https://community.element14.com/The community for engineers, technicians, makers and creators.en-USTelligent Community 12https://community.element14.com/learn/events/c/e/1774Tue, 10 Nov 2026 09:30:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:7dba8d66-85d4-41e7-ac5e-7d5eb82ba97ce14philVisit the element14 Community Pod at electronica 2026 Hall B5, Stand 10, Avnet City Messe München, Munich, Germany November 10–13, 2026 Why Should you come and visit: Learn about our NEW Design Challenges Take part in our RoadTests & Reviews Program Meet mayermakes from our element14 presents YouTube Channel. Meet e14phil and JoRatcliffe from the element14 Community team. Win so much Swag! Tickets Are you planning to attend? Would you like a ticket? We may have limited tickets for members, if you comment below! Come find us! Check out more information about the Farnell Booth in the Avnet City: https://uk.farnell.com/mc/electronicacompetitiontrade showelectronicagermanyhttps://community.element14.com/learn/events/c/e/1775Tue, 27 Oct 2026 15:00:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:2608eb84-4535-42ba-8582-db0b9843b88fVinod-GAre you curious about the future direction of LabVIEW+, Nigel AI, and how Emerson | NI is supporting the next generation of automated test and measurement systems? Join this one-hour webinar for a fast-paced update on what's new in the LabVIEW+ Suite, including Nigel. Whether you're building new test systems, maintaining legacy applications, or looking for ways to improve your productivity, you're guaranteed to leave with practical ideas you can apply to your own work. This session will cover: The latest updates to the LabVIEW+ Suite How you can incorporate Nigel into engineering workflows: Code generation in LabVIEW+ Sequence generation in NI TestStand Get assistance in FlexLogger and InstrumentStudio Getting the most value from AI-assisted development Stay to the end for a live Q&A where you can put all your questions on LabVIEW+ and AI to the session's host: David Prida. The Presenters: David Prida - Solutions Marketer - Emerson | NI While at NI, David Prida has experience in Support Engineering and Marketing for RF and Enterprise Software. His current role as a Solutions Marketer focuses on NI's Application Software, elevating our technology and enabling others to Engineer Ambitiously. His experience across NI's Software Portfolio has allowed him to support customers across a variety of industries and applications. David holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida.. LinkedIn: David Prida Jordan Ratcliffe - Marketing Program Senior Specialist - element14 Community Jordan Ratcliffe will be your host from the element14 Community for Introductions and Q&A. LinkedIn: Jordan Ratcliffe More about Emerson | NI: Emerson delivers future-ready test and measurement solutions through the power of the NI platform—a combination of high-performance open software, modular hardware, and AI-driven capabilities that enhance productivity. Flexible and scalable, the NI platform transforms how engineers automate measurement, control, and testing of complex products that move our world forward. For more information on Emerson | NI, click here . Attend and Learn to Earn a Certificate Watch the webinar until the end to earn a certificate. Read here for more information about how to get your certificate: /members-area/support/w/site-faq/27798/how-do-i-earn-a-certificate-for-viewing-a-webinar-or-webcast Are you prepared? This webinar uses the online service on24 to deliver the presentation. Click through and check that you meet the minimum system requirements before attending.TestStandemerson-e14NI-e14instrument studioNigel AIflexxloggerailabviewtest_and_measurementhttps://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/smart-home-healthcare-challenge/f/forum/57291/vitarf---part-3---interfacing-max30208-on-nrf52/238685Mon, 19 Oct 2026 08:59:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:8e849091-0058-4adb-9373-6106da712279cstantonHah, that is a little funny. I haven't heard of LionsCircuit or PCBPower, thanks!https://community.element14.com/products/arduino/f/arduino-forum/57335/what-is-your-take-on-qualcomm-arduino-becoming-persona-non-grata/238684Mon, 19 Oct 2026 06:28:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:b639b394-e25e-4645-ac71-3680977237c4WorkshopshedIt was Arduino who really got me back into electronics after a few years break. It was that combination of ease of getting started, good documentation and good enough software along with a massive library of community libraries, tutorials and examples. Having used the Arduino Portenta in its early days, certainly felt the pain of not having those. Both the Portenta and Yun had an internal "bridge" between their two systems but I never felt it worked too well. For example the Yun dumped serial logs onto the bridge during boot. I've also used some of the Qualcomm boards such as the DragonBoard, where the advantage of having a more powerful processor and a Linux O/S gives you access to software that already exists for that platform. In my case image recognition via OpenCV. That was a platform which was a bit more challenging such as having a 1.8v GPIO and 2.0mm spaced sockets. But the documentation and support were good enough for me to complete my project, using an I/O board designed for Raspberry Pi to