Embedded Systems

📟 OBJEX Link - open-source development board based on ESP32 OBJEX Link is a modular IoT board. It is designed to develop IoT devices that are easy to repair and recycle. OBJEX Link is designed to meet a wide range of uses: Smart Home & Cities, IIOT, Everyday things & Wearables, Predictive Maintenance, Agriculture Automation. OBJEX Link can also be used for rapid prototyping, and developing research and robotics projects, with the right module you can extend the possible uses of the board. The compact form factor and board design ensure easy use and maintenance of the board. The architecture of OBJEX Link is composed of two parts, the first is the mainboard (OBJEX Link) and the second is the module allows for easy customization and interfacing with hardware compared to other IoT boards. More information: GitHub page Documentation page #projects #boards #esp32

💻 How to Debug an Arduino Project Debugging is a vital element of the creative process when it comes to developing code. However, Arduino debugging, can be difficult as the Arduino IDE does not include a specialized debugging tool. ▫️ Arduino IDE Pro has a debugging tool that can be used to enhance debugging skills. It has the following features which make it very useful to the developers: code indentation, block folding, auto-closing brackets, comment toggling, etc. ▫️ Visual Micro is a Microsoft Visual Studio plugin that allows you to develop cross-platform Arduino applications. Visual Micro also provides GDB debugging, as well as serial, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi debugging. ▫️ DebugWire is an Atmel protocol that allows you to debug multiple ATTiny (e.g., ATTiny 13, 85) and ATmegas (e.g., ATmega48/88/168/328) without using JTAG and just using the Reset pin. ▫️ Atmel Studio IDE is a free environment that provides competitive debugging capabilities to assist in the resolution of code problems. #articles

📃 What are best practices for IoT system security? Fierce Electronics reached out to experts on their best practices: ▫️ The latest software is the most secure. That’s because it addresses currently known threats (CVEs or Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures). CVEs are fixed first upstream (for open source) and in new software releases for proprietary software. ▫️ Open-source platforms are open to scrutiny and continually updated to counter latest threats. ▫️ A unique Root of Trust should be installed on every device ▫️ ALL software on an end device should be updatable - we don't know what we don't know as we learned with Spectre and Meltdown. This includes secure boot firmware on Arm and BIOS on x86. ▫️ Device provisioning should be simple and not involve the end user. This means secure device onboarding. More information... #articles #security

🎚 Khadas VIM4 Review: Faster Than a Raspberry Pi There have been many pretenders to the Raspberry Pi’s crown, some good and some bad. But none have managed to throw the Raspberry Pi offs its throne as the go-to single board computer for projects. Khadas’s VIM4 is the latest to make the attempt and it comes so close. The Khadas VIM4 is an octa-core Arm CPU package with a quad-core Arm Cortex A73 running at up to 2.2 GHz, and a 2-GHz Arm Cortex A53. This is backed up with 8GB of LPDDR4X running at 2016 MHz. But there is something else with the Khadas VIM4. Hidden under the flat heatsink is a 32GB eMMC 5.1 chip which gives us better performance than a micro SD card. The downside of this Khadas VIM4 is the GPIO. We would love to see full access via Python and other programming languages. Once we have that, then the Khadas VIM4 will be “on par” with the features of the Raspberry Pi, though it will never have the level of support and huge ecosystem of the Pi. #articles #hardware

🎬 Shenzhen: The Silicon Valley of Hardware Examine the unique manufacturing ecosystem that has emerged, gaining access to the world’s leading hardware-prototyping culture whilst challenging misconceptions from the west. The film looks at how the evolution of “Shanzhai” – or copycat manufacturing – has transformed traditional models of business, distribution and innovation, and asks what the rest of the world can learn from this so-called “Silicon Valley of hardware". https://youtu.be/SGJ5cZnoodY #video

📟 Unofficial TikTok Watch A custom built a smartwatch that plays TikTok videos. This smartwatch uses a microcontroller called the ESP32 Pico, and is coded using the Arduino Library. The PCB is built using EasyEDA and JLPCB. Using an unofficial API for Python, we can download TikTok videos then use OpenCV and PyDub to stream the data to the ESP32. On the ESP32 we play that data through an ST7789VW display and max98537a DAC. More information: Official video GitHub repository #projects #esp32

📃 What Is Wi-Fi 7 ? Great capacity, less latency—here's how IEEE 802.11be achieves both Several new technologies—and some that debuted in Wi-Fi 6E but haven’t entirely yet come into their own—will allow Wi-Fi 7 routers and devices to make full use of an entirely new band of spectrum at 6 gigahertz. ▫️ Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) makes it possible for Wi-Fi 7 networks to operate around incumbents by preventing transmissions in bands that would interfere with nearby weather radar, radio telescopes, or others. At the same time, it frees up Wi-Fi 7 networks to broadcast at a higher power when they know there’s no preexisting spectrum user nearby to worry about. ▫️ Multi-link operations (MLO) will take advantage of the fact that Wi-Fi’s existing 5-GHz band and new 6-GHz band are comparatively closer than the 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz bands are to each other. Wi-Fi access points have long had the ability to support transmissions over multiple wireless channels at the same time. #articles #IoT

