CNX Software

LightInk – An ESP32-based, solar-powered E-ink smartwatch with up to 10 months of battery life

Daniel Ansorregui has developed LightInk, an open-source solar-powered E-ink watch inspired by 90s solar digital watches. It features a 1.54-inch e-paper display and supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LoRa, and GPS, running on a 100mAh battery. The project integrates a custom low-quiescent-power design using a TPS63900 buck-boost converter, capacitive-touch input, and deep-sleep-driv…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/04/26/lightink-an-esp32-based-solar-powered-e-ink-smartwatch-with-up-to-10-months-of-battery-life/

PCMFlow722 library enables two-way real-time HD voice over ESP-NOW with G.722 audio codec

Tanaka Masayuki’s PCMFlow722 library enables (half-duplex) two-way real-time HD voice over ESP-NOW on ESP32 boards with a speaker and a microphone, effectively transforming them into walkie-talkies. The library implements a G.722 wideband codec add-on for PCMFlow lightweight audio decode and PCM flow library for Arduino, which already supports uncompressed PCM, MP3, and FLAC audio…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/05/30/pcmflow722-library-enables-two-way-real-time-hd-voice-over-esp-now-with-g-722-audio-codec/

Privacy-focused, open-source Raspberry Pi Zero 2W DIY security camera offers end-to-end encryption, on-device AI

Secluso is a private, open-source, DIY home security camera system built around the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, featuring true end-to-end encryption (E2EE) and on-device AI for human, pet, and vehicle detection. It was designed as an alternative to commercial smart home cameras that require sending raw video feeds to a proprietary cloud, a practice that often rai…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/05/28/privacy-focused-open-source-raspberry-pi-zero-2w-diy-security-camera-offers-end-to-end-encryption-on-device-ai/

AngstromIO – A tiny 9.0 x 8.9 mm ATtiny1616 board that fits on top of a USB-C connector

Dieu-de-l-elec’s AngstromIO is an incredibly tiny open-source development board based on Microchip’s ATtiny1616 MCU. Measuring just 9.0 x 8.9 mm, the board is barely larger than the edge-mounted USB Type-C connector that powers it, making it ideal for highly space-constrained embedded projects. Despite its tiny footprint, AngstromIO packs a QFN20-packaged ATtiny1616 MCU, two address…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/03/26/angstromio-a-tiny-9-0-x-8-9-mm-attiny1616-board-that-fits-on-top-of-a-usb-c-connector/

AMD launches Versal Prime Gen 2 2VM3454, 2VM3254, and 2VM3104 adaptive SoCs in compact 23x23mm packages

AMD has added three new chips to its Versal Prime Series Gen 2 lineup — the Versal 2VM3454, 2VM3254, and 2VM3104. Designed for space-constrained applications like Pro AV, broadcast, and industrial IoT, these new devices deliver up to 100K DMIPS of scalar compute in packages as small as 23 x 23 mm. AMD started shipping the first production units of the Versal Prime Ge…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/05/29/amd-launches-versal-prime-gen-2-2vm3454-2vm3254-and-2vm3104-adaptive-socs-in-compact-23x23mm-packages/

ESP32-P4-Pi-VIEWE – A Raspberry Pi-inspired ESP32-P4 + ESP32-C6 board with Ethernet, USB, 40-pin GPIO header, and more

The ESP32-P4-Pi-VIEWE is a Raspberry Pi-inspired development board equipped with the VIEW ESP32-P4C6-Core module, combining a 400 MHz ESP32-P4 dual-core RISC-V MCU with an ESP32-C6 chip for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 wireless connectivity, as well as 32MB PSRAM and 16MB NOR flash. The board also offers 10/100Mbps Ethernet connectivity, MIPI DSI, and CSI…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/03/27/esp32-p4-pi-viewe-raspberry-pi-esp32-p4-esp32-c6-board/

