I’ve just received an electric skateboard for review: the MEEPO V5. I initially thought I would skip that one since it’s not super relevant to the usual topics covered on CNX Software, but seeing bolts on the photos, I figured out it might still be interesting to do a teardown of the skateboard to see how it works. So here I am. I’ll also go through an unboxing first, and check its features and performance. MEEPO V5 unboxing The package was quite larger and longer than I expected. That’s partially because there were two packages: one for the electric skateboard itself, and the other for a helmet. The skateboard is also quite bigger and heavier (8kg) than the skateboards I tried to use when I was a child. The build quality looks excellent. There are some marks and dust on the wheels and deck because I tried it before taking […]
The Future of Asset Tracking: IoT at Scale with LTE-M technology
CNXSoft: This is a guest post by Ohad Peled, Product Marketing Manager at Sony Semiconductor Israel, about the challenges of tracking a large number of IoT assets and how LTE-M can help businesses scale tracking solutions. Over the last few years, asset tracking has emerged as a critical business function and is estimated to grow to a $34.5B market by 2032, according to Custom Market Insights. Whether businesses are monitoring a global supply chain or keeping tabs on expensive equipment, knowing where assets are at all times is essential. It enables businesses to optimize supply chains, prevent theft, and reduce operational downtime. There are several technical and commercial challenges in deploying such a solution, which could result in failure to deliver the promised value. Some solutions struggle to maintain accurate tracking as assets move within or across different facilities, especially if they go through an indoor environment. Others suffer from […]
ESP32-C61-DevKitC-1 development board features ESP32-C61 low-cost WiFi 6 and Bluetooth LE 5.0 SoC
The ESP32-C61-DevKitC-1 is a development board based on the ESP32-C61 low-cost WiFi 6 and Bluetooth LE 5.0 SoC that was first unveiled in January 2024, and has just entered mass production this month (June 2025). The board is offered with two USB-C ports, two buttons, an RGB LED, and GPIO headers. In my 2024 year in review report, I noted that Espressif would likely launch the ESP32-C5 dual-band WiFi 6 SoC in 2025, but I completely forgot about the ESP32-C61, which is basically a cost-down version of the ESP32-C6. The ESP32-C61-DevKitC-1 development board and ESP32-C61-WROOM-1 module are now available, so let’s have a closer look. ESP32-C61-DevKitC-1 specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-C61-WROOM-1 SoC – ESP32-C61HR2 CPU – Single 32-bit RISC-V core clocked up to 120MHz Memory – 320KB SRAM, 2MB PSRAM Storage – 256KB ROM Wireless – WiFi 6 and Bluetooth LE 5.0 Storage – 8MB QSPI flash Antenna – PCB […]
LILYGO MySondy GO LoRa32 board tracks radiosondes (weather balloons) with a 433MHz LoRa module
“LILYGO MySondy GO LoRa32” is a small ESP32-PICO-D4 board with a 433 MHz LoRa module and a 0.96-inch OLED designed to track (RS41) radiosondes, which are units attached to weather balloons used to collect meteorological data like temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure. It looks to be an older TTGO T3 board with a 433 MHz LoRa32 module from the company preloaded with the MySondo firmware that allows hobbyists in the amateur radio and weather enthusiast communities to track weather balloons and potentially recover them. LILYGO MySondy GO LoRa32 specifications: SiP – Espressif Systems ESP32-PICO-D4 system-in-package with ESP32 dual-core Xtensa processor @ 240 MHz, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 dual-mode, 4MB flash LoRa module – LORA32 RF Transceiver – Semtech SX1268 connected over SPI to the ESP32 SiP Frequency – 433 MHz (The T3 board has options for 868 and 915 MHz, which I suspect are not suitable for radiosondes) Tx […]
$6.5 RAK11160 LoRaWAN, WiFi, and BLE module pairs ESP32-C2 with STM32WLE5 for low-power, long-range IoT
