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November 7, 2025November 9, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 122 Comments

Giveaway Week 2025 – USB Vsense USB PD voltage indicator

The fifth prize of CNX Software Giveaway Week 2025 will be the USB Vsense USB PD voltage indicator. I received three samples for review last August, so I’m keeping one for myself, giving one here on CNX Software (International), and another one on CNX Software Thailand. It’s a simple device with two USB-C ports and color-coded LEDs showing the voltage supported from 5V up to 48V as defined in the Extended Power Range (EPR) specs. In my review, I found the little device to work as expected, testing it with various USB PD adapters connected to a laptop and a Raspberry Pi 5 SBC. There are already such USD PD voltage testers on the market, and what differentiates the Vsense from the rest is its multi-layered design, since it’s made of seven PCBs stacked on top of each other and secured with four screws. To enter the draw, simply leave […]

October 30, 2025October 29, 2025 by Debashis Das - 10 Comments

Palm-sized PocketPD USB-C programmable power supply delivers up to 21V/5A output (Crowdfunding)

PocketPD USB PD Programmable Power Supply (PPS)

PocketPD is a compact USB PD programmable power supply developed by CentyLab in Salem, Oregon. Designed to fit in your pocket, it provides precise, programmable voltage and current control using the USB Power Delivery 3.0 PPS mode. The device outputs 3.3V to 21V at up to 5A, features constant voltage/current modes, and includes a 0.96-inch OLED display for real-time monitoring. Powered by a Raspberry Pi RP2040 MCU and AP33772 PD controller, it supports fine adjustment in 20mV/50mA steps, with built-in protections against short circuits and reverse current. Weighing just 63g, PocketPD also offers magnetic mounting, open-source firmware, and KiCad hardware files for customization. The company offers two versions, featuring either a detachable screw terminal or Anderson Powerpole/XT60 connector options. PocketPD specifications: MCU – Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Cortex-M0+ microcontroller @ 125 MHz with 264 KB SRAM Storage – Non-volatile storage for user profiles (voltage/current settings) Display – 0.96-inch OLED display […]

September 23, 2025September 25, 2025 by Debashis Das - 6 Comments

Luckfox PicoKVM – A low-cost IP-KVM with 1080p HDMI capture, Wake-on-LAN, virtual storage emulation

Luckfox PicoKVM with case and 1.54inch touch display

Luckfox PicoKVM is a compact and low-cost IP-KVM tool designed for the remote management of PCs, servers, and development boards. Like other KVM solutions, this allows users to control a computer or board remotely, even when it’s turned off or when accessing the BIOS. Built around the Rockchip RV1106 Cortex-A7 processor with 256MB DDR3 and 8GB eMMC storage, the PicoKVM supports 1080p60 video capture with H.264 encoding and 80–200 ms latency. The device integrates HDMI input, a 100 Mbps Ethernet port, and USB-C for HID and USB storage emulation, while the full version adds a 1.54-inch touchscreen display for status monitoring. Additional features include Wake-on-LAN, MicroSD card storage expansion, GPIO-based power control, web and serial terminals, and support for custom scripting. Luckfox PicoKVM specifications: SoC – Rockchip RV1106G3 CPU – Arm Cortex A7 @ 1.2GHz with an integrated RISC-V co-processor. NPU – 1 TOPS 4th-gen Rockchip NPU with hybrid quantization (int4, int8, int16) […]

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

PwrTool 500 – An open-source battery & DC power monitor for Home Assistant (Crowdfunding)

Voidbox’s PwrTool 500 is a battery and power monitor for Home Assistant based on the company’s FLIP_C3 ESP32-C3 board with a 60V-tolerant buck converter that is designed for off-grid and other DC-powered applications. The PwrTool 500 is designed for most 12-48V DC systems and is capable of handling up to a 500A peak current across a 6-60V DC range. The board supports ESPHome firmware for easy integration with Home Assistant, and provides data about your energy flow, generation, storage, and usage. PwrTool 500 specifications: Main board – FLIP_C3 Controller Board Wireless Module – ESP32-C3-MINI-1 SoC – ESP32-C3 MCU – RISC-V core @ 160 MHz Wireless – Wi-Fi and BLE 5 connectivity PCB antenna USB – USB-C port for firmware flashing and recovery Expansion Stemma QT and Qwiic connectors (I2C and UART) 9-pin + 10-pin headers with GPIO, I2C, SPI, PWM, UART, 5V,. 3.3V, and GND Misc Level-shifted WS2812 output, capable […]

