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December 15, 2025December 15, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

tinySA is a low-cost handheld spectrum analyzer with built-in signal generator

tinySA Spectrum Analyzers and Signal Generators

The tinySA is a compact, low-cost handheld spectrum analyzer and RF signal generator designed for hobbyists, radio amateurs, educators, and engineers. It comes in three different variants and can be used for RF debugging, signal inspection, interference hunting, filter testing, antenna-related measurements, and basic RF education, both in the field and on the bench. The product line includes the tinySA Basic, tinySA Ultra, and tinySA Ultra+, which mainly differ in their supported frequency ranges and performance. The tinySA Basic supports 100 kHz to 350 MHz on its low input and up to about 960 MHz on the high input, while the Ultra and Ultra+ models can observe signals up to 12GHz. The devices run from an internal rechargeable battery with USB-C charging, support firmware updates, internal self-test and calibration routines, marker and peak detection, configurable frequency span and amplitude settings, and PC control over USB. Input protection limits are specified at +10 […]

December 15, 2025December 14, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

reTerminal E1001/E1002 Review – B&W and color ePaper displays tested with SenseCraft HMI and Home Assistant

Seeed Studio reTerminal E1001 E002 ePaper Display review

Seeed Studio sent us samples of the reTerminal E1001 (monochrome) and E1002 (color) ePaper displays for review. They are powered by an ESP32-S3 microcontroller providing WiFi and Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity, and are designed for low-power information display applications, consuming power only when updating the screen content. This makes them ideal for tasks requiring long battery life (average of 3 months per charge, depending on how often they are updated) and always-on display capabilities. In this review, we will unbox the devices, go through a teardown, and test them with Seeed Studio’s SenseCraft no-code HMI platform, as well as ESPHome firmware for Home Assistant integration. reTerminal E1001/E1002 unboxing We received two cardboard packages that look identical and are labeled “Seeed Studio reTerminal ePaper Display”. But the sticker on the bottom side of the boxes provides clarity… Inside each box, we’ll find the ePaper display, a USB Type-C cable, a display […]

December 12, 2025December 12, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Diptyx E-Reader – An open-source, ESP32-powered, dual-screen e-book reader (Crowdfunding)

There are plenty of e-book readers on the market, but the Diptyx E-Reader feels more like a proper book since it features two e-paper displays that can be folded or opened thanks to a custom-made plastic enclosure. While it’s powered by an ESP32-S3 wireless module with a PCB antenna, both WiFi and Bluetooth are disabled in the firmware, and instead, users can load EPUB files through the reader’s USB Type-C port. The combination of an automatic standby mode (using deep sleep) and e-ink displays enables the dual-screen device to run for weeks on a single charge. Two buttons are used to access the next or previous page, and a third one powers the device up in a few seconds. Diptyx E-Reader specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3-N16R8 CPU – ESP32-S3 dual-core LX7 microprocessor @ up to 240 MHz with Vector extension Memory – 8MB PSRAM Storage – […]

December 11, 2025 by Debashis Das - 7 Comments

IoT HDMI switch – An ESP32-C3-powered 2-source HDMI switch automated with Home Assistant

Designed by Guimpt in Spain, the IoT HDMI Switch is an ESP32-C3-based open-source HDMI switch that integrates with Home Assistant and ESPHome to automate up to two HDMI inputs for TVs, monitors, or projectors. It targets smart home setups that need seamless source switching without manually handling cables. It includes a 3D-printed enclosure for a compact install behind media equipment. The device also offers open hardware and firmware for easy upgrade, and it lets users switch inputs via phone, voice assistant, or a button. It also supports automations such as automatically selecting a game console or media player. It works with common HDMI devices like Chromecast, Raspberry Pi, PCs, and consoles, making it ideal for smart home enthusiasts, DIY tinkerers, and anyone who wants a hands-free media setup. IoT HDMI Switch specifications: SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-C3FH4 Single-core 32-bit RISC-V microcontroller @ up to 160 MHz Memory – 400 KB […]

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 3, 2025December 3, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Tyr – A Rust GPU driver for Arm Mali GPUs

One interesting addition to the just-released Linux 6.18 kernel is the Tyr Rust GPU driver for CSF-based Arm Mali GPUs, which is a port of the mature Panthor C GPU driver merged into Linux 6.10. It was developed by Collabora in collaboration with Arm and Google. Tyr aims to implement the same userspace API offered by Panthor, so that it can eventually be used as a drop-in replacement in the company’s PanVK Vulkan driver. After several years, the Tyr Rust driver might replace the Panthor C driver, but in the meantime, Panthor will keep being used since it is more mature and conformant with OpenGL ES 3.1 since July 2024. The work on Tyr is fairly advanced, and Collabora provided an update at the end of November. The key takeaway is that the Tyr (prototype) driver works with GNOME, Weston, and even full-screen 3D games like SuperTuxKart while matching the […]

December 2, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Amazing Hand – A 8-DOF 3D-printable open-source robotic hand for prototyping and research

Amazing Hand Open Source Robotic Hand Developer Kit

Seeed Studio’s Amazing Hand is an open-source, 3D-printable robotic hand kit with eight degrees of freedom (8-DOF), designed for developers working on robotics control and hardware experimentation. It integrates all actuators directly in the hand itself, making it suitable for robotics projects, education, prototyping, and integration into systems like Reachy2 or custom robotic arms. The hand uses eight Feetech SCS0009 servos arranged in a parallel linkage, with all actuators housed in the palm to keep the unit compact and lightweight at around 400 grams. Each finger offers two-axis motion for flexion, extension, and limited abduction via differential servo control. Its structure is fully 3D-printable, combining rigid internal frames with flexible TPU shells for robotics prototyping, manipulation research, and custom hand design studies. Amazing Hand specifications Supported Controllers – Raspberry Pi, NVIDIA Jetson, and microcontrollers (MCUs) Degrees of Freedom – 8 Servo 8x Feetech SCS0009 bus servos (2 servos per finger […]

December 1, 2025December 12, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

NetCube Systems Nagami Allwinner T113-S3 mini PCIe SoM features ESP32 wireless SoC, supports mainline Linux

Netcube Systems Allwinner T113-S3 SoM mainline Linux

NetCube Systems Nagami is a small Allwinner T113-S3 system-on-module that I just saw added to Linux 6.18. Besides mainline Linux support, the Allwinner SoM offers somewhat unique or unusual features that include a mini PCIe form factor and an ESP32 co-processor for WiFi 4 and Bluetooth connectivity. The Nagami also comes with 128MB DDR3 embedded in the T113-S3, 4GB eMMC flash, a Fast Ethernet PHY, and a Qwiic connector for I2C expansion modules. All I/Os are exposed through a standard mini PCIe edge connector: audio I/Os, Ethernet, USB 2.0 OTG/host, and a range of low-speed I/Os. Nagami SoM specifications: SoC – Allwinner T113-S3 CPU – Dual-core Arm Cortex-A7 @ 1.2 GHz with 32 KB L1 I-cache + 32 KB L1 D-cache per core, and 256 KB L2 cache DSP – Single-core HiFi4 VPU – H.265/H.264 video decoding up to 1080p60 and JPEG/MJPEG video encoding up to 1080p60 Memory – 128 […]