Reviewing M5 Stack’s Transparent 1.5 inch OLED Glass Unit

Unit Glass is a transparent OLED expansion screen unit that measures 1.51 inches in size. It uses a driver scheme that is based on STM32 and SSD1309, has a resolution of 128×64 px and a monochrome display, and its transparent area is 128×56 px. The MCU is an STM32F030F4P6, which provides control and firmware updating over an I2C (addr: 0x3C) communication interface. It also contains two input buttons and a one-way buzzer to facilitate user interaction with the screen. This transparent OLED screen extension is ideal for use as a display panel when embedded in various home appliances or control devices.

STM32F030 microcontroller integrates a high-performance ARM CortexTM-M0 32-bit RISC processor that runs at a frequency of 48 MHz. Moreover, it has high-speed embedded memory and upgraded peripherals, and input/output (I/O) connections. Standard communication interfaces (up to two I2Cs, up to two SPIs, and up to two USARTs) are included in each and every device.

SSD1309 is a single-chip CMOS OLED/PLED driver with a controller for a dot-matrix graphic display system with organic or polymer light-emitting diodes. This IC is made for an OLED panel with a common cathode. The SSD1309 has contrast control, display RAM, and an oscillator built right in. This cuts down on the number of external parts and the amount of power used. It lets you change the brightness in 256 steps.

Specifications:

  • It comes with 128×56 pixels that are transparent (128×64 pixels of the total monochromatic display)
  • The dimensions of the display area are approximately 35.5 mm x 18 mm, while the dimensions of the glass area are 42 mm x 27.16 mm x 1.25 mm.
  • The depth of color in bits is 1.
  • I2C is used as the controller (I2C Addresses: 0x3C).
  • The platform for computer programming is supported by Arduino and UIFlow.
  • STM32F030F4P6 is the microcontroller that was utilized.
  • The panel has a size of 1.5 inches and uses transparent OLED.
  • The screen is displayed in a blue color.
  • The product has dimensions of 53 mm x 42 mm × 2.3 mm.
  • It is about 10 g in weight, with one glass unit included.
  • It offers a broad overview from every perspective.
  • The working temperature ranges from approximately 0-40 degrees Celsius.
  • The logic voltage is 3.3 V.

Glass Unit UI Flow Example

Unit Glass Arduino Example

The product Glass Unit w/ 1.51 inch transparent OLED is available for $23.90 without shipping. Its application includes home products and do-it-yourself toys.

Flux Launches Collaborative PCB Design Tool

Flux, a collaborative PCB design tool, has emerged from beta testing with a new set of features. The company says its mission is to make PCB design as accessible as possible to everyone, regardless of experience level. Flux is a browser-based PCB design tool that was created to make PCB design more collaborative and efficient. It offers open-source, community-contributed designs and libraries, allowing designers to access libraries full of reusable components and footprints, as well as full circuit blocks that include schematic capture and layout. This makes it possible for designers to quickly and easily find pre-existing designs that can be integrated into their own projects, potentially allowing them to complete a design in a single day.

The tool, which is entirely browser-based, allows for real-time collaboration between team members. Flux believes that this feature is crucial for successful PCB design, as it allows team members to work on the same design simultaneously. Flux provides the same features as a standard design tool, as well as additional capabilities such as live design rule check (DRC), live simulation tools, and generic component design options. Generally, it offers a comprehensive range of design functionalities.

Flux’s software is designed to be intuitive, with a simple drag-and-drop interface that requires no coding knowledge. The software also includes a library of pre-built components, making it easier for users to create complex designs without having to start from scratch.

Flux offers two pricing models: a free version and a paid version. The free version offers all of the basic features of the tool, including real-time collaboration and the drag-and-drop interface. The paid version adds advanced features like the ability to export designs in multiple file formats and access to a larger library of components.

Flux’s CEO, Wagner, says that the company is focused on providing a tool that is accessible to everyone, regardless of experience level.

“We believe that everyone should have access to the tools they need to bring their ideas to life,” Wagner says. “Our goal is to make PCB design as easy and intuitive as possible so that anyone can create a circuit board without having to be an expert.”

The tool has already garnered interest from a number of companies, including hardware startups and large corporations. According to Wagner:

Flux’s software is particularly well-suited for hardware startups, as it allows them to quickly iterate on designs and get products to market faster. Overall, Flux is an exciting addition to the world of PCB design. Its intuitive interface and real-time collaboration features make it an attractive option for both hardware startups and established corporations. As the company continues to develop its software, it will be interesting to see how it evolves and what new features it adds.