August 27, 2025August 28, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

GL.iNet Comet Pro Remote KVM over WiFi 6 solution offers 2.2-inch touchscreen display, HDMI loop support (Crowdfunding)

GL.iNet Comet Pro (GL-RM10) is a remote KVM over WiFi 6 or Ethernet with a built-in touchscreen display for easy configuration, and support for 4Kp30 with a low latency of 30-60 ms with H.264 hardware encoding. Like other KVM solutions, it allows users to control a computer or board remotely, even when it’s turned off or when accessing the BIOS. It’s built upon the Comet (GL-RM1) KVM over IP solution, adding WiFi 6, HDMI pass-through, and a touchscreen display for easy configuration. It still features a USB-C port for keyboard and mouse emulation, and a USB-A port for ATX power control or a Fingerbot device. The new model also relies on a more powerful quad-core Cortex-A53 SoC and is equipped with 32GB eMMC flash, overcoming the 8GB flash limitation of the low-cost model. Comet Pro (GL-RM10) specifications: SoC – Quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU @ 1.5 GHz; potentially a Rockchip RV1126B, since […]

August 26, 2025August 26, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Mini review of USB Vsense USB PD voltage indicator

I’ve just received a sample of Meticulous Technologies’ USB VSense USB PD voltage indicator for review. It’s a simple device with two USB-C ports and color-coded LEDs showing the voltage supported from 5V up to 48V as defined in the Extended Power Range (EPR) specs. In this mini review, I’ll go through the specs, a teardown, and test it under various scenarios using a range of USB-C power adapters and devices such as a Raspberry Pi 5 SBC, Radxa Orion O6 mini-ITX motherboard, and ASUS Vivobook 16 laptop. USB Vsense specifications Fully capable of the latest USB PD EPR specifications up to 48V/5A (240 W) 2x USB Type-C ports – Passthrough for USB 2.0 data, CC, and SBUS lines; rated for 48V/5A Operational and measurement range 4.5V to 51V DC ATtiny 406’s 10-bit ADC with 4.3 V internal voltage reference provides stable measurements of up to 22 mV resolution for […]

July 26, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

PD.Charger-GSM v2.5 – An industrial solar MPPT charger with Wi-Fi, LTE/GPS, and RS485

rotoDevs GmbH PD.Charger GSM v.2.5 industrial solar MPPT charger

The PD.Charger-GSM v2.5 is an industrial-grade solar and LiFePo4 charger/controller with MPPT support, designed for 2–4 cell Li-Ion/LiFePo4 batteries. With various connectivity options and a cryptographic co-processor, it’s ideal for IoT, remote solar power systems, and battery-powered industrial applications. The device features a dual-MCU architecture where the STM32 handles battery charging and monitoring, and an ESP32 manages WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, as well as LTE/NB-IoT GSM/GPS, and RS-485 with ModBUS support. The board also offers two solar inputs with MPPT, a DC adapter input, automatic buck/boost control, SMA connectors for all RF interfaces, a USB Type-C for programming, and expansion headers for prototyping. A hardware crypto co-processor handles secure key storage, TLS encryption, and secure boot. PD.Charger-GSM v2.5 specifications: SoCs STM32L051xx MCU for battery management and monitoring ESP32-D0WDQ6-V3 dual-core Xtensa LX6 processor, 240 MHz, 16MB Flash, 8MB PSRAM Display – Supports optional PD.Screen / PD.Screen_PRO modules for real-time display of […]

July 14, 2025July 13, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Renesas RA2T1 low-power Cortex-M23 MCUs target BLDC/PMSM motor applications

Renesas RA2T1 microcontroller (MCU) group

Renesas has recently launched the RA2T1 group of low-power motor control MCUs, built around a 64 MHz Arm Cortex-M23, for low-cost single-motor applications like power tools, fans, and home appliances. Designed for Brushless DC Electric Motors (BLDC) and Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSM), the RA2T1 supports both trapezoidal and FOC control techniques, thanks to its integrated 3-channel Sample and Hold (S&H) circuits that enable accurate 3-phase current detection. It also includes PWM shutdown features and various analog and digital peripherals in compact packages as small as 4×4 mm QFN. Previously, Renesas introduced the RA8T1, also a motor control MCU based on the Cortex-M85 core with Helium instructions and DSP extensions. Ideal for AI-enhanced motor control in industrial and robotics applications. Around the same time, Infineon launched the PSOC Control C3x series, with real-time motor control and security features along with fast ADCs, high-resolution PWM, and PSA Level 2 compliance. Renesas […]