This morning saw a bumper crop in the post – including – the BitScope Micro which is a usb oscilloscope, logic probe, signal generator and much more. I already have nScope but I wanted something just a little more advanced as a general purpose tool. I even did an opening…
Month: March 2016
Spring Connector Wire Clamp Terminal Block
This is just too good NOT to share. Now if you’re already using these, my apologies – but as some of you know I’ve been living in a cave for several years (ok, so it has Internet)… anyway, like most old people, I use choc-block (shown on the right) ALL…
Pay Per Blynk
Updated 14/04/2016 after feedback from the designers and some more BLYNK development As of a few weeks ago, one of the contenders for the mobile IOT crown, Blynk, has gone properly commercial. Now that’s not necessarily a bad thing – but lets take a look at this in detail. A…
Life
I was just getting settled into my new office when BANG – a flood –not the global warming type but the crappy plumber type. So – right now the place is a bombsite and we’re sleeping elsewhere at least for tonight – indeed could be longer if they can’t get…
Sonoff to Mains Block
Just an update – today I was clearing out my office boxes and noted 4 old mains control blocks – the kind you buy at B&Q – the kind the cats lose the remote controls – these were a little bigger than some but I think the general principle applies…
Node-Red Thermostatic function
So – I was asked recently if I would go into detail about the Node-Red thermostat node I wrote some time ago.. I was at pains to point out that I’ve not developed this further because I’m finding FUNCTIONS to be more useful. With the latter it is easier to…
Updates
Just some minor updates… If you’re using Blynk server locally for your IOT there is a new update – a fix for crashing with Raspberry Pi 3 and some other fixes by the look of it – link is here. Incidentally I just rename the server file to server.jar and…
Imperihome Database
I’ve been asked to go into a little more detail about the database side of Node-Red with Imperihome So for example, let’s say you have a temperature sensor. My last blog on the subject shows you how to put the sensor up and show the current temperature. However, if you…
To Weather or not to Weather
That’s it – I’m giving up with OpenWeatherMap. I’ve been having trouble recently with it accepting Hexham,UK some days and not others and it is getting worse – when you look at it’s search list it says Hexham,GB (despite the fact that I have to put in UK and not…
Nextion WIFI Touch Display
This award-winning project ** is a development of previous (home control 2016) work on the Nextion touch serial displays and offers a WIFI-controlled (MQTT) touch display which can be used with the full range of Nextion displays from the little 320*240 display you see here, up to the 7” model. …
The Weather
I had a chat with my pal Jonathan today about the weather – and more specifically getting it into Node-Red. If you are building your home control with Node-Red at the centre then it is always nice to have information about the local weather to send off to your various…
Slampher unfolded
Just a quick one for those familiar with reprogramming the Sonoff devices…. the Slampher product.. you’ll have seen me ranting about Sonoffs – the incredibly low-priced mains control boards (no – I don’t work for them – but you cannot beat their price for WIFI controlled relay units) – and…