low power

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments on AMD Ryzen and Athlon 7020-C processors to power Chromebooks with up to 19.5 hours of battery life

AMD Ryzen and Athlon 7020-C processors to power Chromebooks with up to 19.5 hours of battery life

Dell Latitude Chromebook 3445 with Ryzen or Athlon 7020-C processor

AMD has just unveiled the Ryzen and Athlon 7020-C series processor family designed for Chromebooks, with up to four “Zen 2” cores clocked at up to 4.3 GHz, AMD RDNA 2 graphics, and promises of high power efficiency with Chromebook based on the entry-level Athlon Silver 7120C processor lasting up to an estimated 19.5 hours on a charge. AMD says the Ryzen 3 7320C processor in the Dell Latitude Chromebook 3445 delivers 1.6 times higher average performance than a Chromebook based on the previous generation Ryzen 3 3250C processor and provides a 15% performance advantage with up to 3.5 hours longer battery life compared to the HP Chromebook MT7921 powered by an Intel Core i3-N305 “Alder Lake-N” processor. Four models are available at launch: Ryzen 5 7520C, Ryzen 3 7320C, Athlon Gold 7220C, and Athlon Silver 7120C. All are 15W TDP parts, manufactured with a 6nm process, and come with […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on BeepBerry handheld Linux computer drives 2.7-inch display with Raspberry Pi Zero W

BeepBerry handheld Linux computer drives 2.7-inch display with Raspberry Pi Zero W

BeepBerry

Good news! The PocketCHIP handheld Linux computer is back! OK, not quite but that’s what the Raspberry Pi Zero-powered BeepBerry reminds me of with a Blackberry-like keyboard, a small 2.7-inch display, and a 2,000mAh LiPo battery for power. The BeepBerry is another open-source hardware design from SQFMI, who previously did the Watchy ESP32 E-Ink smartwatch, that runs Raspberry Pi OS Lite on the Raspberry Pi Zero/Zero W, and also includes a Raspberry Pi RP2040 to handle the keyboard and peripherals. BeepBerry specifications: SBC – Raspberry Pi Zero board with a Broadcom BCM2835 ARM11 processor @ 700 MHz, VideoCore IV GPU, or Raspberry Pi Zero W with WiFi and Bluetooth Storage – MicroSD card slot Display – Ultra-low power high contrast 2.7-inch Sharp Memory LCD with 400 x 200 resolution User input – QWERTY tactile keyboard w/ backlight and touchpad based on Solder Party BB Q20 Keyboard USB – USB-C programming […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Energous 2W PowerBridge transmitter doubles wireless power for IoT devices

Energous 2W PowerBridge transmitter doubles wireless power for IoT devices

Energous 2W PowerBridge wireless power transmitter

Energous has launched the 2W PowerBridge transmitter that doubles the energizing capability of Energous’ 1W transmitter found in WattUp 1W active energy harvesting developer kit, the “Wirelessly powered sensor evaluation kit“, and various deployments in the field. Energous wireless transmitters are used in IoT applications across the supply chain, logistics, retail, industrial and agricultural industries, which benefit from lower maintenance and wiring costs, and the new 2W transmitter will provide better RF coverage and power levels. Energous further explains its 2W PowerBridge helps reduce the need for replaceable batteries and charging cables since it can power IoT devices at a distance in industrial, commercial, and residential settings leading to a reduced need for maintenance or human intervention, enabling a more automated workflow, and the deployment of “Active Energy Wireless Power Networks”. So while there will also be wasted energy with at-a-distance wireless power, it could still make financial sense for […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments on The world’s smallest Bluetooth SoC: InPlay NanoBeacon SoC IN100 in 2.0×1.1mm WLCSP package

The world’s smallest Bluetooth SoC: InPlay NanoBeacon SoC IN100 in 2.0×1.1mm WLCSP package

world smallest bluetooth soc IN100 WLCSP

InPlay has just announced a Wafer Level Chip Scale Package (WLCSP) for its NanoBeacon SoC IN100, making it the world’s smallest Bluetooth System-on-a-Chip (SoC) at just 2.0 x 1.1 x 0.35mm. The NanoBeacon IN100 is not new per se, and we covered the still tiny Bluetooth SoC when writing about Sparkfun NanoBeacon Bluetooth 5.3 module based on the DFN8 package measuring 2.5×2.5mm. The highlights include its low-code/no-code interface and an ultra-low power consumption of below 1 uW. InPlay NanoBeacon SoC IN100 specifications: Memory – 4 KB SRAM +  4 Kbit OTP memory Bluetooth 5.3 compliant Beacon Modes: Proprietary, BT, Google Eddystone, and Apple iBeacon compliant 2.4GHz RF frequency band, MedRadio band (2.36GHz) Programming-free and firmware-less design Long-range transmission: up to several hundred meters Security Authentication of beacon ID Privacy of advertising payload Supply voltage range – 1.1V ~ 3.6V (Single 1.5V coin battery support) Power consumption Sub-uW power consumption for […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on $60 M5Stack CoreS3 ESP32-S3 IoT controller comes with 2-inch display, VGA camera, multiple sensors

