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November 21, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

216MHz GigaDevice GD32G5 Cortex-M33 MCU features analog interfaces and accelerators for industrial applications

Starting with the GD32G553 SKUs, the 216 MHz GigaDevice GD32G5 high-performance Arm Cortex-M33 microcontroller family features 256KB to 512KB of embedded Flash with dual-bank Flash support, 128KB of SRAM, and a range of hardware accelerators including a DSP, single-precision FPU, a trigonometric function accelerator (TMU), and other hardware acceleration units, filter algorithms (FAC) and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). Designed for industrial applications, the GD32G5 microcontrollers also offer a wide range of digital and analog interfaces and enhanced security capabilities suitable for digital power systems, charging stations, energy storage inverters, frequency converters, servo motors, and optical communication. GigaDevice GD32G5 specifications: MCU Core – Arm Cortex-M33 Armv8-M core clocked at up to 216MHz with DSP instruction set and single-precision FPU; up to 316 DMIPS, CoreMark score: 694. Memory/Storage 128KB SRAM (80KB SRAM0 + 16KB SRAM1 + 32KB TCMSRAM) 256KB to 512KB on-chip flash, QSPI interface for external storage External memory controller (EXMC) […]

November 14, 2024November 14, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

STMicro STSPIN32G0 3-phase motor controllers support up to 24V for portable appliances, up to 600V for industrial automation

STMicro STSPIN32G0 is a new series of advanced 3-phase motor controllers with variable voltage ranging from 45V to 600V that extend STMicro’s portfolio of devices with an integrated MCU and motor driver. The new series combines a triple-half bridge gate driver with the Arm Cortex-M0+-based STM32G0 microcontroller and is capable of handling six-step and field-oriented control (FOC) algorithms. The integrated design of the STSPIN32G0 series offers cost-savings and “significant BOM area reduction without compromising performance and robustness.” There are two main versions of the STSPIN32G0 series, low-voltage and high-voltage. The low-voltage 3-phase motor controllers include a voltage regulator, one or three shunts, and a gate driver rated at 45V and up to 0.6A. They are mainly targeted at home appliances, power tools, and drones. The high-voltage versions can handle either 250V or 600V, making them suitable for industrial inverters and fans. They are targeted at home appliances, air conditioners, home […]

November 8, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

Renesas RA8E1 and RA8E2 entry-level Arm Cortex-M85 MCUs target cost-sensitive applications

Fast Prototyping Board for Renesas RA8E1

Renesas has expanded its Arm Cortex-M85-based RA8 series to include two new entry-level MCUs, RA8E1 and RA8E2. The new microcontrollers perform similarly to other Arm Cortex-M85-based microcontrollers and are offered at a lower price point thanks to a streamlined feature set to reduce costs. The RA8E1 and RA8E2 groups of microcontrollers will be useful for high-volume applications in industrial and home automation, healthcare, office equipment, and consumer products. We have previously covered other models in Renesas’ RA8 series, including the Renesas RA8T1, RA8D1, and the very first Cortex-M85 microcontroller, the Renesas RA8M1. The RA8 series consists of microcontrollers based on the Arm Cortex-M85 core with a performance of 6.39 CoreMark/MHz and Arm’s M-Profile Vector Extension which provides a 4x performance boost for DSP and ML workloads while maintaining low power consumption. The RA8E1 and RA8E2 Cortex-M85 microcontroller groups differ mostly in clock speed, available internal and external memory, communication interfaces, […]

November 1, 2024November 2, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

MicroPython v1.24 release adds support for RP2350 and ESP32-C6 microcontrollers, various RISC-V improvements

Micropython v1.24 with ESP32-C6 and RP2350 support

MicroPython has become one of the most popular ways of programming microcontrollers, and the just-released MicroPython v1.24 adds support for the widely-used Raspberry Pi RP2350 and Espresif ESP32-C6 microcontrollers and a range of other changes. Those include improved RISC-V support with native code generation, an updated Zephyr v3.7.0 RTOS with threading support, unified TinyUSB bindings across ports, a portable UART IRQ API, and enhanced mpremote recursive copy. Damien George goes into more detail about the RISC-V improvements: … include an RV32IMC native code emitter, native NLR and GC register scanning implementations for 32- and 64-bit RISC-V, support for placing RV32IMC native code in .mpy files and also freezing it, and RISC-V semihosting support. Testing for RISC-V is done with the qemu and unix ports, and the support is utilised in the esp32 and rp2 ports. The Raspberry Pi RP2350 comes with both Arm Cortex-M33 and RISC-V cores, and the good […]

