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June 8, 2026June 8, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Armbian Imager 2.0 release supports over 300 boards from 64 SBC vendors, custom user profiles

Rock 5B Plus Armbian Operating System Selection

The Armbian community has just released the Armbian Imager 2.0 GUI program to easily flash pre-built Armbian-built Ubuntu or Debian images for over 338 boards from 64 SBC vendors. The new version features a slick user interface rewritten from scratch and implements custom user profiles in the settings with username and password, SSH key, Wi-Fi network credentials and country code, timezone, locale, and shell. That means the board is ready to use after flashing. In some ways it’s similar to the Raspberry Pi Imager 2.0, except it covers a much broader ecosystem of single board computers. To be honest, I had no idea Armbian had an imager so far. The last time I used an Armbian image, I downloaded it directly from their website and used USB Imager or another tool to flash it to a microSD card slot. So it’s a good opportunity to check out the Armbian Imager […]

May 26, 2026May 26, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

WCH BLE Analyzer Pro USB Bluetooth LE sniffer gains Linux software with Wireshark (pcap) support

Last November, we wrote about the WCH BLE Analyzer Pro, an inexpensive (~$20) USB Bluetooth LE sniffer and analyzer, which looked useful and good value for reverse engineering and debugging. One downside is that the WCH BLE Analyzer software was only made for Windows 7 to 11, but Xecaz decided to look into it and reverse-engineered the USB protocol to write Linux software using libusb that outputs a standard pcap compatible with popular tools such as Wireshark, or as he puts it: “WinChipHead forgot to ship a Linux driver. We forgot to ask permission.” As a reminder, the BLE Analyzer Pro features three CH582F Bluetooth LE RISC-V microcontrollers and a CH334 USB hub, supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 4.0/4.2/5.0, and connects to the host through its USB-C port. The Linux “driver” for the BLE Analyzer Pro tool can be found on GitHub. Building and installing the software is quick and […]

May 21, 2026May 21, 2026 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Procolored X one – A 3-in-1 laser engraver with UV and UV-DTF color printing (Crowdfunding)

Procolored X one A UV Printing, Engrave, Sticker All in One

Procolored X one is a 3-in-1 machine which combines a UV color printer, a dual-laser engraver (20W diode + 2W IR), and a UV-DTF sticker maker into a single, compact, enclosed unit. It is designed to simplify workflows for small businesses and DIY makers by bringing multiple functions into a single system. Traditionally, creating full-color engraved products requires multiple machines and a messy pre-coating step before printing. The X one simplifies this by using a special X-axis dual-track design that lets you switch between laser cutting and UV printing without moving the object, making the workflow faster and easier. Procolored X one specifications UV Printing System Printhead -XH6 Dual Printhead (promising up to a 5x efficiency improvement) Maximum Print Width – 33 cm (Supports A3 and A5 platforms) Print Speed – A3 full-size print in ~10+ minutes Ink System – 250ml refillable tanks with smart ink monitoring (notably larger than the 100ml tanks […]

May 16, 2026May 16, 2026 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

Anthropic’s open-source Claude Desktop Buddy turns ESP32-S3 devices into interactive AI desk companions

Anthropic has opened its Claude Hardware Interface (Bluetooth API) to developers, enabling an ESP32-S3-based desk companion to connect directly to the Claude desktop app over Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). To demonstrate this new feature, the company released an open-source reference project called Claude Desktop Buddy. It currently runs on the M5StickC Plus (an ESP32-based board from M5Stack, about $30 on AliExpress and Amazon) and works as a small interactive hardware companion for Claude. Also, during the recent “Build with Claude” event, the company recommended the ESP32-S3-based M5Stack Cardputer as one of the best hardware options for developers who want to build physical devices that interact with AI agents. Designed as a physical companion device for Claude Cowork and Claude Code on macOS and Windows, it stays on your desk and provides real-time updates on the AI agent’s activity. It also lets you respond to permission requests directly using its buttons, so […]

May 14, 2026May 14, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

Clawdmeter – A DIY ESP32-S3 desk dashboard for Claude Code token usage monitoring

