The Internet of Things (IoT) has transformed how we interact with one another and our environment. As devices become smarter and more connected, do-it-yourself (DIY) projects have become increasingly popular. One such project involves developing a distance meter using the ESP32, a versatile microcontroller with built-in Wi-FI, Bluetooth connectivity, and diverse capabilities. This project highlights…
The top mobile app development tools for IoT and electronics
Electronics makers often build mobile apps to control electronic devices. These are typically WiFi or Bluetooth-connected devices controlled by a smartphone. Several software frameworks and tools support the development of native or cross-platform mobile apps for iOS and Android. Some popular frameworks include React Native, Flutter, Xamarin, Swiftic, Ionic, Apache Cordova, Jquery Mobile, and Native…
How to choose the ideal connectivity technology for an IoT project
Many communication technologies are currently available, making choosing one for an Internet-of-Things project potentially daunting. For example, several LP-WAN options exist, including Wi-Fi, Ethernet, LoRa, Zigbee, Bluetooth, and cellular technologies like NB-IoT, LTE-M, and 5G. Every connectivity solution has pros and cons, and there isn’t one ideal for all projects. Wi-Fi might seem like the…
How to control LEDs using the MIT App Inventor and Bluetooth
In a previous tutorial, we discussed the MIT App Inventor, a popular online platform for building mobile applications using visual programming. The platform is helpful for quickly prototyping Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications and simple embedded systems that interact with mobile devices. We already reviewed the platform’s architecture and user interface. Its visual programming platform is ideal for…
How to build an app-controlled alarm mat
Waking up isn’t always easy, especially when the snooze button is typically only a short reach away. Overcoming the desire to stay in the comfort of our beds often requires an understanding of intrinsic motivation. But we have a solution that requires one simple device — a smart mat. In this project, we’ll design a…
The top long-range Bluetooth modules of 2023
Bluetooth, which offers short-range wireless technology, is now standard on most smart devices, including wireless headphones, smart watches, remote controls, game controllers, and many more. Most of these devices are designed to operate with smartphones or computers. Audio streaming, file sharing, peripheral devices, the Internet of Things (IoT), and smart home devices are some common…
What are the top technologies enabling M2M in 2023?
In today’s digital world, machine-to-machine (M2M) is quickly becoming standard. M2M includes any technology that enables networked devices to exchange data or information. It can be wired or wireless, but the Internet of things (IoT) has made such wireless communication between devices commonplace. The interconnected of things has also made these devices intelligent. Consider how…
Renesas produces its first 22-nm microcontroller
Renesas Electronics Corporation, a supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, announced that it has produced its first microcontroller (MCU) based on advanced 22-nm process technology. By employing state-of-the-art process technology, Renesas can provide customers with superior performance at lower power consumption driven by reduced core voltages. The advanced process technology also offers the ability to integrate…
Infineon’s AIROC system on chip released with Bluetooth 5.4 specification
Infineon Technologies announced its AIROC CYW20829 Bluetooth LE system on chip (SoC) is ready with the newly released Bluetooth 5.4 specification. With the right combination of low power and high performance, AIROC CYW20829 is designed to support the entire spectrum of Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) use cases including smart home, sensors, medical healthcare, lighting, Bluetooth…
STMicroelectronics offers certified Bluetooth LE microcontrollers
The new STM32 Bluetooth wireless module from STMicroelectronics lets designers access the advantages of ST’s dual-core STM32WB microcontrollers (MCUs), especially in projects intended for low-to-medium production volumes. The module simplifies development and accelerates time to market, combining Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3 certification and worldwide radio-equipment approvals with the STM32Cube ecosystem support. The all-in-one STM32WB1MMC module alleviates…
Infineon’s new AIROC combines Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth for extended battery life
