Arduino has announced two new products that are part of the Arduino Pro family at Embedded World 2024: the Arduino Pro 4G Module and Arduino Portenta Mid Carrier board. Arduino Pro 4G module Two variants of the mini PCIe module are available: one global and one for the EMEA and Southeast Asia markets with similar interfaces, but based on different Quectel modules, and the global model also supports GNSS. Specifications: Both also support 3G/2G fallback if 4G LTE network connectivity is out of range. The 4G LTE module works with Arduino Pro carrier boards featuring a mini PCIe connector such as the Max Carrier and the new Mid Carrier which we will be covering below. More information can be found on the documentation website and product page. The Arduino Pro 4G module global goes for $65 while the EMEA version sells for 29 Euros. Those prices are without antennas which […]
The Arduino PLC Starter Kit aims to teach programmable logic control to high school and university students
Arduino PLC Starter Kit combines the Arduino Opta micro PLC, the Arduino DIN Simul8 digital input simulator and power distribution board, and the Arduino DIN Celsius board with two independent heater circuits and one temperature sensor acting as a temperature laboratory. The kit is supported by the Arduino PLC IDE first introduced in 2022 and comes with various cables and a power supply that allows users to quickly get started. Arduino says the kit targets the education of students aged 17 years and more. It includes 20 hours of lessons going through the history of programmable logic controllers, Modbus RS-485 communications, and how PLCs integrate with industrial simulated systems. The main hardware and software components of the kits are: Arduino Opta WiFi micro PLC based on an STMicro STM32H747XI dual-core Arm Cortex-M7/M4 MCU, offering Ethernet and RS485 communication interfaces, and exposing eight digital/analog inputs, plus four relay outputs. DIN Rail-mountable […]
M5Stack BugC2 programmable robot base has an STM32 control chip and a four-way motor driver
Modular IoT hardware developer, M5Stack, has released a new programmable robot base based on the STM32F030F4 microcontroller with LEGO and Arduino compatibility. The M5Stack BugC2 is “compatible with the M5StickC series controllers,” and includes the ESP32-powered M5StickC Plus2 development kit in the package. It features an L9110S four-way motor driver for all-directional operation, two programmable RGB LEDs, an infrared encoder, and a 16340 rechargeable Li-ion battery holder. It also comes with a USB Type-C port for charging the battery and supports onboard reverse charging protection and voltage detection. Listed applications for the M5Stack BugC2 programmable robot base include remote motor control, robot control, and an intelligent toy. M5Stack BugC2 specifications: Microcontroller – STMicroelectronics STM32F030F4 microcontroller, with Arm 32-bit Cortex-M0 CPU @ 48 MHz, and with up to 256KB of flash memory Motor driver – L9110S Infrared receiver – SL0038GD IR detection distance (StickC Plus2) Infrared emission distance (linear distance) at […]
6-channel ESP32-S3-based WiFi relay module offers RS485 interface, supports Raspberry Pi Pico HATs
Waveshare ESP32-S3-Relay-6CH is a 6-channel WiFi and Bluetooth relay module based on Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 wireless microcontroller that also supports RS485 control and comes with headers taking Raspberry Pi Pico HATs adding RTC, CAN Bus, RS232, LoRa, sensors, or other features. The relays are rated 250VAC/30VDC up to 10A, the system take 7V to 36V DC input through a terminal block, and can be programmed with Arduino or MicroPython though a USB-C port. It also features a a built-in buzzer, an RGB LED, and is housed in a DIN Rail-mountable ABS case. Waveshare ESP32-S3-Relay-6CH specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-1U-N8 by default MCU – ESP32-S3 dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz with 512KB SRAM Storage – 8MB Quad SPI flash Wireless – 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth LE 5 u.FL connector for external antenna 6x relays via terminal blocks Rating – Up to 10A 250V AC / 30V DC […]
Sparkfun’s Pulsed Coherent Radar Sensor features Acconeer XM125 60 GHz module, works through walls, offers up to 20-meter range
