Articles

. 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]

. F&Home is a fully customisable, Polish home automation system offering unified integration of wired and wireless solutions. Automation in F&Home is created using a comprehensive, visual system based on Node-Red and control from phones is via the Fox app, also compatible... [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]

. Here I will show a garage door controller that can be easily changed in software so that it works 100% locally, without the cloud, and connects to Home Assistant. Here is the ATLO-GDC2-TUYA, available to buy for just PLN60. Normally it works with Tuya, but it is built on CB2S, so... [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]

. Here I will introduce the ATLO-S1IP5-TUYA external 'French' socket, offering control via WiFi and (emergency) via a button on the case. What sets it apart is that, in the series I tested, it is still based on the ESP8266, so Tasmota can be uploaded. The whole thing is purchasable... [Read more]

Hi, I have finally decided to share the design of a home automation system that I have implemented at my home and has been running successfully for several years. To begin with, I would like to describe the assumptions and general outline of the whole thing and in the following parts... [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 PLN1,250, although I sometimes see used pieces being sold much cheaper. The detector itself is quite capable, as it offers graphical imaging of the conductive... [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]

Here I will demonstrate how the internal flash of the Xradiotech/Allwinner XR806 (and XR809 - see note at bottom) can be read to file in Windows. Although there is not yet an OpenXR806 cloud-free alternative firmware to use on devices that have the XR806 at heart, flash firmware backups... [Read more]

. The LZWSM16-1 is a single Zigbee-controlled 'relay' module measuring 39x39x20mm, it works with a classic switch and does not require a neutral wire to operate, so it will probably find its place in many a box. The whole thing normally works with the manufacturer's gateway, but it... [Read more]

. How to create a simple automation in Home Assistant ? How to trigger an event with a door sensor? How to automatically turn on a light? Here I will try to show you - step by step. The topic assumes that we already have a Home Assistant set up with a paired door sensor and relay.... [Read more]

We will soon be reporting extensively on the testing of the F&Home smart building system by F&F Filipowski. We have familiarised ourselves with the new release of the system, which is based on new software and the new FOX mobile app. We will present you with our findings from... [Read more]

. The Remote Control Transceiver (RMT) on the ESP32 is a special hardware module that allows precise generation and reception of timing signals such as IR and RF control. Here I will show how to run it and use it to operate the WS2812B diodes, which are known to need a fairly precise... [Read more]

I've created a moving average modification for OpenBeken (BL0942+BL0937) for power and current values. Thanks to this, you can smooth the fluctuating power and current values, ​​so that they are more informative at first glance. So, if you have energy measuring devices like these... [Read more]

. Most leds with a GU10 mount are quite difficult to convert - access to the WiFi module is difficult and you usually have to take the whole housing apart to change the firmware. However, I recently found a model where this procedure is much simpler. There, the WiFi module is located... [Read more]

. Here is a short tutorial showing how to run a 2.5" 240x240 ST7789 display with an ESP8266. I will present here two separate ways, the first will be based on a library from Adafruit and the second will come down to running the TFT without external libraries. In this way, I am preparing... [Read more]