Debashis Das, Author at CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

July 31, 2025 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Seeed Studio XIAO nRF54L15 USB-C boards support Matter, Thread, Zigbee, and Amazon Sidewalk

Seeed Studio recently introduced the XIAO nRF54L15 series, which includes the XIAO nRF54L15 and XIAO nRF54L15 Sense USB-C development boards. Built around Nordic’s 128MHz nRF54L15 Cortex-M33 wireless SoC with 1.5MB NVM, 256KB RAM, these modules are suitable for wearables, smart home, IIoT sensors, and low-power wireless devices. Both boards support BLE 6.0, Matter, Thread, Zigbee, Amazon Sidewalk, and proprietary 2.4 GHz protocols. The Sense variant adds a digital microphone and a 6-axis IMU. Common features include 16 GPIOs and a USB Type-C port for power, programming, and charging. Security features include TrustZone, secure boot, firmware update support, side-channel protection, and tamper detection. XIAO nRF54L15 Series Specifications Wireless MCU – Nordic Semi nRF54L15 wireless SoC CPU Arm Cortex-M33 @ up to 128 MHz RISC-V coprocessor for “software-defined peripheral” Memory – 256 KB SRAM Storage – 1.5MB Non-volatile Memory (NVM) Wireless Bluetooth LE 6.0 (includes Channel Sounding) Thread, Zigbee (IEEE 802.15.4-2020) Matter […]

July 31, 2025July 31, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

CM5 MINIMA Raspberry Pi CM5 carrier board features M.2 2230/2242 socket for Hailo AI accelerator or NVMe SSD

CM5 MINIMA Raspberry Pi CM5 carrier board M.2 Hailo AI module

The CM5 MINIMA is a compact carrier board for the Raspberry Pi CM5, which includes an M.2 M-Key slot for Hailo AI accelerators or SSDs. Developed with Pierluigi Colangeli, it is suitable for AI camera traps, smart devices, home automation, and other space-constrained projects. The carrier board also features USB-C Power Delivery, Gigabit Ethernet, and a standard HDMI port for video output. It includes CSI/DSI combo connectors for cameras or displays, USB 2.0, I2C, and SPI connectors, as well as an LIS3DH accelerometer for automatic camera orientation. Other onboard components include status LEDs, a power switch, and a boot switch for flashing the CM5 OS directly. CM5 MINIMA carrier board Specifications Compatibility – Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 (CM5) Storage – M.2 M-Key 2230/2242 slot Display and Camera HDMI port for video output MIPI CSI/DSI combo connector for display or camera Audio – Via HDMI only Networking Gigabit Ethernet low-profile RJ45 […]

July 30, 2025 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

DIN rail-compatible industrial relay board features 4 outputs, 4 analog/digital inputs, RS-485 interface

The ESC3B04 is a compact DIN rail-compatible relay board built around the ESP32-C3 Super Mini module for building Wi-Fi remote switches, voltage monitoring systems, motor control, timed automation, and RS-485-based setups. The board features four 10A relay outputs, four 0–5V/10V analog voltage inputs (also configurable as 12–24V PNP digital inputs), an RS-485 interface, and a push-button input. It operates on a 7–25V DC supply and supports direct installation in control panels or DIN-rail enclosures. ESC3B04 relay board specifications: Wireless module –16-pin ESP32-C3 Super Mini module SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-C3FH4, single-core 32-bit RISC-V microcontroller @ up to 160 MHz; 400 KB SRAM; 4MB flash USB – 1x USB Type-C port for programming Ceramic antenna I/Os and expansion 4x relays (10A/240VAC) 4x 0-5V/0-10V analog voltage inputs (can be used as 12-24V digital inputs) Serial – RS-485 interface for Modbus or custom protocol communication Misc User button Power LED Power Supply 7-25V […]

July 29, 2025July 29, 2025 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Boardcon Compact3576 – A feature-rich Rockchip RK3576 SBC with Android 14 and Debian 12 support

Boardcon has recently introduced the Compact3576, a modular SBC with a Boardcon CM3576 SoM based on a Rockchip RK3576 octa-core Cortex-A72/A53 SoC with a 6 TOPS NPU for AI computing tasks, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to 128GB eMMC flash storage. Key features include two HDMI video outputs, one HDMI input (HDMI to MIPI CSI), Gigabit Ethernet, a WiFi 5 & Bluetooth 5.0 module, three USB 3.0 ports, a microSD card slot, and M.2 and mPCIe sockets for storage and cellular expansion. The board is powered by 12V DC via USB-C PD port, and offers features such as a real-time clock, IR receiver, debug port, reset/recovery keys, and more. Compact3576 SBC specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3576 CPU 4x Cortex-A72 cores at 2.2GHz, 4x Cortex-A53 cores at 1.8GHz Arm Cortex-M0 MCU at 400MHz GPU – ARM Mali-G52 MC3 GPU clocked at 1GHz with support for OpenGL ES 1.1, 2.0, and […]

