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September 1, 2017November 17, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

AutoPi is a 4G & GPS OBD-II Dongle Based on Raspberry Pi Zero W Board (Crowdfunding)

We’ve previously covered Macchina M2 OBD-II dongle based on an Arduino compatible MCU, and with 4G LTE support for the maker market, and iWave Systems OBD-II dongle with 4G LTE and LTE running Linux on NXP i.MX6 for the B2B market, but so far I had not seen an hackable OBD-II dongle running Linux for the maker market. AutoPi dongle fills that void as it is based on Raspberry Pi Zero W board, runs Raspbian with Autopi software (AutoPi Core), supports 4G LTE, GPS, etc,.. and connects to your car’s OBD-II socket. AutoPi dongle specifications: SoC – Broadcom BCM2835 ARN11 Core processor @ up to 1 GHz System Memory – 512MB LPDDR2 SRAM Storage – 8GB micro SD card Cellular Connectivity 4G Cat 1 modem with 3G/EDGE fallback working worldwide (but region locked) 4G bands – Region specific 3G fallback (WCDMA) – B1, B2, B4, B5, B8 EDGE fallback – […]

August 30, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments

A First Look at ESP32 PICO Core Development Board Powered by ESP32-PICO-D4 SiP

Last week, I wrote about ESP32-PICO-D4 system-in-package (SiP) that contains ESP32 WiSoC, 4MP SPI flash, a crystal oscilloscator and some passive components in a single 7×7 mm package in order to allow smaller designs based on ESP32. The company noticed the post, and asked me whether I’d be interested in receiving “some development boards based on ESP32 PICO”, an offer hard to refuse :), and within a couple of days I received the package below. So I ended up with 10 identical development kits, the company probably thought it was no worth paying for DHL to only send one or two development boards… The boards may also be part of some contests… We’ll see 😉 So let’s take two, and have a closer look at “ESP32_PICO_Core_Board_V3″… It comes with two rows of 20 pins with access to all I/Os, and features three main chips: ESP32-PICO-D4 SiP, AMS1117 voltage regulator, and Silabs […]

August 22, 2017August 27, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

ESP32-PICO-D4 System-in-Package Combines ESP32, 4MB SPI Flash, a Crystal Oscillator, and Passive Components

Espressif Systems has revealed another ESP32 variant, but this time it’s not an SoC, but a 7x7mm system-in-package (SIP) that comes ESP32 dual core processor, a 4MB SPI flash, a crystal oscillator and various passive components, so that you don’t need to include those in your design, and create an ultra-compact PCB for wearables and other space-constrained applications. ESP32-PICO-D4 SiP specifications: SoC – ESP32 with two Tensilica LX6 cores, 448 KB ROM, 520 KB SRAM (inc. 8KB RTC memory), 1kbit eFuse On-module Flash – 4MB SPI flash Connectivity WiFi – 802.11 b/g/n/e/i (802.11n up to 150 Mbps) Bluetooth – Bluetooth V4.2 BR/EDR and BLE specification; ; class-1, class-2 and class-3 transmitter; Audio: CVSD and SBC SIP Interfaces SD card, UART, SPI, SDIO, LED PWM, Motor PWM, I2S, I2C, IR GPIO, capacitive touch sensor, ADC, DAC, LNA pre-amplifier Sensors – On-chip Hall sensor & temperature sensor Clock – On-module 40 MHz crystal […]

August 18, 2017August 18, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Single Core ESP32-S0WD WiSoC Datasheet and Price

I’m subscribed to Espressif Systems’ notification system so that I received an email each time there’s a documentation update on their website, and this morning they posted ESP32-S0WD Datasheet, the single core version of ESP32 processor, which we reported in our post about ESP32 5×5 packages. Beside the small 5x5mm 48-pin package, and single Xtensa 32-bit LX6 microprocessor, it looks to be the same as the frequently used ESP32-D0WDQ6 with a 6x6mm 48-pin package. The CPU & Memory part of the datasheet reads: ESP32-S0WD: Xtensa single–core 32-bit LX6 microprocessor, up to 200 DMIPS 448 KB ROM 520 KB SRAM 16 KB SRAM in RTC QSPI flash/SRAM, up to 4 x 16 MB Power supply: 2.3V to 3.6V While ESP32 datasheet shows a dual core up to 600 MIPS, so maybe the max frequency is also limited. I could not find any ESP32-S0WD module or board just yet, but GridConnect is […]

