant Kit, featuring the XMOS XU-316 AI sound chip for advanced voice processing and integration with Home Assistant via ESPHome. It’s perfect for smart home control with far-field voice capture and noise cancellation. The kit combines the ReSpeaker Lite dual-microphone array with the XIAO ESP32S3 module for voice recognition, noise reduction, and processing. It supports WiFi, BLE 5.0, and has a 2.4GHz rod antenna. It also offers I2S and USB connectivity for use with microcontrollers and SBCs, making it ideal for smart voice assistants and home automation. We’ve previously covered the NXP i.MX RT106F & RT106A/L, where NXP i.MX RT106A can run voice assistant software with features like acoustic echo cancellation, ambient noise reduction, beamforming, barge-in, and playback processing. We’ve also written about other ReSpeaker boards, such as the ReSpeaker 4-Mic Array board, ReSpeaker Core board, and […]
The Open Home Foundation adds HACS, microWakeWord, and Music Assistant open-source projects
HACS, microWakeWord, and Music Assistant projects have joined the Open Home Foundation launched a few months ago to manage open-source projects related to Home Assistant and Smart Home applications in general separating them from Nabu Casa’s commercial activities. Note the HACS, microWakeWord, and Music Assistant projects will not operate directly under the Open Home Foundation’s umbrella, but they are external projects that the foundation collaborates on since it believes those are projects worth investing in to further develop the Smart Home ecosystem. Let’s have a quick look at the three projects. Home Assistant Community Store (HACS) is the most used custom integration for Home Assistant and allows users to easily install custom integrations, cards, and themes. Music Assistant gives users control over their media players and audio files handling both local music collection and music streaming services so that users can play any tune anywhere in their house without restrictions. […]
Femtosense introduces the AI-ADAM-100 system-in-package for affordable, efficient AI-based voice processing on the edge
Femtosense’s newest release, the AI-ADAM-100, combines a low-power Arm Cortex M0+ microcontroller from ABOV Semiconductor with the Femtosense Sparse Processing Unit (SPU), an in-house neural processing unit. This combination powers AI voice processing and cleanup capabilities on edge devices. It leverages sparsity techniques to ensure that models can run on edge devices without intensive processing. Sparsity in AI refers to the presence of zeroes or non-zero values in the matrices and tensors used in machine learning models. No computation is required for these zero weights, heavily reducing processing requirements. The Femtosense AI-ADAM-100 aims to bring voice control to various devices such as home appliances, hearing aids, industrial headsets, and consumer earbuds. These appliances can implement voice user interfaces that allow users to talk naturally in their own words. On-device voice cleanup functionality would reduce infrastructure costs and improve the accuracy of the data sent to the cloud. The Femtosense SiP […]
NXP SAF9000 and SAF9100 Automotive Audio DSP bring AI to car infotainment
NXP has recently launched the SAF9xxx Automotive Audio DSP family, which currently includes SAF9000 and SAF9100 AI audio DSPs. Built around Cadence’s latest generation high-performance Tensilica HiFi 5 DSPs, these new chips not only feature AI and ML capabilities, but also include features like driver’s voice pitches and accent recognition, noise cancellation, voice recognition, emergency siren detection, and more. Additionally, the SAF9000 chip includes a software-defined radio option with up to five integrated tuners (controlled by an integrated Arm Cortex-M7 core) that covers all major global broadcast radio standards, including DAB, HD Radio, DRM, CDR, and AM/FM into a single chip solution. SAF9xxx Automotive Audio DSP specifications DSP – Tensilica HiFi 5 DSPs with dedicated neural network engines Integrated Controller – Arm Cortex-M7 core for tuner and audio control middleware Radio Features (SAF9000 only) Supports AM, FM, DAB, DAB+, DMB, HD Radio, DRM for AM, DRM for FM (DRM+), CDR […]
ESP32-S3-based kit allows you to build an Internet Radio with a touchscreen display
The ESP32 Internet Radio from Poland-based maker, The MicroMaker, is a simple hardware kit that combines the LilyGo T-Display S3 Development board with an I2S audio breakout module and other components to form a radio that can access and stream from online radio stations. With the ESP32 Internet Radio, you are not limited to the radio stations available in your immediate vicinity. It is powered by the LilyGo T-Display S3 which integrates the network-capable ESP32-S3 microcontroller (Wi-Fi + BLE 5), a 1.9” full-color capacitive touchscreen display, and two programmable buttons. The ESP32-S3’s integrated Wi-Fi capability allows the radio to connect to the Internet, and the touchscreen brings an intuitive and easy-to-use interface to the device. It supports up to 512 stored radio stations, and you can manage these stations from a web browser on your PC or mobile phone. The Internet Radio can be powered by an 18650 Lithium-ion battery […]