Microchip dsPIC33CK low-cost motor control MCU sells for $0.51 and up
Microchip has expanded its dsPIC33 lineup with the dsPIC33CK Value Line family, a new series of low-cost 16-bit digital signal controllers (DSCs) designed for motor control applications. The devices deliver up to 100 MIPS of deterministic performance and integrate high-resolution PWM and a 12-bit ADC, making them suitable for motor Field-Oriented Control (FOC) and precision sensing tasks. These DSCs are designed to bridge the gap between basic microcontrollers and higher-end dsPIC33A devices. It offers flash memory from 32 KB to 256 KB, supports function consolidation to reduce component count and BOM cost, and is available in automotive-grade (AEC-Q100 Grade 1) versions with secure boot. Microchip dsPIC33CK specifications: MCU Core – 16-Bit dsPIC33CK CPU operating up to 100 MHz / 100 MIPS and DSP with 40-bit wide accumulators Memory & Storage 8 KB to 16 KB Data RAM 32 KB to 256 KB Program Flash with Error Correction Code (ECC) 384
u-blox ALMA-B2 Bluetooth 6.0 and 802.15.4 module features Nordic nRF54LM20 Edge AI wireless MCU
u-blox has recently announced the ALMA-B2 standalone BLE 6.0 and 802.15.4 module family built around the Nordic Semi nRF54LM20 Cortex-M33 wireless microcontroller with a dedicated NPU for low-latency Edge AI applications. There are four specific product variants in the u-blox ALMA-B2 series: ALMA-B201, ALMA-B206, ALMA-B211, and ALMA-B216, all of which support Bluetooth 6.0 and Bluetooth Channel Sounding for distance measurement. They also support IEEE 802.15.4, including Thread, Zigbee, and Matter, as well as Nordic’s proprietary 2.4 GHz protocol and NFC. The company also mentions that the nRF54LM20B-based ALMA-B211 and ALMA-B216 variants include an Axon NPU that performs machine learning tasks up to 15 times faster and with greater energy efficiency than running the same tasks on the main processor alone. u-blox ALMA-B2 Series Specifications: Wireless SoC - Nordic Semiconductor nRF54LM20A (for ALMA-B201 and B206) or nRF54LM20B (for ALMA-B211 and B216) CPU Arm Cortex-M33 application processor clocked at up to 128 MHz RISC-V
So as of yesterday, 90 days have passed with my entire #homelab in a "single stack" all running atop an M1 mac mini. Under 30 watts total power consumption, 4 VMs and dozens of services in containers. Zero issues.
#linux #opensource #macmini #docker #debian #plex #jellyfin #uptimekuma #portainer #lowpower #caddy #selfhost #selfhosting #privacy #sovereignty
Huion Note E – A 8.4-inch Android 15 electronic notebook with battery-free, pressure sensitive stylus
Huion Note E is an Android 15 note-taking device/electronic notebook powered by a MediaTek Helio G99 SoC and equipped with an 8.4-inch color LCD designed to work with a battery-free PenTech 3.0 pressure-sensitive stylus. The device ships with 6GB LPDDR4 memory, 128GB storage, and a single USB-C port for charging and data. The company says the 1920x1080 display leverages "AG nano-etching technology to create a refined, matte surface that mimics the traditional pen-on-paper experience" and provides an e-Paper-like experience, while maintaining a 60 Hz refresh rate. Huion Note E (X50) specifications: SoC - MediaTek Helio G99 CPU – Octa-core processor with 2x Arm Cortex-A76 cores @ 2.2 GHz, 6x Arm Cortex-A55 cores @ 2.0 GHz GPU – ARM Mali-G57 MC2 VPU Video Encoding – H.264, H.265/HEVC up to 2Kp30, 1080p60, 720p120 Video Playback – H.264, H.265/HEVC, VP-9 up to 2Kp30, 1080p60, 720p120 System Memory - 6GB LPDDR4 Storage - 128GB
Coralboard features Synaptics Astra SL2619 Edge AI SoC, supports Google Gemma 3 inference
Synaptics Coralboard is a development board powered by a Synaptics Astra SL2619 Edge AI SoC with a 1 TOPS Synaptics Torq inference engine implementing a Google Coral NPU, and supporting hardware-accelerated Google Gemma 3 lightweight models. The board features 2GB of RAM and offers MIPI camera and display interfaces, a microSD card slot, a USB Type-A port, microphone inputs (I2S), mikroBUS and Qwiic- expansion connectors, and optional Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity through an M.2 expansion slot. Synaptics Coralboard specifications: System-on-module - Grinn AstraSOM-261x SoC - Synaptics Astra SL2619 SoC with 2x Cortex-A55 cores @ 2GHz, 1x Cortex-M52 core @ 200MHz, and 1 TOPS Synaptics Torq (Google Coral NPU) System Memory - 2GB DDR4 @ 3200Mbps (optionally 1GB) Storage - 16GB flash, up to 64GB Input Voltage - 3.2V to 5.5V Dimensions - 25 x 25mm, LGA178 package Storage - MicroSD card slot for mass storage Display - 4-lane MIPI DSI connector
