Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments on Home Assistant 2025.3 released with dashboard view headers, tile card improvements, better SmartThings integration

Home Assistant 2025.3 released with dashboard view headers, tile card improvements, better SmartThings integration

Home Assistant 2025.3

The popular Home Assistant has gotten an update with version 2025.3 that brings dashboard view headers, several tile card improvements, better map clustering, streamed responses from LLMs, and improved SmartThings integrations. Let’s have a look at some of the improvements starting with dashboard view headers which allow users to add a title and welcoming text to dashboards using Markdown and templates. You can also add badges next to the headers. Home Assistant 2025.3 also brings plenty of improvements to tile cards: Adding a circular background around tiles that perform actions, and leaving the ones that just show extra information without a circle Features of a tile card can now be positioned inline in the tile card (e.g. on/off button) New features: switch toggle, counter toggle (to increase, decrease, or reset a counter entity), animations when hovering over atile card Editor improvements for ease of use The new version of Home […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on STMicro STM32WBA6 2.4 GHz wireless MCU gets up to 2MB flash, 512KB SRAM, USB OTG, and more

STMicro STM32WBA6 2.4 GHz wireless MCU gets up to 2MB flash, 512KB SRAM, USB OTG, and more

STM32WBA6 block diagram

STMicro had two announcements yesterday. I’ve already covered the launch of the ultra-low-power STM32U3 microcontroller family, so today, I’ll check the new 100 MHz STM32WBA6 Cortex-M33 wireless MCU family with 2.4GHz radios for Bluetooth LE 6.0, Zigbee, Thread, and Matter designed for wearables, smart home devices, remote weather sensors, and more. The STM32WBA6 is an evolution of the STM32WBA family introduced last year, especially of the STM32WBA54 and STM32WBA55 with many of the same features SESIP (Security Evaluation Standard for IoT Platforms) Level 3 security certification, but gets more memory and flash with up to 512KB of SRAM and up to 2MB of flash. The new  STM32WBA6 family also gains a High-Speed USB OTG interface and extra digital interfaces such as three SPI ports, four I2C ports, three USARTs, and one LPUART. STMicro STM32WBA6 key features and specifications: MCU core – Arm Cortex-M33 at 100MHz with FPU and DSP Memory […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM
Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Zant – An open-source Zig SDK for neural network deployment on microcontrollers

Zant – An open-source Zig SDK for neural network deployment on microcontrollers

Zant neural network deployment microcontrollers

Zant is an open-source, cross-platform SDK written in Zig and designed to simplify deploying Neural Networks (NN) on microcontrollers. It comprises a suite of tools to import, optimize, and deploy NNs to low-end hardware. The developers behind the project developed Zant (formerly known as Zig-ant) after noticing many microcontrollers lacked robust deep learning libraries, and made sure it would be on various platforms such as ARM Cortex-M or RISC-V microcontrollers, or even x86 targets. Contrary to platforms like Edge Impulse that focus on network creation, Zant is about deployment and outputs a static, highly optimized library ready to be integrated into any existing work stack. Zant highlights: Optimized Performance – Supports quantization, pruning, and hardware acceleration techniques such as SIMD and GPU offloading. Low memory footprint – Zant employs memory pooling, static allocation, and buffer optimization to work on resources-constrained targets. Ease of Integration: With a modular design, clear APIs, […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on LincStation N2 and S1 6-bay HDD/SSD NAS systems ship with Intel N100/N97 CPU, UnRaid OS (Crowdfunding)

LincStation N2 and S1 6-bay HDD/SSD NAS systems ship with Intel N100/N97 CPU, UnRaid OS (Crowdfunding)

LincPlus LinkStation S1 N2

LincPlus LincStation N2 and S1 are two 6-bay NAS systems taking SATA or SSD drives based on Intel Processor N100 or N97 CPU, and running UnRaid OS Linux distribution by default. The LincStation N2 features an Intel N100 CPU coupled with 16GB LPDDR5 and 128GB eMMC flash, two SATA bays for 2.5-inch drives, four M.2 2280 NVMe SSD slots, and 10GbE networking. The LinStation S1 has a larger design with an Intel N97 CPU, 8GB DDR5 (SO-DIMM, upgradeable), 64GB flash, four SATA bays for 3.5-inch drives, two M.2 2280 NVMe SSD slots, and two 2.5GbE ports. Both models also come with USB ports for expansion. LincStation N2 NAS Specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N100 quad-core processor up to 3.4 GHz with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel UHD Graphics Gen 12 @ 750 MHz; TDP: 6W System Memory – 16GB LPDDR5 (soldered on mainboard) Storage 128GB eMMC flash 2-bay SATA3.0 slots for […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments on Rockchip RK3588 4K video encoder features four SDI inputs, four SDI loop outputs

