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November 28, 2025November 28, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Easily create an ESP32-C5 dual-band Wi-Fi analyzer

Chen Liang (陳亮) has found an interesting use case for the Espressif ESP32-C5: a dual-band Wi-Fi analyzer showing the signal strength of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi access points in your area. It works like one of the Wi-Fi analyzer apps on your phone, except it relies on an ESP32-C5 board and a display support for the Arduino_GFX libraries, for example, based on the ILI9341 driver, as it’s easier for beginners since the code does not need to be changed. Here’s what it looks like. You can follow the instructions provided by Chen to reproduce the setup. It’s fairly straightforward. He specifically used an ESP32-C5-DevkitC-1 board (or one of the clones) along with an ILI9341 display (not sure about the exact model, but any should do) and wired them together using a breadboard as shown in the photo below. You’ll then need to fire up the Arduino IDE, install Arduino […]

November 27, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

$19.90 XIAO Debug Mate ESP32-S3-based 3-in-1 multi-tool acts as a DAPLink debugger, serial monitor, and/or power profiler

Seeed Studio XIAO Debug Mate is an inexpensive ESP32-S3-based multi-tool designed for the company’s XIAO boards, offering DAPLink debugger, serial monitor, and power profiler modes. The debugger comes with 8MB flash, 8MB PSRAM, a 2.01-inch display to display debugging/power information, two 14-pin headers to provide easy access to the XIAO’s module I/Os, a 36 LED matrix for status indication, and a couple of buttons, plus a srcoll wheel to navigate the menu. The serial monitor function can also be used be Arduino, Raspberry Pi, or other boards. XIAO Debug Mate specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3R8 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 microcontroller @ 240 MHz Memory – 512KB SRAM, 8MB PSRAM Wireless – Wi-Fi 4 & Bluetooth 5.0 dual-mode (Classic + BLE) connectivity Storage – 8MB SPI flash Display – 2.01-inch TFT LCD with 296 x 240 resolution Expansion 2x 14-pin female GPIO headers routing the XIAO module pins […]

November 24, 2025November 24, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Raspberry Pi Imager 2.0 released with a revamped user interface, Raspberry Pi Connect support

Raspberry Pi Imager V2.0.0 Raspberry Pi 5 Device

Raspberry Pi Imager 2.0 has just been released with a revamped user interface with a wizard to enable easier navigation, as well as a new option for Raspberry Pi Connect remote access, among other changes. The Raspberry Pi Imager was first released in March 2020 to improve the user experience when flashing OS images for the Raspberry Pi to a microSD card. No need to download an OS image from the website and flash it manually to a microSD card with the dd command line tool, Win32DiskImager, or BalenaEtcher. Just select your Raspberry Pi model, the image you want from a curated list, and the storage device, and you’re good to go. A popular feature was the OS customization settings, but the list grew quite large, and that’s one of the main reasons for the release of the Raspberry Pi Imager 2.0 utility. Raspberry Pi Imager 2.0 highlights: New UI […]

November 24, 2025November 24, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Taradov’s open-source hardware pocket USB sniffer works with Wireshark

Alex Taradov has designed a low-cost, open-source hardware USB sniffer compatible with the popular Wireshark packet capture utility, and also controllable from the command line, capturing data in the standard PcapNG format in either case. Wireshark has had built-in USB capture capability for many years, and I used it myself to reverse-engineer the software for a USB video capture card around 2007, but it’s not perfect since it does not capture low-level packets. For that, you need extra hardware, and last year we covered the tinysniffer USB sniffer based on a WiFi-connected Linux SBC. It does the job, but it’s sold for $199, and you don’t need an application processor to handle USB 2.0 speeds. Alex’s design is optimized for cost and built around three main components: Cypress CY7C68013A 8051 MCU, Lattice MachXO2 LCMXO2 FPGA, and Microchip USB3343 USB PHY. Taradov’s USB sniffer specifications: Microcontroller – Cypress CY7C68013A enhanced 8051 […]

November 24, 2025November 23, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

BenchVolt PD – An USB-C PD lab power supply with five channels and arbitrary waveform generator (Crowdfunding)