For more information, visit the Flux announcement page.

Web Serial Terminal is a usefull Web Tool for Embedded Engineers

The team at CAPUF Embedded is developing web tools to enable embedded engineers to create products more quickly and effortlessly. Their first tool is a web serial terminal, accessed through Chrome Browser on laptops or desktops, though not yet on mobile devices. With this tool, engineers can now access their Serial or USB-Serial device directly from the browser!

When you enter the URL of Web Serial Terminal, the App is loaded from the server onto the browser and then runs locally, connecting to the device which is connected to the USB/Serial port of the PC. The Chrome Browser utilizes the Web Serial API to establish the connection to the serial device, allowing data to be managed locally on the browser, with the cloud only used to manage the workspace.

The benefits of using a web serial terminal include:

  • No installation or manual updates are required – it can be accessed online. This software is compatible with any popular operating system, such as Windows, Linux, or Mac, as long as you use Chrome, Opera, or Microsoft Edge browsers.
  • You can create a workspace with buttons for various serial commands and save it for future use.
  • You don’t need to worry about losing your workspaces since they are stored on the cloud.
  • By simply entering their email address, you can easily share your workspace with your friends, other companies, customers, or test engineers, and they will be able to start using it right away without any setup.
  • By making the workspace public, you can enable access to it for everyone, potentially allowing thousands of engineers to benefit from your work or someone else’s, thus saving them valuable time.
  • By using the Run Sequence Button, you can execute commands (Buttons) stored in the workspace in a sequence, thus creating a mini serial script for basic automation or testing purposes.
  • You can easily clone workspaces that you or others have shared publicly and customize them to suit your needs.
  • You can provide your customers with a fast and easy evaluation experience of your device, such as a Digital Multimeter, Power Supply, or any other device, by creating a workspace and sharing the link publicly.

There are some known limitations. The console export/download option is still in the BETA Phase and under development,. Also, to allow another user to access the workspace with a guest login, you must make it public; if the user is registered, you can share the workspace privately.

For more information, and feedback about the web serial terminal, visit the announcement page

Arduino GIGA R1 Wi-Fi has the same form factor as the Arduino Mega and Due boards

Arduino GIGA R1 Wi-Fi microcontroller board

Arduino has announced its latest product, the GIGA R1 Wi-Fi, a microcontroller board designed for advanced projects that require high computational power, connectivity, and security features. The GIGA R1 Wi-Fi has the same form factor as the popular Arduino Mega and Due boards, offering faster processing, more memory, and improved networking capabilities.

Inside the GIGA R1 Wi-Fi is the STMicroelectronics’ 32-bit STM32H747XI high-performance dual-core ARM Cortex-M7 and Arm Cortex-M4 microcontroller, clocked at a speed of 480MHz and 240MHz, respectively. It is equipped with 2MB of flash memory and 1MB of SRAM. The board features 76 digital I/O pins, 12 analog input pins, 12 PWM pins, and 2 DAC pins.

For wireless connectivity, the GIGA R1 Wi-Fi microcontroller board comes with the Murata 1DX module that features IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2. This enables the customer to remotely monitor and track the edge applications using the Arduino IoT Cloud platform. It also has a built-in ATECC608A secure element for authentication and encryption, and a secure bootloader to prevent unauthorized code execution.

The Arduino GIGA R1 Wi-Fi microcontroller board is compatible with the Arduino IDE and can be programmed using MicroPython. It has a USB Type-C port for programming and debugging of the board, while the USB Type-A port is used for connecting USB devices, such as keyboards and storage modules.

The GIGA R1 Wi-Fi board is ideal for various applications, including robotics, automation, and internet of things (IoT) projects. With its advanced networking capabilities, it can connect to various devices and cloud services, enabling remote control and monitoring. It has an input/output 3.5mm audio jack that enables audio and music projects, while the camera and display pins allow for creating interfaces and control panels.

The Arduino GIGA R1 Wi-Fi is a powerful microcontroller board that offers high computational power, connectivity, and security features. The module is currently available for purchase on the official product page at $72.82.

LiLyGo unveils T-Embed: A battery powered programmable development panel

LiLyGo T-Embed Wi-Fi controller

LiLyGo, a Chinese electronics manufacturer, has recently released T-Embed, a battery-powered programmable panel equipped with a display and rotary encoder, making it an ideal tool for smart home projects.

The T-Embed is built around the ESP32-S3 microcontroller, which comes with a dual-core Xtensa LX7 processor with Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 wireless connectivity. The board also features a Grove connector which enables the user to interface external sensors and hardware devices with a plug-and-play feature.

