RELOC RM-BE1 Bluetooth 5.0 module with embedded energy harvesting capabilities for batteryless sensors adds to the list of energy harvesting news we’ve written about since the beginning of the year, with UEI chip for remote controls, a devkit with a smart coffee cup, and Atmosic ATM33 BLE 5.3 chip. The RM-BE1 module is powered by Renesas RE01B Arm Cortex-M0+ Bluetooth microcontroller that leverages Renesas’ SOTB (Silicon on Thin Buried Oxide) process technology enabling ultra-low power. We’ve been told the chip can run at 35uA/Mhz with internal LDOs and <20uA/Mhz with additional external DCDCs, as well as around 600nA in standby mode. RELOC RM-BE1 module key features and specifications: MCU – Renesas RE01B Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller @ 64 MHz with 1.5MB flash, 256KB SRAM Connectivity Bluetooth LE 5.0 with Long Range (up to 400 m) and high data throughput (2 Mbps) support RF output power – Up to +4 dBm Receiver […]
COM Express Type 10 Tiger Lake UP3 module targets embedded mobile applications
AAEON NanoCOM-TGU is a COM Express Type 10 module powered by the 11th generation Intel Tiger Lake UP3 designed for embedded mobile applications, potentially leveraging AI and Deep Learning acceleration engines from the processor with use cases ranging from telematics, Smart Cities, and industrial automation. The NanoCOM-TGU supports up to 16GB LPDDR4x memory with in-band ECC, up to 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD, and offers two SATA 3.0 interfaces, 2.5GbE networking, DDI and eDP video outputs, as well as ten USB ports and four PCI Express x1 interfaces. NanoCOM-TGU specifications: SoC – Intel Tiger Lake UP3 “E” or “GRE” processor with Intel UHD Graphics from Celeron 6305E up to Core i7-1185G7E/1185GRE @ 1.8 GHz /4.4 GHz; 15W TDP System Memory – Up to 16GB onboard LPDDR4x-4266 memory in-band ECC supported by SoC Storage – Up to 256GB onboard NVMe SSD Networking – Intel i225-LM 2.5GbE controller COM Express Type 10 […]
$1.8 XT-ZB1 Zigbee & BLE devkit features BL702 RISC-V module
Bouffalo Labs BL702 is a 32-bit RISC-V microcontroller with a 2.4 GHz radio for Zigbee 3.0 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE connectivity that we first found in the Sipeed RV-Debugger Plus UART & JTAG debug board that did not make use of the radio at all. But a BL702 development kit was brought to my attention, with the XT-ZB1 devkit equipped with a Zigbee & BLE module of the same name, and sold for just $1.80 per unit on Aliexpress. Shipping adds $4.63 where I live, but they also offer packs of 5 or 10 with the same shipping fee, meaning if you buy 10 the total cost should be around $22 including shipping, or around $2.2 per board. Alternatively, the module alone goes for $1. XT-ZB1 devkit specifications: XT-ZB1 wireless module with MCU – BL702C 32-bit RISC-V microcontroller @ 144 MHz with FPU, 132KB RAM, 192KB ROM, 1Kbit eFuse Storage […]
Tiny, high-precision GPS modules target UAV’s, wearables (Sponsored)
With the rapid development of the Internet of Things, positioning requirements are getting more strict notably with the need for higher precision and smaller GNSS modules. If you are looking for compact GPS modules that support a variety of satellite navigation systems, including China’s Beidou satellite navigation system BDS, the United States’ GPS, and Russia’s GLONASS with low power consumption (3.3V, 30mA), you may consider Ai-Thinker’s GP-01 and GP-02 GPS modules offering the smallest size. The GP-01 module has a total of 24 interfaces with five GPIO pins, while the GP-02 module has a total of 18 interfaces with three GPIO pins. These two modules are also available in development boards for ease of evaluation and development. Both are cheap, reliable, and based on the state of the art technologies. Thanks to its small size of only 10.3 x 9.9 x 2.4 mm, the GP-02 module can be easily embedded […]
Ai Thinker enters the NB-IoT LPWAN market with EC-01 modules (Sponsored)
