open source News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

July 11, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Hugging Face’s Reachy Mini is an open-source AI robot for your computer or Raspberry Pi 5

Better known for its artificial intelligence software solutions, Hugging Face has now introduced the Reachy Mini open-source desktop robot, designed to deploy AI applications that interface with the physical world. The robot comes with a camera, microphones, and a speaker, and can move its 6 DoF (degrees of freedom) head, rotate its body, or wave its antennas. Two versions are available: The Reachy Mini Lite designed for computers running Mac, Linux, and soon Windows, and the Reachy Mini autonomous robot, powered by a Raspberry Pi 5, adding wireless connectivity, a few more microphones, an accelerometer, and battery support. Both models share most of the same specifications: The Reachy Mini is programmable in Python for now, but JavaScript and Scratch will soon be supported too. We’re also told that over 15 robot behaviors will be provided at launch on the Hugging Face hub, so users will be able to get started […]

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 […]

June 28, 2025June 28, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

AnyShake Explorer – An affordable, open-source hardware seismic monitoring system (Crowdfunding)

AnyShake Explorer is a relatively affordable, open-source hardware seismic monitoring system that offers an alternative to the Raspberry Shake earthquake monitoring solutions. The device supports up to three 3-axis geophones and integrates a 3-axis accelerometer and a 32-bit ADC for measurements. You just need to connect it to a host like a laptop or an SBC such as a Raspberry Pi, an Orange Pi, a Radxa ROCK, or a NanoPi over a USB to RS232 cable to get started. Anyshake Explorer specifications and key features: MCU – STMicro STM32F103CBTx Arm Cortex-M3 microcontroller Sensors Geophone 3-axis 4.5 Hz velocity geophone (100 V/m/s sensitivity) Three geophone inputs Capture through a high-resolution 32-bit ADC IMU – 16-bit 3-axis accelerometer (±2 g full scale) Data acquisition Modes – Accelerometer-only mode, geophone-only mode, and simultaneous sampling (6 channels) Sampling rates – 50/100/200/250 SPS Networking – SeedLink protocol support, TCP raw data forwarding Host interface 2x RS-232 […]

June 27, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Improved HackRF Pro open-source SDR platform supports 100 kHz to 6 GHz operating frequency

HackRF Pro is an update to the HackRF (One) open-source SDR platform first launched by Michael Ossmann from the Great Scott Gadgets through a Kickstarter campaign in 2013 that attracted close to 2,000 backers at the time, and is still popular since then. Compared to the HackRF One, the HackRF Pro has a wider 100 kHz to 6 GHz operating frequency, features more RAM and flash memory, supports 16-bit samples for low sample rates, eliminates the DC spike, improves RF performance with a flatter frequency response, has been designed with better power management, and implements other small changes such as switching to a modem USB-C port. HackRF Pro specifications (preliminary): MCU – NXP LCP43xx dual-core Arm Cortex M4/M0 microcontroller Logic – Power-efficient FPGA (instead of Xilinx CPLD) Frequency Range – 100 kHz to 6 GHz operating frequency Tunable from 0 Hz to 7.1 GHz Transceiver – Half-duplex Sampling rates – […]

June 26, 2025June 26, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

Fairphone (Gen. 6) is a sustainable, repairable 6.31-inch Android 15 smartphone with Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 SoC

The Fairphone (Gen. 6) is a 6.31-inch Android 15 smartphone powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 SoC designed to be sustainable and repairable with eight years of software updates, a 5-year warranty, a modular design, and the use of recycled materials. The Fairphone (Gen. 6) – not sure why it was not just called Fairphone 6 – offers mid-range features with an octa-core processor, 8GB RAM, 256GB UFS and microSD card storage, a 6.31-inch touch screen display, two rear cameras, a front-facing camera, 5G, WiFi 6, and Bluetooth 5.4 LE connectivity, as well as support for NFC for payment, and a USB-C port for charging and expansion. Fairphone (Gen.6) specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 Mobile Platform CPU – Octa-core Kryo CPU with 1x Prime core @ 2.5 GHz, 3x Performance cores @ 2.4 GHz, 4x Efficient cores @ up to 1.8 GHz GPU – Adreno […]

June 24, 2025June 24, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

ESPHome 2025.6.0 adds ESP32-P4 and OpenThread support

The ESPHome 2025.6.0 open-source firmware was released on June 18, 2025, with ESP32-P4 support and an initial OpenThread implementation for ESP32-C6 and ESP32-H2 SoCs, thanks to an upgrade to the ESP-IDF framework to version 5.3.2. The developers note that support for ESP32-C6, ESP32-H2, and ESP32-P4 is still being refined, and some components may not yet be fully compatible with these chips, but additional component updates are planned for ESPHome 2025.7.0 next month. That still means that ESPHome devices can connect to Thread networks and communicate with Home Assistant through the Native API as long as you have an OpenThread border router and Thread is enabled in Home Assistant. Users should note some limitations to Thread support: ESPHome does not yet support the Thread “Sleepy End Device” mode Not recommended for applications requiring high-frequency sensor data transmission Best suited for simple control and monitoring use cases Other changes to ESPHome 2025.6.0 […]

June 20, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

TRMNL customizable 7.5-inch wireless E-Ink display supports plugins for greater ease-of-use

TRMNL is a 7-5-inch wireless E-Ink display based on an ESP32-C3 RISC-V WiFi and Bluetooth SoC and designed to be customizable, allowing users to disassemble their device, modify the (open-source) firmware, and retrieve API keys without voiding the warranty. The default 1,800 mAh battery is good enough for over 3 months on a charge, but the company also provides an option for a 2,500 mAh battery that is said to last for more than 6 months (not sure how the math works here). The wireless display can be placed on a desktop, or mounted on a wall or a fridge. TRMNL specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif ESP32-C3 Display – 7.5″ black and white E-Ink display with 800 x 480 resolution Battery – 1,800mAh rechargeable lithium (2,500mAh upgradeable for 6+ months on a charge) Dimensions – 171 x 116 x 10mm Weight – 165 grams Enclosure – Soft-touch ABS (Black only), […]

June 20, 2025June 20, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

AI-On-The-Edge-Cam ESP32-S3 board aims to digitize legacy utility meters

AI-On-The-Edge-Cam is an ESP32-S3 board with a 2MP camera, microSD card, WiFi, BLE, and PoE Ethernet connectivity designed to digitize legacy utility meters such as water meters, gas meters, or electricity meters that require manual onsite reading. AI-On-The-Edge-Cam is also the name of the firmware running on the board and was initially designed for the ESP32-CAM board. But the new board adds a few features that make it more versatile, like PoE support and a microSD card slot for storage, as well as RGB LEDs acting as a flash to allow meter reading at any time of the day or night. AI-On-The-Edge-Cam specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-1U-N16R8 SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz Memory – 512KB SRAM, up to 8MB PSRAM Storage – 16 MB flash Wireless – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth LE 5 IPEX antenna connector Storage – microSD card slot […]