CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

May 21, 2024May 21, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

BreadboardOS firmware for the Raspberry Pi RP2040 features a Linux-like terminal

Cavin McKinley’s BreadboardOS is an open-source firmware platform for the Raspberry Pi RP2040 MCU (for now) built around FreeRTOS and with a feature-packed CLI that reminds me of the Linux terminal.

The terminal implementation is based on a fork of the microshell project with some additional customization. It is organized into POSIX-style folders/files providing a familiar user interface for interacting with the hardware on the MCU.

BreadboardOS running on Raspberry Pi Pico board

BreadboardOS highlights:

FreeRTOS-based
Tools for checking system resources such as ps, top, free, and df commands
Interaction with chip I/O and serial buses from the terminal using commands such as cat and echo, for example, you can print the list of GPIOs with:

May 21, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Raspberry Pi Zero HAT compatible Quectel BG95-M3 Zero cellular IoT board runs QuecPython MicroPython firmware

Quectel BG95-M3 Zero SBC with QuecPython MicroPython firmware

Waveshare BG95-M3 Zero is a Raspberry Pi Zero-sized SBC based on Quectel BG95-M3 cellular IoT module with LTE Cat M1 (eMTC), LTE Cat NB2 (NB-IoT), and eGPRS connectivity as well as GNSS. The board supports Raspberry Pi HATs and ships with Quectel’s QuecPython MicroPython firmware for easier programming. We’ve previously covered various SBCs and Raspberry Pi HATs based on Quectel modules for cellular IoT and GNSS connectivity with the likes of Olimex NB-IoT-Devkit (with a BC66 module), S-2Connect Creo evaluation kit, Sixfab 5G Modem HAT, and others. Olimex BC66 board supports Arduino programming, but most of the other boards rely on a host processor. Waveshare’s BG95-M3 Zero is a standalone SBC offering compatibility with Raspberry Pi Zero (p)HATs, and Quectel also developed its own MicroPython firmware called QuecPython that works with several of their modules, including the BG95-M3. BG95-M3 Zero specifications: Cellular IoT Module – Quectel BG95-M3 CPU – Arm […]

May 21, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

Compact ESP32-S3 based air quality sensor uses an LED dial to tell how clean your air is (Crowdfunding)

If you are curious about the air quality in your area, then Studio LUFF Air Quality Sensor might be just the thing for you. It is designed to be affordable, open-source, portable, and customizable. Studio LUFF is a design practice based in California, United States composed of Pierluigi Dalla Rosa and two others. Collectively, they “advocate for an alternative approach to technology that is driven by curiosity, creativity, community and sustainability.” The Air Quality Sensor is their first product. The Air Quality Sensor is powered by an ESP32-S3 microcontroller and uses a Plantower PMS7003 particulate matter sensor module to measure air quality. It looks like a small, black disk with AQI (air quality index) values that run from 0 to 200. An LED dial is mounted on the back of the device which reflects on the wall to display the current air quality index in the area. The project was inspired […]

May 21, 2024May 20, 2024 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

NetBurner SOMRT1061 – A stamp-sized dual Ethernet SoM powered by NXP’s i.MX RT1061 crossover processor

i.MX RT1061 Embedded System on Module SOMRT1061

The NetBurner SOMRT1061 is a System-on-Module (SoM) that comes in a very compact stamp-sized footprint that measures just 25.4mm x 25.4mm, yet boasts a rugged design and 67 usable GPIO pins with edge connectors. These features make this SoM ideal for a wide range of medical, industrial, and robotics applications. The SoM is built around the NXP’s i.MX RT1061 Arm Cortex M7 SoC, and features 1MB of internal SRAM, 32MB of external RAM, and 8MB of flash storage. It also features dual 10/100M Ethernet with PTP, an on-die temperature sensor, three FlexIO modules, two USB OTG 2.0 controllers, I2C, SPI, ADC, SD Card, CAN, UART, and many more. NetBurner SOMRT1061 System-on-Module (SOM) Specifications SoC – NXP i.MX RT1061 Arm Cortex-M7 @ 528MHz. Memory 1MB SRAM on the processor 32MB of external RAM Storage Flash – 1MB boot, 8MB application SDHC – Flash card interface Ethernet Up to two 10/100 Ethernet […]

May 20, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Matter 1.3 specification adds support for water and energy management, electric vehicle chargers, and various household appliances

