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$3.40 WeAct STM32WB55 board offers Bluetooth LE 5.4 and 802.15.4 (Thread/Zigbee/Matter) connectivity

WeAct STM32WB55 is an inexpensive development board based on STMicro STM32WB55 Arm Cortex-M4 wireless SoC with Bluetooth LE 5.4 and an 802.15.4 radio for Zigbee, Thread, and Matter connectivity that sells for just $3.40 shipped. STMicro STM32WB55 wireless microcontroller was introduced in 2019, and we have covered a few development boards such as the official P-Nucleo-WB55 development pack, the STM32WB-Feather board, and the MRK-SharkyPro following the Arduino MRK form factor. All those boards would go for about $40, but thanks to China manufacturing and procurement “magic” and the cutting of a few features, the WeAct STM32WB55 board sells for just a fraction of the price making it even cheaper than the company’s ESP32-H2 board with similar connectivity options. WeAct STM32WB55 specifications: Wireless MCU – STMicro STM32WB55CGU6 CPU Arm Cortex-M4 application core @ 64 MHz Arm Cortex-M0+ Bluetooth co-processor @ 32 MHz Memory – 256 KB of SRAM Storage – 1 […]

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8devices Carambola 3 WiFi IoT module supports upstream OpenWrt, industrial temperature range

8devices Carambola 3 is a compact System On Module (SoM) built around the Qualcomm QCA4531 WiFi 4 chipset. The module comes in two variants – the Carambola3 for commercial applications (0 to +65°C) and the Carambola3-I for industrial environments (-40 to +85°C). Additionally, 8devices offers a development kit with integrated features like a 2.4 GHz chip antenna, dual LAN ports, USB, GPIO, and much more. Notably, the development kit also supports OpenWrt Upstream, making it ideal for IoT, industrial automation, and smart home projects. The Carambola3 is a pin-to-pin compatible module with the Carambola2, but with a faster processor, more memory, and lower power consumption while the original Carambola was discontinued due to its older technology. 8devices has been developing and selling Wi-Fi modules such as the Rambutan Atheros module, Komikan 802.11ac Wave 2 Module, and recently announced Noni M.2 WiFi 7 module feel free to check those out if […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM
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DC-ROMA RISC-V Laptop II with SpacemIT K1 octa-core SoC to run Ubuntu supported by Canonical

Deep Computing has announced the DC-ROMA RISC-V Laptop II powered by a 2.0 GHz SpacemIT K1 octa-core 64-bit RISC-V processor coupled with up to 16GB DDR4 and running Ubuntu with official support from Canonical. Deep Computing unveiled the first RISC-V laptop – named ROMA – in 2022 but it never really took off because of all the web3 and cryptocurrency features plus the ultra-high price. The new DC-ROMA RISC-V Laptop II does without those and features a 14-inch IPS display, a 1TB SSD, a WiFI 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 module, a webcam, several USB ports including a USB-C with DisplayPort Alr mode, and a “development interface” with a few GPIOs. DC-ROMA RISC-V Laptop II specifications: SoC – SpacemiT K1 CPU – 8-core X60 RISC-V processor @ up to 2.0 GHz; single-core performance equivalent to about 1.3x the performance of an Arm Cortex-A55 GPU – Imagination IMG BXE-2-32 with support for […]

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RealTek RTL8126 5Gbps Ethernet PCIe and M.2 adapters are now available for $12 and up

The low-power RealTek RTL8126(-CG) PCIe 3.0 x1 to 5GbE controller was unveiled at Computex 2023 last year, and a few M.2 modules and PCIe cards are now available at very competitive prices. The first module that came to my attention was the “5000Mbps Networking Card B+M Key to PCIe Adapter” from STDEV sold for $27 on Amazon (where there’s also a 7% discount) that’s an M.2 PCIe module with a ribbon cable that is connected to a board with an RJ45 jack attached to a PCIe bracket. There’s limited information about it, and it was just added to Amazon on June 8, so there aren’t any user reviews just yet. But earlier today, Jiri Brejcha informed us he had tested a similar card (might even be the same) from Iocrest with a Raspberry Pi 5 and a Pineboards HatDrive BM1 HAT+ managing to reach 4.7 Gbps transfer speeds in both […]

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Cavli C17QS Cat 1.bis cellular IoT and GNSS module offers more memory, global support, a new FreeRTOS SDK

