ble News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

July 21, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

nRF54L Arduino Core project brings Arduino support to Nordic Semi nRF54L wireless SoCs

nRF54L Arduino Core is an open-source project designed to bring Arduino support for Nordic Semiconductor nRF54L wireless SoCs, starting with Seeed Studio’s XIAO nRF54L15 (Sense) and XIAO nRF54LM20A (Sense) boards, as well as compatible Holyiot nRF54L15 modules. Since the launch of the nRF52840-based Arduino Nano 33 BLE board in 2019, Nordic nRF52 wireless microcontrollers have been officially supported by the Arduino IDE. However, it’s not quite the case for the newer nRF54L Cortex-M33 microcontrollers. Lolren has decided to change that with the unofficial nRF54 Arduino core project. nRF54L Arduino Core highlights: Dual-core access – Use the 128 MHz Cortex-M33 application CPU and the VPR RISC-V coprocessor without adopting a vendor RTOS Wireless Bluetooth LE support – Peripheral, central, dual-role, GATT server/client, HID, BLE UART, PHY/DLE/MTU control, LE Secure Connections, bonding, OOB, Numeric Comparison, privacy/RPA, and CSRK signed writes Experimental support for Zigbee – Partial stack and device demonstrations; incomplete Zigbee […]

July 17, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Espressif releases SDK for Aliro smart door locks based on ESP32-C or ESP32-H SoCs

Espressif Systems has just released the SDK for Aliro, designed for smart Matter door locks and other access control solutions built around ESP32-C (WiFi) or ESP32-H (Thread) microcontroller and third-party NFC chips. We recently wrote about the Aliro vendor-agnostic digital access control standard working over NFC, Bluetooth LE, or BLE+UWB. It’s basically the equivalent of Matter, but for smart locks, instead of the broader Smart Home ecosystem. The ultimate goal is to reduce fragmentation and allow users to use compliant wallets from Google, Apple, Samsung, and others to work with Aliro-compatible devices. Espressif’s SDK for Aliro (ESP-Aliro) currently supports the following features of Aliro-over-NFC: Standard Expedited Phase Fast Expedited Phase Reader Certificate Sending via AUTH1/LoadCert Command Keyslot to Look up Access Credential Public Key Mailbox of Exchange command Step-up Phase Espressif’s solution currently only works with Aliro NFC for tap-to-unlock applications, although Bluetooth LE and Bluetooth LE + UWB support […]

July 16, 2026 by Debashis Das - No Comments

OpenInfrared Point is an ESP32-S3 powered universal remote hub with Infrared, BLE, NFC, audio streaming (Crowdfunding)

OpenInfrared Point is a universal remote hub built around ESP32-S3 that lets users control compatible devices from a smartphone by scanning a QR code or tapping an NFC tag, eliminating the need for dedicated remote controls. Powered via USB-C, the Point hub can learn IR codes from existing remote controls and supports infrared, IP (HTTP), and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device control, with RF support planned as a future add-on. Hardware features include an IR output for external emitters, an audio input for private TV audio streaming, built-in NFC, QR-code access, and support for controlling TVs, projectors, AV receivers, air conditioners, streaming devices, and other compatible equipment. OpenInfrared Point 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; 8MB PSRAM Wireless – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth LE 5 Storage – 16MB […]

July 14, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

IoTLabs wM-Bus gateway – An ESP32 device with Wireless M-Bus connectivity for Home Assistant

IoTLabs wM-Bus Gateway is an ESP32 device supporting the Wireless M-Bus (wM-Bus) standard for receiving data from compatible meters and sensors, designed for full integration with Home Assistant. Wireless M-Bus (Wireless Meter Bus) is a wireless protocol specifically designed for remote reading of smart meters, generally gas, water, or electricity meters, and typically used by utilities, but the wM-Bus gateway allows you to deploy the standard for your home automation solution, meters, and sensors. wM-Bus gateway specifications: Main controller – ESP32 dual-core microcontroller with Wi-Fi and BLE connectivity Display – 1.3-inch OLED for live measurements and status wM-Bus – 868 MHz radio receiver; Semtech SX1276-based RFM95/RFM96 according to the code Supports T1 and C1 frames, compatible with the wmbusmeters library Antennas Built-in 2.4 GHz antenna for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth External SMA antenna for wireless M-Bus; important: must be connected before powering the device to avoid damage Misc Top button to […]

July 10, 2026July 10, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

M5Stack Stamp-C5 – A Tiny ESP32-C5 USB-C board/module with up to 19 GPIO, 3.7V battery support

