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Open Hardware/Modding: ESP32, GrapheneOS, and More
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CNX Software ☛ M5Stack Paper Mono – An ESP32-S3 e-paper development board with 3.97-inch touchscreen, LoRa, and NFC
M5Stack introduced the PaperColor ESP32-S3 devkit last May, but if you prefer faster refresh rates, the new Paper Mono should be a better option. The kit is based on a 3.97-inch monochrome e-Paper touch display and also supports LoRa and NFC long-range and short-range connectivity. The devkit features 8MB PSRAM, 16MB flash, a microSD card slot, a PDM microphone and buzzer for audio interaction, a 6-axis IMU, an RTC, and a few buttons and an RGB LED. The Paper Mono doesn’t come with any expansion port and is powered by a USB-C port and a 1150 mAh battery.
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CNX Software ☛ NXP MCX C15 and C16 low-cost Cortex-M23 MCUs target IoT, analog, and motor control applications
We recently noted that NXP expanded its MCX A series with the MCX A5 Cortex-M33 family, integrating 10BASE-T1S Single Pair Ethernet, topology discovery, and PQC for industrial connectivity. However, it’s not the only recent announcement from the company, as NXP also expanded the lower-cost MCX C series with the MCX C15 and MCX C16 (C1 family) Cortex-M23 MCUs designed for industrial IoT and analog applications. The new C1 family provides a straightforward migration path from LPC800, LPC1100, and Kinetis MCUs, with full pin-to-pin compatibility with the newer MCX A Series. These low-cost entry-level devices feature a 16-bit SAR ADC, a high-speed comparator with DAC, an internal OpAmp, and FlexPWM for motor and power control.
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CNX Software ☛ Espressif Systems releases a GNU/Linux BSP developer preview for ESP32-S31 RISC-V microprocessor
The ESP32-S31 microprocessor is getting GNU/Linux support from Espressif Systems. The ESP32-S31 dual-core RISC-V microprocessor was first unveiled in March, two ESP32-S31 development boards followed in May, and mass production was announced a few weeks ago. The new RISC-V chip features an MMU (Memory Management Unit), which makes GNU/Linux much easier to handle, and the development boards also come with 16MB PSRAM, so a minimal GNU/Linux image is possible. Moving from theory to practice, Espressif Systems has now released a developer preview version of the ESP GNU/Linux BSP for ESP32-S31, and some community GNU/Linux ports are also in the works (more on that at the end of the article).
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Linux Gizmos ☛ ESP32-S3 handhelds with 3.97-inch e-paper and optional LoRa/NFC
M5Stack’s new PaperMono and PaperMono-Lite are compact ESP32-S3-based e-paper development platforms built around a 3.97-inch grayscale touchscreen. Both models include Wi-Fi, microSD storage, an IMU, real-time clock, frontlight, microphone, buzzer, and an integrated 1150mAh battery, while the higher-end PaperMono adds LoRa and NFC connectivity.
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Linux Gizmos ☛ K230 handheld couples AMOLED display with LoRa and keyboard
LILYGO has updated its T-Display K230 handheld, packaging its Kendryte K230-based development platform into a compact enclosure with a physical keyboard. The device combines dual-core 64-bit RISC-V processing with a 4.1-inch AMOLED touchscreen, LoRa, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, camera support, HDMI output, and an nRF52840 companion microcontroller.
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Linux Gizmos ☛ EPIC SBC packs Ryzen AI X100 with dual 2.5GbE and triple M.2
IEI has detailed the NANO-X100, a compact EPIC single-board computer based on AMD’s Ryzen AI Embedded X100 Series. The 115 × 165mm board integrates 64GB of LPDDR5X memory, dual 2.5GbE networking, three M.2 expansion slots, four USB 3.2 ports, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, and multiple serial interfaces for embedded and industrial applications.
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Hackaday ☛ Building A Hammond Organ To Understand How They Work
The Hammond organ is an early form of electronic– or perhaps electromechanical– musical instrument. It solved the very real problem of organs normally being the sort of thing you built into a cathedral, allowing a similar sound to fit into a piano-like form factor. Their workings are a so simple that it’s hard to wrap your head around it actually working– which is why [Uri Tuchman] built one on YouTube. Also for a gift exchange, but we’re not Santa, here– we’re here to learn, and [Uri] does not disappoint.
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Hackaday ☛ Building A Discrete Component 75 Baud Modem
The project takes advantage of the fact that the V1.54 firmware for the CB2 Micro enabled 75 baud serial communication. Thus, it made sense for [sv3ora] to build a 75 baud modem to suit. As was the way in the days of dial-up [Internet], the modem modulates data into audio, demodulates audio back into data, allowing the CB2 Micro to send and receive data over telephone lines, ham radio links, or to store and retrieve data via mediums like cassette tape.
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[Old] Digi-key Electronics ☛ Ambient-Light Sensors Mimic the Human Eye
There are many different ambient types of light sensors on the market today and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Let’s now look at some representative light sensors, each with a slightly different take on the art of mimicking the human eye.
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Macnica Fortifies Linux Servers With New Offerings Getting IBC Spotlight
How can an open development philosophy, expanded Linux support and mature software and hardware platforms make SMPTE ST 2110 product development more accessible while helping manufacturers accelerate time to market?
Macnica has an answer and it will demonstrate how one can reach these goals at IBC 2026 in Amsterdam, scheduled for September 11-13.
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Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications
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Android Police ☛ Privacy-focused GrapheneOS to launch on Motorola flagship phones in 2027
We’ve known for over a year that privacy-focused GrapheneOS was ditching its Pixel exclusivity and coming to a Snapdragon-powered phone from a major Android OEM. Then in March, we found out that the manufacturer is Motorola. And now we know when we can expect to see the phone (actually phones plural) and a few other details, too.
In a post on Mastodon, GrapheneOS said that initial devices will be available in 2027. While they won’t ship with GrapheneOS, they will receive support from Motorola.
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