ODROID-H5 Review – A dual 10GbE mini PC tested with Ubuntu 26.04

I received a kit for review last week with an ODROID-H5 SBC, a Type1 case, an M.2 10GbE module, and other accessories. In the first part of the review, I went through an unboxing, assembled the kit, and tested whether it could boot an M.2 NVMe SSD with Ubuntu 24.04 and Windows 11. I’ve now updated the system to Ubuntu 26.04, run a few benchmarks, tested the two 10GbE RJ45 ports, as well as other features.…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/05/31/odroid-h5-review-a-dual-10gbe-mini-pc-tested-with-ubuntu-26-04/

u-blox ALMA-B2 Bluetooth 6.0 and 802.15.4 module features Nordic nRF54LM20 Edge AI wireless MCU

u-blox has recently announced the ALMA-B2 standalone BLE 6.0 and 802.15.4 module family built around the Nordic Semi nRF54LM20 Cortex-M33 wireless microcontroller with a dedicated NPU for low-latency Edge AI applications. There are four specific product variants in the u-blox ALMA-B2 series: ALMA-B201, ALMA-B206, ALMA-B211, and ALMA-B216, all of which support Bluetooth 6.0 a…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/05/29/u-blox-alma-b2-bluetooth-6-0-and-802-15-4-module-features-nordic-nrf54lm20-edge-ai-wireless-mcu/

Qualcomm Snapdragon C to power cheaper, entry-level Arm Windows laptops selling for $300 and up

The Qualcomm Snapdragon C (Compute) Arm SoC is designed for entry-level Arm Windows laptops, or “mobile PCs” in marketing speak, with prices starting at $300, which should compete against entry-level laptops using Intel Alder Lake-N or Twin Lake processors. The company didn’t provide many technical details, but we do know the Snapdragon C comes with an NPU for AI acceleratio…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/05/29/qualcomm-snapdragon-c-to-power-cheaper-entry-level-arm-windows-laptops-selling-for-300-and-up/

PolyCast5 – An ESP32-C5 multi-tool remote with dual-band WiFi 6, BLE, ESP-NOW, LoRa, and Infrared Tx/Rx (Crowdfunding)

PolyCast5 is a portable, hackable ESP32-C5-based multi-tool remote to control devices through five different core wireless technologies: WiFi 6, Bluetooth LE, ESP-NOW, LoRa, and infrared Tx/Rx. The all-in-one controller can be used for cybersecurity work, a standard IR learning remote control, a voice-enabled password manager, a robotic arm controller,…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/05/26/polycast5-an-esp32-c5-multi-tool-remote-with-dual-band-wifi-6-ble-esp-now-lora-and-infrared-tx-rx/

Radxa AICore DX-M1M M.2 2242 low-power AI module delivers 25 TOPS of edge AI performance for just 3W of power

Radxa AICore DX-M1M is a compact, low-power M.2 edge AI acceleration module built around the DeepX DX-M1M neural processing unit (NPU) and delivers up to 25 TOPS (INT8) of AI performance while consuming only 3W of power. Designed for industrial robot arms, autonomous mobile robots (ARM), edge servers, drones, and AIoT devices, the module delivers high-performan…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/03/21/radxa-aicore-dx-m1m-m-2-2242-low-power-ai-module-delivers-25-tops-of-edge-ai-performance-for-just-3w-of-power/

Certified Android devices won’t let user sideload APK app files anymore, or at least it won’t be straightforward

Google won’t allow people to (easily) sideload apps through APK files on certified Android devices starting in September 2026. It will still be possible, but either require “developer verification” and an “advanced flow” for power users. I was recently made aware of the issue after a BravePipe (previously BraveNewPipe) update, where I was greeted by a pop-up…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/03/20/certified-android-devices-wont-let-user-sideload-apk-app-files-anymore-or-at-least-it-wont-be-straightforward/

Ariel OS – A Rust RTOS for IoT microcontrollers

Ariel OS is a new RTOS for microcontrollers written in Rust with support for popular hardware architectures (Arm Cortex-M, ESP32, RISC-V) and boards from Espressif, Nordic Semi, Raspberry Pi, and STMicroelectronics. Ariel OS is built on top of Embassy Rust framework and embedded-hal Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) for embedded systems, and adds several OS functionalities and a multi-core capable scheduler. It is mainly d…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/01/28/ariel-os-a-rust-rtos-for-iot-microcontrollers/

Nuvoton NuMaker-GestureAI-M55M1 module combines Cortex-M55 MCU with GC0308 camera for AI gesture control

