Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Hi3861 based HiSpark WiFi IoT development board supports LiteOS and HarmonyOS

Hi3861 based HiSpark WiFi IoT development board supports LiteOS and HarmonyOS

HiHope HiSpark WiFi IoT development board features Hisilicon Hi3518 microcontroller with 2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n WiFi 4 and supports Huawei LiteOS as well as HarmonyOS. Equipped with 2MB flash and 384KB SRAM, the board targets smart home applications, and ships with a baseboard to help with development. HiSpark board specifications: MCU – Hisilicon Hi3861 32-bit microcontroller @ up to 160 MHz with 352 KB SRAM and 288 KB ROM, 2 MB flash memory, and WiFI 4 connectivity; QFN-32 5x5mm package WiFi 802.11b/g/n standard up to 72 Mbps @ HT20 2.4 GHz frequency band (ch1-ch14). Station (STA) and access point (AP) modes with up to 6 clients for the latter WiFi mesh with up to 256 nodes Security – WPA, WPA2 personal, and WPS 2.0 PCB antenna USB – 1x USB Type-C port for power and programming via CH340 chip Expansion – 2x headers with up to 2x SPI, 2x I2C, 3x UART interfaces, 15x GPIO, 7x ADC inputs, 6x PWM interfaces, […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments on FeatherS2 Board Brings ESP32-S2 to Adafruit Feather Form Factor

FeatherS2 Board Brings ESP32-S2 to Adafruit Feather Form Factor

We’ve covered a fair number of development boards following Adafruit Feather form factor in the last year or so with products such as QuickFeather Cortex-M4 + FPGA board, OrangeCrab (Lattice FPGA), nRF9160 Feather providing LTE IoT & GPS connectivity, and other boards. But here’s yet another Adafruit Feather themed board that has just launched: FeatherS2. The tiny board is equipped with the latest Espressif Systems ESP32-S2 WiFi SoC, 16 MB SPI Flash, 8 MB PSRAM, several I/O, and a USB-C port for power and programming. FeatherS2 key features and specifications: SoC – ESP32-S2 single-core Tensilica LX7 processor @ 240 MHz, RISC-V ultra-lower power co-processor, 320 kB SRAM, 128 kB ROM Memory – 8 MB extra PSRAM Storage – 16 MB SPI Flash Connectivity – 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi – 802.11b/g/n with 3D antenna USB – 1x USB-C port for power and programming Sensor – ALS-PT19 Ambient Light Sensor Expansion 16 + 12 through holes for up to 21x GPIOs, I2C, SPI, […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on UL-Certified TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug with Dual Outlet Sells for $19.99 (Promo)

UL-Certified TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug with Dual Outlet Sells for $19.99 (Promo)

WiFi smart sockets to control home appliances have been around for a few years, and one of my favorite companies is Sonoff as they offer a variety of affordable smart plugs pre-loaded with eWelink firmware and compatible with open-source firmware like Tasmota and ESPurna. The company is also attentive to safety. communicate issues with customers, and recently wrote a post entitled “Safety is our responsibility” where they detail all steps taken to make sure their mains connected device sare safe to use. Sadly that does not include safety certifications like UL/ETL, or TUV which may have implications for your home insurance depending on where you live, and for peace of mind, it’s always good to have a third verify your design for safety. Which brings me to the main point of this point, as a UL-certified dual-outlet smart socket, namely TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug, is currently on sale for $19.99 when ticking for the $10 discount coupon. [Update: They also […]

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Posted on by Sponsored Post - 2 Comments on Wallys WiFi 5 (802.11ac) mini PCIe cards deliver higher Tx power and performance (Sponsored)

Wallys WiFi 5 (802.11ac) mini PCIe cards deliver higher Tx power and performance (Sponsored)

Wallys is offering two mini PCIe cards to add WiFI 5 (802.11ac) to existing gateways, computers, or boards. Both 802.11ac modules are powered by Qualcomm Atheros QCA9880 chipset, with DR600VX mPCIe module delivering up to up to 867Mbps thanks to 2×2 MIMO, and DR900VX mPCIe module up to 1.3 Gbps using 3×3 MIMO technology. Both modules share most of the same key features & specifications: Chipset – Qualcomm Atheros QCA9880 wireless local area network (WLAN) system-on-chip (SoC) for 5 GHz 802.11ac or 2.4/5 GHz 802.11n WLAN WiFi 2.4GHz max 26dBm & 5GHz max 25dBm output power IEEE 802.11ac compliant & backward compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n IEEE 802.11d, e, h, i, k, r, v time stamp, and w standards DR600VX – 2×2 MIMO technology up to 867 Mbps DR900VX – 3×3 MIMO technology up to 1.3 Gbps Supports Spatial Multiplexing, Cyclic-Delay Diversity (CDD), Low-Density Parity Check (LDPC) Codes, Maximal Ratio Support for Maximal Ratio Combining (MRC), Space-Time Block Code (STBC), and Dynamic […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on WPQ873 Wireless Embedded SBC is Powered by Qualcomm IPQ8072A WiFi 6 SoC, Supports 5G Modules

