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June 10, 2026 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Synaptics Astra SRW1500 Cortex-M52 Edge AI MCU features Ethos-U55 NPU, Wi-Fi 6/7, Bluetooth 6.0, 802.15.4 connectivity

Synaptics has introduced the Astra SRW1500 Series of AI-native Edge AI MCUs designed for smart IoT edge devices. The family features an Arm Cortex-M52 core, an optional Arm Ethos-U55 Neural Processing Unit (NPU), and tri-band Wi-Fi 7 or Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 6.0 LE, and 802.15.4 connectivity, in a single package. It targets low-latency on-device AI workloads such as voice-trigger detection, sound-event classification, and AI-enhanced Wi-Fi sensing. The series currently comes in four variants offering different wireless and USB options. Since sensing, AI processing, and wireless connectivity are integrated into a single chip, this approach helps reduce system costs, simplify PCB design, and lower power consumption in devices such as smart home hubs, building automation systems, and home appliances. Synaptics SRW1500 Series specifications: CPU Arm Cortex-M52 application core up to 200 MHz with Arm Helium (MVE) vector extensions for DSP and ML Arm Cortex-R4 WiFi core with 960 KB SRAM and 1408 […]

June 8, 2026June 8, 2026 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Qualcomm Dragonwing Mobile Broadband Multimedia (MBM) MBM715 and MBM 415 SoCs combine 5G, Wi-Fi, multimedia, and Edge AI

Qualcomm Dragonwing MBM715 & MBM415 Mobile Broadband Multimedia SoC

Qualcomm has introduced the Dragonwing Mobile Broadband Multimedia (MBM) family, a new lineup of 4-nm SoCs that integrate 5G connectivity, Wi-Fi, multimedia processing, and on-device AI into a single platform for “interactive broadband” devices. The family currently features the top-tier Dragonwing MBM715 and the lower-cost Dragonwing MBM415, designed for smart displays, retail kiosks, service terminals, and other connected devices that require both high-speed connectivity and local processing. Unlike mobile broadband (MBB) or fixed wireless access (FWA) platforms, the MBM series combines connectivity, display, camera, and AI into one chip, so no separate processor is needed. Qualcomm Dragonwing MBM715 & MBM415 Specifications: The MBM415 has no dedicated on-device Generative AI engine, but Qualcomm officially brands the MBM415’s modem-side processing as “Qualcomm AI-Enhanced Signal Boost.” It is not for generative AI, but it is an AI feature listed in the specs. Also note that the MBM715 supports CBRS (3.5 GHz), which is […]

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 3, 2026June 5, 2026 by Debashis Das - 3 Comments

ModRetro M64 – An AMD Artix UltraScale+ FPGA based open-source Nintendo 64-compatible console with original cartridge support

ModRetro has announced the M64, an open-source Nintendo 64-compatible console powered by an AMD Artix UltraScale+ FPGA, designed to play original cartridges using hardware-level emulation instead of software. The M64’s reliance on an AMD Artix FPGA enables accurate and responsive gameplay, and the console supports original game cartridges and controllers, while also adding modern connectivity features such as HDMI, WiFi, Bluetooth, and USB-C. ModRetro M64 specifications: FPGA – AMD Artix UltraScale+ (16nm architecture) Memory – PSRAM Storage – MicroSD card slot (for firmware updates and potential homebrew applications) Media Interfaces – Dedicated Nintendo 64 physical cartridge slot for original retro media preservation and play. Display – HDMI port (upscaling for modern TVs, supporting custom video filters like Scan Line and CRT profiles) Audio – Digital audio output via HDMI Connectivity Bluetooth with advanced “SCI” wireless mode (ModRetro’s own low-latency protocol) Wi-Fi support for firmware upgrade USB – 3x USB-C ports […]

June 2, 2026June 2, 2026 by Debashis Das - 6 Comments

Wireless-Tag ESP32P4C61-TINY board combines ESP32-P4 and ESP32-C61 SoCs (Crowdfunding)