Back in November last year, we covered the launch of the NuMicro M55M1 MCU from Nuvoton, which combines an Arm Cortex-M55 core with an Ethos-U55 microNPU for on-device AI and gesture control. Now, they have released the NuMaker-GestureAI-M55M1, a development module based on that MCU for AI vision-related applications. This new board integrates the M55M1 MCU with a G…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/06/01/nuvoton-numaker-gestureai-m55m1-module-combines-cortex-m55-mcu-with-gc0308-camera-for-ai-gesture-control/

Waveshare RP2350B-Plus-W – A Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W-sized board with 41 GPIOs, 16MB flash, USB-C port

Waveshare RP2350B-Plus-W is a development board that follows the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W form factor, but offers 41 GPIOs thanks to the RP2350B MCU, integrates 16 MB of flash, and includes a USB-C port. So, in several ways, it’s an upgrade over the RP2350A-based official board, which offers only 26 GPIOs via two 13-pin GPIO headers, 4MB of flash, and a micro USB port. Sin…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/06/01/waveshare-rp2350b-plus-w-raspberry-pi-pico-2-w-sized-board-with-41-gpios-16mb-flash-usb-c-port/

Radxa’s 2026 Qualcomm hardware: Dragon Q8B and Q5E SBCs, DragonStation and DragonBay NAS systems

Radxa started its partnership with Qualcomm last with the Dragon Q6A SBC, but it turns out it was just the start, and the company showcased more Qualcomm SBCs and NAS systems at a Radxa + Qualcomm developer day on May 30, 2026. The Radxa Q8B SBC will be based on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen3 octa-core SoC, the Q5E SBC on a Dragonwing QCS6690 octa-core Kryo SoC, and the com…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/06/01/radxa-2026-qualcomm-hardware-dragon-q8b-and-q5e-sbcs-dragonstation-and-dragonbay-nas-systems/

Microchip dsPIC33CK low-cost motor control MCU sells for $0.51 and up

Microchip has expanded its dsPIC33 lineup with the dsPIC33CK Value Line family, a new series of low-cost 16-bit digital signal controllers (DSCs) designed for motor control applications. The devices deliver up to 100 MIPS of deterministic performance and integrate high-resolution PWM and a 12-bit ADC, making them suitable for motor Field-Oriented Control (FOC) and precision sensing tasks. These DSCs …
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/05/29/microchip-dspic33ck-low-cost-motor-control-mcu/

Petros CH32H417M Alef – A Raspberry Pi Pico-sized RISC-V USB 3.0 camera board

XPU Labs’ Petros CH32H417M Alef is a Raspberry Pi Pico-sized board based on the WCH CH32H417W RISC-V USB 3.0 microcontroller and taking a 2MP OV2640 camera module through the MCU’s digital image interface (DVP). The board comes with 896KB SRAM and 960KB Flash from the WCH microcontroller, two 20-pin GPIO headers following the Raspberry Pi Pico’s pinout, a 6-pin SWD and UART6 header for debugg…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/05/29/petros-ch32h417m-alef-a-raspberry-pi-pico-sized-risc-v-usb-3-0-camera-board/

AAEON MIX-PTLWV1 Panther Lake industrial mini-ITX motherboard offers quad DisplayPort, dual 10GbE, and more

AAEON MIX-PTLWV1 is an industrial mini-ITX motherboard based on Intel Core Ultra Series 3 “Panther Lake” processors with up to two 10GbE and two 2.5GbE RJ45 jacks, and four 4K-capable DisplayPort video outputs. The motherboard also supports up to 128GB DDR5 C/SO-DIMM memory, M.2 NVMe SSD storage, optional WiFi and Bluetooth, and/or 4G LTE/5G cellular via M.2 modu…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/05/28/aaeon-mix-ptlwv1-panther-lake-industrial-mini-itx-motherboard-offers-quad-displayport-dual-10gbe/

Gesture HW1 is a 10-DOF ESP32-S3 robotic hand with high-dexterity manipulation (Crowdfunding)

