IoT News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

November 2, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Seeed Studio’s XIAO MG24 and XIAO MG24 Sense boards target battery-powered Matter and BLE applications

Seeed Studio has added two members to its XIAO family of tiny MCU boards with the XIAO MG24 and XIAO MG24 Sense boards based on Silicon Labs EFR32MG24 multi-protocol wireless SoC and designed for battery-powered Matter over Thread and Bluetooth LE 5.3 applications. Both 21×17.8 mm USB-C boards feature a 78MHz Silabs MG24 Cortex-M33 microcontroller with 256kB SRAM and 1536KB flash, an additional 4MB SPI flash on-board, and 22 pins and pads for GPIO pins, analog inputs, and power signals, plus a reset button and two LEDs. The “Sense” model adds an analog microphone and a 6-axis IMU sensor. XIAO MG24/MG24 Sense specifications: SoC – Silicon Labs EFR32MG24 (EFR32MG24B220F1536IM48-B) MCU cores Arm Cortex-M33 @ 78.0 MHz with DSP instruction and floating-point unit for user application Arm Cortex-M0+ core for wireless Memory – 256 KB RAM Storage – 1536 KB flash Wireless protocols – Matter, OpenThread, Zigbee, Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3, […]

October 30, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

MSI MS-CF16 fanless Alder Lake-N/Amston Lake Pico-ITX single board computer features up to 16GB LPDDR5 RAM

MSI MS-CF16 Pico-ITX single-board computer

MSI MS-CF16 is a fanless single board computer (SBC) in the Pico-ITX form factor powered by low-power Intel Alder Lake-N or Amston Lake series processors. It features up to 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, offers dual independent display support via HDMI and LDVS/eDP connectors, and integrates other peripherals such as 2.5GbE and 1GbE LAN ports, multiple USB 3.2 and USB 3.0 ports, and two M.2 (B-Key and E-Key) sockets. The MS-CF16 is a smaller and more power-efficient alternative to the MS-CF17 3.5-inch SBC which we covered previously. It is perfect for industrial and embedded applications such as industrial automation, edge computing, medical devices, outdoor signage, and general computing in demanding conditions. It’s far from the first Alder Lake-N or Amston Lake Pico-ITX single board computer we’ve written about, and competing solutions include Jetway’s JPIC-ADN1, AAEON’s PICO-ASL4, DFI’s RPP051, and Kontron 2.5”-SBC-AML/ADN Alder Lake-N/Amston Lake Pico-ITX SBC covered by Sayantan earlier today. MSI […]

October 29, 2024October 31, 2024 by Debashis Das - 4 Comments

CodeCell is a ESP32-C3 mini development board for robots, wearables, smart home projects

CodeCell ESP32 C3 mini development board

Engineer and YouTuber Carl Bugeja recently developed CodeCell, a tiny ESP32-C3 development board designed as the brain for robots, wearables, and smart home devices. This module features a nine-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) for motion fusion and an optional VCNL4040 light sensor. It includes a USB Type-C port for data and power as well as a lithium-polymer battery with a charging circuit. Measuring just 18.5 x 18.5mm this compact board is even smaller than other tiny ESP32 development boards such as Waveshare’s ESP32-S3-Zero and Seeed Studio’s XIAO ESP32S3. However, the Epi C3 is smaller at 23 x 12.75 mm, and so are the Unexpected Maker NANOS3 (25 x 10 mm) and Unexpected Maker OMGS3 (28 x 11 mm). CodeCel ESP32-C3 mini development board specification Microcontroller – ESP32-C3 RISC-V MCU 160MHz 32-bit RISC-V processor core 400kB SRAM, 4MB flash storage Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connectivity Sensors Vishay VCNL4040 light […]

October 29, 2024October 28, 2024 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

OpenUC2 10x is an ESP32-S3 portable microscope with AI-powered real-time image analysis

Seeed Studio has recently launched the OpenUC2 10x AI portable microscope built around the XIAO ESP32-S3 Sense module. Designed for educational, environmental research, health monitoring, and prototyping applications this microscope features an OV2640 camera with a 10x magnification with precise motorized focusing, high-resolution imaging, and real-time TinyML processing for image handling. The microscope is modular and open-source making it easy to customize and expand its features using 3D-printed parts, motorized stages, and additional sensors. It supports Wi-Fi connectivity with a durable body, uses USB-C for power and swappable objectives make it usable in various applications. Previously we have written about similar portable microscopes like the ioLight microscope and the KoPa W5 Wi-Fi Microscope, and Jean-Luc also tested a cheap USB microscope to read part number of components. Feel free to check those out if you are looking for a cheap microscope. OpenUC2 10x specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 CPU […]

October 28, 2024October 28, 2024 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Waveshare ESP32-S3 ETH board provides Ethernet and camera connectors, supports Raspberry Pi Pico HATs