$60 M5Stack CoreS3 ESP32-S3 IoT controller comes with 2-inch display, VGA camera, multiple sensors

M5Stack CoreS3 ESP32-S3 IoT controller

M5Stack CoreS3 is a battery-powered ESP32-S3 IoT controller with WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, a 2-inch touchscreen display, a 0.3MP camera, a microSD card slot for storage, several sensors, plenty of I/Os, a USB Type-C OTG port, as well as a 9V to 24V DC input port. That’s the second ESP32-S3 IoT controller from M5Stack we’ve seen this year, as the CoreS3 follows the smaller M5Stack AtomS3 with a 0.85-inch display, only a few I/Os, and fewer features overall although it does come with an IR transmitter that’s missing from the larger CoreS3. M5Stack CoreS3 specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3FN16R8 dual-core 32-bit Xtensa LX7 microcontroller with AI vector instructions up to 240MHz, RISC-V ULP co-processor, 512KB SRAM, 2.4GHz WiFi 4 (802.11b/g/n), Bluetooth 5.0 BLE + Mesh, 16MB flash, 8MB PSRAM Antenna – Internal “3D” antenna Storage – MicroSD card slot Display – 2-inch display with 320×240 resolution via ILI9342C […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on TI launches Simplelink CC3300/CC3301 WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 LE companion IC for IoT applications

TI launches Simplelink CC3300/CC3301 WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 LE companion IC for IoT applications

BP-CC3301 SimpleLink CC3301 WiFi 6 BLE BoosterPack plug in module

Texas Instruments has unveiled the SimpleLink CC33xx family of Wi-Fi 6 companion IC with optional Bluetooth 5.3 Low Energy designed to be connected to a microcontroller (MCU) or a microprocessor (MPU) for secure and power-efficient IoT devices, The SimpleLink CC3000 supports 2.4 GHz WiFi 6, and interfaces over SDIO, SPI, and/or UART to the host system, while the SimpleLink CC3301 also adds support for Bluetooth 5.3 LE. Both chips can operate in high-temperature environments up to 105ºC. Texas Instruments CC3300/CC3301 specifications: Wireless 2.4 GHz WiFi 6 (802.11ax) up to 50 Mbps; Support for TWT and OFDMA, multirole (Access Point and Station) CC3301 only – Bluetooth 5.3 Low Energy up to 2 Mbps WiFi and Bluetooth COEX Host interface – 4-bit SDIO or SPI, and UART to external MCU or MPU Security – FW authentication and anti-rollback protection, WPA2/WPA3, Secured host interface Pacakge – 40-pin QFN package (5×5 mm) Temperature range […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on Nordic Semi nRF54H20 Cortex-M33 + RISC-V wireless SoC supports Bluetooth 5.4, LE Audio, Bluetooth mesh, Thread, Matter, and more

Nordic Semi nRF54H20 Cortex-M33 + RISC-V wireless SoC supports Bluetooth 5.4, LE Audio, Bluetooth mesh, Thread, Matter, and more

nRF54H20

Nordic Semi nRF54H20 is a 320 MHz multiprotocol wireless SoC with several Arm Cortex-M33 and RISC-V cores, support for Bluetooth 5.4 and greater with features like LE Audio and Bluetooth mesh, as well as Thread, Matter, and so on. It is the first part of the fourth generation nRF54 family manufactured with a 22nm process, and its application processor doubles the processing power (2x CoreMark) of the Arm Cortex-M33 application core in the nRF5340 SoC and embeds up to 2MB flash, 1MB SRAM. nRF54H20 preliminary specifications and highlights: CPU Application core  – Arm Cortex-M33 @ up to 320 MHz with 2 MB Flash + 1MB SRAM Network core –  Arm Cortex-M33 Several RISC-V cores (for low power?) Wireless Bluetooth 5.4 LE with direction-finding, Bluetooth mesh, LE audio, etc… 802.15.4 radio for Thread, Matter -100 dBm RX sensitivity @ 1 Mbps for Bluetooth LE Up to 10 dBm TX power New […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on T-Display-S3 AMOLED – An ESP32-S3 board with a 1.9-inch AMOLED Display

T-Display-S3 AMOLED – An ESP32-S3 board with a 1.9-inch AMOLED Display

ESP32-S3 board with an AMOLED display

There are plenty of ESP32 series boards with display usually TFT or E-Ink, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one with an AMOLED display and that’s what Lilygo is offering with the “T-Display-S3 AMOLED” board equipped with an ESP32-S3 WiFi and Bluetooth microcontroller and a 1.9-inch AMOLED display. The new board is almost the same as the T-Display-S3 board introduced last year, except for a display with higher resolution, more vibrant colors, and a wider viewing angle, plus a 3D antenna, and a few extra I/Os. T-Display-S3 AMOLED specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3R8 dual-core Tensilica LX7 @ up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration, 512KB RAM, 8MB PSRAM, wireless connectivity Storage – 16MB flash Connectivity via ESP32-S3 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi 4 with 40 MHz bandwidth support Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0 connectivity with long-range support, up to 2Mbps data rate. 3D antenna […]

UP 7000 x86 SBC