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May 14, 2024May 14, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 2 Comments

SparkFun M7E Hecto is a simultaneous RFID Reader with USB-C connectivity and a range of up to 5m

SparkFun M7E Hecto Simultaneous RFID Reader

SparkFun has announced the M7E Hecto, a ‘simultaneous’ RFID reader in a compact form factor and high-performance capabilities. The RFID reader is powered by Jadak’s Hecto module (M7E-HECTO) from the ThingMagic series which offers a wide RF output range from 0 dBm to +27 dBm and reads up to 300 tags/second. SparkFun M7E Hecto builds on the much older M6E Nano RFID reader, adding a USB-C port, increasing the read rate from 150 tags/second, and reducing power consumption. It supports an external antenna (sold separately) which extends the scanning distance up to 16 ft (4.8m) from the 1 to 2 ft (0.3m – 0.6m) range supported by the onboard antenna. It does come with a warning to ensure that personnel are not directly in the radiation beam of the antenna while they are within 21cm of the antenna (to adhere to FCC limits for long-term exposure to RF emissions). The […]

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

SparkFun Thing Plus – RA6M5 board supports Bluetooth 5.1 LE through Renesas DA14531MOD module

SparkFun Thing Plus – RA6M5 is a small MCU board based on a 200 MHz Renesas RA6M5 Cortex-M33 microcontroller and a Renesas DA14531MOD Bluetooth 5.1 LE module that follows Adafruit Feather/Sparkfun Thing Plus form factor. The module can transmit data over BLE with just 4mA (at 3.3V) power consumption and the company claims the board to be powered by a coin-cell battery. A LiPo battery can also be connected to the board through a 2-pin JST battery connector, and the Things Plus – RA6M5 board also features a single-cell charger and LiPo fuel gauge. Sparkfun Thing Plus – RA6M5 specifications: Microcontroller – Renesas R7FA6M5AH3CFP Core – Arm Cortex-M33 microcontroller @ up to 200 MHz Memory – 512KB SRAM Storage – 2MB Flash Security – Arm TrustZone, and Secure Crypto Engine 9 Wireless – Renesas DA14531MOD module for Bluetooth 5.1 LE connectivity with support for CodeLess AT command Datapump Radio Transmit […]

April 1, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Sparkfun’s Pulsed Coherent Radar Sensor features Acconeer XM125 60 GHz module, works through walls, offers up to 20-meter range

SparkFun Pulsed Coherent Radar Sensor Acconeer XM125 Qwiic

SparkFun has launched a new Qwiic breakout board for the Acconeer XM125 60 GHz pulsed coherent radar sensor that can measure distance to humans even through walls and works at a distance of up to 20 meters. We’ve seen tiny 24GHz or 60GHz radar modules for several years now, and Supachai even reviewed the Seeed Studio mmWave sensor using ESPHome and Home Assistant late last year with the solution relying on Frequency-Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) technology. The Acconneer XM125 is a Pulse-radar module that emits electromagnetic waves in short bursts instead of continuously like FMCW radars and allows longer measurement ranges potentially at the cost of lower accuracy. Sparkfun Pulse Coherent Radar Sensor specifications: Acconeer XM125 Module A121 60GHz Pulsed Coherent Radar (PCR) Integrated baseband, RF front-end, and antenna in package Detects distance, speed, motion, and objects up to 20 meters away Millimeter precise readings Low power consumption STMicro STM32L431CBY6 […]

March 24, 2024March 23, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

SparkFun’s latest GNSS breakout board features u-Blox NEO-F10N L1/L5 dual-band receiver for urban environments

The SparkFun GNSS L1/L5 Breakout is a standard precision GNSS board with meter-level positional accuracy that features the u-Blox NEO-F10N dual-band module, an SMA antenna connector, and a USB-C port for power and data. As its name implies, the board relies on the L1/L5 bands of the NEO-F10N instead of the more commonly seen L1/L2 bands and delivers better performance in urban environments. That’s because the L5 band falls within the protected ARNS (aeronautical radionavigation service) frequency band leading to less RF interference. SparkFun GNSS L1/L5 Breakout specifications: GNSS u-Blox NEO-F10N module with L1/L5 dual-band GNSS receiver Concurrent Reception of GPS, Galileo, and Beidou Integrated SMA Connector Time to First Fix: 28s (cold), 2s (hot) Max Navigation Rate for Single GNSS Configuration (GPS): 20 Hz Positional Accuracy (GPS) – 1.5m Time Pulse Accuracy – 30ns Operational Limits Max G: ≤ 4G Max Altitude: 80km Max Velocity: 500m/s Supports NMEA, UBX […]

February 19, 2024February 19, 2024 by Debashis Das - No Comments

SparkFun launches MicroMod Single Pair Ethernet kit for easier 10BASE-T1L experimentation