The LiLyGo T-Embed has a 1.9-inch IPS color TFT LCD with 320 x 170 resolution pixels. This allows users to easily control and monitor various devices and systems, making it an ideal tool for smart home automation projects. The display can show important information such as temperature, humidity, and other sensor readings, while the rotary encoder can be used to adjust settings and control devices.

Specifications of LiLyGo T-Embed Wi-Fi controller:

  • Microcontroller: ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 module with ESP32-S3 dual-core Xtensa LX7 processor
  • Wireless connectivity: IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0
  • Display: 1.9-inch IPS color TFT LCD (ST7789) with brightness of 350 Cd/m2 and resolution of 170×320 pixels
  • Rotary encoder: 2x microphone, 24x number of detent, 12 pulse/rotation, 7x ring RGB light, and 1x Grove connector
  • GPIO interface: 8-pin GPIO interface with TF card holder, USB Type-C port
  • Power supply: 2-pin connector for LiPo battery
  • Dimensions: 95.4×36.40 mm

LiLyGo T-Embed Wi-Fi controller display

The user can connect a LiPo battery to the programmable panel to power the device. The hardware is equipped with a 2-pin connector for connecting the LiPo battery. The LiLyGo T-Embed also features a battery charge and discharge protection circuit at a 1.25mm battery interface.

Seeed Studio developed a modular connector prototyping system – Grove connectors that allow the user to interface with any grove modules, including accelerometer, barometer, distance sensor, gas sensor, light sensor, relay sensor, and sound sensor.

The LiLyGo T-Embed embedded panel for programmable development is currently available for purchase at $27.45.

Toradex extends its successful Verdin System on Module portfolio with a new entrant

Based on the Texas Instruments (TI) AM62x Arm®-based processor family, Toradex’s Verdin AM62 is pin-compatible with other SoMs in the scalable Verdin product family.

Toradex, a leading provider of embedded systems solutions, has announced the launch of its Verdin AM62 System on Module (SoM) (https://www.toradex.com/computer-on-modules/verdin-arm-family/ti-am62), based on the AM623 processor from Texas Instruments™ (TI). This new module focuses on ease of use, connectivity, and scalability for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Human-machine-interaction (HMI), and gateway applications.

Toradex’s focus on innovation, industry-leading support, and lowest lifetime product cost has long set the company apart. Its offerings often surpass basic requirements and look toward a future-proof solution for its customers. This addition of AM62x processors to the well-established Toradex Verdin SoM family proves the company’s continued focus on adding value for customers and their projects.

Toradex started with extensive research and input from its customers in markets such as Industrial Automation, Healthcare, Smart City, Transportation, and Test & Measurement. It showed that while the Verdin form factor provides a great fit, even more applications would profit from a lower power and lower cost SoM, extending the pin-compatible Verdin family in the low end. During this research phase, I managed to find the BetOnline poker promo code here, which offered a valuable perspective on integrating promotional strategies into product offerings. When evaluating possible processors for a new Verdin SoM product, Toradex did not just consider features and price. The selection criteria also included long-term product reliability, Linux support strategy, company-wide manufacturing capabilities, and more; all to provide the lowest lifetime product cost to its customers.

The lifetime product cost includes not only the cost of the SoM alone but also the time and resources required to bring a product to market and the associated maintenance cost. With new upcoming regulations such as the EU Cyber Resilience Act, the continued maintenance of software moves from best practice to a requirement – making it all the more imperative.

“We are pleased with the latest addition – the Verdin AM62 System on Module – to our successful product portfolio. We have found a great fit with Texas Instruments’ processors and believe that it will fortify our objective of providing the best experience for our customers with their diverse application requirements. Toradex’s focus remains on building value for our customers while maintaining ease of use and accelerating their time to market. We look forward to continuing to enhance and broaden our full-stack embedded solutions offerings.” said Samuel Imgrueth, CEO of Toradex.

The Verdin AM62 is available with Torizon – an easy-to-use Industrial Linux Platform that modernizes the development and deployment of Linux-based products. The combination of the Verdin AM62 with Torizon offers a reliable and secure full-stack embedded computing platform, including a maintained and tested Linux Distribution, IDE Integration, OTA Remote Updates, Device Monitoring, and Remote Access to increase the overall product lifetime value.

Toradex’s Verdin family of products is designed to provide scalability via software and pin-compatible modules. Other Verdin SoMs include the Verdin iMX8M Mini and the iMX8M Plus. Verdin’s peripheral interfaces are optimized for modern industrial IoT and gateway applications, including Gigabit Ethernet, PCIe, CAN FD, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Reference designs with extensive documentation simplify the creation of your customized carrier board.

