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Posted on by Debashis Das - 1 Comment on Meterbit Pixlpal – An open-source ESP32-S3 smart display with 128×64 RGB LED matrix, Hi-Fi audio output (Crowdfunding)

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

Pixlpal SP32 S3 RGB LED Matrix Display

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 – […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Cadence Tensilica HiFi iQ DSP to power next-generation Voice AI and Audio applications

Cadence Tensilica HiFi iQ DSP to power next-generation Voice AI and Audio applications

Tensilica HiFi iQ DSP block diagram

Cadence Tensilica HiFi iQ DSP IP is the sixth generation of the company’s HiFi DSP family found in countless SoCs with audio features, and is based on a new architecture designed for next-generation voice AI and immersive audio applications. Compared to the Tensilica HiFi 5s DSP, the HiFi iQ DSP offers twice the compute performance, 8x higher AI performance, and more than 25% energy savings for most workloads, while delivering over 40% performance uplift on several audio codecs. The company claims it can act as an all-in-one AI processor for voice AI applications running popular SLMs and LLMs on the DSP itself. Tensilica HiFi iQ DSP key specifications: Load Units – 2 VLIW Slots – 5 Vector operations (SIMD) – 256-bit Accumulator Width – 80-bit Fixed Point MACs MACs for AI – Up to 128 16×8, up to 256 16×4 Optional instructions for AI (improved from HiFi 5s) Optional Vector […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - 1 Comment on Rockchip RK628D based HDMI-to-MIPI-CSI board converts HDMI video into camera feed for embedded systems

Rockchip RK628D based HDMI-to-MIPI-CSI board converts HDMI video into camera feed for embedded systems

Firefly HDMI to MIPI CSI adapter board

The Firefly HDMI-to-MIPI-CSI converter board converts an HDMI video and audio source into a MIPI-CSI camera stream for supported Rockchip SoCs, which is the complete opposite of the Olimex MIPI-HDMI adapter that converts MIPI DSI display signals to HDMI output. Built around the Rockchip RK628D video bridge chip, the board supports HDMI 1.4/2.0 input with 8-bit and 10-bit video, RGB888 and YUV420 color formats, and resolutions up to 4K @ 60fps. On the output side, it provides a MIPI-CSI interface compliant with MIPI D-PHY v1.2, with video output in YUV422 color format, supporting resolutions up to 4K @ 30fps. Audio output is available through a 3.5 mm headphone jack and onboard pin headers, making the board suitable for HDMI capture, smart display, micro-projector, and embedded video conversion applications. Firefly HDMI-to-MIPI-CSI board Specifications: Main Chip – Rockchip RK628D HDMI-to-MIPI CSI-2 converter Input HDMI 1.4 / HDMI 2.0 compliant 8-bit and 10-bit […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on NASP NeuroVoice VAD chip enables always-on voice activity detection at microwatt-level power consumption

NASP NeuroVoice VAD chip enables always-on voice activity detection at microwatt-level power consumption

NeuroVoice VAD Voice Activity Detection chip

POLYN Technology’s Neuromorphic Analog Signal Processor (NASP) NeuroVoice VAD is an always-on, ultra-low-power chip that detects voice in any noisy background, at microwatt-level power consumption and microsecond-scale latency. Everything happens on the chip, so no Internet is needed. Potential applications include smart remote controls, earbuds, wearables, voice access, IoT, Industry 4.0, robotics, Smart Home/Factory, mobility, and more. NASP NeuroVoice VAD chip (NV-VAD 100) specifications: Features Voice detection at ultra-low power consumption Voice passthrough – Passes voice and mutes background sounds Background signal bypass – Wake Word Detection (WWD) command to activate transparent voice bypass Speech/command intelligibility in noisy spaces – Increases voice command intelligibility for WWD/KWS (Keyword Spotting) functionality in noisy environments for Smart Home, Smart Factory, Wearables, etc. Audio Interfaces – PDM/I2S Voice delay detection – 25 ms Host interfaces – SPI/I2C used for initial configuration and status readout, VAD pin Debugging – Boundary Scan and Debug unit access […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Edgi-Talk machine learning development kit features Infineon PSOC Edge E84 Edge AI SoC (Crowdfunding)

