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May 7, 2025May 7, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Interrupt – A Linux-based Flipper Zero alternative with WiFi 4, Bluetooth, sub-GHz radios, NFC/RFID reader, IR Tx/Rx (Crowdfunding)

Interrupt Linux-based Flipper Zero Alternative

Interrupt is a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W-based wireless hacking tool that provides a Linux-powered alternative to the popular Flipper Zero with a built-in 3.5-inch touchscreen display and keyboard to easily type commands in the terminal. Besides the WiFI 4 and Bluetooth 4.2 radios from the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, the Interrupt also integrates a Texas Instruments CC1001 Sub-GHz wireless MCU working in the 300 to 928 MHz frequency range, an NFC/RFID reader, and an infrared receiver & receiver. The system also provides access to GPIO pins for expansion. Interrupt specifications: Supported SBC – Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W SiP – Raspberry Pi RP3A0 system-in-package with: SoC – Broadcom BCM2710A1 quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 @ 1GHz (overclockable to 1.2 GHz) with VideoCore IV CPU supporting OpenGL ES 1.1, 2.0 graphics Memory – 512MB LPDDR2 Storage – MicroSD card socket Wireless – 2.4GHz IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth 4.2 with […]

April 3, 2025 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

Batteryless 7.5-inch NFC-powered e-paper display V2 gets new NFC chip and “fast flashing method”

7.5inch NFC Powered e Paper V2 side view

Back in 2020, we wrote about Waveshare’s Batteryless NFC e-paper display, which can work without a battery and draws power and data from an NFC-enabled smartphone or the company’s ST25R3911B NFC board. Waveshare has now released a V2 version of this display with a new and improved NFC chip, a “fast flashing method”, and enhanced contrast. The new batteryless, 7.5-inch NFC-powered e-paper display features an 800×480 resolution and updates via an NFC-enabled smartphone or reader. It offers a 170° viewing angle and comes in a durable ABS plastic shell. The ST25R3911B NFC board allows updates via USB, SD card, or serial port, with an optional password lock. However, precise NFC positioning is required for updates. These features make it ideal for shelf labels, equipment tags, and other applications. Waveshare 7.5-inch NFC e-paper display V2 specifications: 7.5-inch e-paper display 800×480 resolution Display color black and white 170° viewing angle Refresh Time […]

January 29, 2025January 29, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

SuperStationᵒⁿᵉ SoC FPGA-based retro gaming console supports MiSTer emulation platform, PlayStation controllers, CD Drive, and more

Gaming hardware manufacturer Retro Remake has recently launched the SuperStation ONE FPGA-based gaming console designed for retro gaming enthusiasts. The console is built around an Intel Cyclone V SoC FPGA and supports MiSTer FPGA core so users can replicate various retro platforms without modifications. The console has 128MB BGA SDRAM and uses a MicroSD Card and an M.2 SSD slot for storage. It features HDMI (up to 1536p/1440p), VGA, DIN10 for composite/RCA and component video output, along with 3.5mm analog and TOSLINK digital audio outputs. It also has built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, and NFC integration supporting Zaparoo features. Other ports include dual PS1 SNAC ports for PlayStation controllers, three USB Type-A ports, an Ethernet port, and an IO expansion slot. The optional SuperDock adds a CD drive for PlayStation 1 discs, an M.2 SSD slot, and extra USB ports. SuperStation ONE specifications SoC FPGA – Intel/Altera Cyclone V SX (5CSXFC6D6F31I7N) […]

January 24, 2025January 24, 2025 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Waveshare ESL color e-paper displays support Bluetooth & NFC, offer 5-year battery life, cloud management

Waveshare recently launched a series of dot matrix ESL color e-paper displays with Bluetooth and NFC connectivity designed for various IoT, retail, industrial, and similar applications. These Electronic Shelf Label (ESL) displays can be updated through a wireless base station that enables device management using Waveshare’s cloud platform. The displays come with a 1,200mAh coin cell battery which according to Waveshare can last approximately 5 years and support four colors: red, yellow, black, and white. With a wide 178° viewing angle and housed in a durable ABS plastic case, they are ideal for applications such as price tags, shelf labels, asset tracking, and conference name tags. Waveshare ESL color e-paper displays specifications Display technology – E-Paper (Electrophoretic) Display colors – Red, Yellow, Black, White Display sizes – 2.13″, 2.66″, 2.9″, 3.5″ (Dot Matrix) Resolution / Pixel density / Display area 2.13″ – 250 × 122 pixels / 130 DPI / 48.55 × […]

