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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 12, 2025 by Debashis Das - 3 Comments

Renesas RA6W1/RA6W2 Cortex-M33 wireless MCUs offer dual-band Wi-Fi 6, BLE, Matter, 15-year availability

Renesas RA6W1 and RA6W2 dual band Wi Fi 6, BLE, Matter Cortex M33 Wireless MCU

Renesas has added the RA6W1 (Wi-Fi 6) and the RA6W2 (Wi-Fi 6 + BLE) MCUs to its high-performance RA6 family, adding dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth LE, as well as Matter connectivity to the series. Both models feature a 160 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 core, dual-band Wi-Fi 6 with WPA3 security, on-chip PA/LNA/RF switch, and a full TCP/IP stack for fast connectivity. They integrate up to 704 KB SRAM, 256 KB ROM, and support eMMC/SD, O-QSPI, and QSPI for external flash and/or PSRAM. The series also includes generic peripherals like SPI, I²C, I²S/PDM, SDIO, 12-bit ADCs, PWM timers, and up to 28 GPIOs. Offered in compact QFN/WLCSP packages, the RA6W1/2 MCUs target smart home, wearables, industrial, and consumer IoT markets where long battery life and wireless connectivity are essential. Renesas RA6W1 specifications: MCU core – Arm Cortex-M33 @ up to 160 MHz, Armv8-M architecture with MPU and SysTick Memory & Storage […]

December 12, 2025December 13, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

nRF9151 SMA DK development kit offers cellular IoT, DECT NR+, and 5G NTN satellite connectivity

Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF9151 SMA DK development kit is designed for building IoT applications using LTE-M/NB-IoT cellular IoT, DECT NR+, or 5G NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) satellite connectivity. The development kit offers three ways to connect a SIM card, namely a NanoSIM card slot, an MFF2 SIM footprint for eSIM or software iSIM, and a 10-pin SIM connector. It also includes two SMA connectors for GPS and LTE antennas or lab equipment, multiple current measurement connectors, and Arduino UNO headers for expansion, notably the nRF7002 EK for adding Wi-Fi 6 locationing capabilities. nRF9151-SMA-DK specifications: Wireless System-in-Package – Nordic Semi nRF9151 CPU – Arm Cortex-M33 @ 64 MHz Memory – 256KB RAM Storage – 1MB flash Connectivity Multimode LTE-M/NB-IoT/NB-NTN modem with DECT NR+ support and GNSS. 700-2200 MHz LTE band support. Power Class 5 20 dBm Power Class 3 23 dBm 1.9 GHz and 915 Mhz DECT NR+ band support Security – Arm […]

December 11, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

iWave Systems iG-RainboW-G69M TI AM62L OSM Size-S system-on-module powers Raspberry Pi-sized SBC

Yesterday, I wrote about the Beacon AM62L SoM, one of the first system-on-module based on Texas Instruments AM62L dual-core Cortex-A53 SoC for low-power IoT and HMI applications. It turns out there’s another AM62L module compliant with the OSM Size-S standard, along with a Raspberry Pi-sized carrier board. iWave Systems iG-RainboW-G69M is a 30x30mm CPU module with 1GB or 2GB LPDDR4, 8GB eMMC flash by default, and 332 LGA contacts exposing interfaces such as RGB LCD and MIPI CSI display interfaces, dual gigabit Ethernet, I2S audio, USB 2.0 interfaces, and a range of low-speed I/Os. iWave Systems iG-RainboW-G69M specifications: SoC – Texas Instruments AM62Lx CPU – Dual-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor up to 1.25GHz Cache – 32KB L1 D-cache, 32KB L1 I-cache per core; shared 256KB L2 cache System Memory – 1GB LPDDR4, expandable up to 2GB Storage 8GB eMMC flash (other capacities available upon request) 32Kbit EPPROM 332 LGA contacts Storage […]

December 5, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Edgi-Talk machine learning development kit features Infineon PSOC Edge E84 Edge AI SoC (Crowdfunding)