Infineon Technologies has announced the new AIROC CYW43022 ultra-low power, dual-band Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth combo, extending its broad portfolio of existing Wi-Fi and Bluetooth products. The CYW43022 ultra-low power architecture delivers industry-leading performance, with up to a 65% reduction in power usage during “deep sleep,” significantly extending battery life for applications such as smart…
STMicroelectronics offers new range of single-chip antenna-matching ICs
STMicroelectronics has extended its range of single-chip antenna-matching ICs that simplify RF-circuit design with two new devices optimized for BlueNRG-LPS system-on-chip ICs (SoCs) and STM32WB1x and STM32WB5x wireless microcontrollers. The MLPF-NRG-01D3 for BlueNRG-LPS and MLPF-WB-02D3 for STM32WB integrate the complete filtering and impedance-matching network needed for the best RF output power and receiver sensitivity with an external antenna. Each has 50Ω nominal…
Renesas launches Wi-Fi development kit with support for Matter protocol
Renesas Electronics Corporation, a supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, announced its first development kit that includes support for the new Matter protocol. Renesas also announced that it will offer Matter support on all future Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low-Energy (LE) and IEEE 802.15.4 (Thread) products — including products from recently acquired Dialog Semiconductor and Celeno Communications. The…
Infineon’s new audio amplifiers feature MERUS multilevel switching amplifier
When designing portable and battery-powered audio devices for consumer speaker applications, maximizing battery playback time and maintaining excellent audio performance in a compact form and at a low-system cost is essential. MERUS multilevel switching technology from Infineon Technologies is designed to achieve low switching losses and highly efficient amplification at both low and high output…
Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 now powers Samsung Galaxy Z devices
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announced that its flagship Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Mobile Platform is powering Samsung Electronics’ latest foldable smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 and Galaxy Z Flip4. The company’s newest flagship platform, Snapdragon 8+, is a premium-tier powerhouse delivering performance enhancements for a boost across all on-device experiences. The new Galaxy Z series…
STMicroelectronics releases Bluetooth SoC with location tracking
STMicroelectronics has introduced its third-generation Bluetooth System-on-Chip (SoC), enhanced with Bluetooth direction-finding technology for location-tracking and real-time positioning applications. By determining the direction of a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signal, the Bluetooth 5.3 certified BlueNRG-LPS SoC can precisely estimate movement and location with centimetre accuracy. It uses Bluetooth-specified technology including angle-of-arrival (AoA) and angle-of-departure (AoD), as…
TI offering wireless microcontrollers that enable high-quality Bluetooth LE
Texas Instruments (TI) has expanded its connectivity portfolio with a new family of wireless microcontrollers (MCU) that enable high-quality Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) at half the price of competing devices. Featuring best-in-class standby current and radio-frequency (RF) performance, the SimpleLink Bluetooth LE CC2340 family is built on the foundation of TI’s decades of wireless connectivity expertise.…
Renesas launches highly advanced and integrated Bluetooth Low Energy SoC
Renesas Electronics Corporation announced the SmartBond DA1470x Family of Bluetooth low energy (LE) solutions ― the world’s most advanced, integrated System-on-Chip (SoC) family for wireless connectivity. The DA1470x Family is the only solution in the Bluetooth LE space to integrate a power management unit, a hardware voice activity detector (VAD), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), and Bluetooth LE…
Infineon adds AIROC CYW20820 Bluetooth & Bluetooth LE SoC to its portfolio
Infineon Technologies is adding the AIROC CYW20820 Bluetooth & Bluetooth LE (low energy) system-on-chip (SoC) to its AIROC Bluetooth Portfolio. The AIROC CYW20820 Bluetooth & Bluetooth LE SoC is a Bluetooth 5.2 core spec-compliant device tailor-made for IoT applications. It is designed to support a wide spectrum of use cases for home automation and sensors…
STMicroelectronics’ common-mode filters ensure signal integrity in serial interfaces
New common-mode filters from STMicroelectronics have an extremely wide differential bandwidth of 10.7GHz to protect antenna sensitivity in adjacent wireless circuitry from the latest serial digital interfaces. The 2-channel ECMF2-40A100N10 and 4-channel ECMF4-40A100N10 are compatible with high-speed interface standards including USB 3.2 Gen 2, USB4, HDMI 2.1, and DisplayPort. With their low serial resistance of just 3Ω,…