Cavli Wireless C17QS is a Cat 1.bis cellular IoT and GNSS module that builds up on the Qualcomm QCX216-powered C16QS Cat 1.bis Cellular IoT module introduced last year, with more memory (2MB RAM) and storage (8MB flash), a wider range of LTE bands, multi-band (L1 and L5) GNSS, and a new FreeRTOS SDK for more flexibility compared to the C16QS. The Cavli C17QS Cat 1bis module is designed around a Qualcomm QCX217 Arm Cortex-M3 microcontroller clocked at up to 306MHz clock speed and running FreeRTOS real-time operating system. The module features a range of interfaces including UART, USB 2.0, USIM, SWD, ADCs, I2S, I2C, SPI, and GPIO pins. The new module is pin-to-pin compatible with the C16QS module for easier design upgrades. Cavli C17QS specifications: Wireless IC – Qualcomm QCX217 Arm Cortex-M3 @ 306 MHz, cellular modem-RF Memory – 2MB RAM Storage – 8 MB flash Cellular connectivity LTE CAT […]

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ESP32-based CNC controller board targets pen plotters and lasers, runs FluidNC open-source firmware

FluidNC “TMC2209 Pen/Laser CNC Controller” is an ESP32-based 2-axis CNC controller that runs FluidNC open-source firmware and takes up to two TMC2209 stepper drivers to drive pen plotters and laser engravers ESP32 wireless modules have been used in a range of 3D printer and CNC controllers for years with boards such as Grbl_ESP32 CNC breakout board, Phi MainBoard 5LC 3D printer controller, and the Makerbase MKS DLC32 board we found in TwoTrees TS2 laser engraver and TTC 450 CNC router running MKS-DLC32-FIRMWARE open-source firmware.  The FluidNC TMC2209 Pen/Laser CNC Controller offers yet another option and a different open-source FluidNC firmware that is an evolution of the firmware for the aforementioned Grbl_ESP32 that also happens to work on the MKS DLC32 board… FluidNC “TMC2209 Pen/Laser CNC Controller” specifications: Wireless module – Espressif Systems ESP32-WROOM-32E ESP32 dual-core microcontroller 4MB flash 2.4 GHz WiFi and Bluetooth LE connectivity, built-in PCB antenna Storage – MicroSD […]

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs and SoMs in 2025
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LimeNET Micro 2.0 Developer Edition board leverages Raspberry Pi CM4 and LimeSDR XTRX SDR module (Crowdfunding)

The LimeNET Micro 2.0 Developer Edition board is a modular software-defined radio (SDR) platform from Lime Microsystems that is based on the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and the company’s own SDR board, the LimeSDR XTRX. It builds upon previous versions from Lime Microsystems, such as the LimeSDR Mini and LimeSDR Mini 2.0. It features a MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output) radio and runs the more powerful Compute Module 4, an upgrade from the Raspberry Pi CM3 in earlier versions. The LimeSDR XTRX is an open-source, high-performance SDR in a compact, Mini PCIe form factor.  It provides a platform for building logic-intensive digital and RF designs and can be used for MIMO antenna configurations from 2Tx2R to 32Tx32R. The platform is built around a planar system board, the LimePSB RPCM, which integrates the CM4, the XTRX, and other components and interfaces to make a complete baseband + RF solution for diverse wireless […]

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Serial Bus Servo Driver HAT (A) can drive up to 253 servos simultaneously

Waveshare has recently introduced the Serial Bus Servo Driver HAT (A) ESP32-powered servo motor controller for the Raspberry Pi designed to drive up to 253 serial servos simultaneously. The servos can be controlled via UART or USB through the Pi SBC or used as a standalone controller for a robotics project. The board has a wide input voltage range of 9 to 25 volts and features an onboard XT60 connector, a screw terminal, and a DC barrel jack any of which can be used as power input. Besides that, the board features an RS485 port a TTL Servo header, and a UART control switch for convenience. Previously we have written about the Suptronics X200 HAT multifunction expansion board for the Pi with servo support, as well as the ELECFREAKS Wukong 2040 which can also be used to drive servos. Waveshare Serial Bus Servo Driver HAT specifications CPU – Espressif ESP32-WROOM-32 dual-core […]

Boardcon EM3562 Rockchip RK3562 SBC with 8 analog camera inputs