Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Crowbits magnetic blocks for STEM Education work with Arduino, Micro:bit, ESP32, and Raspberry Pi (Crowdfunding)

Crowbits magnetic blocks for STEM Education work with Arduino, Micro:bit, ESP32, and Raspberry Pi (Crowdfunding)

Elecrow develops and manufactures electronics products for the maker market, and in recent years entered the STEM education market with products such as CrowPi2 Raspberry Pi 4 education laptop that I reviewed last year. The laptop integrates plenty of electronics modules, and students can learn Scratch visual programming as well as Python programming with the educational software running on the laptop. The company has now launched Crowbits magnetic electronic blocks for STEM education, and compatible with Arduino, ESP32, Raspberry Pi, and Micro:bit boards. There are over 80 programmable electronic magnetic modules and Lego bricks, with three different sizes ( large, middle, and small modules) of different colors with blue used for power control and logic control, green for output, yellow for input, and orange for advanced programming. Out of the 80+ modules, around 30 can be used without programming at all. Elecrow provides 5 kits to let users learn basic electronics and programming knowledge, namely the Hello Kit designed for […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 36 Comments on AmpliPi – A Raspberry Pi-based whole house audio amplifier (Crowdfunding)

AmpliPi – A Raspberry Pi-based whole house audio amplifier (Crowdfunding)

Micro Nova has put together an open-source, whole-house audio amplifier called AmpliPi based on Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3+. It is capable of streaming four independent sources to 6 stereo output zones, expandable to up to 36 stereo output zones through daisy-chained extender units. AmpliPi specifically supports inputs from four networking streaming sources including AirPlay, Pandora, Spotify, and DLNA, as well as four analog RCA inputs for your media appliances. AmpliPi key components and features: Controller Board Carrier board fitted with Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3+ and PCM5102A & CM6206 audio DACs. It also communicates over I2C with the STM32 MCU on the Preamp board (see below) to control the muxing and amplification systems. Interfaces 10/100M Ethernet port HDMI 1.4 output 2x USB 2.0 ports, plus one internal USB port Service and console ports for maintenance and/or debugging. Preamp Board Board equipped with a 6×4 audio matrix switching system and volume control network that is managed by an STM32F030 Arm […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on microZERO is a compact, Arduino compatible Microchip SAMD21 module (Crowdfunding)

microZERO is a compact, Arduino compatible Microchip SAMD21 module (Crowdfunding)

SRKH Designs’ microZERO is a tiny, Arduino compatible module based on Microchip SAMD21 Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller for applications such as drone control, mobile platforms such as cars, trucks, boats and bikes, and other products working in demanding environments. The company has also designed two baseboards, namely Dev Board A with RGB color high resolution IPS display and the more classic Dev Board B, both mostly following Arduino UNO form factor to get started with development and/or evaluation. microZERO specifications MCU – Microchip SAMD21G18 Arm Cortex-M0+ @ 48 MHz with 256KB flash, 32KB SRAM Storage – 16MB SPI flash memory for additional storage and remote firmware upgrades I/Os 32x protected IO with 6x ADC, SPI, I2C, 6x PWM, TCC, USART, 1-WB, I2S, and USB 1 Mbps CAN controller with fully isolated and filtered CAN transceiver for maximum signal integrity 2mm pitch footprint Security – Microchip ATECCA508/608 software protection encryption IC Misc – 6x LEDs for power, GPIO, and CAN activity, Brown-out […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on ZimaBoard Intel Apollo Lake SBC and micro server goes for $69.99 and up (Crowdfunding)

ZimaBoard Intel Apollo Lake SBC and micro server goes for $69.99 and up (Crowdfunding)

We’ve had our fair share of low-cost x86 SBCs in recent years, mostly based on Intel Cherry Trail processor, with the likes of Atomic Pi and Rock Pi X. Ice Whale Technology has come up with its own low-cost Intel single board computer with ZimaBoard “single board server” as it mostly has network storage applications in mind, but with a 4K capable mini DisplayPort connector it could also be used as a standard SBC or mini PC. There are two versions of the board both with Apollo Lake processors: ZimaBoard 216 with a dual-core Celeron N3350 coupled with 2GBRAM and 16GB eMMC flash, and ZimaBoard 832 powered by a quad-core Celeron N3450 with 8GB RAM and 32GB storage. Both ZimaBoard SBC shares most of the same specifications in terms of I/Os: SoC – ZimaBoard 216 – Intel Celeron N3350 dual-core processor @ 1.1/2.4GHz (Burst freq.) with 12 EU Intel HD graphics 500 @ 200 MHz / 650 MHz (Burst freq.); […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on Industrial 5G/4G Base Shield supports Raspberry Pi, Jetson Nano, other SBC’s (Crowdfunding)

