Edatech’s Raspberry Pi CM4 Nano Industrial Computer Starting at $113

Raspberry Pi CM4 Nano Industial Computer

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 has been one of the most popular hardware from the manufacturer with its ever-increasing carrier boards. Chinese embedded electronic device manufacturer Edatech has released a new industrial box, CM4 Nano, built around the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 featuring compatibility with the Raspberry Pi 4B for industrial automation applications.

The onboard Raspberry Pi CM4 comes with a highly integrated Broadcom BCM2711 processor embedded with a 64-bit quad-core Arm Cortex-A72 clocked up to a frequency of 1.5GHz. With the advanced wireless connectivity through 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz IEEE 802.11b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, and Bluetooth Low-Energy. The Raspberry Pi CM4 industrial computer comes with up to 8GB of LPDDR4 RAM and a capacity of up to 32GB of eMMC storage. The flash memory can be expanded through a micro–SD card slot.

Specifications of the CM4 Nano Industrial Computer

  • Module: Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 with a quad-core Arm Cortex-A72 @1.5GHz
  • Memory: LPDDR4, up to 3200MT/s with options: 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB
  • Storage: 8GB, 16GB and 32GB eMMC, expandable through microSD card
  • Wireless connectivity: 2.4G/5.0GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE 5.0
  • Power: 12V to 18V DC
  • Ethernet: 10/100/1000M, could support POE
  • USB ports: 3x USB3.0 and 1x USB2.0
  • HDMI ports: 1x HDMI A, 1x HDMI, 1x USB touch
  • Camera connector: 1x CSI
  • Display connector: 1x DSI
  • LED: Green (System Status) and Red (Power indicator)
  • Enclosure: Full metal case with a whole side aluminum alloy heat sink
  • Software support: Compatible with Raspberry Pi OS
  • Operating temperature: -25 to 50°C
  • Dimensions: 95x58x24 mm

Surprisingly, CM4 Nano is compared alongside Raspberry Pi 4B due to its customized capabilities to support several high-end applications. Onboard micro-SD card cannot be used to boot Raspberry Pi CM4 Nano Industrial Computer. Additionally, this interface takes the GPIO22 to GPIO27 out of the standard 40-pin interface. One interesting addition to the hardware is the support for PoE HAT which makes it easy and simple by combining both power and ethernet cables into one.

Raspberry Pi CM4 Nano Industrial Computer is available for purchase at AliExpress, starting at $113 for 1GB LPDDR4 RAM/ 8GB eMMC storage and going up to $210 for 8GB RAM/8GB storage.

Adafruit Unveils ESP32-C3 RISC V Developer Board For IoT Projects

ESP32-C3 RISC V developer board

Espressif introduced the ESP32-C3-WROOM-02 system-on-chip past year with options between the onboard PCB antenna and the external antenna connector. Adafruit has taken the lead to unveil an ESP32-C3 based developer board supporting Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low-Energy wireless communication. As an entry-level RISC-V development board, hardware is an ideal choice for a wide range of applications, from IoT, embedded systems, smart homes to even wearable electronics.

Let’s take a peek inside the ESP32-C3-WROOM-02 module featuring a 32-bit RISC-V-based single-core processor clocked up to a frequency of 160MHz. The highly integrated ESP32 module comes with embedded 4MB SPI flash storage, 384kB ROM, 400kB SRAM, and 8kB SRAM for RTC. A rich set of peripherals and high performance make the module a good choice for industrial automation with decent support for wireless connectivity.

