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Disclaimer: Welcome to this guide, which is a work in progress and may be updated or revised as new information becomes available. While the instructions aim to make the teardown and modification process straightforward and safe, I am not responsible for any damage to your equipment... [Read more]

. Here is a short presentation of the interior and the procedure for changing the firmware of an external WiFi-controlled socket, model OR-SH-17405. The product shown here additionally offers voltage, current and power measurement and normally works with Tuya, but after uploading... [Read more]

. Hello, I recently had my energy meter replaced by Tauron. As it turned out, the new one has remote reading. Therefore, I became interested in the subject of integrating the meter value reading with the Home Assistant. Unfortunately, as it turned out, the model I had installed did... [Read more]

Welcome, I bought my first Zigbee socket, taking advantage of the fact that there were promotions on Ali, it came out to about 10,50zł. Exactly at this seller: Today it came to me with the rest of the shpeju and I would not be myself if I did not start by taking it apart and see what... [Read more]

. Home Assistant is a popular, open source home automation system that allows the integration and personalisation of many different systems and series of devices. One simple but effective way to personalise the HA interface is to change the icons assigned to entities, such as switches,... [Read more]

. More than a decade ago on "Elektroda" I saw a cool toy project for a child: I thought it was a pity that my children are already too big for such a toy. But time flies fast and in the meantime my grandson turned two. And I was reminded of that project. Most of the reasons for building... [Read more]

. Matter's M5-3C-80W three-channel wall switch allows direct or remote (via WiFi) control of three receivers and works with the eWeLink app, in addition to offering Matter protocol support. It is distinguished by three "clicking" buttons, which is a nice change from the ubiquitous... [Read more]

. The ATLO-SW1-TUYA is another tiny (43x39x22 mm) relay module offering control of a single receiver via WiFi. It is mounted in a box and, in addition to WiFi, it can work with a classic bistable switch. Here I will show how to change its firmware to connect it to Home Assistant.... [Read more]

. ESP32 modules often offer the possibility to connect an external WiFi antenna, which can significantly improve signal quality and range - especially in projects operating at a greater distance from the router or in difficult conditions (obstacles, interference). Many modules (e.g.... [Read more]

Another FTY A9 camera variation. This was bought in Feb 2024 and I no longer have record of where from exactly - Ali Express for sure. Not seen this posted anywhere I don't think, so here's some info: Choice SKU: 742329872052 Item: A9 WIFI Mini Camera Recorder Security Monitoring... [Read more]

. The ESP32-S3 Touch LCD 4.3 is, as the name suggests, a module featuring a 4.3" touchscreen controlled by the ESP32-S3, which is a dual-core, 32-bit Xtensa LX7 processor clocked at up to 240 MHz with 8MB Flash and external 8MB SRAM. The whole is enriched by various peripherals such... [Read more]

The C-SKY Flash Programmer is a piece of software supplied for download by XuanTie at This tool works with CK-Link programmers to read and write to the flash memory in C-Sky's proprietary RISC core CPUs. CPUs based on C-SKY architecture include the WinnerMicro W800, W801 and W806... [Read more]

. Door opening sensors with WiFi communication have already been discussed extensively on our forum. We even managed to find, with our joint efforts, a way to reprogram such sensors based on a module from BK7231 so that they could be activated locally and Home Assistant paired over... [Read more]

Here are my experiences with a Sonoff S60TPG iPlug UK smart plug, along with teardown, flashing information and OpenESP32 experiments (OBK port). The plug was bought from Ali Express Glue seemed to be too strong and I didn't have the right width tools to contort it in a vice to crack... [Read more]

Here I will show you how I created and tested a PIR-controlled LED lamp (with light sensor) driver for OpenBeken - all without access to physical device. This topic will cover whole development process: from concept, through simulation, to automated testing. Whether you're learning... [Read more]

Let me introduce my mini-drive indicator project, inspired by LED poles I found on AliExpress in three colours - looking "from below": five green, three yellow and two red. They were just begging to be used as an audio output indicator.... . Of course, similar posts can also be obtained... [Read more]

Some time ago there were several articles on our forum about basic issues, min. <br/span> Some time ago, there were several articles on basic issues in our forum, including "How to check a fuse?", and although several people thought that the subject was too obvious, I would... [Read more]

. With the increasing risk of power cuts, many people are looking for a simple, reliable and cost-effective solution for emergency room lighting. In this thread, I would like to introduce a practical and flexible lighting system based on a 12-volt LED strip with brightness control... [Read more]

. The Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-5 is a board offering a 5-inch touchscreen with 800x480 resolution (1024x600 in the B version) controlled by an ESP32-S3 with additional PSRAM and a convenient USB-C connector. In addition, a wealth of peripherals are on board, such as a CAN interface,... [Read more]

The ubiquitous A9 Mini Wi-Fi Camera, in its seemingly many forms, is a compact, budget-friendly smart surveillance device, often seen for as low as $1USD as a Welcome Deal on sites like Ali Express. Positioned as a security camera, baby monitor, spycam, camcorder, it is often advertised... [Read more]

BK7252 is a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) combo 32-bit chip designed for audio and video applications. It can be found in both Tuya (video doorbell) and non-Tuya (A9 spy camera) products. It supports up to 6 channels of PWM, and handles audio with a 2-channel DAC and 1-channel... [Read more]

Here's a step by step guide for accessing video and audio stream data of cheap Chinese X5/A9/etc cameras using the iLnk/iLnkP2P/PPPP protocol. Those cameras can be bought for as low as 1$ and are sometimes battery powered, but they still come in various models. This demonstration... [Read more]

                            PCBWay at Focus on PCB 2025 – Booth A45 We’re excited to announce that PCBWay will be attending the "Focus on PCB 2025" exhibition , taking place in VICENZA, ITALY, ON MAY 21 AND 22, 2025, and you’ll find us at Booth A45 . Whether you're an electronics... [Read more]

Here's my destructive exploration into the module used in retro/antique/filament Sonoff B02-F-A60 available from Ali Express Sonoff ship these in decent packaging because they're glass. It arrived in a thick pillowed envelope as well as the box with plastic inner shell. I believe... [Read more]

Berry is a lightweight scripting language designed for embedded system. It features dynamically typed, one-pass compiler and interpreter with core’s code size is less than 40KiB which can run on less than 4KiB heap. Thanks to latest OBK integration, Berry can now run on most of new... [Read more]

. Today I am going to check the condition of a small electronic gadget flooded. The flood took place on 15 September and I extracted the equipment from the silt on 27 September, about two weeks later. The water carried so much sand and soil that I had to play archaeologist, and the... [Read more]

Hello everyone! I come to you with a project that dragged on for me for almost 4 years - a tube amplifier, which was my school of tube electronics. During this time I made a lot of mistakes, learned a lot and today I can say with a clear conscience that "I already know something".... [Read more]

. I would like to present an application that is a collection of test tools using CH341 as a physical interface. The original purpose of this application was to repair laptop batteries. However, I had to familiarise myself with the CH341 chip beforehand, I started with more elementary... [Read more]

. Here's a look at the inside of a mid-range metal detector. The Garrett Ace 250 is generally available to buy for around £1,250, although I sometimes see used pieces being sold much cheaper. The detector itself is quite capable, as it offers graphical imaging of the conductive properties... [Read more]

. Here I will present a self-assembly kit based on SMD, or surface mount, components. This simple kit allows you to practice soldering circuits in enclosures such as SOP-8, SOP-16 and 0805. Once assembled, you get a simple "flowing light" effect. The whole thing can be bought for... [Read more]