nordic semi News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

October 18, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 22 Comments

Spectra is a customizable, JavaScript ESP32-S3 and nRF52832 smartwatch (Crowdfunding)

Spectra is a JavaScript-based hackable smartwatch based on the ESP32-S3 WiFi and Bluetooth microcontroller that aims to offer the quality of high-end consumer smartwatches with the repairability of a maker-targeted device. The Spectra smartwatch combines the ESP32-S3 microcontroller with a Nordic Semi nRF52832 co-processor to optimize the battery life. The ESP32-S3 is maxed out with 8MB of RAM and 32MB of external flash memory, and the microSD card slot in the watch supports up to a 512GB memory card. It shares a similar concept with the Bangle.js and the Bangle.js 2 customizable smartwatches. According to the maker, Spectra is not bound to be fully open-source, since the project uses “external proprietary code [they] aren’t allowed to share.” They plan to publish Arduino libraries and hardware design files, but there is no live GitHub repository yet. Other hackable smartwatches include the TinyWatch S3, the ZSWatch, and the Sensor Watch Pro. Spectra […]

June 13, 2024June 13, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Apple’s Embedded Swift programming language supports ESP32-C6, Raspberry Pi RP2040, STM32F7, nRF52840 microcontrollers

Apple has released a beta version of Embedded Swift that notably works with Espressif ESP32-C6 wireless RISC-V microcontroller, and the company also built a Matter sample based on ESP-IDF and ESP-Matter SDKs. Embedded Swift is not limited to the ESP32-C6 and supports other microcontrollers from STMicro, Raspberry Pi, Nordic Semi, etc… Apple Swift programming language is mostly designed for mobile app development, but we’ve also seen it being used on Mad Machine’s SwiftIO board powered by a 600 MHz NXP i.MX RT1052 Arm Cortex-M7 crossover processor and the tiny SwiftIO Micro launched a few years later. The company has now decided to create a subset of the Swift programming language better suited to microcontrollers simply called Embedded Swift that’s currently working on STMicro STM32F746, Raspberry Pi Pico, nRF52840, and ESP32-C6. The “Go small with Embedded Swift” presentation at WWDC 2024 shows how to get started with Embedded Swift using Espressif […]

May 28, 2024May 28, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 8 Comments

Nordic nRF52840-based True Wireless Valve is a USB or battery powered valve for home water management (Crowdfunding)

True Wireless Valve from Uhome Systems is a battery-powered, smart valve that is easy to install and integrate into your smart home setup. It is based on the Nordic Semiconductor nRF52840, a multiprotocol Bluetooth 5.4 SoC with support for Bluetooth Low Energy, Bluetooth mesh, Thread, NFC, and Zigbee. True Wireless Valve can run on four AAA batteries for up to two years and can also be powered via a USB Type-C power supply. It offers a completely wireless experience with the option for battery power which removes the need for additional wiring and makes installation easier and safer. It seamlessly integrates with Home Assistant and other smart home platforms via ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT. It can be paired with a leak detector such as the AquaPing and used to respond automatically to potential leaks in the home. True Wireless Valve specifications: SoC – Nordic Semiconductor nRF52840 CPU – 32-bit Cortex-M4 core […]

April 8, 2024April 7, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

u-blox ALMA-B1 and NORA-B2, Bluetooth 5.4 LE modules are based on Nordic nRF54H20 and nRF54L15 SoCs

Wireless communication solutions provider, u-blox has added two new modules to its Bluetooth LE portfolio with the ALMA-B1 and NORA-B2 modules built upon the latest low-power wireless nRF54 chips from Nordic Semiconductor. Both modules come in a portable, power-efficient layout and support Bluetooth 5.4 and 802.15.4 (Thread, Matter, Zigbee). The ALMA-B1 and NORA-B2 BLE modules are powered by the low-power nRF54H20 and nRF54L15 SoCs, respectively. This enables them to provide IoT devices with sufficient processing power for edge computing and machine learning without the need for external components. u-blox claims that the ALMA-B1 module provides “more than twice the processing power of previous Bluetooth LE modules” and can replace general-purpose microcontrollers in compact solutions. Also, the NORA-B2 reportedly “consumes up to 50% less current compared to previous generations of Bluetooth LE modules,” leading to longer battery life or smaller batteries in end products. Both modules are classified as open CPU […]

March 11, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

RAKwireless open sources RUI3 multi-target IoT development platform

Rakwireless RUI3 open source IoT development platform

RAKwireless has made its RUI3 IoT software development platform open-source so that customers or users can implement “nice-to-have” features on top of the features already implemented by the company which could make it even more versatile in a wider range of IoT scenarios. Introduced in 2022, the RAK Unified Interface v3, or RUI3 for shorts, is a modular IoT platform based on the Arduino SDK with additional functions for IoT connectivity and low power that supports a variety of devices and applications. So developers can learn the language, code once, and use the same software on multiple WisBlock core platforms including Nordic Semi nRF52, STM32, ESP32, and Raspberry Pi RP2040 instead of having to juggle between different the Arduino BSP, the ESP-IDF framework, Nordic nRF Connect SDK, or Raspberry Pi C SDK. Users could already use the RUI3 firmware with the RAK3172 (STM32), RAK4630/RAK4631 (nRF52), or RAK11720 (Apollo3) WisBlock Core […]