low power News - Page 2 of 56 - CNX Software

November 12, 2025November 14, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

WisMesh Tag – A thin, IP66-rated Meshtastic GPS tracker for outdoor use

RAKwireless WisMesh Tag is a thin and rugged Meshtastic GPS LoRa tracker designed for off-grid location tracking and messaging. The 7.5mm thick device is pre-flashed with Meshtastic, dust and waterproof (IP66-rated), and powered by a 1,000mAh battery. Internally, it is built around a Nordic Semi nRF52840 wireless SoC and a Semtech SX1262 LoRa transceiver. Contrary to most DIY trackers, the device is fully certified (FCC and CE), so users across Europe and North America can deploy it for personal or professional use. WisMesh Tag specifications: SoC – Nordic Semiconductor nRF52840 CPU – 32-bit Arm Cortex-M4F microcontroller @ 64 MHz Memory – 256 KB RAM Storage – 1 MB flash Wireless – Bluetooth 5, Thread, ANT, Bluetooth Mesh, 802.15.4 (Zigbee), 2.4 GHz proprietary LoRa – Semtech SX1262 RF transceiver GNSS – AT6558R GNSS module Misc Built-in LoRa, BLE, and GPS antennas Reset/Bootloader button User Button for alarms, alerts, or future customization […]

November 12, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Olimex ESP32-C5-Devkit-Lipo – A dual-band WiFi 6, BLE, and 802.15.4 IoT board with battery support, UEXT connector

Olimex ESP32-C5-Devkit-Lipo is a compact ESP32-C5 board with dual-band WiFi 6, Bluetooth LE, and a 802.15.4 radio for Zigbee, Thread, and Matter connectivity with support for LiPo battery for a charging circuit. It follows the company’s ESP32-C5-EVB board with isolated inputs and relays launched in September 2025, and offers a minimal design with two USB-C ports, a UEXT connector for expansion module, the usual breadboard-compatible GPIO headers, and not much else, which makes it ideal for space-constrained applications and prototyping. Olimex ESP32-C5-Devkit-Lipo specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-C5-WROOM-N8R4 SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-C5 CPU Single-core 32-bit RISC-V processor @ up to 240 MHz Low-power RISC-V core @ 40 MHz acting as the main processor for power-sensitive applications Memory – 384 KB SRAM on-chip, support for external PSRAM Storage – 320 KB ROM, support for external flash Connectivity Dual-band 802.11ax WiFi 6 in the 2.4GHz and 5 GHz bands, with 802.11b/g/n WiFi […]

November 3, 2025November 3, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

This battery-powered NB-IoT/LTE-M industrial data logger is designed to run for years

IP67 Battery Powered NB IoT Cellular Data Logger

NORVI EC-M12-BC-C6-C-A (or EC-M12 for shorts) is a battery-powered cellular IoT industrial data logger offering NB-IoT and LTE-M connectivity, 2G fallback, two 4-20mA sensor inputs, an RS485 interface, and two 3.6V/19,000mAh non-rechargeable Lithium batteries for up to 5-7 years of operation. The IP67-rated data logger is built around a low-power STM32L072 Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller, and features a SIM7070 cellular IoT modem, a microSD card slot for data storage, and a single 8-pin M8 connector carrying analog input and RS485 signals. NORVI EC-M12-BC-C6-C-A specifications: Microcontroller – STMicro STM32L072 Arm Cortex-M0+ MCU clocked at up to 32 MHz with 20 KB of RAM, 192 KB flash with ECC, and 6 KB of data EEPROM with ECC Storage – MicroSD card slot up to 128GB Wireless Connectivity Multi-band 2G, Cat-M1, Cat-NB1 (NB-IoT) via SIMCom SIM7070 module Optional LoRaWAN support RP-SMA male antenna connector Sensor interface via 8-pin M8 female connector 2x analog Inputs […]

October 24, 2025October 23, 2025 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

u-blox MAX-M10N GNSS module supports Low Energy Accurate Positioning (LEAP) mode, firmware upgrades

u blox UBX M10150 KB chip and the MAX M10N module

Following the launch of the UBX-M10150-CC low-power GNSS module, u-blox has expanded its lineup with the MAX-M10N, another ultra-low-power module based on the UBX-M10150-KB GNSS chip. The new module supports firmware upgradeability and offers up to 50% lower power consumption thanks to features such as Low Energy Accurate Positioning (LEAP) and PSMCT cyclic tracking modes. The latest SPG 5.30 firmware also adds support for RTCM correction input for sub-meter positioning accuracy, along with improved spoofing and jamming detection. It also includes data logging and geo-fencing for autonomous tracking and uses AssistNow Predictive and Live Orbits for faster satellite acquisition. The MAX-M10N integrates an LNA and dual SAW filters for better RF sensitivity and interference protection, while maintaining pin compatibility with earlier MAX modules. These features make it suitable for low-power, high-accuracy applications such as wearables, asset tracking, and battery-powered IoT devices. u-blox MAX-M10N GNSS module specifications: Receiver type – u-blox M10 […]