As we all know, 2G and 3G cellular networks are gradually being sunset, and NB-IoT has been formally incorporated into 3GPP standards. The LPWAN industry has ushered in new development opportunities for the Internet of Things market. Ai-Thinker has recently released three NB-IoT series modules: EC-01/EC-01F/EC-01G. The NB-IoT series modules are equipped with the EC616S chip platform, which is an ultra-low-cost, ultra-low power, ultra-high integration NB-IoT SOC chip, fully supporting the 3GPP R13/R14 NB-IoT standards with up to 159 kbps uplink. What are the benefits of the new modules? Better signal, more spectrum Better performance (equipped with EC616S) Ultra-low power consumption, stable and reliable connectivity I/O expansion, feature-rich module Check out the comparison table between AI Thinker NB-IoT modules part of the EC-01 family below. Ai-Thinker NB-IoT series modules adopt an SMD package that is convenient for mass production at the factory, and can use AOI to do the SMT […]
Eigencomm EC616/EC616S SoC supports Cat-NB2 cellular IoT
Eigencomm EC616/EC616S are Cortex-M3 microcontrollers supporting the 3GPP R13/R14 NB-IoT standard, with 3GPP R14 notably introducing the newer LTE Cat-NB2 standard allowing higher bitrates up to 127 kbps downlink, and up to 159 kbps uplink, and OTDOA and E-CID positioning methods. Both EC616 and EC616S are virtually identical, but the EC616S comes with fewer GPIOs and is designed for the lowest possible BoM cost for modules as small as 10×10 mm. Both target similar IoT applications such as wireless meter reading, smoke detection, smart street lights, smart logistics, asset tracking, smart fire monitoring, smart parking, smart home, wearable devices, industry 4.0, smart agriculture, and others. Eigencomm EC616/EC616S specifications: MCU core – Arm Cortex-M3 @ up to 204 MHz Frequency band – 663 MHz to 2200 MHz Protocol version – 3GPP R13/R14 Built-in PA output power – 23dBm Receiver sensitivity – EC616: -118 dBm, EC616S: -117 dBm Peripherals EC616 – 2x […]
RAK introduces Raspberry Pi RP2040 based LoRaWAN core, more Wisblock modules
RAKwireless has just launched the RAK11310 WisBlock LPWAN Module with Raspberry Pi RP2040 MCU and LoRaWAN connectivity, as announced after launching 14 new WisBlock modules for IoT prototyping last July. The RAK11310 module was introduced as part of the “Just Track It RAK Autumn Launch 2021” event together with the smallest WisBlock Base Board so far, as well as 11 new Wisblock modules which bring the total to 47 modules. RAK11310 – Raspberry Pi RP2040, LoRaWAN connectivity RAK11310 specifications: RAK11300 WisDuo LPWAN Module MCU – Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Cortex-M0+ microcontroller @ 133MHz with 246 kB RAM LoRa connectivity SX1262 LoRa transceiver Worldwide frequency coverage RAK11310L – EU433, CN470 RAK11310 – EU868, US915, AU915, KR920, AS923, IN865, RU865 LoRaWAN 1.0.2 protocol stack (supports Class A & C) I/O ports – UART, I2C, GPIO, USB through a “Wisconnector” Debugging – Serial Wire Debug (SWD) interface Supply Voltage – 2.0 V ~ […]
LILYGO T-32C3 – A small ESP32-C3 WiFi & BLE IoT module with 4MB flash
We’re slowly starting to see more hardware-based on ESP32-C3 RISC-V processor, and LILYGO T-32C3 is a compact module based on the WiFi & Bluetooth LE processor that includes 4MB flash and a PCB antenna. I’d expect T-32C3 to be eventually found in the company’s smartwatches and development boards, and it joins other ESP32-C3 modules from AI Thinker. LILYGO T-32C3 module specifications: SoC – Espressif ESP32-C3 RISC-V processor @ 160 MHz with 400 KB SRAM, 384 KB ROM, 8KB RTC SRAM, 2.4 GHz WiFi 4, Bluetooth 5.0 LE & Mesh Storage – 4MB flash On-board PCB antenna I/Os – 22x castellated holes with GPIO, 3x ADC, SPI, UART, I2C, Boot, Reset, 5V, 3.3V, GND Dimensions – 23 x 11 x 3.5 mm (4-layer PCB) Note the USB interface is not listed in the specs, but USB DN and DP signals are located on GPIO18 and GPIO19 so USB should also be […]