Articles

IoT heater controller

IoT heater controller thumbnail
The thermal insulation of my apartment not being the best, I decided to buy an electric heater in order not to freeze during cold winter nights. However, the one I got was probably too powerful for my needs and letting it run for too long would heat up my place too much. