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

Tiny Silicon Labs BG29 Bluetooth LE SoC measures just 2.8 x 2.6mm for wearables and sensors

Yesterday, we wrote about the world’s smallest microcontroller (TI MSPM0C1104), which measures just 1.38mm2 in its smallest package. However, it is designed for general-purpose applications without built-in wireless connectivity. If you need Bluetooth LE in a tiny form factor, Silicon Labs BG29 wireless SoC, with a 2.8x 2.6mm package, is worth a look. The BG29 features a Cortex-M33 core clocked at up to 76.8 MHz, up to 256KB SRAM, up to 1MB flash, various digital and analog peripherals, and security features that make it suitable for Bluetooth LE applications such as wearable health and medical devices, asset trackers, and battery-powered sensors. Silicon Labs BG29 (EFR32BG29) specifications: CPU core – Arm Cortex-M33 @ 76.8 MHz with DSP instruction and floating-point unit Memory – Up to 256 kB RAM data memory Storage – Up to 1 MB flash program memory Wireless – 2.4 GHz radio Protocols – Bluetooth 5.4 Low Energy (LE) […]

March 5, 2025March 5, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

STMicro STM32U3 ultra-low-power Cortex-M33 MCU achieves 117 Coremark/mW in active mode, consumes 1.6 µA in stop mode

STMicro STM32U3 is a new family of Arm Cortex-M33 microcontrollers clocked at up to 96 MHz with ultra-low-power consumption designed for utility meters, healthcare devices such as glucose meters and insulin pumps, and industrial sensors. The company says the STM32U3 MCU family is a “market leader in terms of efficiency” with 117 Coremark/mW in active mode, and consumes 1.6µA in stop mode. The Coremark/mW score means the STM32U3 offers almost twice the efficiency of the STM32U5 series, and five times that of the STM32L4 series. Other highlights include up to 1MB of dual-bank flash, 256kB of SRAM, and various interfaces like MIPI I3C, SAI audio, 12-bit ADC, etc… STMicro STM32U3 key features and specifications: MCU Core 32-bit Arm Cortex-M33 CPU @ 96 MHz with TrustZone and FPU Performance 1.5 DMIPS/MHz (Dhrystone 2.1) 387 CoreMark (4.09 CoreMark/MHz) 500 ULPMark-CP 117 ULPMark-CM 202000 SecureMark-TLS ART Accelerator with DSP instructions Memory/Storage 256 KB […]

February 17, 2025February 18, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Waveshare ESP32 robotic arm kit with 5+1 DoF supports ROS2, LeRobot, and Jetson Orin NX integration

RoArm M3 Pro and RoArm M3 S High Torque Serial Bus Servo Robotic Arm Kit

Waveshare has recently released the RoArm-M3-Pro and RoArm-M3-S, a 5+1 DOF high-torque ESP32 robotic arm kit. The main difference between the two is that the RoArm-M3-Pro features all-metal ST3235 bus servos for durability and longevity, on the other hand, the RoArm-M3-S uses standard servo motors which are less durable for long-term use. These robotic arms feature a lightweight structure, a 360° omnidirectional base, and five flexible joints, which together create a 1m workspace with a 200 grams @ 0.5m payload. A 2-DOF wrist joint enables multi-dimensional clamping and precise force control. It integrates an ESP32 MCU, supporting multiple wireless control modes via a web app, it also supports inverse kinematics for accurate positioning, curve velocity control for smooth motion, and adaptive force control. The design is open source and with ROS2 compatibility, it allows secondary development via JSON commands and ESP-NOW for multi-device communication. Compatible with the LeRobot AI framework, […]

February 10, 2025February 9, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

STMicro’s STEVAL-MKI109D evaluation board supports all ST MEMS sensors with a DIL24 socket

STEVAL MKI109D MEMS sensor evaluation board

STMicroelectronics has introduced the STEVAL-MKI109D a MEMS sensor evaluation board, designed to test and optimize STMicro’s MEMS sensors for various applications, including industrial automation, smart agriculture, and consumer electronics. Built around the STM32H563ZI Arm Cortex-M33 MCU this development board features I²C, I3C, and SPI interfaces, along with a TDM interface for high-speed sensor data communication. The board is also compatible with STMicro MEMS DIL24 adapter boards, which makes it easy for engineers to test different sensors. Additionally, it has software-adjustable power circuitry (0–3.6V), and onboard power monitoring for accurate analysis of sensor performance. STEVAL-MKI109D specifications Main MCU – STMicro STM32H563ZI Arm Cortex-M33 MCU with DSP and FPU Storage – MicroSD card slot Sensors – Supports all STMicro MEMS DIL24 compatible adapter boards Interfaces – I²C, I3C, SPI, TDM USB – USB Type-C connector for power and programming Misc Onboard J6 connector for STM32 programming and debugging Onboard J9 connector for […]

