Mini review of USB Vsense USB PD voltage indicator

I’ve just received a sample of Meticulous Technologies’ USB VSense USB PD voltage indicator for review. It’s a simple device with two USB-C ports and color-coded LEDs showing the voltage supported from 5V up to 48V as defined in the Extended Power Range (EPR) specs. In this mini review, I’ll go through the specs, a teardown, and test it under various scenarios using a range of USB-C power adapters and devices such as a Raspberry Pi 5 SBC, Radxa Orion O6 mini-ITX motherboard, and ASUS Vivobook 16 laptop. USB Vsense specifications Fully capable of the latest USB PD EPR specifications...

We regret but have to temporary suspend the shipments to USA

Starting August 29th, new regulations have come into effect. Both DHL and UPS currently have no working solution, so on their advice, we are temporarily suspending all shipments to the USA effective immediately. The issue is that we are now required to collect all taxes and tariffs on U.S. shipments in advance. However, there is […]

Meet the ESP32-C5-EVB: Open Source Hardware Dual-Band 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz Wi-Fi6 Development Board with Built-in Relays, Opto-Isolated Inputs, and LiPo UPS Support

The ESP32-C5-EVB is a brand-new evaluation board built around the ESP32-C5-WROOM-N8R4 module from Espressif, designed to bring dual-band wireless connectivity, ample memory, and robust control features into one compact, versatile package. Whether you’re developing IoT appliances, home automation solutions, or industrial controllers, this board delivers the flexibility and reliability you need. Why ESP32-C5 Matters Espressif’s […]

Blackout Comms Cluster – A pre-configured off-grid LoRa texting and GPS system with cryptographic security

Designed by Altware Dev Shop in the US, the Blackout Comms is an off-grid, LoRa-based encrypted mesh communication system built around ESP32 for texting and GPS location sharing without the need for any cellular networks or internet. The device uses asymmetric encryption and digital signatures for secure communication during blackouts, emergencies, or in remote areas where connectivity is unavailable. The device seemed a little bit pricey at first, but the complete kit includes two customized T-Deck communicators and one Altware Link/Node, all pre-configured and ready to use. Each communicator features a DFRobot GPS, Adafruit DS3231 real-time clock, 5000 mAh battery...

RCORE V2 RK3588 module launched for MNT Reform laptops (Crowdfunding)

MNT Reform has launched a crowdfunding campaign for the RCORE V2 module powered by a Rockchip RK3588 SoC coupled with up to 32GB RAM, and a 256GB eMMC flash for the company’s open-source hardware laptops, be it the original MNT Reform or the MNT Reform Pocket. It appears to me that it’s the same module as found in the MNT Reform Next 12.5-inch laptop scheduled to ship by the end of December, but it’s sold separately as an upgrade kit for users of previous models of MNT Reform laptops. The company explains that the RCORE V2 brings a third M.2...

AAEON Announces BOXER-8741AI with NVIDIA Jetson Thor T5000 Module

AAEON has announced the BOXER-8741AI, its first embedded system to integrate the new NVIDIA Jetson Thor T5000 module. The BOXER-8741AI includes features such as four QSFP28 ports supporting 25GbE, CANBus, and JetPack 7.0, targeting applications in robotics, healthcare systems, and autonomous machines. In its product announcement, AAEON highlighted that the BOXER-8741AI incorporates the Jetson T5000 […]

Radxa debuts Raspberry Pi Zero alternative with Allwinner A733, up to 8GB RAM, and 3TOPS NPU

Radxa recently introduced a compact single-board computer measuring 65 × 30 mm and built around the Allwinner A733 SoC. The new Radxa Cubie A7Z integrates a hybrid octa-core CPU, AI acceleration, multimedia capabilities, and a range of expansion options aimed at embedded and edge computing applications. This board features the same Allwinner A733 seen on […]

LILYGO T-Circle-S3 – An ESP32-S3 devkit with 0.75-inch circular touch display, microphone and speaker

The LILYGO T-Circle-S3 is a circular touch display development board built around the ESP32-S3 MCU and designed for smart gadgets, IoT devices, and wearable applications. The board integrates Wi-Fi 4, Bluetooth 5.0, a MEMS microphone, a 3W Class-D audio amplifier with speaker support, an RGB LED, six rear GPIO pins, a Qwiic interface, and USB-C for charging. The board is very similar to the Waveshare RP2350-LCD-1.28, with its round display design, but it does not support wireless connectivity and audio. It also resembles SB Components’ Dual Roundy (ESP32-S3),  but compared to that, the T-Circle-S3 is smaller and features a touch...

A NeoPixel Driver using AVR Hardware [3]

My previous two articles described a driver for NeoPixel (WS2812) LED displays using the peripherals on an AVR128DA28 processor, and showed how to eliminate most of the interconnections between the pins on that circuit by taking advantage of the AVR Event System.

This third article shows how to go one step further, and fit the same NeoPixel Driver on a processor with half the number of pins, the 14-pin AVR64DD14:

NeoPixel Driver implemented using the hardware peripherals and Event System
in a 14-pin AVR64DDD14.

My earlier article A NeoPixel Driver using AVR Hardware [1] described a program for AVR processors that created the stream...

Reverse Engineering ALL the Raspberry Pis

Reverse Engineering ALL the Raspberry Pis

Earlier this month I covered Jonathan Clark's effort to reverse-engineer the Pi Zero 2 W, and just yesterday, I discovered TubeTime reverse-engineered the Compute Module 5.

i reverse-engineered the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5! check it out at github.com/schlae/cm5-r...
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