infrared News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

December 4, 2024December 4, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

CapibaraZero firmware enables low-cost Flipper Zero alternatives based on ESP32-S3 hardware

CapibaraZero ESP32-S3 Flipper Zero alternative

CapibaraZero open-source firmware aims to offer a low-cost alternative to Flipper Zero for ESP32-S3-based hardware platforms and soon other gizmos with ESP32 wireless microcontrollers, notably the LilyGO T-Embed CC1101, similar to the original T-Embed with ESP32-S3 WiSoC, but also featuring a Texas Instruments CC1101 Sub-GHz microcontroller and an NXP PN532 NFC/RFID module. The Flipper Zero is a popular portable multi-tool for pentesters and hardware hackers based on STMicro STM32WB55 Bluetooth 5 LE & 802.15.4 wireless microcontroller and a TI CC1101 Sub-Ghz MCU that got involved in controversies such as a ban proposal in Canada last year due to its (dubious) potential use for car theft. Since then we’ve seen several alternatives such as Monstatek M1 (that’s yet to be delivered to backers…) and HackBat open-source hardware with Raspberry Pi RP2040, ESP8266 WiFi module, and the CC1101 RF transceiver. The CapibaraZero firmware offers another way to create your own cheap Flipper […]

October 4, 2024October 3, 2024 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Infineon PASCO2V15 CO2 sensor achieves ±50 ppm accuracy with built-in microphone and IR emitter

Infineon’s PASCO2V15 CO2 sensor is a compact and precise carbon dioxide sensor that uses photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) leveraging its built-in microphone and IR emitter to detect CO2 levels by measuring pressure changes caused by the absorption of infrared light by CO2 molecules. The sensor is highly precise (±50 ppm ±5%) and can cover a wide range (0 to 32,000 ppm). it also includes features like pressure compensation and automatic baseline offset correction for reliability. With its small size and low power consumption, the PASCO2V15 can be integrated into HVAC systems, room controllers, smart thermostats, air purifiers, and other devices to optimize ventilation and improve energy efficiency. PASCO2V15 CO2 sensor specifications Sensor technology – Photoacoustic Spectroscopy (PAS) with Non-Dispersive Infrared (NDIR) principles Gas measured – Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Measurement range – 0 to 32,000 ppm Accuracy – ± (50 ppm +5%) of reading between 400 ppm and 3000 ppm Output Interfaces […]

July 28, 2024August 3, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Review of Pironman 5 mini PC case for the Raspberry Pi 5 SBC

Pironman 5 review Raspberry Pi 5 tower case

SunFounder has sent me a review sample of the Pironman 5 tower PC case for the Raspberry Pi 5. I had already reviewed the Pironman case for Raspberry Pi 4 last year, so I’ll do something similar this time around with the new Pironman 5 case adding support for NVMe SSD using the PCIe interface from the Pi 5 SBC. The Pironman 5 review will include unboxing and an assembly guide, followed by software installation and features testing (e.g. OLED display, RGB LED control, remote control. soft power off, etc…), before testing the cooling efficiency of the device with some benchmarks. Pironman 5 unboxing The Pironman 5 comes in a package that will be smaller than most people expect. The main features are listed on the side with 5V/5A power input, a 0.96-inch OLED, a tower cooler, M.2 NVMe SSD support, an IR receiver, a CR1220 battery (included), four RGB […]

May 25, 2024July 5, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

Pironman 5 is a fancy tower PC case for the Raspberry Pi 5 with NVMe M.2 SSD, oversized fans, RGB LEDs

SunFounder Pironman 5 is an enclosure for the Raspberry Pi 5 SBC that looks like a small Tower PC equipped with two RGB LED fans and a tower cooler with a PWM fan for cooling, and support for an NVMe SSD drive through the company’s Pironman 5 NVMe PiP HAT+ expansion board. The case also includes a small OLED information display, a power button for safe shutdown, two full-size HDMI ports, a spring-loaded microSD card socket for easy insertion and removal, an IR receiver for media center applications, and externally accessible 40-pin GPIO header so users can still play with GPIO while the Raspberry Pi 5 is inside the case. Pironman 5 key features and specifications: Designed for the Raspberry Pi 5 SBC (a board like Radxa Rock 5C could be installed instead, but software for OLED display, RGB LEDs, fan control, etc… might be an issue) Storage Pironman 5 […]

May 14, 2024May 13, 2024 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

Waveshare Thermal Imaging Camera Module – Raspberry Pi HAT or USB-C model, 80×62 resolution, dual FOV options (45°/90°)

