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November 27, 2025November 28, 2025 by Debashis Das - 3 Comments

Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 (V4) – An ESP32-S3 off-grid LoRa/Meshtastic communicator with solar input, GNSS, and 28dBm Tx Power

While searching AliExpress, I found the WiFi LoRa 32 (V4) shell set, another ESP32-S3-based off-grid LoRa/Meshtastic communicator designed for long-range wireless applications. Compared to devices like Blackout Comms, Wio Tracker L1 Pro, and ThinkNode M2, this device features built-in solar charging, optional GNSS, a removable battery, and a higher transmit power. The device features a Semtech SX1262 LoRa transceiver, an amplifier delivering up to 28 ± 1 dBm transmit power, along with integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5/Mesh connectivity. It adds solar charging, an 8-pin GNSS connector, upgraded battery management, gold-plated 40-pin headers, and a fully protected 0.96-inch OLED, as well as a few I/Os for expansion. The USB-C port includes ESD and short-circuit protection, while dual IPEX connectors support both LoRa and 2.4 GHz antennas. Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 (V4) specifications: SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core 32-bit microcontroller @ 240MHz Memory – 512KB SRAM, 2MB PSRAM Storage – […]

September 9, 2025September 9, 2025 by Debashis Das - 16 Comments

QMK-compatible macro keyboard features 0.85-inch LCD keycaps, 2.01-inch display

Waveshare MK10 stream deck like macro keyboard with LCD keycaps

Waveshare has recently released the MK10, a Stream Deck-like macro keyboard featuring ten mechanical keys with 0.85-inch LCD keycaps and a secondary 2.01-inch screen. The macro keyboard also supports AI voice interaction, real-time hardware and weather data integration, and customizable themes with drag-and-drop editing. The company also highlights Home Assistant compatibility for Smart Home control. The device features a dual-system architecture, where an Allwinner T113-S3 dual-core Cortex-A7 processor runs Linux, and a GD32 microcontroller runs QMK firmware, ensuring low-latency mechanical input. The 10 LCD keys can display images or videos with overlay support, and the 2.01-inch screen shows additional status or customization options. The mechanical switches are rated for 50 million presses with a defined actuation force and travel. The device uses an aluminum alloy top case, a hardened 2.5D acrylic lens, and supports two placement methods: flat or at a 40° angle. Waveshare MK10 specifications: Main Controller – Allwinner […]

August 29, 2025August 29, 2025 by Debashis Das - 10 Comments

Sipeed NanoKVM Pro – A 4K IP-KVM with ATX and Desk versions, PiKVM/NanoKVM firmware support

The Sipeed NanoKVM Pro is a compact 4K IP-KVM with PiKVM/NanoKVM firmware support and is designed for BIOS-level remote management of servers and desktop PCs. It is primarily used in data centers, IT administration, and home labs for remote power cycling, system installation, and secure batch management. It comes in two variants, where the desk variant adds user-facing controls similar to the GL.iNet Comet Pro KVM over WiFi solution, and the ATX version is built for internal chassis or rack installation. Both modules come with 4K video capture with HDMI loopout, ultra-low 50–100 ms latency, USB keyboard/mouse emulation, GbE LAN, Wi-Fi 6, optional PoE, and 32GB eMMC storage with 1GB LPDDR4X RAM. Additionally, it features a customizable touchscreen, LED sync strip, multi-node batch management, and even AI-based smart assistant features. These features with NanoKVM & PiKVM support make it suitable for both simple PC use and demanding server environments. Sipeed […]

June 29, 2025July 9, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Pironman 5 Max Review – A fancy Raspberry Pi 5 Tower PC enclosure with dual M.2 PCI sockets for SSD and/or AI accelerator

SunFounder has sent me a review sample of the Pironman 5 Max Tower PC case for the Raspberry Pi 5 SBC. We had already reviewed the Pironman 5 last year, but the new Max model has various improvements, including a sleeker design made of black aluminum and semi-transparent black acrylic panels, a dual NVMe PiP expansion board for two M.2 NVMe SSDs (optionally in RAID 0/1 configuration), or one NVMe SSD and one AI accelerator module, a Tap-to-Wake feature for the OLED information display, and programmable RGB LEDs for the two fans. So the Pironman 5 Max deserves another review of its own. I’ll be doing an unboxing, going through the assembly instructions and software installation, before testing the new features, and finally, the cooling efficiency of the solution. Pironman 5 Max unboxing I received the Pironman 5 Max in its retail package along with a Raspberry Pi AI Kit […]

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

LILYGO MySondy GO LoRa32 board tracks radiosondes (weather balloons) with a 433MHz LoRa module

