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June 27, 2016July 5, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

Review of Xiaomi Mi Band 2 Activity Tracker

I’ve been using Xiaomi Mi Band 2 for a little over two weeks now, so I’m not ready to report my findings, and the results are mixed. If you are interesting in checking out the accessories, and physical aspect of the watch, feel free to read Xiaomi Mi Band 2 unboxing post first. Since the new model adds an OLED display, let’s first see what options it has to offer. The display is off by default, and pressing the capacitive touch button (please note that it’s not a real physical button, so it won’t work with most gloves for example) will turn on the display for 5 seconds. You can keep pressing to go through time, step count, distance, calories burnt, heart rate monitor, and battery level. Except for time, there’s a icon shown before display the actual value. If you find that the display does not look clear, that’s […]

June 15, 2016June 15, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Apache Mynewt RTOS for IoT Includes an Open Source Bluetooth 4.2 LE Stack for MCUs

The Apache Software Foundation has recently released version 0.9 Apache Mynewt open source real-time operating systems for micro-controllers under… an Apache 2.0 license. The RTOS works on STMicro STM32 Cortex-M4, and Arduino Zero / M0 Cortex-M0 boards, but they’ve also implemented the first open source Bluetooth Low Energy stack for MCUs, starting with support for Nordic Semi nRF52 Cortex-M4 and nRF51 Cortex-M1 evaluation boards, and acting as a replacement for Nordic SoftDevice Bluetooth Smart / LE solution. The operating system competes with ARM mbed, the Zephyr Project, and RIoT, but the foundation claims it is the only one that’s both community driven and permissively licensed (Apache 2.0) project in the embedded space. The OS is modular and can be configured with a Go-like build and package management tool with components such as secure boot loader, flash file system and TLV storage mechanism, rich logging infrastructure, circular buffering schemes, and Bluetooth […]

June 13, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

Xiaomi Mi Band 2 Fitness Tracker Unboxing

Xiaomi started selling Xiaomi Mi Band 2 fitness tracker with an OLED display last week in China for 149 CNY (~$23), but it can also be purchased overseas with the many online resellers, and one of them, GearBest sent me a sample for review, and sells it for $33.91 with coupon GBMI2 once oversea shipping, currency conversion, and possibly some margins are included. Today, I’ll start by taking some pictures of the devices and its accessories, before writing a review in a couple of weeks after testing the device features and battery life. I received the device in a typical Mi package, and GearBest also included a User service card to encourage people leaving feedback, and helping with returns and issues. That’s the first time I receive this card, so maybe GearBest is trying to improve their customer service. The product is definitely geared towards the Chinese market, as the specifications […]

June 10, 2016August 9, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Bluetooth 5 Promises Four times the Range, Twice the Speed of Bluetooth 4.0 LE Transmissions

The Bluetooth SIG is about to officially unveil Bluetooth 5 on June 16 during a media event in London. One change on the marketing side is that they dropped the point number, so it won’t be called Bluetooth 5.0 like in Bluetooth 4.0, but just Bluetooth 5. The decision has been made allegedly to “simplifying marketing, and communicating user benefits more effectively”. On the technical side, Bluetooth 5 will double the speed and quadruple the range of low energy Bluetooth transmissions compared to Bluetooth 4.x, which could be important for IoT applications where nodes are connected throughout the house. Bluetooth 5 will also allow connectionless services to add location-relevant information and navigation. The specifications have not been publicly released yet, and made they will be on June 16. Eventually, you’ll be able to download them on Bluetooth “adopted specifications” page. Via XDA developers Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)Jean-Luc started CNX Software in […]

June 6, 2016June 16, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Energympro EP-SH09 Bluetooth LE Fitness Tracker Features AMS AS7000 Biosensor

