zephyr News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

July 9, 2026July 8, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Norik Systems introduces nRF9151-based USB Dongle for DECT NR+ deployments

Norik Systems has developed a compact USB dongle based on Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF9151 SiP, mostly designed to work as a DECT NR+ child node or a USB-powered gateway. As a reminder, DECT NR+ is a non-cellular 5G standard for long-range low-power applications that works at 1.9 GHz and supports up to one million nodes through mesh, star, and point-to-point topologies. The Norik USB dongle enables developers to easily add DECT NR+ to gateways or child modes. Norik Systems DECT NR+ USB dongle specifications: Wireless System-in-Package – Nordic Semi nRF9151 CPU – Arm Cortex-M33 @ 64 MHz Memory – 256KB RAM Storage – 1MB flash Connectivity Multimode LTE-M/NB-IoT/NB-NTN modem with DECT NR+ support and GNSS. 700-2200 MHz LTE band support. Power Class 5 20 dBm Power Class 3 23 dBm 1.9 GHz and 915 MHz DECT NR+ band support (1, 2, 9, 22) Security – Arm TrustZone + Arm CryptoCell 310. […]

July 7, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Mercedes-Benz hosts open-source hardware Automotive Rapid DEvelopment Platform (ARDEP)

ARDEP (Automotive Rapid DEvelopment Platform) is an open-source hardware and software platform hosted on Mercedes-Benz’s GitHub account and released under an Apache 2.0 license. The ARDEP V2 main board is based on an STMicroelectronics STM32G474VE Arm Cortex-M4F microcontroller for motor control with CORDIC and FMAC hardware math accelerators, and features CAN-FD and LIN transceivers, while the PowerIO Shield features 6 outputs and 6 inputs supporting up to 48V and 3A per channel. ARDEP V2 specifications: MCU – STMicroelectronics STM32G474VE Arm Cortex-M4 with FPU at up to 170 MHz Math accelerators – CORDIC for trigonometric functions and Filter Mathematical ACcelerator (FMAC) Memory – 128 KB SRAM Storage – 256 KB single-bank flash USB 1x USB Type-C “ARDEP” port 1x USB Type-C “Debugger” port Transceivers 2x CAN-FD capable transceivers, each with a common mode choke, ESD protection, and hardware-configurable 120 Ohm termination 1x LIN transceiver, software-selectable master or slave mode I/Os DB-9 […]

June 30, 2026June 30, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

XIAO nRF54LM20A (Sense) board enables ultra-low-power Bluetooth 6.0, Matter, Thread, Zigbee, or 2.4 GHz proprietary applications

Seeed Studio XIAO nRF54LM20A and XIAO nRF54LM20A Sense are tiny USB-C IoT boards based on Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF54LM20A wireless SoC offering Bluetooth 6.0, Matter, Thread, Zigbee, NFC, Amazon Sidewalk, and 2.4 GHz proprietary connectivity. Both variants come with on-chip 2 MB flash and 512 KB RAM, as well as an 8 MB flash, an nPM1300 PMIC for power management, up to 28 GPIOs, and an RGB LED. The Sense model adds a digital microphone and 6-axis IMU with motion-triggered wake-up for ultra-low power applications. XIAO nRF54LM20A (Sense) specifications: Wireless SoC – Nordic Semiconductor nRF54LM20A CPU Arm Cortex-M33 application processor clocked at up to 128 MHz RISC-V coprocessor running at 128 MHz Memory – 512 kB of RAM Storage – 2 MB of Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) Wireless Bluetooth LE 6.0 with PHY rates of 125 kbit/s, 500 kbit/s, 1 Mbit/s, and 2 Mbit/s Bluetooth Channel Sounding, Bluetooth LE long range (coded PHY), […]

June 10, 2026 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Synaptics Astra SRW1500 Cortex-M52 Edge AI MCU features Ethos-U55 NPU, Wi-Fi 6/7, Bluetooth 6.0, 802.15.4 connectivity

Synaptics has introduced the Astra SRW1500 Series of AI-native Edge AI MCUs designed for smart IoT edge devices. The family features an Arm Cortex-M52 core, an optional Arm Ethos-U55 Neural Processing Unit (NPU), and tri-band Wi-Fi 7 or Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 6.0 LE, and 802.15.4 connectivity, in a single package. It targets low-latency on-device AI workloads such as voice-trigger detection, sound-event classification, and AI-enhanced Wi-Fi sensing. The series currently comes in four variants offering different wireless and USB options. Since sensing, AI processing, and wireless connectivity are integrated into a single chip, this approach helps reduce system costs, simplify PCB design, and lower power consumption in devices such as smart home hubs, building automation systems, and home appliances. Synaptics SRW1500 Series specifications: CPU Arm Cortex-M52 application core up to 200 MHz with Arm Helium (MVE) vector extensions for DSP and ML Arm Cortex-R4 WiFi core with 960 KB SRAM and 1408 […]