control the servos. So I don't see a big divide between the two and with Arduino getting into the PLCs a few years back, they were already on a path to expand their user base into industry. I not too sure about the new boards having having had the challenges above. And for most of my projects the low to medium powered microcontrollers are plenty as long as they can do secure networking. So I do plan to keep using Arduino boards but likely the MKR range as I like the form factor.https://community.element14.com/members-area/personalblogs/b/andy-clark-s-blog/posts/workshop-wallsSun, 18 Oct 2026 20:27:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:8eb7e8eb-d4a1-46a5-9d4a-1d3111b5fae4WorkshopshedNot posted for a few months, have been busy with a number of things such as visiting Ireland and Scotland, attending EMF camp, painting the house and show casing the company's new products as a fashion model. But there has been progress on tbe Workshopshed. Since installing the trusses and boards for the roof, I added a waterproof membrane and nailed on over 600 tiles. Following that extra floor battens were installed all round, along with a board to form the start of the walls. Uprights were added along with a door frame. OSB was attached to the frame and wrapped with more membrane. Have just started adding cladding. I hope to get that all on before the weather gets much worse. Was hoping "to be in by Christmas" but that's not looking too hopeful.https://community.element14.com/members-area/personalblogs/m/managed-videos/151900Sun, 18 Oct 2026 17:35:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:c52414f7-d898-48f9-94f5-f6c83bd930d4ralphjyhttps://community.element14.com/challenges-projects/design-challenges/smart-home-healthcare-challenge/f/forum/57354/healthguard-4---finally-selecting-the-microcontroller-power-sourceSun, 18 Oct 2026 11:21:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:944c5142-1641-4bf9-8683-1a613f9a3c96taifurFor my Health Guard project , selecting the right microcontroller was an important part of the development process. I explored several platforms, including Arduino, ESP32 development boards, and Raspberry Pi Pico, and carefully considered their capabilities, cost, and suitability for my application. After evaluating these options, I finally chose the ESP32 Cheap Yellow Display (CYD) for practical and technical reasons. This board combines a powerful ESP32 microcontroller with a built-in 2.8-inch TFT color display, making it an ideal choice for my project. Since Health Guard is designed to monitor vital health parameters, I need a display that can present real-time measurements clearly and intuitively. The CYD allows me to display body temperature, pulse rate, and blood oxygen saturation (SpO₂), while also plotting a live electrocardiogram (ECG) waveform on the same screen. Integrating the microcontroller and display into a single, affordable board reduces hardware complexity, minimizes wiring, and saves space. Most importantly, it provides a practical, cost-effective platform for developing a compact health-monitoring device without requiring a separate display module or additional display-driving hardware. The ESP32 Cheap Yellow Display (CYD) offers sufficient I/O connectivity for my Health Guard project. It provides GPIO pins that I can configure for I²C communication to connect two sensors for measuring vital health parameters. In addition, I can connect the ECG module using one analog input to acquire the ECG signal and two GPIO pins to monitor the module’s lead-off detection signals. This combination of interfaces allows me to integrate all three sensor modules with the ESP32 while using the built-in 2.8-inch TFT display to present real-time measurements and ECG waveforms. I will carefully assign the GPIO pins to avoid conflicts with the display, touch controller, and other onboard peripherals. For powering my Health Guard project, I selected an 18650 Li-ion rechargeable battery combined with a 5V UPS module. The battery provides a compact and rechargeable power source, while the UPS module boosts the battery’s nominal 3.7V output to a regulated 5V supply that can power the ESP32 CYD board through its 5V input. The module also incorporates battery-charging functionality, allowing me to recharge the battery without removing it from the device. This integrated power solution simplifies the overall design, reduces additional circuitry, and makes Health Guard more portable and convenient for everyday use. I added a sliding power switch to turn the Health Guard device on and off conveniently. I connected the switch, 5V UPS power module, and ESP32 CYD board using thin jumper wires and soldered the connections to establish the power circuit. This arrangement provides a simple and compact wiring solution, allowing me to control the device’s power without disconnecting the battery.esp32analog devicesesp32 cyd modulesmart home & healthcarehttps://community.element14.com/members-area/f/forum/57288/little-beast-arrives/238683Sun, 18 Oct 2026 07:31:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:9e9e5470-7570-423e-bb68-39303ce130f8QbitGoing to use it in the build for Smart Home and Healthcare Challenge. Thank you for apprecitaion!https://community.element14.com/products/arduino/f/arduino-forum/57335/what-is-your-take-on-qualcomm-arduino-becoming-persona-non-grata/238682Sun, 