electronics

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments on Electronic components price and lead time increases announced across the board, and not only because of RAM

Electronic components price and lead time increases announced across the board, and not only because of RAM

Electronics Price 2026

Most people already know about rapidly rising RAM prices, but I’m receiving more and more emails about price increases for a range of devices, in a way that’s reminiscent of the impact the Coronavirus/COVID-19 had in 2020 to 2022. We’ve already covered the Raspberry Pi Compute Modules price increase in October 2025, followed by the Raspberry Pi 4/5 price adjustment last December. Unsurprisingly, it’s going to spread to other companies as well. A few days ago, I received an email from SolidRun entitled “Customer Notification: Industry‑Wide Component Shortages and Price Increases”: The global semiconductor, and electronic components industry is currently experiencing significant price increases and widespread shortages. What started as memories shortage covering mostly DDR4 and NAND integrated circuits and modules – expanded across multiple categories (including SoCs). As a result, many critical components now face extended lead times, with certain items that were previously available within a few weeks […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - 2 Comments on Elecrow AI starter kit turns NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano into a learning platform with 11.6-inch display, 30 electronics modules

Elecrow AI starter kit turns NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano into a learning platform with 11.6-inch display, 30 electronics modules

Jetson Orin Nano AI learning kit

Elecrow AI Starter Kit for the NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano turns the NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano into a learning and educational kit for students, educators, and hardware enthusiasts looking for a rapid and powerful prototyping platform. The kit integrates an 11.6-inch IPS touchscreen, an 8MP servo-controlled gimbal camera, a voice interaction module, and 30 common electronics modules embedded in the kit. The company also provides 39 Python tutorials for sensor control, computer vision, and basic AI workflows. In addition to the display, camera, and audio features, the kit also includes expansion through I2C, UART, and GPIO. Jetson Orin Nano AI Starter Kit specifications: Main Board – NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano (Not included in the kit) Display – 11.6-inch IPS touchscreen display with 1366 × 768 resolution Onboard modules Input modules Multimedia – 8MP IMX219-based camera with dual-servo gimbal (PTZ-style control) Sensors Temperature & humidity sensor Ultrasonic distance sensor PIR motion […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on Open-source hardware USB to GPIB adapter connects legacy GPIB/IEEE-488 instruments to modern hosts

Open-source hardware USB to GPIB adapter connects legacy GPIB/IEEE-488 instruments to modern hosts

USB to GPIB adapter

XyphroLabs’s UsbGpib is an open-source hardware, inexpensive, and portable USB to GPIB adapter aiming to provide “access to legacy GPIB/IEEE-488 instruments using contemporary hardware and software, with a focus on accessibility, openness, and ease of integration into current workflows”. Initially developed by Hewlett-Packard in the late 1960s/early 1970s, GPIB (General Purpose Interface Bus), also known as IEEE-488 or initially HP-IB (Hewlett-Packard Interface Bus), is a short-range digital communications bus standard designed for connecting and controlling programmable electronic test and measurement instruments such as oscilloscopes, multimeters, and power supplies to computers or controllers. The UsbGpib project helps connect GBIP-compliant equipment to modern host computers with a USB port. UsbGpib key hardware features and specifications: Microcontroller – Microchip ATMega32U4 8-bit AVR microcontroller for 5V I/O compatibility USB – USB Type-C port with full USBTMC (USB Test and Measurement Class) support 24-pin GPIB interface – Fully IEEE-488.1 and IEEE-488.2 enabled, including service request […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - 6 Comments on REETLE SmartInk I – An AI-powered E-Ink phone case with voice recording (Crowdfunding)

REETLE SmartInk I – An AI-powered E-Ink phone case with voice recording (Crowdfunding)

REETLE SmartInk I in hand case

The REETLE SmartInk I is a phone case with a touch-enabled E-Ink display and built-in AI features. It features a secondary screen on the back for reading text, viewing notes, recording voice, and displaying to-do items, allowing basic tasks to be completed without using the phone’s main display. In the back, you have a 3.97-inch E-Ink touchscreen with one-press voice recording, AI-based transcription, summarization, and smart to-do display, all synced to a companion mobile app via Bluetooth 5.0. It supports iPhone 13–17 series and a wide range of Android phones, features a 300 mAh battery with 10W MagSafe wireless charging, and delivers up to 10 hours of reading, 8 hours of recording, and over 2 weeks of standby time. Weighing around 55 grams with a total thickness under 4 mm, it includes military-grade drop protection, tempered glass, widget switching (QR codes, notes, schedules), a thin design, and a 10°C to […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - No Comments on tinySA is a low-cost handheld spectrum analyzer with built-in signal generator

