tools News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

October 6, 2024October 5, 2024 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Flipper Zero hacking tool gets MicroPython support

Developer and engineer Oliver Fabel has developed a port that is designed to run MicroPython on the Flipper Zero. This port allows users to write programs for Flipper Zero in Python, instead of built-in JavaScript. Till now you can access GPIO, ADC, PWM, the speaker, buttons, the display, and infrared communication with this but it doesn’t have support for NFC or RFID yet, and it’s still under development. Previously we have written about various addon boards for the Flipper Zero like the Mayhem v2, the ESP8266 Deauther board, the CAN bus addon board, and other powerful alternatives of the Flipper like The M1 and the HackBat. Feel free to check those out if you are interested in the topic. The process is simple, and you don’t have to do a firmware update to work with MicroPython, you can download the application from the community-driven Flipper app store and are good […]

August 27, 2024August 28, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

platform-espressif32 fork to enable PlatformIO support for ESP32-C6, ESP32-C5, ESP32-H2, and ESP32-P4 SoCs

PlatformIO ESP32-C6 ESP32-C5 ESP32-P4 ESP32-H2

When Espressif Systems released Arduino ESP32 Core 3.0.0 we noted that PlatformIO support was in doubt due to business issues between Espressif and Platform IO developers. There has been no progress since then, and PlatformIO is not even reviewing or merging community contributions to their platform-espressif32 library. So if you want software that’s officially supported by Espressif, you should stick to the Arduino ESP32 Core. But if you are a fan of PlatformIO for ESP32, there’s hope even for the newer chips like ESP32-C6, ESP32-H2, and ESP32-P4 among others, as pioarduino community members have now forked the platform-espressif32 library to keep the project alive. Users can still rely on the official PlatformIO repository for existing ESP32 boards and microcontrollers, but new ESP32-C6, ESP32-H2, ESP32-C5, ESP32-H4, and ESP32-P4 SoC will only be supported by the fork. pioarduino which stands for “people initiated optimized arduino” will maintain the fork, and currently, Arduino […]

August 16, 2024August 19, 2024 by Sayantan Nandy - 1 Comment

Bus Pirate 5XL and 6 hardware debugging tools utilize Raspberry Pi RP2350A and RP2350B microcontrollers

The Bus Pirate 5XL and 6 are open-source hardware debugging tools respectively based on Raspberry Pi RP2350A and RP2350B and designed to simplify interaction with various bus protocols like 1-Wire, I2C, SPI, UART, several LEDs, and more. The idea is to send commands to a chip or sensor and get the response, without writing a single line of code making it ideal for hardware hacking and tinkering. The devices feature buffered I/O pins with voltage and current measurement, a programmable power supply with current limiting, an RGB LCD for pin status and info, and an auxiliary header for connecting logic analyzers. All these features make this device useful for applications like debugging circuits, prototyping projects, and reverse engineering devices. The new devices are updates to the Bus Pirate 5 based on Raspberry Pi RP2040 MCU. You’ll find Bus Pirate specifications for the three models in the table below. The original […]

July 23, 2024July 23, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

tinySniffer WiFi-connected USB sniffer is based on NanoPi NEO Air SBC

TinySniffer is a USB sniffer based on the Allwinner H3-powered NanoPi Neo Air SBC, designed to capture USB 1.x and 2.0 packets remotely, and whose captured data is compatible with the popular Wireshark packet analyzer tool. Wireshark can already be used to capture USB packets on its own and I reverse-engineered a USB capture video solution that way in the past, but this method has some limitations, for instance, it does not capture some low-level USB packets, in which case a hardware USB sniffer like Total Phase Beagle USB, the PhyWhisperer USB, or the tinySniffer is required. The micro USB OTG port of the NanoPi NEO Air SBC is connected to the host computer and the company added a USB 2.0 Type-A port connected to the USB interface on the GPIO header to connect a device under test such as a USB keyboard, a USB Ethernet dongle, a USB printer, […]

July 8, 2024 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Renesas SLG7EVBFORGE FPGA dev board is built around ForgeFPGA SLG47910V low-density FPGA