Industrial 5G/4G Base Shield supports Raspberry Pi, Jetson Nano, other SBC’s (Crowdfunding)

Akari, a start-up based in Japan, has designed an industrial base shield for Raspberry Pi 4/3/Zero, Jetson Nano, Rock Pi 4, and other compatible single board computers. The board allows users to create industrial gateways integrating wireless modules (5G, 4G LTE, WiFi 6 and/or LoRa), a neural compute stick, relay module, and digital inputs, RS232/RS422/RS485, and more. Industrial 4G/5G Base Shield specifications: Compatible SBCs – Raspberry Pi 4, Raspberry Pi 3, Raspberry Pi Zero, Jetson Nano, Rock Pi 4, UP Board, and probably other SBCs with a similar form factor I/Os Build-in relay module and digital input (also reserve dry contacts and wet contacts) Digital input / digital output RS232, RS485, RS422 Internal headers USB host port for connection with Raspberry Pi Expansion M.2 socket for 5G Mini PCIe socket for 4G LTE, WiFI6, or LoRa SIM card socket Internal bay for Intel Neural Compute Stick Misc – RTC module with a coin-cell backup battery, power & reset buttons, buzzer […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on PiFinger is a Fingerprint HAT for Raspberry Pi (Crowdfunding)

PiFinger is a Fingerprint HAT for Raspberry Pi (Crowdfunding)

“There’s a HAT for that” they say, or something close to it… We’ve covered many HAT expansion for Raspberry Pi boards over the years, but so far, I don’t think we’ve seen any HAT with a fingerprint sensor, probable because tiny USB fingerprint readers are a thing. But if you’d like a HAT with a built-in fingerprint sensor, the guys at SB Components have you covered with PiFinger HAT equipped with a 2D capacitive fingerprint sensor and a small display. The expansion board is also powered by a Nuvoton Cortex-M23 MCU with Arm TrustZone support and on-chip crypto-accelerator. PiFinger specifications: SoC – Unnamed Nuvoton Arm Cortex-M23 microcontroller with Arm Trustzone (likely NuMicro M2351 since it’s made for fingerprint applications) Display – 0.91-inch OLED display Sensor – 2D capacitive fingerprint sensor with 176×176 resolution connected to MCU over SPI Host interface USB to computer UART up to 115,200 baud + GPIO via 40-pin Raspberry Pi header UART via 40-pin Raspberry Pi […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on HotDive converts your smartphone into a dive computer and underwater camera (crowdfunding)

HotDive converts your smartphone into a dive computer and underwater camera (crowdfunding)

Many recent phones are fitted with a pretty good camera, and some are waterproof, but not quite enough to go snorkeling or diving. If you could, your phone could also double as a dive computer, and that’s exactly what HotDive provides: a waterproof enclosure for your smartphone allowing you to dive up to 80 meters deep, and convert your phone in a dive computer, underwater camera, and fill light at a fraction of the cost of specialized diving equipment. HotDive enclosure includes an independent auto-pump air extraction system creating a vacuum for your smartphone to make sure all photos are clear of fog, as well as a fill light to take clear photos even during night dives. The fill light is made of CREE LED lights delivering 800 lumens, and providing with 130° illuminance and 5800-6500K sunlight-like color temperature. The HotDive Pro version includes hardware to create a built-in dive computer, namely a solution based on Nordic Semi ultra-low power […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on Pi-oT 2 IoT module adds 24V digital inputs, RS-485, and UPS to Raspberry Pi (Crowdfunding)

Pi-oT 2 IoT module adds 24V digital inputs, RS-485, and UPS to Raspberry Pi (Crowdfunding)

Pi-oT was launched last year as a Raspberry Pi add-ons designed for commercial and industrial IoT automation. It features 5V I/Os, relays, and ADC  inputs suitable for light-duty projects and prototyping. The company, called Edge Devices, has now launched an update with Pi-oT 2 adding optional support for 24V digital inputs, RS-485, and an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Pi-oT 2 comes in three variants with the following key features and specifications: SBC support – Raspberry Pi model B boards with 40-pin I/O header Connectivity – Ethernet access via extra port 6x digital outputs 8x analog inputs (0 to 5V), 10-bit precision for Pi-oT 2 and 2 +Plus models, 10-bit precision for Pi-oT 2 Precision variant Model specific features  Pi-OT 2  4x GPIO 5V power supply Pi-oT 2 +Plus 4x GPIO 5V power supply + UPS Pi-OT 2 Precision 4x 24V digital inputs, compliant with IEC-61131-2 standard (instead of 4x GPIO on the standard models) RS-248 interface 5V, 12V, or 24V […]

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