VoltJots | Electronics and IoT

Issue 52

Author

VoltJots
July 31, 2025

Welcome to the latest edition of the VoltJots newsletter, linking you to the very best electronics and IoT news, products, and projects.

Hope you enjoy! Until next week,

VoltJots

NEWS & ARTICLES

The Iridium Certus 9704 dev kit offers satellite-based IoT connectivity with a compact Arduino-compatible board, featuring a powerful transceiver, various I/O options, and a significant reduction in power consumption for remote applications.

How do you deal with the challenges of bulky switches and arcing in higher-voltage DC applications, like telecom and solar controllers? This design idea outlines a "Flip ON Flop OFF" circuit suitable for 48 VDC systems, controlled using a simple low power push button.

Researchers have developed a flexible, stick-on electrode array that wirelessly picks up tiny EEG signals, offering a comfortable alternative to bulky EEG caps with wires and gel.

MIT's new handheld tool lets robots learn tasks by remote control, physical manipulation, or demonstration, using a camera and sensors to track movements and pressure for effective training.

Eliminating the need for bulky encoders, a new BLDC motor control method uses Hall sensor feedback to create virtual sensing data, boosting design efficiency, cutting costs, and delivering high precision across speeds.

RoboNautilus mimics squid movement using water jets for efficient, quiet marine exploration, featuring soft actuators and a 3D-printed shell that protects delicate underwater habitats while monitoring environmental conditions.

Take a look at the nine most impressive, innovative, and bizarre projects at Open Sauce 2025, showcasing the spirit of makers and highlighting standout exhibitors like Elegoo, Makera, and Crunch Labs among many others.

PROJECTS & TUTORIALS

Another awesome tutorial from Random Nerd Tutorials: the ESP32-C3 Super Mini is a tiny, low-power development board with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, featuring 16 pins, 11 programmable GPIOs, and easy programming via the Arduino IDE.

The clocked SR flip flop is a key sequential logic circuit that uses a clock signal for state changes, featuring truth tables, circuit diagrams, and practical applications in synchronous digital systems.

Here's a complete step-by-step guide to set up Zigbee2MQTT with Home Assistant, including installing Mosquitto MQTT, configuring Zigbee2MQTT, and integrating various Zigbee devices for a more flexible and maintainable home automation network.

Build a headlight circuit that uses a light sensor to switch headlights on or off automatically, based on ambient brightness.

Turn voice into text with the XIAO ESP32S3’s mic and ElevenLabs API, making it perfect for creating voice-interactive applications with its compact design and powerful dual-core processing.

Create a cool model of the ISS that moves around a globe using an ESP-32 dev board and servos, updating its location every 15 seconds via Wi-Fi.

Control 4 relays wirelessly with ESP-NOW, a web interface, and an OLED display for real-time feedback on relay states.

Create a complete air quality monitoring system using the BleuIO USB dongle, HibouAir BLE sensor, Python for data collection, InfluxDB for storage, and Grafana for real-time visualisation.

PRODUCTS

This Qwiic/Stemma QT compatible ADS1115 16-bit ADC board offers high-resolution analogue measurements with a built-in amplifier and comparator, low power consumption, and easy I2C integration.

The Nano R4 packs a powerful RA4M1 microcontroller, compact design, castellated pins, and multiple I2C ports. It's built for seamless integration into everything from smart devices to automation projects, as well as providing, with minimal adjustments, an easy transition from prototype to final product.

Espressif has launched an open-source and power-efficient AI dev kit, called EchoEar. The kit features a smart AI voice assistant that understands natural speech, controls devices, remembers personal events, and even entertains by reading stories or singing.

If you're into industrial automation, you'll be interested in the PICO-TWL4, a compact Pico-ITX board featuring Intel's latest N-series processors, with up to 16GB DDR5 memory, dual LAN ports, six USB interfaces, and versatile display options like LVDS and HDMI.

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