olimex News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

February 17, 2026February 18, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Olimex ESP32-P4-PC board offers HDMI video output, Ethernet, four USB 2.0 ports, and more

Based on an Espressif Systems ESP32-P4NRW32 SoC with a 400 MHz dual-core RISC-V CPU, 768 KB RAM, and 32MB PSRAM, Olimex ESP32-P4-PC is one of the most feature-rich ESP32-P4 boards on the market so far. The open-source hardware board features 16 MB SPI flash, HDMI and MIPI DSI display interfaces, a MIPI CSI camera interface, a 3.5mm audio jack, Fast Ethernet, and four USB 2.0 ports, as well as a UEXT connector and a 20-pin GPIO header for expansion. It takes power from a USB Type-C port, a LiPo battery, or PoE through an add-on board. Olimex ESP32-P4-PC specifications: SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-P4NRW32 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 @ up to 40 MHz Memory 768 KB HP L2MEM (for dual-core CPU), 32 KB LP SRAM, 8 KB TCM (for LP MCU […]

January 24, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

FOSDEM 2026 schedule – Embedded, RISC-V, Robotics, Rust, Open Hardware, and more

FOSDEM 2026 will take place on January 31-February 1, with thousands of developers meeting in Brussels to discuss open-source software & hardware projects. The free-to-attend “Free and Open Source Software Developers’ European Meeting” gets more traction every year, and in 2026, there will be at least 1,113 speakers, 1,016 events, 70 tracks, and potentially close to 10,000 attendees. As usual, I’ll create a virtual schedule with sessions most relevant to the topics covered on CNX Software from the “Embedded, Mobile and Automotive” and “Open Hardware and CAD/CAM” devrooms, but also other devrooms, including “RISC-V”, “Robotics and simulation”, and “FOSS on Mobile”, among others. I’m aware some of the talks overlap by a couple of minutes or so… FOSDEM 2026 Day 1 – Saturday, January 31 10:40 – 11:15 – RISC-V Vector optimisations in FFmpeg by Rémi Denis-Courmont FFmpeg is the most versatile multimedia codec and format support library, and was […]

December 6, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

ESP32-C6-Devkit-Lipo – A small, open-source hardware ESP32-C6 board with battery support, UEXT connector

Olimex ESP32-C6-DevKit-Lipo board is a small open-source hardware board based on the ESP32-C6 WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, and Zigbee/Thread SoC with support for LiPo batteries and UEXT expansion modules. It’s the second announcement from the company this week, and comes after they introduced the MOD-ESP32-C5 to add wireless connectivity to boards equipped with a UEXT connector. The ESP32-C6-DevKit-Lipo adds to the list of small ESP32-C6 USB-C boards, such as the 01Space ESP32-C6 board and Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32C6, among many others. It’s actually larger than most similar boards, but differentiates itself with its open-hardware design, dual USB-C design, breadboard compatibility, LiPo battery circuitry, and a UEXT connector. ESP32-C6-Devkit-Lipo specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-C6-WROOM-1-N4 module Espressif Systems ESP32-C6 SoC CPU – Single-core 32-bit RISC-V processor @ 160 MHz Memory – 512KB SRAM, 16KB low-power SRAM Wireless 2.4 GHz WiFi 6 1T1R with Target Wake Time (TWT) support Bluetooth LE 5.0 […]

December 4, 2025December 5, 2025 by Debashis Das - 6 Comments

Olimex LT8912B-based MIPI-HDMI adapter board adds HDMI output to the ESP32-P4-Devkit board

Olimex MIPI-HDMI adapter board is built around Lontium Semiconductors’ LT8912B MIPI DSI to HDMI bridge chip designed to work with their own ESP32-P4-DevKit. The board outputs up to 1080p60 8-bit HDMI via its LT8912B converter and supports 1–4 MIPI DSI data lanes (80 Mbps to 1.5 Gbps per lane) in continuous-clock mode, outputting HDMI 1.4 video in a compact 60 × 24 mm form factor. These features make it suitable for UI rendering, video streaming, media playback, vision workflows, and HMI applications like digital signage, kiosk systems, and portable multimedia devices. Olimex MIPI-HDMI adapter specifications: Mail Chip – LT8912B Single-Channel MIPI DSI Bridge to LVDS/HDMI/MHL converter MIPI Interface 15-pin FPC connector 1 clock lane + 1 to 4 data lanes D-PHY 1.1 and DSI 1.02 compliant 80 Mbps to 1.5 Gbps per lane supported data rate Continuous-clock mode only HDMI output HDMI Type-A connector HDMI 1.4 transmitter Up to 1080p […]

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

Olimex ESP32-C5-Devkit-Lipo – A dual-band WiFi 6, BLE, and 802.15.4 IoT board with battery support, UEXT connector