18 Oct 2026 04:53:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:33e3c43e-ad63-4209-aa97-047c562a325bJohnsweeneyarduino wont grow much due to their direct competition with $3-8 esp 32 boards that do as much or morehttps://community.element14.com/products/roadtest/rv/roadtest_reviews/1934/roadtest-review-red-pitaya-stemlab-125-14-pro-gen-2-starter-kitSat, 17 Oct 2026 20:52:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:1bffec21-2a54-466c-98ce-518b5753e1eccolporteurBefore you start, writing courses suggest, to write such that the readers don’t have to work at reading. If they find your material difficult to read, they will put it down. I write words that are not commonly used by others. Old Victorian English words especially. Many writing instructors have been critical of that, yet I refuse to give it up in my writing. I like words. I like how they sound and I especially like their meaning. A shovel and a spade are different tools. One works well for moving grain, and the other performs better when digging graves. Sorry, I digress. I’ve tried to make this easy to read by organizing it. I arranged the sections in the order I prefer to read first. Meaning RoadTests Review can be long. I did not intend for this one to be long but it is. The material I want to read sits at the top. I will drill deeper (i.e. read more) if that piques my interest. Numerous individuals use only Microsoft Windows. Those with Macs seemed to cope as owning an Apple device made it necessary. My computer's environment is Linux-based. My desktop is running Ubuntu 24.04. During the review, I fired up a Raspberry Pi as a test generator. *nix users will find this familiar. I did not use and Microsoft products during the review. Mentions of commands or software pertain only to Linux. This may frustrate some MS Windows-only users, so I figured I would put my cards on the table before you invest. If you are interested in the test equipment capabilities of this device, take your reading elsewhere. One or two desperate uses of the test equipment in my RoadTest, but nothing else. This review is based on the experience and content collected over nine blog posts. This report won’t force you to look through these links to find content. I’ve listed them here for personal reference. I can locate this post whenever I need to find something as it contains the links needed to drill down. As you get older, you learn to drop bread crumbs to find your way back. My RoadTest Review Application indicated five blog posts. • Explore the Red Pitaya kit through unboxing • Documentation: what is in the user manual • Simple radio using Linux and Windows SDR applications • Complex radio using GNU Radio on Ubuntu Linux • Last first impressions I generated nine blog posts for this review. The blog count nearly doubled because of a complex maze of tunnels with many entry and exit points during the review to find knowledge that might help. Notice the word “might”, not would, could, or did help. Some tunnels ended in dead ends, resulting in backing out and starting over. I got frustrated with a rabbit warren-type review. I have tried to not let that frustration set a negative tone for the review. I think what you pitch in an application is what you deliver for the RoadTest. I will summarize the content under the heading in my application. Explore the Red Pitaya kit through unboxing The manufacturer packed the unit well. The E14 Kit Contents list made it easy to find all the parts in the box. You have to have some knowledge of connector types, cables, and RF devices (i.e. 50ohm terminator). The power supply sports a USB-C connector. Reading the label, you discover it outputs 5VDC, 9VDC, & 12VDC. That surprised me. Voltage distribution might follow the pinout pattern shown on the adapter. This is my first experience with a USB-C power adapter like this. I’ve put a warning sticker on it, so it doesn’t get used elsewhere. I would assume it would work as a USB-C 5VDC power supply, but I am not sure. Also, I hate to have to replace the supply because the magic smoke was released or if the power supply itself got misplaced. The power supply is staying with the unit, for safekeeping. I recommend not using any software/SD card supplied for the install. Start fresh with what is available from the website. My thought was I will use the one they provide to get it working and then upgrade. The software provided is unreliable and the upgrade doesn’t work. Honestly, the new software didn’t work either. Getting connected to a network was a challenge. Even my post on the Red Pitaya forum produced little return of value for me. After getting it working, I updated my forum post to include the fix. No sense leaving a poor bugger trashing around with what the forum suggests is the problem when it is nowhere in the ballpark for a solution. I did venture into the calibration option of the unit, thinking maybe this would be the path to a reliable setup. Not so much. I feel you need some authoritative voltage reference source, to complete this task. I tried using 5VDC from the Red Pitaya pinouts when it asked for a 5VDC reference. It gave me a red icon indicating not acceptable. When I connected the 3VDC output, it went green and completed the task. Not sure why, I didn’t pursue. I later learned that calibration and the two input jumper pins have a great impact on