RGB Laser Projector Does Colorful Asteroids and Much More

Have you thought about building a galvonometer-based laser projector, but don’t know where to start? There are a lot of resources out there, but you could do worse than to check out [Breq] and [Mia]’s laser vector project, which provides a very well-documented and low-cost starting point. They boast that the most expensive part of the project was the ANSI-certified safety glasses, which shows a dedication to safety we wish more people would show when playing with coherent light.

The rest of the parts — from the galvos to the RGB lasers module with dichoric mirrors to keep everything on the...

Engicam expands MicroGEA lineup with 25 × 25 mm NXP i.MX 93 module

Engicam has expanded its MicroGEA family with the new MicroGEA MX93, a compact system-on-module based on the NXP i.MX 93 processor. The 25 × 25 mm module combines dual Arm Cortex-A55 cores, LPDDR4X memory, onboard eMMC storage, and industrial temperature support. The launch follows earlier MicroGEA modules based on STM32MP1 processors, continuing the company’s focus […]

Study compares Rust and C languages for embedded firmware development

There’s a lot of hype around the Rust programming language, and I’m seeing it being adopted by various projects, not least the Linux kernel. However, so far it was unclear to me whether it was suitable for embedded firmware development since the hardware resources are limited on microcontrollers. A low memory and storage footprint is required, and optimal performance may also be important, for example, to lower the power consumption of battery-powered devices. A research paper by STMicroelectronics, Inria, and the Freie Universität Berlin, entitled “Lessons from an Industrial Microcontroller Use Case with Ariel OS” published on ArXiv hosted by...

Bringing Characters to Life: A Beginner LCD and Microcontroller Lesson for STEM Classrooms

Whether you’re a veteran STEM teacher or just beginning to integrate electronics into your curriculum, teaching students how microcontrollers and LCDs work together is a great gateway into the world of embedded systems. In this lesson, we’ll walk through a beginner-friendly project that brings characters to life on a 16×2 character LCD using an Arduino-compatible Seeeduino microcontroller.

The Dallas One-Wire Temperature Sensor: A Revolutionary Device in Digital Temperature Sensing

The Dallas One-Wire Temperature Sensor, commonly represented by models like the DS18B20, is a small but powerful device that has revolutionized the way we measure temperature digitally. Combining simplicity, accuracy, and versatility, this sensor has become a staple in a variety of industries and DIY projects.

The Dallas Semiconductor Corporation, later acquired by Maxim Integrated, introduced the One-Wire technology to simplify data communication between sensors and microcontrollers. The DS18B20 emerged as a standout device in their lineup, offering precise temperature readings and unique features that addressed the growing demand for efficient and compact temperature sensors. Its release marked a...

Renesas RZ/V2H Robotics Development Kit handles AI vision, motor control, and power management with a single board

Renesas WS125-V2HRDKREFZ is a Robotics Development Kit (RDK) powered by Renesas RZ/V2H Arm Cortex-A55/R8/M33 microprocessor and designed for high‑performance AI vision applications leveraging the MPU’s built-in 80 TOPS (sparse) AI accelerator. The kit ships with 16GB LPDDR4, 64MB QSPI flash, a 64GB microSD card, and appears to be partially inspired by the Raspberry Pi 5 with a 40-pin Raspberry Pi GPIO header, a 16-pin PCIe Gen3 FFC connector, two MIPI CSI connectors, and a micro HDMI port. Other features include a Gigabit Ethernet port, two USB 3.2 ports, two CAN-FD interfaces, and a 12-24V DC input voltage range. Renesas WS125-V2HRDKREFZ...

Congatec conga-TC300 COM Express module features up to Intel Core 7 350 Wildcat Lake processor

congatec conga-TC300 is an entry-level edge AI COM Express Type-6 Compact module powered by 15W Intel Core Series 3 “Wildcat Lake” SoCs up to the Core 7 350 hexa-core processor. The module supports up to 64GB DDR5 SO-DIMM memory and features optional on-board UFS 3.1 storage, an Intel i226 2.5GbE controller, and two standard 220-pin board-to-board connectors exposing I/Os such as SATA, DDI and LVDS or eDP display interfaces, USB4, USB 3.2, USB 2.0, PCIe Gen4/Gen3, and more. congatec conga-TC300 specifications: Wildcat Lake SoC (one or the other) Intel Core 3 305 6-core CPU – 2x P-cores @ 1.5/4.3 GHz...

Shuttle XPC cube SB860R8 targets workstation workloads with Core Ultra 200 support

Shuttle’s new XPC cube SB860R8 is a 14-liter barebone system supporting Intel Core Ultra 200 series processors. Key features include up to 192 GB DDR5 memory, four 3.5-inch drive bays, PCIe Gen5 expansion, dual 2.5 GbE, and multiple display outputs including HDMI 2.1 with 8K support. The system is built around the LGA1851 socket for […]

AIVON Offers $60 New User Credits for PCB Prototyping Starting from $1 (Sponsored)

Hardware prototyping often starts with a simple idea, but quickly runs into a familiar problem: costs add up faster than expected. Small batch PCB orders, international shipping fees, and repeated iterations can easily slow down development before the first working prototype is even finished. To make early-stage development easier, AIVON has launched a new user support program that significantly lowers the cost barrier for first-time orders. New customers who register on AIVON and verify their email address will automatically receive $60 in welcome credits, which include: $30 Manufacturing Credit applied to the PCB portion of their first PCB or PCBA...

ESP32-P4 + ESP32-C5 board features Raspberry Pi-compatible MIPI connectors for official displays and camera modules

We’ve come across an ESP32-P4 + ESP32-C5 board that looks similar to the Wireless Tag WTDKP4C5-S1 board, but is even more compact and features four MIPI connectors, including two whose pinout is compatible with Raspberry Pi camera modules and displays. Maker Go calls it the “ESP32P4C5 core board” and features an “ESP32-P4-Module” with ESP32-P4 MCU with 32MB PSRAM, an ESP32-C5 dual-band WiFi 6 SoC, nd a 16MB NOR flash. Besides the MIPI connectors, the board features three USB ports, one for debugging, and two Type-C/A ports sharing a USB 2.0 data connection, a built-in MEMS microphone, a speaker connector, and...