Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on SO-ARM101 open-source dual robotic arm kit works with Hugging Face’s LeRobot

SO-ARM101 open-source dual robotic arm kit works with Hugging Face’s LeRobot

SO-ARM101 robotic arm with hugging face support

SO-ARM101 “Arm Servo Motor Kit” is an open-source dual robotic arm kit that works with Hugging Face’s LeRobot robotics framework and is designed to interface with NVIDIA Jetson AI modules and computers. It is an update to the SO-ARM100 DIY open-source robotic arm kit introduced last year with LeRobot framework support. The new SO-ARM101 is still comprised of leader and follower arms but features improved wiring to prevent disconnection issues previously seen at joint 3, motors with optimized gear ratios, and a few functionality where the leader arm can now follow the follower arm in real-time, which will be used for reinforcement learning (RL) where a human can intervene and correct the robot’s actions. SO-ARM101 specifications: Degrees of Freedom (DOF) – 6 per Arm Motor control Total servo – 12x STS3215 bus servos (6x for each Arm) Leader Arm 1x (7.4V) 1:345 gear ratio motor for No.2 joints 2x (7.4V) […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Felix86 is an x86-64 emulator for RISC-V hardware

Felix86 is an x86-64 emulator for RISC-V hardware

Felix86 x86-64 emulator for RISC-V hardware

Some programs and most games are designed for x86 hardware, and we’ve already seen projects like box86 x86 emulator for 32-bit Arm targets and Box64 x86-64 emulator for 64-bit Arm hardware to run games on Arm hardware. The Felix86 x86-64 emulator is similar to Box64, except it targets specifically RISC-V hardware. The project is very new, but it can already run some Linux games like World of Goo 2, SuperTuxKart, and Quake OpenArena, while the Wine emulator can currently handle simple Windows games like Solitaire. You’ll find the full compatibility list on the project’s website. Felix86 features: Just-in-Time (JIT) recompiler Uses the RISC-V Vector Extension for SSE instructions Utilizes the B extension, if available, for bit manipulation instructions like bsr Supports a variety of optional extensions, such as XThead custom extensions You’ll find the source code on GitHub. Testing has mostly been done on a Banana Pi BPI-F3 SBC powered […]

ArmSoM RK3588 AIModule7 NVIDIA Jetson Nano-compatible SOM
Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Canonical releases Ubuntu 24.04 Desktop image for the Qualcomm DragonWing QCS6490 and QCS5430 processors

Canonical releases Ubuntu 24.04 Desktop image for the Qualcomm DragonWing QCS6490 and QCS5430 processors

Qualcomm DragonWing Ubuntu 24.04

Canonical has just released a publicly available Ubuntu 24.04 Desktop beta image for the Qualcomm DragonWing QCS6490 and QCS5430 processors, and more specifically for the Qualcomm RB3 Gen 2 Vision Kit (QCS6490) and Qualcomm RB3 Gen 2 Lite Vision Kit (QCS5430). This adds to the existing Ubuntu 24.04 Server image for the Qualcomm vision kits, and Canonical says the unified image is currently designed for developers, ODMs/OEMs, and customers who want to evaluate the solution, and certified versions of Ubuntu 24.04 Desktop and Server images are coming soon with long term support and maintenance. Canonical explains the image enables the full Ubuntu Desktop experience at the edge with “powerful AI acceleration with high-performance graphics” (so I assume that means GPU and NPU are already supported), enhanced camera and multimedia capabilities, sensor integration, and various performance optimizations of the DragonWing family. So the way I read the announcement is that contrary […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on XIAO 2-channel Wi-Fi AC Energy Meter runs ESPHome on ESP32-C6 module, comes with two 100A CT clamps

XIAO 2-channel Wi-Fi AC Energy Meter runs ESPHome on ESP32-C6 module, comes with two 100A CT clamps

XIAO 2-channel Wi-Fi AC Energy Meter

Seeed Studio’s XIAO 2-channel Wi-Fi AC Energy Meter is an ESP32-C6 (XIAO ESP32-C6) powered power meter with two independent CT clamp (Current Transformer clamp) connectors to safely measure power consumption when placed around one of the wires from an AC cable. We reviewed the SONOFF POW Ring single-channel WiFi CT clamp power meter with eWelink and Home Assistant last year, and before that, we also covered models supporting multiple CT clamps, up to 16 clamps with the Emporia Vue Gen 2 energy monitor. The XIAO 2-channel Wi-Fi AC Energy Meter offers a middle ground with support for two CT clamps measuring up to 35A each. XIAO 2-channel Wi-Fi AC Energy Meter specifications: Wireless module – XIAO ESP32C6 board Wireless MCU –  Espressif Systems ESP32-C6 CPU Single-core 32-bit RISC-V clocked up to 160 MHz Low-power RISC-V core @ up to 20 MHz Memory – 512KB SRAM, 16KB low-power SRAM Storage – […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - 2 Comments on Adafruit Sparkle Motion – An ESP32-based addressable LED controller with four outputs, 100W USB-C power, and WLED/xLights support

Adafruit Sparkle Motion – An ESP32-based addressable LED controller with four outputs, 100W USB-C power, and WLED/xLights support

