Zephyr OS Category - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

January 9, 2026January 9, 2026 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Quectel SRG091X and SRG093X NXP i.MX 9 industrial AIoT modules integrates Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, and 802.15.4 radios

Quectel SRG091X and SRG093X NXP i.MX Smart AIoT module

After releasing the very powerful P895BD-AP AIoT module at CES 2026, Quectel now released two new low-power industrial AIoT modules based on NXP’s i.MX 9 series SoCs. The module integrates Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, and 802.15.4 radios through the IW610G chipset, so it can simply be dropped into a PCB to create a fully compliant Matter Border Router without any RF design or coexistence concerns. While both modules share the same 46 x 41.5 mm form factor and wireless capabilities, they are different in terms of CPU power as the SRG091X is an entry-level solution built around a single-core NXP i.MX 91 processor, while the SRG093X features dual-core NXP i.MX 93 SoC, which includes a Cortex-M33 real-time core and a neural processing unit (NPU) for edge AI workloads. The module supports LPDDR4/LPDDR4X memory, eMMC storage, and various I/O options, including dual Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, CAN-FD, SPI, UART, I²C/I³C, ADC, […]

December 16, 2025December 17, 2025 by Debashis Das - 3 Comments

HealthyPi 6 – A portable Wi-Fi 6 biosignal acquisition device with ECG, PPG, respiration, and temperature sensors (Crowdfunding)

HealthyPi 6 open source multi modal biosignal research platform

Designed by ProtoCentral Electronics in India, the HealthyPi 6 is an open-source, portable, research-grade biosignal acquisition device designed for academic research, education, and prototyping. It targets labs, classrooms, and field studies that need professional-quality physiological measurements without bulky desktop systems or proprietary lock-in. Building on the HealthyPi 5 (2023) and HealthyPi 4 (2019), the HealthyPi 6 is a standalone device with 3-channel/5-lead ECG, dual-wavelength PPG for heart rate and SpO₂, respiration via impedance pneumography, skin temperature sensing, and a 9-axis IMU for motion and artifact detection. Built around the STM32H757 real-time microcontroller and an ESP32-C6 handling Wi-Fi 6 and BLE connectivity, the device features a USB-C port, onboard flash and microSD storage, and 48+ hours of operation on a charge. Modular HealthyLink ports allow for EEG, EMG, GSR, additional analog inputs, triggers, and co-processors expansion. These features make it suitable for cardiovascular and sleep research, rehabilitation studies, wearable prototyping, biosignal […]

December 16, 2025December 18, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

VEGA AS2161 “DHRUV64” – A 1GHz dual-core 64-bit RISC-V microprocessor designed in India

The Government of India has been investing to spur up its semiconductor design and manufacturing industry at least since 2018/2019 with the SHAKTI and AJIT microprocessors. In 2022, they decided to focus on the RISC-V architecture with the VEGA processor family, starting with the THEJAS32 (VEGA ET1031) and THEJAS64 (VEGA AS1061) microprocessors, and the former was eventually found in the ARIES v3.0 Arduino UNO-inspired development board. Things continue to progress nicely, albeit slowly, and the government has now announced the launch of the DHRUV64 (VEGA AS2161) dual-core 64-bit RISC-V MPU clocked at 1 GHz and supporting Linux, which it describes as “a fully indigenous microprocessor developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) under the Microprocessor Development Programme (MDP)”. VEGA AS2161 (DHRUV64) specifications highlights: Architecture – RISC-V 64G (RV64IMAFD) Instruction Set 13-16 stage out-of-order pipeline implementation. Advanced branch predictor – BTB, BHT, RAS. Harvard architecture, separate Instruction and […]

November 17, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Nuvoton NuMicro M55M1 low-power Arm Cortex-M55 MCU enables on-device AI with Ethos-U55 NPU

Nuvoton’s NuMicro M55M1 is a low-power AI MCU that combines a 220 MHz Arm Cortex-M55 CPU with a 111 GOPS Ethos-U55 NPU to run basic AI tasks on-device. It specifically targets small IoT and embedded devices that need low-power voice, audio, or simple image processing. The chip embeds 1.5 MB RAM, 2 MB flash, and supports external OctoSPI/HyperRAM memory. Connectivity options include Ethernet, USB-OTG, CAN-FD, I3C/I2C/SPI, SDIO, and an 8-bit camera interface, along with ADCs, DACs, comparators, PWM, and multiple low-power modes. It’s built for secure IoT applications with Arm TrustZone, secure boot, AES, and PSA Level 2 certification. Typical uses include voice triggers, smart sensors, simple vision nodes, small appliances, and industrial monitoring devices. Nuvoton NuMicro M55M1 specifications: CPU Core – 220 MHz Arm Cortex-M55 core Architecture – Armv8.1-M with Helium M-Profile Vector Extension (MVE) Arm TrustZone Technology DSP extensions Hardware Floating-point Unit (FPU), double-precision Cache – 16KB I-Cache […]

