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ESP32-based YULC USB-C LED Controller features dual power inputs, supports WLED and ESPHome firmware

The YULC (Yes, a USB-C LED Controller) board is a compact, ESP32-S3-powered LED controller with USB-C and DC jack power inputs. It is a fully featured board that can easily replace a rat’s nest of wires and save space and time. This ESP32 LED controller features a built-in buck regulator that converts input power from the USB-C port or barrel jack to the voltage needed for the LED strips. The YULC provides two separate LED channels with a level shifter each to ensure clean and powerful data output, removing the need for a sacrificial pixel or external level shifter. Each channel also has a power MOSFET that can turn off the channels individually and dim simple LED strips via PWM. AAElectronics, the maker, has previously released an IR remote—the Home Assistant-compatible ESP 360 Remote—which we covered at the time. Similar products include the SMLIGHT A1-SLWF-03, DFRobot’s EDGE102-DMX512, and the PixelBlaze […]

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Waveshare RP2350-GEEK USB development board doubles as a debugger for Raspberry Pi and other Arm boards

Waveshare has recently launched the RP2350-GEEK USB development board which can also be used as a debugger for Raspberry Pi boards and other Arm-based targets. Built around the Raspberry Pi RP2350 MCU this development board/debugger features a 1.14-inch 65K color IPS LCD, a USB Type-A interface, a microSD card slot supporting SDIO and SPI communication, 16MB NOR-Flash, and multiple interfaces, including 3-pin SWD, USB to UART, and I2C ports. The board is compatible with standard CMSIS-DAP debugging tools like OpenOCD, which attaches to Raspberry Pi’s 3-pin debug connector for debugging. It also features open-source firmware for easy upgrades. Housed in a plastic case, the development board looks like a USB drive and is suitable for debugging, testing, and firmware development in IoT, embedded systems, and educational projects. Waveshare RP2350-GEEK Raspberry Pi debugger specifications Microcontroller – Raspberry Pi RP2350A MCU CPU – Dual-core Arm Cortex-M33 processor @ 150MHz Memory – 520KB internal RAM […]

ArmSoM CM5 Raspberry Pi CM4 alternative with Rockchip RK3576 SoC
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Raspberry Pi CM5 launched with Broadcom BCM2712 SoC, up to 16GB LPDDR4 ECC memory

The Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5, or Raspberry Pi CM5 for shorts, is now available with up to 16GB LPPDR4 ECC memory, up to 64GB eMMC flash, and an optional WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE wireless module. It has the same form factor as the Raspberry Pi CM4 and CM4 Lite launched in 2020 but delivers a significant performance boost. The Raspberry Pi CM5 is basically a tiny version of the Raspberry Pi 5 SBC designed for embedded applications with a Broadcom BCM2712 quad-core Cortex-A76 SoC, and offered with 2GB to 16GB RAM, optional 16GB to 64GB eMMC flash, and optional WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 module. As usual, there are also Raspberry Pi CM5 Lite versions without any eMMC flash meant to be booted from a microSD card or an SSD on the carrier board. Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 Raspberry Pi CM5 specifications: SoC – Broadcom BCM2712 […]

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Renesas RRH47000-EVK board integrates RRH47000 CO2 sensor with ±75 ppm accuracy, relative humidity and temperature sensors

Renesas has recently released the RRH47000-EVK evaluation board based on the RRH47000 CO2 sensor using non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) technology to measure CO2 levels accurately (±75 ppm typical) within the 0-5000 ppm range. The sensor also includes built-in sensors for relative humidity and temperature, operates at low power, and supports either UART or I2C interface to the host. These features make this device useful for applications like HVAC systems, industrial automation, building control, air quality monitors, home appliances, IoT devices, and agriculture. Previously we have written about the Sensirion SCD40 CO2 sensor which also uses NDIR to measure CO2 levels very accurately, while the Infineon PASCO2V15 CO2 sensor relies on photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) to detect CO2 levels. The Sensirion sensor can also measure humidity and temperature, but the Infineon sensor is designed to measure CO2 only. Renesas RRH47000 specifications: CO2 sensor Measurement range – 0 ppm to 5000 ppm Accuracy – […]

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STMicro releases IO-Link actuator board for industrial monitoring and home appliances