Olimex ESP32-C5-Devkit-Lipo is a compact ESP32-C5 board with dual-band WiFi 6, Bluetooth LE, and a 802.15.4 radio for Zigbee, Thread, and Matter connectivity with support for LiPo battery for a charging circuit. It follows the company’s ESP32-C5-EVB board with isolated inputs and relays launched in September 2025, and offers a minimal design with two USB-C ports, a UEXT connector for expansion module, the usual breadboard-compatible GPIO headers, and not much else, which makes it ideal for space-constrained applications and prototyping. Olimex ESP32-C5-Devkit-Lipo specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-C5-WROOM-N8R4 SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-C5 CPU Single-core 32-bit RISC-V processor @ up to 240 MHz Low-power RISC-V core @ 40 MHz acting as the main processor for power-sensitive applications Memory – 384 KB SRAM on-chip, support for external PSRAM Storage – 320 KB ROM, support for external flash Connectivity Dual-band 802.11ax WiFi 6 in the 2.4GHz and 5 GHz bands, with 802.11b/g/n WiFi […]

September 29, 2025November 2, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Olimex RP2350-PICO2 open hardware boards expose all 48 GPIOs for breadboard prototyping

Olimex RP2350 PICO2 BB48 Open Source Development Board

Olimex RP2350-PICO2-BB48 and RP2350-PICO2-BB48R open hardware development boards are built around the Raspberry Pi RP2350B MCU, and expose all 48 GPIOs in a 0.6-inch dual-inline PCB layout. Compared to the earlier PICO2-XL and PICO2-XXL boards, this new board features a breadboard-friendly design with options for PSRAM and microSD on the BB48R version. Other features include USB-C power/data, BOOT and RESET buttons, a 2A 3.3V regulator, UEXT and Qwiic/Stemma connectors, status LED, and debug pads. With pre-soldered headers, it can be plugged directly into a breadboard, making it ideal for DIY projects, IoT, retro computing, and hardware prototyping. Olimex RP2350-PICO2-BB48 and RP2350-PICO2-BB48R specifications: MCU – Raspberry Pi RP2350B CPU Dual-core Arm Cortex-M33 @ 150 MHz with Arm Trustzone, Secure boot OR Dual-core RISC-V Hazard3 @ 150 MHz Either two cores can be used. Memory – 520 KB on-chip SRAM Package – QFN-80 Memory – 8 MB external QSPI PSRAM (only on […]

September 19, 2025September 20, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Olimex ESP32-C5-EVB – A dual-band WiFi 6 IoT board with relays, opto-isolated inputs, LiPo battery support

Olimex ESP32-C5-EVB is an evaluation board built around Espressif’s ESP32-C5-WROOM-N8R4 module with dual-band (2.4/5.0GHz) WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, and 802.15.4 (Zigbee/Thread/Matter) wireless connectivity, 8MB flash, and 4MB PSRAM. The board integrates two relays rated 250V/10A, two opto-isolated inputs, and a LiPo UPS charger and step-up converter. Other features include USB-C ports, a UEXT connector for expansion, and two buttons. It’s one of the first ESP32-C5 boards we’ve seen, after Espressif’s own ESP32-C5-DevKitC-1 development kit, and Wireless Tag’s WT99P4C5-S1 board using the ESP32-C5 as a wireless co-processor to the ESP32-P4 MCU. Olimex ESP32-C5-EVB specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-C5-WROOM-N8R4 SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-C5 CPU Single-core 32-bit RISC-V processor @ up to 240 MHz Low-power RISC-V core @ 40 MHz acting as the main processor for power-sensitive applications Memory – 384 KB SRAM on-chip, support for external PSRAM Storage – 320 KB ROM, support for external flash Connectivity Dual-band 802.11ax WiFi 6 […]

July 1, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Olimex RP2350pc computer board features Raspberry Pi RP2350B MCU, HDMI/DVI video output, 4x USB ports

Olimex has launched an update to its RP2040pc computer board with the RP2350pc board powered by a Raspberry Pi RP2350B MCU coupled with 16MB flash, 8MB PSRAM, and offering HDMI/DVI video output, four USB 2.0 ports, and an audio Codec for retro computer emulation and education. Other changes include a microSD card slot for additional storage and an on-board stereo audio codec and amplifier for Line-in and headphone audio jacks, and left and right speakers. That also means the two buzzers from the RP2040 board are gone. The design is now closer to a proper retro computer board. RP2350pc computer board specifications: Microcontroller – Raspberry Pi RP2350B CPU Dual-core Arm Cortex-M33 @ 150 MHz with Arm Trustzone, Secure boot OR Dual-core RISC-V Hazard3 @ 150 MHz Either two cores can be used. Memory – 520 KB on-chip SRAM Package – QFN-80 Memory – 8MB SPRAM Storage 16MB SPI Flash MicroSD […]