CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

March 16, 2026March 16, 2026 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Rabbit-Labs Flipper Zero ESP32-C5 multi-board features CC1101, GPS, and dual-band Wi-Fi 6

Designed by Rabbit-Labs EU, the Flipper Zero ESP32-C5 multi-board is an expansion board for the Flipper Zero built around the ESP32-C5 dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) microcontroller. The board also features a TI CC1101 sub-GHz transceiver, a GPS module, an SD card slot, and a USB-C port for power and programming. Last month, we wrote about the ESP32 Marauder 5G Apex 5 module, another ESP32-C5-based add-on for the Flipper Zero that comes with dual-band Wi-Fi 6, two sub-GHz radios, an NRF24 radio, and a built-in GPS module, which makes it quite bulky, to say the least. Compared to that, Rabbit Labs’ multi-board can be considered a stripped-down, simpler alternative, with a more compact design and straightforward setup. ESP32-C5 multi-board specifications: Main module – ESP32-C5-WROOM-1U SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-C5 CPU Single-core 32-bit RISC-V processor @ up to 240 MHz Low-power RISC-V core @ 40 MHz acting as the […]

March 16, 2026March 16, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Industrial Wi-Fi 7 access point with redundant 12V – 48V DC inputs targets autonomous systems

Advantech EKI-6333BE-4GD is a tri-band Wi-Fi 7 industrial-grade access point designed for autonomous systems with support for redundant 12V – 48V DC inputs and a -40°C to 75°C operating temperature range. The access point delivers up to 5.8 Gbps throughput over Wi-Fi 7, features four 2.5GbE RJ45 ports, and the Taiwanese company also highlights compliance with IEC 62443 industrial cybersecurity standards and CE RED (Radio Equipment Directive) regulations, as well as support for WPA3 authentication and encrypted SNMP communication. Advantech EKI-6333BE-4GD specifications: SoC / Memory / Storage – TBD Wireless Compatible with IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be standard WiFi 7 bands and maximum speeds 2.4 GHz up to 700 Mbps 5 GHz up to 2,900 Mbps 6 GHz up to 5,800 Mbps Operation modes – Access Point, Client, Repeater Highlighted features – Multi-Link Operation (MLO), Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM), Preamble Puncturing Security – WEP, WPA/WPA2/WPA3-Personal, WPA/WPA2/WPA3-Enterprise Up to 6x antennas; 2x2x2 MU-MIMO Ethernet […]

SparkFun OpenScale IoT – An ESP32 board with HX711 ADC for smart scales with WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity

The SparkFun OpenScale – IoT project is a ready-to-use ESP32-based IoT smart scale with open-source hardware and firmware support that makes it easy to read precise weight data from load cells without writing custom code from scratch for basic operation. It handles amplification via the HX711 24-bit ADC, calibration, temperature compensation (using the onboard TMP102 and an optional external DS18B20 probe), and serial output/configuration through a simple text-based menu. It also features Wi-Fi for live data and OTA firmware updates, requiring no dedicated apps—just standard terminal tools and a browser for viewing data. Additionally, there is a Qwiic I²C connector for adding extra sensors or displays. The board operates from 5 V with a typical current consumption of 80 to 100 mA, supports selectable output data rates of 10 or 80 SPS, and includes an adjustable gain for accurate measurements in long-term monitoring setups. SparkFun OpenScale – IoT Specifications: Wireless […]

March 16, 2026March 15, 2026 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

M5Stamp C6LoRa tiny (18×15×2.3 mm) SMD module pairs ESP32-C6 with SX1262 LoRa chip

The M5Stamp C6LoRa is a compact LoRa SMD module that combines the ESP32-C6 Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth LE, and 802.15.4 microcontroller with the SX1262 LoRa transceiver for both high-speed and long-distance communication. The module targets applications such as smart agriculture, remote meter reading, industrial monitoring, and outdoor long-range wireless control systems. The module measures 18 × 15 × 2.3 mm, making it suitable for space-constrained systems and compact embedded designs. M5Stack has also added an SGM13005L4 low-noise amplifier (LNA) to improve reception performance, along with a PI4IOE5V6408 I/O expander that manages the LoRa control signals without using too many of the ESP32-C6’s GPIO pins. M5Stamp C6LoRa specifications: SoC – 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/Storage – 512KB SRAM, 320KB ROM Wireless – WiFi 6, BLE 5.3, 802.15.4 (See wireless section) Storage – 16 MB external NOR flash […]