BenchVolt PD A five channel, 100 W, open source, USB PD power supply

BenchVolt PD is a five-channel, open-source USB-C PD lab power supply that turns any USB Type-C charger/power bank into a compact, portable bench PSU. Designed for makers, engineers, and field technicians, it delivers up to 100 W with fixed, adjustable, and waveform-capable outputs, making it an alternative to bulky lab units. It integrates three low-noise fixed rails (1.8 V, 2.5 V, 3.3 V), two adjustable outputs (0.5–5 V and 2.5–32 V), and supports up to 3A per channel with current limiting. An STM32 MCU handles sequencing, real-time safety checks, and monitoring. The device also features a 1.9-inch display and a rotary encoder for monitoring and control. It also includes protections for overcurrent, temperature, and power budgeting. BenchVolt PD specifications: MCU – STMicroelectronics STM32F030F4 32-bit Cortex-M0 @ 48 MHz with up to 256KB of flash Display – 1.9-Inch TFT display (320 x 170) showing voltage, current, thermal, and PD status Power […]

November 12, 2025 by Debashis Das - 13 Comments

$69 Sipeed SLogic16U3 low-cost logic analyzer supports 3.2 Gbps bandwidth, 150+ protocols

The SLogic16U3 is a compact, low-cost USB 3.0 logic analyzer with up to 3.2 Gbps bandwidth and 16 input channels, designed for debugging, reverse-engineering, and verifying digital circuits and embedded systems. The device supports sampling rates up to 800MS/s with four channels, 400MS/s with eight channels, and 200MS/s with sixteen channels via a 5 Gbps USB 3.0 interface. On top of that, it supports 0–10V inputs and features adjustable trigger thresholds (0–6V). Housed in a 40×40×10 mm compact aluminum case, it supports over 150 protocols like SPI, I²C, UART, CAN, and JTAG, and provides edge-based triggering with real-time streaming over USB. The device can be extended as an oscilloscope via an optional ADC module and integrates seamlessly with Sigrok and PulseView software for waveform visualization. SLogic16U3 specifications: MCU – TBD Input channels – 16 digital channels Sampling rates 800MS/s @ 4 channels 400MS/s @ 8 channels 200MS/s @ 16 channels […]

November 11, 2025November 11, 2025 by Sponsored Post - Comments Off

Stellar Data Recovery for Tape: Your Reliable Solution for LTO Tape Recovery (Sponsored)

In the world of data archiving, Linear Tape-Open (LTO) tapes continue to dominate for their unmatched capacity and longevity, storing up to 45TB compressed on LTO-9 cartridges with a shelf life of 30 years. Yet, threats like software obsolescence, catalog corruption, or physical wear can lock away irreplaceable files—from databases and emails to videos and documents. That’s where LTO tape data recovery software like Stellar Data Recovery for Tape steps in, offering a standalone, secure way to retrieve data without relying on discontinued backup tools. Designed for IT pros, compliance officers, and enterprises in sectors like finance and healthcare, Stellar Data Recovery for Tape eliminates vendor lock-in. Certified under ISO-27001, ISO-9001, and HIPAA, it ensures 100% safe recovery, preserving originals while parsing diverse formats. Whether auditing legacy LTO-1 tapes or migrating modern LTO-9 archives, this tool restores access swiftly, supporting e-discovery and regulatory needs without downtime. Key Features at a […]

August 22, 2025August 22, 2025 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

Genesis IoT Discovery Lab is a modular ESP32-S3-based wire-free prototyping platform (Crowdfunding)

Genesis IoT Discovery Lab ESP32 S3 prototyping platform

Developed by Axiometa in Lithuania, the Genesis IoT Discovery Lab is a modular Wi-Fi-enabled prototyping platform built around the ESP32-S3 and a standardized module with AX22 connectors, designed to replace messy breadboards with a structured, plug-and-play system. Designed to simplify hardware development and education, this prototyping module features eight universal AX22 ports, a USB OTG Type-C port, a battery module with charging, and support for over 50 sensors and peripherals. Modules include sensors, buttons, motors, LEDs, relays, and displays, all secured with robust connectors. With open-source hardware and various expansion add-ons, it’s suitable for education, IoT prototyping, and fast hardware iterations. Genesis IoT Discovery Lab 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 – 8MB flash Wireless – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth LE 5 Antenna – PCB antenna USB […]