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June 13, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

MicroSui lightweight, open-source C framework brings the Sui Network to microcontrollers

MicroSui (Sui Embedded Framework) is a lightweight, modular, open-source C framework that brings the Sui Network to microcontrollers from low-end 8-bit MCUs like AVR to more powerful 32-bit SoCs like the ESP32. Wait… What’s the Sui Network / Protocol exactly? It’s a blockchain platform designed for high-speed, scalable, and low-cost decentralized applications, which was introduced in May 2023 by Mysten Labs, a company founded by former Meta engineers. It competes with networks like Solana and Ethereum but with better performance. So far, the Sui Network works with web and mobile applications, but MicroSui aims to expand its usage to resource-constrained embedded devices. We’re told MicroSui provides support for all core operations such as key management, transaction construction, signing, and broadcast. It is a pure-C library with no OS dependency or dynamic memory usage, so it can be deployed on a wide range of microcontrollers. Higher-end microcontrollers with Internet access, such […]

June 13, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

GigaDevice GD32C231 entry-level Arm Cortex-M23 MCU ships with 12KB ECC SRAM, 32KB or 64KB ECC flash

GigabiDevice GD32C231 low cost Cortex M23 MCU

GigaDevice GD32C231 entry-level microcontroller is built around a 48 MHz Arm Cortex-M23 core with up to 64KB ECC flash, 12KB ECC SRAM, and is offered in 20-pin to 48-pin packages with up to 45 GPIOs, a range of peripherals, analog inputs, and timers. The company says the GD32C231 series targets cost-effective small home appliances, BMS (Battery Management Systems), small-screen display devices, battery-powered handhelds, industrial auxiliary controls, and automotive aftermarket systems. GigaDevice GD32C231 key features and specifications: Core – Arm Cortex-M23 @ up to 48 MHz Memory – 12KB SRAM with ECC Storage – 32KB or 64KB flash with ECC Audio – 1x I2S Low-speed Peripherals Up to 45x GPIO Up to 3x USART, 2x I2C, 2x SPI Analog 12-bit ADC with 13 channels 2x analog comparators Timers 4x 16-bit general-purpose (GP) timers 16-bit Advanced (AD) timer RTC IWDG, WWDG 24-bit SysTick Misc – CRC module Supply Voltage – 2.3 to […]

June 7, 2025June 7, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

BUG: ethical hacking USB device with RP2040, ESP32-S3, or STM32 MCU (Crowdfunding)

Tarun’s BUG is a USB stick with a small display described as an “AI-powered Ethical Hacking Device”, supporting voice control, and offered with either a Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core MCU, Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 wireless SoC, or STM32F411 Cortex-M4F microcontroller. The device also features a microSD card for storage, and WiFi and BLE connectivity for the ESP32-S3 version. The BUG is said to offer “cutting-edge HID injection capabilities” (e.g. keyboard/mouse emulation) with wireless control and ChatGPT integration. It is made for ethical hackers, cybersecurity trainers, tech educators, and DIY makers. BUG specifications: Microcontroller (one or the other) Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Cortex-M0+ microcontroller @ up to 133 MHz with 264KB SRAM Espressif ESP32-S3 dual-core LX7 microcontroller @ 240MHz with vector instructions, 512KB SRAM, WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.x connectivity STMicro STM32F411 Arm Cortex-M4F MCU @ 100MHz with 512KB Flash, 128KB SRAM Storage – MicroSD card slot inside the USB Type-A port […]

May 18, 2025May 19, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

M5Stack Tab5 Review – Part 2: Getting started with ESP32-P4 firmware development using the ESP-IDF Framework and Arduino IDE

In the first part of the review, we checked out the hardware of the M5Stack Tab5 ESP32-P4 IoT development kit and tried the demo firmware, whose user interface allows the user to quickly experiment with the camera, microphone, speaker, WiFi, power consumption, GPIOs, RS485, and more. Since there’s no user application for the Tab5 at this stage, I decided to look into software development resources for the ESP32-P4 devkit in the second part of the review. I’ll first follow the instructions to build the demo firmware from source using the ESP-IDF framework, then analyze key aspects of the source and make some small modifications. After that, I’ll have a look at ESP32-P4 Arduino support via M5Unified and M5GFX library. ESP-IDF 5.4.1 installation and ESP32-P4 Hello World program The first step is to get the ESP-IDF 5.4.1 and configure ESP32-P4 following the instructions on the Espressif website, before testing it with […]

May 13, 2025May 13, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

PicoEMP – A Raspberry Pi Pico-based open-source electromagnetic fault injector designed for EMFI testing and research

