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January 15, 2025January 14, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

ESP32-based Waveshare DDSM Driver HAT (B) for Raspberry Pi supports DDSM400 hub motors

Waveshare DDSM Driver HAT (B) Raspberry Pi DDSM motor driver

Waveshare has recently launched DDSM Driver HAT (B), a compact Raspberry Pi DDSM (Direct Drive Servo Motor) motor driver designed specifically to drive the DDSM400 hub motors. This board is built around an ESP32 MCU and supports wired (USB and UART) and wireless (2.4GHz WiFi) communication. Additionally, the board features a physical toggle switch, which lets it choose between the ESP32 control or USB control modes. On ESP32 control mode you can control the device through a built-in web application. In the USB control mode, the motor driver can be controlled via USB from a host computer sending JSON commands. An XT60 connector is used to power the board, and programming is done through a USB-C port that connects to the ESP32. The board is suitable for robotics projects, especially for mobile robots in 6×6 or 4×4 configurations. Waveshare DDSM Driver HAT (B) specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-WROOM-32E ESP32 […]

January 13, 2025 by Debashis Das - 5 Comments

Fully enclosed ESP32-S3 board features 1.8-inch AMOLED, microphone & speaker for AI audio applications

ESP32 S3 1.8inch AMOLED display development board

Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-AMOLED-1.8 is an ESP32-S3 development board with an AMOLED display and AI audio support fully housed in a plastic enclosure. The most interesting feature of this devkit is its 1.8-inch AMOLED display with a 100000:1 contrast ratio and a wide 178° viewing angle, plus support for AI speech using its built-in microphone and speaker, and a built-in battery for IoT and AI applications. Other features include a QMI8658 6-axis IMU for motion detection, a PCF85063 RTC for time, and an ES8311 audio codec for high-quality audio. The ESP32-S3 provides Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity and the board also features a USB-C port for power and programming. The AXP2101 power management IC enables battery charging and optimization, while GPIO, I2C, and UART pads allow expansion. Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-AMOLED-1.8 specifications Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3R8 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 @ up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration. Memory – […]

January 13, 2025January 14, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Review of SMARTHON Smart City IoT Starter Kit for BBC Micro:bit

Smarthon Smart City IoT Starter Kit review

SMARTHON Smart City IoT Starter Kit for micro:bit is an educational kit for 10+ years old teaching basic projects from turning an LED to more complex projects with multiple sensors, IFTTT integration, and mobile app development. The company sent us a sample of the Start Kit along with a BBC Micro:bit board for review, and we’ll report our experience with the kit in this review. Unboxing of SMARTHON Smart City IoT Starter Kit for micro:bit The package I received includes the SMARTHON Smart City IoT Starter Kit for Micro:bit and a BBC Micro:bit V2 board since it’s not included in the starter kit. The bottom side of the package lists the main components and features a QR code pointing to the product page. The package includes cardboard and wooden models, various cables, a 180° servo, a screw set, a city map, the Smarthon IoT:bit carrier board for the BBC Micro:bit, […]

January 13, 2025January 13, 2025 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

Seeed Studio XIAO Plus series adds more GPIOs through castellated holes

In response to community feedback for more I/O options, Seeed Studio has recently launched the Seeed Studio XIAO Plus series with 23 castellated mounting pins (20 GPIOs, 3 power pins) and improved back solder points, improving compatibility with carrier boards for complex projects. The new series includes the XIAO ESP32S3 Plus, XIAO nRF52840 Plus, and XIAO nRF52840 Sense Plus which are direct upgrades of the XIAO ESP32S3, XIAO nRF52840 BLE, and XIAO nRF52840 Sense boards. The new design allows for easier assembly and scalable production, with double the I/O options. XIAO ESP32S3 Plus The Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32S3 Plus is a compact development board with a total of 23 pins on the board out of which 11 are through-hole GPIO pins 9 additional SMD castellations GPIO pins and 3 through-hole are power pins. The board is built around an ESP32-S3 MCU so it has 2.4GHz WiFi and BLE 5.0 connectivity. Other […]

January 10, 2025January 10, 2025 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 12 Comments

Tactility “operating system” for the ESP32 microcontroller family supports built-in and external applications

