Arduino News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

June 9, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

$6.5 RAK11160 LoRaWAN, WiFi, and BLE module pairs ESP32-C2 with STM32WLE5 for low-power, long-range IoT

RAK11160 ESP32-C2 STM32WL LoRaWAN module

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 – […]

June 9, 2025June 9, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Arduino UNO SPE Shield adds Single Pair Ethernet and RS485 to Arduino boards

Arduino UNO SPE Shield adds Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) and RS485 to Arduino UNO and compatible boards, notably the Arduino UNO R4, via a Microchip LAN8651 SPE controller. Single Pair Ethernet relies on just two wires to carry data and power, allowing for much more compact designs and simpler wiring compared to traditional RJ45-based solutions with Cat 5 cables. It especially benefits IoT and IIoT applications for buildings, factories, and process automation. Arduino UNO SPE specifications: Networking – Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) via Microchip LAN8651B1 10BASE-T1S MAC-PHY Ethernet Controller with SPI Data rate: 10 Mbit/s over a single balanced pair T1SP and T1SN available on screw terminal block Dedicated T1S SPE connector Maximum Distance – Supports up to 25 meters in multidrop topology (multiple nodes on a single segment) Up to eight nodes in a multidrop network Serial – RS485 via MaxLinear XR33058 Half duplex RS485 Data rate: 20 Mbit/s […]

June 6, 2025June 7, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Raspberry Pi 5-based portable AI learning platform features 41 modules, supports Arduino Nano, RPi Pico, and Micro:bit boards (Crowdfunding)

CrowPi 3 is a Raspberry Pi 5-powered all-in-one portable AI learning and development platform with a 4.3-inch touchscreen display, plenty of plug-and-play electronic modules, a breadboard area, and support for Arduino Nano, Raspberry Pi Pico, and BBC Micro:bit MCU boards for expansion. It’s basically another take on the CrowPi 2 laptop based on the Raspberry Pi 4 with similar modules placed under the keyboard, but in a different form factor. The CrowPi 3 portable learning platform replaces the 11.6-inch Full HD display with a 4.3-inch display and does away with the keyboard, but is equipped with a more powerful Raspberry Pi 5 SBC capable of handling real-time AI tools such as ChatGPT and LLaMA (with smaller, distilled models). CrowPi 3 specifications: Main Board – Raspberry Pi 5 SBC Compatible MCU boards Arduino Nano boards BBC Micro:bit boards Raspberry Pi Pico boards Display – 4.3-inch IPS touchscreen display with 800×480 resolution […]

June 2, 2025June 3, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

ESP32-P4 Smart 86 Box features 4-inch square touch display for Smart Home and IIoT applications

Designed for Smart Home or industrial IoT (IIoT) applications, Waveshare’s ESP32-P4 Smart 86 Box is equipped with a 4-inch square touchscreen display, an ESP32-C6 module with WiFi 6 and Bluetooth connectivity, and a range of connectors. Two models are offered: the ESP32-P4-WIFI6-Touch-LCD-4B with a MIPI CSI camera connector and a 28-pin GPIO header, and the ESP32-P4-86-Panel-ETH-2RO with a bottom board that features an RS485 serial interface, two relays, a 10/100Mbps Ethernet RJ45 connector, and 6V-30V DC input. ESP32-P4 Smart 86 Box specifications: Main module – ESP32-P4-Core Module Microcontroller – ESP32-P4NRW32 MCU Dual-core RISC-V microcontroller @ 400 MHz with AI instructions extension and single-precision FPU Single-RISC-V LP (Low-power) MCU core @ up to 40 MHz GPU – 2D Pixel Processing Accelerator (PPA) VPU – H.264 and JPEG codecs support Memory – 768 KB HP L2MEM, 32 KB LP SRAM, 8 KB TCM, 32MB PSRAM Storage – 128 KB HP ROM, 16 […]

May 30, 2025May 30, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Battery-powered SQUiXL devkit pairs 4-inch touchscreen display with ESP32-S3 WiFi and Bluetooth SoC

