Raspberry Pi Category - Page 12 of 27 - CNX Software

October 7, 2023October 7, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

Raspberry Pi releases RP1 peripheral controller datasheet and block diagram

The Raspberry Pi 5 was recently introduced with the Broadcom BCM2712 CPU and the RP1 chip handling I/Os designed in-house by the Raspberry Pi just like they did for the RP2 (RP2040) microcontroller, and we now have more details about the Raspberry Pi RP1 including a (draft) datasheet and a block diagram. The RP2040 came out before the RP1 peripheral controller as the design for the latter started 7 years ago with a total R&D budget to develop the Raspberry Pi 5 of around 25 million dollars. While at launch, we knew the RP1 handled some peripherals, doubled USB bandwidth with two separate USB 3.0 hosts, and embedded higher speed MIPI interfaces, it was unclear whether some of the other connections came from the BCM2712 or RP1 chips. But we now do know with the release of the datasheet. Raspberry Pi RP1 key features and specifications: MCU – Dual-arm Cortex-M3 […]

September 14, 2023September 13, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Pico QwiicReset board adds Reset button and Qwiic connector to Raspberry Pi Pico

Pico QwiicReset is a tiny add-on board for the Raspberry Pi Pico that adds a Reset button as well as the Qwicc connector to more easily connect I2C modules to the popular MCU board. The lack of a Reset button on the Raspberry Pi Pico has always been an issue since the reset pin is used to flash the firmware, so people have tried various ways to add a Reset button to the Pi Pico board. The Pico QwiicReset is like an extension of the Pimoroni “Captain Resetti” button with an extra Qwiic connector. The Pico QwiicReset board is shown soldered to a Raspberry Pi Pico board above, but it’s also compatible with the Raspberry Pi Pico W and it works with or without headers soldered to the board. But you may noticed the Debug header is partially covered on Pico W, which means the add-on board cannot be used […]

September 5, 2023September 4, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

STARLIGHT – A Raspberry Pi RP2040 board for rockets

STARLIGHT Raspberry Pi RP2040 rocket board

Circuit Wizardry’s STARLIGHT is a rocket control board based on Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller and designed for small 75mm model rockets. The board features rocket control-specific I/Os such as Igniter and Ejection pins each connected to a MOSFET, two headers for 5V servos, plus some sensors and 3.3V or 5V GPIOs for expansion. STARLIGHT specifications: Microcontroller – Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ MCU @ 133 MHz with 264KB SRAM Storage – 16MB flash for firmware and flight data USB – 1x Micro USB port for programming Rocket control Igniter via 2-pin terminal block and AO3400 MOSFET (pulse current up to 30A) used with ignition systems to automatically light your engine. Ejection via 2-pin terminal and AO3400 MOSFET Servo control 2x 3-pin servo outputs for optional thrust loop vector control interface (X Axis and Y axis on board) Level shifter to allow the use of 5V servos with the 3.3V […]

August 15, 2023December 26, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Mini review of GGtag e-paper display programmable through sound or USB serial

GGtag is a 3.52-inch e-paper display based on the Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller and programmable through sound or USB serial from your web browser, plus it also supports emulation of 125 kHz RFID tags (ASK and FSK). When Radoslav Gerganov contacted me about the upcoming Crowd Supply campaign for the GGtag e-paper badge, I happened to have just discussed using an e-paper display to sell some samples on Facebook Groups where requirements include using the seller’s name and date in the photos. So I asked for a sample if any were available, and I just received it today… GGTag specifications: MCUs Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Cortex-M0+ microcontroller @ 133 MHz with 264KB SRAM Microchip ATtiny85 8-bit AVR microcontroller (used for RFID) Storage – 2 MB flash Display – 3.52-inc e-paper display with USB – 1x USB Type-C port for power and serial programming Sensor – PDM digital microphone for data-over-sound […]

