STMicro has announced the ultra-low-power STM32U0 Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller family running up to 56 MHz that reduces energy consumption by up to 50% compared to previous product generations such as STM32C0 or STM32L0 while targetting SESIP Level 3, PSA-Certified Level 1, and NIST certifications. Separately, the company also introduced a new 18nm FD-SOI manufacturing process for STM32 microcontrollers that will replace the 40nm process currently used. STMicro STM32U0 Cortex-M0+ MCU STMicro STM32U0 key features and specifications: MCU Core – Cortex-M0+ up to 54 MHz with ART accelerator Memory / Storage STM32U031x – 12KB SRAM, 16 to 64KB flash STM32U073x – 40 KB SRAM, 16 to 256 KB flash STM32U083x – 40 KB SRAM, 256 KB flash Display – LCD controller for 8×48 or 4×52 segment displays (STM32U073, STM32U083) Peripherals 3x I2C, 2x SPI, 4x USART, 2x low-power UART. Up to 21x capacitive sensing channels USB – 1x USB 2.0 device […]
Waveshare ESP32-S3-LCD-1.28 development board with 1.28-inch IPS round LCD is available for $15
The Waveshare “ESP32-S3-LCD-1.28” is an ESP32-S3-based display board featuring a 1.28-inch round LCD screen with a 240×240 resolution, driven by the GC9A01 display driver chip. It also includes a Li-ion battery charger, a QMI8658 6-axis IMU (for motion tracking), a USB Type-C connector, and wireless capabilities. This board is quite similar to others like the Lilygo T-RGB, Round Display for XIAO, ESP32-S3 Round SPI boards. However, it’s thinner and more affordable. Waveshare ESP32-S3-LCD-1.28 development board specifications: Wireless MCU – ESP32-S3 Xtensa 32-bit LX7 dual-core, up to 240MHz frequency. Display: 1.28-inch round IPS LCD. Resolution – 240×240 pixels. 65K color. Display Chip – GC9A01A. IMU Parameters: Sensor – QMI8658 Accelerometer resolution – 16-bit; Range (Optional): ±2, ±4, ±8, ±16g. Gyroscope resolution – 16 bits; Range (Optional) – ±16, ±32, ±64, ±128, ±256, ±512, ±1024, ±2048°/sec. Memory: Built-in 512KB SRAM. 384KB ROM. Onboard 2MB PSRAM. External 16MB Flash memory (W25Q128JVSIQ). Wireless Connectivity: […]
GlowStitch LEDs – A machine-sewable LED board for adding lights to wearables and crafts (Crowdfunding)
GlowStitch LEDs is an innovative new project that is aimed at making machine-sewable LEDs for wearable tech and special crafts of all forms. The LEDs are made from flexible circuit boards which makes them sewable with a machine and usable for various creative projects by makers, cosplayers, fashion designers, and hobbyists. Until now, sewing LEDs to clothing and soft circuits (e-textiles) had to be done by hand with conductive thread, an arduous process that requires a lot of patience. With the GlowStitch LEDs, creative projects can be prototyped using conductive tape and actualized with a sewing machine. This project has a focus on education and the kit is designed to be used by makers of all skill levels. The LED strips can be machine-washed. However, the maker recommends hand-washing with no tumble dry. The battery should always be removed before washing. Although this is not a kit that requires coding […]
STMicro VD55G1 – A small, low-power global shutter I3C camera sensor for computer vision
STMicro VD55G1 is a new global shutter I3C camera sensor with a small die size of 2.7 x 2.2 mm, 804 x 704 pixels native resolution, and consuming about 1mW in its ‘always-on’ autonomous mode to wake up the host when motion is detected. Camera sensors are available with rolling or global shutter, with most from the former type, but as we’ve seen in our reviews of the e-Con Systems See3CAM_24CUG (USB 3.1) and the Raspberry Pi Global Shutter (MIPI CSI) global shutter cameras, the latter is much better we capturing moving objects clearly at high frame rates with fewer artifacts than with rolling cameras. The VD55G1 global shutter sensor will also benefit from the same advantage but is offered in a smaller package working over MIPI CSI and/or I3C, making it suitable for devices with small batteries used in applications such as eye tracking or motion estimation. STMicro VD55G1 […]
