Video Category - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

May 16, 2026May 16, 2026 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Anthropic’s open-source Claude Desktop Buddy turns ESP32-S3 devices into interactive AI desk companions

Anthropic has opened its Claude Hardware Interface (Bluetooth API) to developers, enabling an ESP32-S3-based desk companion to connect directly to the Claude desktop app over Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). To demonstrate this new feature, the company released an open-source reference project called Claude Desktop Buddy. It currently runs on the M5StickC Plus (an ESP32-based board from M5Stack, about $30 on AliExpress and Amazon) and works as a small interactive hardware companion for Claude. Also, during the recent “Build with Claude” event, the company recommended the ESP32-S3-based M5Stack Cardputer as one of the best hardware options for developers who want to build physical devices that interact with AI agents. Designed as a physical companion device for Claude Cowork and Claude Code on macOS and Windows, it stays on your desk and provides real-time updates on the AI agent’s activity. It also lets you respond to permission requests directly using its buttons, so […]

May 15, 2026May 15, 2026 by Debashis Das - 4 Comments

PENOX WristBuds – A Bluetooth 6.0 smartwatch with integrated TWS earbuds (Crowdfunding)

WristBuds 2 in 1 Smartwatch with ENC Earbuds

PENOX WristBuds is a 2-in-1 rugged Bluetooth 6.0 smartwatch with integrated TWS earbuds, eliminating the need for a separate charging case. Designed for outdoor enthusiasts and the “zero-clutter mobility” market. The watch is built around a Bluetrum AB5681G RISC-V smartwatch MCU managing both the smartwatch interface and audio synchronization. The device sports a large 2.1-inch IPS display with a 320×390 resolution and is housed in a CNC-machined zinc alloy body. But what’s interesting about this is its mechanical, spring-loaded “Pop & Snap” design that houses the TWS earbuds inside the watch, and eliminates the need for a separate charging case. PENOX WristBuds specifications: MCU – Bluetooth AB5681G CPU – 32-bit RISC-V CPU @ up to 140 MHz Memory – TBC (not mentioned at all in the MCU datasheet) Storage – 128Mbit integrated NOR Flash Display & Graphics – SPI/QSPI display engine with HW acceleration (DMA, rotation, scaling, blending) Audio – […]

May 15, 2026May 15, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

M5Stack PaperColor ESP32-S3 devkit features 4-inch E Ink Spectra 6 color display

M5Stack PaperColor, or M5Paper Color, is an ESP32-S3 development kit with a 4-inch E Ink Spectra 6 full-color display with a resolution of 600×400, designed to offer both low power consumption and high visibility under strong lights. While the color ePaper display is the start of the show, the devkit also features a microSD card slot for storage, a microphone with echo cancellation, a 1W speaker, a temperature & humidity sensor, a few buttons, two RGB LEDs, an IR transmitter, and a Grove connector for expansion. With regards to power, a 1250 mAh battery is included, rechargeable through the device’s USB Type-C port. M5Paper Color ESP32-S3 Dev Kit specifications: SoC – Espressif ESP32-S3R8 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 microcontroller up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration Memory – 8MB PSRAM Wireless – 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE + Mesh connectivity Storage 16MB SPI flash […]

May 14, 2026May 14, 2026 by Debashis Das - 3 Comments

PortaRF single board SDR mixes HackRF One and PortaPack H4M hardware, adds AI voice control

Designed by OpenSourceSDRLab, the PortaRF is an open-source software-defined radio (SDR) that integrates HackRF One and the PortaPack H4M into a single device. It’s a standalone device that supports transmitting and receiving radio signals from 1 MHz to 6 GHz. Traditionally, a portable HackRF setup meant stacking a PortaPack on top of the main board. PortaRF replaces this with a single PCB, making it more compact, easier to use, and with improved signal quality. It also adds a larger display, more flash, and a bigger battery. PortaRF specifications: MCU – NXP LPC432 dual core ARM Cortex M4/M0 (LPC4320FBD144) microcontroller CPLD Xilinx XC2C64A CoolRunner-II AGM AG256SL100 RF ICs MAX2837 – 2.3GHz to 2.7GHz Wireless Broadband RF Transceiver RFFC5072 – Wideband Synthesizer/VCO with Integrated 30MHz to 6 GHz Mixer Frequency range – 1 MHz to 6 GHz (Transmit and Receive) Storage 2MB SPI Flash (W25Q16DV) provides more space for the Mayhem firmware MicroSD card slot […]

