open source News - Page 3 of 105 - CNX Software

January 6, 2025January 5, 2025 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

PicoPD Pro – An open-source RP2040 development board with USB PD support up to 30V

The PicoPD Pro is an open-source Raspberry Pi RP2040 development board that integrates USB PD support up to 30V, and features like voltage negotiation and power delivery while still retaining the Raspberry Pi Pico functionality. It features the AP33772S USB-C PD3.1 sink controller from Diodes Incorporated. The AP33772S supports the full USB-C PD 3.1 specification, including Extended Power Range (EPR) / Adjustable Voltage Supply (AVS) up to 28V and Programmable Power Supply (PPS) up to 21V. The PicoPD Pro USB PPS/AVS development board is ideal for powering devices with specific requirements, such as motor control boards, LED drivers, custom battery chargers, and other high-power applications. It also features a 5V rail output for less demanding applications. It can also be used as an AP33772S evaluation board. We have previously seen other USB-C PD solutions like the Spark Analyzer, YULC LED Controller, and USB Insight Hub which may serve a similar […]

December 31, 2024January 2, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

CNX Software’s 2024 Year in review, website statistics, and what to expect in 2025

That’s it! 2024 is almost over, and it’s time to reflect on what happened during the year. So I’ll look at the highlights of 2024, share some CNX Software website traffic statistics, and speculate on what may be ahead of us in 2025. Looking back at 2024 Raspberry Pi was super active this year with 22 product launches that included boards and modules like the Raspberry Pi 5 with 2GB RAM, Raspberry Pi Pico 2 and Pico 2 W, Raspberry Pi CM5, expansion modules like the Raspberry Pi AI camera, AI HAT+, and M.2 HAT+, new accessories such as the Raspberry Pi Touch Display 2 and the Raspberry Pi Monitor, and the new Raspberry Pi 500 keyboard PC among others. As usual, there was also plenty of announcement of accessories from third parties, and some boards with the new Raspberry Pi RP2350 Arm/RISC-V microcontroller. There weren’t any ground-breaking Arm processors […]

December 31, 2024December 30, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 12 Comments

MNT Reform Next is an open-source, RK3588-powered modular 12.5-inch laptop (Crowdfunding)

The MNT Reform Next brings the Rockchip RK3588 processor to the modular laptop series. It retains the open-hardware nature of the older MNT Reform and introduces a lighter and more modular design, complete with a much faster processor. The MNT Reform Next separates the three port boards from the main motherboard, allowing for greater customization and modification than its predecessors. The standard processor module (RCORE) can be swapped with other modules such as the Raspberry Pi CM4, as well as NXP i.MX 8M Plus, NXP LayerScape 1028A, and AMD Kintex-7 FPGA modules. Like the classic MNT Reform and the MNT Pocket Reform, the enclosure for the Reform Next is milled from anodized, bead-blasted aluminum. Apart from being repairable and customizable, the RK3588 modular laptop is powerful enough to be a daily driver for browsing, writing, programming, gaming, graphics design, sound creation, and video editing. MNT Reform Next specifications: SoM SoC […]

December 30, 2024December 30, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

vPlayer – A 1.69-inch ESP32-S3 touchscreen video display with custom expansion options

The vPlayer is an ESP32-S3 touchscreen video display that can be used for continuous MJPEG video playback from a microSD card. It features a 280 x 240 1.69-inch smartwatch-sized touchscreen display with backlight control and also offers expansion options via JST SH/SR connectors (UART, I2C, and I2S audio), and additional I/O pads on the PCB. All these features also make it suitable for applications such as weather displays, live traffic cameras, computer stats monitors, wildlife cameras, and fetching data from the Internet. vPlayer specifications: SoC – Espressif ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core 32-bit microcontroller @ 240MHz Memory and Storage – 4MB Flash and 2MB PSRAM Wireless – WiFi 4, Bluetooth 5.0 Storage – MicroSD card slot via MMC 4-bit interface Display – 1.69-inch touchscreen (280×240) P169H002-CTP TFT LCD ST7789V2 single-chip controller/driver CST816 touch controller Backlight control USB – 1x USB-C for power and data transfer Expansion JST SH/SR 1mm connectors for […]

December 30, 2024December 30, 2024 by Debashis Das - 5 Comments

ESP32-AIVoice-Z01 is an ESP32-S3 AI voice kit with dual microphones, wake word detection, noise reduction and echo cancellation

