Espressif Category - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

February 20, 2025February 20, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Solar-powered LLM over Meshtastic solution may provide live-saving instructions during disasters and emergencies

People are trying to run LLMs on all sorts of low-end hardware with often limited usefulness, and when I saw a solar LLM over Meshtastic demo on X, I first laughed. I did not see the reason for it and LoRa hardware is usually really low-end with Meshtastic open-source firmware typically used for off-grid messaging and GPS location sharing. But after thinking more about it, it could prove useful to receive information through mobile devices during disasters where power and internet connectivity can not be taken for granted. Let’s check Colonel Panic’s solution first. The short post only mentions it’s a solar LLM over Meshtastic using M5Stack hardware. On the left, we must have a power bank charge over USB (through a USB solar panel?) with two USB outputs powering a controller and a board on the right. The main controller with a small display and enclosure is an ESP32-powered […]

February 19, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Xcrhom T4S WiFi outdoor smart socket features power meter function, Tasmota open-source firmware

Xcrhom T4S Tasmota outdoor wifi smart socket

ESPHome is the favorite open-source firmware of Smart Home devices, but Tasmota is another option that’s been available for many years. We’ve just seen fewer products based on Tasmota (previously Sonoff-Tasmota) in recent years, but it recently showed up on a credit card-sized quad relay board, and I’ve just come across Maker Go’s Xcrhom T4S WiFi Outdoor Smart Socket that also ships with Tasmota firmware and sells on AliExpress for $24.88 shipped. The Xcrhom T4S exposes two sockets with dust and rainproof covers to be used safely outdoors, integrates a power meter, and the Tasmota firmware enables MQTT support, Home Assistant compatibility, and support for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Xcrhom T4S specifications: Two EU sockets Max load – 3680W in total (16A x 230V) Rated Current – Up to 16A in total Power Input – 100 to 240V AC 50Hz Wireless – 2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n WiFi 4; Tx power […]

February 17, 2025February 18, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Waveshare ESP32 robotic arm kit with 5+1 DoF supports ROS2, LeRobot, and Jetson Orin NX integration

RoArm M3 Pro and RoArm M3 S High Torque Serial Bus Servo Robotic Arm Kit

Waveshare has recently released the RoArm-M3-Pro and RoArm-M3-S, a 5+1 DOF high-torque ESP32 robotic arm kit. The main difference between the two is that the RoArm-M3-Pro features all-metal ST3235 bus servos for durability and longevity, on the other hand, the RoArm-M3-S uses standard servo motors which are less durable for long-term use. These robotic arms feature a lightweight structure, a 360° omnidirectional base, and five flexible joints, which together create a 1m workspace with a 200 grams @ 0.5m payload. A 2-DOF wrist joint enables multi-dimensional clamping and precise force control. It integrates an ESP32 MCU, supporting multiple wireless control modes via a web app, it also supports inverse kinematics for accurate positioning, curve velocity control for smooth motion, and adaptive force control. The design is open source and with ROS2 compatibility, it allows secondary development via JSON commands and ESP-NOW for multi-device communication. Compatible with the LeRobot AI framework, […]

February 13, 2025February 13, 2025 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

QuadClock PCB – An ESP32-S3 multi-display clock controller for DIY enthusiasts

The QuadClock PCB is an ESP32-S3-powered multi-display clock controller designed to serve as a foundation for creating a four-TFT-display clock. It supports up to four 1.69-inch rectangular TFT displays (240×280) or four 1.28” round displays (240×240). It manages essential functions such as driving the displays and maintaining precise time, allowing you to focus on crafting a unique enclosure or integrating additional features. It is open-source and is powered by the ESP32-WROOM-1 module with up to 16MB flash and 2MB PSRAM. It supports independent brightness control for each mounted display via four MOSFETs and includes an onboard real-time clock with a backup battery for accurate timekeeping. The QuadClock PCB is designed for enthusiasts and makers interested in creating multi-display clock projects. It can also be used for stock tickers, weather displays, and smart home dashboards. We previously covered the 2×2 Quad Display board with either Raspberry Pi Pico W or ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 […]

February 12, 2025February 13, 2025 by Debashis Das - 4 Comments

MaTouch SmartKnob Assembled ESP32-based rotary knob with touchscreen display sells for $69

Makerfabs has recently released “MaTouch SmartKnob Assembled” based on the SmartKnob View open-source hardware design but enclosed in a plastic case. As a reminder, the SmartKnob View is an ESP32-S3-based DIY rotary knob built around a BLDC motor. With clever software and engineering, the motor is so configured that it can do software configurable detents, haptic feedback, magnetic encoder, and more. It also has a round LCD touchscreen, and USB-C, and features a convenient 3D enclosure that can also be attached to your wall with some sticky pull tabs. The SmartKnob View was a great concept, but its DIY nature made it difficult for many people to get their hands on one as it was never manufactured in quantities. The MaTouch SmartKnob Assembled solves this issue by building upon the original design and comes fully assembled for immediate use. The original module integrates a 240×240 round LCD and uses an […]

February 12, 2025February 12, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 19 Comments

GoogleFindMyTools locates ESP32-based Bluetooth trackers using Google Find My Device network

Leon Böttger’s GoogleFindMyTools is a re-implementation of Google’s Find My Device network. It works with Android devices and commercial trackers, but experimental support for ESP32-based trackers has recently been added.

The implementation features two components. First, the main.py Python script that will list and locate devices, and then the ESP32 firmware implemented in C with the ESP-IDF. The host computer will also need several Python libraries that can be installed with “pip install -r requirements.txt” and Google Chrome web browser.

This is the output of the Python script on my Ubuntu laptop:

February 11, 2025February 11, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Build a four-wheel RC car with ESP32-CAM board and off-the-shelf parts

ESP32 CAM robot car with off-the-shelf parts

While there are plenty of ESP32-based wireless-controlled robot cars with a built-in camera, like the PiCar-X 2.0 or Zeus Car, it might be more fun and rewarding to build something yourself. That’s exactly what Matt Sroufe did by building his own RC car using off-the-shelf parts and an ESP32-CAM board and writing firmware for it. To get started with the build, you’ll need six main components: A 4-wheel car chassis – $47.49 on AliExpress Electronic speed controller – $5.27 on AliExpress. Matt selected the 30A version with green PCB. Dual-battery holder for about $2 on AliExpress 2x 18650 3.6V cells or 7.4V batteries purchased locally ESP32-CAM board with an external antenna and the 160° FoV camera – About $14 with board, camera, and external antenna. Bluetooth gamepad such as a PS4 controller The total should be around $80 with the batteries assuming you already own a Bluetooth gamepad. You’ll need […]

February 7, 2025February 7, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

FOSSASIA 2025 – Operating systems, open hardware, and firmware sessions

The FOSSASIA Summit is the closest we have to FOSDEM in Asia. It’s a free and open-source event taking place each year in Asia, and FOSSASIA 2025 will take place in Bangkok, Thailand on March 13-15 this year. It won’t have quite as many speakers and sessions as in FOSDEM 2025 (968 speakers, 930 events), but the 3-day event will still have over 170 speakers and more than 200 sessions. Most of the sessions are for high-level software with topics like AI and data science, databases, cloud, and web3, but I also noticed a few sessions related to “Hardware and firmware” and “Operating System” which are closer to what we cover here at CNX Software. So I’ll make a virtual schedule based on those two tracks to check out any potentially interesting talks. None of those sessions take place on March 13, so we’ll only have a schedule for March […]