“LILYGO MySondy GO LoRa32” is a small ESP32-PICO-D4 board with a 433 MHz LoRa module and a 0.96-inch OLED designed to track (RS41) radiosondes, which are units attached to weather balloons used to collect meteorological data like temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure. It looks to be an older TTGO T3 board with a 433 MHz LoRa32 module from the company preloaded with the MySondo firmware that allows hobbyists in the amateur radio and weather enthusiast communities to track weather balloons and potentially recover them. LILYGO MySondy GO LoRa32 specifications: SiP – Espressif Systems ESP32-PICO-D4 system-in-package with ESP32 dual-core Xtensa processor @ 240 MHz, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 dual-mode, 4MB flash LoRa module – LORA32 RF Transceiver – Semtech SX1268 connected over SPI to the ESP32 SiP Frequency – 433 MHz (The T3 board has options for 868 and 915 MHz, which I suspect are not suitable for radiosondes) Tx […]

May 11, 2025July 6, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

ThinkNode M2 ESP32-S3-based Meshtastic handset features 1.3-inch OLED display, 1,000 mAh battery

Elecrow ThinkNode M2 is yet another Meshtastic handset for off-grid messaging and GPS coordinate sharing based on an ESP32-S3 module providing Bluetooth connectivity to a smartphone, and a Semtech SX1262 LoRa transceiver for low-power long-range wireless connectivity. It’s an evolution of the ThinkNode-M1, itself similar to the LILYGO T-Echo, based on a Nordic Semi nRF52840 Bluetooth module and SX1262 LoRa transceiver with an external antenna housed in a 3D printed enclosure. The new ThinkNode M2 is very similar but features a more powerful ESP32-S3 module instead, relies on a 1.3-inch OLED display instead of a 1.54-inch e-paper display, and is housed in an ABS plastic case. ThinkNode M2 specifications: Core module – ESP32-S3 module (looks to be ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 on the photo below) SoC – ESP32-S3 CPU – dual-core 32-bit microcontroller @ 240MHz Memory – 512KB SRAM, 8MB PSRAM Storage – 384KB ROM 4MB flash Wireless – 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth […]

February 23, 2025 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

New Microchip maXTouch M1 automotive touchscreen controllers support curved displays, physical Knob-on-Display technology

Microchip maXTouch M1 Curved Automotive Displays Knob on Display Technology

Microchip Technology’s ATMXT3072M1 and ATMXT2496M1 add to the existing maXTouch M1 automotive touchscreen controllers and are designed for large, curved, free-form displays, including ones using OLED and microLED technologies. These controllers support up to 112 reconfigurable touch channels (or 162 in ultra-wide mode), enabling touch functionality for displays up to 20-inch (16:9 format) or 34-inch (7:1 format) in size. Additionally, they use smart mutual touch acquisition to enhance signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by +15 dB, ensuring reliable touch detection in high-capacitive environments. The controllers also feature integrated Knob-on-Display (KoD) technology for physical control knobs on touchscreens and low-latency haptic feedback for enhanced user interaction. The controls meet ASIL-A and B safety standards and support OTA firmware updates with SHA-512 authentication for cybersecurity compliance (ISO 21434:2021). All these features make these MCUs suitable for user-friendly infotainment and dashboard systems. Microchip ATMXT3072M1 and ATMXT2496M1 specifications Touchscreen channels ATMXT3072M1 – 112 fully configurable sensor […]

December 20, 2024 by Sayantan Nandy - No Comments

T-Keyboard-S3 Pro 4-Key USB mechanical keyboard adds rotary encoder, support for daisy-chaining up to six keyboards

Last year, we featured the T-Keyboard-S3, a USB mechanical keyboard with ESP32-S3, and four mechanical keys each fitted with a 0.85-inch color display. The upgraded T-Keyboard-S3-Pro adds a rotary encoder and four magnetic interfaces on each side controlked by an STM32G030 MCU to daisy-chain the host keyboard with up to 5 slave keyboards in a 3×2 grid. Previously, we featured the ANAVI Macro Pad 12, Macro Pad 10, and Macro Pad 2 programmable keyboards. Feel free to explore those as well. LILYGO T-Keyboard-S3 Pro specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 used in the host model only MCU – ESP32-S3R8 dual-core LX7 microprocessor @ up to 240 MHz with Vector extension for machine learning Memory – 8MB PSRAM Storage – 16MB SPI flash Connectivity – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5 with LE/Mesh PCB antenna Secondary MCU – STMicro STM32G030F6P6 for I2C magnetic connectors CPU – Arm 32-bit Cortex-M0+ CPU, frequency up to […]