Chinese language electronics agency DENGTEC has designed a modular platform constructed across the Espressif ESP32-S3 microcontroller — and claims it might lower weeks of prototyping to mere minutes.
“Rimu was created to sort out real-world challenges the place off-the-shelf instruments usually fall quick,” DENGTEC’s Yonglin Gu explains of the system, which was born of a necessity within the firm’s work creating the electronics for show props. “Beforehand, we needed to design {hardware} and write software program from scratch for every mission, aiming to supply samples to purchasers as shortly as potential. This course of was extraordinarily time-consuming. Recognizing that different groups and people may face related points, Rimu was developed to unravel these issues.”
The guts of the Rimu modular system is a field that hosts an Espressif ESP32-S3R16V module, giving it a pair of Tensilica Xtensa LX7 processor cores working at as much as 240MHz, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity. To this the corporate has added 32MB of NOR flash storage plus both 4GB or 8GB of NAND storage, in a housing that features a buzzer, gyroscope sensor, RGB indicator LED, and a vibration motor — all hidden behind a 4.3″ 5:3 facet ratio coloration TFT capacitive touchscreen show with 800×480 decision. There’s an inside battery compartment, too, designed for compatibility with Nokia’s basic and long-lived BL-5C batteries.
This “mind” module can then be linked to plenty of “fingers,” the corporate explains. “Every module solves one particular downside,” Gu says, “and also you unlock its potential just by putting in the matching software program.” A “hand” module connects to the “mind” with a clack because of a magnetic mounting system, and a number of “fingers” may be stacked as the necessities of explicit tasks require.
The “hand” modules connect with the “mind” utilizing a satisfying magnetic mount system. (📹: DENGTEC)
“The module’s construction is essentially constant throughout variants,” Gu explains, “apart from the PCB and enclosure. The enclosure is created from aluminum extrusion, with the peak and facet holes personalized in accordance with every module’s particular necessities. This strategy minimizes prices whereas successfully accommodating numerous module wants.”
DENGTEC has begun crowdfunding for the Rimu on Kickstarter, with bodily rewards beginning at HK$698 (round $89) for “tremendous early hen” backers of the 4GB mannequin; “hand” modules, which embrace a generic “improvement module” breakout, a stepper motor module, an addressable LED module, a present monitor module, and a LoRa radio module, can be found as add-ons at HK$228 (round $29) every. All {hardware} is anticipated to ship in November this 12 months, the corporate says.
