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Open Hardware/Modding: ESP32, FPGAs, OpenWrt vs OPNsense
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CNX Software ☛ ESP-SDR firmware turns ESP32 into a 2.4/5 GHz Software-Defined Radio (SDR)
We have seen ESP32s used for everything from simple IoT devices to AI, audio, and vision projects. But while looking for a new project, I found out about ESP-SDR firmware, which turns the ESP32 into a native Software-Defined Radio (SDR) without additional hardware. This open-source firmware bypasses the ESP32’s fixed-function Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modems and taps directly into the internal ADC signal chain to capture raw I/Q baseband samples. It then sends these samples to a computer over USB or UART, where they can be processed and viewed as a radio spectrum or waterfall display, turning supported ESP32 chips into low-cost software-defined radio receivers without requiring additional SDR hardware.
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Hackaday ☛ A Good DIY Solder Stencil Begins With A Cleanly-Sliced Soda Can
Solder stencils are a fantastic way to accurately apply solder paste to a PCB. Professionally-made stencils are cut from steel, but for the home hacker, soda cans continue to be the alternative of choice. The only trick is how to actually get those little holes made, and [Saheen Palayi] shows off both his method of laser-engraving the holes, as well as a tool for cutting the can in the first place.
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Hackaday ☛ Own The OSD Chip In Your Cheap Composite Monitor
The chip in question is an AMT630A, which contains video switching hardware, a graphics system for the on-screen-display, and an 8052 microcontroller core. He didn’t manage to get into the 8052’s brain, but the video below details the long path towards controlling it through an I2C port with an ESP32. The software is available as an Arduino library. His intention is to use it as a display for navigational sensor data to aid in maneuvering Robbie.
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Hackaday ☛ The ESP32, An SDR In Itself
This isn’t quite the general purpose SDR we got with the RTL-SDR, but there are still plenty of uses to which it can be put. We’re curious as to whether someone can implement the software side of an SDR on the same chip, but we are guessing that might be beyond their capabilities. Either way, we’re looking forward to what the community does with this new-found knowledge.
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Linux Gizmos ☛ Efinix Sapphire RV64 brings 64-bit RISC-V and Linux to FPGAs
Efinix announced this week the Sapphire RV64, a configurable 64-bit RISC-V soft SoC intended for embedded Linux, edge AI and other applications requiring more memory and processing capability than the company’s existing 32-bit Sapphire architecture. The processor can be implemented across Efinix Titanium and Topaz FPGAs, as well as Trion devices from the T20 upward.
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Make Use Of ☛ I prefer OpenWrt to OPNsense, but this old-school Linux router fits most networks better
When my network needs a new router, I usually reach for OpenWRT before OPNsense. They’re both extremely capable edge routers, especially when deployed as a VM. However, once I start stacking interfaces, VLANs, and rules, I find myself needing to draw out the topology to remember which networks can reach which others.
It’s just too much complexity when all I need is a lab router.
IPFire’s color-coded RED, GREEN, ORANGE, and BLUE zones offer a simpler way to picture those boundaries. My spare ZOTAC mini PC had two Ethernet ports and an Intel Wi-Fi card, giving each network its own physical interface and making the whole layout far easier to work with.