June 6, 2026June 6, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Docker for Microcontrollers? AkiraOS combines Zephyr RTOS with WebAssembly (WASM) applications

AkiraOS is a Zephyr-based embedded OS that runs sandboxed WebAssembly applications on microcontrollers and lets users deploy and update firmware OTA without reflashing. In other words, it’s similar to Docker containers, but for microcontrollers. The open-source embedded platform separates the OS from the application. That means the firmware stays stable, while apps are independent .wasm binaries deployable over-the-air without touching the OS, and portable so a single binary works on ESP32-S3, nRF5x, or STM32 MCU boards. AkiraOS highlights: User space Up to 8 wasm apps can be installed Up to two apps can run at the same time Footprint: 50KB to 200KB per app Akiraz runtime – Custom WASM runtime App Manager UI Framework with 32 widgets Shell/console 18 API modules WebAssembly Micro Runtime (WAMR) – Two options: Interpreter or Ahead-Of-Time (AOT) compilation with 10 to 50x higher performance RTOS – Zephyr RTOS Scheduler Network stack HTTP for OTA updates […]

April 21, 2026April 21, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Ezurio Tungsten 510/700 SMARC SoM features MediaTek Genio 510/700 AIoT SoC, dual GbE, WiFi 6

Ezurio Tungsten 700 Mediatek Genio 700 SMARC system-on-module

Ezurio Tungsten 510 and Tungsten 700 SMARC 2.1 compliant system-on-module powered by MediaTek Genio 510 hexa-core and Genio 700 octa-core Cortex-A78/A55 AIoT SoCs with an up to 4 TOPS NPU. The SMARC modules feature 4GB or 8GB LPDDR4 memory and 16GB flash by default (upgradeable up to 128GB), offer dual Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, and various interfaces exposed through a standard 314-pin MXM connector, including HDMI, DisplayPort, eDP, and MIPI DSI display interfaces, two MIPI CSI camera interfaces, two I2S audio interface, PCIe Gen2 x1, and more. Ezurio Tungsten 510/700 specifications: SoC (one or the other) MediaTek Genio 510 (MT8370) CPU – Hexa-core processor with 2x Arm Cortex-A78 core up to 2.2 GHz, 4x Cortex-A55 cores up to 2 GHz GPU – Arm Mali-G57 MC2 GPU VPU – 4Kp60 H.265, AV1, VP9, H.264 video decoding, 4Kp30 H.265 and H.264 video encoding Accelerators – Up to 3.2 […]

April 19, 2026April 19, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

BeagleConnect Zepto – A “$1 computer” based on TI MSPM0L1117 Cortex-M0+ MCU

BeagleBoard.org Foundation’s BeagleConnect Zepto “$1 computer” is an upcoming open-source hardware board powered by Texas Instruments MSPM0L117 Cortex-M0+ MCU, part of the MSPM0 family introduced in 2023. It’s a tiny board with mikroBus-compatible headers, a TAG-CONNECT JTAG connector, two Qwiic connectors for expansion (or one Qwiic connector + USB-C depending on the variant), Boot and Reset buttons, and an RGB LED. BeagleConnect Zepto specifications: MCU – Texas Instruments MSPM0L117 CPU – 32MHz Arm Cortex-M0+ core Memory – 16KB SRAM Storage – 128KB dual-bank flash Package – QFN32 (5×5 mm) USB – Optional USB-C port for power (multiplexed with one of the Qwicc JST connectors) Expansion mikroBUS headers supporting a choice of about 2,000 ClickE add-on boards; one of the sides is compatible with some Raspberry Pi HATs (note limited to 12 pins) Up to 2x Qwicc connectors with full Grove function: I2C, UART, ADC, GPIO Debugging – 8-pin TAG-CONNECT JTAG […]

April 2, 2026April 3, 2026 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Nuvoton NuMicro M3331 Cortex-M33 MCU features built-in ARGB LED controller, optional USB 2.0 OTG interface

Nuvoton’s new NuMicro M3331 is a series of 32-bit Arm Cortex-M33 MCUs clocked at 180 MHz that integrate an ARGB LED controller, a DSP instruction set, a single-precision FPU, and TrustZone security for smart factories, renewable energy systems, and consumer devices. In the past, we have written about other Cortex-M33 MCUs like the STM32U3B5/C5, Texas Instruments MSPM33C321A, Nordic Semi’s nRF54LM20A, and various others, but the Nuvoton M3331 series specifically features a built-in Enhanced LED Light Strip Interface (ELLSI) and up to 10 standard LLSI channels. This allows the MCU to natively support gaming ARGB Gen1 and Gen2 LED control protocols, completely offloading the CPU to run fluid, dynamic LED effects. It comes in two variants, the M3333 series and the M3334 series, with the latter adding a high-speed USB 2.0 OTG controller with an integrated PHY. NuMicro M3331 specifications: MCU core – Arm Cortex-M33 32-bit CPU @ 180 MHz with single-precision […]