October 21, 2025October 20, 2025 by Debashis Das - 3 Comments

Upbeat introduces UP201 and UP301 ultra-low power RISC-V MCUs with always-on AI processing

Upbeat UP201 and UP301 Series AI MCUs No BG

Upbeat Technology, in collaboration with SiFive, has introduced UP201 and UP301 always-on AI MCUs for ultra-low-power AI and IoT applications such as wearables, drones, and sensor-based systems. The UP201 is designed for compact, battery-driven devices such as smartwatches, hearing aids, and IoT sensor nodes, whereas the UP301 targets AI and vision-based applications for more complex edge systems such as smart glasses, robotics, and industrial AI equipment. Both chips feature a dual-core RISC-V architecture. The SiFive E21 lightweight core is Always-On (AON), managing continuous low-power sensing, whereas the SiFive E34 performance core activates for higher workloads. The MCUs also integrate a 2.5D GPU and various I/O options. UP201 and UP301 MCU specifications: CPU cores (SiFive Essential RISC-V IP cores) E21 core in Always-On (AON) domain for continuous low-power sensing E34 performance core in the Non-AON domain for higher workloads Up to 400 MHz operating frequency Up to 717 DMIPS performance Near-threshold […]

October 17, 2025October 16, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Google’s open-source, RISC-V-based Coral NPU is integrated into Synaptics SL2610 Edge AI SoCs

Google has very recently introduced Coral NPU full-stack, open-source RISC-V-based platform for always-on AI on low-power edge devices and wearables. The first chip to integrate the Coral NPU is the upcoming Synaptics Astra SL2610 family. Google Coral NPU The Coral NPU aims to address the software fragmentation on entry-level AI accelerators that makes them difficult to program. By releasing an open-source NPU and associated source code, Google hopes its design will be adopted by silicon vendors, reduce software fragmentation over time, and help machine learning (ML) developers bring products to market faster. Building on the works on the Coral platform, the new, open-source Coral NPU is comprised of three main components: A scalar core – A lightweight, C-programmable RISC-V core that manages data flow to the back-end cores. It uses a simple “run-to-completion” model for ultra-low power consumption and traditional CPU functions. A vector execution unit – A single instruction […]

October 10, 2025October 10, 2025 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

FoBE IDEA Mesh Tracker C1 – An nRF52840-based LoRa GPS tracker with sensors, OLED, knob, and more

Designed by FoBE Studio in China, the FoBE IDEA Mesh Tracker C1 is a LoRa-powered off-grid communication device designed for outdoor GPS tracking, sensor data exchange, and mesh networking in remote environments. Built around the Nordic nRF52840 MCU, it integrates LoRa, GPS, BLE, and motion sensors, making it suitable for location tracking, environmental monitoring, and off-grid communication projects. The device integrates a GPS module, LoRa transceiver, 0.96-inch OLED display, buzzer, a 3-axis accelerometer, and a 3-axis gyroscope. Other ports include a USB-C port, reserved SWDIO/SWCLK headers, an 8-pin GPIO expansion header, and dual IPEX connectors for LoRa and GPS antennas. There is also a rotary encoder and two user buttons, and two indicator LEDs for controls and status feedback. Power input is provided via a 2-pin MX1.25 battery interface for portable, battery-powered outdoor IoT applications. FoBE IDEA Mesh Tracker C1 specifications: SoC – Nordic Semiconductor nRF52840 CPU – 32-bit Arm Cortex-M4F […]

September 26, 2025September 26, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Nordic nRF54LM20A Cortex-M33 wireless MCU doubles the SRAM to 512 KB, increases flash capacity

Nordic Semiconductor nRF54LM20A Low Power Matter Bluetooth MCU

Nordic Semi’s nRF54LM20A is a new Cortex-M33-based high-memory wireless MCU part of the nRF54L Series with double the SRAM and higher flash capacity compared ot the nRF54L15. It targets consumer, industrial, healthcare, and smart home applications, and is especially suitable for HID peripherals and gaming devices. The SoC integrates a 128 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 core with a RISC-V coprocessor, 2 MB NVM, and 512 KB RAM, alongside up to 66 GPIOs, high-speed USB, and Nordic’s fourth-generation ultra-low-power 2.4 GHz radio supporting Bluetooth LE, Thread, Zigbee, Channel Sounding, and Matter. It offers twice the processing power, three times the efficiency, and up to 50% lower power consumption than the nRF52 Series. nRF54LM20A key specifications and comparison with other nRF54 Series SoCs: The nRF54LM20A comes in two packages: a CSP98 (3.9 x 3.7 mm) package for compact designs with 66 GPIOs, and a QFN52 (6 x 6 mm) package with 35 GPIO […]