sensors News - Page 12 of 18 - CNX Software

February 22, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

STMicro adds more STM32U5 Cortex-M33 MCUs with NeoChrom 2.5D GPU, 128KB to 4MB flash, NIST certification, etc…

STMicro has added three new families to its STM32U5 Cortex-M33 microcontroller series with the entry-level STM32U535/545 with as little as 128KB flash, the STM32U595/5A5 with up to 4MB of Flash and 2,514KB of RAM, and the STM32U599/5A9 with similar features as the STM32U595/5A5 by adding the new NeoChrom 2.5D GPU plus TFT-LCD and DSI display interfaces. STMicro also announced that STM32U5 series MCUs were the first general-purpose MCUs to receive NIST-embedded random-number entropy source certification. As of now, along with the STM32U575/585 introduced in February 2021 with an optional Chrom-ART 2D GPU, STMicro offers eight product lines as part of the STM32U5 MCU series as shown in the table below. That means the STM32U5 microcontroller can address a wider range of applications with the STM32U535/545 targetting lower-cost applications with less flash and RAM, the “legacy” STM32U575/U585 for mid-range applications, and the STM32U59X/5AX for applications where more storage and memory is […]

February 20, 2023February 19, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Sparkfun NanoBeacon low power Bluetooth 5.3 beacon module supports Bosch BME280 and BMA400 sensors

Sparkfun NanoBeacon is a module equipped with InPlay IN100 NanoBeacon Bluetooth 5.3 beacon SoC, a Qwicc connector, and a few GPIOs designed to work with Bosch Sensortec BME280 3-in-1 humidity sensor, measuring humidity, air pressure, and ambient temperature, and the BMA400 ultra-low power accelerometer sensor. The IN100 NanoBeacon SoC consumes less than 650nA in sleep mode, supports proprietary, Bluetooth, Google Eddystone, and Apple iBeacon beacon modules, and offers a long range of up to several hundred meters. Sparkfun NanoBoard specifications: Bluetooth Beacon SoC – IN100 NanoBeacon SoC (See datasheet for details) 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 Power consumption Sub-uW power consumption for multi-year operation on […]

February 3, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Eduponics Mini v2.0 Smart Agriculture IoT kit gets more flash, new sensors, 4-channel valve board (Crowdfunding)

Eduponics Mini 2.0 Smart Agriculture IoT Kit

Eduponics Mini v2.0 is a Smart Agriculture IoT kit based on the ESP32 wireless microcontroller with built-in sensors to measure temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and ambient light, and interfaces to connect water level and soil moisture sensors. The new board builds upon the Eduponics Mini introduced two years ago, but based on the 8MB flash version of the ESP32-WROVER-B module, a different mix of sensors, a BM8563 RTC module replacing the DS1307 RTC chip, and the addition of Grove connectors for external sensors from companies such Elecrow. Eduponics Mini v2.0 specifications with highlights in bold or strikethrough showing the differences with the first revision of the board: Wireless module – ESP32-WROVER-B module with ESP32 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth SoC, 8MB QSPI flash loaded with MicroPyhon firmware, 8MB SPRAM, PCB antenna Built-in sensors BH1750 I2C light sensor Footprint for BME280 I2C temperature, humidity, and barometric sensor QMP6988 I2C Barometric air pressure sensor […]

February 2, 2023February 2, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

FOSSBot open design 3D printed educational robot is made with Raspberry Pi and off-the-shelf parts

FOSSBot is an “open design” 3D printed educational robot comprised of a Raspberry Pi SBC and various off-the-shelf modules, as well as open-source software that can be used for education purposes. The FOSSBot DIY robot has been developed by the Harokopio University of Athens and the Greek Free and Open Source Software (GFOSS) community, and builds upon the “GSOC 2019 – A DIY robot kit for educators” with the main goal being to have a platform to “familiarize teachers with modern education models based on the S.T.E.A.M approach. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics)”. FOSSbot key components: SBC – Raspberry Pi Zero W, Raspberry Pi 3, or Raspberry Pi 4. Mechanically and electrically compatible Raspberry Pi alternatives could be an option too although part of the software would have to be modified Storage – 32GB MicroSD card Expansion board – Adafruit Perma-Proto HAT for Pi – No EEPROM to connect sensors […]

February 1, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Arduino Plant Watering Kit combines Nano RP2040 Connect with moisture sensor and submersible pump