Edgi-Talk is a machine learning platform/development kit powered by an Infineon PSOC Edge E84 Arm Cortex-M55/M33 SoC featuring Arm Helium, an Arm Ethos-U55 micro NPU, and an ultra-low-power NNLite neural network accelerator, all of which enable AI/ML processing at varying power/performance levels. The devkit also comes with 128 MB PSRAM, 128MB QSPI flash, a 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen display, two digital microphones, a speaker, WiFi 6 and Bluetooth LE 6.0 wireless connectivity, motion and environmental sensors, as well as a 40-pin Raspberry Pi header and two PMOD connectors for expansion. Edgi-Talk specifications: SoC – Infineon PSOC Edge E84 CPU Arm Cortex-M55 @ 400 MHz with FPU, MPU, Arm Helium support, 256KB i-TCM, 256KB D-TCM, and 5MB SRAM Arm Cortex-M33 @ 200 MHz with 1MB SRAM, 64KB ROM GPU – Low-power 2.5D GPU NPU – Dual architecture Arm Ethos-U55 NPU + NNLITE NPU System Memory – 128 MB PSRAM Storage 128 MB […]

December 3, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Nordic nRF54LV10A is a tiny, low-voltage Bluetooth LE SoC for battery-powered medical devices

Low-voltage Bluetooth LE SoC for medical wearables

Nordic Semi has unveiled a new member of the nRF54L series: the nRF54LV10A ultra-low-power, low-voltage Bluetooth LE SoC designed for battery-powered medical devices such as trackers, wearable biosensors, and continuous glucose monitors. The nRF54LV10A is offered in a tiny 2.3×1.9mm CSP package or 6x6mm QFN48 package, and since it operates within 1.2 to 1.7V DC supply, it can be powered directly by a 1.5V silver oxide battery typically found in wearables, including medical and healthcare devices. Nordic nRF54LV10A key features and specifications: CPU Arm Cortex-M33 @ up to 128 MHz with up to 1012 KB NVM and 192 KB SRAM; 123 CoreMark/mA @ 1.5 V, 503 CoreMark RISC-V coprocessor @ 128 MHz Ultra-low-power multiprotocol 2.4 GHz radio Bluetooth 6.0 LE with Channel Sounding support for distance measurement, indoor positioning, or presence detection 802.15.4..4-2020 radio up to 250 kbps Proprietary 2.4 GHz up to 4 Mbps Maximum Tx power – +4 […]

November 27, 2025November 28, 2025 by Debashis Das - 3 Comments

Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 (V4) – An ESP32-S3 off-grid LoRa/Meshtastic communicator with solar input, GNSS, and 28dBm Tx Power

While searching AliExpress, I found the WiFi LoRa 32 (V4) shell set, another ESP32-S3-based off-grid LoRa/Meshtastic communicator designed for long-range wireless applications. Compared to devices like Blackout Comms, Wio Tracker L1 Pro, and ThinkNode M2, this device features built-in solar charging, optional GNSS, a removable battery, and a higher transmit power. The device features a Semtech SX1262 LoRa transceiver, an amplifier delivering up to 28 ± 1 dBm transmit power, along with integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5/Mesh connectivity. It adds solar charging, an 8-pin GNSS connector, upgraded battery management, gold-plated 40-pin headers, and a fully protected 0.96-inch OLED, as well as a few I/Os for expansion. The USB-C port includes ESD and short-circuit protection, while dual IPEX connectors support both LoRa and 2.4 GHz antennas. Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 (V4) specifications: SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core 32-bit microcontroller @ 240MHz Memory – 512KB SRAM, 2MB PSRAM Storage – […]

November 20, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Arduino-programmable environmental and air quality sensor kit features ENS160 and BME280 sensors

Designed by Nova Radio Labs in the US, the Novaduino Environmental Sensor Kit is an Arduino-programmable air quality and weather monitoring solution built around the company’s own Novaduino Display Module. It provides VOCs, eCO₂, temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure data in real time, making it ideal for Smart Home experiments, classroom projects, or hobby weather-station builds. The kit integrates a Sciosense ENS160 air-quality sensor and Bosch BME280 environmental sensor connected via Qwiic, which measures TVOCs, eCO₂, temperature, humidity, and pressure with an on-device AQI indicator. It includes the Novaduino display PCBA, 2.4-inch IPS touchscreen, buttons, rotary encoder, Feather M0 Express or RP2040 module support, headers, mechanical hardware, and optional 3D-printable enclosures (STL/F3D/STP). Designed for learning soldering, assembly, and Arduino programming, the kit is uncalibrated and intended for educational and experimental use only. Novaduino Environmental Sensor Kit specifications: Core Platform – Novaduino 2.4-Inch Display Module Supported development boards – Adafruit Feather and […]