Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft), Author at CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

July 30, 2020February 21, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Espressif and Amazon Introduce ESP32-PICO-V3-ZERO Alexa Connect Kit Module

Espressif Systems & Amazon have recently announced ESP32-PICO-V3-ZERO Alexa Connect Kit (ACK) module providing out-of-box connectivity to ACK cloud services, support for features such as Alexa control, “Frustration-Free Setup” and Amazon Dash replenishment for connected devices. The tiny (23 x 16 x 2.3mm) module is based on the company’s ESP32-PICO-V3 System-in-Package (SiP) based on ESP32-V3 dual-core Xtensa LX6 WiFI and Bluetooth SoC, a 4 MB SPI flash, a crystal oscillator, filter capacitors, and an RF matching network. The module supports 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, and Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity and comes with a PCB antenna and a u.FL connector to plug in an external antenna [Update: That should be an RF test connector instead, see comments]. ESP32-PICO-V3-ZERO module interfaces to a host MCU through a UART interface, and to speed-up time-to-market the module comes pre-certified for regulatory certifications such as FCC, CE, SRRC, IC, and RCM. The module […]

July 30, 2020July 30, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Beelink Gemini M is a Thin Mini PC Powered by Intel Celeron J4125 Gemini Lake Refresh SoC

The first Intel Gemini Lake Refresh (GLK-R) processors were announced last November, but we haven’t seen that many devices with the new processors, and so far we only covered some FUJITSU thin clients, as well as ODROID-H2+ and ODYSSEY-X86J4105 SBC’s with the “refreshed” processors. Beelink is about to launch a rather thin mini PC – Beelink Gemini M – powered by a 10W Intel Celeron J4125 Gemini Lake Refresh SoC coupled with 8GB RAM, and offering two independent 4K video outputs. Beelink Gemini M specifications: SoC – Intel Celeron J4125 quad-core Gemini Lake Refresh processor @ 2.00 GHz / 2.7 GHz (Turbo) with Intel UHD Graphics 600; 10W TDP System Memory – 8GB RAM Storage – 64GB eMMC flash, M.2 2242 SATA socket, SD card reader Video Output – 2x HDMI 1.4 ports up to 4K @ 30 Hz Audio – 3.5mm headphone+mic jack, digital audio output via HDMI Connectivity […]

July 30, 2020July 30, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

UP Xtreme Lite Whiskey Lake SBC is Made for “Developers on a Budget”

AAEON UP Xtreme Whiskey Kake SBC launched last year for 249 Euros via a crowdfunding campaign, and the single board computer can now be purchased from UP shop from $299 for the Celeron 4305UE version with 4GB RAM, and up to $799 with an Intel Core i7-8665UE quad-core processor and 16GB RAM. But soon, you should be able to purchase a more affordable version as the company just unveiled UP Xtreme Lite board made “for developers on a budget” and “designed to provide developers with a platform that’s flexible, powerful, and great value while not sacrificing performance”. UP Xtreme Lite specifications with the differences against the original UP Xtreme either stricken though (when removed) or highlighted in bold (for new features): SoC (one or the other) Intel Celeron 4305UE dual-core processor @ up to 2.2 GHz with 2MB cache, Intel UHD 610 graphics Intel Core i3-8145UE dual-core 4-thread processor @ […]

July 29, 2020July 29, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

HydraNFC Shield v2 Delivers Up to 1600 mW with STMicro ST25R3916 NFC Chipset

When Benjamin Vernoux is not working on open-source firmware & tools for AirSpy R0/R2/mini SDR, he spends his time on other projects such as HydraBus STM32 board with NFC support which we covered back in 2014. The HydraNFC Shield that came with the board was based on Texas Instruments TRF7970A NFC chipset with limited features and not compliant with any RF/NFC standard. Benjamin has now launched HydraNFC Shield v2 powered by STMicro ST25R3916 NFC chipset and equipped with a differential antenna. The new version of the shield still works with the original HydraBus board and allows much more output power (1,600mW vs 200 mW) and supports a wider range of NFC features & standards. HydraNFC Shield v2 features and specifications: NFC Chipset – STMicro ST25R3916 high-performance NFC universal device supporting NFC initiator, NFC target, NFC reader and NFC card emulation modes Antenna – Differential antenna with power up to 1600mW […]