STMicro has announced the EVLIOL4LSV1 IO-Link actuator board, an STM32G071CB Cortex-M0+ MCU-based reference design for commercial manufacturers with a built-in protocol stack and application software. Aimed at industrial beacons and home-appliance alarms, the EVLIOL4LSV1 combines the L6364Q dual-channel IO-Link transceiver (communications) and IPS4260L intelligent low-side power switch (for driving industrial loads). The EVLIOL4LSV1 IO-Link actuator board is powered by an STM32G071CB Arm-Cortex-M0+ microcontroller that hosts the proprietary stack and application software and communicates with the transceiver and low-side power switch. The evaluation board can be used to test the IPS4260 and L6364Q ICs. It features a 4-pin M12 connector for an IO-LINK master and a 5-pin SWD connector for programming. It can also directly interface with signaling systems, ranging from smart tower lights in factory automation to funnel alarms for quantity monitoring. The onboard transceiver is protected against electromagnetic interference and supports COM2 and COM3 speeds. It offers multiple modes […]

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$7 Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W board launched with 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.2 wireless module

As expected, the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W – the wireless version of the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 – is now available with an extra 2.4GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.2 wireless module at an official price of $7. We’ll go through the specs and perform a mini review in this post trying out both WiFi and Bluetooth code samples. It’s not the first Raspberry Pi RP2350 with WiFi and Bluetooth we’ve seen, as Pimoroni introduced the Pico Plus 2 W board with an RP2350B MCU and Raspberry Pi RM2 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth module, and iLabs launched the Challenger+ RP2350 WiFi6/BLE5 board relying on ESP32-C6 wireless module. However, the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W is the official board, is cheaper, and will certainly be the most popular/widely used. Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W specifications Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W specifications: SoC – Raspberry Pi RP2350 CPU Dual-core Arm Cortex-M33 @ […]

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs and SoMs in 2025
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SparkFun introduces Quadband GNSS RTK Breakout board with Quectel LG290P module for high-precision navigation

SparkFun has released the Quadband GNSS RTK Breakout featuring the Quectel LG290P module designed for high-precision real-time kinematic (RTK) applications. It supports GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BDS, QZSS, and NavIC constellations, with the ability to simultaneously receive signals from L1, L2, L5, and L6/E6 frequency bands. The module includes support for SBAS augmentation systems (e.g., WAAS, EGNOS, GAGAN) and PPP services (e.g., BDS PPP-B2b, QZSS CLAS), delivering reliable positioning with fast convergence times for precision navigation tasks. The breakout board offers a compact design (43.2 x 43.2mm) and multiple expansion options including 24 PTH pins, dual 4-pin JST Qwiic connectors, three UART interfaces, a USB-C connector, and additional PTH pins for BlueSMiRF/Serial-to-UART. With its RTK support and advanced GNSS capabilities, the board is ideal for applications requiring high-accuracy positioning and robust navigation performance. Previously, we covered several GNSS boards including the SparkFun GNSS L1/L5, u-blox EVK-LEXI-R10, and Conexio Stratus Pro and […]

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Mercury X1 wheeled humanoid robot combines NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX AI controller and ESP32 motor control boards

Elephant Robotics Mercury X1 is a 1.2-meter high wheeled humanoid robot with two robotic arms using an NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX as its main controller and ESP32 microcontrollers for motor control and suitable for research, education, service, entertainment, and remote operation. The robot offers 19 degrees of freedom, can lift payloads of up to 1kg, work up to 8 hours on a charge, and travel at up to 1.2m/s or about 4.3km/h. It’s based on the company’s Mercury B1 dual-arm robot and a high-performance mobile base. Mercury X1 specifications: Main controller – NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX CPU – 6-core NVIDIA Carmel ARM v8.2 64-bit CPU with 6MB L2 + 4MB L3 caches GPU – 384-core NVIDIA Volta GPU with 48 Tensor Cores AI accelerators – 2x NVDLA deep learning accelerators delivering up to 21 TOPS at 15 Watts System Memory – 8 GB 128-bit LPDDR4x @ 51.2GB/s Storage – 16 […]

Boardcon EM3562 Rockchip RK3562 SBC with 8 analog camera inputs