Unexpected Maker’s SQUiXL is a battery-powered ESP32-S3 WiFi and Bluetooth IoT controller and development platform with a 4-inch touchscreen display with 480×480 resolution. Designed for makers, hardware engineers, embedded developers, and home automation enthusiasts, the SQUiXL integrates with 8MB PSRAM and a 16MB SPI flash for plenty of resources for the firmware. Other features include a microSD card, an amplifier with speaker connector, a haptic driver and motor, an RTC, and a STEMMA/Qt connector for expansion. SQUiXL specifications: WiSoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 @ up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration Memory – 512KB RAM Wireless – 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE + Mesh Memory – 8MB octal PSRAM Storage 16MB QSPI flash MicroSD card slot (multiplexed with audio amplified) Display – 4-inch 480×480 RGB display with capacitive touch (GT911) Audio MAX98357A I2S Audio Amplifier (multiplexed with microSD card […]

May 30, 2025May 30, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

DFRobot Edge101 ESP32 industrial IoT controller offers isolated RS485 and CAN Bus interfaces

DFRobot Edge101 is an industrial-grade IoT controller built around the ESP32 MCU, designed as a bridge between development boards and industrial IoT systems. Housed in a full metal enclosure, it comes with various protection features including surge, ESD, lightning, overvoltage, and reverse polarity protection, and supports continuous 24/7 operation in harsh environments. It integrates RS-485, CAN bus, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and RTC, and supports expansion via a PCIe slot for 4G LTE cellular communication, making it suitable for automation, environmental monitoring, and remote data acquisition in industrial or outdoor settings. The IoT controller also offers flexible mounting options such as DIN rail or ear mounting. DFRobot Edge101 specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX6 microcontroller @ up to 240 MHz Memory – 520 KB SRAM, 16 KB RTC SRAM Wireless – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 4.2 Storage – 4MB SPI NOR flash, MicroSD card slot Connectivity […]

May 29, 2025June 2, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

OBJEX Link S3LW ultra-low-power ESP32-S3 LoRaWAN board takes up to 100W power input

OBJEX Link S3LW is a small development board based on the ultra-low-power ELPM-S3LW module with ESP32-S3 MCU and LoRaWAN connectivity and the ability to take 100W input via USB-C or a 2-pin terminal block for driving motors, controlling RGB LED strips, and other high-power projects. It’s compliant with the USB PD standard, features two 28-pin headers and a STEMMA I2C connector for expansion, as well as a built-in CP2102/CP2104 USB to serial bridge for debugging, and a few buttons. The company also offers an OBJEX ELPM-S3 module and OBJEX Link S3 board with the same features, minus LoRa/LoRaWAN support. OBJEX Link S3LW specifications: Wireless module ELPM-S3LW v1.2 Wireless SoC – ESP32-S3FN8 CPU – Dual-core 32-bit Xtensa LX7 microcontroller with AI vector instructions up to 240MHz, RISC-V ULP co-processor Memory – 512KB SRAM Storage – 8MB flash Wireless – 2.4GHz WiFi 4 (802.11b/g/n), Bluetooth 5.0 BLE + Mesh LoRa support LoRa […]

May 23, 2025May 23, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Arduino launches Nano Connector Carrier and seven Modulino expansion nodes

Arduino Connector Carrier Board Modulino nodes

The Arduino Nano Connector Carrier is a compact add-on board designed for the Arduino Nano boards to allow easy connection to Qwiic, Grove, and Modulino expansion modules. The company also announced seven new Modulino nodes that are available individually for user input (e.g. button, knob), sensors (IMU, ToF), audio output, and a short RGB LED strip. Arduino Nano Connector Carrier specifications: Storage – MicroSD card reader (SPI) Expansion Interfaces 4x Grove analog/digital I/O connectors – 2x analog, 1x I2C, 1x UART Qwicc I2C connector Double female board header for Arduino Nano series boards I/O Voltage – Switch between 3.3V and 5V Dimensions – 43 x 28 mm The board works with Seeed Studio Grove modules and Arduino Modulino nodes connected over the Qwicc connector: Modulino Knob – a rotary encoder with push button Modulino Pixels – 8x addressable RGB LEDs Modulino Distance – a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor to measure proximity […]