Author: Gareth Halfacree

Gareth Halfacree is a technology journalist and technical author best known for his work on the Raspberry Pi User Guide and an upcoming book covering the BBC’s micro:bit project. A keen open source advocate and RISC-V fan, Gareth is responsible for curating our fortnightly community round-up posts.
GreenWaves GAP8 GAPUINO Dev Kit

GreenWaves Launches RISC-V PULP-based GAP8 AP

GreenWaves Technologies has officially launched GAP8, its RISC-V based low-power application processor for Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Based on the work of the Parallel Ultra Low Power (PULP) project, GAP8 was first shown off as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) core back in March… Read More
Digi-Key KiCad Parts Library

Digi-Key Releases Open KiCad Parts Library

Parts supplier Digi-Key has announced its support for the open-source KiCad printed circuit board (PCB) and schematic design tool with the release of 1,000 common parts in a permissively-licensed library. “With more restrictive licensing or licenses that don’t align with some of our customers’ needs, some users are looking to… Read More
Outernet LoRa Radio

Outernet Claims 71,572km LoRa World Record

Outernet, a project to provide multimedia data bursts via satellite to otherwise disconnected populations, has announced what it believes to be a world record for LoRa communication distances: a 71,572 kilometres round-trip. Designed to provide multimedia content delivery where no traditional infrastructure is available – from less-developed countries through… Read More
PULP Ariane Block Diagram

PULP Releases 64-bit Linux-Compatible Ariane RISC-V Core IP

The Parallel Ultra Low Power (PULP) Platform project has announced the release of Ariane, a Linux-compatible 64-bit application-class RISC-V core design, published under the permissive Solderpad Hardware Licence. A joint effort between ETH Zurich and the University of Bologna, Ariane marks the pair’s first high-performance application-class RISC-V core intellectual property… Read More
Xively Logo

Google Acquires Xively for IoT PaaS Push

Advertising giant Google has announced it is pushing further into the Internet of Things (IoT) with the planned acquisition of cloud data platform Xively from current owner LogMeIn. Xively – originally a project of architect Usman Haque under the working name EnvironmentXML, then launching as Pachube (pronounced “patch-bay”) before being… Read More
Particle Mesh

Particle Announces Embedded Mesh Network Development Boards

Internet of Things (IoT) specialist Particle has announced the impending launch of a trio of development boards with Bluetooth 5 mesh networking capabilities, alongside Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Wi-Fi, and cellular connectivity. Designed to make it easier to deploy sensor networks and control systems where traditional infrastructure isn’t available, Particle’s… Read More
PULPissimo Block Diagram

PULPissimo RISC-V Microcontroller Core Released

The PULP (Parallel Ultra Low Power) Platform, a joint project between ETH Zurich and University of Bologna, has announced the release of the PULPissimo RISC-V microcontroller core, designed to take over from the more basic PULPino – and is also teasing a 64-bit multi-core Linux-ready RISC-V core dubbed Ariane. “Today… Read More