PCBWay’s 7th project design contest – Win prizes for your electronic, mechanical, or STM32 project (Sponsored)

PCBWAY 7th project design contest

PCBWay has launched its 7th project design contest in collaboration with Mouser with three categories, namely electronic project, mechanical project, and STM32 project. PCBWay’s design contests aim to encourage participants to engage in open-source innovation projects and inspire more people to join the electronics community. This year’s contest is no different and even adds the new STM32 project category to attract even more entrants. There are three phases in PCBWay’s 7th design contest: Project Release – September 2, 2024 – January 19, 2025 Project Review – January 20, 2024 – February 28, 2025 Result Announcement – March 10, 2025 The contest started last month, but you still have plenty of time to enter before January 19, 2025. As noted in the introduction three categories are available. Here are a few more details about these: Electronic project – Everything about electronic design, from simple circuits to advanced MCU and IoT projects, […]

Realtek Ameba RTL8730E Cortex-A32 audio streaming module offers a cost-effective solution for wireless audio applications

Stream210 module

StreamUnlimited and Realtek Semiconductor Corp have collaborated on the Stream210 audio streaming module based on the Ameba Smart RTL8730E Arm Cortex-A32 chip from the Ameba E series, with support for Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and Matter for edge computing and IoT solutions. We have looked at previous Ameba IoT products, such as the Ameba RTL8722DM development board, Ameba Arduino, Ameba RTL8195AM module, and the Ameba RTL8710BN. The Ameba Smart chip is the first entry in the series to feature a Cortex-A32 processor. The Stream210 module is aimed at various audio and IoT applications, including digital radios, streaming audio receivers, wireless speakers, smart speakers, home automation products, and Wi-Fi headphones. Other wireless audio modules we’ve covered in the past include the Up2Stream Pro HiFi board, TTGO T9, and 8devices’ Tobufi module. Stream210 specifications: SoC – Ameba Smart RTL8730E dual-core Arm Cortex-A32 processor @ 1.3GHz Memory – 2Gbit RAM Storage – 2Gbit […]

Khadas Edge2 Arm mini PC

HiFive Premier P550 mini-DTX motherboard features ESWIN EIC7700X RISC-V AI SoC, up to 32GB DDR5, a PCIe x16 slot

SiFive HiFive Premier P550 RISC-V mini-DTX motherboard

SiFive HiFive Premier P550 is a mini-DTX (203 x 170mm) motherboard powered by a 1.4 GHz ESWIN EIC7700X quad-core RISC-V SiFive P550 SoC with up to 19.95 TOPS of AI performance, and equipped with up to 32GB LPDDR5 memory and a 128GB eMMC flash all soldered on a system-on-module. The motherboard itself features a SATA III connector for data storage, includes an HDMI 2.0 port for 4K video output, a PCIe Gen3 x16 slot (working at x4), two gigabit Ethernet ports, an M.2 Key-E socket to add a WiFi/Bluetooth card, up to five USB interfaces, and more. HiFive Premier P550 specifications: SoC – ESWIN EIC7700X CPU 4x SiFive Performance P550 RV64GC RISC-V cores @ 1.4GHz (up to 1.8GHz when overclocked) with Cortex-A75-class performance 32KB(I) + 32KB(D) L1 Cache 256KB L2 Cache 4MB shared L3 Cache Cache supports ECC (support SECDED) NPU (Not currently supported in software) – Up to 19.95 […]

Get the Creality Falcon2 Pro 40W laser engraver at a discount and gifts for Halloween (Sponsored)

Creality Halloween Event

Creality has just launched a Halloween sale for its laser engravers and accessories with up to 53% off and free gifts with a highlight of the promotion being the Creality Falcon 2 Pro 40W laser engraving machine. Creality Falcon2 Pro 40W highlights As noted in our previous article about the Falcon 2 Pro 40W, the laser engraving machine focuses on safety with a fully enclosed design,  class 1 safety certification,  systems for airflow, lens, and flame monitoring, and five safety protections namely bidirectional limit switches, an active stop function, a security lock design, an emergency stop button, and a laser protective cover. So you can carve or cut your Halloween pieces with your kids without having to worry. While safety is a priority, the Falcon2 Pro 40W is also a very capable and features-rich machine with a powerful 22W or 40W laser module, a built-in top camera for accurate alignment […]

Quectel BG770A-SN industrial IoT module offers 5G, NB-IoT, and NTN satellite connectivity

