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January 17, 2025January 17, 2025 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 3 Comments

Home Assistant-compatible 60GHz mmWave radar sensor features a built-in IR blaster (Crowdfunding)

The eMotion Ultra is a Home Assistant-compatible 60GHz mmWave radar presence sensor with a built-in IR blaster with a 15-meter range, a brightness sensor, and a temperature/humidity sensor. It is powered by an Armv8-M KM4 microcontroller with built-in Wi-Fi connectivity and is targeted at simplifying complex smart home setups. The eMotion Ultra 60GHz mmWave radar presence sensor module is reported to be able to “cover up to 40 square meters (430 square feet) using just one device.” It can be configured for up to 4 zones with personalized automations for each zone. The exact Armv8-M KM4 module used isn’t named but is likely based on a Realtek RTL8720CM wireless SoC or other Realtek Ameba microcontroller. Potential applications include security management, lighting automation, home climate control, energy management, and rental property management. We have seen similar presence sensors such as the RoomSense IQ, Seeed Studio’s mmWave fall detection kit, SONOFF SNZB-06P, […]

January 13, 2025January 16, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Review of SMARTHON Smart City IoT Starter Kit for BBC Micro:bit

Smarthon Smart City IoT Starter Kit review

SMARTHON Smart City IoT Starter Kit for micro:bit is an educational kit for 10+ years old teaching basic projects from turning an LED to more complex projects with multiple sensors, IFTTT integration, and mobile app development. The company sent us a sample of the Start Kit along with a BBC Micro:bit board for review, and we’ll report our experience with the kit in this review. Unboxing of SMARTHON Smart City IoT Starter Kit for micro:bit The package I received includes the SMARTHON Smart City IoT Starter Kit for Micro:bit and a BBC Micro:bit V2 board since it’s not included in the starter kit. The bottom side of the package lists the main components and features a QR code pointing to the product page. The package includes cardboard and wooden models, various cables, a 180° servo, a screw set, a city map, the Smarthon IoT:bit carrier board for the BBC Micro:bit, […]

January 13, 2025January 13, 2025 by Debashis Das - 3 Comments

Seeed Studio XIAO Plus series adds more GPIOs through castellated holes

In response to community feedback for more I/O options, Seeed Studio has recently launched the Seeed Studio XIAO Plus series with 23 castellated mounting pins (20 GPIOs, 3 power pins) and improved back solder points, improving compatibility with carrier boards for complex projects. The new series includes the XIAO ESP32S3 Plus, XIAO nRF52840 Plus, and XIAO nRF52840 Sense Plus which are direct upgrades of the XIAO ESP32S3, XIAO nRF52840 BLE, and XIAO nRF52840 Sense boards. The new design allows for easier assembly and scalable production, with double the I/O options. XIAO ESP32S3 Plus The Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32S3 Plus is a compact development board with a total of 23 pins on the board out of which 11 are through-hole GPIO pins 9 additional SMD castellations GPIO pins and 3 through-hole are power pins. The board is built around an ESP32-S3 MCU so it has 2.4GHz WiFi and BLE 5.0 connectivity. Other […]

January 8, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Arduino Portenta Proto Kit ME aims to ease prototyping for professionals

Arduino has introduced the Portenta Proto Kit ME (Motion Environment) at CES 2025 with the kit designed to allow engineers, designers, and innovators to turn ideas into functional prototypes quickly. The kit does not include new hardware, but it is based on the Arduino Portenta H7, Mid Carrier, and Nicla Sense ME module, as well as other off-the-shelf parts such as a 4G LTE and GNSS module and some Modulino modules, plus three months of Arduino Cloud access. The company expects the prototyping kit to be used for predictive maintenance, environmental sensing, and industrial automation prototypes. Arduino Portenta Proto Kit ME kit content: Portenta H7 board based on STMicro STM32H747 Arm Cortex-M7 @ 480 MHz + M4 @ 200 MHz MCU capable of handling ML workloads and advanced processing Portenta Mid Carrier with gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0 port, MIPI CSI and Arduino camera connectors, CAN Bus, mPCIe socket, GPIO header, […]

December 24, 2024December 24, 2024 by Debashis Das - 4 Comments

RootMaster is a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W-based hydroponic automation system with STM32G4 MCU, CAN Bus, sensors