December 4, 2024December 4, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

CapibaraZero firmware enables low-cost Flipper Zero alternatives based on ESP32-S3 hardware

CapibaraZero ESP32-S3 Flipper Zero alternative

CapibaraZero open-source firmware aims to offer a low-cost alternative to Flipper Zero for ESP32-S3-based hardware platforms and soon other gizmos with ESP32 wireless microcontrollers, notably the LilyGO T-Embed CC1101, similar to the original T-Embed with ESP32-S3 WiSoC, but also featuring a Texas Instruments CC1101 Sub-GHz microcontroller and an NXP PN532 NFC/RFID module. The Flipper Zero is a popular portable multi-tool for pentesters and hardware hackers based on STMicro STM32WB55 Bluetooth 5 LE & 802.15.4 wireless microcontroller and a TI CC1101 Sub-Ghz MCU that got involved in controversies such as a ban proposal in Canada last year due to its (dubious) potential use for car theft. Since then we’ve seen several alternatives such as Monstatek M1 (that’s yet to be delivered to backers…) and HackBat open-source hardware with Raspberry Pi RP2040, ESP8266 WiFi module, and the CC1101 RF transceiver. The CapibaraZero firmware offers another way to create your own cheap Flipper […]

November 25, 2024November 25, 2024 by Sayantan Nandy - 3 Comments

nRF54L15 DK: A Development Kit for nRF54L15, nRF54L10, and nRF54L05 SoCs with Bluetooth, Thread, and Zigbee

The nRF54L15 DK is a development kit designed to evaluate the wireless SoCs of the nRF54L15, nRF54L10, and nRF54L05 wireless SoCs. These SoCs support multiple wireless protocols, including Bluetooth Low Energy, Bluetooth Mesh, Matter, Thread, Zigbee, and 2.4GHz proprietary protocols, with data rates of up to 4Mbps. The kit integrates the nRF54L15 SoC and provides emulation capabilities for the nRF54L10 and nRF54L05, enabling flexible testing and development across the nRF54L Series. The nRF54L series SoCs differ in memory configurations to meet various application requirements. The nRF54L15 includes 1.5 MB of non-volatile memory (NVM) and 256 KB of RAM for high-performance applications. The nRF54L10 features 1.0 MB of NVM and 192 KB of RAM for mid-range use cases, while the nRF54L05 offers 0.5 MB of NVM and 96 KB of RAM for entry-level designs requiring fewer resources. The kit is supported by the nRF Connect SDK and tools, providing access to […]

June 6, 2024June 8, 2024 by Debashis Das - 7 Comments

NiCE5340 SoM packs Nordic nRF5340 MCU, Lattice iCE40 FPGA, and 11 sensors into a tiny 29x16mm form factor

Stefano Viola’s NiCE5340 SoM is built around a Nordic Semi nRF5340 Bluetooth SoC, an iCE40 FPGA, 11 sensors, a battery charger, and various other peripherals in a 29×16 mm form factor. The nRF5340 used in the SoM is a low-power, dual-core Arm Cortex-M33 SoC with Bluetooth 5.4, Bluetooth LE (BLE), Thread, Zigbee, and other proprietary protocols. Meanwhile, the Lattice iCE40 FPGA features 3520 logic cells, 80 Kbits of embedded Block RAM, I2C, and SPI blocks, and many other features that make it suitable for applications like environmental monitoring, health tracking, and others. Previously, we have written about Unexpected Maker NANOS3, TinyS3, FeatherS3, and ProS3 boards, and ESP32-S3 4G dev board which all fall under the tiny and compact board category but this is the first time we have seen an MCU board with so many features built into a module of that size. Stefano Viola’s NiCE5340 SoM Specification ICs Nordic […]

May 16, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

HackBat – DIY open-source hardware Flipper Zero alternative features Raspberry Pi RP2040 MCU, ESP8266 WiFi module, RF transceiver…

HackBat DIY open source pentesting device

HackBat is an open-source hardware pen-testing device designed for hackers and makers and equipped with a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller, an ESP8266 WiFi module, a sub-GHz RF transceiver, NFC, an OLED display, and more… It’s basically a DIY alternative to the popular Flipper Zero wireless hacking tool, that you can produce and assemble yourself. The Flipper Zero was the victim of its own success with the Canadian government (wrongly) claiming it could easily be used for car theft and planning to ban it (status still unclear right now), so Flipper Zero alternatives such as the M1 multitool device got some traction as backup solutions with some extra features. But any closed-source device could eventually be banned, something that’s close to impossible for an open-source hardware device like the HackBat although policymakers could still decide to impose heavy fines if they wanted to make this type of device illegal… HackBat key […]