October 31, 2024October 30, 2024 by Sayantan Nandy - No Comments

1.28-inch round color display features Raspberry Pi RP2350, motion sensor, GPIO headers, metal case

Waveshare has recently launched the RP2350-LCD-1.28, a Raspberry Pi RP2350-based 1.28-inch round color display module with 240×240 pixel resolution and a 65K-color IPS panel. This board also features a rechargeable Lithium battery manager, a 6-axis IMU with a 3-axis gyroscope and accelerometer, multiple GPIO pins, and a USB Type-C connector for programming and power. Additionally, it supports USB 1.1 host/device support, temperature sensor, and 24 PWM channels, all configured for flexible I/O options. These features make this device useful for IoT, wearable tech, and embedded applications. The company also provides an optional CNC metal casing that provides durability and heat dissipation for portable or rugged applications. We have previously covered similar development boards with a round display such as the RP2040-powered 0.99″ rounded display, the ESP32-S3 LCD Driver Board, the SB-Components has launched Dual Roundy, and others, but it’s the first to feature the RP2350 microcontroller. RP2350-LCD-1.28 specification: Microcontroller – Raspberry Pi […]

October 29, 2024October 31, 2024 by Debashis Das - 4 Comments

CodeCell is a ESP32-C3 mini development board for robots, wearables, smart home projects

CodeCell ESP32 C3 mini development board

Engineer and YouTuber Carl Bugeja recently developed CodeCell, a tiny ESP32-C3 development board designed as the brain for robots, wearables, and smart home devices. This module features a nine-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) for motion fusion and an optional VCNL4040 light sensor. It includes a USB Type-C port for data and power as well as a lithium-polymer battery with a charging circuit. Measuring just 18.5 x 18.5mm this compact board is even smaller than other tiny ESP32 development boards such as Waveshare’s ESP32-S3-Zero and Seeed Studio’s XIAO ESP32S3. However, the Epi C3 is smaller at 23 x 12.75 mm, and so are the Unexpected Maker NANOS3 (25 x 10 mm) and Unexpected Maker OMGS3 (28 x 11 mm). CodeCel ESP32-C3 mini development board specification Microcontroller – ESP32-C3 RISC-V MCU 160MHz 32-bit RISC-V processor core 400kB SRAM, 4MB flash storage Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connectivity Sensors Vishay VCNL4040 light […]

October 24, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

Renesas RX260 and RX261 64 MHz RXv3 MCUs target power-efficient touch applications

Renesas RX260 RX261 RXv3 microcontrollers

The Renesas RX260 and RX261 two new 64 MHz microcontrollers part of the high-performance, high-efficiency RX product family with integrated capacitive touch-sensing and high power efficiency in both active and standby modes. The microcontrollers are based on the RXv3 core with a performance score of 355 CoreMark @ 64MHz, which is “2.5 times higher than competing 64 MHz class MCUs.” The chips are also power-efficient, with a consumption rate of 69μA/MHz during active operation and 1μA only in standby mode. According to Renesas, the chips are up to 25% more efficient in active mode and 87% more efficient in standby mode than other 64 MHz class MCUs. Another competing factor is the onboard 8KB of data flash, eliminating the need for external EEPROM. The RX260 and RX261 Group MCUs support noise- and water-resistant capacitive touch via Renesas’ third-generation capacitive touch IP (CTSU2SL). They also integrate an “automatic judgment function” that […]

October 24, 2024October 24, 2024 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Renesas CCE4511 IO-Link master IC and ZSSC3286 IO-Link sensor signal conditioner IC are designed for industrial sensors and actuators

Renesas CCE4511 and ZSSC3286 IO Link ICs

Renesas has recently introduced the CCE4511 four-channel IO-Link master IC and the ZSSC3286 IO-Link-ready dual-channel sensor signal conditioner IC along with their development boards designed for harsh industrial environments. The CCE4511 master IC supports four channels with 500mA driving current, overvoltage detection, and overcurrent protection, Additionally, it has an integrated IO-Link Frame Handler that reduces microcontroller load. The ZSSC3286on is the first sensor signal conditioner with an integrated IO-Link compliant stack, meaning you don’t need a separate microcontroller for signal handling. Additionally, it features 24-bit ADCs and advanced diagnostic functions for advanced tasks. Both products are optimized for industrial automation, offering energy efficiency, smaller PCB sizes, and robust system diagnostics. CCE4511 IO-Link master and ZSSC3286 sensor signal conditioner IC Specifications CCE4511 IO-Link master Main Chip – CCE4511 4-Channel IO-Link Master PHY with integrated Frame Handler Number of Channels – 4 IO-Link master channels Frame Handler – Hardware frame handler for […]