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March 4, 2026March 4, 2026 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

Renesas RA0E3 Arm Cortex-M23 MCU is a stripped-down RA0E1 for cost-sensitive applications

Back in 2024, Renesas first released the RA0E1, an ultra-low-power Cortex-M23 MCU designed for cost-sensitive applications, followed by the RA0E2, with extended temperature range support (-40°C to +125°C). The company has expanded its lineup with the RA0E3, a stripped-down version of the RA0E1 with less memory, fewer peripherals, and fewer GPIOs, designed for small and budget-focused applications for sensing, motor assist, safety, and basic system control. The MCU retains the same 32 MHz Arm Cortex-M23 (Armv8-M) core but now comes with 16KB flash and 2KB SRAM. It features an 8-channel 16-bit TAU timer, a 32-bit interval timer, a 10-bit ADC with a temperature sensor, a Data Transfer Controller, and serial interfaces including SPI, I²C, and UART (with LIN support). Additionally, it comes with up to 17 GPIOs, pull-ups, open-drain support, and built-in clock sources. It has an operating voltage range of 1.6V to 5.5V and supports −40°C to +125°C operation […]

February 27, 2026February 28, 2026 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

M5Stack Unit PoE-P4 – A tiny PoE-powered ESP32-P4 development kit with MIPI DSI/CSI and USB-C connectors

The M5Stack Unit PoE-P4 is a tiny, PoE-powered development kit built around the ESP32-P4NRW32 SoC. The module integrates a 10/100Mbps Ethernet PHY, supports IEEE 802.3at PoE for single-cable power and data, and provides MIPI DSI/CSI display and camera interfaces. It’s designed as a network-enabled node with built-in PoE (up to 6W output), a USB Type-C host port, and a separate USB Type-C OTG/download interface, along with an RGB LED, IR transmitter, user button, Grove (HY2.0-4P) port, Hat expansion header, and SDIO/ISP expansion interfaces, making it suitable for industrial HMI panels, PoE smart terminals, camera/vision acquisition nodes, smart home controllers, and edge computing devices. M5Stack Unit PoE-P4 specifications: SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-P4NRW32 CPU Dual-core 32-bit RISC-V HP (High-performance) CPU @ up to 400 MHz with AI instructions extension and single-precision FPU Single-RISC-V LP (Low-power) MCU core @ up to 40 MHz Memory 768 KB HP L2MEM (for dual-core CPU), 32 KB […]

February 26, 2026 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Arduino Matter Discovery Bundle educational kit combines Arduino Nano Matter with three Modulino modules

Arduino has just announced the Arduino Matter Discovery Bundle (AKX00081), an all-in-one development kit designed to help users learn, prototype, and build Matter-over-Thread smart home devices quickly. The kit is based on the Arduino Nano Matter development board and works with the Matter ecosystem, including compatible platforms such as Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Home Assistant. The bundle also includes a Nano Connector Carrier with Grove and Qwiic interfaces, a microSD slot, and various IO options. The kit features three Qwiic-based Modulino nodes, namely a Latch Relay, a Distance module for presence detection, and a Thermo module for temperature and humidity sensing. Arduino Matter Discovery Bundle specifications: Main board – Arduino Nano Matter MCU – SiLabs MGM240SD22VNA MCU core – 32-bit Arm Cortex-M33 with DSP (digital signal processing) instruction and FPU (floating-point unit) @ 78 MHz Storage/Memory – 1536 KB flash program memory, 256 KB RAM data memory […]

February 24, 2026February 24, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Inkplate 13SPECTRA 13.3-inch E-ink Spectra smart color display supports Arduino, MicroPython, ESPHome (Crowdfunding)

Soldered Electronics has made ESP32-based e-paper displays for years, starting with the launch of the Inkplate 6 in 2019. The Inkplate 13SPECTRA is their latest model based on an ESP32-S3 WiFi and Bluetooth SoC and a 13.3-inch E-Ink Spectra color display with 1600 x 1200 resolution. More specifically, it’s powered by an ESP32-S3-WROOM-2-N32R16V module with 32MB SPI flash and 16MB PSRAM, features a microSD card slot for data storage, a USB-C port for data and power, a JST connector for an optional 3,000 mAh LiPo battery, and expansion capabilities through three Qwiic connectors and GPIO expander pins. Inkplate 13SPECTRA specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-2-N32R16V SoC – ESP32-S3 dual-core Xtensa LX7 processor (up to 240 MHz) with wireless connectivity System Memory – 16 MB PSRAM Storage – 32 MB flash Wireless – Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4 GHz), Bluetooth 5 (LE), Storage – MicroSD card slot Display 13.3-inch E-Ink SPECTRA color e-paper […]