M5Stack Stamp-C5, also known as the M5Stamp-C5, is a tiny wireless IoT USB-C board based on the Espressif ESP32-C5 RISC-V microcontroller with dual-band WiFi 6, Bluetooth LE, and 802.15.4 (Zigbee/Thread) connectivity. Despite its small size (19.1 x 17.6mm), the module exposes up to nineteen GPIO pins, eleven on standard 2.54mm pitch headers and castellated holes, and eight on an FPC extension connector. The board also supports battery charging and ships with an external IPEX antenna for wireless connectivity, since there’s no built-in antenna. M5Stack Stamp-C5 specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-C5HF4 CPU Single-core 32-bit RISC-V processor @ up to 240 MHz Low-power RISC-V core @ 48 MHz acting as the main processor for power-sensitive applications Memory – 384 KB SRAM on-chip Storage – 320 KB ROM, 4MB SPI flash Wireless Dual-band (2.4/5 GHz) 802.11ax WiFi 6, 802.11b/g/n WiFi 4 backward compatibility WiFi modes: Station mode, SoftAP mode, SoftAP + […]

July 7, 2026July 7, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

ESP32-C5 devkit offers 2.8-inch capacitive touch display, dual-band Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5 LE, LiPo battery support

Last week, I wrote about the ESP32-C5-LCD-1.47 as one of the first ESP32-C5 devkits with a built-in display enabling dual-band WiFi 6 connectivity for IoT and HMI projects. However, one reader lamented the lack of touch-capable screens, at which point kwchow pointed to the ESP32-C5-Touch-LCD-2.8 model offering just that by pairing an ESP32-C5 with a 2.8-inch IPS display with capacitive touch and 320×480 resolution. The new board also features a microSD card slot, a USB-C port for power and programming, a built-in microphone and a speaker connector, a few sensors, and various I/Os connectors for expansion. Let’s have a closer look. ESP32-C5-Touch-LCD-2.8 specifications: Wireless module – Espressif Systems ESP32-C5-WROOM-1-N32R8 SoC – ESP32-C5HR8 CPU Single-core 32-bit RISC-V processor @ up to 240 MHz Low-power RISC-V core @ 40 MHz acting as the main processor for power-sensitive applications Memory – 384 KB SRAM on-chip, 8MB PSRAM Storage – 320 KB ROM Wireless […]

July 3, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

ESP32-C5 dual-band WiFi 6 and Bluetooth LE IoT board features 1.47-inch color LCD

We’ve covered plenty of connected displays based on ESP32 chips over the years, but the Waveshare ESP32-C5-LCD-1.47 is a little different, since it’s the first to feature an ESP32-C5 chip for dual-band WiFi 6 connectivity. It’s basically based on the ESP32-C6-LCD-1.47 design, but replaces the ESP32-C6 supporting 2.4 GHz WiFi 6 with an ESP32-C5 capable of handling both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi 6. Other features mostly remain the same: a 1.47-inch 262K-color display with 320 x 172 resolution, 4MB of flash, an RGB LED, a microSD card slot, and two 9-pin headers for GPIO expansion. Waveshare ESP32-C5-LCD-1.47 specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-C5FH4 CPU Single-core 32-bit RISC-V processor @ up to 240 MHz Low-power RISC-V core @ 40 MHz acting as the main processor for power-sensitive applications Memory – 384 KB SRAM on-chip Storage – 320 KB ROM, 4MB flash Wireless Connectivity Dual-band (2.4GHz/5 GHz) 802.11ax WiFi […]

July 1, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Flipper BUSY Bar open-source productivity multitool features LED pixel display, supports Matter connectivity

Flipper has taken a short break from launching wireless hacking tools by introducing the BUSY Bar open-source productivity multitool designed to help people eliminate distractions and be more focused at work. The device features a customizable LED pixel display and a small monochrome OLED back display, synchronizes with work apps, mutes notifications, and supports the Matter protocol for integration with Home Assistant, Apple Home, Google Home, or other Matter-compatible platforms. BUSY Bar specifications: Microcontroller – STMicroelectronics STM32U5 CPU – Arm Cortex-M33 @ 160 MHz Memory – 2.5 MB SRAM Storage – 2 MB Flash Storage – 8 GB eMMC flash Main Display – 6.35-inch RGB LED matrix with 72×16 resolution, 60 Hz refresh rate, 800 nits, adaptive brightness Back Display – 1.54-in monochrome (16 gray scales) OLED with 160×80 resolution, adaptive brightness Audio – 0.8W speaker for sound alerts and notifications Wireless Connectivity via Silicon Labs SiWG917 CPU – Arm […]