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June 9, 2025June 9, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Calixto Systems introduces i.MX93 VERSA SO-DIMM SoM and EVK with NXP i.MX 93 Edge AI SoC

India-based Calixto Systems has unveiled the i.MX93 VERSA SO-DIMM system-on-module (SoM) powered by an NXP i.MX 93 Arm Cortex-A55/M33 SoC with Ethos-U65 micro NPU for Edge AI applications, as well as an evaluation kit (EVK). The system-on-module features up to 2GB LPDDR4x RAM, 16GB eMMC flash, a gigabit Ethernet PHY, and exposes various I/Os through a 200-pin SO-DIMM edge connector, such as MIPI DSI, LVDS, and parallel RGB display interfaces, MIPI CSI and Parallel camera interfaces, dual GbE (on PHY on-module, one on carrier), and more. The i.MX93 VERSA module targets smart industrial automation, healthcare, retail, and connected edge systems with specific size, performance, and power efficiency requirements. i.MX93 VERSA specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX 93 CPU Up to 2x Arm Cortex-A55 up to 1.7 GHz 2x Arm Cortex-M33 up to 250 MHz GPU – PXP 2D GPU with blending/composition, resize, color space conversion NPU – Arm Ethos-U65 NPU @ […]

June 6, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Jetway PIC-ASL1 – A low-power Intel Atom x7213RE/x7433RE fanless industrial Pico-ITX SBC

Jetway PIC-ASL1 is a low-power, fanless Pico-ITX SBC built around the Intel Atom x7213RE or x7433RE Amston Lake SoC for industrial use. This SBC is very similar to the Alder Lake-N-based JPIC-ADN1, which Jetway released just last year. While both boards support up to 32GB DDR5 memory and dual displays via HDMI 2.0b and LVDS/eDP, the PIC-ASL1 adds industrial-grade resilience with shock/vibration resistance, a Nano SIM slot for cellular connectivity, and an Intel PTT for security. It also features a similar I/O layout, including dual USB 3.2 Gen 2, four USB 2.0, serial headers, two M.2 expansion slots, and a SATA III port for storage. Additionally, the PIC-ASL1 complies with various industrial standards, making it more suitable for use in harsh industrial environments compared to the ADN1. Jetway PIC-ASL1 specifications: Amston Lake SoC (one or the other) Intel Atom x7213RE dual-core processor @ 2.0 to 3.4 GHz with 6MB cache, […]

May 30, 2025May 30, 2025 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Atum A3 Nano development board combines Agilex 3 FPGA and USB-Blaster III programmer (Crowdfunding)

Terasic’s Atum A3 Nano is a compact FPGA development board built around Altera’s largest Agilex 3 FPGA (A3CZ135BB18AE7S). The FPGA features 135K logic elements, embedded memory blocks (6.89 Mbit M20K, 1.4 Mbit MLAB), and 368 multipliers, making it suitable for demanding applications such as robotics, automotive systems, smart city infrastructure, consumer electronics, and advanced image processing. Measuring just 85 x 70 mm, the Atum A3 Nano board includes 64 MB SDRAM, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI output, a microSD card slot, and an onboard USB-Blaster III programmer accessible via a USB Type-C port. Expansion options include a 40-pin GPIO header and two PMOD headers, and the board also features user I/Os like LEDs, buttons, and switches. Additionally, it supports add-ons such as displays, cameras, wireless modules, and motor control kits. Atum A3 Nano specifications: FPGA – Altera Agilex 3 A3CZ135BB18AE7S 135,110 logic elements 6.89 Mbit M20K, 1.4 Mbit MLAB 368 18×19 multipliers 4 I/O […]

May 29, 2025June 2, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

OBJEX Link S3LW ultra-low-power ESP32-S3 LoRaWAN board takes up to 100W power input

OBJEX Link S3LW is a small development board based on the ultra-low-power ELPM-S3LW module with ESP32-S3 MCU and LoRaWAN connectivity and the ability to take 100W input via USB-C or a 2-pin terminal block for driving motors, controlling RGB LED strips, and other high-power projects. It’s compliant with the USB PD standard, features two 28-pin headers and a STEMMA I2C connector for expansion, as well as a built-in CP2102/CP2104 USB to serial bridge for debugging, and a few buttons. The company also offers an OBJEX ELPM-S3 module and OBJEX Link S3 board with the same features, minus LoRa/LoRaWAN support. OBJEX Link S3LW specifications: Wireless module ELPM-S3LW v1.2 Wireless SoC – 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 BLE + Mesh LoRa support LoRa […]

May 25, 2025May 25, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

$24 Banana Pi BPI-Forge1 industrial SBC is powered by Rockchip RK3506J tri-core SoC

