Articles

. I prove that it is possible to measure instantaneous power and watt-hours consumed with the cheapest bicycle meter, a phototransistor and a resistor :) You only need to: - take the plus battery out of the meter - cut the reed switch from the cable and identify which of the two wires... [Read more]

Ultrasonic PWM with soft start for speed control of a DC motor. . The circuit was created out of the need to smoothly regulate the speed of a VAG automotive wiper motor. The motor drives the knot toaster shaft via a 2:1 gear ratio. Previous methods using two motor speeds and two voltages... [Read more]

. Here I will test the eWeLink LED light controlled wirelessly via the Zigbee protocol. I will pair it with Home Assistant and see what its integration with Zigbee2MQTT offers. I purchased the LED bulb, also incorrectly known as the 'LED bulb', from a Chinese portal with free shipping... [Read more]

Here's details and pinouts for the EARU model EAKCB-EWE-M circuit breaker, purchased from AliExpress in Jun 2025: There's 6 rivets holding the case; you can just drill them out and then the case opens easily. The circuit breaker is rated up to 63A; the relay is marked at 60A maximum.... [Read more]

. Here I will show how to easily run an external Flash memory with any microcontroller based on software SPI. I will discuss here the operation and meaning of the different operations (read, write, erase) and implement them in code. The topic of using such memories seems interesting... [Read more]

. I would like to invite you to a presentation of the interior of an older Crown Japan radio alarm clock model CR-S9028, designated DIGITAL LED-Uhrenradio. The unit offers FM reception in the 88-108 MHz range and AM reception in the 540-1600 kHz range. It is equipped with an LED display... [Read more]

Sonoff R5 Scene Controller is a battery-powered 6-gang remote wall switch featuring three different button events (click, double or hold). It is usually paired with Sonoff Gateway, but here we will show you how you can pair it with ESP32 Tasmota device and use it with Home Assistant... [Read more]

. Hello. I have received an ATLO-V1-TUYA actuator for repair. It allows remote control of a water or gas ball valve (opening / closing). In order to function properly, it is necessary to connect it to a Wi-Fi network with internet access. The fault manifested itself in a lack of control... [Read more]

. A switch is a device that connects different equipment on a network and allows them to exchange data. A switch differs from a router in that it is used to network multiple devices, whereas a router also connects different networks. A switch is often used when you are short of ports... [Read more]

As proposed by @pkaczmarek2 I'll try to share some ideas for my OpenBeken IoT firmware extensions and features here, starting, "as requested" ;-) with the extended DS18(B)20 driver. The code is in PR #1627 I'll start with some information and screenshots, but I would be glad to get... [Read more]

. Home Assistant's graphical interface is based on the powerful Jinja2 template language. Jinja2 is used to process sensor data, create conditions in automations or dynamically format messages. To make working with Jinja2 easier, Home Assistant offers a convenient Template Editor... [Read more]

. Have an old tablet that's been sitting in a drawer for years collecting dust? Give it a second life and turn it into a control panel for the Home Assistant - the mini project shown here is very simple, and gives you full control over your own home automation. You don't even need... [Read more]

PCBWay is a leading multilayer PCB manufacturer known for its exceptional speed and efficiency—offering lead times as fast as 12 hours. We specialize in advanced PCB production across a wide variety of materials and technologies, including FR4, flexible printed circuits (FPC), aluminum,... [Read more]

. "Vibe coding" is a term used to describe programming based entirely on code generated by artificial intelligence. The programmer then just briefly describes his requirements in natural language and the LLM (language model) translates this into code. Proponents of this method praise... [Read more]

I recently received a message from Kalesh Sasidharan, the founder behind the Sciotronics project, who asked me to share his solution with the community. And honestly—why not? It’s a clever idea, and the Kickstarter campaign has already proven it’s got real interest behind it. The... [Read more]

. Today we are plugging another product into Home Assistant. This will be the gembird TSL-PS-F4U-01-W power strip offering four separately controlled 230V sockets and two USB sockets with a current capacity of up to 2.4A. I'll show the inside of it here, and then discuss modifying... [Read more]

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]

. I invite you to a detailed presentation/tutorial of the Configurator, a visual system for creating building automation of the Polish F&Home . I will show here step-by-step how it looks like to create action scenarios without any programming - everything will be assembled from... [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]

Hello everyone. I once bought a Chinese 8mm film scanner (which supports both normal 8 and super 8 format). While there are no particular problems with super 8 format when scanning, it is worse with normal 8mm. The situation is that 8mm film stock often came in 2x8mm format (this... [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]