tinySA is a low-cost handheld spectrum analyzer with built-in signal generator

tinySA Spectrum Analyzers and Signal Generators

The tinySA is a compact, low-cost handheld spectrum analyzer and RF signal generator designed for hobbyists, radio amateurs, educators, and engineers. It comes in three different variants and can be used for RF debugging, signal inspection, interference hunting, filter testing, antenna-related measurements, and basic RF education, both in the field and on the bench. The product line includes the tinySA Basic, tinySA Ultra, and tinySA Ultra+, which mainly differ in their supported frequency ranges and performance. The tinySA Basic supports 100 kHz to 350 MHz on its low input and up to about 960 MHz on the high input, while the Ultra and Ultra+ models can observe signals up to 12GHz. The devices run from an internal rechargeable battery with USB-C charging, support firmware updates, internal self-test and calibration routines, marker and peak detection, configurable frequency span and amplitude settings, and PC control over USB. Input protection limits are specified at +10 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Quarky Intellio – A LEGO-compatible AI, Augmented Reality, and IoT learning platform (Crowdfunding)

Quarky Intellio – A LEGO-compatible AI, Augmented Reality, and IoT learning platform (Crowdfunding)

Quarky Intellio rover car robot

Quarky Intellio is an ESP32-S3-based development kit designed as an educational platform for learning AI, Augmented Reality (AR), and IoT concepts. It is compatible with LEGO bricks and targets users aged 10 and older. The core AI-AR module features an SPI TFT display interface, a 5MP camera, a speaker and microphone, a microSD card slot for data storage, a USB-C port for programming and charging, servo and GPIO expansion ports, and a 1,000 mAh battery. The company offers a discovery kit with the core module only as well as a rover car kit, and since it’s compatible with LEGO, users can easily create their own robot. Quarky Intellio specifications: Core module – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8 SoC – ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core LX7 processor with up to 240MHz Memory – 512KB SRAM, 8MB PSRAM (SiP) Storage – 384KB ROM Wireless – WiFi 4 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 5.0 LE Storage – 16MB flash […]

Posted on by Sponsored Post - No Comments on YumiAI: An AI-Native End-to-End Hardware Innovation Platform For Embedded Engineers (Sponsored)

YumiAI: An AI-Native End-to-End Hardware Innovation Platform For Embedded Engineers (Sponsored)

YumiAI From Vision to Factory

Anyone who has designed a custom ESP32 board or an RK3588 carrier knows the real bottleneck isn’t creativity — it’s the grunt work. Finding components that are actually in stock, checking pin compatibility, verifying footprints, building symbols, and dealing with yet another “NRND” surprise. It slows down even simple projects. A Multi-Agent System Built for Hardware Workflows YumiAI is an AI-Native Generative Hardware Innovation Platform. YumiAI has five specialized agent clusters: Market Insight agent clusters: General AI gives summaries. YumiAI focuses on “Engineering Feasibility.” It asks: Will we hit patent issues? Is the cost competitive? It outputs a technical research report for hardware decisions. Function Definition agent clusters: interprets requirements (“STM32WL LoRaWAN node, USB-C power”) and structures them into a proper engineering spec. Component Selection agent clusters: pulls real-time availability and pricing from DigiKey, Mouser, and LCSC. Circuit Topology agent clusters: Our Agent has industrial algorithms and simulation built in. It performs “Physical […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on PCBWay’s Christmas Event Is Now Live (Sponsored)

PCBWay’s Christmas Event Is Now Live (Sponsored)

PCBWay Christmas 2025

As the holiday season approaches, PCBWay is thrilled to announce their Christmas Promotions! If you’ve been considering starting a project or testing out their services, this is a great time to begin. Don’t hesitate to visit the website to learn more: https://www.pcbway.com/activity/christmas2025.html. Activity Time: November 28th to December 31st Unlock Special Material Advantages To encourage customers to explore more capabilities and remove barriers to innovation, PCBWay has launched special benefits on some material options. For PCB manufacturing, the solder masks of purple, pink, and matte black incur no additional cost. For 3D printing, UTR8100 Clear and Somos Ledo orders can enjoy 10% off on materials + 20% off on the starting price. Never miss this chance to try these services at a low price and add a splash of premium color for your projects. Discover Special Offers Cost-effectiveness has always been a priority for customers. Recognizing this, except for the […]

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