📟 Anemosens – Build a 3D printed wind sensor / anemometer In order to be able to evaluate the measured values for wind speed and wind direction, author created a small sensor board, which can be integrated into the base in such a way that the sensors are positioned in exactly the right places. The sensor board can then be connected to an ESP32 via an optional additional board. The data can then be further processed or stored in various ways. More information... #projects #esp32

📟 Anemosens – Build a 3D printed wind sensor / anemometer In order to be able to evaluate the measured values for wind speed and wind direction, author created a small sensor board, which can be integrated into the base in such a way that the sensors are positioned in exactly the right places. The sensor board can then be connected to an ESP32 via an optional additional board. The data can then be further processed or stored in various ways. More information... #projects #esp32

📚 The MagPi (June 2022) The latest copy of the official Raspberry Pi magazine: ▫️ Raspberry Pi Photography. Set up a Camera Module and build image-based projects. Capture, edit and adjust images with code and read through our time-lapse and batch-convert tutorials. ▫️ Craft wearable kit. Use tiny computers and microcontrollers to make tech projects you can carry around. ▫️ The best face-tracking projects. Keep an eye on people with Raspberry Pi face-tracking builds. Download the book (.pdf, 60 MB) 📚 HackSpace magazine (June 2022) There’s a huge range of computer-controlled machines used by makers – 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC mills and more – but the plotter is the easiest to make. This makes it a great build for getting started in the world of computer-controlled machines. For around £15 you can create your own drawing machine with our guide. ▫️ Learn how hydraulics work ▫️ Everything about lubrication ▫️ Guitar-Hero style controller Download the book (.pdf, 50 MB) #books #raspberry #magpi

📃 How to select your embedded systems operating system: OS characteristics Explore system characteristics you should consider for selecting your operating system. ▫️ The Product’s Lifetime Costs. Designers need to weigh both the hardware and software costs to determine whether it makes sense for their product to use hardware that can run Linux or whether a less expensive and less CPU-intensive solution fits better. ▫️ Physical Characteristics to Consider. Speaking of hardware capabilities and requirements, when selecting your embedded operating system, it’s also essential to examine the physical characteristic chosen by the hardware. ▫️ Software Library Integration. One of the significant differences between using bare metal, an RTOS, or Linux is the availability and the level of integration of the software libraries available to developers. ▫️ Security. Specific operating systems are targeted by hackers more than others because of the toolsets available to them to hack those devices. #articles

📰 Intel CEO says 'we're about halfway through' the chip shortage Usually-optimistic Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger offered up a sobering view on when the semiconductor shortage roiling everything from auto producers to PC makers may abate. "We are about halfway through [the chip shortage]," Gelsinger told on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday. "My expectation now is that it persists through 2024. And the big issue that we've additionally faced over the last six to nine months is equipment that goes into the fabs." Demand for chips surged 17% in 2021 from 2019, a recent report from the Commerce Department found. The median inventory of semiconductor products highlighted by buyers fell from 40 days in 2019 to less than five days in 2021, the report stated, and inventories in key industries are even smaller. #news

📊 55+ Emerging IoT Technologies you should have on your radar (2022) The analyst team at IoT Analytics handpicked 58 of the most promising technologies relevant to IoT projects globally and ranked them according to their perceived maturity. ▫️ IoT Software. Eight IoT technologies are nearing maturity, including edge AI, IoT-based streaming analytics, and supervised and unsupervised machine learning. ▫️ IoT Hardware. Six IoT technologies are now classified as fairly mature or mainstream: CPUs, MCUs, GPUs, security chips, FPGA, and edge gateways. ▫️ IoT Connectivity. Four IoT technologies are close to maturity: eSIM, mesh networks, 5G, and Wi-Fi 6. Three technologies stand out as the fastest movers that advanced the most in three years: Wi-Fi 6, GPUs, and intelligent sensors. More information... #articles #IoT

💻 PikaScript – ultra-lightweight Python engine PikaScript is an ultra-lightweight Python engine that can run on microcontrollers with as little as 4KB of RAM and 32KB of Flash, while the more popular MicroPython requires at least 256kB of code space and 16kB of RAM. PikaScript was initially developed to run on STM32G030C8 and STM32F103C8 MCUs, meaning, for example, it works on the BluePill board, but it has also been ported to other platforms like WCH CH582 RISC-V MCU, WinnerMicro W806 C-Sky microcontroller. PikaScript also permits the binding C function to a Python module through Pika Pre-compiler. PikaScript can run bare metal on the microcontroller, but also supports real-time operating systems such as RT-Thread and VSF (Versaloon Software Framework), as well as Linux. Just like MicroPython, it’s using a subset of Python 3, but I’d assume with even fewer features due to the smaller footprint. More information: The main article The GitHub repository #programming #python

