📰 The acceleration of global chip-crunch

Semiconductor manufacturers rely on neon to control the specialized lasers they use to make computer chips. Right now, it’s not clear whether they have enough time to find and develop new sources of this gas before their backup supplies run out: Chip companies and industry analysts say there’s anywhere between one to six months worth of neon in reserve.

If that runs out, these companies won’t be able to make semiconductors. This means that the worldwide chip shortage — which was expected to end sometime in the next year — could draw out even longer, leading to higher prices, delivery delays, and shortages of critical technology.

A solution to the neon shortage won’t be the end of the chip industry’s problems, though. Even if new sources of neon arrive, the ongoing war could still create a shortage of other critical supplies used for chips. Russia makes a large chunk of the supply of palladium, a metal that’s used in semiconductors and catalytic converters.

#news

💻 C++ Tricks for C Programmers

C++ offers developers modern tools to leverage when designing more reusable, scalable, and portable code.

▫️ Conditional Compilation Using Constexpr: The bane of many embedded code bases written in C is the large numbers of #if / #elif / #else preprocessor directives. Starting in C++ 17, the language introduced the ability for developers to conditionally compile code using constexpr.

▫️ Ranged for Loops: The C for loop has been stuck in the dark ages by not having a simplified range-based option. Starting in C++ 11, an additional version of the for loop was added that makes working with ranged values easier.

▫️ Use Auto: C developers used to use auto to specify a variable that was limited to the current scope. In C++, auto can be a very useful keyword that tells the compiler to automatically assign the datatype for the developer.

▫️ The Spaceship Operator: Just recently, C++ 20 add a three-way comparison operator <=> that can simplify readability and the code.

#articles

💻 F Prime - Flight Software & Embedded Systems Framework

F Prime is a software framework for the rapid development and deployment of embedded systems and spaceflight applications.

Originally developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, F´ is open-source software that has been successfully deployed for several space applications.

It has been used for but is not limited to, CubeSats, SmallSats, instruments, and deployable. Framework runs on a wide range of processors, from microcontrollers to multi-core computers.

F´ has the following features:
▫️ Component architecture with well-defined interfaces
▫️ C++ framework providing core capabilities like queues, threads, and operating-system abstraction
▫️ Tools for designing systems and automatically generating code from systems design
▫️ A standard library of flight-worthy components
▫️ Testing tools for unit and system-level testing

More information:
Key features
Official website
GitHub repository

#software #libraries

🎚 Arduino Portenta X8

The new board comes with the same STM32H7 Cortex-M7/M4 microcontroller found in the Portenta H7 boards, but add a more powerful, Linux-capable NXP iMX 8M Mini processor with four Cortex-A53 cores and a Cortex-M4 core, coupled with 2GB RAM and a 16GB eMMC flash.

Arduino Portenta X8 specifications:
▫️ SoC – NXP iMX 8M Mini Cortex-A53 quad-core up to 1.8 GHz,1x Cortex-M4 real-time core up to 400MHz.
▫️ Microcontroller – STMicro STM32H747AII6 Cortex-M7 @ 480 MHz + M4 @ 240 MHz MCU
▫️ System Memory – 2GB LPDDR4
▫️ Storage – 16GB eMMC flash
▫️ I/Os – 2x 80 pin high-density connectors with CAN, PCIe, SAI, MIPI, DSI, SPI, I2S, I2C, UART, PDM

The new board keeps the high-speed connectors but loses the Arduino MKR headers found in Portenta boards. Just like other Portenta boards, the Portenta X8 is part of the Arduino Pro family for industrial and enterprise use, and the board will be selling for 199 Euros or $239 US once it becomes available in mid-April.

#news #arduino #boards

🎙 Top 5 IoT podcasts worth your time

Podcasts are everywhere, and tens of thousands of them explore a variety of tech subjects, including Internet of Things topics.

▫️ IoT for All
This popular podcast covers everything about IoT, and brings together some of the best minds in the industry. Listeners will learn from the experts as they recall their experiences and explain how they got to where they are now.

▫️ The Future Of...
As the name suggests, in this podcast listeners hear about the future of IoT tech that's out there right now.

▫️ The Peggy Smedley Show
This podcast is unique as it’s often broadcast live from some of the most well-known tech and industry events.

▫️ Stories from IoT Implementers
This podcast covers some of the most notable stories of failure from well-known figures in the industry.

▫️ Over the Air
Experts talk about the mistakes they’ve made along the way, and what they wish they'd known when they first got started.

#podcasts #IoT

📟 ESP32/ESP8266: MicroPython OTA Updates via PHP Server

OTA (Over-the-Air) update is the process of loading new firmware to the ESP32 or ESP8266 board using a Wi-Fi connection rather than a serial communication. This functionality is extremely useful in case of no physical access to the board.

In this project, we’ll show you an example of how you can do OTA updates to your ESP32/ESP8266 boards running MicroPython code via a PHP server.

In summary, you’ll create a PHP server in which you can submit a new code that you want to run on the ESP. When there is a new code/update available, the ESP downloads the new code, reboots, and starts running the newly downloaded code.