July 28, 2025July 27, 2025 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

ESP32-C3 based IR remote hub offers touch sensor, haptic feedback, 360° coverage

The XIAO Smart IR Mate is a compact circular-shaped IR remote hub/blaster built around the XIAO ESP32-C3 and designed for IoT applications. It comes pre-flashed with ESPHome and turns traditional IR-controlled appliances like TVs, air conditioners, and projectors into smart devices that can be automated, controlled, or integrated into home automation systems. The module includes three high-power IR LEDs for 360° transmission, a high-sensitivity IR receiver supporting up to 10 learned IR commands, and there’s also haptic feedback through a touch sensor and status LED. It supports Wi-Fi 2.4GHz & BLE, and is powered via USB Type-C. Measuring only 65 x 19mm, it can be a great tool for your DIY projects. XIAO Smart IR Mate specifications MCU module – XIAO ESP32C3 SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-C3 CPU – Single-core RISC-V microcontroller @ 160 MHz Memory – 400KB SRAM Storage – 384KB ROM Wireless Wi-Fi 4 & Bluetooth LE 5.0 […]

July 28, 2025July 27, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

VS Code gets AutoML Embedded plugin for automated model tuning, deployment, and benchmarking

AutoML for Embedded, developed by Analog Devices (ADI) and Antmicro, is an open-source plugin for Visual Studio Code that works alongside ADI’s CodeFusion Studio plugin. Built on the Kenning framework, it automates the full ML pipeline, including model search, hyperparameter tuning, optimization, compression, and deployment, making edge AI development easy on resource-constrained devices. The company mentions that it supports the ADI MAX78002 AI accelerator MCU, the MAX32690 MCU, Renode-based simulation, and Zephyr RTOS. It uses SMAC and Hyperband algorithms for automated model search and hyperparameter tuning, along with model compression and quantization to meet strict memory and compute limits. The plugin offers built-in benchmarking for inference speed, memory footprint, and accuracy, while performing RAM and compute compatibility checks. All these features make it useful for applications like image classification, anomaly detection, predictive maintenance, NLP, and action recognition on low-power IoT and embedded systems. AutoML Embedded overview: Type – Open-source AutoML plugin […]

July 26, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

PD.Charger-GSM v2.5 – An industrial solar MPPT charger with Wi-Fi, LTE/GPS, and RS485

rotoDevs GmbH PD.Charger GSM v.2.5 industrial solar MPPT charger

The PD.Charger-GSM v2.5 is an industrial-grade solar and LiFePo4 charger/controller with MPPT support, designed for 2–4 cell Li-Ion/LiFePo4 batteries. With various connectivity options and a cryptographic co-processor, it’s ideal for IoT, remote solar power systems, and battery-powered industrial applications. The device features a dual-MCU architecture where the STM32 handles battery charging and monitoring, and an ESP32 manages WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, as well as LTE/NB-IoT GSM/GPS, and RS-485 with ModBUS support. The board also offers two solar inputs with MPPT, a DC adapter input, automatic buck/boost control, SMA connectors for all RF interfaces, a USB Type-C for programming, and expansion headers for prototyping. A hardware crypto co-processor handles secure key storage, TLS encryption, and secure boot. PD.Charger-GSM v2.5 specifications: SoCs STM32L051xx MCU for battery management and monitoring ESP32-D0WDQ6-V3 dual-core Xtensa LX6 processor, 240 MHz, 16MB Flash, 8MB PSRAM Display – Supports optional PD.Screen / PD.Screen_PRO modules for real-time display of […]

July 25, 2025July 25, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

L76K GPS Raspberry Pi HAT supports GPS, BeiDou, GLONASS, QZSS, and A-GNSS

Waveshare has recently introduced the L76K GPS HAT, a Raspberry Pi-compatible HAT that supports multiple GNSS systems, including GPS, BeiDou, GLONASS, QZSS, and AGNSS for accurate location tracking and navigation. The HAT also supports a low-noise amplifier (LNA) for improved reception, a SAW filter for noise reduction, and offers fast TTFF with a cold start time of 30 seconds and a hot start of just 2 seconds. Communication is done via UART, and the module supports a maximum update rate of up to 5Hz. Powered by a 5V supply, it consumes less than 55mA. On top of that, there is an onboard battery holder that preserves ephemeris data for quicker fixes. L76K GPS HAT specifications: Compatibility Raspberry Pi Model A, Model B, Zero, and other compatible SBCs with a 40-pin Raspberry Pi GPIO header Devices with a USB port GNSS Module – Quectel GNSS L76 module with AT6558R chipset Receiver […]