Adafruit Sparkle Motion

The Adafruit Sparkle Motion is an ESP32-based LED controller board designed to drive addressable LEDs, including WS2812B, APA102, SK6812, LPD8806, UCS2904, and SM16704. It supports both WLED and xLights projects and features an onboard 100W USB-C PD port to drive even high-voltage LED setups. The board includes dual power input options (USB-C PD with 5/12/20V selection and 2.1mm DC jack), a 5A fuse, and level-shifted output terminals for controlling addressable LEDs. The board also features a built-in I2S digital microphone, IR receiver, Stemma QT I2C port, USB-serial with auto-reset, GPIO breakout pads, onboard NeoPixel and status LED, and multiple JST and terminal connectors for sensor and control integration. It comes pre-assembled with terminal blocks for easy wiring, making it suitable for applications such as wearable electronics, home decor lighting, audio-reactive displays, and remote-controlled installations. Adafruit Sparkle Motion Specifications: SoC – ESP32-S3 dual-core Xtensa LX7 MCU @ 240MHz with 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on Cerebro clusterboard supports up to four NVIDIA Jetson, Raspberry Pi CM4/CM5, or Radxa CM5 modules (Crowdfunding)

Cerebro clusterboard supports up to four NVIDIA Jetson, Raspberry Pi CM4/CM5, or Radxa CM5 modules (Crowdfunding)

Cerebro clusterboard

Cerebro is a modular board / clusterboard designed to take up to four system-on-modules such as NVIDIA Jetson SO-DIMM modules, Raspberry Pi CM4 or CM5, or Radxa CM5. The board integrated a BMC for intercommunication between the CPU modules. The Cerebro was designed out of frustration as the team at Sparklab Solution could not find a solution where boards would work together seamlessly. While there are other clusterboards for Raspberry Pi Compute modules, the Cerebro motherboard provides more flexibility with three M.2 sockets per node, a built-in BMC and optional expandable BMC, KVM support between each node, dual Ethernet, a 10 Gbps USB 3.2 port, and more. Specifications: Compute Modules 4x SODIMM-260 slots Compatibility Nvidia Jetson Orin NX/Nano Raspberry Pi CM4/CM5 via adapter Radxa CM5 via adapter Supports mix and match of different models Storage 2x M.2 key-M slots per node (8x in total) for NVMe SSD 1x MicroSD card […]

Rockchip RK3568, RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs and SoMs in 2025
Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on ESP32-C5 dual-band WiFi 6 SoC enters mass production, ESP32-C5-DevKitC-1 board launched for $15

ESP32-C5 dual-band WiFi 6 SoC enters mass production, ESP32-C5-DevKitC-1 board launched for $15

ESP32-C5 development board

Espressif Systems has just started mass production of the ESP32-C5 RISC-V wireless microcontroller with dual-band (2.4/5 GHz) WiFi 6, Bluetooth LE, and 802.15.4 (Zigbee, Thread) connectivity. The ESP32-C5-DevKitC-1 development is now available for about $15 on AliExpress, and should soon show up on the company’s Amazon store. So far, WiFi-capable Espressif microcontrollers have only supported 2.4 GHz WiFi since it’s cheaper and offers better range for IoT applications, but some applications may benefit from 5 GHz WiFi, so the company unveiled the ESP32-C5 dual-band WiFi 6 and BLE RISC-V MCU in June 2022. Design probably took longer than expected, but we noted documentation for an ESP32-C5 beta board in March 2024, and finally, the company has just announced that mass production has started. We’ll have a closer look at the ESP32-C5-DevKitC-1 board in this article, since it is different from the beta board. ESP32-C5-DevKitC-1 specifications: Wireless module –  ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 SoC […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on New color e-paper monitors – 13.3-inch DASUNG Paperlike 13K and 23.5-inch BOOX Mira Pro Color

New color e-paper monitors – 13.3-inch DASUNG Paperlike 13K and 23.5-inch BOOX Mira Pro Color

DASUNG Paperlike 13K ports epaper color monitor

Back in 2023, DASUNG launched its first color E-Ink monitor, quickly followed by BIGME B251 computer and standalone E-Ink monitor. Both were based on the same 23.5-inch E-ink Kaleido 3 color display with 3200×1800 resolution, and were rather pricey at $1,529 (Indiegogo price) and $1,299 (Kickstarter price), respectively. Let’s revisit color e-paper monitors in 2025 with two new models that were just announced: the DASUNG Paperlike 13K 13.3-inch e-ink color monitor and BOOX Mira Pro (Color version) with the same 23.5-inch E-Ink Kaleido as competing monitors launched in 2023. Those monitors are particularly well-suited for people spending long hours in front of the screen, and don’t need to watch video and play games due to the lower refresh and ghosting effect. It’s supposed to be friendlier to eyes, and there’s no blue light. DASUNG PaperLike 13K – 13.3-inch e-ink color monitor Paperlike Paperlike 13K (13KCFT)  specifications: Display 13.3-inch Color E-ink […]

Boardcon CM3588 Rockchip RK3588 System-on-Module designed for AI and IoT applications