Wireless-Tag has launched a Kickstarter campaign for the ESP32P4C61-TINY, a compact open-source AIoT development board based on their WT01P461-S1 module, which combines ESP32-P4 (general-purpose) and ESP32-C61 (wireless) RISC-V SoCs. Like other ESP32-P4 boards, including the ESP32P4C5 Core Board, the M5Stack Stamp-P4, or ESP32-P4-Pi-VIEWE, this one also uses a separate SoC (ESP32-C61) for wireless connectivity. Additionally, it features built-in MIPI CSI and DSI for camera and display support, along with a microSD card slot for storage, making it suitable for AIoT and edge computing applications. ESP32P4C61-TINY Specifications Wireless Module – Wireless-Tag WT01P461-S1 (25 x 25mm) Microcontroller – ESP32-P4 MCU Dual-core RISC-V microcontroller @ 360/400 MHz with AI instructions extension and single-precision FPU Single-RISC-V LP (Low-power) MCU core @ up to 40 MHz GPU – 2D Pixel Processing Accelerator (PPA) VPU – H.264 and JPEG codecs support Memory – 768 KB HP L2MEM, 32 KB LP SRAM, 8 KB TCM, 16/32MB PSRAM Storage – 128 KB HP […]

May 29, 2026 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

u-blox ALMA-B2 Bluetooth 6.0 and 802.15.4 module features Nordic nRF54LM20 Edge AI wireless MCU

ALMA B2 series (Open CPU) Stand alone Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) modules

u-blox has recently announced the ALMA-B2 standalone BLE 6.0 and 802.15.4 module family built around the Nordic Semi nRF54LM20 Cortex-M33 wireless microcontroller with a dedicated NPU for low-latency Edge AI applications. There are four specific product variants in the u-blox ALMA-B2 series: ALMA-B201, ALMA-B206, ALMA-B211, and ALMA-B216, all of which support Bluetooth 6.0 and Bluetooth Channel Sounding for distance measurement. They also support IEEE 802.15.4, including Thread, Zigbee, and Matter, as well as Nordic’s proprietary 2.4 GHz protocol and NFC. The company also mentions that the nRF54LM20B-based ALMA-B211 and ALMA-B216 variants include an Axon NPU that performs machine learning tasks up to 15 times faster and with greater energy efficiency than running the same tasks on the main processor alone. u-blox ALMA-B2 Series Specifications: Wireless SoC – Nordic Semiconductor nRF54LM20A (for ALMA-B201 and B206) or nRF54LM20B (for ALMA-B211 and B216) CPU Arm Cortex-M33 application processor clocked at up to 128 MHz RISC-V […]

May 26, 2026May 26, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

PolyCast5 – An ESP32-C5 multi-tool remote with dual-band WiFi 6, BLE, ESP-NOW, LoRa, and Infrared Tx/Rx (Crowdfunding)

PolyCast5 is a portable, hackable ESP32-C5-based multi-tool remote to control devices through five different core wireless technologies: WiFi 6, Bluetooth LE, ESP-NOW, LoRa, and infrared Tx/Rx. The all-in-one controller can be used for cybersecurity work, a standard IR learning remote control, a voice-enabled password manager, a robotic arm controller, an AI keyboard using the built-in microphone and Bluetooth connectivity, a long-range LoRa remote control, DIY electronics projects through a 4-pin GPIO header, and more. PolyCast5 specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 SoC – ESP32-C5 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 Connectivity Dual-band (2.4GHz/5 GHz) 802.11ax WiFi 6, with 802.11b/g/n WiFi 4 standard fallback Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy (LE) 802.15.4 radio for Zigbee 3.0 and Thread 1.3 (note: support not […]

May 26, 2026May 26, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

WCH BLE Analyzer Pro USB Bluetooth LE sniffer gains Linux software with Wireshark (pcap) support

Last November, we wrote about the WCH BLE Analyzer Pro, an inexpensive (~$20) USB Bluetooth LE sniffer and analyzer, which looked useful and good value for reverse engineering and debugging. One downside is that the WCH BLE Analyzer software was only made for Windows 7 to 11, but Xecaz decided to look into it and reverse-engineered the USB protocol to write Linux software using libusb that outputs a standard pcap compatible with popular tools such as Wireshark, or as he puts it: “WinChipHead forgot to ship a Linux driver. We forgot to ask permission.” As a reminder, the BLE Analyzer Pro features three CH582F Bluetooth LE RISC-V microcontrollers and a CH334 USB hub, supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 4.0/4.2/5.0, and connects to the host through its USB-C port. The Linux “driver” for the BLE Analyzer Pro tool can be found on GitHub. Building and installing the software is quick and […]