IoT News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

January 15, 2025January 16, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Jetway MTX-MTH1 thin Mini-ITX SBC features Intel Core Ultra 5/7 SoC, three 2.5GbE, four HDMI 2.1, PCIe Gen5 x8 slot

Jetway MTX-MTH1 is a thin industrial Mini-ITX SBC built around Intel Core Ultra 5/7 Meteor Lake processors with Intel Arc Graphics and support for up to 96GB of DDR5 memory. The most interesting features of this compact board are the three 2.5GbE jacks and four HDMI 2.1 video outputs for 4K and 8K displays. Additionally, it features multiple USB ports, a PCIe Gen 5 x8 slot, M.2 slots for storage and 4G LTE/5G, serial ports, and GPIO interfaces. With industrial environmental tolerance (-20°C to 60°C) this thin Mini-ITX motherboard is ideal for industrial automation, AI processing, edge computing, and embedded systems. Jetway MTX-MTH1 specifications: SoC (one or the other) Intel Core Ultra 7 Processor 155H (Meteor Lake, TDP 28W) with Intel Arc Graphics Intel Core Ultra 5 Processor 125H (Meteor Lake, TDP 28W) with Intel Arc Graphics System Memory – 2x DDR5 5600MHz SO-DIMM, up to 96GB Storage SATA III […]

January 15, 2025January 19, 2025 by Paisit Wongsongsarn - 7 Comments

SONOFF MINI-D Review – A Matter-enabled dry contact WiFi switch tested with eWeLink, Home Assistant, and Apple Home

SONOFF sent us a sample of the MINI-D Wi-Fi smart switch with a dry contact design for review. If you’re familiar with the larger SONOFF 4CH Pro model, which features four channels, the MINI-D operates similarly but is smaller in size and comes with the latest software features. The principle of a dry contact is that the relay contacts are not directly connected to the device’s power supply circuit. Instead, the contacts are isolated and require an external power source to supply power to the load. Make it flexible to use the SONOFF Mini-D in various scenarios such as controlling garage doors, thermostats, or high-current electrical devices through a contactor, like water pumps. It can also manage low-power DC devices such as solenoid valves or small electric motors (<8W). Because the power supplied to the MINI-D and the power passed through its relay can come from different sources, it offers […]

January 15, 2025January 15, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

ESP32-based Waveshare DDSM Driver HAT (B) for Raspberry Pi supports DDSM400 hub motors

Waveshare DDSM Driver HAT (B) Raspberry Pi DDSM motor driver

Waveshare has recently launched DDSM Driver HAT (B), a compact Raspberry Pi DDSM (Direct Drive Servo Motor) motor driver designed specifically to drive the DDSM400 hub motors. This board is built around an ESP32 MCU and supports wired (USB and UART) and wireless (2.4GHz WiFi) communication. Additionally, the board features a physical toggle switch, which lets it choose between the ESP32 control or USB control modes. On ESP32 control mode you can control the device through a built-in web application. In the USB control mode, the motor driver can be controlled via USB from a host computer sending JSON commands. An XT60 connector is used to power the board, and programming is done through a USB-C port that connects to the ESP32. The board is suitable for robotics projects, especially for mobile robots in 6×6 or 4×4 configurations. Waveshare DDSM Driver HAT (B) specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-WROOM-32E ESP32 […]

January 13, 2025 by Debashis Das - 6 Comments

Fully enclosed ESP32-S3 board features 1.8-inch AMOLED, microphone & speaker for AI audio applications

ESP32 S3 1.8inch AMOLED display development board

Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-AMOLED-1.8 is an ESP32-S3 development board with an AMOLED display and AI audio support fully housed in a plastic enclosure. The most interesting feature of this devkit is its 1.8-inch AMOLED display with a 100000:1 contrast ratio and a wide 178° viewing angle, plus support for AI speech using its built-in microphone and speaker, and a built-in battery for IoT and AI applications. Other features include a QMI8658 6-axis IMU for motion detection, a PCF85063 RTC for time, and an ES8311 audio codec for high-quality audio. The ESP32-S3 provides Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity and the board also features a USB-C port for power and programming. The AXP2101 power management IC enables battery charging and optimization, while GPIO, I2C, and UART pads allow expansion. Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-AMOLED-1.8 specifications Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3R8 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 @ up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration. Memory – […]

