28.9M-parameter LLM runs locally on ESP32-S3 at 9 tokens/s

Slava S. (slvDev) has optimized a 28.9M-parameter LLM running locally on an ESP32-S3 development board at around 9 tokens/s while generating text, or more exactly, telling short stories. We’ve written about LLMs and ESP32 in the past, but usually the boards are used as low-power gateways to interact with online LLMs hosted on powerful servers in data centers. Such products or projects include HiWonderLLM “smart chat module”, the ESP-Claw framework, or the ESP32 Agent Dev Kit. Slava’s “esp32-ai” project is quite different, as everything runs on the ESP32-S3 microcontroller. This won’t work on all ESP32-S3 as you’ll need enough memory...

$299.99 ASUS UGen300 USB AI accelerator combines 40 TOPS Hailo-10H chip with 8GB LPDDR4

ASUS UGen300 USB AI accelerator features a 40 TOPS Hailo-10H AI processor and 8GB of LPDDR4 memory to support large language models (LLMs), vision language models (VLMs), and AI vision workloads while consuming less than 2.5 Watts. In some ways, the hardware is similar to the Raspberry Pi AI HAT+ 2, but in a slim dongle form factor (105 x 50 x 18mm) and a 10 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen1 USB-C Type-C port instead of a 5 or 8 GT/s PCIe interface. ASUS UGen300 USB AI accelerator (UGen300-USB-8G) specifications: AI accelerator – Hailo Hailo-10H delivering up to 40 TOPS (INT4)...

Aliensense NXS is a plug-and-play GMSL 2/3 and CAN-FD sensor board for robots

Abu Dhabi-based Aliensense has introduced NXS, a compact sensor board designed to easily connect cameras and sensors to robots, without custom wiring or driver work. The board relies on a single GMSL 2/3 cable for power, video, and sensor data over up to 15 meters, extendable to 40 meters over CAN-FD (data only, reduced baudrate). The STM32G491 board is also compatible with the 2,000+ boards in MikroElektronika’s Click ecosystem thanks to a mikroBUS connector brought out through a Shuttle add-on board. This means you can use compatible sensors (via mikroBUS) in addition to, or instead of, a camera. NXS specifications:...

Play games with your brain signals using Octopus 16 wireless EEG device

Octopus 16 is a wireless biosignal HID device for the XIAO ESP32-S3 board designed to let users play computer games using brain signals (EEG) with no hands (or implants) needed. The board packs 16 electrodes to measure biosignals, including EEG (electroencephalography), EMG (electromyography), and ECG (electrocardiography), and the coin-sized device is much more compact than other brain-computer interface (BCI) solutions, which typically require a cap kit with 8 to 16 electrodes and wires. Octopus 16 specifications: ADC – 2x Texas Instruments ADS131M08 24-bit, 8-channel, simultaneous-sampling, delta-sigma (ΔΣ) analog-to-digital converters Channels – 16x 24-bit channels (8x per ADC) Programmable gain (PGA)...

Radxa Linkr Brings Remote KVM Access and Tailscale Support to a Thumb-Sized Device

Radxa has unveiled the Linkr, a compact remote-control device for accessing computers, servers, and development boards through a web browser. The unit combines HDMI video capture with USB keyboard and mouse emulation, allowing users to view and operate a target system without connecting a dedicated monitor, keyboard, or mouse. The Linkr connects to the target […]

ELM11-Feather Debuts with Native Lua and Reconfigurable FPGA Hardware

First seen in March, Brisbane Silicon has now launched the ELM11-Feather to Crowd Supply. Priced at $39, the Feather-compatible development board combines native Lua support with the Arvore IDE and a configurable hardware architecture programmable in C, SystemVerilog, and VHDL. The board uses a GOWIN GW1NR9-C FPGA with approximately 8K LUTs. Its default hardware overlay […]

Creality Falcon T1 review – A 5-in-1 modular laser engraver tested with 20W fiber and 40W diode laser modules

Creality sent us a sample of the Falcon T1 5-in-1 modular laser engraver for review. The company describes it as the world’s first 5-in-1 laser engraving and cutting machine that supports five types of laser modules in a single unit: 20W diode laser 20W, 40W diode laser, 20w fiber laser, 60W MOPA laser, and 5W UV Laser 5W. The laser heads can be swapped tool-free in just 15 seconds. It works with an HD camera and AI system and can engrave and cut a wide range of materials including wood, leather, acrylic, metal, glass, crystal, and plastic. Diode laser modules...

Energizing a vacuum-tube flip-flop module from a 1948 IBM system

https://invidious.privacyredirect.com/watch?v=KaAv1yJ30PU

In 1948, IBM introduced the 604 Electronic Calculating Punch. This machine was a programmable calculator, about the size of a double refrigerator. It was not quite a computer, but was programmed by plugging wires into a plugboard. This machine read numbers from a punch card, performed up to 60 calculations on these numbers, and then recorded the results by punching holes in the card.1 It processed 100 cards per minute—over one card per second—and IBM advertised it as the equivalent of 150 engineers. The machine rented for $550 a month, making it very popular, with over 5600 units produced.2

Getting 25 Gbps Thunderbolt Ethernet on my Mac Studio

I've been using the built-in 10 Gigabit Ethernet on my Mac Studio for a few years. It works fine: I can edit 4K video straight off my NAS over the network, and run backups at around 1 GB/sec.

But... I want more. I upgraded my rack and my NAS to 25 GbE a couple years ago, and wanted to upgrade my main workstation, too.

Окраины городов и полукабины-призраки. Ищем последние рабочие таксофоны

Приветствую всех!

Осенью прошлого года я как-то заинтересовался: а где ещё остались действующие таксофоны? Закончилось всё путешествием по пригородам Челябинска, о чём я даже рассказывал тут.

С тех пор произошло много чего интересного, и это не давало мне покоя. И вот я решил, что с наступлением лета не помешает съездить куда-то ещё. Какой оказалась следующая поездка и что я там увидел? Сейчас и узнаем.