ESP32 S3 ETH CAM KIT ESP32 S3 ETH Development Board with OV2640 camera support

Waveshare has recently launched the ESP32-S3-ETH development board with an Ethernet RJ45 jack, a camera interface, and compatibility with Raspberry Pi Pico HAT expansion boards. This board includes a microSD card interface and supports OV2640 and OV5640 camera modules. Additionally, it offers an optional Power over Ethernet (PoE) module, making it ideal for applications such as smart home projects, AI-enhanced computer vision, and image acquisition. Previously, we have written about LILYGO T-ETH-Lite, an ESP32-S3 board with Ethernet and optional PoE support. We have also written about LuckFox Pico Pro and Pico Max, Rockchip RV1106-powered development boards with 10/100M Ethernet and camera support. The ESP32-S3-ETH board is like a combination of those two, where you get an ESP32-S3 microcontroller, Ethernet (with optional PoE), and a camera interface. ESP32-S3 ETH development board specifications: Wireless module ESP32-S3R8 MCU – ESP32-S3 dual-core LX7 microprocessor @ up to 240 MHz with Vector extension for machine learning Memory – 8MB PSRAM Storage […]

October 22, 2024October 22, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 1 Comment

Realtek Ameba RTL8730E Cortex-A32 audio streaming module offers a cost-effective solution for wireless audio applications

StreamUnlimited and Realtek Semiconductor Corp have collaborated on the Stream210 audio streaming module based on the Ameba Smart RTL8730E Arm Cortex-A32 chip from the Ameba E series, with support for Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and Matter for edge computing and IoT solutions. We have looked at previous Ameba IoT products, such as the Ameba RTL8722DM development board, Ameba Arduino, Ameba RTL8195AM module, and the Ameba RTL8710BN. The Ameba Smart chip is the first entry in the series to feature a Cortex-A32 processor. The Stream210 module is aimed at various audio and IoT applications, including digital radios, streaming audio receivers, wireless speakers, smart speakers, home automation products, and Wi-Fi headphones. Other wireless audio modules we’ve covered in the past include the Up2Stream Pro HiFi board, TTGO T9, and 8devices’ Tobufi module. Stream210 specifications: SoC – Ameba Smart RTL8730E dual-core Arm Cortex-A32 processor @ 1.3GHz Memory – 2Gbit RAM Storage – 2Gbit […]

October 21, 2024October 21, 2024 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Quectel BG770A-SN industrial IoT module offers 5G, NB-IoT, and NTN satellite connectivity

Quectel has recently released the BG770A-SN industrial IoT module which comes in an ultra-compact form factor and supports both NTN and TN and features GNSS for positioning functionality. This 5G-ready module also supports iSIM and utilizes the GEO satellite constellation for worldwide coverage. Additionally, the module offers integrated security elements (ISE) and can operate in between the industrial temperature range of -40°C to +85°C. Previously we have written about the Quectel BG95-S5 5G NTN + LTE IoT module which supports NTN satellite (L-band and S-band) plus LTE Cat M1, Cat NB2, and eGPRS as fallback options, designed for applications where continuous connectivity is critical. We have also written about the Quectel CC660D-LS IoT-NTN module, which is an IoT NTN module designed specifically for Skylo’s satellite network. The new BG770A-SN module is a little different from the previous two because it supports LTE Cat M1, LTE Cat NB1/NB2, and NTN over […]

October 20, 2024October 20, 2024 by Debashis Das - 6 Comments

Microchip PIC32MZ-W1 is a 32-bit MIPS WiFi MCU with 60+ GPIO, USB, CAN Bus, Ethernet, and more

PIC32MZ W1 and WFI32 2.0 Curiosity Board

Microchip recently released the PIC32MZ-W1 wireless MCU along with 20 other WiFi parts, including WiFi MCUs, link controllers, network controllers, and plug-and-play modules. Among them, the PIC32MZ-W1 wireless MCU is the most interesting because of its 32-bit MIPS microAptiv M-class core running at up to 200MHz, advanced hardware security features, and integrated Microchip Trust Platform for secure cloud authentication. Over the years ESP32 MCUs have become the go-to choice for wireless applications. Still, one problem we always have with ESP32 SoCs is their limited GPIO option due to their strapped-out pin structures. But this new MCU has over 60 GPIO pins to work with along with Ethernet MAC, USB, CAN Bus, CANFD, SPI, I2C, SQI, UART, ADC, JTAG, and more. PIC32MZ-W1 wireless MCU specifications MCU MIPS32 M-Class core clocked at 200 MHz 16KB I-Cache, 16KB D-Cache microMIPS mode (up to 35% smaller code size) DSP extensions (4x 64-bit accumulators, single-cycle […]