March 15, 2026March 15, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

AERIS-10 open-source hardware radar can track multiple objects up to 20km away

AERIS-10 is an open-source hardware, “low-cost” (more on that later) 10.5 GHz phased array radar system featuring Pulse Linear Frequency Modulated (LFM) modulation and based on an AMD Artix-7 FPGA. Two versions are available: the AERIS-10N (Nexus), providing up to 3km range with an 8×16 patch antenna array, and the AERIS-10X (Extended), offering up to 20km range thanks to a 32×16 dielectric-filled slotted waveguide array. ARIES-10 key components and features: Main board FPGA – AMD Artix-7 XC7A100T for: PLFM Chirps generation via the DAC Raw ADC data read Automatic Gain Control (AGC) I/Q Baseband Down-Conversion Decimation Filtering Forward FFT Pulse Compression Doppler, MTI, and CFAR processing USB Interface MCU – ST STM32F746xx microcontroller for Power management FPGA communication Setup and interface with the components on the main, frequency synthesizer, and power amplifier boards, plus: GPS module for GUI map centering GY-85 IMU for pitch/roll correction of target coordinates BMP180 Barometer […]

March 14, 2026 by Debashis Das - 6 Comments

Esparagus Audio Brick ESP32-based DIN-rail 65W Hi-Fi amplifier supports Home Assistant and Squeezelite (Crowdfunding)

Sonocotta (Andriy Malyshenko), the developer of Esparagus “Media Center”, HiFi-Amped, Louder Raspberry Pi, and Louder Raspberry Hat Plus, has returned to Crowd Supply with the Esparagus Audio Brick, a compact ESP32 or ESP32-S3-powered Hi-Fi Class-D amplifier with Home Assistant support. With support for Music Assistant, Snapcast, and Logitech Media Server (LMS), the module can be used to build whole-home audio setups, retrofit vintage speakers with modern streaming features, or power custom speaker configurations such as subwoofers or bi-amp systems. The board is built around an ESP32 or ESP32-S3 dual-core microcontroller with 16 MB flash and 8 MB PSRAM, and features Wi-Fi with optional W5500 SPI Ethernet for connectivity. Audio is processed via a Texas Instruments TAS5825M stereo I²S DAC with an integrated 65 W Class-D amplifier, and includes a DSP for a 15-band equalizer and hardware fault management. Other features include a USB Type-C port with a CH340 chip for […]

March 13, 2026March 13, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Rockchip RK3538 TV Box SoC and RK3572 mid-range HMI processor are coming soon

While we are eagerly waiting for the RK3668 and RK3688 high-end processors, Rockchip is planning to launch two mid-range SoCs with the RK3538 quad-core Cortex-A55 processor designed for TV boxes, and the RK3572 hexa-core Cortex-A73/A53 SoC for HMI (Human Machine Interface) applications. Rockchip RK3538 TV box SoC Rockchip RK3538 specifications: CPU – Quad-core Arm Cortex-A55 processor with NEON, FPU, ARMv8 Crypto… Cache 32KB L1 instruction cache 32KB L1 data cache and 64KB L2 data cache 512KB unified system L3 cache GPU Arm Mali-G310 3D GPU with support for OpenCL 3.0, OpenGL ES1.1/2.0/3.2, Vulkan 1.2 2D Graphics Engine VPU Decoder H.265, H.264, AV1 (up to two simultaneous 1080p60 channels) VP8, VC1, MPEG-4, MPEG-2, MPEG-1 yp to 1920×1088 @ 60 FPS (1088 is not a typo) H.263 up to 720p60 (M)JPEG up to 8176×8176 @ 76 million pixels per second Encoder – N/A MCU core – RISC-V MCU in PMU domain with […]

March 13, 2026March 13, 2026 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Discovery Drive – An ESP32-S3-based azimuth/elevation rotator for satellite dishes and SDR antennas (Crowdfunding)

KrakenRF, the team behind the KrakenSDR, has designed the Discovery Drive ESP32-S3-based, low-cost, fully weatherproof, automatic azimuth/elevation (Az/El) antenna rotator for their Discovery Dish or other directional antennas, such as Yagis and Wi-Fi grids, weighing up to 5kg. Compared to DIY projects like SatNOGS (which require 3D printing and hardware sourcing), the Discovery Drive is designed as a plug-and-play solution. You can simply mount it to a mast, attach the dish, connect to 12V power and Wi-Fi, and use its web UI to start tracking polar-orbiting weather satellites (like METEOR-M2 or FENGYUN), CubeSats, or amateur radio satellites. KrakenRF Discovery Drive specifications: Controller – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3-based control board Connectivity – 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi 4 (via ESP32) with external antenna Motor and Rotation Torque – Up to 125 kg·cm (12.25 Nm); supports antenna payloads up to 5 kg Azimuth Range – -360° to +360° Elevation Range – 0° to […]