Rockchip RK3588 4K video encoder features four SDI inputs, four SDI loop outputs

Mekotronics R58-4x4-3U RK3588 video encoder

Mekotronics R58-4×4 3U is yet another device based on Rockchip RK3588 from the company, but this product is a 4K video encoder with four SDI inputs, and four SDI loop outputs mirroring the SDI inputs. SDI (Serial Digital Interface) inputs are used for transmitting uncompressed, unencrypted digital video signals and typically found in professional video production and broadcasting environments. The SDI interface can also be found in security cameras like the MOKOSE SHD50-2.8-12MM and I can also see it used in cameras designed for live streaming on YouTube, or other services. The main advantages of SDI over interfaces like USB, HDMI, or Ethernet, are that it can use longer cables up to 300 meters, offers better signal integrity, and has near zero latency. Compatibility for professional camera equipment is another advantage. Let’s look at the Mekotronics R58-4×4 3U specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3588 octa-core processor with CPU – 4x CortexA76  […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on STMicro STM32U3 ultra-low-power Cortex-M33 MCU achieves 117 Coremark/mW in active mode, consumes 1.6 µA in stop mode

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

STM32U3 block diagram

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 […]

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs and SoMs in 2025
Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on LILYGO T-Connect Pro industrial IoT controller offers Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, LoRa, RS232, RS485, and CAN Bus

LILYGO T-Connect Pro industrial IoT controller offers Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, LoRa, RS232, RS485, and CAN Bus

LILYGO T-Connect-Pro ESP32-S3 LoRa Industrial Controller

LILYGO T-Connect Pro is a DIN rail-mountable, ESP32-S3-based industrial IoT controller with Ethernet, WiFi 4, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, and LoRa connectivity, as well as CAN Bus, RS232, and RS485 interfaces. The controller also features a 2.33-inch touchscreen display, a 10A relay, a 12V to 24V DC screw terminal for power, 5V USB-C port for programming, a Qwiic connector for expansion, and BOOT and Reset buttons. LILYGO T-Connect Pro specifications: SoC – Espressif ESP32-S3R8 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 microcontroller up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration Memory – 8MB PSRAM Wireless – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE + Mesh connectivity Storage – 16MB SPI flash Display – 2.33-inch RGB display with 480×222 resolution via ST7796 SPI display controller with touchscreen using CST226SE chip Networking 10/100Mbps Ethernet RJ45 port via W5500 4-wire SPI controller WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE via ESP32-S3 LoRa via HPD16A Semtech SX1262 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on The One Smart AI Pen – A ballpoint pen with Bluetooth and a microphone for translation, LLM integration, note taking (Crowdfunding)

The One Smart AI Pen – A ballpoint pen with Bluetooth and a microphone for translation, LLM integration, note taking (Crowdfunding)

The One Smart AI Pen

You may have seen the “Sell me that pen. It’s AI-powered” meme if you are a social media user. It may have started as a joke, but Zakwan Ahmad made the meme become reality with “The One Smart AI Pen” which is basically a standard ballpoint pen with a battery, Bluetooth connectivity, a microSD card, and a microphone. The AI part is not exactly inside the pen per se, but in a smartphone’s app called Hearit.ai that allows the user to translate his/her voice input, use a range of LLMs such as ChatGPT, recording a meeting, or taking notes, for example, to schedule events or meetings. The One Smart AI Pen specifications: “AI chip” –  Not clear why it’s needed here… unless it transcribes audio into text inside the pen (as opposed to inside the phone) Storage – MicroSD card slot inside the pen Wireless – Bluetooth 5.2 with up […]

Boardcon CM3588 Rockchip RK3588 System-on-Module designed for AI and IoT applications