Articles

. I have been looking for something like this for a long time - here is a 'smart' light switch that is not touch-sensitive. Instead, it offers classic "clicking" buttons based on microswitches. In addition, the whole thing is based on a module from BK7231, which means you can change... [Read more]

Retro computers have become very popular in recent times. Prices for such devices range from not too old cars. Manufacturers have not missed the opportunity and offer various types of clones. They are much cheaper, but they do not give the same satisfaction and note of nostalgia as... [Read more]

. In the previous section I showed how a beginner can get transistors for free from old scrap PC motherboards. Here I will show how to use them in practice. We will drive the MOSFET transistors from 3.3V and, in the process, see the importance of the voltage at the gate of the transistor.... [Read more]

. Measuring 35x39x45 mm, this compact gadget is equipped with a 1.5-inch IPS TFT display with a resolution of 240x240 pixels. The device is able to download the current time and weather forecast for a selected city from the web. In addition, it offers a gallery of images and animations... [Read more]

How to recover lost/forgotten MQTT password without creating new MQTT user, without having to reinstall everything again? Why does my password field reads "__**password_not_changed**__" ? Home Assistant Mosquitto broker behaviour has been recently changed. In the past the password... [Read more]

Here's step by step flashing and HA Discovery guide for W701-VA2-CG (RTL8720CF)-based Tuya modules that can be programmed with AmebaZ2 PG Tool 1.2.47 (download included). This way you can run those devices cloud free, use it with Tasmota commands (Tasmota Remota app), and add new... [Read more]

Here's a step by step guide showing LN882HKI flashing process along with soldering. LN882HKI can be easily flashed with OpenBeken port and run cloudfree, it can be also paired with Home Assistant. Our LN882H firmware also supports new features and sensors, like DHT11 or SSDP discovery,... [Read more]

This is a teardown for an Aqia Model F3202-US Wifi smart outlet. This outlet is controlled via a WB2S module. Item description page from MicroCenter This was my first reformatting of any sort of smart appliance. I made this work with Home Assistant via the MQTT protocol. I got four... [Read more]

. In a previous topic I showed the inside of an Acer S236HL LCD monitor along with its LED backlight. Here I will convert the remnants of this monitor into a WiFi controlled LED strip. For this I will use a WiFi module with a chip similar to the ESP8266 (BK7231). My chip will allow... [Read more]

OpenBeken can be used to create simple automations involving multiple devices without Home Assistant. No central server is required, you only need to have flashed Tuya devices. Here I will show you one such automation, where two devices are used - first is a power meter, used to measure... [Read more]

Wanted to incorporate the following device into my MQTT Network: Actually I wanted to detach the device and use with a RCB. Detaching was simple as there were two retaining latches at the top and the bottom. It came with Tuya Firmware V1.0.5 I was able to use cloutclutter to flash... [Read more]

NiceMCU_WB3S_V1 is a very cheap (possible to buy for as low as 1-2$) Beken development board. It comes with BK7238 chip, but with some soldering it's also possible to very easily swap the BK7238 module with any classic Tuya WB2S or CB2S and still get correct GPIO markings. Here I... [Read more]

As sold in the Action stores (NL, Dec 2024). First some images: The device can be successfully used with OpenBeken, but requires some DIY skills to open the housing without damage. BIG FAT WARNING: the electronics inside the power strip are directly connected to the 230V mains lines,... [Read more]

. Here I'll cover running the ESP32-Cam in PlatformIO, analyse how streaming video (?) from this board works, and show how to access the pixels of the image taken from the camera (e.g. to draw rectangles). The ESP32-Cam is a small and handy board offering an ESP-32S module (4MB Flash,... [Read more]

. Here I will introduce the ADS1115, which is a 4-channel, 16-bit ADC. The ADS1115 is available to buy in our country for a dozen or so zlotys, and can be imported from abroad for up to half the price. The ADS1115 uses the I2C protocol, so it is possible to connect as many as four... [Read more]

For my own purposes, I made a wire cutting machine to complement the electronic boards I offer for model railways. The premise was to cut the wires to a set length and quantity. Electronics . To speed up the build, instead of making a PCB I used off-the-shelf solutions: a CNC shield... [Read more]

. Hello :) . I present another watch from my collection. I got a bit bored with the blocky shapes and came up with something like this. :) We all have a fascination with tube displays from a bygone era, unfortunately their prices are a bit prohibitive and basically nothing can replace... [Read more]

. A friend slipped me a rich festive set of individually addressable, colourful WS2812 LEDs for the Christmas tree. All controlled via WiFi, remote control and via buttons on the casing. Initially the friend wanted to use it with the Tuya app, but found that the app locks up on mode... [Read more]

Some time ago I struggled over the unstable OTA with LN882H when using Firefox browser. If you are interested in the whole story, you can read most of it following this post: It turned out, there was an issue with the SDKs OTA code and, since OBK uses the OTA code slightly differently,... [Read more]

Here's a detailed flashing guide for new TR6260 WiFi chips that can be found in some Tuya smart devices. TR6260 can be easily flashed and run free from the cloud, fully locally, without Tuya servers. This way you can easily pair TR6260 with Home Assistant via Home Assistant Discovery,... [Read more]

. . Hello. Due to the fact that I have a Ender 3 Pro printer, which is no longer the latest one, and I got bored of constantly chasing the card back and forth I decided to do something about it. Searching the internet didn't help much, I didn't find what I wanted. Plugging in a Raspberry... [Read more]

Here is a config guide for a PIR sensor that is not yet on the LIST . This is the product pic borrowed from the marketplace: after removing the PCB from the case this is what we find: The UART lines (Tx and Rx) we use for programming the CB3S module are shared by the CB3S module and... [Read more]

. The strip controller of individually addressable LEDs presented here offers a wide range of ready-made animations and can also animate the LEDs to the rhythm of music. You can buy it for just under a dozen zlotys in China, or alternatively you can order it for around 30 zlotys in... [Read more]

GitHub Actions workflows can be used to automatically build and test firmware on each commit. They may or may not create Github Releases, if not, build files are downloadable only via Github Action details. By default, those binaries require manual download, but here I will show you... [Read more]

Hello. I used to really like the rechargeable soldering iron from this post: and recently stated that I would attempt my own build. I already had all the parts recycled, the only thing missing was a flat bar for the secondary winding but this was found. The first prototype was according... [Read more]

When I noticed for a long time that the watch was out of sync with the DCF receiver, at first I suspected problems with the strength of the DCF77 signal transmitted from German territory. After contacting a ham radio operator who has a similar watch at his operating station, it became... [Read more]

. What lights for your Christmas tree? Preferably the WS2812 - the WS2812 LED strip is distinguished from other strips by the fact that each LED can have a different colour at any given time. With classic PWM-controlled LED strips, all LEDs must necessarily be one colour, so the WS2812... [Read more]

. This inconspicuous module is based on the ESP32 C3 and offers a 1.44" colour display with 128x128 resolution, controlled via SPI protocol. Here I will show how easy it is to get started with it, how it can be batch uploaded remotely (via WiFi), how to display a simple animation... [Read more]

. OpenWeatherMap is a service that offers, among other things, access to current weather information for a given position on a map. This data can be easily retrieved with a single GET query, although we will need an API key beforehand, which fortunately can be obtained for free. Here... [Read more]

I present a teardown of a new device from Action namely the HDMI sync box for 129.99zł. Model: 6204000100 Supports HDMI: HDCP2.2, 4k@60Hz HDR10+ The device is connected between, for example, a console or satellite receiver and the TV. To it we connect the LED strip (84pcs 5050RGB... [Read more]