The RootMaster is a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W-based hydroponic automation system designed to precisely manage water and environmental conditions. The solution also integrates an STM32G4 microcontroller to handle real-time operations such as controlling pumps and peripherals, managing sensors, and processing data from external sensors like water level indicators. It also generates PWM signals to control the power of connected devices and handles communication with external modules through a CAN FD interface. While STM32 handles hardware-level tasks, the Raspberry Pi Zero 2W manages high-level control and user interaction. The RootMaster can be programmed with Python, C, C++, or other programming languages and is useful for applications like Hydroponics automation, water circulation, and environmental control. RootMaster specifications MCU – STMicro STM32G473 32-bit Arm Cortex-M4 microcontroller @ 170 MHz for real-time operations Main controller – Compatible with Raspberry Pi Zero 2 WH for GUI and other interfaces Sensors pH sensor for nutrient solution […]

December 23, 2024December 23, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

Sensy32 Board is an ESP32-S3 sensor platform with up to six sensors for environmental monitoring in IoT applications

The Sensy32 Board is a compact sensor platform powered by Espressif’s flagship ESP32-S3 WiFi and Bluetooth microcontroller. The development board brings different monitoring devices together on the same PCB for easier integration into IoT ecosystems. It is a multipurpose device with several sensors bundled to measure and monitor ultraviolet light intensity, altitude, pressure, orientation, humidity, temperature, motion, and human presence. It includes a 9-degree-of-freedom inertial measurement unit (IMU) for 3D space orientation, while the built-in MEMS microphone can be used for audio input in voice detection and noise measurement applications. The onboard ESP32-S3 microcontroller powers the array of features and also offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity. The Sensy32 ESP32-S3 sensor platform also integrates an LCD screen for immediate feedback and real-time monitoring. We have covered other ESP32-based environment sensors such as the Qsen-07 multi-sensor board, AirGradient ONE, MoreSense MS-06, and Studio LUFF’s Air Quality Sensor. Sensy32 specifications: MCU […]

December 15, 2024 by Sayantan Nandy - 1 Comment

Nordic Thingy:91 X multi-sensor cellular IoT platform combines nRF9151 LTE IoT SiP, nRF5340 BLE SoC, and nRF7002 WiFi 6 IC

Nordic Semiconductor introduced the Nordic Thingy:91 in mid-2019, a cellular IoT prototyping platform built around the Nordic nRF9160 system-in-package (SiP). It supports LTE-M, NB-IoT, and GPS, and includes features like an Arm Cortex-M33 core, Arm TrustZone security, and flash memory. The platform is ideal for creating IoT Proof-of-Concepts, demos, and prototypes, making it easy to test and deploy IoT applications. The upgraded Nordic Thingy:91 X features the new Nordic nRF9151 SiP, offering support for LTE-M, NB-IoT, GNSS, and DECT NR+ for global connectivity, integrates the nRF5340 SoC for USB and Bluetooth LE, and the nRF7002 IC for Wi-Fi locations. The platform includes sensors for environmental and motion sensing, one expansion connector for Qwiic/STEMMA QT and Grove modules, and antennas for LTE, GNSS, and Wi-Fi. Additionally, the kit also features a Nano/4FF SIM slot, two SIM cards, and a 1,350 mAh Li-Po battery managed by nPM6001 and nPM1300 PMICs, to support field […]

November 26, 2024November 25, 2024 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Renesas RRH47000-EVK board integrates RRH47000 CO2 sensor with ±75 ppm accuracy, relative humidity and temperature sensors

Renesas has recently released the RRH47000-EVK evaluation board based on the RRH47000 CO2 sensor using non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) technology to measure CO2 levels accurately (±75 ppm typical) within the 0-5000 ppm range. The sensor also includes built-in sensors for relative humidity and temperature, operates at low power, and supports either UART or I2C interface to the host. These features make this device useful for applications like HVAC systems, industrial automation, building control, air quality monitors, home appliances, IoT devices, and agriculture. Previously we have written about the Sensirion SCD40 CO2 sensor which also uses NDIR to measure CO2 levels very accurately, while the Infineon PASCO2V15 CO2 sensor relies on photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) to detect CO2 levels. The Sensirion sensor can also measure humidity and temperature, but the Infineon sensor is designed to measure CO2 only. Renesas RRH47000 specifications: CO2 sensor Measurement range – 0 ppm to 5000 ppm Accuracy – […]