The Banana Pi BPI-Forge1, also known as the ArmSoM Forge1, is an industrial SBC (single board computer) powered by the Rockchip RK3506J triple-core Cortex-A7 processor designed for Smart Audio, HMI, and factory automation applications. The Forge1 is equipped with 512MB RAM, 512MB NAND flash, two Fast Ethernet ports, a MIPI DSI display connector, USB Type-A and Type-C ports, an audio jack, a 40-pin GPIO header partially compatible with Raspberry Pi HATs, and a 14-pin header with speaker output, microphone input, RS-485, and CAN Bus. Banana Pi BPI-Forge1 specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3506J CPU 3x Arm Cortex-A7 core up to 1.5 GHz Arm Cortex-M0 real-time core GPU – 2D GPU only No VPU, no NPU System Memory – 512MB DDR3L Storage 512MB SPI NAND flash MicroSD card Display Interface – 2-lane MIPI DSI connector up to 1280 x 1280@ 60FPS Audio 3.5mm audio jack Speaker and Mic via expansion header Networking […]

May 23, 2025May 23, 2025 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Infineon PSoC 4100T Plus multi-sense Arm Cortex-M0+ MCU supports ML-based liquid level sensing, wake-on-touch with 8µA deep sleep mode

Infineon PSoC 4100T Plus is a new low-power Arm Cortex-M0+ MCU designed for battery-powered or low-power embedded systems that require advanced capacitive touch and proximity sensing. The microcontroller comes with 128 KB of flash, 32 KB of SRAM, and an 8 KB ROM. One of the most interesting features of this MCU is Infineon’s fifth-generation CapSense MSCLP technology, which enables high-resolution, low-power capacitive sensing even in deep sleep mode (as low as 8 µA). Its capacitive sensing uses both self and mutual capacitance methods, supported by analog front-end filtering, sigma-delta modulation, and digital filtering techniques, delivering a signal-to-noise ratio greater than 5:1 for accurate detection. The MCU supports gesture detection, human-machine interfaces (HMI), and smart sensing applications, making it ideal for wearables, consumer devices, and IoT systems. Additional features include a 12-bit 1-MSps SAR ADC, six TCPWM blocks, smart I/O with programmable logic functions, multiple UART/I2C/SPI interfaces, and up to […]

May 21, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Adafruit Sparkle Motion Stick – A compact ESP32-S3 USB WLED controller board with dual 5V LED outputs, an I2S Mic, and a snap-fit enclosure

Adafruit Sparkle Motion Stick + Enclosure Kit

Adafruit has recently released the Adafruit Sparkle Motion Stick, a compact, WLED-friendly Neopixel USB controller board built around an ESP32-S3 Module designed for audio-reactive LED projects, cosplay props, holiday lighting, and more. The module comes with a USB Type-A port for programming and power input (5V, 2A max), and a simple enclosure for protection (not weatherproof). It includes a built-in I2S microphone for audio-reactive effects, an IR receiver for remote control. Other than that it has a user-programmable button, an onboard NeoPixel LED, and a red status LED with two 5V-level shifted signal outputs with power and to connect the LEDs a screw terminal blocks. Adafruit Sparkle Motion Stick specifications SoC – ESP32-S3 dual-core Xtensa LX7 MCU @ 240MHz with 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and BLE 5 LED Control – 2x level-shifted output channels (5V logic) with terminal blocks (26–20AWG support) Audio Input – Built-in I2S MEMS digital microphone for audio-reactive lighting Infrared […]

May 8, 2025May 8, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Intel Atom x7000RE fanless industrial box PC offers 10-year life cycle for factory automation

AAEON BOXER-6617-ASL is a rugged and compact fanless industrial box PC built around the Intel Atom x7000RE series of SoCs. It is designed for harsh industrial environments and has a wide operating temperature range (-20°C to 70°C) and a guaranteed 10-year product lifecycle making it a reliable long-term solution for factory automation and other embedded applications. The rugged embedded system supports up to 32GB DDR5 memory, dual HDMI, dual 2.5GbE LAN ports, and extensive I/O including six serial ports, USB 3.2 and 2.0, DIO, and audio. Storage options include M.2 NVMe and 2.5″ SATA, with additional expansion through M.2 E-Key (Wi-Fi) and B-Key (5G/LTE) sockets. It also has a wide 9V–36V power input range, circuit protection, and strong shock/vibration resistance. The computer also features six RS-232/422/485 serial ports and DIO via DB9 connectors AAEON BOXER-6617-ASL Specifications: Amston Lake Series SoC options (one or the other) Intel Atom x7835RE octa-core processor […]