MediaTek unveils 5G RedCap solutions: M60 5G modem and T300 Arm Cortex-A35 SoC
MediaTek has introduced its first 5G RedCap solutions with the M60 5G modem and the MediaTek T300 Arm Cortex-A35 SoC design to bring 5G-NR to wearables, light-weight AR devices, IoT modules, and consumer and industrial Edge AI devices. 5G RedCap (Reduced Capability), part of 3GPP Release 17, aims to keep some 5G features such as low latency, low power consumption, enhanced security, and network slicing while limiting the bandwidth (to around 85 Mbps) in order to be used in IoT devices and products that may not need the bandwidth required by smartphones and computers, but would benefit from longer battery life and a smaller footprint. MediaTek claims to be the first company to unveil 5G RedCap chips with the M60 modem and T300 SoC. MediaTek M60 key features and specifications: 3GPP Release 17 standard 5G modem R17 UE power saving R17 Coverage enhancement R17 Small data transmission LTE & NR-FR1 […]
Cadence Neo NPU IP scales from 8 GOPS to 80 TOPS
Cadence Neo NPU (Neural Processing Unit) IP delivers 8 GOPS to 80 TOPS in single core configuration and can be scaled to multicore configuration for hundreds of TOPS. The company says the Neo NPUs deliver high AI performance and energy efficiency for optimal PPA (Power, Performance, Area) and cost points for next-generation AI SoCs for intelligent sensors, IoT, audio/vision, hearables/wearables, mobile vision/voice AI, AR/VR and ADAS. Some highlights of the new Neo NPU IP include: Scalability – Single-core solution is scalable from 8 GOPS to 80 TOPS, with further extension to hundreds of TOPS with multicore Supports 256 to 32K MACs per cycle to allow SoC architects to meet power, performance, and area (PPA) tradeoffs Works with DSPs, general-purpose microcontrollers, and application processors Support for Int4, Int8, Int16, and FP16 data types for CNN, RNN and transformer-based networks. Up to 20x higher performance than the first-generation Cadence AI IP, with […]
T-Watch S3 ESP32-S3 smartwatch supports WiFi, Bluetooth LE, and LoRa connectivity
LILYGO T-Watch S3 is an ESP32-S3 WiFi and Bluetooth LE smartwatch with LoRa connectivity, and other interesting features such as an RTC, audio support, a vibration motor, and an infrared transmitter to control home appliances. The watch integrates a 1.54-inch color LCD display with capacitive touch, a button to turn on and off the device, and a USB port to charge the included 400 mAh battery. The T-Watch S3 sells in silver or “gun color” with a black wrist strap. T-Watch S3 specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 dual-core Tensilica LX7 @ up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration, 512KB RAM, 8MB PSRAM, 16MB flash, WiFi 4 and Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity Connectivity 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 (802.11 b/g/n) Bluetooth LE 5.0 Semtech SX1262 LoRa RF transceiver: 433 MHz, 868 MHz, 915 MHz Display – 1.54-inch 16-bit color LCD display with 240×240 resolution, capacitive touch; ST7789V […]
T-RGB ESP32-S3 board gets larger 2.8-inch round color display
LILYGO T-RGB ESP32-S3 board was first introduced last year with a 2.1-inch round color touchscreen display, and the company has an update with a T-RGB board with a 2.8-inch display. The new board still offers WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, 8MB PSRAM, and 16MB flash storage, as well as a microSD card socket for storage, a Grove I2C connector for expansion, and LiPo battery support. T-RGB specifications: SoC – Espressif ESP32-S3R8 dual-core Tensilica LX7 microcontroller up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration, 8MB PSRAM, WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE + Mesh connectivity Storage – 16MB SPI flash, MicroSD card socket Display – 2.8-inch round 18-bit RGB color IPS TFT display with 480×480 resolution (ST7701S SPI controller), 3-wire SPI touchscreen panel via GT911 controller USB – USB Type-C port for power and programming Expansion – Grove I2C connector Misc – BOOT and Reset buttons Power Supply […]