🚗 Prototyping an Electric Vehicle in MATLAB Simulink Designing an EV is an elaborate process as it involves a lot of different sub-systems, and in order to maximize the performance of an EV, a lot of parameters and testing need to be done. The MATLAB Simulink and Simscape provide features to design and simulate essential Electric Vehicle use cases. The most important use cases for Matlab are: ▫️ Tune regenerative braking algorithms ▫️ Explore electric powertrain architectures ▫️ Modify a suspension design ▫️ Optimize vehicle performance ▫️ Develop active chassis controls ▫️ Validate ADAS algorithms ▫️ Test using hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) More information... #articles #design #matlab

📚 Peter Van Zant - Microchip Fabrication: A Practical Guide to Semiconductor Processing (7th edition) Fully revised to cover the latest advances in the field, Microchip Fabrication, Sixth Edition explains every stage of semiconductor processing, from raw material preparation to testing to packaging and shipping the finished device. This practical resource provides easy-to-understand information on the physics, chemistry, and electronic fundamentals underlying the sophisticated manufacturing materials and processes of modern semiconductors. State-of-the-art processes and cutting-edge technologies used in the patterning, doping, and layering steps are discussed in this new edition. Filled with detailed illustrations and real-world examples, this is a comprehensive, up-to-date introduction to the technological backbone of the high-tech industry. Download the book (.pdf, 19 MB) #books #electronics

📰 Breakthrough Discovery of the One-Way Superconductor Associate professor Mazhar Ali and his research group at Delft University of Technology have discovered one-way superconductivity without magnetic fields, something that was thought to be impossible ever since its discovery in 1911 – until now. The discovery, published in the journal Nature, makes use of 2D quantum materials and paves the way toward superconducting computing. Superconductors can make electronics hundreds of times faster, all with zero energy loss. In superconductors, a current flows across a wire with no resistance, which means inhibiting this current or even blocking it is hardly possible – let alone getting the current to flow only one way and not the other. The fact that Ali’s group was able to make superconducting one-directional – which is required for computing – is remarkable: it’s like inventing a special type of ice that has zero friction one way but insurmountable friction the other. More information... #news #electronics

📟 ESP32 WiFiMulti: Connect to the Strongest Wi-Fi Network Learn how to use WiFiMulti with the ESP32. It allows you to register multiple networks (SSID/password combinations). The ESP32 will connect to the Wi-Fi network with the strongest signal (RSSI). If the connection is lost, it will connect to the next network on the list. Using WiFiMulti in your ESP32 IoT projects is useful if your board can have access to more than one Wi-Fi network. Implementing this feature in your projects is very simple and improves your projects significantly. More information... #projects #esp32

📃 Exploring Xiaomi’s new firmware security measures The author of the article sharing his research on cryptographic signature-based firmware authenticity checks recently added to the Xiaomi Mi scooter firmware. Those scooters use an Over-The-Air (OTA) firmware update mechanism over BLE, so you can update your scooter using nothing but a smartphone app – great because you can easily get all the good new features, but suboptimal because you can easily get all the bad new features. As an owner of a Mi 1S scooter but a hacker first and foremost, author set up a HTTPS proxy and captured the firmware files that the app downloaded from Xiaomi servers, dug into them, and summarized what he found. Unlike many of the security measures we’ve seen lacking-by-design, this one secures the OTA firmware updates with what we would consider the industry standard – SHA256 hash with elliptic cryptography-backed signing. More information... #articles #security

🎚 LilyGO T-PicoC3 board merges RP2040 & ESP32-C3, integrates color display LilyGO T-PicoC3 is a small development board combining Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core microcontroller with ESP32-C3 RISC-V MCU to add WiFi and Bluetooth LE connectivity and adds a 1.14-inch color display to the mix, plus several I/Os. Specifications: ▫️ Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Cortex-M0+ MCU with 264 KB of embedded SRAM ▫️ Espressif Systems ESP32-C3 RISC-V processor with WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE connectivity ▫️ Storage – 4MB SPI flash connected to RP2040 ▫️ Display – 1.14-inch full-color IPS LCD Display (ST7789V SPI controller) with 240 x 135 resolution Both the Raspberry Pi RP2040 and ESP32-C3 microcontroller are programmable, and interestingly the Tx/Rx connection is decided by the orientation of the USB Type-C connector: A side is for RP2040 (Blue LED on) and B side (Green LED on) is for ESP32-C3. #boards #esp32 #raspberry