- Zephyr web display experiment
- MicroQuickJS
- 10Base-T1S multi drop (boards in Zephyr with support for it)
- RaspberryPi Pico binary info feature
- Keychron Q Ultra ZMK
- Motion 2350 Pro
- Adafruit Prop-Maker Feather
- Framework laptop keyboard
- Espressif RMT driver
- ws2812_rpi_pico_pio DMA support
- TPS55287 features
- GRVL, a lightweight GUI library for Zephyr-based MCUs
- NVIDIA hiring Zephyr engineers!
- Edge Impulse + Zephyr tech talk next week.
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Episode Summary
In the first episode of 2026, hosts Benjamin and Fabio return from a short break to catch up on holiday hacking projects, major announcements from CES 2026, and the latest networking innovations in the Zephyr ecosystem. This week’s discussion ranges from ultra-efficient JavaScript runtimes to the return of Ethernet as a multi-drop bus.
Experimental Software & Holiday Hacks
- Zephyr Web Display: A community member showcased an impressive “VNC-like” experiment. By exposing the frame buffer and streaming the LVGL GUI over WebSockets, users can visualize a display-less board’s interface directly in a browser.
- MicroQuickJS: The hosts discussed MicroQuickJS, a new project from QEMU legend Fabrice Bellard. This tiny JavaScript runtime requires as little as 10K of RAM, making it a compelling candidate for Zephyr-based applications.
Networking & Protocols
- 10Base-T1S Multi-Drop Ethernet: A deep dive into “Ethernet as a bus”. This single-pair technology allows multiple nodes to communicate on a single segment without a switch, making it a potential alternative to CAN bus for industrial and automotive applications. Interesting video about the topic was mentioned.
Driver Optimizations
- Efficient LED Driving: New pull requests bring Remote Control Transceiver (RMT) support for ESP32 and DMA support for Raspberry Pi Pico PIO. These updates allow for high-performance control of long LED strips while keeping the CPU free for other tasks.
- Pico Tool Metadata: Zephyr now supports binary info metadata, allowing the
picotoolutility to identify firmware details directly from the binary.
New Boards in Zephyr
- Cytron Motion 2350 Pro: An RP2350-based board featuring a heavy-duty power stage capable of controlling four 10A DC motors—ideal for high-speed robotics.
- Adafruit Prop Maker RP2040: A specialized board for creators that includes servo interfaces, LED connectors, and an I2S-based speaker output.
- Framework Laptop Keyboards: The Framework keyboard module is now available as a standalone Zephyr board. This allows developers to flash custom Zephyr-based firmware to their laptop’s input device without needing to reboot the entire system.
Ecosystem News
- Zephyr 10th Anniversary: 2026 marks 10 years since the launch of the Zephyr Project. The community is planning major celebrations for Embedded World 2026.
- Keychron Q Ultra ZMK: Launched at CES 2026, this new mechanical keyboard series is powered by ZMK. It boasts an 8kHz refresh rate and an impressive 660-hour battery life.
- FOSDEM 2026: The project will have a presence at FOSDEM in Brussels in three weeks. The Zephyr table will be located near other major open hardware projects like Framework and KiCad.