Quectel BG770A SN 5G IoT NTN module

Quectel has recently released the BG770A-SN industrial IoT module which comes in an ultra-compact form factor and supports both NTN and TN and features GNSS for positioning functionality. This 5G-ready module also supports iSIM and utilizes the GEO satellite constellation for worldwide coverage. Additionally, the module offers integrated security elements (ISE) and can operate in between the industrial temperature range of -40°C to +85°C. Previously we have written about the Quectel BG95-S5 5G NTN + LTE IoT module which supports NTN satellite (L-band and S-band) plus LTE Cat M1, Cat NB2, and eGPRS as fallback options, designed for applications where continuous connectivity is critical. We have also written about the Quectel CC660D-LS IoT-NTN module, which is an IoT NTN module designed specifically for Skylo’s satellite network. The new BG770A-SN module is a little different from the previous two because it supports LTE Cat M1, LTE Cat NB1/NB2, and NTN over […]

Seeed Studio launches ESP32-C6-powered 60GHz mmWave human fall detection and breathing/heartbeat detection sensor kits

mmWave human fall detection and heartbeat sensor

Last year, we reviewed the MR60FDA1 60GHz mmWave fall detection sensor kit, which utilizes the XIAO ESP32C3 module as its core. This module, featuring both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, opens up various IoT applications. Now, Seeed Studio has introduced advanced mmWave sensor modules specifically designed for enhanced fall detection and heartbeat monitoring. The MR60FDA2 is optimized for fall detection, while the MR60BHA2 is designed for heartbeat monitoring. Powered by an ESP32-C6 WiFi 6 and RIS-Bluetotoh LE microcontroller, these modules offer reliable detection for real-time fall monitoring and accurate heartbeat tracking. They also feature customizable RGB LEDs and ambient light sensors, providing additional flexibility. With expansion options via Grove GPIO ports, these versatile modules are well-suited for applications like smart home integration and healthcare monitoring. Previously, we covered the RoomSense IQ and the DesignCore RS-6843AOPU with mmWave technology. The RoomSense IQ is an ESP32-S3-based modular room monitor with mmWave radar presence […]

Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs

Microchip PIC32MZ-W1 is a 32-bit MIPS WiFi MCU with 60+ GPIO, USB, CAN Bus, Ethernet, and more

PIC32MZ W1 and WFI32 2.0 Curiosity Board

Microchip recently released the PIC32MZ-W1 wireless MCU along with 20 other WiFi parts, including WiFi MCUs, link controllers, network controllers, and plug-and-play modules. Among them, the PIC32MZ-W1 wireless MCU is the most interesting because of its 32-bit MIPS microAptiv M-class core running at up to 200MHz, advanced hardware security features, and integrated Microchip Trust Platform for secure cloud authentication. Over the years ESP32 MCUs have become the go-to choice for wireless applications. Still, one problem we always have with ESP32 SoCs is their limited GPIO option due to their strapped-out pin structures. But this new MCU has over 60 GPIO pins to work with along with Ethernet MAC, USB, CAN Bus, CANFD, SPI, I2C, SQI, UART, ADC, JTAG, and more. PIC32MZ-W1 wireless MCU specifications MCU MIPS32 M-Class core clocked at 200 MHz 16KB I-Cache, 16KB D-Cache microMIPS mode (up to 35% smaller code size) DSP extensions (4x 64-bit accumulators, single-cycle […]

DALI2 expansion module for ESP32-C6-Pico and ESP32-S3-Pico boards facilitates Smart Lighting integration

Pico DALI2 Expansion Module

Waveshare has recently launched the Pico-DALI2 expansion module for ESP32-Pico series boards designed to enable DALI communication for customized control of multiple lighting groups. It is compatible with development boards such as the ESP32-C6-Pico and ESP32-S3-Pico and includes a DALI communication screw terminal for connecting external DALI devices. DALI (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface) is a standardized protocol used for lighting control in building automation systems. The latest version of the DALI2 protocol is better than the old one in that it offers enhanced interoperability, additional features like multi-master configurations, and better energy management capabilities. DALI2 devices can communicate bidirectionally, meaning controllers can send commands and also receive status feedback from lighting devices, allowing for more complex automation and diagnostics. We can get more information about DALI from Wikipedia. We have previously seen the uses of DALI in Texas Instruments MSPM0 Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontrollers as an interface and in Acme CM3-Home […]

Khadas VIM4 SBC