results. Since I wasn’t using the test equipment, I confess the calibration wasn’t my best work. After installing the case, users lose access to the two jumper pins used to switch between LV and HV input. Besides the four connectors on the front and back and the two on top, you must open the case to access anything else. You will find there is a five-pin connector that you cannot use for programming. Documentation: what is in the user manual The manual organizes its content in a clear and accessible way. I soon moved to having my AI assistant look through the manual, then me personally. After spending hours combing the manual trying to configure the QSPI eMCC model to allow booting with an SD card and discovering that it just doesn’t work, yet ! I gave up manually looking for information and gave finding resources to my AI research assistant. I claim no credit for finding resource links in the posts. The “yet” part mentioned in the last sentence is an attempt at pursuing a working solution to booting from the module, eliminating the SD card. I reached the point of locating a firmware change on the module, though the documentation described the process for the old hardware. In addition, the support team replied to my ticket indicating that the firmware I found is in development and may not be fully tested. I walked away without completing the task because of unreliable firmware and a loading process that did not work. This is where I broke from my mantra of “do what you promised in the application.” I dabbled a little with the signal generator and oscilloscope. The kit comes with two coax cables that allow you to connect inputs to outputs. I ran a small test here to actually get the feeling I could accomplish something in the RoadTest. I had great fear I would never see the SDR part I had promised. The icons on the browser screen allow users to access the software. I couldn’t understand why you could create a label across multiple lines for one label but there was only enough room to write Oscilloscope and not Oscilloscope & Generator. Recall I mentioned frustration. The manual states that the Generator is located under the oscilloscope icon. Makes sense they are complementary pieces of test equipment. I didn’t use the manual. I also didn’t use any reasoning. I figure, heck, you can write a paragraph of labeling for SDR. Why couldn’t you include the word generator? Simple radio using Linux and Windows SDR applications At this stage in the RoadTest, I lacked confidence in achieving my goal of building a radio receiver with GNU Radio and the device’s SRD features. My AI assistant found a document from ControlPath that showed inputting a signal and having it output after digital processing. AI butchered the write-up to give a cut, to input a 5kHz signal and output a 5kHz tone after the Red Pitaya SDR FPGA processed the signal programming. I didn’t have a signal generator. No, you can’t use the signal generator on the Red Pitaya while it is in SDR mode. That is where I learned about FPGA, coding and software application combinations for the Red Pitaya. When the screen shows an icon selected, Red Pitaya is performing that action. Opening another browser window to access the Red Pitaya and have it perform a second function only generates a Red X. Complex radio using GNU Radio on Ubuntu Linux. The Red Pitaya accepts and input from 0-60Mz. That is different than having a bandwidth of 60Mhz. FM radio broadcasts are outside the input range of the Red Pitaya. FM radio receive was not possible but AM radio broadcasts just might work. I feel this is where I fell down. Maybe I read what I wanted to hear in the documentation. My AI assistant found posts that suggest FM radio reception might be possible but not success. Projects that succeeded were in the HF band. I also glossed over terms like bandwidth. What Red Pitaya calls bandwidth, I would refer to as input range. I had AI discover the bandwidth of an RTL-SDR dongle and it returned the answer I expect. I then as for input range and got what I expected. I've noticed other posts that speak to this 60Mz bandwidth disappointment on the Red Pitaya. I don't think I am alone. I did assemble an AM receiver using the Red Pitaya and GNU Radio. I can say it was easy but I would be lying. It had it challenges but Red Pitaya delivered for it to work. The Source and Sink code blocks needed by GNU Radio work as advertised. I trust there development and support will be put under the stewardship of Red Pitaya. If you want to play with SDR those blocks you need in GNU Radio. Last first impressions Some have to haves you have to have if you plan on acquiring this product. Some have to haves, you have to have, if you plan on acquiring this product. These are not in any order. As i reread my posts I created the note. Terminal Window/Console Access is a must. Terminal windows and console access, I feel, are a prerequisite for owning such a device. You need the cable, a port on your workstation, and the software to establish a console. My experience with technology spans many years. Old gray boxes with text-only screens are something I am familiar with. Ed was the first text editor I used. I had to blow the dust off my minicom terminal application knowledge to get a console for this exercise. Once set up, it was how I checked the Red Pitaya 90% of the time. The console was a reliable