CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

November 9, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Using the Raspberry Pi 500+ keyboard PC as a regular Bluetooth keyboard

Using Raspberry Pi 500+ as a Bluetooth Keyboard

While the Raspberry Pi 500+ is a fully functional Linux keyboard PC, it’s also possible to use it as a regular mechanical Bluetooth keyboard. This week, I had a problem with my regular Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse combo, so I sent it back to the shop for repair since it was still under warranty. Then somebody forgot the RF dongle for her own combo at home, so long story short, we ended up with one third spare keyboard for two people. Not ideal. But luckily, we just completed the review of the Raspberry Pi 500+ keyboard PC, so we had a spare mechanical keyboard, and the btferret project allowed us to use it as a Bluetooth keyboard, which I’m using right now to write this article. We could have used the Pi 500+ as a Linux machine directly, but we would have had to reinstall all the software we […]

November 9, 2025November 8, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 147 Comments

Giveaway Week 2025 – RAKwireless Blues.ONE LoRaWAN, LTE-M, and NB-IoT devkit

It turns out we don’t have two, but three companies offering free samples on CNX Software this year. The last one is a regular, and RAKwireless joins us for the fifth year running with a Blues.ONE LoRaWAN, LTE-M, and NB-IoT devkit that can be useful for industrial automation and asset-tracking applications. Regular readers may recall that it is the same prize as last year. While I usually prefer getting a new devkit, the company didn’t launch any this year (just some Meshtastic kits). The good news is that if you missed out last time around, you have a chance to give it another go. Here’s what the winner will get as a reminder: RAK4631 WisBlock Core Module based on Nordic Semi nRF52840 Arm Cortex-M4F microcontroller @ 64 MHz with 1 MB Flash, 256 KB RAM, Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0 protocol stack Semtech SX1262 LoRa Transceiver with LoRaWAN 1.0.2 protocol stack […]

November 8, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Raspberry Pi 500+ mechanical keyboard PC review with Raspberry Pi OS “Trixie”

Today, we’ll review the Raspberry Pi 500+ mechanical keyboard PC using the recently released Raspberry Pi OS “Trixie” based on Debian 13. It’s quite similar to the earlier Raspberry Pi 500 keyboard PC, but comes with more memory (16GB vs 8GB), a 256GB NVMe SSD, and a proper mechanical keyboard with replaceable caps and RGB LED lighting, so we’ll focus on these aspects during our tests, after going through the usual unboxing and teardown process. Raspberry Pi 500+ unboxing We received an early prototype of the Raspberry Pi 500+ keyboard PC with a UK layout, white design in a retail package. The bottom side of the package includes a list of features and confirmation that it’s indeed a UK layout keyboard. Not ideal for Thai users (we usually rely on the US layout), but that was probably the only layout available when Raspberry Pi sent us a sample in mid-September. […]

November 8, 2025November 6, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 215 Comments

Giveaway Week 2025 – VOIPAC iMX93 Pro industrial development kit

The sixth prize of this year’s Giveaway Week is a VOIPAC iMX93 Pro industrial development kit with an NXP i.MX 93 Cortex-A55/M33 Edge AI SoC, 2GB LPDDR4, and 16GB eMMC flash. The development kit offers dual Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 6, and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, HDMI, DisplayPort, and HDMI display interfaces, three audio jacks, two MIPI CSI camera interfaces, various USB ports, M.2 sockets, and more. It targets artificial intelligence, machine learning, human-machine interface (HMI) solutions, and more. I reviewed the VOIPAC IMX8M industrial development kit and subsequently gave it away in 2023, but I haven’t done a review of the iMX93 development kit. Instead, one lucky winner will get it directly from VOIPAC. Alternatively, they can offer the new iMX91 industrial development kit, if you prefer. You can also write your preferred kit in the comments (optional). The company provides Linux built with Yocto Project 5.0 Scarthgap for the […]

November 7, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Nexalta Guardian NXG0042AI – Qualcomm IPQ9574-based networking solution with 10GbE, WiFi 7, 5G, local AI (Crowdfunding)