ESP32-S3 PowerFeather V2 board gains support for LiFePO4/LFP batteries
The ESP32-S3 PowerFeather V2 board is an ESP32-S3 WiFi and BLE IoT board with an Adafruit Feather form factor that supports LiFePO4/LFP batteries, as well as Li-Ion or LiPo batteries, and up to 18V DC input for solar panel connection. As one could have guessed, it's an update to the ESP32-S3 PowerFeather board introduced in 2024 with support for solar panel input, Li-Ion, and LiPo batteries. The V2 design is virtually identical, except it features an Analog Devices MAX17260 fuel gauge and a TPS631013 buck-boost regulator that keeps 3.3 V stable to add support for LiFePO4 batteries. Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries are said to be safer and longer-lasting than Li-ion or LiPo batteries, albeit at the cost of lower energy density. ESP32-S3 PowerFeather V2 specifications: ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8R2 SoC – ESP32-S3 CPU - Dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz Memory - 512KB SRAM, 16 KB RTC SRAM Wireless – 2.4 GHz
M5Stack PaperColor ESP32-S3 devkit features 4-inch E Ink Spectra 6 color display
M5Stack PaperColor, or M5Paper Color, is an ESP32-S3 development kit with a 4-inch E Ink Spectra 6 full-color display with a resolution of 600x400, designed to offer both low power consumption and high visibility under strong lights. While the color ePaper display is the start of the show, the devkit also features a microSD card slot for storage, a microphone with echo cancellation, a 1W speaker, a temperature & humidity sensor, a few buttons, two RGB LEDs, and an IR transmitter, but no GPIO expansion connectors. With regards to power, a 1250 mAh battery is included, rechargeable through the device's USB Type-C port. M5Paper Color ESP32-S3 Dev Kit specifications: SoC – Espressif ESP32-S3R8 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 microcontroller up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration Memory – 8MB PSRAM Wireless – 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE + Mesh connectivity Storage 16MB SPI flash
Renesas RZ/V2H Robotics Development Kit handles AI vision, motor control, and power management with a single board
Renesas WS125-V2HRDKREFZ is a Robotics Development Kit (RDK) powered by Renesas RZ/V2H Arm Cortex-A55/R8/M33 microprocessor and designed for high‑performance AI vision applications leveraging the MPU's built-in 80 TOPS (sparse) AI accelerator. The kit ships with 16GB LPDDR4, 64MB QSPI flash, a 64GB microSD card, and appears to be partially inspired by the Raspberry Pi 5 with a 40-pin Raspberry Pi GPIO header, a 16-pin PCIe Gen3 FFC connector, two MIPI CSI connectors, and a micro HDMI port. Other features include a Gigabit Ethernet port, two USB 3.2 ports, two CAN-FD interfaces, and a 12-24V DC input voltage range. Renesas WS125-V2HRDKREFZ specifications: SoC – Renesas RZ/V2H CPU/MCU cores 4x Arm Cortex-A55 cores up to 1.8 GHz 2x Cortex-R8 real-time cores up to 800 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 microcontroller core up to 200 MHz for system management GPU – Arm Mali-G31 GPU NPU - DRP-AI3 dynamically reconfigurable processor delivering up to 8 TOPS (INT8) or
STMicro VD65G4 and VD55G4 0.56MP global shutter image sensors enable ultra-low-power always-on event-driven vision
STMicroelectronics VD65G4 and VD55G4 are ultra-low-power 0.56-megapixel global shutter CMOS image sensors designed for battery-operated edge AI and always-on vision applications. The main difference between the two sensors is that the VD65G4 features a color RGB Bayer pattern, while the VD55G4 is a monochrome sensor designed to capture visible to near-infrared (NIR) light. Both sensors use a compact 1/9-inch optical format and a 2.16 µm pixel pitch, utilizing Back Side Illuminated (BSI), CDTI, and 3D stacking technologies to achieve a tiny 2.73 x 2.16 mm bare-die footprint. STMicro VD65G4 and VD55G4 specifications: Resolution – 0.56 MP (804 x 704) Chroma VD65G4 – RGB Bayer (RGGB). VD55G4 – Monochrome (Clear, Visible to NIR). Optical Characteristics – 1/9-inch (2.3mm) optical format with a 30° linear CRA and close to 1:1 aspect ratio. Pixel Technology – 2.16 µm x 2.16 µm pixel size utilizing global shutter, BSI, CDTI, and 3D stacking. Frame Rates
2026 Green Powered Challenge: Adding Low-Power Sleep To Microcontrollers
When building a project to operate on battery power for long periods of time, having a microcontroller with a reliable and extremely low-power sleep mode is critical. When processing power isn̵…
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Ernest de León