Poor man’s spectrum analysis with the RFM12B – scanning the 868MHz band to check how noisy my chosen channel really is.
Spectrum analysis with RFM12B
RFM69 to MQTT gateway using ESP8266
An RFM69 to MQTT gateway on the ESP8266 – Andrey Balarev and I wrote the missing RFM69 driver to bridge sub-GHz nodes to Wi-Fi.
Free signed SSL certificate for my blog
After the DDoS and daily hack attempts, this blog now runs on a free signed SSL certificate – how I set it up.
Funky v3 with RFM69CW using LowPowerLab’s RF69 library
Running the Funky v3’s RFM69CW on LowPowerLab’s native RF69 library instead of Jeelib – what changes and what you gain.
Using RFM69CW instead of RFM12B
Swapping the RFM12B for the pin-compatible RFM69CW – +30% range and better sensitivity for roughly the same price.
Speech generation with Node-RED
Speech generation with Node-RED: the house reads notifications aloud so I stop picking up my phone 50+ times a day.
DIY Internet of Things Fire Alarm
Wiring a 9V smoke alarm into my home automation system with a Funky – SMS, Pushbullet and email alerts when it goes off.
You watch too much TV
Measuring my son’s actual TV time by logging the TV’s power draw to emonCMS – house rules are easier to enforce with data.
NodeRED RFM2Pi to emonCMS gateway
Replacing my python gateway script with Node-RED: RFM2Pi packets decoded and forwarded to emonCMS in a visual, easy to extend flow.
Funky v3 and YAPM project files now on github
Funky v3 and YAPM Eagle design files are now on github – a tiny low power wireless Leonardo and a cheap power monitor, free to build.
My dog as smart wireless DVR sensor
My dog turns out to be an excellent motion sensor – correlating her barking on the DVR with alarm events, 25km from Sofia.
In-memory SQL analysis of emonCMS feed
In-memory SQL over emonCMS feeds – min/max/avg analysis without touching the underlying database directly.
Tweeting my house’s power usage as sparkblocks
Tweeting my house’s power usage as sparkblocks – unicode sparklines squeeze a full day’s trend into a single tweet.
Keypad as USB keyboard
Turning a matrix keypad into a USB keyboard with the Funky v2 – convenient numeric entry for a few projects in the pipeline.
Home voltage analysis
405835 AC mains voltage measurements later – analyzing six months of logging the unusually high voltage at my house.
The YAPM PCB is done
The YAPM (Yet Another Power Monitor) PCB is done and preliminary tests pass – built between a new job and scarce hobby hours.
Hot water tank controller project – part 2
Hot water tank controller part 2: code finalized, a week of runtime, and a small HTML page driving it through an emoncms.org feed.
Smart IoT solar hot water tank controller
A smart IoT controller for my solar hot water tank – mode switching (manual/auto/anti-freeze) driven by an emonCMS feed.
Funky v3 PCB populated
Funky v3 PCBs populated and briefly tested – double-row headers soldered on the test unit, first impressions of the new board.
OLED status display on the RFM2Pi board
The RFM2Pi board gets a 6 pin port that happens to exactly match the Digole 0.96″ OLED – instant plug-on status display.
Funky v3
Funky v3: a major reshuffle of the v2 board routes 8 more pins (D9, D7, D12, D6, A3, A4, D0, D1) to pads in the same tiny form factor.
Yet another power monitor
Yet another power monitor – this one runs off a small dual-winding transformer that both powers the circuit and senses voltage.
Thoughts on AVR ADC accuracy
How accurate is the AVR’s internal bandgap battery measurement? Comparing it against a Fluke 27 and digging into the datasheet numbers.
emoncms base-station with SD card based .ini file configuration
An emonCMS base-station configured from an .ini file on SD card – no re-flashing a NanodeRF for every user-specific setting.
CR2032 battery discharge pattern
9 months and 10 days on one CR2032: the discharge pattern of a coin cell powering a Funky v1 + DS18B20 room temperature node.
Clapping to control RF power sockets
Clap-controlling RF power sockets with a Funky v2 and a cheap sound sensor breakout – silly, fun, and it works.
Door sensor
Toying with a cheap magnetic reed switch door sensor – wireless open/close events for doors and windows via a Funky.
Rock-solid RFM2Pi gateway solution
A rock-solid RFM2Pi gateway: after killing several SD cards, the Pi now boots read-only and survives every power failure.
Raspberry Pi root file system in read-only mode
Mounting the Raspberry Pi root file system read-only – the next step after USB flash also proved corruptible on power loss.
Every μA counts
Every μA counts on battery powered wireless nodes – the hardware and software tricks I use to keep sleep current microscopic.
Non-contact AC detection
Non-contact AC detection with a 1M resistor and a wire antenna – testing insideGadgets’ trick and learning why it works.
Trying out bistable/latching relay
Trying out a Ciseco bistable/latching relay – a brief pulse to switch, zero holding current, pretty cool for battery projects.