I wrote about AMS AS7000 biosensor designed for heart rate monitors last fall, and one of my regular reader noticed the sensor, made his company evaluate it, and since the results were pretty good, designed a product with it. And here I am with a sample of Energympro EP-SH09 fitness tracker with an OLED display, HRM based on AS7000 sensor, and IP67 ingress protection rating. Some of Energympro EP-SH09 technical specifications: MCU – Texas Instruments CC2640 ARM Cortex-M3 48 MHz Display – 0.86″ OLED display, 96×32 resolution Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.0 LE Input – Touch area at the bottom of the display Sensors – AMS AS7000 biosensor for HRM, motion sensors Battery – 45 mAh LiPo battery which looks good for 4 to 5 days. Dimensions – 40 x 18 x 12.9 mm Weight – 6 grams Ingress Protection Rating – IP67 The device can pair with smartphone using Smart […]

June 2, 2016June 7, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Xiaomi Mi Band 2 Fitness Tracker Adds an OLED Display, Promises 20-day Battery Life

I’m not a big fan of fitness trackers without display that require you to monitor your daily progress on your smartphone, and that’s probably why when Xiaomi released their first fitness band I was not quite as interested, but now the Chinese company has released Mi Band 2 with an OLED display, an heart rate monitor, IP67 ingress protection rating, and a 20-day of battery life for just 149 RMB ($23). Mi Band 2 key features: Fitness, heart rate and sleep tracker OLED display, view time, step count, heart rate 20-day battery, IP67 water resistant ADI accelerometer and optical heart rate sensor Anodized 0.05mm ultra-thin button Upgraded pedometer algorithm Hypoallergenic silicone band 2nd gen Bluetooth 4.0 for faster, stable connections It’s still good to be able to gather your fitness data over time, and you can do so with Mi Fit app for Android or iOS. The downside with an […]

May 23, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

$49 STEVAL-WESU1 Wearable Sensor Unit Reference Design is Based on STMicro STM32 MCU

STMicroelectronics STEVEL-WESU1 is a wearable open source hardware reference design and development kit comprised of a board with STM32L1 ARM Cortex-M3 micro-controller, BlueNRG-MS Bluetooth LE chip, and sensors, a battery, and a watch band. STMicro “WESU” specifications and features: MCU – STMicro STM32L151VEY6 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 MCU @ 32 KHz to 32 MHz, 512KB flash, 80 KB SRAM Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.0 LE via BlueNRG-MS BLE network processor Sensors – 3D accelerometer + 3D gyroscope (LSM6DS3), 3-axis magnetometer (LIS3MDL), MEMS pressure sensor (LPS25HB) USB – 1x micro USB port for recharging Debugging – SWD connector for debugging and programming capability Power 100 mAh Li-Ion battery included, UN38.3 tested and certified STNS01 Li-Ion linear battery charger STC3115 Fuel gauge IC Watch strap with plastic housing included Certifications – FCC (FCC ID: S9N-WESU1), IC (IC: 8976C-WESU1), RoHS The kit can be controlled by ST WeSU app for Android and iOS, and developed using BlueST […]

May 19, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Arduino Primo Board Supports WiFi, Bluetooth LE, and NFC

A couple of weeks after unveiling Arduino UNO WiFi with ESP8266 and Atmel AVR, Arduino Srl has introduced Arduino PRIMO board with Nordic Semi nRF52 MCU with Bluetooth Smart and NFC, ESP8266 for WiFi, and STM32 to handle GPIOs and USB UART during May Faire Bay Area 2016. Arduino Primo board (A000135) specifications: Service Micro-controller STMicro STM32F103R8T6 ARM Cortex-M3 MCU @ 72 MHz with 64KB flash, 20KB SRAM USB/Uart converter & CMSIS-DAP GPIO expander, IrDA Board power management Operating Voltage – 2.0 to 3.6 V Arduino Micro-controller Nordic nRF52832 ARM Cortex-M4F MCU @ 64 MHz with 512 KB flash, 64KB SRAM Analog I/O Pins – 6 + 1 DAC DC Current per I/O Pins – 7 mA Bluetooth Smart – Up to +4 dBm output power, -96 dBm sensitivity Other features – PDM interface, AES HW enc, NFC tag WiFi Micro-controller Espressif ESP8266 Tensilica Xtensa LX106 WiSoC @ 80 MHz […]