SparkFun has launched a new Qwiic breakout board for the Acconeer XM125 60 GHz pulsed coherent radar sensor that can measure distance to humans even through walls and works at a distance of up to 20 meters. We’ve seen tiny 24GHz or 60GHz radar modules for several years now, and Supachai even reviewed the Seeed Studio mmWave sensor using ESPHome and Home Assistant late last year with the solution relying on Frequency-Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) technology. The Acconneer XM125 is a Pulse-radar module that emits electromagnetic waves in short bursts instead of continuously like FMCW radars and allows longer measurement ranges potentially at the cost of lower accuracy. Sparkfun Pulse Coherent Radar Sensor specifications: Acconeer XM125 Module A121 60GHz Pulsed Coherent Radar (PCR) Integrated baseband, RF front-end, and antenna in package Detects distance, speed, motion, and objects up to 20 meters away Millimeter precise readings Low power consumption STMicro STM32L431CBY6 […]
Nuvoton launches M433 Series ultra-low power Arm Cortex-M4F MCUs, NuMaker-M433SE development board
Nuvoton has recently announced their M433 Series MCUs (M433LE8AE and M433SE8AE) along with the NuMaker-M433SE development board. Nuvoton is calling this the “M433 CAN/USB FS OTG” Series, featuring an Arm Cortex-M4F core with DSP and FPU extensions. The MCU is clocked at 144 MHz and consumes 350 nA in deep power-down mode, making it ideal for battery-operated IoT, industrial, and consumer applications. This is not the first Nuvoton MCU we have written about. In recent months, we have seen Nuvoton release the NuMicro M091 Series, the Nuvoton MA35H0 – a cost-optimized MPU, and other dev boards and MCUs. Feel free to check those out if you are interested in the topic. Nuvoton M433 Series MCUs specifications: MCU core 144 MHz Arm Cortex-M4F Includes DSP and FPU instructions Memory Protection Unit (MPU) with 8 regions Memory Up to 128 KB Flash 4 KB LDROM Up to 64 KB SRAM with parity […]
R9A02G021 is the first microcontroller with Renesas 32-bit RISC-V CPU core design
Renesas R9A02G021 is the first MCU group to use the company’s in-house designed 32-bit RISC-V CPU core with 3.27 CoreMark/MHz, RV32I base plus M/A/C/B extensions, and features such as a stack monitor register, a dynamic branch prediction unit, and a JTAG debug interface. Renesas has been making RISC-V chips at least since 2022 with the likes of RZ/Five 64-bit microprocessor and R9A06G150 32-bit voice control ASSP. All those were based on Andes RISC-V cores, but since the company has now designed its own 32-bit core, future Renesas 32-bit RISC-V microcontrollers are all likely to feature the in-house core, starting with the R9A02G021 general-purpose MCU group. Renesas R9A02G021 key features and specifications: RISC-V Core Renesas RISC-V instruction-set architecture (RV32I + MACB + Ziscr, Control and Status Register (CSR) instructions + RISC-V Zifencei Instruction-Fetch Fence) Maximum operating frequency – 48 MHz Debug and Trace – RISC-V External Debug Support cJTAG Debug Port […]
Arduino Nano Matter board specifications and price announced
The Arduino Nano Matter is the product of a collaboration between Arduino and Silicon Labs. The Nano Matter board was announced in January and is powered by SiLabs’ MGM240S chip. It offers multiple wireless connectivity options such as Matter, OpenThread, and Bluetooth Low Energy. Support for the Matter standard is the Nano Matter board’s key offering. Matter is an open-source, connectivity protocol that lets smart home devices from different manufacturers interoperate seamlessly. The 45mm x 18mm board leverages dual-mode connectivity, with IEEE 802.15.4 (Thread) for mesh networking and Bluetooth Low Energy for short-range communication. It is targeted at the Internet of Things, home automation, professional automation, environmental monitoring, and climate control applications. Prospective industrial applications include machine-to-machine interoperability, machine status monitoring, and worker status optimization. Arduino Nano Matter specs: MPU – SiLabs MGM240SD22VNA MCU core – 32-bit Arm Cortex-M33 with DSP (digital signal processing) instruction and FPU (floating-point unit) @ […]