More information...

#projects #esp32 #python #IoT

📰 A company's new robot can change from four wheel drive to bipedal in seconds

A company called Swiss-Mile has created an innovative robot that combines legs and wheels to create, what they hope, will be the most versatile last-mile delivery robot on the planet. The robot can even transform from a quadruped, well quad-wheel, to bipedal form in a matter of seconds.

Capable of reaching speeds of 13.87 mph, this diminutive little robot has been developed over the last five years to be incredibly versatile and efficient. It can carry a variety of payloads including tools, materials, goods, and sensors, up to a maximum capacity of 110 pounds.

Since the robot is able to "stand up" it can use its front legs as arms, grab packages, and puts them in its cargo compartment all by itself. Other drones and delivery robots may require human input for some, or all, of these kinds of tasks. The company claims the robot is 83 percent more efficient than legged systems.

#news #robots

🎚 Bee Motion Mini board combines ESP32-C3 with PIR sensor

Bee Motion Mini combines an ESP32-C3 wireless RISC-V SoC with a PIR sensor for motion detection reporting over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE, or Bluetooh Mesh.

The board was designed to be as small as possible to fit into a 3D printed case with a Li-Po battery. Motion detection range is up to 5 meters, and the Bee Motion Mini can connect to services like MQTT, ITTT, or NodeRed to trigger other devices upon motion.

Specifications:
▫️ Wireless module – Espressif Systems ESP32-C3-MINI-1 module with ESP32-C3 WiFi and Bluetooth LE 5.0 RISC-V SoC up to 160 MHz, 4 MB embedded flash
▫️ PIR sensor – Passive infrared motion sensor with dome lens, 5-meter change
▫️ I/O – UART Tx/Rx for flashing firmware, 3.3V, and GND
▫️ Power Supply – 3.3V via header/regulator

There’s no USB port on the board, and only I/Os are the Tx/Rx pins used to flash the firmware through an external USB to TTL adapter that is not included with the board.

#boards

📃 Take Your Github Repository To The Next Level

The step-by-step guide on creating the perfect Github repository.

▫️ Make Your Project More Discoverable
To help other people find and contribute to your project, you can add topics to your repository related to your project's intended purpose, subject area, affinity groups, or other important qualities.

▫️ Choose A Name That Sticks
Finding the right name for your project can have a significant impact on your success. Avoid hard-to-spell names, conduct a thorough Internet search and try to get the .dev or .io domain name.

▫️ Display A Nice Cover Image
Users are more likely to support a project that has an attention-grabbing cover image, because it creates a sense of professionalism and creativity.

▫️ Write A Convincing Description
If you can explain your project in one paragraph, you can captivate the reader into exploring more of your project and eventually using it!

More information...

#articles

📃 5 Critical Steps Before Full Product Development

Follow these 5 initial steps to greatly increase the chances that you develop and sell a successful, profitable product.

▫️ Competition Research
First of all, do a research whether or not someone else has already developed, patented, or sold the same or very similar product.

▫️ Talk to Potential Customers & Retailers
To validate your idea, and the best way to do that is to talk to potential customers for feedback.

▫️ Simplify Your Product Concept
instead of developing the ideal product that you think people want, you should instead develop the most simple version possible that solves the core problem.

▫️ Determine Your Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)
The COGS includes your product’s manufacturing cost plus other costs like packaging, shipping, warehousing, and import/export duties.

▫️ Build An Online Audience
This way, by the time you are ready to launch your product you’ll have a list of people interested in buying it.

#articles

🛠 KiCad Plugin Gives You PCBs That Handmade Look

The goal of this plugin is to algorithmically melt a PCB design, smoothing all tracks in a predictable manner. The plugin produces rounded corners and teardrop-shaped pads. By using it, you can make your boards appear like old-fashioned circuit boards.

More information...

#electronics

🎬 Embedded Rust and C on the RP2040 Pi Pico

For the longest time, there had been the great war of Rust vs C. In this video, you will learn how to create a Rust Crate and write C code for the Raspberry Pi Pico RP2040 that allows you to use both in an embedded environment.

By creating a static archive library and linking it against your C code, you can compile Rust with your C for them to both run in the same runtime.

https://youtu.be/zSWkrpu8KBA

#video #raspberry

🤖 How the MIT mini cheetah learns to run

CSAIL scientists came up with a learning pipeline for the four-legged robot that learns to run entirely by trial and error in simulation.

Programming how a robot should act in every possible situation is simply very hard. The process is tedious, because if a robot were to fail on a particular terrain, a human engineer would need to identify the cause of failure and manually adapt the robot controller, and this process can require substantial human time.

Learning by trial and error removes the need for a human to specify precisely how the robot should behave in every situation. This would work if:
▫️ the robot can experience an extremely wide range of terrains;
▫️ the robot can automatically improve its behavior with experience.

Thanks to modern simulation tools, our robot can accumulate 100 days’ worth of experience on diverse terrains in just three hours of actual time.

More information...

#articles #robots