Edgi-Talk machine learning development kit features Infineon PSOC Edge E84 Edge AI SoC (Crowdfunding)

Edgi-Talk machine learning platform

Edgi-Talk is a machine learning platform/development kit powered by an Infineon PSOC Edge E84 Arm Cortex-M55/M33 SoC featuring Arm Helium, an Arm Ethos-U55 micro NPU, and an ultra-low-power NNLite neural network accelerator, all of which enable AI/ML processing at varying power/performance levels. The devkit also comes with 128 MB PSRAM, 128MB QSPI flash, a 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen display, two digital microphones, a speaker, WiFi 6 and Bluetooth LE 6.0 wireless connectivity, motion and environmental sensors, as well as a 40-pin Raspberry Pi header and two PMOD connectors for expansion. Edgi-Talk specifications: SoC – Infineon PSOC Edge E84 CPU Arm Cortex-M55 @ 400 MHz with FPU, MPU, Arm Helium support, 256KB i-TCM, 256KB D-TCM, and 5MB SRAM Arm Cortex-M33 @ 200 MHz with 1MB SRAM, 64KB ROM GPU – Low-power 2.5D GPU NPU – Dual architecture Arm Ethos-U55 NPU + NNLITE NPU System Memory – 128 MB PSRAM Storage 128 MB […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments on Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025 – International deals, coupons, and events

Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025 – International deals, coupons, and events

AliExpress Black Friday 2025

Like every year since 2014, I’ll list a few international deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025, as many CNX Software readers cannot benefit from promotions on Amazon’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday events, which will take place from November 20 to December 1. I’ve gathered various deals, discount coupon codes, and events from relevant manufacturers of single board computers, MCU development boards, mini PCs, Smart Home devices, and DIY products, as well as popular online stores, including AliExpress, Banggood, and others. AliExpress Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025 event AliExpress sales event for Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025 has just started and will last until December 3, 2025 (although I can see until November 29 and December 4 in some places). You can use some of the coupons on the screenshot above, or some alternative coupon codes for the US and some other countries (excluding DE, RU, […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on Bluetooth 6.2 gets more responsive, improves security, USB communication, and testing capabilities

Bluetooth 6.2 gets more responsive, improves security, USB communication, and testing capabilities

Bluetooth 6.2

Bluetooth 6.2 specification has just been released with a range of new features to enhance responsiveness with shorter connection intervals, strengthen security against amplitude-based RF attacks, and improve communication with a new “Bulk Serialization Mode” that’s especially useful for USB Bluetooth LE audio applications. The new Bluetooth Core 6.2 specification also introduces various BLE Test Mode enhancements. If you feel like Bluetooth specifications are released more often than in the past, that’s normal because the Bluetooth SIG switched to a bi-annual release schedule. For instance, the Bluetooth 6.1 specification was just published last May, or about 6 months ago… Bluetooth 6.2 highlights: Bluetooth Shorter Connection Intervals (SCI) reduce the minimum Bluetooth LE connection interval from 7.5 ms to just 375 µs for faster responsiveness. The change will especially impact high-performance HID devices, real-time human-machine interfaces (HMIs), and latency-sensitive sensors. AR/VR and gaming applications will particularly benefit from the lower latency. […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Review of Nextion 4.3-inch Edge Series HMI touch display

Review of Nextion 4.3-inch Edge Series HMI touch display

Review 4.3-inch NEXTION HMI Edge touch display

Today, we’ll review the Nextion 4.3-inch Edge Series HMI touch display. The company has recently launched the new Edge Series HMI touch displays for IoT applications that require better user interaction. It also supports video and audio playback, and everything can be configured relatively easily by the user using Nextion Editor software, version 1.68.1 or higher. The Edge Series HMI touch displays offer a wide range of screen sizes and formats to choose from, including a 2.1-inch round model (NX4848E021-011C) and a 2.8-inch round model (NX4848E028-011C), both with 480×480 resolution, as well as a  4.3-inch rectangular model (NX4880E043-011C) with 800×480 resolution. We received the NEXTION NX4880E043-011C Edge Series HMI  touch display for review, along with accessories, namely an IO board and a speaker, so we can get hands-on and dive deep into the review.  It’s versatile for all sorts of applications, from AIoT devices and vehicle control systems to medical […]