Specifications of ESP32-C3 RISC V Developer Board

  • SoC: ESP32-C3-WROOM-02 with 32-bit RISC-V single-core processor @160MHz
  • Memory: 400kB SRAM (16kB for cache and 8kB in RTC)
  • Storage: 4 MB SPI flash storage
  • Wireless Connectivity: IEEE 802.11 b/g/n-compliant, and Bluetooth LE: Bluetooth 5, Bluetooth mesh
  • GPIOs: 15 GPIOs
  • USB ports: Micro-USB
  • Peripherals: • GPIO, SPI, UART, I2C, I2S, remote control peripheral, LED PWM controller, general DMA controller, TWAI controller,
  • USB Serial/JTAG controller, temperature sensor, SAR ADC
  • Interfaces: SPI, Dual SPI, and Quad SPI interfaces
  • Buttons: Boot Button, Reset Button
  • LEDs: RGB LED
  • Power: Micro-USB Port, default power supply, 5V and GND pin headers, 3V3 and GND pin headers

ESP32-C3 RISC V Developer Board Size

The peripherals for the ESP32-C3 RISC V developer board include GPIOs, UART, SPI, I2C, I2S, and several controllers. Most GPIOs are broken out into pin headers other than the SPI bus for flash memory. With these pin headers, you can interface devices and also program the hardware. The operating voltage power supply for the hardware ranges from 3.0 to 3.6V with operating ambient temperature.

If you are interested in purchasing the $9.95 ESP32-C3 RISC V developer board, head to the official product page.

Pintry-X2 – a Raspberry Pi CM4 Based NAS Device With Support for Up to 2 Drives

Storage requires critical consideration when building a data management and network project, especially to manage unexpected network growth. This is the reason behind the Pintry-X2 – Network Attached Storage (NAS), released by hardware Engineer Cezar Chirila to help network engineers handle the enormous storage demand of network projects with extra drives.

The two-bay NAS, Pintry-X2 is built around Raspberry Pi CM4 with ASMedia AS1061 PCle to SATA bridge converter that links “up to 2 drives (3.5’/2.5′ HDD or 2.5′ SSD) to the SoM running a Linux based OS (Raspberry Pi OS)”, says Cezar. Compatible with both the Raspberry Pi -CM4 and -CM4 Lite variants, the carrier board shows two ASM1061 powered SATA ports for HDDs or SSDs interfacing, a USB 2.0 host port, and a micro-USB port for updating the eMMc flash of the CM. The Pintry-X2 also features a GPIO header, a power switch, a GigE port for cameras, and two fans headers with pulse-width modulation (PWM) for speed control. The Carrier board takes a 12V voltage supply via a custom port at 6A maximum input current. For thermal management, the device comes with a RAM heatsink on the ASM1061 IC.

Key Features and Specifications of the Pintry-X2:

  • SOM: Supports both Raspberry Pi CM4 and – CM4 lite variants
  • Storage:
    • 2x ASM1061 powered SATA ports
    • Supports both 2.5′ and 3.5′ HDDs/SSDs but so far it has only been tested with 2.5′ SSDs: Western Digital WDS500G2B0A
  • Power Supply: 12V/6A input (max 5A, required for 3.5′ drives)
  • Expansion:
    • 2 x Fan headers (PWM pin-connected, Tach pin unconnected)
    • USB 2.0 host port (for USB device connections)
    • Micro-USB device port (for updating the eMMC of the CM4)
    • Gige Port (for cameras interfacing)
    • GPIO header (for access to various GPIO including “gpio-fan”)
  • Misc: Power switch, relays, RAM heatsink.

Talking about software, the Pintry-X2 is open source and can run Linux-based OS like – Raspberry Pi OS including the RPI OS Lite. The device comes with an updated Kernel with inbuilt SATA support to allow for the use of SATA drives with the CM4 without having to recompile the kernel with additional SATA protocol. Detailed documentation such as Κicad 6.0 project, manufacturing, and assembly file, and source code points to Cezar-Pintry GitHub repository.

The Pintry-X2 comes alongside a simple 3D printable enclosure design – although support is for 2.5′ drives only, with vents and space to attach an optional 60mm fan for better thermal management.

The Engineer says the released version, labeled V1.1, has not been built and tested, but it includes all the errors corrected after testing its first version, V1.0 – built, tested, and functioning.

