Articles

Bringing a high-performance AI product to market usually takes years of grueling hardware development. Today, Grinn is working together with Renesas to change that narrative. Grinn announced a collaboration centered on the launch of the Grinn ReneSOM-V2H , a production-ready System-on-Module... [Read more]

How do you recognise the architecture of an unknown microcontroller from a Flash memory dump? What microprocessor is an old HP printer based on? Will it be possible to revive the memory dump so that it displays something on the UART with proper emulation of its registers on a Windows... [Read more]

How to monitor energy consumption in building automation? One solution for individual consumers can be some kind of extension cable or adapter that takes the measurement, but it is undoubtedly more convenient to have the measurement in the socket itself. The ZK-SR-EU shown here makes... [Read more]

Have you connected the flash memory correctly to the CH341 programmer, but the PC program does not recognise it at all? NeoProgrammer shows IC not responding, is the chip faulty? The Read ID operation (reading the flash ID) returns 0xFF alone? Don't give up - here I'll show an unusual... [Read more]

Hi everyone! I would like to present the construction of a WAREHOUSE POWER SUPPLY quite powerful, as it is almost 1200W . The power supply came about as an idea to get a cheaper equivalent to the Riden RD6018 kit. Parameters of the power supply, are: - voltage regulated 0 - 60V with... [Read more]

Hello Colleagues, I wanted to share an old project that I once made and was even commercially available for a while. The project is more than 15 years old so I am happy to share the materials. Maybe it will inspire someone or they will want to make such a device themselves. The code... [Read more]

As a rule of thumb, it has been accepted that the MQTT broker must be a high-performance server, a cloud service, or at least a Raspberry Pi-style microcomputer. The question, however, is - are you sure? Wouldn't it be possible to realise a simple MQTT server on a chip like the ESP32... [Read more]

Hello guys. Today we hack a LSC Smart Connect LED Smart Lightbulb A60 E27 RGB. First open the bulb with a spudger: Next remove the joint with a cutter: And remove the Led board: Now we have to desolder the CBLC5 Chip (I didn't want to remove the board, but you do as you wish.) Now... [Read more]

Is it possible to connect an ordinary USB keyboard to an ESP32-based device and link it to a touchscreen display? Yes - it's not that difficult at all. In this step-by-step topic I will show you how to start USB Host mode, integrate the keyboard with LVGL and handle input events correctly.... [Read more]

This was for an Arlec Grid Connect (from Bunnings) - PC191HA Series 3 Step 1 - prise open the case: a) Use a screwdriver to crack the welded seam - pushing firmly in one location, then working along the side until no longer welded. Repeat for all sides and two corners. b) Use the... [Read more]

Is it sensible to buy a tiny, battery-powered soldering iron? Can such a soldering iron cope with soldering wires or goldpins? I invite you to a video test - with a breakdown of lead and lead-free solder. I bought the soldering iron for PLN30 - importantly, you can also buy soldering... [Read more]

Hello to all 3D printing enthusiasts. Recently, 3D printers have become more widespread, which is very positive given their advantages. However, nothing comes without pain. Have you had problems with insufficient adhesion of the first print layer, resulting in its deformation? Have... [Read more]

Hello, in this topic I will present a software change via OTA in a Zigbee thermometer. Why am I changing this software over at all? Well, while it is very cool in appearance, has a display and is powered by two AAA batteries, unfortunately the factory software is an example of how... [Read more]

Why change the firmware of IoT devices? One good reason to change the firmware may be to expand the functionality of your existing device. Factory applications usually do not allow for large modifications, whereas open source projects provide almost infinite possibilities. Here, I... [Read more]

I would like to invite you to a presentation and launch of a fully open source ESP32 development board from Olimex. Everything is available for this project - you can even download the PCB design in KiCad and customise it to your needs. The ESP32-EVB features the ESP32-WROOM-32E Wi-Fi/BT... [Read more]

Today, another curiosity from the electro-junk - a main computer/controller which, according to my information, was used on trains. I'll try to get it up and running here, get into the BIOS, etc. This time the presentation will be even more rich than usual, as I got this equipment... [Read more]

Here I will present a multiplatform IoT flashing solution – an early prototype of EasyGUIFlashTool . The goal of this project is to provide a simple, consistent, and user-friendly flashing experience across multiple platforms, without the need for vendor-specific tools or complex... [Read more]

Good morning. I made this kinetic splitter in the spring, but have only now decided to show it off on this forum. Toothed strip module 5, which is 50x50 mm. Most of the components, such as the carriage and bearing mounts, are made of 10 mm sheet metal. The splitter is engaged by the... [Read more]

F&F Filipowski sp. j. will be one of the exhibitors at the Smart Home & IoT Expo , which will be held on 24-26 February 2026 in Warsaw. The central venue for the company's presentation at the event will be stand D3.48 . Visitors will be able to see a complete smart home system... [Read more]

Which temperature and humidity sensor for the Home Assistant? The sensor shown here features tiny dimensions of 40x13x26 mm and is powered by a single CR2032 battery. It normally works with the Tuya/Smart Life gateway, but Zigbee2MQTT also supports it. Here I will briefly test it,... [Read more]

The development of smart solutions for homes and commercial buildings is gaining momentum and Smart Home Expo 2026 once again confirms its position as one of the most important industry events in Poland. The next edition of the fair will become a meeting place for market leaders,... [Read more]

What kit for a beginner to learn soldering? Here is another simple and enjoyable kit - a clock with alarm and temperature measurement based on a large 7-segment display, all realised on a double-sided board based on through-hole assembly and available to buy for just under a dozen... [Read more]

PicoClaw is a new open-source AI assistant written in Go that runs using external LLMs (language models) via an API and uses less than 10 MB of RAM. The project was completely rebuilt with inspiration from nanobot and OpenClaw, using so-called auto-bootstrapping, where the AI agent... [Read more]

I'd like to invite you to a short presentation of a video game console bought for PLN80. The device shown here is based on the RetroArch system and allows you to run games from platforms such as Atari, Nintendo, PlayStation, GameBoy, Sega, etc. The product has around 20,000 games... [Read more]

Zack Korman in his GitHub repository skills presents a simple 'prompt injection' attack to which modern AI agent systems such as OpenClaw are vulnerable. "Prompt injection", as the name suggests, involves 'injecting' a malicious command into the data processed by the model. LLM models... [Read more]

the 8898D is a portable hot air offering up to 700 W and adjustable temperature(100 °C - 480 °C) and blowing (up to 120 l/m). Current settings and measurements are displayed on an easy-to-read three-digit LED display. The whole thing is available to buy for just PLN80 and we get up... [Read more]

In this topic I will show how to step-by-step run a simple driver for a 128x32 OLED without using off-the-shelf libraries, relying solely on software-based I2C. I will test how difficult it is to display text on such a display and how many bytes of RAM and Flash it requires. Will... [Read more]

In recent years, the DVB-T2 antenna market has clearly polarized: on one hand, simple budget designs, and on the other, increasingly specialized antennas designed for difficult reception conditions and professional collective installations. However, there was a lack of a modern combo-type... [Read more]

I'd like to invite you to a test of the MS-108ZR in-box roller shutter controller module based on Zigbee wireless communication with additional RF support. Here I will present its pairing with Home Assistant via Zigbee2MQTT, check what its integration with HA offers and show its interior.... [Read more]

USB to UART converter - can it be operated from a browser or from an Android device via a USB OTG adapter? Here I will show a unified, multi-platform solution compatible with popular chips such as CH340, FT232, CP2102 etc. I will realise the whole thing in Flutter technology, which... [Read more]