💍 Open Ring - Open-Source Smart Ring

This series follows the development of Open Ring — an open-source Smart Ring engineered to pack full wireless connectivity, sensing, haptics, and charging into a tiny, finger-sized wearable. Parts 1 and 2 uncover both the early research phase and the deep hardware design decisions that make such a compact device possible.

Key features of the project:
➡️Provides market research, product teardowns, and early prototyping insights
➡️Rigid-flex PCB design enabling ultra-thin construction and dense component placement
➡️Detailed exploration of BLE SoC selection, antenna engineering, and RF constraints
➡️Power management, curved batteries, and a fully custom wireless charging system
➡️Scalable design for multiple ring sizes with reusable PCB sections
➡️Mutual-capacitance touch sensing paired with dual-MCU control for gesture input
➡️Miniaturized haptic feedback achieved through tiny motors boosted by a high-capacity capacitor bank

With the first two parts laying out both the research journey and the hardware engineering behind Open Ring, the series gives a clear and honest look at what it takes to turn a small idea into a real piece of wearable tech. The project has its own 😹 GitHub repository. The project is still in progress, and the upcoming Part 3 will dive into the firmware that brings all of this hardware to life.

More information:
🔗 Part 1: Research and Prototype
🔗 Part 2: Hardware Design

#projects #articles #smart_ring

💻 The smallest ESP32 board (Open-Source)

The f32 is an ultra-miniature open-source ESP32-C3 development board measuring just slightly larger than a USB-C connector. It integrates an ESP32-C3FH4 MCU with USB-C power and programming in an extremely compact form factor.

Features of the project:
➡️ESP32-C3FH4 RISC-V SoC with 400 KB SRAM and 4 MB flash
➡️2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0
➡️USB-C port for power/programming
➡️Single GPIO connected to an onboard LED
➡️Ceramic antenna with tested wireless range up to ~38 m
➡️Open-source PCB design using very small components

This board is ideal for advanced makers who need Wi-Fi connectivity in the smallest possible footprint. Its minimal I/O and challenging assembly make it best suited for experimental ultra-compact devices rather than general-purpose IoT development.

⛓ More information...

#projects #esp32

📊 Semiconductor Sovereignty Policies (2025 Report)

Governments are accelerating local semiconductor manufacturing to reduce foreign dependency and geopolitical risk, including lower-power IoT chips. Policies now treat these technologies as critical digital infrastructure, expanding export controls to cover microcontrollers, connectivity, sensors, and security chips. Notable examples include the following:

➡️US – The CHIPS and Science Act allocated $52.7 billion to boost domestic manufacturing and R&D. Further, the government has expanded funding to semiconductor production companies like Intel, TSMC, and Samsung.

➡️China – China has countered the US’s actions with a $47.5 billion “Big Fund” to boost domestic chipmaking and close its technology gap by 2030.

➡️Japan – The government of Japan has committed approximately $65 billion by 2030 to expand its semiconductor and AI sectors, supporting domestic fabs and R&D partnerships.

➡️South Korea – Republic of Korea officials announced a $19 billion support package in 2024 to strengthen its chip supply chain and SME competitiveness.

➡️EU – Leading national efforts include Italy’s €10 billion investment to become one of the largest microelectronics producers in Europe and the Netherlands’ €2.5 billion Brainport Eindhoven initiative, which aims to enhance collaboration between businesses, academia, and governments for technological development, including semiconductors.

Semiconductor localization is becoming a strategic priority as countries aim for more resilient, self-sufficient IoT and tech supply chains. These investments signal a long-term shift toward regional chip ecosystems and reduced foreign dependency.

⛓ More information...

#articles

📺 Why Fighter Jets Ban 90% of C++ Features

The video’s story highlights how reliability comes from strict control over language features rather than from the language’s full power. The F-35’s C++ subset demonstrates how banning exceptions, implicit conversions, and unpredictable allocation paths leads to code that behaves the same way every time, under every condition.

