CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

February 24, 2023February 24, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense Rev2 switches to BMI270 & BMM150 IMUs, HS3003 temperature & humidity sensor

Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense Rev2 is a new revision of the Nano 33 BLE Sense machine learning board with basically the same functionality but some sensors have changed along with some other modifications “to improve the experience of the users”. The main changes are that STMicro LSM9DS1 9-axis IMU has been replaced by two IMUs from Bosch SensorTech, namely the BMI270 6-axis accelerometer and gyroscope, and the BMM150 3-axis magnetometer, a Renesas HS3003 temperature & humidity sensor has taken the place of an STMicro HTS221, and the microphone is now an MP34DT06JTR from STMicro instead of an MP34DT05. All of the replaced parts are from STMicro, so it’s quite possible the second revision of the board was mostly to address supply issues. Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense Rev2 (ABX00069) specifications: Wireless Module – U-blox NINA-B306 module powered by a Nordic Semi nRF52840 Arm Cortex-M4F microcontroller @ 64MHz with 1MB […]

February 24, 2023February 24, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

KC12 Alder Lake-P mini PC supports up to 64GB RAM, four displays, and dual 2.5GbE

Alder Lake-P Mini PC quad display dual 2.5GbE

KC12 is a mini PC powered by either an Intel Core i5-1240P or Core i7-1260P Alder Lake-P hybrid processor with up to 64GB DDR4, SATA and NVMe storage options, HDMI and DisplayPort for up to four 4K displays, as well as two 2.5GbE networking interfaces. The actively-cooled computer also comes with six USB ports, four of which are USB 3.x, audio jacks for a headphone and a microphone, an optional WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 module, an RS232 COM port, and a Kensington lock slot. KC12 mini PC specifications: Alder Lake-P SoC (one or the other) Intel Core i7-1260P 4P+8E (16 threads) processor @ 3.40/4.70GHz with Intel Xe graphics; 28W TDP Intel Core i5-1240P 4P+8E (16 threads) processor @ 3.30/4.40GHz with Intel Xe graphics; 28W TDP System Memory – Up to 64GB RAM via 2x SO-DIMM DDR4-2666/3200 sockets Storage M.2 2280 SSD slot for SATA or NVMe PCIe Gen4 SSD […]

ArmSoM CM5 Raspberry Pi CM4 alternative with Rockchip RK3576 SoC

February 24, 2023February 28, 2023 by Paisit Wongsongsarn - 36 Comments

ZBMINI Extreme Zigbee smart switch review with Home Assistant

Sonoff ZBMINI Extreme Review Home Assistant

SONOFF has rolled out smart switches in the market for years, and for each iteration, they make their devices smaller and more capable. The latest ZBMINI Extreme Zigbee Smart Switch or ZBMINIL2 or ZBMINI Extreme for shorts is what we will review today. Take note that there are both Zigbee and Wifi versions that come with the same form factor, we will walk through the Zigbee version first and we will review the WiFi version – SONOFF MINI Extreme (MINIR4) – later on. The ZBMINI Extreme is designed to work without a Neutral (N) line. Those who have difficulty wiring the N line to the switch will definitely love this. In many locations, the Neutral (N) line is not wired and would require a lot of work and expenses for cabling. SONOFF ZBMINI Extreme eases that challenge since there’s no need for the Neutral wire at all. This review will […]

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 […]

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs abd SoMs

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 […]