Clawdmeter is a DIY ESP32-S3-powered desk dashboard that displays Claude Code token usage on a 2.16-inch AMOLED screen so you know when you’re about to reach the limits in real time. It’s mostly a firmware project since it relies on off-the-shelf hardware (Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-AMOLED-2.16). It leverages the LVGL library for its graphics user interface, the NimBLE stack for Bluetooth LE (BLE) communication, and also functions as a HID keyboard for shortcuts using the buttons from the unit. We previously covered Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-AMOLED-1.8 with a 1.8-inch display, but never the 2.16-inch variant, so let’s have a quick look at the hardware first. ESP32-S3-Touch-AMOLED-2.16 specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3R8 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 @ up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration. Memory – 512KB RAM, 8MB PSRAM ROM – 384KB Connectivity – 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE Storage 16MB NOR flash MicroSD card slot […]

May 7, 2026May 7, 2026 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

FalCAN Probe is an open-source, STM32-based USB to CAN/RS-485/RS-422 adapter

Most USB-to-bus adapters, including tools like CANTact Pro or MeatPi’s Ollie V1 and V2, typically support either CAN or RS-485/RS-422 as fixed-function serial devices. In contrast, the FalCAN Probe by Anders B. Nielsen is a multi-protocol USB adapter based on the STM32F042 microcontroller. The FalCAN Probe is a compact open-source USB Type-C board that connects a computer to CAN, RS-485, and full-duplex RS-422 networks. Instead of using a fixed USB bridge, it exposes the MCU’s native USB interface along with SWD and GPIOs, and can also be used as a small Arm Cortex-M0 development platform. FalCAN Probe specifications: MCU – STMicro STM32F042C6Tx Arm Cortex-M0 microcontroller @ 48 MHz with 32KB flash, 6KB SRAM Host Interface – USB 2.0 Full Speed via USB Type-C port Interfaces (non-isolated) CAN bus via Texas Instruments SN65HVD230 transceiver; enumerates as a GS_USB CAN device when jumper JP4 is open RS485 and full-duplex RS422 via dual […]

April 15, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

LimeSDR Micro M.2 2280 SDR card pairs NXP LA9310 baseband processor with LMS7002M RF transceiver (Crowdfunding)

The LimeSDR Micro M.2 2280 software-defined radio (SDR) card combines an NXP LA9310 baseband processor and a Lime Microsystems LMS7002M transceiver, and targets integration into portable or embedded solutions with a spare M.2 PCIe Gen3 x1 socket. The module is offered in a 1T2R configuration by default, but can be expanded to 1T4R via an FPC connector, supports a 30 MHz to 3.8 GHz frequency range, and up to 100 MHz bandwidth. Target applications include 4G LTE/5G, future RAN research, custom user equipment/modems, drone communications, IoT, satellite communications, and custom waveform generation. LimeSDR Micro M.2 SDR card specifications: SoC – NXP LA9310 programmable baseband processor Vector Signal Processing Accelerator (VSPA) Gen 2 up to 80 GFLOPs Control Processor – Arm Cortex-M4 at up to 307 MHz Storage – 512 Kbit EEPROM memory for NXP LA9310 initial configuration RF Lime Microsystems LMS7002M RF transceiver Channels – 1T2R expandable to 1T4R via […]

April 8, 2026April 8, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

GL.iNet Comet 5G – A KVM over IP solution with 5G RedCap cellular connectivity, 3.69-inch touchscreen display

GL.inet Comet 5G (GL-RM10RC) is a KVM over IP solution with a 3.69-inch touchscreen display and 5G RedCap (Reduced Capability) IoT cellular connectivity, enabling remote access even when your regular Internet connection is down. The design builds upon the GL.iNet Comet Pro introduced last year, featuring a larger design and display, and adding 5G cellular connectivity on top of WiFi 6 and Gigabit Ethernet. It still features HDMI input and output (loop) ports, two USB Type-C ports for power and keyboard/mouse emulation, and a USB 2.0 port for accessories like ATX power control or fingerbot for the control of physical buttons on the target. GL.iNet Comet 5G specifications: SoC – Quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU @ 1.5 GHz; potentially a Rockchip RV1126B SoC System Memory – 1GB DDR3L Storage – 64 GB eMMC flash Video & Audio Input – HDMI port up to 4K @ 30 FPS Output – HDMI loop/passthrough port […]