Nexalta Guardian NXG0042AI is a large networking and IoT gateway “monster” powered by a Qualcomm IPQ9574 chipset offering 10GbE and 2.5GbE networking, WiFi 7 support with up to five concurrent WiFi radios, up to four/seven 5G modems, up to 52 (e)SIMs, and two on-board Compute Module slots for Rockchip RK3588 or NVIDIA Jetson SO-DIMM system-on-modules. The main board (XWR A1) also offers 25Gbps WAN fabric, three MCUs for BMC, power management, and cryptography, M.2 slots for NVMe storage or AI accelerators, two mSATA sockets, HDMI video output, USB ports, Starlink satellite support, and a range of IoT protocol options such as LoRaWAN, 5G RedCap, UWB, Bluetooth LE, and so on. Nexalta Guardian specifications: Main SoC subsystem SoC – Qualcomm IPQ9574 quad-core Arm Cortex-A73 processor @ 2.2GHz processor System Memory – 2GB DDR4 RAM Storage – 8GB eMMC flash, 64MB NOR flash SoM sub-system 2x 260-pin SO-DIMM sockets for: Turing RK1 […]

November 7, 2025November 9, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 122 Comments

Giveaway Week 2025 – USB Vsense USB PD voltage indicator

The fifth prize of CNX Software Giveaway Week 2025 will be the USB Vsense USB PD voltage indicator. I received three samples for review last August, so I’m keeping one for myself, giving one here on CNX Software (International), and another one on CNX Software Thailand. It’s a simple device with two USB-C ports and color-coded LEDs showing the voltage supported from 5V up to 48V as defined in the Extended Power Range (EPR) specs. In my review, I found the little device to work as expected, testing it with various USB PD adapters connected to a laptop and a Raspberry Pi 5 SBC. There are already such USD PD voltage testers on the market, and what differentiates the Vsense from the rest is its multi-layered design, since it’s made of seven PCBs stacked on top of each other and secured with four screws. To enter the draw, simply leave […]

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs and SoMs in 2025

November 7, 2025November 6, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

AAEON PICO-ARU4 “Arrow Lake” Pico-ITX SBC is powered by up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 255U processor

AAEON PICO-ARU4 Pico-ITX SBC with Arrow Lake CPU

AAEON PICO-ARU4 might be the world’s first Pico-ITX SBC powered by Intel Core Ultra 5/7 “Arrow Lake” (Series 2) processor family. More specifically, it’s available with the Core Ultra 5 225U or Core Ultra 7 255U, both with a 15W TDP. It ships with up to 32GB LPDDR5 RAM, offers 2.5GbE and GbE networking, HDMI and eDP interfaces for up to two independent displays, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, two USB 2.0 headers, two M.2 sockets for storage (NVMe SSD) and wireless expansion, two RS-232/422/485 headers, a 4-bit GPIO header, SMBus/I2C, and more. AAEON PICO-ARU4 specifications: Arrow Lake SoC (one of the other) Intel Core Ultra 5 225U 12-core (2P+8E+2LPE) processor @ up to 4.8 GHz turbo frequency, 12MB cache, 4x Xe-core Intel Graphics (8 TOPS), and Intel AI Boost (12 TOPS); PBP: TDP 15W Intel Core Ultra 7 255U 12-core (2P+8E+2LPE) processor @ up to 5.2 GHz, 12MB cache, […]

November 6, 2025 by Paisit Wongsongsarn - 7 Comments

Review of SONOFF’s latest Matter Smart Switches – Basic Gen5 and Tx Gen2

Today, we’re about to review not one, but two new Matter devices: the SONOFF Basic Gen5 Smart Switch and the SONOFF Tx Gen2 Smart Wall Switch. Both are upgraded versions of their previous models, now adding support for the Matter protocol (over Wi-Fi). The Basic Gen5 is the fifth generation of the popular Basic series, known for being affordable and widely used in the market. It’s a Wi-Fi smart switch that can control all kinds of devices, such as lights or small electrical devices. Basically, anything within its 10A limit. What’s new compared to the previous BasicR4 is the addition of Matter and near-field control via Bluetooth. As for the Tx Gen2 (T6), it’s an upgraded version of the older T2/T3 lineup. Besides adding Matter, it also brings a few new features, like adjustable backlight brightness and the Detach Relay mode. Both models support voice control via Apple Siri, Google […]