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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments on $199+ M5Stack AI Pyramid Computing Box Linux AI mini PC is based on Axera AX8850 SoC

$199+ M5Stack AI Pyramid Computing Box Linux AI mini PC is based on Axera AX8850 SoC

Axera AX8850 Linux Mini PC 4GB RAM Transparent case

M5Stack has just launched the “AI Pyramid Computer Box” AI mini PC powered by an Axera AX8850 octa-core Cortex-A55 SoC with a 24 TOPS NPU and featuring an unusual design since it’s housed in a pyramidal enclosure. The mini PC features 4GB or 8GB of RAM, 32GB eMMC flash, a microSD card slot, two HDMI 2.0 ports (see specs for details), a 4-mic array, a built-in speaker, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, four USB 3.2 ports, and two USB-C ports for data and power. It serves as a desktop-grade Edge AI computing platform for systems such as AI vision gateways, smart security systems, and local smart photo albums. M5Stack AI Pyramid Computing Box specifications: SoC – Axera AX8850 CPU – Octa-core Cortex‑A55 processor at 1.7 GHz NPU – 24 TOPS @ INT8 VPU Video Encoder – 8K @ 30 fps H.264/H.265 encoding, supports scaling / cropping Video Decoder – 8K @ 60 fps H.264/H.265 decoding, supports 16 channels 1080p parallel decoding, […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Fusion HAT+ Review – Adding AI voice and servo/motor control to Raspberry Pi for robotics, Smart Home, or education

Fusion HAT+ Review – Adding AI voice and servo/motor control to Raspberry Pi for robotics, Smart Home, or education

Fusion HAT+ review LLM servo control camera

SunFounder has sent me a review sample of the Fusion HAT+ Raspberry Pi expansion board designed for motor and servo control using audio interactions with its built-in microphone and speaker, as well as LLM models. It can be used as an AI-enabled robot controller, a smart home hub, a voice assistant, or an interactive learning platform. In this review, after an unboxing and going through the installation of the Fusion HAT+ on a Raspberry Pi 5 2GB, I’ll mainly focus on the voice interaction part using text-to-speech (TTS), speech-to-text (STT), and local and cloud-based LLMs and VLMs, and also quickly test servo control to wave a flag using voice commands. SunFounder Fusion HAT+ unboxing I received the sample in the retail package reading “SunFounder Fusion HAT+ for Raspberry Pi” and detailing the key features, namely rechargeable battery, 12x PWM, onboard speaker and microphone, 4x 12-bit ADC, safe shutdown, 4x DC […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on MaixCAM2 modular 4K AI camera is based on Axera AX630 SoC with 3.2 TOPS NPU (Crowdfunding)

MaixCAM2 modular 4K AI camera is based on Axera AX630 SoC with 3.2 TOPS NPU (Crowdfunding)

MaixCAM2

Designed for makers and researchers, Sipeed’s MaixCAM2 is a modular AI camera built around an Axera AX630 AI SoC with 3.2 TOPS (INT8) to 12.8 TOPS (INT4) of AI performance, yet delivering 10 to 20x higher performance on OpenMV-N6 and Raspberry Pi 5, and about the same performance (140 FPS) as a 33 TOPS Jetson Orin Nano 4GB Super in YOLO11n. The camera comes with 1GB or 4GB RAM, a 32GB eMMC flash, and a microSD card slot for storage, a 2.4-inch touchscreen display, and an 8MP / 4Kp30 camera sensor with LED flash, as well as two microphones and a speaker, making it suitable for local LLM and VLM applications.  It also features two PMOD connectors for expansion, such as a thermal imager and a Time of Flight (ToF) ranging sensor. MaxiCAM2 specifications: SoC – Axera Tech AX630 CPU Dual-core Arm Cortex-A53 @ 1.2 GHz running Ubuntu Linux 32-bit […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - 2 Comments on Hiwonder WonderLLM – An ESP32-S3 smart chat module with 2-inch touch display, 2MP camera, and dedicated voice chip

Hiwonder WonderLLM – An ESP32-S3 smart chat module with 2-inch touch display, 2MP camera, and dedicated voice chip

WonderLLM AI module

Hiwonder has introduced the WonderLLM, an ESP32-S3-based smart chat module that combines a 2MP camera, a 2.0-inch touch display, a speaker, and a microphone array to support both offline computer vision tasks and cloud-based Large Language Models (LLMs) via the XiaoZhi AI platform. The device ships with a dedicated voice chip (CI1302) that enables always-on wake-word detection, and a 4-pin I2C interface allows it to act as a smart vision/voice sensor for external controllers like Arduino, STM32, or other ESP32 boards. Typical applications include small robots, STEM education kits, interactive assistants, and vision-enabled projects where this device handles perception and interaction, and another MCU manages motion and control logic. Hiwonder WonderLLM specifications: Wireless Module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz with vector extension for AI/ML workloads RAM – 512KB SRAM Storage – TBD Wireless – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth LE 5 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on M5Stack StickS3 ESP32-S3 Mini IoT Dev Kit features 1.14-inch color display, speaker and mic for voice interaction

