open source News - Page 4 of 114 - CNX Software

August 5, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

ESP32 Bus Pirate open-source firmware works on off-the-shelf hardware

ESP32 Bus Pirate is an open-source firmware inspired by the original Bus Pirate from Dangerous Prototypes, which turns off-the-shelf (ESP32-S3) hardware into a multi-protocol hacker’s tool. It supports sniffing, sending, scripting, and interacting with various digital protocols (I2C, UART, 1-Wire, SPI, etc.) via a serial terminal or web-based CLI. It’s been tested on Espressif ESP32-S3-DevKitC-1 development board, M5Stack Cardputer, M5StickC Plus2, Atom S3 Lite, M5Stamp S3, and LILYGO T-Embed (CC1101) boards. ESP32 Bus Pirate firmware highlights: Interactive CLI via USB serial – For faster performance and high responsiveness Web interface (over WiFi) – No cable needed to the host, works from any web browser Supported Modes HiZ (default) – High-Z is a safe mode where all outputs are disabled and all power supplies are turned off I2C (scan, glitch, slave mode, dump) SPI (flash, SD card, slave mode) UART / Half-Duplex UART (bridge, read, write) 1-WIRE (ibutton, temp sensor) 2-WIRE […]

August 1, 2025August 1, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

microSD-express Pi Adapter is an ultra-small microSD Express adapter for the Raspberry Pi 5

Tiny microSD Express adapter for Raspberry Pi 5

We’ve just written about Will Whang’s RPI5-SDexpress-Hat board, which adds a microSD Express slot to the Raspberry Pi 5, but it’s not that small, and it’s using the 40-pin GPIO for power, so it’s not convenient if you want to install another Raspberry Pi HAT+. Vassily Petrov’s “microSD-express Pi Adapter” is a much smaller microSD Express adapter on a flexible PCB that plugs directly into the PCIe FFC connector and nothing else, driving power from the PCIe connector only. There’s not much on the PCB itself besides a microSD Express card slot and a Microchip MIC2230 800mA/800mA step-down DC/DC regulator. We’re told speeds of up to 800 MB/s are achievable, limited by the PCIe Gen3 x1 interface on the Pi 5 itself. For reference, the RPI5-SDexpress-Hat was tested at about 600 MB/s for sequential reads and under 200MB/s for sequential writes using a 256GB Samsung microSD Express card. A worry […]

July 31, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Neuro PlayGround Lite – A multichannel wireless bio-signal capture board for HCI & BCI projects (Crowdfunding)

Neuro PlayGround Lite, or NPG Lite for short, is an ESP32-C6-powered multichannel wireless bio-signal capture board designed for HCI (Human-Computer Interface) and BCI (Brain Computer Interface) projects and applications. It can capture Electrocardiography (ECG), Electromyography (EMG), Electrooculography (EOG), or Electroencephalography (EEG) signals, and the ESP32-C6-MINI-1 module used in the design supports 2.4 GHz WiFi 6, Bluetooth LE, Zigbee, and Thread for mesh networking. It also follows the Adafruit Feather form factor, so it can be expanded with FeatherWings add-ons, including the company’s Playmate boards. Neuro PlayGround Lite specifications: Wireless Module – Espressif Systems ESP32-C6-MINI-1-N4 SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-C6 CPU Single-core 32-bit RISC-V clocked up to 160 MHz Low-power RISC-V core @ up to 20 MHz Memory/Storage – 320KB ROM, 512KB SRAM Wireless – 2.4 GHz WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, and 802.15.4 radio (for Thread/Zigbee) Storage – 4MB flash Antenna – PCB antenna USB – USB Type-C port for power/charging […]

July 31, 2025July 31, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

CM5 MINIMA Raspberry Pi CM5 carrier board features M.2 2230/2242 socket for Hailo AI accelerator or NVMe SSD

CM5 MINIMA Raspberry Pi CM5 carrier board M.2 Hailo AI module

The CM5 MINIMA is a compact carrier board for the Raspberry Pi CM5, which includes an M.2 M-Key slot for Hailo AI accelerators or SSDs. Developed with Pierluigi Colangeli, it is suitable for AI camera traps, smart devices, home automation, and other space-constrained projects. The carrier board also features USB-C Power Delivery, Gigabit Ethernet, and a standard HDMI port for video output. It includes CSI/DSI combo connectors for cameras or displays, USB 2.0, I2C, and SPI connectors, as well as an LIS3DH accelerometer for automatic camera orientation. Other onboard components include status LEDs, a power switch, and a boot switch for flashing the CM5 OS directly. CM5 MINIMA carrier board Specifications Compatibility – Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 (CM5) Storage – M.2 M-Key 2230/2242 slot Display and Camera HDMI port for video output MIPI CSI/DSI combo connector for display or camera Audio – Via HDMI only Networking Gigabit Ethernet low-profile RJ45 […]

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 – […]