BeagleBoard.org Foundation’s BeagleConnect Zepto “$1 computer” is an upcoming open-source hardware board powered by Texas Instruments MSPM0L117 Cortex-M0+ MCU, part of the MSPM0 family introduced in 2023. It’s a tiny board with mikroBus-compatible headers, a TAG-CONNECT JTAG connector, two Qwiic connectors for expansion (or one Qwiic connector + USB-C depending on the variant), Boot and Reset buttons, and an RGB LED. BeagleConnect Zepto specifications: MCU – Texas Instruments MSPM0L117 CPU – 32MHz Arm Cortex-M0+ core Memory – 16KB SRAM Storage – 128KB dual-bank flash Package – QFN32 (5×5 mm) USB – Optional USB-C port for power (multiplexed with one of the Qwicc JST connectors) Expansion mikroBUS headers supporting a choice of about 2,000 ClickE add-on boards; one of the sides is compatible with some Raspberry Pi HATs (note limited to 12 pins) Up to 2x Qwicc connectors with full Grove function: I2C, UART, ADC, GPIO Debugging – 8-pin TAG-CONNECT JTAG […]
Telink TL3228 – Low-power, low-latency dual-core RISC-V wireless MCU supports Bluetooth 6.0, 802.15.4, and 2.4 GHz proprietary
Telink has launched the TL322x wireless MCU family, starting with the TL3228, featuring a 192 MHz dual-core RISC-V MCU, and supporting Bluetooth 6.0, Matter, Thread, Zigbee, RF4CE, and proprietary 2.4GHz protocols for Smart Home, asset tracking, “8K” gaming accessories, and more The chip supports the recent Bluetooth features such as Channel Sounding, AoA/AoD, and LE Audio, as well as the company’s proprietary HDT technology delivering up to 6 Mbps data rate and ultra-low latency. Telink TL3228 specifications: Dual-core CPU 32-bit Andes D25F RISC-V core with FPU up to 192 MHz 32-bit Andes N22 RISC-V core Memory – 384 KB SRAM Storage – 2.5 MB of NVM (Flash + RRAM) Connectivity Bluetooth 6.0 Channel Sounding Mesh Networking Bluetooth LE AoA/AoD location services 802.15.4 radio for Zigbee, Thread, Matter, RF4CE 2.4GHz Proprietary 2.4GHz radio data rates – 1Mbps, 2Mbps, 4Mbps, 6Mbps; Bluetooth LE PHY: LE 2M, LE Coded Bluetooth LE Multiple Connections – 4x […]
Renesas RA6W1/RA6W2 Cortex-M33 wireless MCUs offer dual-band Wi-Fi 6, BLE, Matter, 15-year availability
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 […]
AMD Spartan UltraScale+ SU35P FPGA evaluation kit supports Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Mikrobus, and Pmod expansion
AMD’s SCU35 Evaluation Kit is an affordable ($229) development board powered by the AMD Spartan UltraScale+ SU35P FPGA device, which targets low-power industrial, medical, and data center applications requiring I/O expansion and board management capabilities. Designed for headless applications, the board features a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet port and a USB-C port for power, as well as plenty of headers and connectors compatible with off-the-shelf expansion boards or modules, including Arduino UNO headers, two 40-pin Raspberry Pi GPIO headers, two Mikrobus headers, four Pmod connectors, and an HSIO board-to-board connector. AMD SCU35 evaluation kit specifications: FPGA – AMD Spartan Ultrascale+ SU35P (XCSU35P-2SBVB625E) 36K Logic Cells 304 Max Total I/O• Board Management Controller Memory – 1.93 Mb on-chip memory Memory – 64 Mbit HyperRAM Storage 128 Mbit QSPI flash 64 Kbit EEPROM Networking – 10/100Mbps Ethernet RJ45 port Sensor – 3-axis linear accelerometer Expansion Arduino UNO headers 2x 40-pin Raspberry Pi […]
Nuvoton NuMicro M55M1 low-power Arm Cortex-M55 MCU enables on-device AI with Ethos-U55 NPU
