Articles

Hello I would like to share with you a project that I did some time ago. In July, I bought an eclectic scooter in Lidl with a seat and a basket. I thought that it would be useful to do some security and ordered a GPS locator from the Majfrends. By the way, I thought about a phone... [Read more]

Hello my dear friends. I invite you to a short test of another 'smart' relay module for smart home, this time RR400ZB aka TS011F, based on Zigbee communication. I will test its operation with Home Assistant, present its interior and at the very end I will sketch its schematic. Product... [Read more]

Smart home is becoming more and more common as technology advances, this article will focus on the security aspects of intelligent access control design. This article uses the STONE touch screen to send commands to the MCU to control the relay and MFRC522 module. Card reading principle:... [Read more]

Let me present my own constructions of my own performance. I have presented them very briefly / roughly in another topic, not in this section, here they will probably be subject to professional evaluation / criticism. Maybe they will inspire someone, help someone, building prototypes... [Read more]

Hello my dears. I'd like to invite you to a short test of the Tuya/SmartLife WiFi-controlled can switch/dimmer, model WF-DS01. Here I will show its interior, discuss how it is built, draw its schematic and finally I will also show on an oscilloscope how the triac power control looks... [Read more]

The presented controller is used to convert the system with an OLED display to a color LCD display. The controller was built on the HK32F030MF4P6 microcontroller (they were cheap, I still have some left :) ) Source code in the attachment, so possible conversion to STM32F030 or other... [Read more]

Hello Sometimes a man needs some unusual generator or quartz. You have to wait 2 days or 2 months for an order, and I am too stingy to buy a proprietary generator, so what? You have to do something yourself. For a long time I had an idea ... Something small, I set the frequencies... [Read more]

Hello, here I will sho the teardown, detailed photo documentation, PCB analysis and schematic drawing of another Tuya product. This time it will be a controller for 4 relays, pluggable into a DIN rail, controlled as usual via WiFi via a phone application. Update 2022 - This device... [Read more]

. A programme for certified smart home installers - FIBARO EKIPA - was launched in May. Installers receive a cash bonus for purchasing FIBARO devices. The opportunity to participate in attractive incentive programmes organised by the manufacturer of smart home solutions is only the... [Read more]

Hello. Here I will present a quick test and teardown of the Tuya TH06 LCD clock/thermometer/hygrometer powered by USB. I will briefly explain how to pair with the phone, show the functionality of the mobile application, and then I will proceed to tear down part, and last, but not... [Read more]

Hello. I will present here my own little project, the Fubarino-Eth board offering USB and Ethernet connectivity based on the 32-bit PIC32MX795F512H (512KB Flash, 128KB RAM) and the famous ENC28J60. This board is my version of the famous Fubarino-SD 1.5 from fubarino.org / schmalzhaus... [Read more]

Hello my dear friends. I will present here a short test and teardown of the famous Sonoff smart relay in the Zigbee version, the Sonoff BasicZbr3. I will check if it can be paired with Home Assistant via Zigbee2MQTT on CC2531, take a look at its interior and try to sketch its partial... [Read more]

Hello. Here I will describe the step-by-step process of replacing the WiFi module from a smart device. We usually do this replacement when we want to remove the WiFi module from the inside, which we are not able to program and replace it with something more popular, e.g. a module... [Read more]

Hello my dears. Here I will present an idea for practical 3D printing: the Makita BL1830 18V battery adapter. This topic will cover the design and printing of an overlay compatible with the contacts of the BL1830 18V battery pack and will form the basis for further projects, primarily... [Read more]

Today we are looking inside another WiFi-controlled transmitter compatible with the Tuya application, confusingly similar to the well-known Sonoff, available for purchase for about PLN 20. We will check on what system it is implemented and whether it can be uploaded with its own batch.... [Read more]

ESR, or Equivalent Series Resistance, is the equivalent series resistance of a capacitor, expressed in ohms [Ω]. It turns out that a real capacitor does not behave solely as pure capacitance. In the simplest model of a real capacitor, the ESR, represented as a resistor connected in... [Read more]

It's full of grilling time, and since I don't have a plot, and somehow not so much on the balcony, I have come up with my own little garden, so I sometimes decrease to the H0 scale 87 times. I present an electrostatic grass planter for mock-ups. If you prefer - a flocking machine... [Read more]

. Hello my dears. . Here I will test a 'smart' WiFi QTouch light switch/dimmer, pair it with the eWeLink Android app, analyse its design, demonstrate tapping into its communication protocol on the UART (communication between ESP and UTF microcontroller) and draw a schematic. I will... [Read more]

Today I would like to present the old structure in a new version. In 2012 I built a hi-gain based on a Fender preamp and a modified Mesa DR (Hellstone?), Which I called Angels? Massacrator. It was built so that 6N2P and ECC83 lamps can be used at any position. Each base has a glow... [Read more]

We have probably heard the term "magic eye" referring to the tube technique many times, but few people, especially the younger ones, know what it is about. So I will explain what we are dealing with. The so-called Magic eye is a vacuum electron tube whose task is to signal the voltage... [Read more]

In fact, I thought about publishing this material here on the forum for quite a long time. My concerns relate to the safety of such a repair. However, while browsing the internet, a dozen or so pages presenting a similar activity and the number of sold DC power cords for laptops,... [Read more]

I have a very useful device to present in the laboratory of dental prosthetics for the final processing of metal structures ("flash"). 3D printing made it possible to produce the most closely matched, necessary elements of a magnetic stirrer, adjustable rod clamps, ventilation ducts... [Read more]

Admission Recently, an interesting console fell into my hands - Daryar DY-636N. I gave it the nickname "Mini NES" because at first glance it looks very similar to the original NES. Only a closer comparison reveals that it is slightly smaller and lower. Its extraordinary advantage... [Read more]

Hello Here I will present a step-by-step process of writing my own open source firmware for the XR809 / XR3 WiFi module using the example of a door opening sensor. My firmware for it will be compatible with Tasmota HTTP protocol and will allow it to be used independently of the manufacturer's... [Read more]

Hello, here I will test another Smart Home device, this time based on Zigbee protocol: cheap Tuya temperature/humidity sensor with an LCD display, model TS0201. I will try to pair it with Home Assistant by using Zigbee2MQTT plugin. Then, of course, I will also do a short teardown... [Read more]

Here I will present short teardown of an old sat tuner Kathrein, model Innovatron UFD 41 260211 and then I will try to show the operation of some more interesting parts from inside and discuss their use in DIY projects. I will try to get running here, among others, RF modulator (ALPS),... [Read more]

Hello my dear. I will present here the Aqara door / window opening sensor model MCCGQ11LM. I will pair it with Home Assistant via Zigbee2MQTT, show its operation, interior and present the automation possibilities it offers. Aqara door opening sensor The sensor was purchased on one... [Read more]

Hello my dear. Today we will test and watch another product designed for a smart home, namely the WiFi-controlled WL-SW01_16 16A relay from Tuya. We will check on what elements it is implemented and whether it is possible to upload an alternative firmware to it. Purchase WL-SW01_16... [Read more]

Hello my dear. Here I will test a WiFi driver / dimmer for a single-color LED strip compatible with the SmartLife application. Then I will show its interior and sketch its diagram. I will also check how high the currents it can withstand and repair a minor defect that will arise as... [Read more]

Hello Somehow recently after mounting to mine powerbank the Quick Charge module, I wanted a trigger for such devices. As I did not smile to spend PLN 40 on such a crap and I did not have more sense than the desire to have it, I decided to do something with the litter. There was another... [Read more]