For more information on the Verdin AM62, see https://www.toradex.com/computer-on-modules/verdin-arm-family/ti-am62

If you’d like to sign up for early access, please do so here https://www1.toradex.com/computer-on-modules/verdin-arm-family/ti-am62#features

ADLINK launches MXM-AXe – a first discrete graphics MXM module powered by Intel Arc GPU1

ADLINK Technology Inc., a global leader in edge computing, introduces the first MXM (R3.1) Type A discrete graphics module based on Intel Arc GPU — the MXM-AXe. Harnessing Intel Arc’s hardware ray tracing, dedicated AI acceleration, and support for 4x 4K displays, the module enhances responsiveness, precision, and reliability for graphics-demanding, time-sensitive edge applications in sectors such as gaming, healthcare, media processing, and transportation.

Summary:

  • ADLINK releases MXM-AXe, an MXM 3.1 Type A module based on Intel Arc GPU, which delivers up to 8 Xe ray-trace cores, 128 execution units, 4GB GDDR6, 112GB/s memory bandwidth, with support for 8x PCIe Gen4 and 4x 4K displays
  • With the Intel GPU’s built-in hardware ray tracing, dedicated AI acceleration, and AV1 hardware encoding, MXM-AXe makes the ideal solution for wide-ranging graphics and AI inferencing applications, including gaming, medical imaging, media processing & streaming, and more

The Intel GPU on ADLINK MXM-AXe offers up to 8 Xe ray-tracing cores, 128 execution units, 4GB GDDR6, and 8x PCIe Gen4 at max. 50W TGP. What’s more, it includes one of the industry’s first full AV1 hardware encoding, demonstrating an encoding speed that is 4.4 times faster than the traditional software encoding. It boosts graphics rendering capabilities significantly, in suiting next-gen graphics workloads.

“We are thrilled to introduce MXM-Axe graphic module with Intel Arc Graphics, a powerful line of discrete graphics, to the embedded world,” says Alex Wang, Senior Product Manager – Module Product Center, ADLINK. “As edge developers transfer from integrated to discrete graphics, MXM-AXe allows them to leverage the same well-established Intel graphics ecosystem, such as OpenVINO for AI and oneAPI (including Intel® Media SDK) management tools, that they have enjoyed and relied on for years,” he adds.

Supporting Intel® Deep Link technology, MXM AXe can be paired with 12th and 13th Gen Intel Core processors for even elevated performance and power efficiency by automated workload allocation between integrated GPU, discrete GPU, and CPU. ADLINK will also provide MXM development kit with COM-Express Type 6 modules for developers in improving their edge innovations’ efficiency,

For more information about ADLINK MXM AXe, please visit its product page for more details.

MClimate’s Maintenance Free Wireless Thermostat Powered By Organic Indoor Solar Cells From Epishine and LoRaWAN

Smart buildings top industry player MClimate launches a wireless thermostat self-powered by Epishine’s indoor solar cell with leading performance in indoor light. The sensor measures temperature, movement, humidity, and lux all while being maintenance-free.

The global trend towards digitalization and the widespread use of connected devices has led to a surge in the number of disposable batteries being used and discarded. According to recent projections, if this trend continues, an estimated 78 million batteries will be discarded daily within the European Union alone by 2025. At the same time, the need for connected devices has never been greater. Today, 36% of greenhouse gas emissions and 40% of the energy usage in the EU are related to the usage of buildings. This can all be optimized and thereby minimized through insights through collected data from smart sensors, but the number of disposable batteries used needs to be lowered rather than increased by the deployment of these sensors.

MClimate’s newest product powered by Epishine’s organic solar cell, a connected thermostat that measures movement, humidity, temperature, and illuminance is an important step towards decarbonization – enabling optimization of energy usage and making buildings smart at a low cost and with minimal disruption to tenants.

“Most smart building technology tends to be retrofitted and in the past, this had caused substantial challenges in terms of installing hardware, power supply and connectivity ultimately making it both time and cost prohibitive. LoRaWAN® has successfully solved the connectivity issues and with the solar cells by Epishine we live up to the promise of “only handle it once” devices allowing building owners to swiftly and cost effectively add new functionality to existing real estate with the help of IoT.” shared Violeta Mitsova, Co-Founder and CCO at MClimate

Epishine has developed a high-performance solar cell that harvests energy from the available indoor light. These solar cells are composed entirely of non-toxic elements, making them safe to use in any environment and the most sustainable alternative on the market. By using Epishine’s solar cells, sensors can operate without the need for batteries, lowering the TCO immensely. This development is a significant step towards creating more sustainable and long-lasting indoor sensor solutions.