July 29, 2020July 29, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

TTGO T-Lite W5500 ESP32 WiFi & Bluetooth Board Comes with OLED Display, Optional Ethernet Add-on Board

If you like tiny boards with Ethernet, TTGO T-Lite W5500 development board may be an interesting option, as the ESP32 board comes with a built-in OLED, and female headers to connect an Ethernet add-on board called W5500 Gateway Module. LilyGO TTGO T-Lite W5500 specifications: SoC – Espressif System ESP32 dual-core WiFi and Bluetooth SoC with 520KB SRAM Storage – 4MB flash Display – 0.96-inch OLED display (SSD1306 driver) Connectivity 802.11 b/g/n WiFi 4 up to 150 Mbps, and Bluetooth 5.x BR/LE via ESP32 SoC, on-board ceramic antenna or external antenna (selectable with a resistor?) Optional Ethernet via SPI Ethernet board based on Wiznet W5500 USB – 1x USB Type-C port for power and programming via CP2104 USB to TTL chip I/Os 8+6 through holes with GPIOs, SPI, ADC, Touch, 5V, 3.3V, GND Operating voltage – 2.7V-3.6V Misc – Boot & Reset button, 40MHz crystal oscillator Power Supply – 5V/1A via […]

July 29, 2020January 28, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Industrial-Grade Optical Rain Gauge Beams Infrared Light to Measure Rainfall

I remember when I was a kid, we had rain gauge to measure the amount of rainfall in the garden, so after heavy rains, I liked to have a look to find out how much rain actually fell. Those collected water in a tube, and we could read the millimeter value right on the tube. But now with the Internet of Things, we can have smarter solutions including tipping-bucket rain gauges that collect water and usually report the data via an RS-232 port. But I’ve just found out there’s another method to measure rainfall with an industrial-grade optical rain gauge I just found on Seeed Studio for $99.00. It’s a sphere about the size of half a tennis ball that beams infrared light instead of collecting water and somehow managed to accurately report the amount of rainfall. RG-15 optional rain gauge specifications: Nominal Accuracy – ±10% Host Interfaces J1 Terminal […]

July 28, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

EMIT ESP32 IoT Development Board Comes with Temperature & Humidity Sensor, 5A SPST Relay (Crowdfunding)

ControlBits EMIT (Environmental Monitoring for the Internet of Things) is a baseboard compatible with DOIT ESP32 DevKit V1 development board and equipped with a temperature and humidity sensor, a relay, a 12-pinGPIO connector, and a MicroSD card. EMIT ESP32 IoT development board specifications: Socket for DOIT ESP32 DevKit v1 board with WiFi and Bluetooth LE connectivity Storage – MicroSD card socket Sensor – AM2302 temperature & humidity sensor with -40° to +80° C and 0 to 99.9 %RH ranges. Relay – 5A SPST relay output with status LED Expansion – 12-pin GPIO header Misc – 2x programmable status LEDs (red & green) Power Supply – 5V via USB on ESP32 board, or external 7-12 V supply via terminal block Dimensions – 81 x 81 mm (PCB only) The board comes with mounting holes so it can be wall-mounted, and an optional enclosure is also available. Some applications for the board […]

July 28, 2020July 28, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

M.2 and Half-size mPCIe Cards Support Real-Time Ethernet and FieldBus Networks

Hilscher cifX M.2 and half-size mini PCIe cards powered by the company’s NETX 90 network-on-chip multi-protocol Cortex-M4 SoC bring real-time Ethernet and FieldBus to compatible systems. The tiny cards are designed for PC-based devices such as IPC’s, HMI’s and robots, and support various firmware for PROFINET IO-Device, EtherNet/IP Adapter, EtherCAT Slave, or OpenModbus/TCP. The company claims its cifX M.2 (A+E key) and half-size mini PCIe cards are the smallest multiprotocol PC cards on the automation market with a size of 22×30 mm and 30×26.8 mm respectively. The cards also support extended temperature from -20°C to 70°C and offer one hardware platform for all real-time Ethernet slave protocols. Besides PROFINET IO-Device, EtherNet/IP Adapter, EtherCAT Slave, and OpenModbus/TCP, Hilscher will provide support for CC-Link IE Field Basic and Ethernet POWERLINK Slave in new firmware available in Q4 2020, and OPC UA and MQTT functionalities are planned for future releases. The cards are […]