Debashis Das, Author at CNX Software

August 10, 2026August 10, 2026 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Raspberry Pi CM4/CM5-based WisGate Connect Router RAK7392 offers 2.5GbE, mini PCIe, and WisBlock expansion

RAKwireless has just launched the WisGate Connect Router RAK7392 (not to be confused with the older WisGate Connect RAK7391), an industrial-grade edge router and gateway built around Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4/5 (CM4/CM5). The system features three Gigabit Ethernet ports, one 2.5GbE port, wireless expansion via a mini PCIe slot, and WisBlock connectors for sensors and I/O modules. The gateway is designed for industrial IoT applications such as edge computing, VPN, Modbus-to-MQTT conversion, and LoRaWAN packet forwarding, eliminating the need for multiple boards and USB adapters for complex deployments. WisGate Connect Router RAK7392 specifications: SoM options (one or the other) Raspberry Pi CM4 – Broadcom BCM2711 quad-core Cortex-A72 processor @ 1.5 GHz Raspberry Pi CM5 – Broadcom BCM2712 quad-core Cortex-A76 processor @ 2.4 GHz Storage and Memory will depend upon the module Storage – MicroSD card socket for CM4/CM5 Lite modules only Networking 3x Gigabit Ethernet ports (eth1, eth2, eth3) […]

August 10, 2026August 10, 2026 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Comu is a $6 tiny CH32V203 RISC-V development board that fits inside a USB port

Over the years, we have seen several tiny “omu” USB boards that share this “fits-in-a-USB-port” form factor. It started with the Tomu, based on a Silicon Labs EFM32 Cortex-M0+, followed by the Fomu with a Lattice iCE40 FPGA, Qomu with an EOS S3 Cortex-M4F MCU and FPGA, and the Somu, a tiny FIDO2 security key. Icy Electronics has now introduced Comu, another tiny development board based on the 144 MHz WCH CH32V203 RISC-V MCU. While measuring just 13 x 9.4 mm (slightly smaller than a microSD card), the board still packs two white LEDs, four capacitive touch buttons, and six GPIOs exposed through test pads. It is designed for bare-metal programming, custom USB HID projects, and USB packet experimentation. Comu specifications: MCU – WCH CH32V203V203F8 CPU – Single-core 32-bit RISC-V clocked at 144MHz Memory – 20KB SRAM Storage – 224KB Flash (64KB of 0-wait Flash and 160KB of normal Flash) […]

August 10, 2026August 9, 2026 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Elecrow ThinkNode M9 – A standalone ESP32-S3 MeshCore communication terminal with color LCD, QWERTY keyboard

ThinkNode M9 MeshCore Communication Terminal

Elecrow ThinkNode M9 is a standalone LoRa terminal that runs MeshCore firmware and features a QWERTY keyboard, color display, GPS, LoRa connectivity, and a 2,300mAh battery, making it suitable for outdoor and emergency communication. The device is built around an ESP32-S3R8 and a Semtech LR1110 LoRa module supporting US915 and EU868 frequencies, while the esp32-s3 adds Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0/BLE connectivity. Additionally, it features a 2.4-inch 240 × 320 TFT LCD, a 37-key physical QWERTY keyboard, GPS/GNSS support, plus a magnetic compass for navigation and location sharing. Other features include a USB-C port for charging and programming, RTC, buzzer, built-in antennas, and a 2,300mAh/3.8V Li-Po battery rated for up to 2–3 days in standby. The M9 targets outdoor exploration, emergency and disaster communication, remote operations, scientific research, and offline community or privacy-focused communication. ThinkNode M9 specifications: SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz […]

August 9, 2026August 9, 2026 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

MaTouch ESP32-S3 MaUWB board integrates 3.95-inch touchscreen and UWB module for indoor positioning and ranging

Makerfabs MaTouch ESP32 S3 3.95 inch UWB Display

Makerfabs MaTouch ESP32-S3 MaUWB is a development board that combines an ESP32-S3 wireless MCU, a 3.95-inch touchscreen display, and a UWB module for indoor positioning and ranging applications. The board can be used as a portable positioning terminal. It uses a trilateration algorithm with up to three fixed UWB anchors to calculate the tag’s coordinates in real time. The MaUWB chipset operates on UWB Channel 5 (6489.6 MHz) and supports up to 8 anchors and 64 tags. For portable use, the board includes a LiPo battery connector, charging circuit, and battery level monitoring. MaTouch ESP32-S3 MaUWB specifications: Wireless Module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz with vector extension for AI/ML workloads RAM – 512KB SRAM; 8MB PSRAM Wireless – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth LE 5 Storage – 16MB flash Antenna – PCB antenna Storage – MicroSD card slot for local data […]

