CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

April 22, 2024April 25, 2024 by Sponsored Post - No Comments

GEEKOM Mini IT12 Mini PC is now available for $349, the lowest price ever (Sponsored)

Following the ongoing $200 off promotion for the powerful GEEKOM A7 mini PC, GEEKOM is now offering another discount for its mid-range Mini IT12 mini PC powered by an Intel Core i5-12450H processor with 16GB RAM and a 512GB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD storage that is now sold for $349 – the lowest price ever – instead of $449, when using the coupon code cnxit12off on GEEKOM US or GEEKOM UK for a $100 discount. While it’s a mid-range mini PC, it still comes with premium features such as two USB4 ports capable of 40 Gbps transfer rate and DisplayPort Alt. mode video output or 2.5GbE and WiFi 6E networking. The GEEKOM Mini IT12 (Core i5-12450H) mini PC also supports up to four 4K displays through HDMI and USB4 ports, additional storage thanks to an M.2 2242 SATA socket and a a 2.5-inch SATA slot, and comes with a total […]

April 22, 2024April 22, 2024 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

Microchip 8-bit AVR DU family supports secure USB connectivity and 15W power delivery

At Embedded World 2024, Microchip announced their new AVR DU family of 8-bit MCUs featuring a full-speed USB 2.0 data interface along with USB-C 15W Power Delivery enabling up to 12Mbps data transfer and charging. They also have features like secure bootloaders and Program and Debug Interface Disable (PDID), which protect your embedded designs. Based on the Harvard architecture, these MCUs can have up to 64 KB of Flash memory, 8 KB of SRAM, and 256 bytes of EEPROM. Their wide operating voltage range of 1.8V to 5.5V makes them suitable for small, space-sensitive devices, power bricks, and rechargeable devices. But one thing to note is that the USB function is only available for VDD above 3.0V and I2C Fm+ (Fast-mode Plus) is only supported for 2.7V and above. I²C Fm+ extends the standard I²C protocol, boosting communication speeds up to 1 MHz while maintaining compatibility with older I²C devices. It’s […]

ArmSoM CM5 - Raspberry Pi CM4 alternative with Rockchip RK3576 SoC

April 22, 2024April 21, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 1 Comment

FOCn ESP32-S3-based, medium-power BLDC driver module supports SimpleFOC

European engineer, Matej Planinšek of PLab, has developed the FOCn — a medium-power BLDC driver module based on ESP32-S3 WiSoC capable of delivering up to 10A of continuous current. It is compatible with the SimpleFOC Arduino library making it easier to control BLDC (brushless direct current) and stepper motors with the field-oriented control algorithm. The developer was inspired to create the FOCn module when their search for a custom-made, SimpleFOC-compatible driver module that met all their requirements failed. The name is related to field-oriented control (FOC) and also means “face slap” in Slovenian, Matej’s native language. The driver module is based on the ESP32-S3 dual-core XTensa LX7 microcontroller which provides Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. The microcontroller further supports ESP-NOW, a low-power and low-latency communication protocol, which makes it possible for multiple FOCn boards to talk to one another. FOCn driver module specifications: MCU – ESP32-S3 dual-core XTensa LX7 microcontroller @ […]

April 21, 2024April 21, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

Rockchip RK3588’s NPU open-source driver performs object detection at 30 FPS

Tomeu Vizoso has been working on an open-source driver for NPU (Neural Processing Unit) found in Rockchip RK3588 SoC in the last couple of months, and the project has nicely progressed with object detection working fine at 30 fps using the SSDLite MobileDet model and just one of the three cores from the AI accelerator. Many recent processors include AI accelerators that work with closed-source drivers, but we had already seen reverse-engineering works on the Allwinner V831’s NPU a few years ago, and earlier this year, we noted that Tomeu Vizoso released the Etvaniv open-source driver that works on Amlogic A311D’s Vivante NPU. Tomeu has now also started working on porting his Teflon TensorFlow Lite driver to the Rockchip RK3588 NPU which is closely based on NVIDIA’s NVDLA open-source IP. He started his work in March leveraging the reverse-engineering work already done by Pierre-Hugues Husson and Jasbir Matharu and was […]

April 20, 2024September 15, 2024 by Debashis Das - 12 Comments

Unexpected Maker NANOS3 might be the world’s tiniest ESP32-S3 module, yet fully-featured