Renesas SLG7EVBFORGE 1K LUT ForgeFPGA Evaluation Board

Renesas SLG7EVBFORGE FPGA dev board, built around SLG47910V is Renesas’ first low-density FPGA in the ForgeFPGA family. The FPGA includes 1120 LUTs, 1120 flip-flops, 5kb of distributed memory, 32kb of block RAM, and a 50 MHz on-chip oscillator with a phase-locked loop (PLL). With robust features, low power consumption, and affordable pricing this FPGA can be used in applications in sensor data aggregation, consumer electronics, and portable computing devices. The SLG47910V FPGA gets connected to a ZIF socket to the development board, this design choice puts out a clear sign that upcoming Forge family FPGAs will support this dev board. Additionally, it features Pmod connectors and configurable power sources. The dev board can be programmed via OTP Non-Volatile Memory or SPI interface and additional features get managed through Renesas’ Go Configure Software Hub. Previously we have written about similar low-power low-cost FPGA boards like the Sipeed Tang Mega 138K, the […]

June 29, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

RAUC open-source OTA update solution for embedded Linux ported to Rock Pi 4 SBC

RAUC open-source OTA update solution enabling A/B updates for embedded Linux images has recently been ported to the Radxa Rock Pi 4 Model B SBC powered by a Rockchip OP1 SoC by the project’s maintainer, Leon Anavi working for Konsulto Group. If you run a Linux distribution like Ubuntu, Debian, or Fedora, packages and OS images are taken care of automatically or by running a few commands. However, software engineers who build custom embedded Linux images with the Yocto Project or Buildroot must handle this themselves. Luckily, there are already open-source OTA firmware update solutions such as Mender, Balena, Torizon, OSTree, Snap, or RAUC, and we’ll look at the latter today. RAUC (Robust Auto-Update Controller) was started by Pengutronix in 2015 and eventually adopted by the community. It’s a lightweight update client that runs on an Embedded Linux device and controls the A/B update procedure when a new firmware revision […]

May 14, 2024May 13, 2024 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

Waveshare Thermal Imaging Camera Module – Raspberry Pi HAT or USB-C model, 80×62 resolution, dual FOV options (45°/90°)

Waveshare Thermal-90 USB and Thermal-90 Camera HAT

The Waveshare Thermal Imaging Camera module comes in two variants, namely the Thermal-45/90 Camera Raspberry Pi HAT and Thermal-45/90 USB Camera. The main difference between the two is that the HAT is designed to be attached to a Raspberry Pi, Pi Zero, or any other SBC that features a Pi-compatible pin layout like the Sipeed Longan Pi3H, Banana Pi BPI-M4, Radxa Zero 3W SBC, and others. On the other hand, the USB module can be connected to any PC, Android, or other device with a USB connection. The camera features a shutterless design, which is why it can produce a thermal imaging video stream output of up to 25 frames per second (FPS). Additionally, Waveshare offers options for different fields of view (FOV) – a basic version with a 45° FOV and a wide-angle version with a 90° FOV, making it suitable for applications like IR thermometers, industrial temperature control, […]

May 9, 2024May 11, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Openterface Mini-KVM is an affordable KVM-over-USB device (Crowdfunding)

Openterface Mini-KVM compact, open-source hardware KVM-over-USB device with HDMI and audio inputs which connects over a USB-C port to the host computer. We’ve seen quite a few low-cost KVM-over-IP solutions based on single board computers over the years, but the Openterface Mini-KVM is quite different (and cheaper) as a plug-and-play and network-independent KVM-over-USB device that establishes a direct HDMI and USB connection between the host computer and the target device. It supports many of the same features as KVM-over-IP solutions except for some features such as ATX support found in the PiKVM v4 Plus or the Pi-Cast KVM with an expansion board that allows the target device to be turned off and from the host device. Mini-KVM (model LIG03D01) specifications: Control method – KVM-over-USB Video capture – Up to 1920×1080 @ 30 Hz with under 140ms latency through HDMI or VGA (the latter requires an add-on VGA-to-HDMI cable) Audio capture […]