M5Stack StickS3 ESP32-S3 Mini IoT Dev Kit features 1.14-inch color display, speaker and mic for voice interaction

M5Stack StickS3

M5Stack StickS3 is a miniature ESP32-S3 WiFi and BLE IoT development kit/controller powered by an Espressif Systems ESP32-S3-PICO-1-N8R8 system-in-package with 8MB flash and 8MB PSRAM, and equipped with a 1.14-inch display, built-in microphone and speaker, as well as an integrated IR receiver and transmitter. It’s an update to the ESP32-PICO-V3 based StickC-Plus2 with a more powerful ESP32-S3 module, a USB Type-C OTG port, improved audio integrating an ES8311 mono audio codec, a slightly larger 250 mAh battery, as well as a 4-pin Grove connector and a 16-pin female GPIO header for expansion. M5Stack StickS3 specifications: SiP – Espressif ESP32-S3-PICO-1-N8R8 as found on the M5Stack ATOMS3R and ATOMS3R Cam IoT controllers SoC – ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz Memory – 512KB SRAM, 16 KB RTC SRAM Wireless – 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5 LE + Mesh Memory – 8MB QSPI PSRAM Storage – 8MB QSPI […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - 5 Comments on ESP32-S3 development board features 4.2-inch Reflective LCD (RLCD), dual microphone array, onboard speaker

ESP32-S3 development board features 4.2-inch Reflective LCD (RLCD), dual microphone array, onboard speaker

ESP32 S3 RLCD Development Board

Waveshare ESP32-S3-RLCD-4.2 is a 4.2-inch Reflective LCD (RLCD) development board built around ESP32-S3 wireless SoC for DIY projects, rapid prototyping, and smart display devices that need a paperlike experience with a higher refresh rate compared to e-paper displays. The ESP32-S3 provides 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5 LE connectivity, and the board also includes a dual microphone array with ES7210 ADC and ES8311 audio codec, as well as an onboard speaker for AI voice interaction. Other features include an SHTC3 temperature and humidity sensor, a PCF85063 RTC, a microSD card slot for storage, along with multiple GPIO, UART, and I²C expansion headers. Power, programming, and battery charging are done through the USB Type-C port connected to an optional 18650 battery. Applications include electronic calendars, desktop displays, voice-based devices, environmental monitoring, and low-power indoor or outdoor display systems. ESP32-S3-RLCD-4.2 specifications Core module – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8 SoC – ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on CrowPanel Advanced 7inch Review – Part 1: ESP32-P4 HMI AI display hands-on with LVGL factory firmware

CrowPanel Advanced 7inch Review – Part 1: ESP32-P4 HMI AI display hands-on with LVGL factory firmware

CrowPanel Advanced 7inch Review

Elecrow has sent us a sample of the “CrowPanel Advanced 7inch” ESP32-P4 HMI display for review. It is designed for high-performance AI and IoT (AIoT) applications with a 2MP camera module, an ESP32-C6-MINI-1 module for Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and 802.15.4 (Zigbee, Thread, Matter) connectivity. Our kit also shipped with three wireless modules, namely an ESP32-H2 wireless module for an additional Thread, Zigbee, and Matter radio, an SX1262 module for LoRa low-power long-range connectivity, and an nRF2401 2.4 GHz wireless module. In the first part of the review, we will take you through an unboxing of the CrowPanel Advanced 7-inch, checking out the ESP32-P4 HMI AI Display’s hardware before testing it with the preinstalled firmware using LVGL and AI features. You can check the detailed specifications in our previous article: CrowPanel Advance 7-inch ESP32-P4 HMI display supports Zigbee, LoRa, and 2.4GHz radio modules. Note that the company calls it “Advance” […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on Raspberry Pi RP2350 devkit features 1.85-inch round touch display, microphone, optional speaker and battery box

Raspberry Pi RP2350 devkit features 1.85-inch round touch display, microphone, optional speaker and battery box

Raspberry Pi RP2350 Round Touch LCD with battery and speaker box

Waveshare RP2350-Touch-LCD-1.85C is a Raspberry Pi RP2350 devkit with a 1.85-inch round touchscreen display with 360×360 resolution, a built-in microphone, a 28-pin GPIO header, and a USB-C port. The RP2350-Touch-LCD-1.85C-BOX model builds on the platform to add a box with a speaker and a 3.7V battery. Both models also come with 16MB SPI flash, a microSD card slot, a 6-axis IMU, a few buttons and LEDs, and UART and I2C expansion connectors. They can be used for HMI solutions using touch, button, and voice recognition inputs, as well as display and audio outputs. RP2350-Touch-LCD-1.85C specifications: Microcontroller – Raspberry Pi RP2350A MCU CPU 2x Arm Cortex-M33 cores @ 150 MHz 2x Hazard3 RISC-V cores @ 150 MHz Up to two cores can be used at any time (configured at boot) Memory – 520KB SRAM Storage – 8KB OTP Package – QFN-60; 7×7 mm Storage – 16MB SPI NOR flash, microSD card slot Display […]