February 3, 2025February 3, 2025 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

Polverine – A compact, mikroBUS-compatible environmental sensing platform with PM 2.5 and gas sensors (Crowdfunding)

Polverine is a mikroBUS-compatible environmental sensing platform featuring a BMV080 PM2.5 sensor and a BME690 gas sensor, plus an Espressif ESP32-S3-MINI-1 module to add Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth 5 connectivity. The onboard BMV080 sensor is described as the “world’s smallest PM2.5 sensor” at 4.2 x 3.5 x 3mm. The PM2.5 particulate matter sensor is complemented by the BME690 which measures temperature, humidity, and pressure, and detects volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for complete environmental monitoring. The board offers sufficient processing power for quick data handling, with wireless connectivity for easy integration into IoT systems and smart devices. Projected applications for the sensor platform include indoor air quality monitoring, smart homes, HVAC systems, industrial monitoring (gas leak and pollution monitoring), wearables for personal air quality tracking, and anomaly detection in emergency scenarios. We have seen other ESP32-based environmental sensor platforms such as the Sensy32 board, MoreSense MS-06, and AirGradient One, but the […]

January 31, 2025February 20, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

SparkFun Digi X-ON LoRaWAN development kit combines Digi HX15 gateway with RP2350 IoT node and environmental sensors module

SparkFun has recently released the Digi X-ON LoRaWAN development kit an all-in-one IoT development kit designed to simplify the setup and deployment of LoRa-based IoT systems. It includes the Digi HX15 Gateway, SparkFun IoT Node for LoRaWAN, and the ENS160/BME280 environmental sensor, enabling rapid prototyping and connectivity with the help of the Digi X-ON cloud platform. The SparkFun IoT Node is built around the Raspberry Pi RP2350 microcontroller, which features 16MB flash, 8MB PSRAM, multiple GPIOs, LiPo battery support, microSD storage, and USB-C connectivity. It also integrates the Digi XBee LR module for long-range LoRaWAN communication with pre-activated cloud connectivity. With an onboard Qwiic connector and Arduino support, this development kit is ideal for applications like industrial monitoring, environmental sensing, smart agriculture, remote data collection, and more. Digi HX15 gateway specifications Microprocessor – STMicro STM32MP157C MPU with dual-core Cortex A7 @ 650 MHz, Cortex-M4 @ 209 MHz with FPU/MPU, 3D […]

January 28, 2025January 30, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Meshtastic Designer helps you build custom Meshtastic solutions with RAKwireless Wisblock components

RAKWireless introduced the Wisblock IoT Modular System in 2020 to let developers easily create LoRaWAN IoT solutions with various core modules, baseboards, and sensor/IO modules. The company kept adding new Wisblock modules year after year, and there are now over 120 modules part of the Wisblock ecosystem. While the large choice of modules makes designing IoT prototypes more flexible, customers often face challenges in checking compatibility and selecting the right modules for the right slots. That’s why RAKWireless has been working on web-based online designer tools for the Wisblock ecosystem. The first release is the Meshtastic Designer used to quickly configure and create their own Meshtastic devices from the module to enclosure, and place an order from there once the design is complete. I’ve given it a quick try myself. I wanted a Meshtastic device with a display, a keyboard, a GNSS module, and an air quality sensor since the […]

January 17, 2025January 17, 2025 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 3 Comments

Home Assistant-compatible 60GHz mmWave radar sensor features a built-in IR blaster (Crowdfunding)

The eMotion Ultra is a Home Assistant-compatible 60GHz mmWave radar presence sensor with a built-in IR blaster with a 15-meter range, a brightness sensor, and a temperature/humidity sensor. It is powered by an Armv8-M KM4 microcontroller with built-in Wi-Fi connectivity and is targeted at simplifying complex smart home setups. The eMotion Ultra 60GHz mmWave radar presence sensor module is reported to be able to “cover up to 40 square meters (430 square feet) using just one device.” It can be configured for up to 4 zones with personalized automations for each zone. The exact Armv8-M KM4 module used isn’t named but is likely based on a Realtek RTL8720CM wireless SoC or other Realtek Ameba microcontroller. Potential applications include security management, lighting automation, home climate control, energy management, and rental property management. We have seen similar presence sensors such as the RoomSense IQ, Seeed Studio’s mmWave fall detection kit, SONOFF SNZB-06P, […]