u-blox has recently announced the ALMA-B2 standalone BLE 6.0 and 802.15.4 module family built around the Nordic Semi nRF54LM20 Cortex-M33 wireless microcontroller with a dedicated NPU for low-latency Edge AI applications. There are four specific product variants in the u-blox ALMA-B2 series: ALMA-B201, ALMA-B206, ALMA-B211, and ALMA-B216, all of which support Bluetooth 6.0 and Bluetooth Channel Sounding for distance measurement. They also support IEEE 802.15.4, including Thread, Zigbee, and Matter, as well as Nordic’s proprietary 2.4 GHz protocol and NFC. The company also mentions that the nRF54LM20B-based ALMA-B211 and ALMA-B216 variants include an Axon NPU that performs machine learning tasks up to 15 times faster and with greater energy efficiency than running the same tasks on the main processor alone. u-blox ALMA-B2 Series Specifications: Wireless SoC – Nordic Semiconductor nRF54LM20A (for ALMA-B201 and B206) or nRF54LM20B (for ALMA-B211 and B216) CPU Arm Cortex-M33 application processor clocked at up to 128 MHz RISC-V […]
ESP32-P4 security key features 2-inch touchscreen, 3,000+ password capacity (Crowdfunding)
MiixKeyPro (previously MiixKey) is a compact, offline ESP32-P4-based hardware security key and password manager that securely stores passwords, passkeys, NFC cards, and smart card credentials in a single portable device. It features a 2-inch touchscreen and is designed for users, developers, enterprises, government staff, and cybersecurity professionals who need secure offline credential management without relying on cloud services or smartphone apps. Previously, we wrote about security keys like the YubiKey and Google Titan Security Key, which are great for FIDO2 and U2F login, but they don’t have a display or user interface, so managing passwords or switching credentials usually requires a phone or computer. MiixKeyPro fixes this by adding a touchscreen and allowing the user to manage over 3,000 passwords fully offline. MiixKeyPro specifications: Main SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-P4 CPU Dual-core 32-bit RISC-V HP (High-performance) CPU @ up to 400 MHz with AI instructions extension and single-precision FPU Single-RISC-V LP (Low-power) MCU core @ […]
LILYGO T-Watch Ultra – An IP65-rated ESP32-S3 smartwatch with 2.01-inch AMOLED, LoRa, and GNSS
LILYGO’s T-Watch Ultra is an ESP32-S3-based smartwatch development platform that appears to be an upgrade over the previous T-Watch-S3 Plus (1.3-inch display and a 940mAh battery), with a larger 2.01-inch AMOLED touch display, a higher-capacity 1,100mAh battery, and an IP65 waterproof and dustproof rating. The device integrates a u-blox MIA-M10Q GNSS module for positioning, a SX1262 LoRa transceiver for long-range communication, and a Bosch BHI260AP smart sensor for motion-based AI applications. Additionally, it features an RTC chip, NFC, a built-in microphone, a haptic driver, a microSD card slot, and a USB Type-C port for programming and charging. The watch targets applications such as Meshtastic nodes, GPS tracking, wearable IoT interfaces, edge AI sensing, and custom smartwatch firmware development. LILYGO T-Watch Ultra specifications: SoC – Espressif ESP32-S3R8 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 microcontroller up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration Memory – 512KB SRAM, 8MB PSRAM Wireless – WiFi […]
STMicro ST25DA-C is the first NFC chip with Matter support
ST ST25DA-C is an NFC chip with built-in support for the latest Matter 1.5 protocol, enabling easier installation of smart devices on home networks, including lighting, access control, security cameras, or any IoT device. NFC here is used as an alternative to Bluetooth LE or QR core commissioning. NFC tap-to-pair functionality enables users to tap an NFC tag code on a device with their smartphone to securely and easily add it to their Matter-compatible app(s) and network(s). Besides batteryless commissioning, the ST25DA-C chip can also be used for firmware updates over I2C (Matter OTA), and secure storage for keys & certificates. ST25DA-C secure NFC tag specifications: Contact interface 1.62 V to 3.3 V supply voltage range ESD protection Human body model (HBM): 6 kV for digital and antenna pads Charge device model (CDM): 1 kV based on a STMicroelectronics module I2C serial interface up to 400 kHz Contactless interface Power […]
nRF54L15 Connect Kit – A compact Bluetooth 6.0 LE, 802.15.4, and NFC development board
MakerDiary nRF54L15 Connect Kit is a compact Nordic Semi nRF54L15 development board offering Bluetooth 6.0 LE, 802.15.4 (Zigbee/Thread), and NFC connectivity as well as two 20-pin headers for expansion. It has the same form factor as the earlier nRF9151 Connect Kit board with LTE-M, NB-IoT, and GNSS connectivity, and still features an nRF52820 MCU connected over UART to the nRF54L15 to handle programming and debugging through the board’s USB-C port, as well as power management, and a button and a few LEDs. nRF54L15 Connect Kit specifications: Wireless MCU – Nordic Semi nRF54L15 wireless SoC CPU Arm Cortex-M33 @ up to 128 MHz RISC-V coprocessor for “software-defined peripheral” Memory – 256 KB SRAM Storage – 1.5MB Non-volatile Memory (NVM) Wireless Bluetooth LE 6.0 (includes Channel Sounding) Thread, Zigbee (IEEE 802.15.4-2020) Matter Amazon Sidewalk Proprietary 2.4 GHz protocols with a new 4 Mbps mode NFC support Interface MCU – Nordic Semi nRF52820 […]
Avalue VNS-10WAD – A 10.1-inch slim, fanless Intel N50 touch panel PC with antibacterial housing
Avalue VNS-10WAD is a 10.1-inch, 1280×800 slim fanless touch panel PC powered by an Intel N50 CPU, which looks very similar to the BCM OFT10W-ADLN panel PCs. Both feature the same dual-core Alder Lake-N processor and a 10.1-inch touchscreen display, but the new VNS-10WAD comes with an antibacterial housing instead of an open-frame design, NFC support, and a 2MP camera. It also features 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and 64GB eMMC storage. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 6, optional Bluetooth 5.2, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, and RS232/RS422/RS485. The device has an operating temperature range of 0–40°C, supports 12–24V DC input, and comes with PoE+ (802.3at) support for power over Ethernet. Avalue VNS-10WAD specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N50 dual-core processor up to 3.4 GHz with 6MB cache, 16EU Intel UHD Graphics; TDP: 6W System Memory – Up to 8GB LPDDR5 onboard Storage 64GB eMMC onboard MicroSD card slot Display 10.1-inch LCD, 1280×800 resolution, LED backlight, […]
NFC Release 15 quadruples the range to 2cm for faster, more reliable contactless interactions
The NFC Forum has just announced NFC Release 15 that quadruples NFC range from 0.5cm to 2cm and enables faster, more reliable contactless interactions for wireless charging, kitchen appliances, wearables, and digital keys. The extended NFC range, also known as the operating volume, may make some people laugh since it’s only 2 cm we are talking about, but it has practical applications, as NFC contactless interactions will start sooner and require less precise device alignment. The NFC Release 15 also focuses on the NFC Digital Product Passport Standard to provide a data-agnostic framework allowing a single NFC tag to store and transmit both standard and extended DPP data using common NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF) records. I wish I could explain how the extended NFC range and DPP standard are implemented in the new release, but I can’t because the technical specifications are only available for download to NFC Forum […]
Interrupt – A Linux-based Flipper Zero alternative with WiFi 4, Bluetooth, sub-GHz radios, NFC/RFID reader, IR Tx/Rx (Crowdfunding)
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 […]







