The Eclipse Oniro Project aims to deliver consumer & IoT software that works across multiple platforms

Eclipse Oniro Project

Several of the embedded talks at FOSDEM 2022 mention the “Eclipse Oniro Project”. I had never heard about that project from the Eclipse Foundation, so let’s see how they describe it: Oniro is an Eclipse Foundation project focused on the development of a distributed open source operating system for consumer devices, regardless of the brand, model, make. Oniro is a compatible implementation for the global market of OpenHarmony, an open source operating system specified and hosted by the OpenAtom Foundation. Designed with modularity in mind, Oniro offers greater levels of flexibility and application portability across the broad spectrum of consumer and IoT devices — from tiny embedded sensors and actuators, to feature rich smart appliances and mobile companions. As a distributed and reusable collection of open source building blocks, Oniro enables compatibility with other open source technologies and ecosystems. Through close collaboration with projects and foundations such as OpenHarmony from […]

PicoVoice offline Voice AI engine gets free tier for up to 3 users

PicoVoice Console Custom Wake Word

PicoVoice offline Voice AI engine has now a free tier that allows people to create custom wake words and voice commands easily for up to three users on any hardware including Raspberry Pi and Arduino boards. I first learned about PicoVoice about a year ago when the offline voice AI engine was showcased on a Raspberry Pi fitted with ReSpeaker 4-mic array to showcase the company’s Porcupine custom wake word engine, and Rhino Speech-to-Intent engine. The demo would support 9 wake words with Alexa, Bumblebee, Computer, Hey Google, Hey Siri, Jarvis, Picovoice, Porcupine, and Terminator. More importantly, the solution allows you to easily create your own custom words in minutes from a web interface by simply typing the selected wake word, with no need for hundreds of voice samples or waiting weeks to get it done. So I tried “Hey You” first, but I was told it was too short, […]

IoThing Digital IO board handles up to 300V for Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and various other boards (Crowdfunding)

IoThing Digital IO module

AlterStep’s IoThing Digital is a digital I/O module with two high-power Omron G5Q-14 relays and two isolated AC or DC input channels based on Texas Instruments ISO1211 that can handle up to 300 V. The board also integrates a DC-DC converter and mikroBUS slot that allows it to be used with compatible MCU boards, and the company also provides adapters for popular form factors such as Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Adafruit Feather, Teensy, and others. IoThing Digital specifications: mikroBUS socket for mikroElektronika Click expansion boards BOKRA Lite MCU boards (Some details below) 2x Omron G5Q-14 SPDT relays – 3A/30V DC or 3A/250VAC via terminal blocks Terminal block for 2x digital outputs configurable from 9V to 300V, DC and AC PCF8574 8-bit I/O expander chip with I²C bus for relay control and digital signal input I2C interface with support for 100 KHz and 400 KHz, address selection via jumpers Grove I2C connector […]

3D printer controller combines ESP32-S3 & Microchip SAME51 microcontrollers (Crowdfunding)

Phi Mainboard 5LC ESP32-S3 3D printer controller

Here’s another ESP32 3D printer controller board with the Phi MainBoard 5LC powered by both an ESP32-S3-WROOM module and a Microchip SAME51 Cortex-M4F microcontroller, and providing Ethernet and WiFi connectivity. Designed by Likha Labs from the Philippines, Phi MainBoard 5LC is pre-loaded with RepRapFirmware firmware running the Duet Web Control interface that allows users to upload G-code files, configure settings, start jobs, control the device, and monitor prints. Besides 3D printers, the developers explain the board can also be used to drive other digital-fabrication equipment, such as CNC machines. Phi MainBoard 5LC 3D printer controller specifications: MCU Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 dual-core Xtensa LX7 WiFi and Bluetooth microcontroller @ 240 MHz with 512 KB SRAM, 8 MB SPI flash via ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8 module Microchip ATSAME51N19A Cortex-M4F microcontroller @ 120 MHz with 512 KB flash, 192KB SRAM Storage – MicroSD card socket Connectivity 10/100M Ethernet 802.11b/g/n 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 4 Bluetooth 5.0 LE […]

MiniLink IIoT Node – An Arduino compatible RS485 to LoRaWAN node with wireless expansion

