Beyond Speed and Specs – Why Genuine SBC and MCU’s are the right choice for your project

Decisions, we all make them. You may make a decision based on specifications, performance, time to value supportability and so on. There are many dimensions, and we all have choice. In the last 15-20 years I have been an avid user of both SBC’s (Single Board Computers), PLC’s (Programable Logic Controllers) and MCU’s (Micro Controller … Read more

Aesthetically Clean Remote Switching Using MQTT with Sonoff and Shelly Modules

Automation and technology are amazing, modern advances allow us to automate almost everything in our daily lives, before we get into this post, here is an end-2-end example of this solution, enjoy. So now you know what we will be building, lets get in to it. There are almost no systems in my house that … Read more

Using Flying Probes for Surface Mount PCB Flashing Of ESP32 & Beyond.

The right tool for the job can make any job enjoyable. I often get sense if happiness using quality tools that make a job easy and painfree. Tools change, I am not just talking in the physical world. Take example my world, cloud computing, look at cloud networking, how we architect connections in the cloud … Read more

Using an Arduino & A 1602 LCD Screen With Polyglot Code To Display Your Next Outlook Meeting

In a prior post I discussed how you can connect a 1602 LCD screen via i2C to an Arduino compliant MCU, with the aid of MQTT and C++ to display metrics that matter. But I realised, other than wanting to know the temperature and metrics around energy consumption there was another key piece of information … Read more

Creating Interlocks In Code (C++) For Controlling Relays In the Real World

[RELEASING IN MAY 2023] Work In progress Are you familiar with an interlocks? Interlocking is a safety measure designed to prevent signals and switches from being changed in an improper sequence. Interlocks are a staple of our modern lives, they exist in places you would or perhaps may not expect. In their most basic form, an interlock … Read more

Monitoring Solar Consumption With A ESP32/8266 and LED Lights

Since having a PV (Photo Voltaic) solar array installed on my roof earlier in the year I have become a more aware of the energy consumption of my house. In my post ‘Making Data Driven Decisions With A PV Array, Home Assistant and MQTT‘ I am leveraging consumption data to make decisions in my house, … Read more

Automagically Keeping Cool In Zwift

Cycling has always been something I have been passionate about. With the COVID-19 induced lockdowns I finally decided to purchase an indoor trainer (Garmin TACX Neo 2T) and like so many people around the world, I use Zwift as a means to hit my distance targets each week. Spoiler – Want to see a demo? … Read more