August 9, 2017August 9, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Nordic Semi nRF52840 vs nRF52832 vs nRF52810 Comparison for Bluetooth 5 Applications

Bluetooth 5 was formally introduced earlier this year with promises of four times the range, and twice the speed. Several companies offer chips that are compatible with the new standard, and among them Nordic Semi offers Bluetooth 5 ready solutions via nRF52840, nRF52832, nRF52810 Bluetooth SoCs. However, if you thought – like I did – that all three would provide the same Bluetooth 5 support with just some differences in memory, storage and performance, a comparison table put together by Raytac Corporation will show that among the three SoCs only nRF52840 will support the longer range, while the two older SoC only support the extra bandwidth offered by Bluetooth 5. I could find a blog post about a long range demo that confirms the above: Two nRF52840 Preview Development Kits (PDK) or nRF52832 Development Kits. A combination of the two different kits can also be used. Notice that if the […]

July 19, 2017July 19, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Bluetooth Low Energy Now Supports Mesh Networking for the Internet of Things

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has announced support for mesh networking for BLE, which enables many-to-many (m:m) device communications, and is optimized for large scale device networks for building automation, sensor networks, asset tracking solutions, and other IoT solutions where up to thousands of devices need to reliably and securely communicate with one another. The standard actually specifies 32,767 unicast addresses per mesh network, but that number of nodes is not achievable right now. Mesh networking works with Bluetooth Low Energy and is compatible with version 4.0 and higher of the specifications. It requires SDK support for the GAP Broadcaster and Observer roles to both advertise and scan for advertising packets, and the FAQ claims Mesh Networking does not require extra power, and the devices only need to wake up at least once every four days or when they have data to transmit. Mobile apps connecting to mesh networking products […]

July 10, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Flic Hub Controls WiFi, Bluetooth, and IR Devices with Bluetooth LE Buttons (Crowdfunding)

This week-end, I wrote about 1btn open source WiFi button that can allow you directly control WiFi appliances, and/or set scenes without the need for a smartphone. We also discussed limitations of WiFi due to high power consumption, security issues and the one-way aspect of RF communication, and that Bluetooth 5 may be a better option for range and battery life if possible. Flic Hub is another way to approach the issue, as it combines Bluetooth LE buttons with a gateway supporting WiFi, Bluetooth, and infrared. Flic Hub gateway specifications: Connectivity – Bluetooth Classic, Bluetooth LE, WiFi, Ethernet, IR via optional add-on accessory. Audio – 3.5mm audio out/mic in Power Supply – 5V via micro USB Power Consumption – 1.5W typ. Security – SPARKE2+ Bluetooth encryption Dimensions – 85 x 50 x 15 mm Weight – 99 grams Users can configure workflows by setting up Flic with IFTTT, Zapier, Microsoft […]

July 5, 2017July 6, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

$29 Bluey nRF52832 BLE & NFC Development Board Comes with Temperature, Humidity, Light, and Motion Sensors

Electronut Labs, a startup based in Bangalore, India, has designed Bluey board powered by Nordic Semi nRF52832 Bluetooth LE SoC, and equipped with 3 sensor chips reporting temperature, humidity, light intensity, and acceleration data. Bluey board specifications: SoC – Nordic Semi nRF52832 ANT + BLE ARM Cortex-M4 @ 64 MHz processor with 512kB flash, 64kB RAM Storage – Micro SD slot Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.2/5 LE and other proprietary 2.4 GHz wireless standards via PCB Antenna, NFC via PCB antenna Sensors TI HDC1010 Temperature/Humidity sensor APDS-9300-020 ambient light sensor ST Micro LSM6DS3 accelerometer Expansion Header – 18-pin header with GPIO, 5V, 3.3V, and GND Debugging – CP2104 USB interface; 6-pin SWD header Misc – CREE RGB LED; 2 push buttons; coin cell holder; on/off witch; external / battery power jumper Power Supply – 5V via micro USB port, up to 6V battery voltage via 4-pin header The board is partially […]