MINILink-NB-IoT-Shield-Quectel-BC95-G

Designed by Thailand-based Saijai Tech, MiniLink IIoT Node is an Arduino compatible board based on either an ESP32 WiFi & Bluetooth SoC or an unnamed Microchip Cortex-M0+ microcontroller designed for Smart Agriculture or industrial applications (e.g. PLC controllers). The board includes an RS485 interface for sensors or actuators,  an ACER-branded LoRa module, and expansion headers to add an extra wireless module with either LoRa PtP  (P2P, Point-to-Point), NB-IoT, or 3G/4G LTE & GNSS, and some of those add an extra RS485 port. MiniLink IIoT node key features & specifications: MCU (one or the other) Espressif ESP32 dual-core processor  with 2.4 GHz WiFi and Bluetooth LE Microchip Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller (probably SAMD21) LPWAN – ACER AS923 LoRaWAN module Sensor interface – RS485 or UART via terminal block (jumper selectable) Expansion – 2x 14-pin header for expansion modules Misc – User & reset buttons, RS485/UART selection jumpers, user and power LEDs, USB/TTL […]

ClearLink EtherNet/IP motion and I/O controller supports 4 axes of motion control

Clearlink EtherNet/IP Controller

A few weeks ago, we wrote about ClearCore Arduino compatible industrial I/O and motion controller that can be programmed with the Arduino IDE or a C/C++ SDK. Teknic has now announced ClearLink with basically the same hardware, but instead of being programmable in C++, the controller is managed over the EtherNet/IP protocol. ClearLink key features and specifications: MCU – Microchip SAME53 Arm Cortex-M4F microcontroller clocked at up to 120 MHz, with 512 KB flash, 192 KB of SRAM Storage – MicroSD card slot Connectivity 1x 10/100M Fast Ethernet RJ45 port compatible with EtherNet/IP Support for Xbee modules for wireless communication (WiFi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, DigiMesh, 802.15.4, etc.) I/Os 2x RJ45 serial ports for SPI or UART devices (5V output) 13x 3-pin terminal blocks with software configurable I/O, power, and ground Digital outputs can drive resistive or inductive loads up to 9 watts such as contactors, pneumatic or liquid valves, guard locks, […]

Minima is a tiny Arduino Zero compatible module with SAMD21 MCU (Crowdfunding)

Minima Arduino Zero Module

We’ve covered a fair amount of compact Arduino Zero compatible boards based on SAMD21 Cortex-M0+ microcontroller over the years including Exen Proto, Wemos D1 SAMD21, or Seeeduino XIAO with the latter being the smallest of them all at just 23.5 x 17.5 mm. All those boards come with a USB port (Micro USB or USB-C) by default that makes it easy to work with, but may not be ideal to integrate into projects or final products. That may be why Hamish Morley designed the Minima Arduino Zero compatible module with a size even smaller than the XIAO board at 19.8 x 16.6 mm, and the USB interface exposed through 4 pads instead of a connector. Minima specifications: Microchip SAMD21G18A 32-bit Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller @ 48 MHz with 256KB of flash storage, and 32KB of SRAM Expansion – 24x castellated pads (2.54mm pitch) with 18 GPIO pins, including 5x analogue capable, […]

ClearCore – An Arduino compatible Industrial I/O and Motion Controller

ClearCore Arduino IO Motion Controller

Teknic, a US-based manufacturer of servo motion control components, has designed ClearCore, a Microchip SAME53 Arm Cortex-M4 based industrial I/O and motion controller that can be programmed with the Arduino IDE for quick prototyping, or Atmel Studio 7 with a more advanced C++ API for more complex projects. ClearCore offers four motion axes, 24-volt compatible analog and digital I/O, support for I/O expansion modules, as well as serial and/or Ethernet connectivity via RJ45 ports. Multiple ClearCore can also be daisy-chained for larger applications. ClearCore key features and specifications: MCU – Microchip SAME53 Arm Cortex-M4F microcontroller clocked at up to 120 MHz, with 512 KB flash, 192 KB of SRAM Storage – MicroSD card slot Connectivity 1x 10/100M Fast Ethernet RJ45 port Support for Xbee modules for wireless communication (WiFi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, DigiMesh, 802.15.4, etc.) I/Os 2x RJ45 serial ports for SPI or UART devices (5V output) 3-pin terminal blocks with […]

EDATEC Raspberry Pi 5 fanless case