Nuvoton’s NuMicro M55M1 is a low-power AI MCU that combines a 220 MHz Arm Cortex-M55 CPU with a 111 GOPS Ethos-U55 NPU to run basic AI tasks on-device. It specifically targets small IoT and embedded devices that need low-power voice, audio, or simple image processing. The chip embeds 1.5 MB RAM, 2 MB flash, and supports external OctoSPI/HyperRAM memory. Connectivity options include Ethernet, USB-OTG, CAN-FD, I3C/I2C/SPI, SDIO, and an 8-bit camera interface, along with ADCs, DACs, comparators, PWM, and multiple low-power modes. It’s built for secure IoT applications with Arm TrustZone, secure boot, AES, and PSA Level 2 certification. Typical uses include voice triggers, smart sensors, simple vision nodes, small appliances, and industrial monitoring devices. Nuvoton NuMicro M55M1 specifications: CPU Core – 220 MHz Arm Cortex-M55 core Architecture – Armv8.1-M with Helium M-Profile Vector Extension (MVE) Arm TrustZone Technology DSP extensions Hardware Floating-point Unit (FPU), double-precision Cache – 16KB I-Cache […]
Microchip PIC32-BZ6 BLE 6.0, Thread, and Matter wireless MCU integrates touch and motor control
Microchip has recently introduced the PIC32-BZ6 family of single-chip, multiprotocol wireless MCUs, also available as RF-certified modules, and designed for smart home, industrial automation, and automotive applications. The module supports Bluetooth LE 6.0, IEEE 802.15.4-based Thread and Matter, and proprietary mesh protocols. For wired connectivity, there are two CAN-FD ports, a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet MAC, and a USB 2.0 full-speed transceiver. Other features include CVD-based touch sensing and motor control interfaces for interactive and real-time applications. As a secure MCU, the PIC32-BZ6 integrates a hardware-based security engine, a secure boot ROM, and encryption accelerators, along with OTA update capability for long-term device management. The microcontroller offers up to 54 GPIO pins, multiple pin and package options (up to 132-pin VQFN), and automotive-grade variants rated for -40°C to +125°C operation. Microchip PIC32-BZ6 specifications: MCU Core – 128 MHz Arm Cortex-M4F with FPU and DSP extensions Memory 512 KB multi-port SRAM (with […]
1GHz Renesas RA8D2 and RA8M2 Cortex-M85 MCUs feature up to 1MB MRAM, 2MB SRAM
After introducing the 1 GHz RA8T2 MCU earlier this month, Renesas has recently expanded its RA8 lineup with the RA8D2 and RA8M2 groups of MCUs, where the RA8D2 is designed for graphics, HMI, and AI applications with support for display, camera, and audio interfaces, while the RA8M2 targets general-purpose, high-performance IoT and industrial control systems with networking and compute capabilities. Both MCU groups deliver a performance of up to 7,300 Coremarks, offer up to 1MB of MRAM and 2MB of SRAM, and support SiP options with up to 8MB flash. The RA8D2 adds HMI capabilities, including a 1280×800 graphics LCD controller, a 2D drawing engine, MIPI DSI and CSI-2 interfaces, and audio input support for voice and vision AI. Common features include dual Gigabit Ethernet with TSN, USB 2.0, CAN FD, I3C, and various analog peripherals. Integrated RSIP-E50D security, Helium acceleration for DSP/ML with various software support. Renesas RA8D2 and […]
Banana Pi BPI-R4 Lite – A mid-range MediaTek Filogic 850 2.5GbE router board with WiFi 7 and 5G support
Banana Pi BPI-R4 Lite is a mid-range 2.5GbE router board based on MediaTek Filogic 850 (MT7987AV) quad-core Cortex-A53 network processor, coupled with 2GB DDR4 and 8GB eMMC flash, and equipped with four gigabit Ethernet ports, a 2.5GbE RJ45 WAN port, and a 2.5GbE SFP cage. It’s a cost-down version of the Banana Pi BPI-R4 router board powered by a Filogic 880 quad-core Cortex-A73 SoC with 10GbE support. It still supports WiFi 7 through the BPI-R4-NIC-BE14 dual mini PCIe WiFi 7 module and 4G LTE and 5G connectivity through an M.2 Key-B socket and three NanoSIM card slots. Banana Pi BPI-R4 Lite specifications: SoC – MediaTek MT7987AV (Filogic 850) quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor @ 2.0 GHz with Network Processing Unit (NPU) capable of up to 7.5Gbps packet processing System Memory – 2GB DDR4 (SoC supports up to 4GB) Storage – 8GB eMMC flash, microSD card Networking 2.5GbE WAN port 2.5GbE SFP […]