August 7, 2026August 7, 2026 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Token Monitor – An ESP32-S3 desktop display that tracks AI coding assistant usage (Crowdfunding)

TokenMonitor supports Claude Code, Codex, Antigravity, and customizable dashboard views

Fractal Manifold has introduced the Token Monitor, a 4-inch ESP32-S3-based desktop display for monitoring real-time AI coding assistant usage. The device features a 4-inch 480×480 IPS touchscreen with 5-point capacitive touch, Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth LE 5 wireless connectivity, USB-C power, optional 1-cell Li-ion battery support via an AXP2101 PMIC, and two side buttons for power and boot functions. It shows usage information including quota consumption, session limits, token counts, reset timers, and estimated token costs. A local broker service fetches the usage data and transfers it to the device over a secure connection, keeping credentials on the user’s machine. Token Monitor specifications: SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz with vector extension for AI/ML workloads RAM – 512KB SRAM; 8MB PSRAM Wireless – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth LE 5 Storage – 16MB flash Display – 4-inch 480×480 capacitive touchscreen with ST7701 driver and […]

August 5, 2026August 5, 2026 by Debashis Das - No Comments

ZecTrix Note 4 – A 4.2-inch ESP32-S3 wireless e-paper display for voice tasks

ZecTrix Note 4 4.2 inch AI e paper smart note

Designed by ZecTrix Lab in China, the Note 4 is an ESP32-S3-based AI smart note with a 4.2-inch e-paper display and built-in voice input. The device is designed to display reminders, notes, clocks, weather, images, and custom templates, while the Note 4C variant replaces the monochrome display with a four-color e-paper panel. The device features 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, a microphone, a speaker, NFC, physical buttons, a USB Type-C port, a 2,000mAh rechargeable battery, and GPIO expansion for custom hardware projects. ZecTrix Note 4 / Note 4C specifications: SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz with vector extension for AI/ML workloads RAM – 512KB SRAM; 8MB PSRAM Wireless – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth LE 5 Storage – 16MB flash Display Note 4 – 4.2-inch monochrome E-Ink display, 400 × 300 resolution; supports partial refresh Note 4C – 4.2-inch four-color (BWRY) E-Ink display, […]

August 5, 2026August 5, 2026 by Debashis Das - No Comments

CtrlVibe AI Console keypad – An OpenAI Codex Micro alternative for AI workflows (Crowdfunding)

The CtrlVibe AI Console is a programmable desktop keypad designed for AI workflows. The device includes hardware controls for switching between AI tools, launching shortcuts, selecting execution modes, and recording voice input. It comes with nine programmable mechanical keys, a rotary encoder, a three-position switch, a 1.14-inch LCD, a built-in MEMS microphone, USB-C and Bluetooth connectivity, and RGB status lighting. The features and specifications of the CtrlVibe make it an alternative to Work Louder Codex Micro, a $230 mechanical macropad designed for OpenAI Codex. There is also an open-source firmware project available for the M5Stack Core2 that reproduces many of the Codex Micro’s features. While the Codex Micro is designed specifically for OpenAI Codex, the CtrlVibe AI Console can be used with multiple AI tools and uses a rotary encoder to switch between applications or models, along with a three-position hardware switch for selecting AI execution modes. CtrlVibe AI Console […]

July 30, 2026 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

NightRun UEFI application boots a local LLM on Raspberry Pi 5 and x86 PCs without an OS

Running LLMs locally on an SBC or mini PC is a good way to keep your data private, but they typically require a conventional operating system, which uses a good portion of system memory. NightRun is an experimental open-source project that addresses this issue by booting a machine directly into a local LLM from a USB drive or microSD card, without loading a conventional OS. By removing the operating system, NightRun makes more RAM and memory bandwidth available for AI inference. The runtime is written in Rust, and during boot it loads a quantized model (1.3 GB to 2.4 GB) directly into RAM while verifying its CRC-32 checksums. After the model is loaded, storage is “sealed,” meaning any later attempt to read from the disk will trigger a hard fault. NightRun key features: Hardware support – Supports 64-bit x86_64 UEFI PCs (Secure Boot disabled) and Raspberry Pi 5 via USB […]