Arduino Plant Watering 3D Printed enclosure

You’ve probably seen a few plant watering projects based on Arduino over the years, and now the company has decided to launch its own Arduino Plant Watering Kit based on the Arduino Nano RP2040 Connect board and everything you need to get started to water your indoor plants. Arduino Plant Watering Kit content: Arduino Nano RP2040 Connect board (ABX00053) with Raspberry Pi RP2040 MCU, ESP32 module for WiFi, and Bluetooth LE connectivity. Arduino Nano Screw Terminal Adapter (ASX00037) Open-ended USB cable with on/off switch 5V submersible pump 1-meter of plastic hose Grove moisture sensor Grove relay module with cable Grove LED button module with cable Grove cables 50 cm 10x Jumper wires (15 cm) 12x screw connectors Simply connect the moisture sensor and the water pump (through the relay) to the Nano RP2040 Connect board, insert the moisture sensor in a flower pot, and put the pump in a recipient […]

January 28, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Arduino Nicla Voice enables always-on speech recognition with Syntiant NDP120 “Neural Decision Processor”

Arduino PRO Nicla Voice with LiPo battery

Nicla Voice is the latest board from the Arduino PRO family with support for always-on speech recognition thanks to the Syntiant NDP120 “Neural Decision Processor” with a neural network accelerator, a HiFi 3 audio DSP, and a Cortex-M0+ microcontroller core, and the board also includes a Nordic Semi nRF52832 MCU for Bluetooth LE connectivity. Arduino previously launched the Nicla Sense with Bosch SensorTech’s motion and environmental sensors, followed by the Nicla Vision for machine vision applications, and now the company is adding audio and voice support for TinyML and IoT applications with the Nicla Voice. Nicla Voice specifications: Microprocessor – Syntiant NDP120 Neural Decision Processor (NDP) with one Syntiant Core 2 ultra-low-power deep neural network inference engine, 1x HiFi 3 Audio DSP, 1x Arm Cortex-M0 core up to 48 MHz, 48KB SRAM Wireless MCU – Nordic Semiconductor nRF52832 Arm Cortex-M4 microcontroller @ 64 MHz with 512KB Flash, 64KB RAM, Bluetooth […]

January 18, 2023January 19, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Teledyne e2v releases Hydra3+ high-resolution ToF sensor with 832 x 600 resolution

Teledyne e2v Hydra3D+ is a high-resolution Time-of-Flight (ToF) CMOS image sensor with 832 x 600 resolution, designed for real-time 3D detection and measurement without motion artifacts. The first ToF sensor I used was an STMicro VL53L0X ranging sensor that could measure distances accurately and quickly up to 2 meters away, then the company started to launch multi-zone ToF ranging sensors such as the VL53 that enabled new features such as touch-to-focus, multiple-target identification, flash dimming, or video tracking assistance, and one variant used for human detection. But the 832×600 resolution of Hyrdra3D+ brings even more interesting use cases with the ability to create 3D maps in real time. Hydra3D+ ToF sensor specifications: Sensor Resolution – 832 x 600 pixels Aspect Ratio – 4 : 3 Size type – 2/3″ (10.3 mm diagonal) Pixel type/size – square – Three-tap global shutter – gated global shutter / 10 μm Maximum frame rate […]

January 18, 2023January 18, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

TI unveils ULC1001 ultrasonic lens cleaning chip for self-cleaning cameras

Texas Instruments (TI) has introduced the ULC1001 digital signal processor (DSP) ultrasonic lens cleaning (ULC) technology designed – when combined with DRV2901 piezo transducer driver – for self-cleaning camera systems to quickly detect and remove dirt, ice, and water using microscopic vibrations. Cameras used in the automotive, industrial, robotics, and smart farming industries may require cleaning from time to time and that usually means manual cleaning leading to potential downtime, higher maintenance cost, and so on. It could also be done through mechanical parts but that adds further complexity to the system, so instead, Texas Instruments ULC1001 and DRV2901 combo enables cameras to rapidly self-clear contaminants using vibrations to eliminate debris. The datasheet describes the ULC1001 as a “Configurable Ultrasonic PWM Modulator With I/V Sense Amplifiers” with the following specifications: Integrated Programmable Cleaning Modes Water (expelling) Deice (melting and expelling) Mud (dehydrating and expelling) Auto-Cleaning (detecting and expelling) Custom Cleaning […]