Electronics

Mazda Miata MX-5 Rear LED Strip Console Controller

Who wants one? Saddle over to this page for more info on how to get your hands on a flavour of this. May 2022 Phase IV: Just finished what I hope to be the final iteration of this project. I've been searching for a wider colour IPS display and found one that will do (for now :-). Ideally, I'd like to fill the full area below in order to properly display the seatbeat and airbag…
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Electronics

ESP8266 Window Sensor with OTA and Deep Sleep

I was looking to boost my home security by adding window sensors. Something small and obscure so it would not stand out. I landed on this axGear sensor unit. It is small (70 mm x 20 mm). However, there was only one problem - it comes with proprietary software that I'm not sure I can trust. I also intended to integrate it with the ecosystem of devices I've created which I manage using Blynk. Of…
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ESP8266

ESP8266 Fancy OTA Form

If you are a user of the ESP8266 OTA web update feature you're likely familiar with the above form when doing updates to your project over the air. Well, I'm going to show you how to spice up the form visual (hint - it's easy!). I just added this to my WIoT-2 Weather Project, which now makes updating a breeze. Background: There are a number of ways to do OTA updates on your ESP8266 (or…
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3D Printing

WeatherCloud – IoT

So, my son's been bugging me to get him some of those LED strips for his room.  You know the ones that you see on Amazon with the remote controls.  I couldn't just go with status quo, so instead with a little grit and some free time I got on the LED cloud bandwagon and built him something a big puffy cloud with lights - what every teen wants right? ;-) What is it? It's…
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ESP8266

COVID-19 Daily Stats on a Nextion HMI using ESP8266

While Covid-19 picks a fight with humanity, keeping busy and your mind clear is important for all of us. In addition to getting out on hikes and biking with the family, what better way to pass the time than to built IoT stuff! Since I had a new 7" Nextion HMI screen sitting around just waiting for a project, and had some vacation time, I decided to buffer up my skills and get to work.…
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Electronics

Basement Disco: NeoPixel Music Sync with MSGEQ7

I didn't have a lot of time in 2019 for projects as much of it was dedicated to finishing the basement. A year ago it was nothing more than concrete, storage and dustballs. Took the job on myself and did everything except hanging drywall and mudding (I hate that part). Best part of doing your own basement is you get to hack in all the bits and pieces necessary for future projects - like LED…
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3D Printing

3D Print: Electronics Soldering 3rd Hand

After years using my reliable PanaVise, it was time to step it up with some extra help for soldering and electronics work.  I had this idea over a year ago, and pick-up some 3rd hand arms. They then sat on my   Now that the weather is cooling down, there's more time for hobbies.   That, and my eyes are not what they used to be, so this has become somewhat of a necessity.   Given MCUs…
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Arduino

Nextion TFT LCD – Why you need one!

I'll start this by stating that I don't work for iTead, and nor am I getting any sort of   I just really like this TFT LCD.  I stumbled upon the Nextion (which is a slick easy-to-use TFT LCD with a HMI editor) when they had their first crowdfunding campaign a year or so ago.   I ignored it as there was not a lot of documentation, and frankly, I really didn't understand the concept of…
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3D Printing

WIoT-2 Weather and Home Automation – Nextion with ESP8266/ESP32

This is a continuation from my first iteration of WIoT weather station.  What is WIoT-2?  I use it as a cloud-connected (IoT) info center of sorts.  It is a culmination of information my wife or I often look for either on our way out of the house, or when we come home.  It displays current/forecast weather, temp/humidity from outside the house (this), date, time, our local waste collection schedule, currency rates, the status of our garage…
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Arduino

ESP8266 – Lessons Learned

I've gotten enough ESP8266 projects under my belt to have a few lessons learned to share with you.  The ESP comes in many flavors.  One of my favorites is the NodeMCU.  I also like the Adafruit Huzzah WDT Reset Error: This error was the bane of my existence for quite some time.   When experiencing this, you typically see your sketch run and fail.  Using the Serial Monitor and carefully placed statements, you can usually…
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