As of version 1.5.61 (now on 2.3.18 or higher) of the Home Control 2020 code, I’ve expanded the {debug} command considerably, added new Hitachi display commands and introduced a new MQTT topic called “otacomplete”. Here is the Bitbucket repository for the ESP8266 project, referred to also as ESP-GO. The Hitachi…
The Nano Peripheral Update
I mentioned recently in an entry aimed at beginners, that I’ve been installing “the script” and my ESP8266 code on various devices. I now have a backed-up Raspberry Pi 3B+ board set up for testing, with the latest Raspbian and fully up to date Node-Red nodes including my own and…
Arduino Peripheral for HC2019
As many of you know, I don’t have a great deal of time for Arduino for WIFI/Ethernet – I cannot tell you how many months I wasted on those daft cheap Ethernet boards for them which never really worked reliably no matter what I did – so I probably have…
HC 2018 Experiments
Throughout the development of the Home Control 2018 project I’ve constantly had the software tied a via a serial umbilical to my PC to monitor passing messages, make sure all is well etc. and to periodically check on RAM space to make sure nothing I’m doing is running away with…
Raspberry Pi Serial Port
Over the past couple of years, I’ve installed operating systems on a number of little boards and I have to say, that while the Raspberry Pi with Raspbian is generally the easiest when it comes to enabling GPIO, the serial port can be a pain. Here is how to ease…
MCH K305D Power Supply
I just received a neat little switch-mode power supply in the post from Banggood, the K305D. This neat supply runs up to 30 volts output (fully adjustable) and up to 5 amps (constant voltage or constant current) with 0.01v resolution and 0.001a resolution on the blue LED displays. The unit…
The Spanish Project
Over time, I’ve trialled many mobile user interfaces for my home control endeavours, from Blynk, through MQTT Dashboard (and variations), Imperihome and the Node-Red dashboard (not to mention its predecessor Node-Red-Contrib-UI). For a while I settled on Imperihome but they were dead set on focussing on supporting every device known…
Prototype PCB Manufacturing and JLCPCB.COM
So, printed circuit boards – or PCBs to most of the electronics COMMUNITY. My friend and one-time business partner has been designing them for around 35 years so he has been through just about every way of laying out a circuit that there is. This means that he started out…
Electric Iron Soldering Kit
This is much better… I’ve just received a complete “electric Iron Soldering Kit”. Here are links.. US: https://ebay.to/2Hs5tO2 UK: https://ebay.to/2ERnmQY As some of you know, I am waiting to move into our new accommodation and meanwhile much of my tech kit is in cold storage – very frustrating. I have…
A Short Piece About Webmin
When referring to “the script” which installs Node-Red, Mosquitto, SQLite and a host of utilities onto Raspberry Pi and other boards and forms the basis of all of my installs, I rarely mention Webmin, as it is just part of the furniture… however this morning I noted that my test…
Sonoff 4CH PRO R2
It is always exciting to get something new in the post from Itead and the current postbag includes a Sonoff 4CH PRO R2 unit. This enclosed 4-relay switching unit operates from 5-24v or mains (90-264vac) as required and has four uncommitted outputs with normally-closed and normally open options rated at…
USB Soldering Iron TS100
I’ve been kindly sent a rather neat tiny soldering iron my the name of TS100. Here are the links: UK: https://ebay.to/JOYaOC and CA: https://ebay.to/2HrYJQ5 This unit comes in a small box with nothing more than the iron (with tip separated for storage) and an allen key with two spare small…
Home Control ESP Software Branding at Last
For far too long I’ve been sitting watching others give their ESP8266 home control software branding without following the trend. Having just spend umpteen solid hours updating the software, I’m taking the opportunity, merely for clarity, to go with the trend, The ESP8266 software, used extensively here and by blog…
The Script and ESP8266 Code for Beginners
I’m often asked about setting up MQTT, Node-Red etc. on the likes of Raspberry Pi, NanoPi or similar, with a view to controlling ESP8266 devices. Novice readers start here Usually it is difficult for me to see this from a beginner perspective, but having spent 2 months in hospital thanks…
Ruideng UM25C USB Colour Display Tester
You may recall I have, elsewhere in here, blogged about Ruideng power supplies. The Ruideng UM25C USB tester unit comes in a handy metal container without leads. There is almost no info with it but a PDF document is available online. A snug fit in the hand, the UM25C does…
IKALOGIC WS200 and SQ200
In today’s mailbag I received a box containing an IKALOGIC WS200 hand held scope and an SQ200 logic analyser. These French-made units are oscilloscope and logic analyser respectively and they arrived in attractive packaging, directly from IKALOGIC in Limoges, France. Translations to English are spot-on, if only some others used…
Maker Faire Newcastle on 28th 29th April 2018
This year, Maker Faire is at the Science Centre in Newcastle Upon Tyne on 28th and 29th of April. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet up with like-minded enthusiasts, everything from traditional crafts to hi-tech.
Mustool G600 Microscope from Banggood
Some time ago, Banggood send me a Mustool G600 Microscope. The intended use for this was and is as a visual aid when assembling and testing small electronic boards (that’s what I need it for anyway). The scope is excellent for this as it is adjustable from just a few…
More of my Postbag
It could take some time before I’m fully fought up with my various postbags, here is some more: Yokogawa TY720 True RMS Digital Multimeter In the last entry I looked at the UNI-T UT61E Digital Multimeter in this entry I’ll talk about the Yokogawa TY720 True RMS Digital Multimeter. The…
First reviews of 2018
Thanks for your continued patience, everyone. Following on from my little mishap in December, which has effectively prevented me from blogging or making YouTube videos from mid-December onward, I plan to start doing some blog writing with more detailed blogs and videos to follow perhaps in April/May when I’ll also…