May 14, 2026May 14, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

Clawdmeter – A DIY ESP32-S3 desk dashboard for Claude Code token usage monitoring

Clawdmeter is a DIY ESP32-S3-powered desk dashboard that displays Claude Code token usage on a 2.16-inch AMOLED screen so you know when you’re about to reach the limits in real time. It’s mostly a firmware project since it relies on off-the-shelf hardware (Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-AMOLED-2.16). It leverages the LVGL library for its graphics user interface, the NimBLE stack for Bluetooth LE (BLE) communication, and also functions as a HID keyboard for shortcuts using the buttons from the unit. We previously covered Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-AMOLED-1.8 with a 1.8-inch display, but never the 2.16-inch variant, so let’s have a quick look at the hardware first. ESP32-S3-Touch-AMOLED-2.16 specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3R8 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 @ up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration. Memory – 512KB RAM, 8MB PSRAM ROM – 384KB Connectivity – 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE Storage 16MB NOR flash MicroSD card slot […]

May 14, 2026May 14, 2026 by Debashis Das - No Comments

DEEPX DX-AIPlayer N97 mini PC combines Intel N97 SoC and 25 TOPS DX-M1 AI accelerator

DEEPX has just launched the DX-AIPlayer, an ultra-compact edge AI mini PC with an Intel Processor “Alder Lake-N” N97 SoC and the company’s DX-M1 M.2 AI accelerator module. The system is designed for real-time vision AI applications in robotics, smart cities, and factory automation. We’ve seen plenty of Alder Lake-N mini PCs like the Jetway B420UADN1, the Avalue EPC-ASL, the AAEON UP 710S, and various others, but the DX-AIPlayer N97 is different as it integrates the DX-M1 module via an M.2 2280 M-Key (PCIe Gen 3 x4) slot. The NPU delivers up to 25 TOPS of INT8 AI performance while consuming only 1 to 5 Watts of power, and features 4GB of dedicated LPDDR5 memory to handle larger workloads and multi-model execution without bottlenecking the host system’s RAM. DEEPX DX-AIPlayer N97 specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N97 quad-core processor up to 3.6 GHz with 6MB cache, 24 EU Intel UHD graphics […]

May 11, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Mind xPlay display and keyboard review using Khadas Mind and Mind 2 mini PCs

Khadas xPlay connected to Crowview USB C display

In this review, I’ll report my experience with the Khadas Mind xPlay display and keyboard using the Mind and Mind 2 mini PCs, as well as a CHUWI CoreBook Air Plus 16 laptop to test it as a standard external display. Using Mind xPlay with the Mind 2 mini PC I received the Mind xPlay with the Mind 2 Meteor Lake mini PC, and I already showed how to connect it and get started in the first part of the review. So I’ll continue the review with it initially. I used the EIZO monitor test website to evaluate the display panel itself. I went through all 13 tests, including dead pixel and gradients tests. The pattern above looks fine too, so I compare the Mind xPlay monitor to the 16-inch display of the ASUS Vivobook 16 to find differences. Both were set to maximum brightness. The xPlay delivers noticeably more […]

May 9, 2026May 9, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Review of Rikomagic DS08 Android 13 digital signage player

Rikomagic has sent me a sample of their DS08 digital signage player for review. It’s based on a Rockchip RK3588 SoC paired with 8GB of RAM and a 128GB eMMC flash, and offers two HDMI 2.1 ports, gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 6, and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, as well as several USB ports, optical S/PDIF audio output, and more. I was initially not sure I could receive a sample, as Thailand is pretty strict with licenses for this type of hardware, but Rikomagic told us that it would not be a problem when using DDP (delivered duty paid), and the courier handles all paperwork. And indeed we did receive the parcel without issue. Since Rockchip RK3588 is now a mature platform, we won’t run benchmarks in this review, but instead go through an unboxing and a teardown, and focus on digital signage features such as video playback, RTC support, and display orientation […]