Unexpected Maker NANOS3 A ESP32 S3 Powred Dev Board

Seon Rozenblum, better known as Unexpected Maker, has launched NANOS3 a development board that claims to be the world’s smallest, fully-featured ESP32-S3 module! This new module packs all the peripherals, and wireless connectivity features of an ESP32-S3 while being even smaller than the TinyPICO Nano. The module features two variants one with an onboard 3D antenna and the other with an u.FL connector. Previously we have written about TinyS3, FeatherS3, and ProS3 boards from Unexpected Maker we have also covered many unique ESP32-S3 boards like the ESP32-S3 PowerFeather Board with solar input, the Waveshare ESP32-S3-Relay-6CH, the ESP32-S3 4G dev boards and more feel free to check those out if you are interested in ESP32 boards with advanced features. Unexpected Maker NANOS3 Specifications SoC – Espressif ESP32-S3FN8 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz with 512KB SRAM, 16 KB RTC SRAM Memory – 2MB QSPI PSRAM Storage – 8MB […]

April 19, 2024April 19, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

SB Components LoRaWAN gateways and nodes are made for Raspberry Pi and ESP32 boards (Crowdfunding)

UK-based hardware developer, SB Components, has designed a new LoRaWAN product series (gateways and nodes) for the Raspberry Pi SBCs, Raspberry Pi Pico, ESP32, and other hardware, based on RAKWireless RAK5146 and RAK3172 modules. The products are available in up to five variants (plus two relay boards) and are built to cater to hobbyists with different needs. They support several LoRaWAN server platforms including The Things Stack, Chirpstack, and Helium, with adaptive spreading factors, coding rates, and bandwidth configurations. The LoRaWAN products include: Gateways – RAK5146 LoRaWAN Gateway HAT and RAK3172 LoRaWAN Gateway HAT for the Raspberry Pi SBCs Nodes – RAK3172 LoRaWAN Module (Powered by Raspberry Pi Pico), Raspberry Pi RP2040 USB Dongle, RAK3172 LoRaWAN Module (powered by ESP32), LoRaWAN Breakout, GatePi LoRaWAN 4-Ch Relay, GatePi LoRaWAN 8-Ch Relay LoRaWAN (long-range wide access network) uses the LoRa modulation technique to transmit data over large distances. In a LoRAWAN network, […]

Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs

April 19, 2024April 19, 2024 by Debashis Das - 3 Comments

$15 Waveshare 1.69-inch IPS touch LCD module works with Raspberry Pi, Arduino, ESP32, STM32, and other platforms

Waveshare 1.69-inch Round IPS LCD Display Module with Touch Panel

The Waveshare 1.69-inch IPS touch LCD is a 1.69-inch rounded display with 240×280 resolution and a 262K color range. The display driver (ST7789V2) and touch controller (CST816T) are integrated on-board and rely on SPI and I2C interfaces that make it compatible with popular platforms such as Raspberry Pi, Arduino, ESP32, STM32, and more. Previously we have covered many similar display modules like the MaTouch ESP32-S3, T-RGB ESP32-S3, and ESP32-S3 Round SPI TFT. Feel free to check these out if you are looking for a specific rounded display product. Waveshare 1.69-inch IPS touch LCD specifications Display 1.69-inch round LCD with 240×280 resolution and IPS panel. 262K color depth Display Driver – ST7789V2 SPI display driver Touch Control – CST816T I2C capacitive touch controller for responsive input. Onboard Logic Level Converter – Onboard voltage translator for 3.3V/5V power, works with Raspberry Pi, ESP32-S3, Raspberry Pi Pico, Arduino, STM32, and more. Dimensions – 41.13 x 33.13 […]

April 19, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

ESP32-S3 PowerFeather board supports up to 18V DC for solar panel input

The ESP32-S3 PowerFeather board is an Adafruit Feather-shaped ESP32-S3 WiFi and BLE IoT board that can be powered by a Li-Ion or LiPo battery and supports up to 18V DC input for direct connection to a solar panel. The developer told CNX Software that the main differentiating factor from other ESP32-S3 development boards was “its extensive power management and monitoring features” with a wide DC input range, supply and battery monitoring, and battery protection features. ESP32-S3 PowerFeather specifications: ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8R2 MCU – ESP32-S3 dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz with 512KB SRAM, 16 KB RTC SRAM Memory – 2MB QSPI PSRAM Storage – 8MB QSPI flash Wireless – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5 LE + Mesh; PCB antenna USB – 1x USB-C 1.1 OTG port for power and programming Expansion 2x 16-pin 2.54 mm pitch headers with 23x multi-function GPIO: UART, I2C, SPI, I2S, SDIO, PWM, CAN, RMT, Camera, LCD […]

Boardcon Rockchip and Allwinner SoM and SBC products