WPQ873 Wireless Embedded SBC is Powered by Qualcomm IPQ8072A WiFi 6 SoC, Supports 5G Modules

We very recently wrote about DR6018 V2 Embedded WiFi 6 router board powered by Qualcomm IPQ6010 quad-core Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.8 GHz and supporting optional WiFi 6E and 5G IoT M.2 cards. If you are after a solution that supports WiFi 6 (802.11ax) and 5G, but with a bit more processing power and faster WiFi 6 speeds, Compex WPQ873 wireless embedded SBC may be an interesting option thanks to Qualcomm IPQ8072A quad-core Cortex-A53 processor clocked at up to 2.2 GHz, with integrated support for WiFi 6 up to 2475Mbps, and an M.2 socket for an optional 5G card. Compex WPQ873 specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Atheros IPQ8072A quad-core ARM 64 bit A53 @2.2GHz part of Qualcomm Networking Pro 600 Platform System Memory – 1x 512MB, DDR4 16-bit interface Storage – 256MB NAND flash, 8MB NOR flash Networking and Wireless Connectivity Ethernet 3x Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45) ports 1x 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port WiFi On-board 4×4 2.4GHz MU-MIMO OFDMA 802.11b/g/n/ax, up to 1182 […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on M5StickC PLUS ESP32-PICO Devkit Comes with 1.14-inch LCD, 120 mAh Battery and Buzzer

M5StickC PLUS ESP32-PICO Devkit Comes with 1.14-inch LCD, 120 mAh Battery and Buzzer

Shortly after introducing the Core2 ESP32 IoT Development Kit with a 2-inch touch display, 390 mAh battery earlier this week, M5Stack has announced the availability of another ESP32 WiFi & Bluetooth IoT devkit, with the more compact M5StickC PLUS featuring a 1.14-inch display, a 120mAh battery, motion, sensor, a buzzer and the usual Grove connector for expansion. M5StickC PLUS is an upgrade to the original M5StickC that lacks the buzzer and features a smaller 0.96-inch display and a lower capacity 96 mAh battery. The new model can be purchased now for $13.95 plus shipping on Aliexpress, while the original device, that happens to be M5Stack top-selling product, is still available for $9.95. M5StickC PLUS key features and specifications: SiP – Espressif Systems ESP32-PICO-D4 system-in-package with ESP32 dual-core WiFI and Bluetooth IoT processor @ up to 240 MHz, 4MB SPI flash Display – 1.14-inch Color TFT LCD with 135×240 resolution (ST7789v2 driver) Audio – SPM1423 microphone, buzzer USB – 1x USB-C […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Espressif Unveils ESP32-S2-MINI Modules, ESP32-S3 and ESP32-C3 SoC’s Coming Soon

Espressif Unveils ESP32-S2-MINI Modules, ESP32-S3 and ESP32-C3 SoC’s Coming Soon

Espressif Systems has unveiled two new ESP32-S2 WiFi modules part of the new MINI series modules, namely ESP32-S2-MINI-1U with IPEX antenna, and ESP32-S2-MINI-1 with a PCB antenna. The press release also mentions upcoming ESP32-S3 and ESP32-C3 processors with few details. Let’s have a look. ESP32-S2-MINI modules Preliminary specifications: SoC – Espressif ESP32-S2FH4 single-core 32-bit LX7 microcontroller @ up to 240 MHz, RISC-V ultra-low-power co-processor, 320 kB SRAM, 128kB ROM, 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 connectivity, 4MB flash Antenna ESP32-S2-MINI-1 – PCB antenna ESP32-S2-MINI-1U – IPEX antenna connector Dimensions ESP32-S2-MINI-1 – 20 x 15.4 x mm ESP32-S2-MINI-1U – 15.4 x 15.4 x mm The company states the exact processor SKU used in the module is ESP32-S2FH4, but initially I could not find out it differed from ESP32-S2 since it has the same specs include a single-core processor, ULP core, up to 43 GPIOs, and USB-OTG support. It turns out the flash appears to be embedded inside the ESP32-S2F processor instead of being […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on xDrill Smart Power Drill Supports Intelligent Speed/Torque, Laser Measuring, Digital Leveling (Crowdfunding)

xDrill Smart Power Drill Supports Intelligent Speed/Torque, Laser Measuring, Digital Leveling (Crowdfunding)

Many home appliances now have smart functions, and in my cases, I fail to see the added value, and I’m not sure why I’d want/need a connected refrigerator with a touchscreen display. So when I first saw somebody make a “smart” power drill with a small touchscreen display I laughed. But after having a closer look, Robbox xDrill smart power drill could actually be a very useful device saving you time and helping work better. The touchscreen is used for settings but also serves as a level tool to make sure the drill is aligned horizontally or at the angle of your choice, and you can also set the drilling depth. There are also two lasers that measure distances, so you don’t need to use a measuring tape and pencil anymore. xDrill key features and specifications: Built-in microcontroller with WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity (is that an ESP32 inside?) Display – LCD touchscreen display Brushless digital motor Manual speed/torque lever (2000 […]

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