February 16, 2026February 19, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Project Aura – A neat, easy-to-assemble, DIY Air quality monitor compatible with Home Assistant

Project Aura is an ESP32‑based DIY air quality monitor that combines a touchscreen display and industrial sensors. It is fully integrated with the Home Assistant open-source home automation platform. The words “DIY” and “open source” often imply manufacturing the board yourself and soldering components, but that’s not the case for Project Aura. It’s based on off-the-shelf components connected through cables without any soldering requirements, while the enclosure can be 3D printed. The firmware is equally easy to install through a one-click web installer. Project Aura key components: Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-4.3 – ESP32-S3 board with 16MB flash, 4.3-inch IPS display (800×480) with capacitive touch. Similar to the ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-4.3B but using PH2.0 connectors instead of a terminal block for I/Os Sensirion SEN66 + Adafruit breakout for data capture PM1, PM2.5, PM4, PM10 particle levels (full spectrum of particles from smoke to pollen) CO2, VOC, and NOx for air freshness, volatile chemicals, and exhaust […]

February 16, 2026February 16, 2026 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

LR2021 LoRa Plus board combines Semtech LR2021 and Nordic nRF54L15 for high-speed FLRC and LoRa connectivity

Last year, Semtech released the LR2021 LoRa Plus transceiver chip, designed to address the low data-rate issue associated with LoRa, but surprisingly, they didn’t release a development board for the chip. Now, almost a year later, Seeed Studio and Semtech have partnered to introduce the LR2021 LoRa Plus development kit targeting long-range high-speed LoRa and FLRC applications up to 2.6 Mbps. Not only does the board support LoRa Gen 4 technology, providing Sub-GHz, 2.4 GHz ISM, and S/L-band operation, but a XIAO nRF54L15 board also adds dual-core processing (Arm Cortex-M33 + RISC-V) and supports other short-range protocols, including NFC, Bluetooth LE 6.0, Matter, Thread, and 2.4 GHz proprietary protocols. The development board also features a 0.96-inch 128×64 OLED, three Grove connectors for expansion, a USB Type-C for power, SWD debugging, and two Sub-GHz and 2.4 GHz SMA connectors. It is compatible with Arduino Uno, STM32 Nucleo, and Nordic DK boards. […]

February 9, 2026February 10, 2026 by Debashis Das - 7 Comments

Add a tiny desktop monitor to your PC with the ESP32 Desktop Monitor project

While searching AliExpress for new products, I found the TENSTAR T-Display ESP32-D0WD with a 1.14-inch IPS color IPS LCD and 16MB of QSPI flash that’s used by some as a tiny secondary mirrored monitor for their PC. The board appears to be a low-cost alternative to the original LilyGo T-Display, and also integrates a USB-to-TTL converter (CH9102F), a battery charging circuit, a toggle switch, and two user-programmable buttons, which makes it suitable for projects like the NerdMiner and small-scale dashboards for home automation. The hardware does not seem special, yet they sold over 10,000 pieces of the board. After looking into it, the ESP32 Desktop Monitor project is probably the “culprit” for the high sales number, as it transforms the board into a regular monitor, albeit with a tiny 1.14-inch LCD. More on that after the specifications. TENSTAR T-Display Specifications: SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-D0WDQ6-V3 MCU cores – Dual-core Xtensa LX6 32-bit […]

February 5, 2026February 5, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Review of XIAO ePaper DIY Kit EE02 13.3-inch color E-Ink display with SenseCraft HMI and Arduino

Seeed Studio has sent us a sample of the XIAO ePaper DIY Kit EE02 for review. The kit is comprised of an ESP32-S3 board driving a 13.3-inch Spectra 6 color E-Ink display with 1600 x 1200 resolution. It supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 (LE) wireless connectivity, and features a USB Type-C port for power and programming, a battery connector with an on/off power switch, a built-in charging circuit, a Reset button, and three user buttons. In this review, we will test the XIAO ePaper DIY Kit EE02 with the SenseCraft HMI platform and the Arduino IDE. But first, let’s go through an unboxing. XIAO ePaper DIY KIT EE02 unboxing We received the XIAO ePaper DIY Kit EE02 in a cardboard box with foam to protect the display. The package includes the 13.-inch ePaper display, the XIAO ePaper Display EE02 board, an external antenna, and a set of two 60-pin adapters […]