“Have You Tried Turning It Off And On Again?” – Roy. I recently purchased a Lenovo X1 Extreme Gen 3 laptop, which I normally use on a charger – at least for the majority of the time. I recently needed to use it a few times without a charger, only to realise the second time […]
I recently bought a UniFi Dream Machine Pro to replace the Cisco router used for my home internet (and inter-VLAN routing) function. I’ve really enjoyed using the UniFi wireless and switching gear, so I thought I’d try their router/firewall as well. On the whole the device is pretty cool, but they’ve clearly rushed it into […]
I’ve finally been able to start using a mobile phone mount on the clip-ons on my Ducati SuperSport S. It’s a 2018 build of the 2017+ model. I had an issue for a while with my iPhone 11 (or apparently any phone with optical image stabilisation), where the vibration from the handlebars would break the […]
I’ve been using the Deta Grid Connect 1 and 2 gang light switches with Home Assistant for about 6 months now – as mentioned in this post. The 3 and 4 gang switches have finally arrived, and having picked one up from Bunnings, I was keen to get it setup and the firmware replaced with […]
Sheldon: “I’d love to, but I’m too busy falling back in love with Windows 98.”Leonard: “Seriously? You haven’t used this desk in years. The second I want to get rid of it you’re up here working.”Sheldon: “I can’t talk right now. I have several thousand updates to install.” I’m very pleased to say that the […]
I recently bought a DETA Grid Connect Smart Switch from Bunnings, with the plan being to integrate them with Home Assistant, using ESPHome, or other user-provided code. I actually didn’t use ESPHome, but rather pushed my own code/image to the device. The device uses an ESP8266 compatible chip, with a product code of TYWE3S. I’ve […]
“Sheldon have you changed your wireless password again?” – Penny “Yes, it’s \”Penny get your own WiFi\”; no spaces.” – Sheldon Cooper I’ve been using Arduino devices for many years now, and often with the Freetronics Etherten units. I’ve recently started looking at the ESP32 microcontrollers for several reasons. The biggest reason is the increase […]
Sheldon: “But once you open the box, you’ve voided the warranty. The warranty is a sacred covenant we’ve entered into with the manufacturer. He offers to stand by his equipment, and we in return agree not to violate the integrity of the internal hardware. This little orange sticker is all that stands between us and […]
“Do, or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda. Well, I’m very pleased to say that the entire unit is now fully operational and deployed to the car. If you recall, this is the system that enables me to connect my phone to the car with Bluetooth, in order to play music from the […]
“I suggest a new strategy, R2.” – C-3PO. In part 3 of the journey towards providing Bluetooth connected audio in my car (integrated with the steering wheel controls), I was experimenting with a Bluetooth audio module that didn’t provide what I needed in terms of functionality. Therefore I ordered a different Bluetooth part from SparkFun, the […]
Hopefully Helpful Hints // Mike J McGuire 