OpenEarable open-source hardware earable platform leverages Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense ecosystem

TECP Open Earable open source hardware device

OpenEarable is an open-source hardware earable, sometimes also called hearable, that fits around your ear and is based on the same u-blox NINA-B306 module found in the Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense board. Besides the Nordic Semi nRF52840 Arm Cortex-M4-based Bluetooth LE module, the design also features a speaker and ultrasonic microphone, a 6-axis IMU and a pressure sensor, as well as the circuitry for the battery, two LEDs, and a push button. OpenEarable specifications: Wireless module – U-blox NINA-B306 module powered by a Nordic Semi nRF52840 Arm Cortex-M4F microcontroller @ 64MHz with 1MB Flash, 256KB RAM, Bluetooth 5.0 LE connectivity Audio – Built-in speaker and ultrasonic microphone (Knowles SPH0641LU4H-1) Sensors STMicro LPS22HBTR pressure and temperature sensor STMicro LSM6DSRTR 6-axis IMU with accelerometer and gyroscope USB – Micro USB port for power and programming Debugging – Solder pads for SWD interface Misc – Push button, charging LED, one programmable PWM […]

XCVR LoRa-based IoT development board & reference design features SX1261, SX1262, or LLCC68 chip

XCVR LoRa based IoT development board

Semtech Corporation and “Connected Development” engineering firm have launched the XCVR development board and reference design based on Sentech SX1261, SX1262, or LLCC68 transceivers with the last one targeting Smart Home applications. The XCVR development board is actually an Arduino shield that’s been tested with Nordic nRF52840-DK board, but should work with most boards equipped with Arduino Uno headers. It can be used for the design of LPWAN IoT applications using SX1262x transceivers such as smart meters, industrial controllers, asset tracking, building automation, smart agriculture, etc… while the LLCC68 model is more useful for Smart Home applications and consumer devices. XCVR shield specifications and features: LoRa and FSK Modem Programmable bit rate up to 62.5 kbps LoRa and 300 kbps FSK External antenna Link budget 163 dB maximum for SX1261 170 dB maximum for SX1262 configurations. Tx Power +15 dBm high-efficiency PA for SX1261 +22 dBm or +15 dBm high-efficiency […]

HARDWARIO CHESTER – A configurable Zephyr OS LPWAN IoT gateway with LoRaWAN, LTE IoT, GNSS connectivity

CHESTER configurable IoT gateway

HARDWARIO CHESTER platform is a configurable LPWAN IoT gateway whose main function is to connect as many devices and environments as possible to the Internet using connectivity such as LoRaWAN, LTE Cat M1, or NB-IoT, as well as GNSS for geolocation. Contrary to most IoT gateways, it does not run Linux on an application processor, and instead, the “brain” of the CHESTER IoT gateway is a Raytac Bluetooth 5.0 module based on a Nordic Semi nRF52840 Arm Cortex-M4 microcontroller running Zephyr real-time operating system, which connects to LTE IoT modem and a LoRaWAN module through UART, and expansion modules through I2C, 1-wire, and GPIO interfaces. HARDWARIO CHESTER specifications: Wireless modules/chips Raytac MDBT50Q-P1MV2 Bluetooth 5.0 module based on Nordic Semi nRF52840 Arm Cortex-M4F MCU with 1MB Flash memory, 256kB RAM Nordic Semi nRF9160-SICA-B1A-R7 LTE-M/NB-IoT system-in-package (SiP) with Arm Cortex-M33 MCU, 1024 KB flash, 256 KB SRAM Murata CMWX1ZZABZ-078 LoRa module as […]

Embedded Open Source Summit 2023 schedule – Zephyr OS, Security, IoT, Embedded Linux, and more

Embedded Open Source Summit 2023

The Linux Foundation has just announced the full schedule for the Embedded Open Source Summit, which will take place on June 27-30, 2023 in Prague, Czech Republic, as well as virtually starting on June 26. Over 175 sessions, birds of a feather (BoF) tracks, and workshops related to embedded and open-source innovation will be presented at the event itself comprised of six micro conferences: Automotive Linux Summit Europe, Embedded IoT Summit, Embedded Linux Conference, LF Energy Embedded Summit, Safety-Critical Software Summit, and Zephyr Project Developer Summit. Even though I’m not going to attend personally, I’ve gone through the schedule to create my own little virtual schedule with some sessions relevant that should be interesting to me and hopefully to CNX Software readers. Monday, June 26 (Virtual sessions) The first day of the event will have a Yocto Dev training in the morning, and a bunch of virtual sessions that are […]