⛓ https://youtu.be/Gv4sDL9Ljww

#video #programming

🌊 Waveshare has released ESP32-C6-Touch-AMOLED-1.8

The Waveshare ESP32-C6-Touch-AMOLED-1.8 is a compact development board built around 🇨🇳 Espressif’s ESP32-C6 wireless SoC. It combines modern wireless connectivity with a high-quality AMOLED touch display and a rich set of onboard peripherals, making it well suited for interactive IoT and HMI-focused projects.

Key features of the board:
➡️ESP32-C6 SoC with single-core RISC-V CPU, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth LE, Zigbee, and Thread
➡️1.8-inch capacitive AMOLED display (368 × 448, 16.7M colors)
➡️Built-in microphone, speaker, and low-power audio codec
➡️6-axis IMU, real-time clock with backup support, and microSD card slot
➡️USB-C for power and programming, Li-ion battery support with PMIC

Overall, this development board stands out as a highly integrated, display-centric ESP32-C6 platform. It would be especially interesting for developers working on smart home panels, wearable or handheld IoT devices and portable dashboards.

⛓ More information...

#boards #esp32

🤖 Sub-$200 Lidar Could Reshuffle Auto Sensor Economics

MicroVision, a Redmond, Washington–based solid-state sensor company, has introduced a new automotive lidar it says can reach production pricing below $200 per unit, with a long-term goal of $100. The move aims to make lidar economically viable for mainstream advanced driver-assistance systems rather than limiting it to premium autonomous programs.

Key features and highlights:
➡️Movia S solid-state phased-array architecture
➡️180-degree horizontal field of view
➡️Detects objects up to 200 meters
➡️Designed for high-volume manufacturing
➡️Multi-sensor vehicle deployment required
➡️Competes with Hesai, Luminar

The technology is important because it moves lidar from an experimental or premium feature toward a scalable safety component for everyday vehicles. For automakers, suppliers, and investors, this development signals a transition from performance-driven innovation to economically sustainable deployment—one that could soon see adoption beyond the automotive sector.

⛓ More information...

#news

🖥 ASML unveils EUV light source advance that could yield 50% more chips by 2030

ASML has unveiled a breakthrough in its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology, revealing a new light source capable of reaching 1,000 watts of power. The advance could allow chipmakers to produce up to 50% more chips by 2030, strengthening ASML’s lead as global rivals in the United States and China attempt to develop competing systems.

Key features and highlights:
➡️EUV power increased from 600W to 1,000W
➡️Up to 50% higher chip output
➡️Target of 330 wafers per hour
➡️New dual-laser plasma shaping method

In conclusion, this development is significant because EUV machines are essential for manufacturing the world’s most advanced semiconductors. By increasing output and lowering per-chip production costs, ASML reinforces its technological dominance at a time of geopolitical competition and export restrictions.

⛓ More information...

#news

💻 15 Single Board Computers Tested in 2025: Key Trends and Standout Boards

The article reviews 15 single-board computers (SBCs) released in 2025 from eight manufacturers using processors from vendors such as Rockchip, Qualcomm, Broadcom, and others. Prices ranged from $42 to $590, highlighting the growing diversity and maturity of the SBC market. The boards span several categories, including budget hobbyist devices, mid-range development boards, and high-end systems designed for specialized workloads.

The budget category under $50 included six boards with both ARM and RISC-V architectures. The Radxa Cubie A7A stood out due to its strong performance and 6GB LPDDR5 memory for only $45, outperforming other boards in the price tier.

In the $50–$100 range, the Radxa Dragon Q6A attracted attention with a Qualcomm QCS6490 processor and performance comparable to a Raspberry Pi 5 at $70. Networking-focused boards like the Banana Pi R4 targeted router and OpenWrt applications rather than general computing.

In the high-end segment, boards using the new CIX P1 SoC—such as the Radxa Orion O6N and Orange Pi 6 Plus—achieved the highest multi-core benchmark results, while the Raspberry Pi 500+ offered a refined keyboard-integrated design with 16GB RAM and NVMe support.

Overall, 2025 demonstrated rapid diversification in the SBC ecosystem. New competitors such as Qualcomm and CIX introduced powerful hardware, while RISC-V continued progressing but remained behind ARM in performance. With expanding price ranges and specialized devices for networking and AI workloads, the SBC market is becoming broader and more competitive, suggesting continued innovation in the coming years.

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#articles #raspberry