The Connectivity Standard Alliance (CSA) has just announced the release of the Matter 1.3 specification and SDK with energy reporting, support for water and energy management devices, electric vehicle chargers, several new “major appliances”, namely various kitchen appliances and laundry dryers, and various other features. As a reminder the Matter protocol was initially introduced several years ago under the name Project CHIP to improve the interoperability of Smart Home devices from various vendors, so for example, users could connect a Matter-compatible Philips Hue light bulb to a Samsung gateway, or a white-brand Matter sensor with Google Home, etc… Matter started to pick last year with several products launched, and Paisit notably reviewed the MINI Extreme Wi-Fi Smart Switch (MINIR4M), the first Matter device from SONOFF, last October. Matter 1.3 adds various new capabilities and devices. Matter 1.3 highlights: Support for Water and Energy Management Devices Energy Management – Matter 1.3 […]

May 20, 2024May 20, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

AAEON RICO-3568 is a Pico-ITX Plus board powered by a Rockchip RK3568 SoC

AAEON RICO-3568 is a Pico-ITX Plus single board computer powered by a Rockchip RK3568 quad-core Cortex-A55 AI SoC, up to 8GB LPDDR4, 16GB eMMC flash, four display interfaces (HDMI, LVDS, eDP, MIPI DSI), gigabit Ethernet, and various expansion headers for industrial applications. Most have already heard about the Pico-ITX form factor, but it’s the first time I’ve ever come across a Pico-ITX Plus board. It looks like it’s an AAEON-specific “standard” right now, with the Pico-ITX Plus boards (100x80mm) being slightly wider than Pico-ITX SBCs (100x72mm). AAEON RICO-3568 specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3568 CPU – Quad-core Cortex A55 processor at up to 2.0 GHz GPU – Mali G52 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0/3.2, OpenCL 2.0, Vulkan 1.1 VPU 4Kp60 H.264/H.265/VP9/AV1/AVS2, 1080p60 MPEG-1/VP8 video decoder 1080p60 H.264/H.265 video encoder AI accelerator – 0.8 TOPS NPU System Memory – 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB LPDDR4 Storage 16GB eMMC flash MicroSD card […]

May 20, 2024May 19, 2024 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

Seeed Studio reComputer R1025-10 industrial IoT gateway supports Ethernet, RS485, 4G LTE, LoRa, Zigbee, Wi-Fi, BLE

The reComputer R1025-10 is a Raspberry Pi CM4-based DIN Rail industrial gateway and edge IoT controller designed by Seeed Studio. The company mentions that the R1025-10 is the first module in the reComputer R1000 series and it’s equipped with 4GB RAM and 32GB of eMMC version of the CM4 module. That simply means the company will launch Edge IoT controllers in the series which will host different variants of the CM4 module. The R1025-10 gateway is features rich and includes two Ethernet interfaces, three isolated RS485 interfaces, and a variety of optional wireless modules including 4G, LoRa, Zigbee, or Wi-Fi/BLE. Other features include an HDMI port, two USB Type-A ports, and a USB Type-C 2.0 port. Previously we have covered many Din Rail IoT gateways like the IOT-DIN-IMX8PLUS, Cytron IRIV PiControl, the Robustel EG5101 and EG5200 and many others feel free to check those out if you are looking for […]

May 19, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 7 Comments

FLIP_C3 ESP32-C3 board takes up to 60V DC input, ships with ESPHome firmware

Voidbox FLIP_C3 is an open-source hardware board powered by an ESP32-C3 WiFi & BLE microcontroller that takes up to 60V DC power input feeding a 5V/2A DC-DC step-down converter and flashed with ESPHome firmware by default for Home Assistant support. The board incorporates a push-in spring release connector which means stranded (ferrules or tinning are suggested) and solid wires can be used in deploying the device in off-grid/battery-powered systems with up to 16s LiFePO4 delivering 48V through the 6-60V input port on the ESP32-C3 board. The onboard WS2812B LED can be used as a null pixel/level shifter for longer strings of addressable pixels. The ESP32-C3 – due to its support for Wi-Fi and BLE connectivity – is a popular SoC for IoT solutions and powers home and industrial automation devices such as NanoCell v2.1, Spark Analyzer, LOLIN C3 Pico, and the LILYGO T-RSC3. It is built for home automation applications […]