More information on the Pintry-X2 can be found on CezarChirila’s website

X-Sense Wireless Interconnected Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector Review

Introduction

Quality of air in enclosed places, especially homes are in recent times, thankfully, becoming a prominent source of concern because of its severe health implications, and several home automation and safety companies are stepping up to the plate, developing smart and ingenious sensors that help detect an increase in the level of different pollutants, like Carbon Monoxide. One of those companies, is the fast-rising, home automation/security solutions manufacturer; X-sense who recently released the SC07-W Combined smoke and carbon monoxide detector.

Carbon monoxide is odorless, tasteless, and invisible. A silent killer, exposures to as little as 100 ppm could lead to nausea, fatigue (flu-like symptoms), while exposures to high concentrations like 800 ppm could result in vital organ failures and possible death within 2-3 hours. Smoke on the other hand is a double threat. Asides from heralding fire and the destruction to property and life, it also has choking and nausea-causing effects which could lead to death. These among other reasons make the detection of smoke and tracking the presence of CO in enclosed spaces so alarms are quickly raised, a very important feature for any home.

To detect the CO levels in the air, SC07-W makes use of an electrochemical sensing technology that facilitates early detection of rising CO levels (able to detect CO Particles of around 400 ppm within 4-15minutes) giving users the opportunity to take preventive measures early.

For smoke, the SC07-W system uses a photoelectric detection technology that has been proven to be generally more sensitive than the popular ionization-based approach found in most devices. Thanks to the Photoelectric system, the SC07-W is effective in detecting large particles which tend to be produced in great amounts by smoldering fires which come from slow-burning sources like cigarettes burning in couches or beddings and other similar scenarios, which could smolder for hours before bursting into flame.

Typical home smoke and/or carbon monoxide detectors on the market are plagued with a number of issues ranging from the battery and sensor-related failures, to alarms being confusing and not loud enough. However, one look at the SC07-W reveals it was designed to overcome these challenges.

A big part of the SC07-W is their interconnectivity. Multiple units of the SCO7 can be networked together in such a way that when high levels of CO or smoke are detected in one room or area, the alarms in the other rooms or areas are triggered, ensuring the alarms are heard and the situation is addressed as soon as possible. A personal favorite application of the interconnectivity feature is the ease of expanding the deployment as it allows users to connect up to 24x SC07-W (and other compatible devices from X-sense), making it easy to increase your number of devices and covering more parts of the home.

For battery reliability, the SC07-W features a built-in lithium battery, which thanks to the efficiency of the electronics and low-power features of the RF comms module, is rated to last for 10-years, the same number of years as the devices lifetime. This ensures users don’t have to worry about charging or replacing the batteries, avoiding scenarios where the system’s sensitivity fails due to low battery or users forgetting to replace them. According to the manual. at the device’s end of life or the event of a low battery or failure, the alarm will beep once to thrice, every minute and the LED indicator on the device will start flashing yellow, all to let the user know its time to change the unit.

The Alarm system in X-sense SC07-W is sophisticated in that the buzzer sounds in a way that allows users to easily understand and determine the situation at hand. Thanks to the interconnectivity of the alarms, when smoke or increasing CO level is detected by one device, an alarm will be raised by all other connected devices, however, with a sound and led backlight pattern that is slightly different from that of the device in the area where the situation is occurring, to allow users easily pinpoint where the issue is.

To allow users to see the state of air in their home at all times, and further make it easy to understand what is going on when an alarm goes off, the SCO7 comes with a clear and easy-to-read LCD which indicates real-time CO concentrations (30-999 ppm), battery status, and the alarm’s working status, allowing you to know what’s going on, at a glance.

While the SC07-W comes with a remote, and a button on the device, that can be used to silence the system, an unguided silence mode is a dangerous feature in an alarm system. This is why even when silenced unless the situation has dispersed, the alarm will come back up after some minutes.