The SparkFun MicroMod Single Pair Ethernet Kit utilizes the ADIN1110 transceiver for 10BASE-T1L communication, enabling long-distance connectivity over a single twisted pair cable. Things get easier as SparkFun has designed the module to be compatible with the MicroMod ecosystem, which allows for testing connections between industrial devices over long distances, up to 1,700 meters. The standout feature of this board is its ADIN1110 transceiver, which supports 10BASE-T1L Ethernet. This technology uses a single twisted pair for lightweight, long-distance data transmission, achieving speeds up to 10Mbps by the 802.3cg IEEE standard, all without delivering power over the cable. SparkFun MicroMod Single Pair Ethernet Kit Specification: 2x SparkFun MicroMod Single Pair Ethernet Function boards 10BASE-T1L IEEE Standard 802.3cg-2019 Compliant Transceiver Single-pair Ethernet transmission at speeds up to 10Mbps 1km transmission distance (1.7km max cable reach) Supply Voltage of 1.8V or 3.3V 2.4V transmission amplitude Integrated MAC connects via SPI – Supports 16 MAC addresses Supports both […]

February 12, 2024February 12, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

SparkFun Thing Plus – ESP32-C6 board comes with 16MB flash, LiPo battery support

SparkFun has launched yet another ESP32-C6 board with the “Thing Plus – ESP32-C6” based on the ESP32-C6-WROOM-1-N16 module with 16MB flash and a PCB antenna and range of I/Os and power options. The board features 28 through holes with up to 23 multi-function GPIOs and a Qwicc connector for expansion, and supports 5V or LiPo battery power through respectively a USB-C port a 2-pin JST connector combined with a charging chip, and a fuel gauge. SparkFun Thing Plus – ESP32-C6 specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-C6-WROOM-1-N16 MCU – ESP32-C6 32-bit single-core RISC-V microcontroller with 2.4 GHz WiFI 6, Bluetooth 5 LE, and 802.15.4 radio (Zigbee and Thread); Matter-compatible Storage – 16 MB flash PCB Antenna Storage – MicroSD card slot USB – 1x USB Type-C port for power and programming Expansion 12-pin + 16-pin headers with 23x multifunctional GPIOs Up to 7x 12-bit ADC channels Up to 2x UART channels (with […]

December 14, 2023December 14, 2023 by Debashis Das - No Comments

ESP32 Qwiic Pro Mini is an ESP32 board in Arduino Pro Mini form factor

Sparkfun's latest development board puts Espressif ESP32-PICO-MINI-02 on a compact Arduino Pro Mini footprint. It also includes an onboard QWICC connector for easy interfacing with a wide range of sensors and peripherals,

SparkFun’s latest development board, the ESP32 Qwiic Pro Mini, puts the Espressif ESP32-PICO-MINI-02 on a compact Arduino Pro Mini footprint. It also includes an onboard QWICC connector for easy interfacing with a wide range of sensors and peripherals. We have already covered other Sparkfun dev boards like DataLogger IoT, Datalogger IoT – 9DoF, and SparkFun Thing Plus Matter you can check those out if interested. Like any other ESP32 board, this also uses an ESP32 microcontroller which features a 32-bit dual-core processor, 520kB of SRAM, 2MB of PSRAM, 8MB of flash memory, and 16 kB of additional SRAM in its RTC. It supports Bluetooth 4.2 and BLE and has ADC and DAC, touch detection, PWM, TWAI, Ethernet MAC, UART, SPI, SDIO, I2C, and I2S interfaces. As reported in a Hackster article, the board also features a Qwiic Connector for solderless connections to sensor boards and add-ons, positioned at a 90-degree angle […]

September 16, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Sparkfun launches cheaper no-code “DataLogger IoT” board compatible with Qwiic modules

Last May, SparkFun introduced the “Datalogger IoT – 9DoF” no-code platform with support for over 50 Qwiic sensor modules and a built-in 9-axis IMU sensor and magnetometer. Taking into consideration that some users may not make use of the built-in sensors, the company decided to launch a cheaper version called the “DataLogger IoT” that can still get data from Qwiic sensor and GPS modules without any programming thanks to the “no-code” Arduino firmware preloaded on the ESP32-WROOM-32E module. SparkFun DataLogger IoT specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-WROOM-32E with: ESP32 dual-core microcontroller 4MB flash 2.4 GHz WiFi and Bluetooth LE connectivity, built-in PCB antenna Storage – MicroSD card slot USB – 1x USB Type-C port for power and configuration via CH340C Expansion – 2x Qwicc I2C connectors for sensors and/or GPS module Misc Boot and Reset buttons Status and charging LED, WS2812 RGB LED Jumpers to enable/disable LEDs, I2C pull-up resistors, and […]