Pico Technology Launches 25GHz Sampler-Extended Real-Time Oscilloscope

Pico Technology's unique Sampler-Extended Real-Time Oscilloscope (SXRTO) technology combines the advantages of traditional real-time acquisition with sampling oscilloscope capabilities, oﬀering engineers the best of both worlds. This means the scope can trigger directly on the signal and can also record pre-trigger data, while also achieving the extremely high time and amplitude resolution of a sampling scope.

Infineon and Flex Showcase Zone Controller Design Platform for Software-Defined Vehicles

The Flex Modular Zone Controller platform is an automotive-grade design solution for rapid ZCU implementation, enabling automakers to deliver software-defined vehicles at scale with resilience. The combination of Infineon’s innovative chipsets with Flex’s design and advanced manufacturing capabilities provides automakers a next-generation zone controller platform with optimized Power-Distribution, Gateway and Motor-Control solutions. This production-ready platform can be quickly adapted to automakers’ specific requirements, speeding manufacturing ramp-up and time-to-market.

The MCX L series includes NXP’s first MCUs with a dual-power domain able to operate at extremely low power for both edge data acquisition and edge computing. The MCX L25x offers power consumption as low as 24 µA/MHz on representative workloads, such as CoreMark execution from flash memory, with dual operation in real-time at 48 MHz and low-power compute at 10 MHz. It also features seven low-power modes, enabling power consumption down to sub-µA in the deepest sleep modes.

Did you know you can read full articles for FREE?

That's right - our free Starter Membership gives you access to 3 free articles a month.

Try this one:

Zephyr RTOS

Read Now

Editor's Desk by Kirsten Campbell

Reolink Review: Security in the Spotlight (and the Shadows)

Dearest reader, you're in for a new year's treat today! We're kicking off the year with a review of the Reolink Duo 3 WiFi camera, complete with snapshots of my dad's backyard, since I live in a condo. Sadly (or wisely?), the dog decided to skip this photo op.

To ensure the Circuit Cellar community gets an honest and unbiased review, I want to note that I was not paid for this review, nor was the magazine. Let's dive in!

These cameras are known for affordability and versatility, making them a popular choice for home security enthusiasts. The Reolink Duo 3 WiFi is a cutting-edge security camera that combines two 4K lenses to deliver an impressive 16-megapixel ultra-high-definition panoramic view. This dual-lens design provides a seamless 180-degree horizontal field of view, effectively eliminating blind spots and ensuring comprehensive coverage of your property.

Here's the camera mounted:

Daytime

Picture this

Ok, let's talk about the visuals. As you can see above, during the day, this camera really shines (literally!). The daylight pictures are crisp, clear, and detailed. Whether you're monitoring the front door or keeping an eye on your backyard, the camera does an excellent job of capturing what’s happening.

Nighttime, however, seems to be a different story. While the Reolink does offer night vision, the quality drops off noticeably. Images are grainier, and details aren’t as sharp. It’s not unusable, but if nighttime surveillance is a priority for you, this might not fully meet your needs. I noticed that when the porch light was on, the video quality dropped significantly. Check it out.

The first photo below has the light on. Notice the glare on the left that washes out the details? The second photo is without the porch light, and it has better detail, I think. Do you agree?

Getting the camera up and running on my phone was a breeze—kudos to Reolink for the app’s simplicity there. The website was another journey. Tell us that "admin" is the name we use to connect the camera in the manual.

Final thoughts

The Reolink camera offers excellent value if you need a reliable device for daytime monitoring and you’re primarily using your phone. For night vision though, you may not love it. A reminder that even the most promising gadgets can come with trade-offs.

Things that impressed me:

Quality of the daylight picture and the "stitching" of the two images left and right together to get a 180 degree view.
The ability to alter the max and minimum sizes of humans, animals and vehicles which will trigger the unit. I tested it by setting the unit to trip on the dog but not the cat and it worked fine.
The ability to record sounds and speak through the unit is fun

The picture quality at night is unable to compensate for the white portion of the house on the edge of the frame, resulting in uneven picture quality between the left and right cameras at night. I suppose I could rotate the unit a bit to remove most of the white from the camera view, but then the unit would be pointed more to the neighbour's yard, kinda defeating the purpose.

Overall the Reolink Duo 3 WiFi is an affordable and versatile option for daytime monitoring and general home security. The panoramic view and customizable detection features are particularly impressive for the price point. However, if nighttime surveillance or consistent lighting conditions are critical for your needs, you may want to explore other options or prepare for some creative problem-solving. Ultimately, this camera is a solid choice for homeowners looking for an intuitive, feature-rich device that works well during the day.

Have you tried the Reolink? I’d love to hear how your experience stacks up!

Thank you to Reolink for providing this camera for review 🙏

What would you like to see, more editorial or less, more of a particular topic, or less? Let us know. Reach out to the Product Editor

Pico Technology Launches 25GHz Sampler-Extended Real-Time Oscilloscope

Infineon and Flex Showcase Zone Controller Design Platform for Software-Defined Vehicles

NXP’s New Ultra-low-power MCX L Microcontrollers Enable the Next Generation of Smart, Sustainable Solutions

Did you know you can read full articles for FREE?

Zephyr RTOS