Some highlight specifications of the SC07-W are provided below:

Operating Life 10 years
Power Source 3 V CR123A lithium battery (non-replaceable)
Sensor Type Smoke: photoelectric; CO: electrochemical
Safety Standards EN 14604:2005, EN 50291
Standby Current < 6 µA (avg.)
Alarm Current < 60 mA (avg.)
Operating Temperature 40–100°F (4.4–37.8°C)
Operating Relative Humidity 10%–85% (non-condensing)
Alarm Loudness ≥ 85 dB at 10 ft (3 m)
Silence Duration Smoke: ≤ 9 minutes; CO: ≤ 6 minutes
Display LCD
Indicator Light LED (red/yellow/green)
Color White
Material ABS/PC
Installation Method Screw fixings and mounting bracket supplied
Usage Indoor use only
Product Weight 0.66 lb (300 g)
Product Dimensions 5.7 x 5.7 x 2.0 inches (146 x 146 x 51 mm)

A recommendable solution, the SC07-W is at the time of this writing available for sale on X-Sense’s website for $39.99 while a pack of 6 is available on Amazon for $239.

More information on the SC07-W combined smoke and CO detector can be found on the product’s page on X-sense’s website.

Discount Code

Code: CHTG0120 (20% off all products) at x-sense.com

DC-HV DC Converter – 200V @ 20mA Output with 12V DC Input

This is a low-cost DC-HV DC converter built using TL3843 Low-Power Current-Mode PWM Controller from TI. Screw terminal connectors are provided for input and output, onboard LED D1 indicates the input supply. The project provides 200V DC @ 20mA output from 12V DC supply input.

Note: Output of this project is 150V @ 50mA DC to 200V @ 20mA DC, this project also can provide lower voltage outputs, read TL3843 data sheet for configuration.
HIGH VOLTAGE: Dangerous voltage exists until power is off. Wait at least 1 minute after the input power is disconnected before touching the board and discharge HV capacitors.

Features

  • Operating Power Supply 12V DC @ 1A (Range 10V to 15V DC)
  • Output 150V DC @ 50mA to 200V DC @ 20mA
  • Operating Frequency 40Khz
  • Over Current Protection
  • D1 Power LED
  • Screw Terminal Connectors for Input and Output
  • PCB Dimensions 61.28 x 36.04 mm

Schematic

Parts List

NO.QNTY.REF.DESC.MANUFACTURERSUPPLIERPART NO
12CN1,CN22 PIN SCREW TERMINAL PITCH 5.08MMWURTHDIGIKEY277-1247-ND
21C1470uF/25V ELECTROLYTICPANASONICDIGIKEY10-EEU-TA1E471S-ND
31C20.1 uF/50V SMD SIZE 0805MURATA/YAGEODIGIKEY
41C34.7uF/400VWURTHDIGIKEY732-8886-1-ND
51C4DNP
61C5100PF/50V SMD SIZE 0805MURATA/YAGEODIGIKEY
71C61K PF/50V SMD SIZE 0806MURATA/YAGEODIGIKEY
81C7470PF/50V SMD SIZE 0805MURATA/YAGEODIGIKEY
91C80.1uF/50V SMD SIZE 0805MURATA/YAGEODIGIKEY
101D1LED RED SMD SIZE 0805LITE ON INCDIGIKEY160-1427-1-ND
111D2MURS360ON SEMIDIGIKEYMURS360T3GOSTR-ND
121L1100uH 5AWURTHDIGIKEY732-1425-ND
131Q1IRFB4020INFINIONDIGIKEYIRFB4020PBF-ND
142R1,R51K 5% SMD SZIE 0805MURATA/YAGEODIGIKEY
151R247K 1% SMD SIZE 0805MURATA/YAGEODIGIKEY
161R3560K 1% SMD SIZE 0805MURATA/YAGEODIGIKEY
171R4150K 1% SMD SIZE 0805MURATA/YAGEODIGIKEY
181R66.98K 1% SMD SIZE 0805MURATA/YAGEODIGIKEY
191R70.5E/2W 1% SMD SIZE 2512MURATA/YAGEODIGIKEY
201U1TL3843PTIDIGIKEY296-10176-5-ND
211U18 PIN DIP SOCKETAMPHENOLDIGIKEY609-4717-ND

