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June 15, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Linux 7.1 Release – Main changes, Arm, RISC-V, and MIPS architectures

Linus Torvalds has just released Linux 7.1 on LKML: So it’s only Sunday morning back home, but it’s Sunday afternoon where I am right now, so I’m doing the 7.1 release at the regular time – just not in the regular timezone. This obviously means that the merge window opens tomorrow, but I’ll be in yet another timezone by then, so timing will all be a bit irregular. Normally I try to front-load the merge window and do as much as possible the first few days – this time I’m not sure that will work out with my laptop and a couple of long flights without internet, but I’ve made sure that I have fetched the early pull requests (thank you – you know who you are), so I will be able to do some of it off-line. Anyway, possible slight hiccups in the merge window aside, the news today […]

June 12, 2026June 12, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

M5Stack Capsule Kit v1.1- A Battery-powered ESP32-S3 IoT controller with IMU sensor, MEMS microphone, and IR transmitter

M5Stack Capsule v1.1 is a Stamp-S3A-based IoT controller with a microSD card slot, several sensors (6-axis IMU, microphone), an IR transmitter, a built-in 250 mAh battery, a few buttons, a buzzer, an RTC, and expansion capabilities through GPIO headers and a Grove connector. It’s an upgrade to the earlier Capsule based on the Stamp-S3 module. The new version still features an ESP32-S3 WiFi and Bluetooth microcontroller, 8MB flash, a USB-C port, and a few GPIOs, but benefits from the Stamp-S3A improvements, including an optimized antenna design and lower power consumption. We never had a look at the Capsule before, so let’s do it now. M5Stack Capsule v1.1 specifications: M5Stack Stamp-S3A module WiSoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3FN8 CPU Dual-core 32-bit Xtensa LX7 microcontroller with AI vector instructions up to 240MHz RISC-V ULP co-processor Memory – 512KB SRAM Storage – 8MB flash Wireless – 2.4GHz WiFi 4 (802.11b/g/n), Bluetooth 5.0 LE + […]

June 5, 2026June 8, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Erqos EQSP32CE – An industrial IoT ESP32-S3 PLC with Ethernet, RS232, RS485, CAN Bus, DIN Rail support

Erqos EQSP32CE is a DIN rail-mountable industrial IoT PLC based on an ESP32-S3 WiFi and Bluetooth SoC and offering Ethernet, RS-485, RS-232, and CAN bus industrial communication interfaces. The IIoT logic controller also features several protected digital (16x) and analog (8x) inputs, eight current inputs, eight “special mode” analog inputs, and sixteen digital outputs with PWM support. A USB-C port is used for firmware flashing and monitoring, and the PLC takes a wide 7V – 26V DC input voltage and outputs 5V/1A for I/O expansion modules. Erqos EQSP32CE specifications: SoC – Espressif ESP32-S3 dual-core LX7 processor @ 240 MHz with 8MB Flash, 512kB RAM, wireless connectivity (so probably ESP32-S3FN8) Communication interfaces 10/100 Mbps Ethernet RJ45 port Wi-Fi + Bluetooth Low Energy (on ESP32-S3) with internal antenna RS232 (protected) and RS485 half-duplex (protected) with support for Modbus RTU, DMX512, and custom serial protocols CAN Bus (protected) USB – 1x USB-C power for […]

June 4, 2026June 5, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Convert old IR remote controls into presentation clickers using an RP2040 USB board and open-source TTVKTR firmware

Brisk4t’s “Tossed The TV — Kept The Remote” (TTVKTR) is an open-source firmware project for Raspberry Pi RP2040 USB boards that aims to reduce electronics waste by converting old IR remote controls into presentation clickers. Most Raspberry Pi RP2040 boards with USB ports should work, but the project highlights the Waveshare RP2040-Zero combined with a standard 38 kHz infrared receiver due to its small size and low price ($4-5). The project also relies on the built-in RGB LED for layer color feedback. That’s about it for the hardware. It just required some basic soldering of the IR receiver to GPIO 28 (OUT), 5V or 3.3V, and GND pins. Nothing too hard. The WS2812 RGB LED is already connected to GPIO 16. I tried to look for RP2040 USB boards with a built-in IR receiver, but I could not find any. The firmware receives IR codes from a standard 38 […]

May 30, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

PCMFlow722 library enables two-way real-time HD voice over ESP-NOW with G.722 audio codec

Tanaka Masayuki’s PCMFlow722 library enables (half-duplex) two-way real-time HD voice over ESP-NOW on ESP32 boards with a speaker and a microphone, effectively transforming them into walkie-talkies. The library implements a G.722 wideband codec add-on for PCMFlow lightweight audio decode and PCM flow library for Arduino, which already supports uncompressed PCM, MP3, and FLAC audio codecs. PCM and FLAC take too much bandwidth over ESP-NOW, and MP3 is not suitable for real-time audio, so the legacy G.722 audio codec was selected instead. The keyword here is “HD voice,” since two-way audio over ESP-NOW was previously implemented in projects such as Atomic14’s esp32-walkie-talkie (5 years ago) and, more recently, the well-documented Adafruit ESP-NOW Walkie-Talkie project, but these typically rely on lower-quality G.711 audio or compressed audio. The PCMFlowG722 library and G.722 codec enable HD voice with “7 kHz audio at 16 kHz sampling using the same 64 kbps wire budget as G.711 […]

May 22, 2026May 22, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

M5Stack StopWatch ESP32-S3 devkit offers 1.75-inch touch AMOLED, microphone, speaker, and GPIO expansion

M5Stack Core StopWatch is an ESP32-S3-powered WiFi and Bluetooth development board with a 1.75-inch round AMOLED touch display, 16MB flash, and 8MB PSRAM designed for portable IoT devices, electronic badges, and wearables. The device also features a 1W speaker and a MEMS microphone for voice interaction, two programmable buttons, a vibration motor, a 6-axis IMU sensor, an RTC, and expansion capabilities through a Grove connector and GPIO headers. It’s powered by a 450 mAh battery managed by an “M5PM1 multi-level power management” solution and charged over a USB-C port. M5Stack Core StopWatch 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 – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE + Mesh connectivity Storage – 16MB flash Display – 1.75-inch AMOLED round touch display with 466 x 466 resolution Audio 1W speaker MEMS microphone ES8311 […]

May 19, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

ESP32-S3 PowerFeather V2 board gains support for LiFePO4/LFP batteries

ESP32-S3 PowerFeather V2 LiFePO4 battery support

The ESP32-S3 PowerFeather V2 board is an ESP32-S3 WiFi and BLE IoT board with an Adafruit Feather form factor that supports LiFePO4/LFP batteries, as well as Li-Ion or LiPo batteries, and up to 18V DC input for solar panel connection. As one could have guessed, it’s an update to the ESP32-S3 PowerFeather board introduced in 2024 with support for solar panel input, Li-Ion, and LiPo batteries. The V2 design is virtually identical, except it features an Analog Devices MAX17260 fuel gauge and a TPS631013 buck-boost regulator that keeps 3.3 V stable to add support for LiFePO4 batteries. Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries are said to be safer and longer-lasting than Li-ion or LiPo batteries, albeit at the cost of lower energy density. ESP32-S3 PowerFeather V2 specifications: ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8R2 SoC – ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz Memory – 512KB SRAM, 16 KB RTC SRAM Wireless – 2.4 GHz […]

May 16, 2026May 16, 2026 by Debashis Das - 2 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 […]