RAKwireless RAK11160 is a new low-cost, low-power LoRaWAN, WiFi 4, and Bluetooth LE module based on ESP32-C2 (ESP8684) wireless microcontroller and STM32WLE5 LoRa SoC for LPWAN IoT applications. The company noticed that many people would combine their STMicro STM32WL-based RAK3172 WisDuo LoRaWAN module with an ESP32 module to add WiFi and/or Bluetooth connectivity to their projects besides LoRaWAN. So RAKwireless decided to offer a module combining both STM32WL and ESP32-C2 to offer a cheap and much more compact solution to their customers. RAK1160 was born. RAwireless RAK11160 specifications: LPWAN SoC/SiP – STMicro STM32WLE5 Core – Arm Cortex-M4 MCU @ 48 MHz Memory – 64 KB RAM Storage – 256 KB flash memory with ECC Wireless – Sub-GHz radio based on Semtech SX126x LoRaWAN 1.0.4 specification compliant Supported bands – EU433, CN470, IN865, EU868, AU915, US915, KR920, RU864, and AS923 LoRaWAN Activation by OTAA/ABP LoRa Point-to-Point (P2P) communication Tx Power Output – […]
STMicro STM32WBA5MMG is a tiny wireless module with Bluetooth LE 6.0, Zigbee 3.0, and OpenThread
STMicro’s STM32WBA5MMG is a tiny (12.5 x 8 mm), ultra-low-power 2.4 GHz wireless module based on the STM32WBA55UG wireless microcontroller with support for Bluetooth 6.0 LE, Zigbee 3.0, and OpenThread. The company further adds that designing a board for the module does not require any RF expertise, it provides a fully integrated Bill of Materials (BOM) with 32 MHz and 32 kHz crystals and integrated antenna matching or optional external antenna configurations, and its compatibility with 2-layer PCBs helps reduce costs. STM32WBA5MMG specifications: Wireless MCU – STMicro STM32WBA55UG Core – 32-bit Arm Cortex-M33 CPU with TrustZone®, MPU, DSP, and FPU Memory – 128 KB SRAM, including 64 KB with parity check Storage 1 MB flash memory with ECC, including 256 KB with 100 kcycles 512-byte (32 rows) OTP ART Accelerator – 8 KB instruction cache allowing 0-wait-state execution from flash memory (frequency up to 100 MHz, 150 DMIPS) Wireless Bluetooth […]
This ESP32-P4 board is equipped with an ESP32-C5 dual-band WiFi 6 module
All ESP32-P4 boards and devkits we’ve covered so far rely on ESP32-C6 for wireless connectivity, but the Wireless Tag WT99P4C5-S1 differs in that it pairs the ESP32-P4 RISC-V SoC with an ESP32-C5 wireless module featuring dual-band WiFi 6, Bluetooth LE 5.0, and an 802.15.4 radio for Zigbee, Thread, and Matter connectivity. The board also features MIPI DSI and CSI connectors for a display and a camera, GPIO headers for the ESP32-P4 and ESP32-C5 modules, a microSD card slot, a Fast Ethernet port, a built-in microphone, a speaker connector, an RS485 terminal block, and a few USB ports for data and debugging. Wireless Tag WT99P4C5-S1 board specifications: Core module – Wireless Tag WT0132P4-A1 SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-P4 CPU Dual-core 32-bit RISC-V HP (High-performance) CPU @ up to 400 MHz with AI instructions extension and single-precision FPU Single-RISC-V LP (Low-power) MCU core @ up to 40 MHz with 8KB of zero-wait […]
Bestechnic BES2700YP Arm Cortex-M55 Bluetooth Audio SoC targets headphones, earbuds, portable speakers
Bestechnic BES2700YP is an Arm Cortex-M55 Bluetooth Audio SoC designed for Smart earbuds with adaptive ANC, Smart Bluetooth headphones/headsets, ANC hearing-aids, Bluetooth speakers, and other portable audio devices When I wrote about the Ambiq Apollo330 Plus SoC family last week, I realized it was the first time I covered Arm Cortex-M55 microcontrollers with built-in wireless, in that case Bluetooth LE 5.4 and 802.15.4 (Thread/Matter) radios, and that’s how I came across the BES2700YP SoC with a more narrow use cases since it’s made for Smart Bluetooth audio applications. BES Technic BES2700YP key features and specifications: CPU Subsystem – Arm Cortex-M55 core Sensor Hub Subsystem – Arm STAR-MC1 core (improved Arm Cortex-M33 core) with sensor engine, BECO NPU, and VAD (Voice Activity Detection) Memory – 4 MB SRAM shared across the CPU, Bluetooth, and Sensor Hub cores Storage – Flash in package, boot ROM Bluetooth Subsystem Arm STAR-MC1 core (Arm Cortex-M33 […]