January 13, 2025January 13, 2025 by Debashis Das - 3 Comments

Seeed Studio XIAO Plus series adds more GPIOs through castellated holes

In response to community feedback for more I/O options, Seeed Studio has recently launched the Seeed Studio XIAO Plus series with 23 castellated mounting pins (20 GPIOs, 3 power pins) and improved back solder points, improving compatibility with carrier boards for complex projects. The new series includes the XIAO ESP32S3 Plus, XIAO nRF52840 Plus, and XIAO nRF52840 Sense Plus which are direct upgrades of the XIAO ESP32S3, XIAO nRF52840 BLE, and XIAO nRF52840 Sense boards. The new design allows for easier assembly and scalable production, with double the I/O options. XIAO ESP32S3 Plus The Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32S3 Plus is a compact development board with a total of 23 pins on the board out of which 11 are through-hole GPIO pins 9 additional SMD castellations GPIO pins and 3 through-hole are power pins. The board is built around an ESP32-S3 MCU so it has 2.4GHz WiFi and BLE 5.0 connectivity. Other […]

January 12, 2025January 12, 2025 by Debashis Das - 12 Comments

GuRu’s modular wireless power transfer system can power a drone indefinitely

California-based company GuRu Wireless has recently developed and showcased a scalable and modular wireless power transfer system that is capable of delivering power to a high-power device up to several kilowatts, such as a drone, from up to 30 feet away (a little over 9 meters). They also mention that the system can power low-power devices, like LEDs and consumer electronics, over distances of several kilometers. It’s quite an extension to the GuRu’s desk-range wireless power evaluation kit we covered in 2020. The system uses 24 GHz high-frequency millimeter-wave radio signals to deliver energy over long distances without needing batteries or tethered systems. GuRu’s system uses a phased array transmitter with proprietary RFICs, to precisely deliver power to the receiver called the Recovery Unit (RU). In a recent demonstration video, GuRu Wireless showcased their wireless power transfer system by powering a drone from 30 feet away, operating it continuously for […]

January 9, 2025January 10, 2025 by Debashis Das - 20 Comments

Qualcomm QCS6490-based Rubik Pi 3 AI SBC supports Android, Linux, and LU operating systems

Thundercomm has officially launched the Rubik Pi 3 SBC built around the Qualcomm QCS6490 SoC with a 12.5 TOPS AI accelerator. The SBC comes in a “PI-CO ITX” form factor that combines the Pico-ITX standard and the 40-pin GPIO header found on Raspberry Pi SBCs. The SBC comes with a standard set of interfaces, including USB, HDMI out, MIPI-CSI camera support, Ethernet, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.2, and much more. Additionally, the SBC features a 40-pin header for GPIO, UART for debugging, audio output, and RTC battery support. The company mentions that it is the first Pi-based system using Qualcomm’s AI platforms, hence it supports Raspberry Pi HAT/HAT+ expansion boards, making it suitable for various AI, IoT, and edge computing projects. Rubik Pi 3 SBC specifications: SoC – Qualcomm QCS6490 CPU – Octa-core Kryo 670 with 1x Gold Plus core (Cortex-A78) @ 2.7 GHz, 3x Gold cores (Cortex-A78) @ 2.4 GHz, 4x […]

January 8, 2025January 8, 2025 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 4 Comments

$12 Plant Bot is an ESP32-C3 soil sensor and pump driver for fully automated indoor plant care

The Plant Bot is an open-source, Internet-enabled plant monitor powered by the ESP32-C3 microcontroller and integrating a corrosion-resistant capacitive moisture soil sensor and a pump driver on a single printed circuit board, eliminating the need for additional cabling. The Plant Bot is designed to automate indoor plant care by combining moisture sensing, light sensing, and pump activation. It can be powered via USB or a single coin cell battery which lasts up to a week with daily updates. An onboard multi-color LED visually represents the current soil condition, ranging from red (dry) to blue (moist). The “Soil Level” line on the board indicates the maximum depth to which the sensor or device should be inserted into the soil. According to the maker, the Plant Bot will remain unaffected by corrosion if the soil level does not exceed this line. Other solutions we’ve covered with a soil sensor usually separate the […]