Nordic Semi nRF54H20 Cortex-M33 + RISC-V wireless SoC supports Bluetooth 5.4, LE Audio, Bluetooth mesh, Thread, Matter, and more

nRF54H20

Nordic Semi nRF54H20 is a 320 MHz multiprotocol wireless SoC with several Arm Cortex-M33 and RISC-V cores, support for Bluetooth 5.4 and greater with features like LE Audio and Bluetooth mesh, as well as Thread, Matter, and so on. It is the first part of the fourth generation nRF54 family manufactured with a 22nm process, and its application processor doubles the processing power (2x CoreMark) of the Arm Cortex-M33 application core in the nRF5340 SoC and embeds up to 2MB flash, 1MB SRAM. nRF54H20 preliminary specifications and highlights: CPU Application core  – Arm Cortex-M33 @ up to 320 MHz with 2 MB Flash + 1MB SRAM Network core –  Arm Cortex-M33 Several RISC-V cores (for low power?) Wireless Bluetooth 5.4 LE with direction-finding, Bluetooth mesh, LE audio, etc… 802.15.4 radio for Thread, Matter -100 dBm RX sensitivity @ 1 Mbps for Bluetooth LE Up to 10 dBm TX power New […]

XIAO ESP32S3 board gets some senses with a camera and microphone module, plus a round touchscreen display

XIAO ESP32S3 Sense

Last week, we wrote about the new XIAO ESP32S3, a tiny ESP32-S3 board from Seeed Studio. The company has now launched the XIAO ESP32S3 Sense adding a camera and microphone module connected through a board-to-board connector, as well as the Round Display for XIAO that can help people easily create wearable devices with a touchscreen based on any board from the XIAO family. XIAO ESP32S3 Sense XIAO ESP32S2 Sense specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3R8 dual-core Tensilica LX7 microcontroller @ 240 MHz with 512KB SRAM, 8MB PSRAM, Wi-Fi 4 & Bluetooth 5.0 dual-mode (Classic + BLE) connectivity Storage – 8MB SPI flash, microSD card slot Antenna – External u.FL antenna USB – USB Type-C port for power and programming Camera – OV2640 camera sensor up to 1600×1200 resolution Audio – Built-in digital microphone Expansion I/Os 2x 7-pin headers with 1x UART, 1x I2C, 1x SPI, 11x GPIO (PWM), 9x […]

Getting Started with GL-S200 Thread Border Router kit

Getting Started GL-S200 Thread Border Router

Last week we checked out the hardware for the GL.iNet GL-S200 Thread Border Router kit with three nRF52840 Thread Dev Boards, and I’ve now had time to work with the kit, so I’ll report my getting started experience in the second part of the review. GL-S200 Initial Set Up I connected the WAN port to my Ethernet Switch itself connected to my modem router and the LAN port to my laptop, so I could access the web interface using the default IP address (192.168.8.1). The GL-S200 uses the same Admin Panel as other GL.iNet routers such as the Beryl AX router we reviewed at the beginning of the year. You’ll be greeted by a wizard to let you select the language and set a new password for the Admin Panel, and once you’re done you’ll have access to the familiar GL.iNet Admin Panel 4.x.x. After completing the wizard, the system […]

A first look at GL.iNet GL-S200 Thread Border Router kit with three nRF52840 Thread boards

GL-S200 Thread Border Router review with Thread Dev Boards

GL.iNet are better known for their routers, but the company is also offering IoT gateways and Smart Home hubs such as the GL-S10 BLE to MQTT IoT gateway. The company is now preparing to launch the GL.iNet GL-S200 Thread Border Router in early April, and I’ve been asked to do some beta testing before launch, so GL.iNet have sent me a kit with the GL-S200 and three Thread development boards acting as IoT nodes. A Thread Border Router acts as a WiFi or/and Ethernet gateway connecting to battery-powered Thread sensor nodes equipped with a low-power 802.15.4 radio. In this first post, I’ll go through the hardware and specifications, before reporting my finding in a separate post next week. GL-200 Thread Border Router kit unboxing and specifications The development boards are all identical and they were each kept in an antistatic bag. But let’s open the GL-S200 package first. The Thread […]