Tactility is an operating system that runs on the ESP32 microcontroller series. Created by Dutch software developer, Ken Van Hoeylandt (also known as ByteWelder), Tactility is a project one year in the making inspired by the Flipper Zero and its application platform. The ESP32 operating system can run built-in apps and helper services from flash storage as well as external applications from an SD card. It leverages the Espressif ELF(Executable and Linkable Format) loader to load ELF files from external storage to the executable memory area. Tactility is built to run on any ESP32-based device with a touchscreen since drivers (display, touch, and SD card) can be implemented for any hardware. ESP32-S3 devices are “the best option” due to their performance and larger memory. The LILYGO T-Deck series is highly recommended for its onboard keyboard and sizable display. Preset configurations are available for the LILYGO T-Deck Plus, LILYGO T-Deck, M5Stack […]

January 10, 2025January 10, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Tanmatsu handheld terminal features ESP32-P4 RISC-V MCU, QWERTY keyboard, WiFi, Bluetooth, 802.15.4, and LoRa connectivity

Tanmatsu is a handheld terminal device for hackers, makers, and tech enthusiasts based on the 400 MHz ESP32-P4 RISC-V microcontroller, including a QWERTY keyboard, and supporting various connectivity options with WiFi, Bluetooth LE, 802.15.4, and even LoRa in the 433 MHz or 868/915MHz bands. The handheld computer also features a 3.97-inch MIPI DSI display, a built-in speaker and a 3.5mm audio jack, and various expansion connectors such as a Qwiic connector for I2C/I3C modules, and PMOD and SAO expansion connectors. Tanmatsu specifications: Microcontrollers Espressif ESP32-P4 dual-core RISC-V microcontroller @ 400MHz with 32MB of built-in PSRAM WCH CH32V203C8T6 32-bit RISC-V microprocessor @ up to 144 MHz with 20KB SRAM, 64KB flash used for keyboard matrix and power management Storage 16MB flash for firmware MicroSD card slot supporting SD cards at 3.3v and 1.8v voltage levels (SDIO 3) Display – 3.97-inch MIPI DSI display with 800 x 480 resolution, 65,536 colors Audio […]

January 9, 2025January 9, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

SONOFF MINI-D – A Matter-compatible WiFi smart switch with dry contact output for garage doors, boilers, etc…

SONOFF MINI D WiFI Smart Switch Dry Contacts

SONOFF MINI-D, also called SONOFF Mini Dry WiFi Smart Switch, is a Matter-compatible smart switch with dry contact output suitable for controlling devices like garage doors, boilers, air conditioners, and other dry contact input equipment, as well as small DC motors (8W max) such as pumps and solenoid valves. It’s designed to support 12-48V AC or DC inputs, handle low-power DC motors up to 8W, and can be wired as Normally Open (NO) and Normally Closed (NC). Like other SONOFF devices, it’s controlled with the eWelink app, but Matter support means it can integrate with other apps such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home, etc… SONOFF MINI-D specifications: Wireless SoC – Espressif ESP32-D0WDR2 (so ESPHome firmware support is likely… eventually) Connectivity – 2.4GHz WiFi Misc LED for network status, pairing mode, and switch type selection Button for ON/OFF, pairing mode, and external switch type selection. Max load 24V DC/2A […]

January 8, 2025January 8, 2025 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 4 Comments

$12 Plant Bot is an ESP32-C3 soil sensor and pump driver for fully automated indoor plant care

The Plant Bot is an open-source, Internet-enabled plant monitor powered by the ESP32-C3 microcontroller and integrating a corrosion-resistant capacitive moisture soil sensor and a pump driver on a single printed circuit board, eliminating the need for additional cabling. The Plant Bot is designed to automate indoor plant care by combining moisture sensing, light sensing, and pump activation. It can be powered via USB or a single coin cell battery which lasts up to a week with daily updates. An onboard multi-color LED visually represents the current soil condition, ranging from red (dry) to blue (moist). The “Soil Level” line on the board indicates the maximum depth to which the sensor or device should be inserted into the soil. According to the maker, the Plant Bot will remain unaffected by corrosion if the soil level does not exceed this line. Other solutions we’ve covered with a soil sensor usually separate the […]