Open Hardware/Modding: ESP32, Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and More

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Apr 04, 2026

• Linux Gizmos ☛ M5Stack Refreshes Lineup with CardKB2 Keyboard, ESP32-P4 Modules, and Core2 for AWS

  M5Stack has introduced several new and updated products, including the CardKB2 keyboard unit, the Stamp-P4 module based on the ESP32-P4, a matching Wi-Fi expansion module, and an updated Core2 for proprietary trap AWS development kit. The lineup spans input devices, embedded modules, and IoT-focused development platforms.

• CNX Software ☛ Realtek RTL8159 10GbE to USB 3.2 adapters sell for about $55 and up

  Realtek unveiled low-cost, low-power 10GbE RTL8127 (PCIe) and RTL8159 (USB 3.0) controllers at Computex 2025. Since then, we noted that RTL8127-based M.2 and PCIe 10GbE cards had already launched for as low as $35. However, a new X post by Jeff Geerling reminded me it was time to check on those RTL8159 10GbE to USB 3.2 adapters.

• CNX Software ☛ Sentinel Core – A Raspberry Pi CM5 mini-ITX carrier board with a PCIe x16 slot (Crowdfunding)

  Sanctuary Systems’ Sentinel Core is a Raspberry Pi CM5 mini-ITX carrier board with a PCIe x16 slot to easily connect a graphics card to accelerate 3D graphics, video transcoding, or Hey Hi (AI) workloads. It’s basically a larger Raspberry Pi CM5 IO board with a prototyping area, a PCIe slot, and a 24-pin ATX power connector. The Sentinel Core also comes with two HDMI ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, two USB 3.0 ports, MIPI DSI/CSI connectors, and the usual 40-pin GPIO header.

• CNX Software ☛ Velxio is an open-source, self-hosted Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and ESP32 simulator

  Velxio is an open-source, self-hosted simulator for Arduino, ESP32, and Raspberry Pi boards that works directly in your web browser. You can drag-and-drop boards, connect components and modules, write and run code in Arduino or Python, and access the serial console, all without hardware. If it looks similar to what the Wokwi simulator has to offer, it’s because Velxio was inspired by it and even integrates the AVR8 CPU emulator, RP2040 emulator, and QEMU fork for ESP32 Xtensa emulation from the Wokwi project.

• Tom's Hardware ☛ China's homegrown silicon suppliers gain traction as Nvidia struggles to get its chips into the market — Huawei, Cambricon and more step up to fill crucial market gap

  Although Nvidia still holds a commanding stake in the region, with a 55% market share for AI server hardware, that's a huge downturn from Nvidia's claimed peak of 95% in 2022, before the U.S. began applying sanctions to China and trade export restrictions to Nvidia.

• Hackaday ☛ Fixing An E-Waste ASUS P5A-B Socket 7 Mainboard

  A fun part of retro computing is saving ‘e-waste’ that was headed for certain destruction. These boards can have any number of defects, modifications and more that have to be remedied prior to using them. In the case of the Asus P5A-B Socket 7 mainboard that [Bits und Bolts] rescued from the scrapheap at least one issue was obvious: someone had ripped off the plastic part of the ZIF socket, leaving only the metal pins poking out like an awkward kind of LGA socket.

• Hackaday ☛ Chicken Coop Door Performs In Harsh Environment

  The system is built around a ATmega1284P, and calculates the sunrise and sunset times each day to know when to open or close the door. He’s built the system as a state machine which makes it more robust during power outages, which is a necessity since his chicken coop is mobile and is frequently out of range of WiFi and is battery powered.

• Jeff Geerling ☛ Build your own Dial-up ISP with a Raspberry Pi

  POTS, or the Plain Old Telephone System, is tricky to emulate. You can't just plug one modem into another. So in addition to a modem for my 'Pi ISP', I need a telephone line simulator.

• Arduino ☛ The smart conveyor belt from Softeq uses Arduino for a robust wireless control solution

  The client needed a solution that went beyond simple, straight-path conveyor control. As a first step, the system supports multiple conveyor belts operating in line with each other, establishing the foundation for future capabilities like managing transitions between belts and routing items to specific destinations.

• CNX Software ☛ SupTronics X1208 – A UPS + M.2 NVMe SSD HAT for the Raspberry Pi 5

  The SupTronics X1208 is a UPS and M.2 NVMe SSD HAT for Raspberry Pi 5 designed to offer fast storage and protect the system against data loss during power outages for Edge Computing, NAS, data logging, and other always-on applications. The HAT draws up to 5V/5A from the USB-C port, which charges a 21700 lithium-ion battery (1.5A) and powers the Raspberry Pi 5 directly through the 40-pin GPIO header, eliminating the need for extra cables.>

• Arduino ☛ Here’s what’s new in Arduino® Cloud: a completely rebuilt Thing Page, dark theme and more!

  We’ve been working on some updates to Arduino Cloud that honestly make the whole experience better. Dark theme? Finally. A way to undo deletes? Yes. And we completely rebuilt the Thing Page so you don’t have to jump between a million tabs anymore.