VoltJots | Electronics and IoT

Issue 63

Author

VoltJots
October 16, 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

Born from a minimalist brief, the NE555 uses a handful of transistors and diodes to deliver one-shot pulses, square waves, and flip-flop functions in a compact package that quickly became a staple in electronics.

Designed with visually impaired people, iSee glasses detect obstacles up to 4m away using ultrasonic sensors and AI, sending clear audio alerts without blocking ambient sounds. They include a BLE module for smartphone connectivity, supporting calls, audio playback, voice setup, and over-the-air updates, adapting to noisy environments.

New fabrication techniques convert waste PET bottles into supercapacitor electrodes and separators, resulting in all-plastic devices that outperform their glass-fibre counterparts.

The DCP3601 from STMicroelectronics is a fresh take on DC-DC converters, focusing on a small footprint and easy integration. It’s part of the DCP family that offers scalable, high-voltage power solutions while cutting down on component count.

Researchers have created a flexible supercapacitor delivering high energy density and mechanical durability. It can handle over 10,000 cycles without losing performance, even after bending and twisting. This tech offers fast charging and durability for wearables, electric vehicles, and other portable devices.

This week’s highlights include Qualcomm snapping up Arduino, fresh advances in ultrasonic range finders, and new ideas in memory modules shaking up embedded tech.

PROJECTS & TUTORIALS

This project shows how to capture atmospheric pressure, temperature, and humidity using BMP280 or BME280 sensors, upload the readings to the cloud, and display them on an easy-to-use dashboard.

This project combines an NXP i.MX93 board, BME680 sensor, and ML inference to control indoor climate automatically, while a Flask dashboard provides live sensor info, AI decisions, and weather details.

Learn the basics of FreeRTOS queues on the ESP32 and see three hands-on examples showing how tasks can safely exchange information in Arduino IDE.

This project uses an ESP32 with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to measure battery voltage from a single-cell Li-ion battery managed by a BQ24092D charger and powered steadily by a TPS63020 converter. The ESP32 calculates the battery’s State of Charge and uploads it to a ThingSpeak dashboard, replacing simple LED indicators with full IoT monitoring.

Discover how photoresistors detect light and use Arduino to create a circuit where an LED lights up as soon as the room darkens.

TVArgenta turns a Raspberry Pi into an offline retro TV with a rotary dial for channel surfing, CRT-style menus, and static noise between videos. It stores all content locally and offers a web interface to manage videos, channels, and playback without needing the internet.

HitPad is a tiny, portable tone generator powered by the M5Stack AtomS3 that lets you tap out beats without any setup. It features a custom PCB and a fully 3D-printed case, offering a simple way to create sounds on the go.

This project walks you through creating a custom DC/DC buck converter PCB based on Vishay’s SiC431, including how to design the board, prepare production files, and place an SMT order at JLCPCB.

PRODUCTS

Renesas has rolled out magnet-free inductive position sensor ICs that work with various coil designs for precise, high-res industrial sensing. These sensors use non-contact coil tech to track rotary, linear, or arc positions and come with a web tool for custom sensor design.

These Gen2 comparators deliver quicker response times and better energy efficiency, all in cost-optimised packages compatible with MCP656x footprints to ease design updates.

The Arduino UNO Q, combining a high-performance microprocessor and a dedicated microcontroller, is now up for pre-order on DigiKey’s website.

The SiMG301 and SiBG301 SoCs from Silicon Labs bring PSA Level 4 security and multi-protocol support using a 22 nm process, making them great for battery-powered IoT gadgets running Bluetooth and Matter.

Melexis’ MLX90514 takes signals from two coil sets simultaneously and computes precise angle measurements internally, streamlining automotive steering controls and lowering the need for extra components.

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