CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

February 23, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

2-channel DSO-500K WiFi oscilloscope is based on Raspberry Pi Pico W board

FHDM TECH DSO-500K is a 2-channel 500kS/s WiFi oscilloscope based on Raspberry Pi Pico W board that can also work over USB, and offers an analog bandwidth of up to 150kHz. We previously had seen the Raspberry Pi Pico board used as a logic analyzer, so it should come as no surprise that somebody has also come up with a Raspberry Pi Pico W-based oscilloscope that enabled visualization on Android over WiFi or USB. DSO-500K specifications and features (through the Scoppy app): MCU board – Raspberry Pi Pico W board with RP2040 dual-core Cortex-M0+ microcontroller, 2MB SPI flash, WiFi 4 and Bluetooth connectivity Sample rate – Up to 500kS/s sample rate (250kS/s with both channels enabled) Analog bandwidth – 150kHz Record length – 2048 samples per channel in RUN mode, 100kS total for single shot captures Inputs – BNC connectors or 0.1-inch headers Input Impedance – 1MΩ / 22pF Input […]

February 23, 2023February 23, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

TrueNAS Mini R rack-mountable system supports TrueNAS CORE or Debian-based TrueNAS SCALE

iXsystems’ TrueNAS Mini R rack-mountable system powered by an Intel Atom C3758 processor running TrueNAS CORE or the new TrueNAS SCALE and equipped with up to 64GB RAM and twelve lockable and hot-swappable 3.5-inch drive bays for more than 200TB of capacity when populated with 18TB drives and 2.5-inch SSD adapters can be provided as well. The TrueNAS Mini R also offers two 10GbE RJ45 interfaces and an optional dual 10GbE SFP+ card can also be added to the system., an IPMI out-of-band management interface, and the company says it’s mostly suitable for small and home offices, as well as enterprise deployments for remote sites, backup, labs, and non-critical departmental applications. TrueNAS Mini specifications: SoC – Intel Atom C3758 octa-core Denverton processor clocked at up to @ 2.2 GHz with 16MB cache; 25W TDP System Memory – 32 or 64GB ECC RAM Storage 12 x 3.5-inch hot-swappable bays (can […]

February 23, 2023March 16, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

SONOFF MINI Extreme (MINIR4) ESP32 WiFi smart switch can fit into most gang boxes

SONOFF MINI Extreme (aka MINIR4) is a ridiculously small WiFi smart switch based on ESP32 wireless microcontroller and designed to be connected to a load such as a light bulb and a wall switch that can be a momentary switch, a door exit switch, an SPDT switch, a latching switch, or even dry contact sensors. The tiny form factor (39.5×33 x16.8mm) enables the WiFi smart switch to fit into various boxes, even the smaller European gang boxes. Just like other SONOFF home automation devices, the MINIR4 works with eWelink mobile app, but it also implements some new interesting features such as the ‘Detach Relay’ mode. SONOFF MINI Extreme (MINIR4) specifications: MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32 dual-core wireless microcontroller Connectivity 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 Bluetooth LE used for pairing Input – 100-240V ~ 50/60Hz 10A Max Output – 100-240V ~ 50/60Hz 10A Max (resistive load) Dimensions – 39.5 x 33 x […]

February 22, 2023February 22, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Embit EMB-LR1280-mPCIe-4x is a 2.4GHz LoRa mPCIe module based on Semtech SX1280 chipset

Embit EMB-LR1280-mPCIe-4x is an mPCIe (mini PCIe) module based on four Semtech SX1280 2.4 GHz LoRa transceivers and designed for OEM gateways that can work worldwide thanks to the use of the 2.4GHz ISM band and supports ranging. We first covered 2.4GHz LoRa and the SX1280 transceiver two years ago as a solution to design region-independent products specially suited to maritime and intercontinental logistics applications. We haven’t seen it used that much although we covered an ESP32 board with SX1280 last year, and it turns out that Italian company Embit has also made a mPCIe module based on the SX1280 chipset. Embit EMB-LR1280-mPCIe-4x specifications: LoRa connectivity Chipsets – 4x Semtech SX1280 transceiver with 3x LoRa Rx Channels + 1x LoRa Tx Modulation – LoRa Spread Spectrum Frequency – 2.4 GHz ISM band Frequency Range – 2400 to 2500 MHz RF Output power – Up to +12 dBm Sensitivity -129 dBm […]

