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Open Hardware/Modding: ESP32, Arduino, and More
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CNX Software ☛ Hiwonder WonderLLM – An ESP32-S3 smart chat module with 2-inch touch display, 2MP camera, and dedicated voice chip
Hiwonder has introduced the WonderLLM, an ESP32-S3-based smart chat module that combines a 2MP camera, a 2.0-inch touch display, a speaker, and a microphone array to support both offline computer vision tasks and cloud-based Large Language Models (LLMs) via the XiaoZhi Hey Hi (AI) platform. The device ships with a dedicated voice chip (CI1302) that enables always-on wake-word detection, and a 4-pin I2C interface allows it to act as a smart vision/voice sensor for external controllers like Arduino, STM32, or other ESP32 boards.
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CNX Software ☛ SONOFF Dongle Max (Dongle-M) Review – A Zigbee/Thread PoE, USB, and WiFi adapter tested with Home Assistant
SONOFF sent us a sample of the SONOFF Dongle Max (also known as Dongle-M) Zigbee/Thread adapter with PoE support for review. It is based on Espressif ESP32-D0WDR2-V3 and Silicon Labs EFR32MG24 SoCs, and can serve as both a Zigbee coordinator and Thread Border Router, with connectivity options including Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and USB. The dongle is specifically designed for popular smart home platforms like Home Assistant, Zigbee2MQTT, ioBroker, and OpenHAB. Key advantages of the Dongle Max over the recently reviewed Dongle Plus MG24 include built-in Wi-Fi and Ethernet support (in addition to USB), Power over Ethernet (PoE), and a convenient Web Console for easier device configuration.
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Hackaday ☛ Electric Lawnmower Gets RC Controls
The first step in the project was to remove the human interface parts of the push mower and start working on a frame for the various control mechanisms. This includes adding an actuator to raise and lower the mower deck on the fly. Driving the new rear wheels are two wheelchair motors, which allow it to use differential steering, with a set of casters up front for maximum maneuverability. An Arduino Mega sits in a custom enclosure to control everything and receive the RC signals, alongside the mower’s batteries and the motor controllers for the drive wheels.
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Hackaday ☛ How HP Calculators Communicate Over Infrared
The video focuses on the HP 27S Scientific Calculator, which [Ready? Z80] found in an op-shop for just $5. Introduced in 1988, the HP-27S had the ability to dump screen data over an infrared link to a thermal printer to produce paper records of mundane high-school calculations or important engineering math. In the video, [Ready? Z80] explains the communication method with the aid of Hewlett-Packard’s own journal publication from October 1987, which lays out of the details of “the REDEYE Protocol.” Edgy stuff. It’s pretty straightforward to understand, with the calculator sending out bursts of data in six to eight pulses at a time, modulated onto a 32.768KHz square wave as is the norm. [Ready? Z80] then goes a step further, whipping up custom hardware to receive the signal and display the resulting data on a serial terminal. This is achieved with a TEC-1G single-board computer, based on the Z80 CPU, because that’s how [Ready? Z80] does things.
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Arduino ☛ WireDrum forces your muscles to learn skills
To work, the system needs to “record” the muscle activity of an experienced drummer and then “play” that recording through the target user’s muscles. WireDrum does the former with a custom two-channel EMG (electromyography) device called bioSense. It then does the latter with an EMS (electrical muscle stimulation) device called bioStim, built around an Arduino Nano ESP32 board. The bioStim device provides electrical stimulation through a DC-DC converter putting out 35V to electrodes placed on the user’s arms.
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Zit Seng ☛ Home Lab Developments
The last few months, I’ve been busy building out my HomeLab. I’m not new to self-hosting my own services, but I’ve rapidly added on quite a few more services recently. Some came about due to own personal needs, while others are slightly work-related. It’s time to share an update on the developments.
A Home Lab is a personal, self-contained IT environment at home for self-hosting various services like storage and media streaming. They often serve learning, experimentation, and exploration objectives while also actually being used by the individual and possibly family and friends.