Waveshare Thermal-90 USB and Thermal-90 Camera HAT

The Waveshare Thermal Imaging Camera module comes in two variants, namely the Thermal-45/90 Camera Raspberry Pi HAT and Thermal-45/90 USB Camera. The main difference between the two is that the HAT is designed to be attached to a Raspberry Pi, Pi Zero, or any other SBC that features a Pi-compatible pin layout like the Sipeed Longan Pi3H, Banana Pi BPI-M4, Radxa Zero 3W SBC, and others. On the other hand, the USB module can be connected to any PC, Android, or other device with a USB connection. The camera features a shutterless design, which is why it can produce a thermal imaging video stream output of up to 25 frames per second (FPS). Additionally, Waveshare offers options for different fields of view (FOV) – a basic version with a 45° FOV and a wide-angle version with a 90° FOV, making it suitable for applications like IR thermometers, industrial temperature control, […]

March 8, 2024March 8, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments

Xtherm II TS2+ review – A 256×192 thermal imager tested with an Android smartphone

Shortly after I wrote about the Mustool MT13S 2-in-1 thermal imager and multimeter, Xinfrared asked me if I wanted to review the Xtherm II TS2+ thermal imager for smartphones. They offer versions that work for Android or iOS smartphones, so the company sent me the Android version of the Xtherm II TS2+ for review. After listing the key features and specifications, I’ll go through an unboxing, and report my experience using the thermal imager with the OPPO A98 5G smartphone running Android 14. Xtherm II TS2+ specifications Minimum focus – 8mm Resolution – 256×192 Pixel Pitch – 12μm FOV – 44.9° x 33.4° Image Frame Rate – 25Hz NETD (Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference) – ≤40mK@25°C, F#1.0 MRTD (Minimum Resolvable Temperature Difference) – ≤500mK@25°C,F#1.0 Temperature Range Measurements- -20°C ~ +450°C with ±2°C or ±2% reading accuracy Operating – -20°C ~ +50°C Temperature Correction – Manual/automatic Power Consumption – <350mW Dimensions – […]

February 22, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments

$166 Mustool MT13S thermal imager doubles as multimeter

Mustool MT13S 2-In-1 Thermal Imager Multimeter

Mustool MT13S is a relatively inexpensive 2-in-1 thermal imager and multimeter with a 2.8-inch touchscreen display and an IR camera with a 192×192 resolution. Thermal cameras used to be quite expensive, but in recent years, we’ve seen cheaper models such as the HT-102 thermal camera for Android smartphones and M5Stack T-Lite Wi-Fi thermal camera, but those integrate fairly small 32×32 and 32×24 pixels IR arrays, The Mustool MT13S provides a higher resolution 192×192 thermal camera and doubles as a 10,000-count multimeter for about $166 plus shipping on Banggood or around $177 including shipping on Aliexpress. Mustool MT13S specifications: Thermal imaging Sensor – Uncooled focal plane Image capture frequency – 20Hz Thermal imaging resolution – 192 x 192 Display image resolution – 240 x 240 Field of view (FoV) – 50.0(H) × 50(V)/72.1(D) Emissivity – 0.1-0.99 is tunable and 0.95 is the default Temperature Range – -20°C to +550°C Accuracy – […]

February 16, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 31 Comments

The M1 device is a Flipper Zero alternative with a faster STM32H5 microcontroller and Wi-Fi connectivity (Crowdfunding)

The M1 is a multitool device that bundles several hacking and penetration tools in a package that looks like a retro-gaming console and could be viewed as a Flipper Zero alternative with a more powerful STMicro STM32H5 Cortex-M33 high-performance MCU featuring Arm TrustZone hardware-based security for additional protection for sensitive data. The M1 multitool device features transceivers for infrared, sub-1 GHz, Bluetooth, NFC, RFID, and Wi-Fi. This means that the M1 can replace most of your remotes as well as your RFID and NFC-based items (membership cards, access fobs, business cards, credit cards, etc.) It also has twelve 3.3V (5V tolerant) GPIO pins that can be used to add extra functionality to the device. M1 specifications: MCU – STM32H5-series microcontroller, with a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M33 core, 1MB RAM Storage – MicroSD card slot Display – 1.54-inch display, 128 x 64 resolution Connectivity Bluetooth 4.2 BR/EDR BLE Sensitivity -96dBm Infrared – […]