The PicoEMP is a compact, low-cost, open-source electromagnetic fault injector (EMFI) tool developed by Colin O’Flynn for researchers, hobbyists, and educators interested in hardware security. Unlike NewAE’s professional-grade ChipSHOUTER, PicoEMP is a bare-bones device designed to be safe, usable, and most importantly, affordable. Built around the Raspberry Pi Pico, this device generates high-voltage pulses using a transformer circuit (originally for photographic flash charging) to discharge energy from a low-ESR ceramic capacitor into a custom-made coil tip, which creates an electromagnetic field capable of injecting a little bit of power to the internals of the processors such as registers and SRAM. This can be exploited to flip bits and test the robustness of embedded systems against such attacks. ChipSHOUTER-PicoEMP specifications Main controller – Raspberry Pi Pico (RP2040 dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ MCU @ up to 133 MHz) Purpose – Electromagnetic Fault Injection (EMFI) for testing embedded systems security Components High-voltage pulse generator circuit […]

April 21, 2025April 21, 2025 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Raspberry Pi Pico-sized RP2350 CAN development board features a clone of the MCP2515 CAN Bus controller

Waveshare has recently launched RP2350-CAN, a Raspberry Pi RP2350-powered CAN development board with onboard XL2515 CAN Bus controller and a SIT65HVD230 CAN transceiver. The board supports the CAN V2.0B protocol at up to 1 Mbps, and the XL2515 chip appears to be a clone of the popular Microchip MCP2515 CAN controller. The board includes the same 26 multi-function GPIO pins and USB-C port as found on the Raspberry Pi Pico 2. Other features include a DC-DC buck-boost converter (MP28164), BOOT and RESET buttons, a user LED, a selectable 120Ω CAN termination resistor, and CAN screw terminals. The CAN Bus board targets automotive, industrial control, and robotics applications. Waveshare RP2350 CAN specifications: SoC – Raspberry Pi RP2350A CPU Dual-core Arm Cortex-M33 @ 150 MHz with Arm Trustzone, Secure boot OR Dual-core RISC-V Hazard3 @ 150 MHz Up to two cores can be used in any combination Memory – 520 KB on-chip SRAM […]

April 15, 2025April 15, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Xero MCU is a compact USB-C board based on STM32F411 microcontroller (Crowdfunding)

Xero MCU is a small STMicro STM32F411 Arm Cortex-M4F microcontroller board with a USB-C port, twenty through and castellated holes for GPIOs, a Debug connector, Reset and Boot buttons, and a few LEDs. The 100 MHz MCU embeds 512KB flash and 128KB SRAM, and the board is said to be designed for hobbyists, students, and professionals. For reference, the Xero MCU board features the same STM32F411CEU6 microcontroller found in the Black Bill board. However, it’s quite shorter at about half the size, and features castellated edges, making it suitable for soldering on a baseboard. Xero MCU specifications: Microcontroller – STMicro STM32F411CEU6 Arm Cortex-M4F MCU @ 100MHz with 512KB Flash, 128KB SRAM USB – 1x USB Type-C port for power and programming Expansion – 2x 20-pin through and castelled holes with up to 17x GPIO, I2C, 2x SPI, 2x UART, 4x ADC, 5V, 3.3V, and GND Debugging – 4-pin debug connector […]

April 14, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Pimoroni Presto – A Raspberry Pi RP2350-powered 4-inch wireless desktop touch display

Pimoroni Presto is a 4-inch desktop color touch display powered by a Raspberry Pi RP2350 microcontroller, and equipped with a Raspberry Pi RM2 wireless module for WiFi 4 and Bluetooth connectivity. The display comes with 16MB of SQPI flash and 8MB of PSRAM, seven RGB LEDs for ambient lighting, a microSD card slot, a piezo speaker, a Qwiic/STEMMA QT connector for expansion, a USB-C port for power and programming, and a 2-pin JST connector for an optional battery. Pimoroni Presto specifications: Microcontroller – Raspberry Pi RP2350B MCU CPU Dual-core Arm Cortex-M33 @150MHz with Arm Trustzone Dual-core 32-bit Hazard3 RISC-V @ 150MHz Up to two cores can be used at the same time Memory – 520KB SRAM Package – QFN-80; 10×10 mm Memory – 8MB PSRAM Storage 16MB QSPI flash MicroSD card slot Display – 4-inch square IPS LCD screen with 480 x 480 resolution, capacitive touchscreen Wireless – Raspberry Pi […]