October 28, 2025October 27, 2025 by Debashis Das - 3 Comments

Microchip PIC32-BZ6 BLE 6.0, Thread, and Matter wireless MCU integrates touch and motor control

Microchip IC32 BZ6 single chip wireless MCU

Microchip has recently introduced the PIC32-BZ6 family of single-chip, multiprotocol wireless MCUs, also available as RF-certified modules, and designed for smart home, industrial automation, and automotive applications. The module supports Bluetooth LE 6.0, IEEE 802.15.4-based Thread and Matter, and proprietary mesh protocols. For wired connectivity, there are two CAN-FD ports, a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet MAC, and a USB 2.0 full-speed transceiver. Other features include CVD-based touch sensing and motor control interfaces for interactive and real-time applications. As a secure MCU, the PIC32-BZ6 integrates a hardware-based security engine, a secure boot ROM, and encryption accelerators, along with OTA update capability for long-term device management. The microcontroller offers up to 54 GPIO pins, multiple pin and package options (up to 132-pin VQFN), and automotive-grade variants rated for -40°C to +125°C operation. Microchip PIC32-BZ6 specifications: MCU Core – 128 MHz Arm Cortex-M4F with FPU and DSP extensions Memory 512 KB multi-port SRAM (with […]

October 7, 2025October 7, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 22 Comments

Qualcomm acquires Arduino, introduces Arduino UNO Q “dual-brain” SBC

Qualcomm has just signed an agreement to acquire Arduino, and the goal of the purchase is to “combine Qualcomm’s leading-edge products and technologies with Arduino’s vast ecosystem and community to empower businesses, students, entrepreneurs, tech professionals, educators, and enthusiasts to quickly and easily bring ideas to life.” They also took the opportunity to launch the Arduino UNO Q “dual-brain” SBC powered by a Qualcomm DragonWing QRB2210 SoC running Linux and an STMicro STM32U585 MCU for real-time control, as well as the Arduino App Lab integrated development environment to “unify the Arduino journey across Real‑time OS, Linux, Python, and AI flows”. Will the acquisition change anything? I suppose we’ll see more and more Arduino boards based on Qualcomm processors, but the company also promises to preserve Arduino’s open approach and community: Arduino will retain its independent brand, tools, and mission, while continuing to support a wide range of microcontrollers and microprocessors […]

September 3, 2025September 3, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

nRF54L15 Connect Kit – A compact Bluetooth 6.0 LE, 802.15.4, and NFC development board

MakerDiary nRF54L15 Connect Kit is a compact Nordic Semi nRF54L15 development board offering Bluetooth 6.0 LE, 802.15.4 (Zigbee/Thread), and NFC connectivity as well as two 20-pin headers for expansion. It has the same form factor as the earlier nRF9151 Connect Kit board with LTE-M, NB-IoT, and GNSS connectivity, and still features an nRF52820 MCU connected over UART to the nRF54L15 to handle programming and debugging through the board’s USB-C port, as well as power management, and a button and a few LEDs. nRF54L15 Connect Kit 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 Amazon Sidewalk Proprietary 2.4 GHz protocols with a new 4 Mbps mode NFC support Interface MCU – Nordic Semi nRF52820 […]

August 29, 2025August 29, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

NXP MCX A34 mixed-signal Cortex-M33 MCU delivers 17x faster math acceleration for motor control and HVAC systems

NXP has launched the MCX A34 mixed-signal Arm Cortex-M33 industrial MCU, an upgrade of the MCX A14x and MCX A15x MCUs, which were introduced in 2024. While the A14x/A15x offered Cortex-M33 cores up to 96 MHz, 128 KB Flash, 32 KB SRAM, a 12-bit ADC, the A34 scales up with a 180 MHz core, up to 1 MB Flash, 256 KB SRAM, four 16-bit ADCs (3.2 Msps), four OpAmps, a 12-bit DAC, and FlexPWM with enhanced quadrature decoding. It also features a dedicated Math Acceleration Unit (MAU) that executes trigonometric, reciprocal, and square root operations up to 17x faster than CMSIS-DSP, a SmartDMA coprocessor for offloading data transfers, and advanced security features with tamper detection and secure boot. Connectivity is also richer, with up to six UARTs, four I²C, two SPI, and a CAN FD interface. MCX A34 specifications: MCU core – Arm Cortex-M33 core clocked at up to 180 […]