“MClimate is doing important work to make buildings more sustainable. Assisting them in their mission fits us at Epishine perfectly. Our core value is to reduce our environmental impact and one important way to do that is to optimize the operation and maintenance of buildings. Projects like this play a big part in achieving that goal. ”

says Ray Benson, Account Executive at Epishine

The thermostat will be available on the market at the end of March 2023.

Jetperch Joulescope JS220 DC Energy Analyzer

The Joulescope JS220 is the most affordable and easy-to-use precision DC energy analyzer. It measures current and voltage, then computes power and energy.

Modern battery-powered devices and IoT devices have a high dynamic current range, which makes accurate measurement difficult, when “sleeping” the devices consume nanoamps (nA) or microamps (µA), but when active they consume milliamps (mA) or amps (A), Joulescope combines high-speed sampling and rapid dynamic current range switching to provide accurate and seamless current and energy measurements, even for devices with rapidly varying current consumption.

The unprecedented accuracy and low cost of Joulescope allow every engineer on the team to measure the energy consumed by the target device during development.

Joulescope provides rapid feedback on how changes affect the overall product battery life.

Joulescope displays instantaneous voltage, current, power, and energy, like a multimeter. The multimeter provides a quick and easy summary of the present state of your device.

Joulescope displays waveforms of voltage and current over time, like an oscilloscope. This oscilloscope view allows you to identify and to troubleshoot dynamic behavior and short events, including inrush current, event handlers, and tasks.

Example applications:

  • Microprocessor and microcontroller power profiling and optimization.
  • Hardware power optimization.
  • Microcontroller and device sleep current optimization.
  • Hardware and software troubleshooting.
  • Software characterization and interrupt service routine profiling.
  • USB inrush and suspend current pre-compliance testing.
  • General-purpose current, voltage, power, charge, and energy measurement.

more information: https://www.joulescope.com/products/js220-joulescope-precision-energy-analyzer

Avalue is launching 2.5 inch Pico ITX embedded SBCs, EPX-EHLP, with Intel®Celeron®/Atom™ SoC BGA Processor

Avalue Technology Inc., a global industrial PC solution provider and a Titanium member of the Intel® Internet of Things Solutions Alliance, endeavors to provide a complete range of smart retail, smart healthcare, smart manufacturing, smart transportation, and embedded solutions. Avalue is bringing the new 2.5” embedded single board computers, EPX-EHLP, with Intel® Pentium®/Celeron®/Atom™ SoC BGA Processor (Elkhart Lake Platform 4.5~12W), CPU bottom mounted, with huge improvement on performance and bug step ahead with Intel® UHD Graphics target entry-level application market. With improved performance, I/O capability, and security features, is the ideal SBC for industrial automation, retail, smart city, IoT solutions, etc.

2.5” Pico ITX SBC EPX-EHLP features flexible I/O supports 2 x USB 3.1 Gen.2, 4 x USB 2.0, 1 x RS-232, 1 x RS-232/422/485 with DC power input 12V. It supports dual-stack DP display and LVDS for all kinds of applications. This SBC design with one M.2 expansion slot: M.2 B-Key SATA/PCIe/USB supports storage and E-Key support Wifi module, USB2.0 signal. Also, EPX-EHLP offers dual Intel® 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet.

EPX-EHLP main features:

  • Onboard Intel® Celeron®/Atom™ SoC BGA Processor (Elkhart Lake Platform) (with CPU Bottom Mounted)
  • One 260-pin DDR4 2666MHz SO-DIMM socket supports up to 32GB Max (Only Atom® x6000 Series Processors support IBECC)
  • Display: Dual stack DP, LVDS
  • Expansion Slot: M.2 Key-B for storage SSD, M.2 Key-E for Wifi module.
  • Dual Intel® 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet
  • Dual deck USB3.2 Gen 2 at IO, 4 x USB 2.0 by pin header, 1 x RS232, 1 x RS232/242/485
  • GPIO 4bit
  • DC in +12V

EPX-EHLP main applications:

  • Industrial and Factory automation
  • Retail, Digital Signage, KIOSK
  • Infotainment
  • Hand-held PDA

more information: https://m.avalue.com.tw/products/Industrial-&-Embedded-Motherboard/Pico-ITX/Pico-ITX/EPX-EHLP_3287

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