The HW1 by Gesture Platforms is a 10-degree-of-freedom (DOF) high-dexterity robotic hand and wrist built around an ESP32-S3 wireless MCU. It’s primarily designed for researchers, educators, and hobbyists; it bridges the gap between basic DIY robotic hands and expensive industrial models. The device weighs just around 500 grams but can handle a 1kg dynamic load and a 3kg static…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/05/28/gesture-hw1-10-dof-esp32-s3-robotic-hand-with-high-dexterity-manipulation/

VIA Labs VL610/VL610D MST Hub controllers to enable USB-C multi-display adapters with up to three 4K display outputs

VIA Labs VL610/VL610D chipsets are designed for multi-display expansion, enabling USB-C adapters to drive up to three 4K UHD high-resolution HDMI or DisplayPort displays simultaneously. The chips succeed the VL605 single-channel USB-C to HDMI 2.1 signal converter. The VL610 supports three video outputs up to 4Kp60, while the VL610D is limited to two vide…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/05/28/via-labs-vl610-vl610d-mst-hub-controllers-to-enable-usb-c-dock-with-up-to-three-4k-display-outputs/

Broadcom BCM68850 and BCM55050 SoCs target Wi-Fi 8 and 50G PON fiber gateways

Broadcom has recently introduced two complementary chips for 50G Passive Optical Network (PON) gateways: the BCM68850 gateway SoC and the BCM55050 Optical Network Unit (ONU) SoC. The devices target fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) infrastructure, such as home gateways, ONTs/ONUs, and multi-gigabit CPE, to deliver ultra-fast, low-latency connectivity for AI workloads, UHD streaming, and more. The BCM6…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/05/28/broadcom-bcm68850-and-bcm55050-socs-target-wi-fi-8-and-50g-pon-fiber-gateways/

Modos Flow – An FPGA-based 13.3-inch USB-C touchscreen e-paper monitor (Crowdfunding)

Modos Flow is a paper-like, 13.3-inch USB Type-C touchscreen monochrome or color monitor that builds upon the Modos Paper devkit introduced last year with an AMD/Xilinx Spartan-6 LX16 FPGA and STMicro STM32H750 Arm Cortex-M7 microcontroller. The main difference is that the Modos Flow is more like a consumer product with a full enclosure, a touchscreen, and optional stylus support, 409…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/05/27/modos-flow-an-fpga-based-13-3-inch-usb-c-touchscreen-color-e-paper-monitor/

MuseLab nanoCH32H417 – A $17 WCH CH32H417 RISC-V MCU development board with USB 3.0, Fast Ethernet

Designed by MuseLab, the nanoCH32H417 is a development board for the WCH CH32H417 dual-core RISC-V MCU, which we covered earlier this year for its USB 3.0 (5 Gbps), UHS, and Fast Ethernet support. At that time, only the official CH32H417 development board was available, but this board adds a third-party option. The board exposes various features of the MCU, including one …
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/05/27/muselab-nanoch32h417-a-17-wch-ch32h417-risc-v-mcu-development-board-with-usb-3-0-fast-ethernet/

LichtBit’s open-source ESP32 Art-Net/sACN NeoPixels controller can drive up to 2,720 RGB LEDs

Dutch hardware designer LichtBit has launched a fully open-source ESP32-based Art-Net/sACN NeoPixels LED strip controller designed for large-scale lighting installations and custom stage design. Built around an ESP32, the hardware routes lighting data over wired Ethernet or Wi-Fi to manage up to 16 universes of addressable LEDs across 4 dedicated outputs. We have previously wr…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/05/27/lichtbit-open-source-esp32-art-net-sacn-neopixels-controller-can-drive-up-to-2720-rgb-leds/

ODROID-H5 SBC Review – Part 1: Unboxing, Type1 case assembly, and first boot

Hardkernel has sent me a kit with the ODROID-H5 10GbE SBC for review. In addition to the Intel Core i3-300 board itself, the kit also comes with an ODROID-H5 Type-1 case, an M.2 card for a second 10 Gbps Ethernet port, and other accessories. I’ll start the review with an unboxing, my experience assembling the kit, and first boot using an M.2 NVMe SSD with Ubuntu 24.04 and Windows 11 in a dual-…
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/05/27/odroid-h5-sbc-review-part-1-unboxing-type1-case-assembly-and-first-boot/