lifeline when all else seemed to fail. If you are a person who regularly uses the acronym RTFM. You will need it here but should not expect to find an answer. This is the quintessential television stereotype pocket protector-wearing computer geek type of technology toy. Its physical footprint is small, but it packs some really cool features and software. I didn’t have the engineering know-how or mental capability to fully understand. Computer guys use the expression “It’s easy” all the time when explaining stuff. I didn’t find this easy. Identify what you want to do and find the add-on to fulfill it. This is a product that supports SDR. It would have been very nice to have the balun for interfacing with an antenna. Baluns are available for sale. The few bits of test equipment I own have BNC connectors. This unit has SMA. The kit does come with two BNC/SMA adapters. If this were in my lab, I would acquire two more adapters. Now I can use all four inputs without having to switch adapaters. Also leaving them atached to the device I won't misplace them. The link https://pavel-demin.github.io/red-pitaya-notes/ is one I recommend you investigate before acquiring the unit. I believe understanding the posts allows you to determine the knowledge requirements to master the product. The Red Pitaya shown in the link has a fan attached in the picture. You will require a way to cool the unit during operation. The manufacturer recommends a case. I rarely see a fan or a case when they display the unit, if ever. This external link to the site supports what the vendor alludes to in recommending a case. Ensure that what you are purchasing is compatible with the unit you are acquiring. It cost me more to purchase a metal case because I got the wrong case. The Red Pitaya store indicates there is a difference. Digi-Key didn’t. This device supports SDR but it is not like an RTL-SDR or HackRF. It is not even close. The bandwidth of an RTL-SDR is 2.4 MHz to 2.56 MHz. The bandwidth of the Red Pitaya STEMlab 125-14 PRO Gen 2 is DC – 60 MHz. You need to understand the difference. If you are playing with SDR, then you need to learn GNU Radio. The same individual responsible for the link above also developed the block code. The developer wrote the block before the current generation of hardware appeared. The notes indicated it might fail on new hardware. This setup was a Red Pitaya. OS version 3.00-57, motherboard OS Ubuntu 24.04.5 LTS, and my desktop Ubuntu 24.04. What the future holds, I can’t tell. That completes the five objectives I pitch in my application. The word Review that follow the word RoadTest cause me consternation. I would consider this post more of a shared experience. Both good and bad. If you find the post don't provide sufficient information or you would like some of the material developed (i.e. the full GNU sketches) leave a note and I can package them up. I would like to thank the vendor and the review committee for selecting my application. RoadTest reviews are a community activity that I look forward to participating in. I've completed nine reviews since joining the community. My last review was in 2022. The challenges of this one made me think maybe I'm getting to old to be doing this. I hope not. The project kit has improved since my last foray into RoadTest. The content checklist is ideal. Checking what was in the box against the checklist was the first thing I did after receiving the package. It gave me confidence everything was in the box. My other reason for checking. The review kit arrived a week after the review was suppose to be completed. I was unable to commit to completing the review after missing the original schedule. If anything was missing, how would I get it? I checked the box to ensure everything was there. I then put it aside until another day. It sat wallowing in a corner until I started pecking at it. Four weeks open on my desk being moved around other projects is not something I want to do. I recommend some improvement be made around scheduling. When I pitch my application I check off box that commits to delivering. It mean something. If something changes on my end I will notify you. Sending a review kit and ignoring the schedule is not respectful of the people who are participating. My post appealing for a new schedule failed to get a response.test equipmentEngineer reviewfpgaWhat other parts do you consider comparable to this product?: An M2 screw to secure the QSPI eMCC expansion board (module) to the Red Pitaya motherboard. If the screw is missing, pressing the buttons will cause the board to detach from the connector. During operation, the board runs at 55 C. The manufacturer recommends using the metal case that doubles as a heat sink. Moreover, the open PCB is exposed to detritus on a workbench that can cause shorts if the case is not used. With the power cords and terminal console connections installed and any other cables, the chances of the bare PCB being dragged around are high.Test EquipmentWhat were the biggest problems encountered?: Stale or lack of documentation. Installation procedures for the expansion module exist but are incomplete, either not working for this version or failing entirely. The separation between this product model and others is not clear enough to avoid using the wrong document.Yes I received all the parts stated that would be included in package.