The ESP32-AIVoice-Z01 is an affordable ESP32-S3-powered AI voice kit designed for creating voice-controlled AI applications. It features Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity through the ESP32-S3 SoC, a dual digital microphone array for accurate voice recognition, and an onboard amplifier. The system also implements audio algorithms for noise reduction and echo cancellation. The ESP32-AIVoice-Z01 board supports Espressif’s WakeNet voice wake-up framework and integrates with the AiLinker open-source backend service framework to enable the connection to various large AI model services like OpenAI, ZhiPu QingYan, TongYi QianWen, and DouBao. These features make this device suitable for developing AI-powered toys, IoT devices, mobile devices, and smart home applications. ESP32-AIVoice-Z01 ESP32 AI voice kit specifications Wireless module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-1U SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 dual-core Xtensa LX7 processor Memory – 8MB PSRAM Storage – 16MB flash Wireless – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity with external antenna Storage – MicroSD card slot Audio Dual digital microphone array […]

December 30, 2024December 30, 2024 by Debashis Das - No Comments

SO-ARM100 is an open-source AI robotic arm kit with LeRobot integration and NVIDIA Jetson support

Seeed Studio has recently started selling the SO-ARM100 AI Robotic Arm kit, a low-cost AI arm designed for real-world robotics applications. This open-source hardware device features a 6-degree-of-freedom design with high-torque STS3215 bus servos, a 12-bit magnetic encoder for precise angle sensing, and UART for communication. The arm comes with motors, driver boards, power adapters, and other 3D-printed parts like arm segments, base, grippers, and motor mounts. Designed to work with the NVIDIA Jetson edge platform, it is ideal for grasping and placing. All these features make this device suitable for education, research, and AI-driven robotics projects. SO-ARM100 AI robotic arm kit specifications Degrees of Freedom (DOF) – 6 Motor control Total servo – 12x STS3215 bus servos Servo torque Arm kit Standard – 19.5 kg.cm @ 7.4V Arm kit pro – 30 kg.cm @ 12V (Pro) Angle Sensor – 12-bit magnetic encoder USB – USB-C for programming and testing […]

December 27, 2024December 30, 2024 by Debashis Das - 4 Comments

HiFi-Amped is a Raspberry Pi Audio HAT with dual DACs and class-D amplifiers

Sonocotta’s HiFi-Amped is a Raspberry Pi Audio HAT designed for Raspberry Pi single-board computers. It features dual PCM5100 DACs and TPA3110 (2x15W @ 8-Ω or 1x 30-W @ 4-Ω) class D amplifiers for high sound quality and power efficiency. Key features of this module include support for both small and large speakers, an external power source to drive speakers and power the Raspberry Pi, and the ability to shut down the amplifiers using GPIO pins for minimal noise when not in use. This makes it ideal for creating a Raspberry Pi-based media center or audio streaming setup. HiFi-Amped specifications: Compatibility – Raspberry Pi 2, 3, 4, 5, Zero, and potentially others with a Raspberry Pi-compatible GPIO header Amplifier – 2x Texas Instruments TPA3110D2 Class-D amplifiers Output Power 4x 10W into 8 ohms @ 13V 4x 15W into 8 ohms @ 16V 2x 30W into 4 ohms @ 16V (bridged mode) […]

December 24, 2024December 24, 2024 by Debashis Das - 4 Comments

RootMaster is a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W-based hydroponic automation system with STM32G4 MCU, CAN Bus, sensors

The RootMaster is a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W-based hydroponic automation system designed to precisely manage water and environmental conditions. The solution also integrates an STM32G4 microcontroller to handle real-time operations such as controlling pumps and peripherals, managing sensors, and processing data from external sensors like water level indicators. It also generates PWM signals to control the power of connected devices and handles communication with external modules through a CAN FD interface. While STM32 handles hardware-level tasks, the Raspberry Pi Zero 2W manages high-level control and user interaction. The RootMaster can be programmed with Python, C, C++, or other programming languages and is useful for applications like Hydroponics automation, water circulation, and environmental control. RootMaster specifications MCU – STMicro STM32G473 32-bit Arm Cortex-M4 microcontroller @ 170 MHz for real-time operations Main controller – Compatible with Raspberry Pi Zero 2 WH for GUI and other interfaces Sensors pH sensor for nutrient solution […]