Arduino News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

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 […]

February 2, 2026February 1, 2026 by Debashis Das - No Comments

DSTIKE AI Home Security Sidekick – ESP32-S3 hacking tool with Wi-Fi, display, camera, and voice interaction

DSTIKE AI Home Security Sidekick, nicknamed “Eve,” is an ESP32-S3-based AI-powered hacking tool with a display, camera, audio interaction, USB, and a built-in battery for portable use. The device is designed by Travis Lin, well known for his deauther watches like the Deauther Watch V4S and the Deauther Watch X, but now they have designed a Home Security Sidekick with a 2.0-inch LCD, a 2MP camera for basic computer-vision tasks, and an onboard microphone and speaker for voice interaction. It supports real-time Wi-Fi deauthentication attack detection through 802.11 management frame analysis, includes a USB Type-C port for charging and firmware flashing, and integrates a physical wake/function button, all housed in a transparent acrylic enclosure for home network monitoring, desktop diagnostics, and educational applications. DSTIKE AI Home Security Sidekick specifications Core module – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8 SoC – ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core LX7 processor with up to 240MHz Memory – 512KB SRAM, […]

January 27, 2026January 27, 2026 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Meterbit Pixlpal – An open-source ESP32-S3 smart display with 128×64 RGB LED matrix, Hi-Fi audio output (Crowdfunding)

Designed by Meterbit Cybernetics in Nigeria, the Pixlpal is an open-source, ESP32-S3-based 11.25-inch 128×64 RGB LED matrix display designed as a customizable ticker for news, crypto, and smart home notifications, while also offering Hi-Fi audio playback. The device also includes a multi-function rotary encoder for local control, a digital MEMS microphone, and a 3.5 mm headphone output driven by a TI PCM5102A DAC for Hi-Fi audio playback. Pixlpal also provides a USB Type-C OTG port for power and programming, and a USB Type-A adapter port for firmware updates and peripherals. The device targets Smart Home dashboards, desktop information displays, and educational or maker-focused IoT applications. Pixlpal specifications: Wireless Module – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 SoC – ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz with vector extension for AI/ML workloads Memory – 512KB SRAM Storage – TBD Wireless – WiFi 4 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 5.0 LE PCB antenna Display – […]

January 27, 2026January 26, 2026 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

Hiwonder WonderLLM – An ESP32-S3 smart chat module with 2-inch touch display, 2MP camera, and dedicated voice chip

Hiwonder has introduced the WonderLLM, an ESP32-S3-based smart chat module that combines a 2MP camera, a 2.0-inch touch display, a speaker, and a microphone array to support both offline computer vision tasks and cloud-based Large Language Models (LLMs) via the XiaoZhi AI platform. The device ships with a dedicated voice chip (CI1302) that enables always-on wake-word detection, and a 4-pin I2C interface allows it to act as a smart vision/voice sensor for external controllers like Arduino, STM32, or other ESP32 boards. Typical applications include small robots, STEM education kits, interactive assistants, and vision-enabled projects where this device handles perception and interaction, and another MCU manages motion and control logic. Hiwonder WonderLLM specifications: Wireless Module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz with vector extension for AI/ML workloads RAM – 512KB SRAM Storage – TBD Wireless – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth LE 5 […]

January 26, 2026 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

ACEBOTT QD023 ESP32-based gesture control glove tracks finger movements with potentiometers

ACEBOTT QD023 ESP32 Motion Sensing Glove

ACEBOTT QD023 is an ESP32-based wearable gesture control glove that tracks finger movements with potentiometers instead of more traditional flex sensors. The glove transmits data via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to control various robotics kits, such as bipedal walkers, mecanum-wheeled cars, and robotic arms. The glove integrates five potentiometers for finger bending detection, and a 6-axis MPU6050 IMU for wrist rotation, tilt, and hand posture detection in real time. Other Hardware features include a USB Type-C port for programming and debugging, four AAA batteries for power, buttons, LEDs, and more. Tutorials and assembly guides make it suitable for K-12 education, classrooms, and hobbyist robotics projects. ACEBOTT QD023 specifications: Wireless Module – ESP32-WROOM-32D (soldered on the backside of the PCB) SoC – ESP32 dual-core wireless microcontroller CPU – Dual-core Xtensa 32-bit microprocessor @ 240MHz Memory – 520KB internal SRAM Wireless – Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, and Bluetooth (4.2 and BLE) PCB antenna USB – […]

January 23, 2026January 23, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

M5Stack StickS3 ESP32-S3 Mini IoT Dev Kit features 1.14-inch color display, speaker and mic for voice interaction

M5Stack StickS3 is a miniature ESP32-S3 WiFi and BLE IoT development kit/controller powered by an Espressif Systems ESP32-S3-PICO-1-N8R8 system-in-package with 8MB flash and 8MB PSRAM, and equipped with a 1.14-inch display, built-in microphone and speaker, as well as an integrated IR receiver and transmitter. It’s an update to the ESP32-PICO-V3 based StickC-Plus2 with a more powerful ESP32-S3 module, a USB Type-C OTG port, improved audio integrating an ES8311 mono audio codec, a slightly larger 250 mAh battery, as well as a 4-pin Grove connector and a 16-pin female GPIO header for expansion. M5Stack StickS3 specifications: SiP – Espressif ESP32-S3-PICO-1-N8R8 as found on the M5Stack ATOMS3R and ATOMS3R Cam IoT controllers SoC – ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz Memory – 512KB SRAM, 16 KB RTC SRAM Wireless – 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5 LE + Mesh Memory – 8MB QSPI PSRAM Storage – 8MB QSPI […]

January 21, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Arduino UNO Q 4GB board with 4GB RAM, 32GB storage is now available for $59

When the Arduino UNO Q was first unveiled in October 2025, the specifications of the Qualcomm DragonWing SBC listed the ABX00162 SKU with 2GB RAM and 16GB eMMC flash, and the ABX00173 SKU with 4GB RAM and 32GB eMMC flash. So far, only the 2GB variant was available, and Arduino has now announced the availability of the Arduino UNO Q 4GB with 4GB of RAM and 32GB eMMC storage for more complex projects. Arduino UNO Q 4GB (ABX00173) specifications: Application SoC/MPU – Qualcomm QRB2210 CPU – Quad-core Cortex-A53 processor at up to 2.0 GHz GPU – Adreno 702 GPU at 845 MHz with support for OpenGL ES 3.1, Vulkan 1.1, OpenCL 2.0 DSP – Hexagon QDSP6 v66 VPU – 1080p 30 fps encode / 1080p 30fps decode ISP – 2x Image Signal Processor (13 MP + 13 MP or 25 MP) @ 30 fps Real-time MCU – STMicro STM32U585 Arm Cortex-M33 microcontroller […]