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April 9, 2026April 10, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Open-source hardware DAB+ receiver combines ESP32 SoC with Skyworks SI4684 digital radio chip

When I wrote about a DIY ESP32-S3 internet radio last week, “raspbeguy” commented he’d rather choose an ESP32-based DIY DAB+ receiver kit, such as the one offered by the PE5PVB project based on a Skyworth SI4684 receiver. I first heard about DAB (Digital Audio Broadcast) in 2003 when we considered adding it to a CD player. It’s basically the digital equivalent of analog FM/AM radios, and I haven’t heard much about it since DAB and the “new” DAB+ standard are mostly a European story (see coverage map below). PE5PVB’s open-source hardware DAB receiver might still be worth a look. PE5PVB’s SI4684 ESP32 DAB+ receiver features: Controller – ESP32 microcontroller with WiFi and Bluetooth (DoIT ESP32 devkit v1) Storage – MicroSD card slot Display – Color LCD screen with 320×240 resolution (SPI) Audio 2x RCA connectors for speakers 3.5mm headphone jack with amplifier DAB+ receiver – Skyworks SI4684 loaded with DAB+ […]

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

Sentinel Core – A Raspberry Pi CM5 mini-ITX carrier board with a PCIe x16 slot (Crowdfunding)

Sanctuary Systems’ Sentinel Core is a Raspberry Pi CM5 mini-ITX carrier board with a PCIe x16 slot to easily connect a graphics card to accelerate 3D graphics, video transcoding, or AI workloads. It’s basically a larger Raspberry Pi CM5 IO board with a prototyping area, a PCIe slot, and a 24-pin ATX power connector. The Sentinel Core also comes with two HDMI ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, two USB 3.0 ports, MIPI DSI/CSI connectors, and the usual 40-pin GPIO header. Sentinel Core specifications: Supported module – Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 via 2x 100-pin B2B connectors Video Output – 2x HDMI 2.0 ports Networking Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port Optional WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.x on Raspberry Pi CM5 USB – 2x USB 3.0 ports, 1x USB 2.0 Type-C port PCIe – High-speed, full-length PCIe x16 slot with PCIe 2.0 x1 signal (PCIe 3.0 unofficially supported) Expansion 40-pin Raspberry Pi GPIO […]

March 26, 2026March 26, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

picoZ80 – A Z80 microprocessor drop-in replacement based on Raspberry Pi RP2350B and ESP32

The picoZ80 board is a drop-in replacement for the Z80 microprocessor based on the Raspberry Pi RP2350B dual-core Cortex-M33 microcontroller and an ESP32 wireless SoC for WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. My first computer was a ZX81 powered by a Zilog Z80 microprocessor, which was eventually phased out in 2024 after almost 50 years of production. But retro computing enthusiasts keep the platform alive, usually with softcore FPGA implementations such as MiSTer. The picoZ80 is different as it relies on the programmable I/O (PIO) state machines from the RP2350B MCU to reproduce cycle-accurate address, data, and control buses of the Z80 MPU. picoZ80 specifications: MCU – Raspberry Pi RP2350B CPU – Dual-core Arm Cortex-M33 CPU @ up to 150/300 MHz (the two RISC-V cores do not appear to be used by the project) Memory – 520KB SRAM Storage – 8KB OTP flash Package – QFN-80 Memory – 8MB PSRAM Storage 16MB flash […]

March 26, 2026 by Debashis Das - 6 Comments

AngstromIO – A tiny 9.0 x 8.9 mm ATtiny1616 board that fits on top of a USB-C connector

AngstromIO ATtiny1616 tiny USB-C development board

Dieu-de-l-elec’s AngstromIO is an incredibly tiny open-source development board based on Microchip’s ATtiny1616 MCU. Measuring just 9.0 x 8.9 mm, the board is barely larger than the edge-mounted USB Type-C connector that powers it, making it ideal for highly space-constrained embedded projects. Despite its tiny footprint, AngstromIO packs a QFN20-packaged ATtiny1616 MCU, two addressable SK6805-EC15 RGB LEDs, and includes access to various usable GPIOs, including I2C, UART, and UPDI for programming. AngstromIO specifications: MCU – Microchip ATtiny1616 8-bit AVR microcontroller @ up to 20 MHz with 16KB flash, 2KB SRAM, 256 bytes EEPROM USB – 1x USB Type-C port (power only, no data lines connected to the MCU) Expansion via solder pads UPDI pin for programming I2C (SDA, SCL) 2x GPIOs (PB2/TX, PA3) 5V and GND Misc – 2x SK6805-EC15 addressable RGB LEDs Power Supply 5V via USB-C port Ultra-low power consumption (down to 200nA in power-down mode) Dimensions – 9.0 […]

March 22, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

KiCad 10 release – Dark mode, graphical DRC rule editor, new file importers, and more

KiCad 10 open-source EDA software has just been released with support for dark mode, importers for Allegro, PADS, and gEDA/Lepton PCB, and various changes to the Schematic Editor (e.g., hop-over display) and the PCB Editor, notably adding a graphical DRC rule editor. KiCad 10 was built by hundreds of developers, translators, library contributors, and documentation submitters, who submitted 7,609 unique commits after KiCad 9 was released in February 2025. The new version also gains 952 new symbols, 1216 new footprints, and 386 new 3D models. Some UI and usability improvements include dark mode support (Windows only), customizable toolbars, undo/redo support in dialogs, lasso/freeform selection instead of only rectangular selection, and new importers for Allegro, PADS, and gEDA/Lepton PCB. Schematic editing gains support for variants (e.g., single project with different BoM), hop-over display, jumper support, grouping support, and pin table CSV export/import. PCB Design adds time-domain tuning beyond just length constraints […]

December 29, 2025December 29, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

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

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 […]

December 12, 2025December 12, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Diptyx E-Reader – An open-source, ESP32-powered, dual-screen e-book reader (Crowdfunding)

There are plenty of e-book readers on the market, but the Diptyx E-Reader feels more like a proper book since it features two e-paper displays that can be folded or opened thanks to a custom-made plastic enclosure. While it’s powered by an ESP32-S3 wireless module with a PCB antenna, both WiFi and Bluetooth are disabled in the firmware, and instead, users can load EPUB files through the reader’s USB Type-C port. The combination of an automatic standby mode (using deep sleep) and e-ink displays enables the dual-screen device to run for weeks on a single charge. Two buttons are used to access the next or previous page, and a third one powers the device up in a few seconds. Diptyx E-Reader specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3-N16R8 CPU – ESP32-S3 dual-core LX7 microprocessor @ up to 240 MHz with Vector extension Memory – 8MB PSRAM Storage – […]

December 8, 2025December 22, 2025 by Sponsored Post - No Comments

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

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 […]