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 22, 2023July 18, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

CH32V003 RISC-V MCU gets $1.5 development board, open source GCC toolchain and flasher utility

When we first wrote about the 10-cent CH32V003 RISC-V MCU it was offered in a $7 development board and the closed-source MounRiver Studio IDE had to be used for programming. But things have improved since October 2022, and now, you can buy a CH32V003 board for as little as $1.5 plus shipping, and an open-source GCC toolchain and flasher/downloader are now available. Let’s have a look at the hardware first with the low-cost nanoCH32V003 development board featuring a 48 MHz CH32V003 RISC-V microcontroller with 2KB SRAM and 16KB flash, a USB Type-C port for power, a reset button, and two rows of headers for the GPIOs. MuseLab nanoCH32V003 specifications: MCU – WCH CH32V003F4U6 32-bit RISC-V2A microcontroller up to 48 MHz with 2KB SRAM, 16KB flash (QFN20 package) Expansion – 2x 11-pin headers with up to 18x GPIOs, 1x USART, 1x I2C, 1x SPI, 8-channel 10-bit ADC, 5V, 3.3V, GND Debugging […]

Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs

February 21, 2023February 21, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Badger 2040 W e-Paper display gets WiFi & Bluetooth with Raspberry Pi Pico W

Pimoroni Badger 2040 W wireless programmable e-Paper badge comes with a 2.9-inch black & white E-Ink display and a Raspberry Pi Pico W board for WiFi (and Bluetooth) connectivity. It is an update to the Pimoroni Badger 2040 with the exact same display, but instead of using a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller, Pimoroni fitted a Raspberry Pi Pico W on the back of the board, probably to avoid going through FCC and CE certifications. Badger 2040 W specifications: MCU board – Raspberry Pi Pico W board with: Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Arm Cortex M0+ running at up to 133Mhz with 264kB of SRAM Storage – 2MB QSPI flash Wireless – 802.11b/g/n WiFi 4 and Bluetooth Classic+LE with ABRACON onboard antenna (Infineon CYW43439 connected over SPI) Display – 2.9-inch B&W E-Ink display with 296 x 128 pixels resolution, ultrawide viewing angles, ultra-low power consumption; Dot pitch – 0.227 x 0.226 mm […]

February 21, 2023February 21, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

Auspicious Machine modular handheld Linux PC with keyboard takes various Arm-based SoMs

The “Auspicious Machine” may look like a Blackberry phone, but it’s actually a handheld Linux PC with a built-in QWERTY keyboard and a 3.5-inch display that can be powered by a range of system-on-modules (SoM). The computer, whose name can also be translated as the “Auspicious Phone”, can be used as a Linux terminal with GPIO control, and for gaming with Linux distributions such as Batotera or RetroBat with the D-Pad and ABXY buttons found on the device. Auspicious Machine specifications: Supported SoMs Bigtreetech CB1 with Allwinner H616 quad-core Cortex-A53 processor and 1GB DDR4 Raspberry Pi CM4 with Broadcom BCM2711 quad-core Cortex-A72 processor, up to 8GB LPDDR4, up to 32GB eMMC flash Radxa CM3 with Rockchip RK3566 quad-core Cortex-A55 processor, up to 4GB LPDDR4, up to 64GB eMMC flash Banana Pi BPI-CM4 with Amlogic A311D octa-core Cortex-A73/A55 processor with 4GB LPDDR4 and 16GB eMMC flash Storage – MicroSD card socket […]

Boardcon Rockchip and Allwinner SoM and SBC products