Connections

Gerber View

Photos

Video


TL3843 Datasheet

Dual 40W Audio Power Amplifier with Mute

The stereo audio amplifier project shown here is capable of delivering typically 40W per channel continuous average output power into an load with less than 0.1% (THD+N). The project is built using an LM4766 chip from Texas Instruments, The performance of the LM4766, utilizing its Self-Peak Instantaneous Temperature (°Ke) (Spike) Protection Circuitry, places it in a class above discrete and hybrid amplifiers by providing an inherently, dynamically protected Safe Operating Area (SOA). Spike Protection means that these parts are safeguarded at the output against overvoltage, undervoltage, overloads, including thermal runaway and instantaneous temperature peaks. Each amplifier within the LM4766 has an independent smooth transition fade-in/out mute that minimizes output pops. The IC’s extremely low noise floor at 2µV and its extremely low THD+N value of 0.06% at the rated power make the LM4766 optimum for high-end stereo TVs or mini-component systems.

Dual 40W Audio Power Amplifier with Mute – [Link]

Under Speed Warning Alarm for Magnetic Pickup sensor – Frequency Controlled Switch

This is an under-speed sensor module that provides an audible warning and signals output when the speed of a machine is below the set point. The module can be used in applications such as Engines, Machines, Sports machines, Fitness Equipment, Speed of the machine or engine can be detected using a magnetic pickup sensor. The project can be used in many applications where an under-speed monitor is important. The project is based on the LM2907 chip which works as a frequency to voltage converter, interfacing of magnetic pickup as shown in the figure below. A typical magnetic pickup for automotive applications will provide a thousand pulses per mile so that at 60 mph the incoming frequency will be ~16.6 Hz.

Under Speed Warning Alarm for Magnetic Pickup sensor – Frequency Controlled Switch – [Link]

DC Motor Controller using Relay and MOSFET – Arduino Interface

The project presented here is a low-cost solution to control high-power brushed DC motor speed and direction. Traditional DC motor controllers are based on solid-state circuitry known as H-Bridge. Here we have made an H-bridge configuration using high current 2 x relays which can handle high voltage as well as high current. Additional MOSFETs are used to control the speed of the motor. These MOSFETs can be removed in case of only direction control is required, short the Drain and source pin of MOSFETs. The project requires 3 control input signals, all inputs are optically isolated to prevent noise and high voltage going into logic circuitry. A large-size heatsink is a must on MOSFET.

DC Motor Controller using Relay and MOSFET – Arduino Interface – [Link]

Low-Cost DC Motor Direction Controller with Fast Brake using 2 Relays

The project presented here is a low-cost easy to use DC brushed motor direction controller with fast-brake, the project was built using two 12V Relays, 2 x BJT transistors, and 2 x tactile switches. The two LEDs are provided to display the motor direction, 2 tactile switch controls the direction of the motor.

Low-Cost DC Motor Direction Controller with Fast Brake using 2 Relays – [Link]

Multiple Output Power Source – Dual 10V (+/-10V), 5V DC, 3.3V DC from 9V Battery

This is a multiple output power converter module that provides +/-10V (Dual 10V), 5V DC, and 3.3V DC from a 9V PP3 battery. This is a very useful project that has been designed for low-load current applications. Dual +/-10V output from a 9V battery is a key feature of the project. The battery holder can be mounted on the backside of the PCB. An onboard slide switch provides power ON/OFF. Onboard LED indicates the power. LM1117-5V chip provides 5V DC output from 9V Battery, further, an LM1117-3.3V regulator is provided to step down the 5V to 3.3V DC. MAX680 charge pump chip provides +/-10V from 5V.

Multiple Output Power Source – Dual 10V (+/-10V), 5V DC, 3.3V DC from 9V Battery – [Link]

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