August 8, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

PicoCNC – A 4-axis CNC controller based on Raspberry Pi Pico

PicoCNC is a 4-axis CNC motion controller that works with Raspberry Pi Pico or Pico W running the open-source grblHAL firmware and can be used to control CNC routers, lathes, laser engravers, and other machines. PicoCNC specifications: Works with Raspberry Pi Pico and Pico W, or other compatible boards. Storage MicroSD card slot Footprint for EEPROM or FRAM Host interface – USB or WiFi via Raspberry Pi Pico (W) CNC control via screw terminals 4-axis spindle control outputs 5V PWM and direction 0-10V spindle control output. 12V PWM support via open collector output Isolated 12V limit switch input on all 4 axes. Isolated standard Grbl spindle control outputs (5V): Cycle Start, Feed Hold, EStop and Safety Door. 9x Opto-isolated inputs including standard Grbl controls and limits switches for all axes. Relay 7x relay outputs – Spindle, Mist Coolant, Flood Coolant, Dust Extraction, and 3x auxiliary relays. Relay Coil voltage selectable […]

August 7, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

DietPi News – v8.20 released, NanoPi Neo Air handheld Linux terminal

The latest DietPi v8.20 release of the lightweight Debian-based Linux distribution for SBCs and server systems was outed on July 29, 2023, and on a separate note, a DIY handheld Linux terminal based on the NanoPi Neo Air SBC and running DietPi has been found on the interwebs. DietPi v8.20 release The project team released the new DietPi v8.20 on July 29th, 2023 with the following highlights: Homebridge: New software package bringing Apple Homekit support Kernel updates for Pine64 Quartz64 – Linux 6.4.7 and enabled support for the NFS kernel server FriendlyELEC NanoPi R5S/R5C/R6S series – Linux 5.10.160 StarFive VisionFive 2 RISC-V SBC – Linux 5.15.123 WiFi Hotspot: Enhanced DHCP default settings Fixes and updates for DietPi-LogClear, DietPi-Dashboard, DietPi-LetsEncrypt, PaperMC, vaultwarden, etc… The full changelog can be found on the DietPi website and the source code is hosted on GitHub. NanoPi Neo Air handheld Linux terminal running DietPi While it’s […]

August 1, 2023August 1, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 23 Comments

Raspberry Pi supplies are improving, but trust may be hard to rebuild with makers

Last December, Eben Upon provided an update about Raspberry Pi availability and expected “unlimited supplied” by H2 2023. Nine months later, Raspberry Pi supplies have indeed improved a lot. Still, some makers with small-volume production have already moved on, and are using alternative solutions. This seems especially true for products based on Raspberry Pi CM4 modules. Tom’s Hardware has just had a fresh look at the Raspberry Pi supply situation, and based on Eben’s tweets noted an increased number of Raspberry Pi boards had shipped in 2023. Eben said June was the second-best month ever for Raspberry Pi Trading with 788,000 units sold, and July looks to breach if the one million units a month is reached, beating the March 2021 records of 814k units. He further expanded saying 119k Zero boards, of which 33k Zero 2 boards (almost entirely consumer), and estimated around 250-400ku went to the retail market. […]

July 30, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Robo Pico review – A Raspberry Pi Pico W-based motor & sensor control board tested with BocoBot robotic kit

Robo Pico Review Raspberry Pi Zero W robot

Cytron Robo Pico is a carrier board for the Raspberry Pi Pico (W) specially designed for robotics & IoT applications with a 2-channel DC motor driver, four servo motor ports, and seven Grove I/O connectors to connect various sensors and/or actuators. When the company asked us to review the Robo Pico board, I noticed they had a car robotic kit based on the board called the BocoBot that comes with installation videos and five tutorials including obstacle avoidance movement with ultrasonic sensors, light search, line following, and WiFi remote control. So I asked for the full kit to make the review more fun and interesting. Robo Pico board Robo Pico specifications: Supported MCU board – Raspberry Pi Pico/Pico W and compatible Motor control 2x DC Motor terminals with Motor status LEDs for each motor terminal 2x motor test buttons for each motor terminal Header to connect to 4x servos Expansion […]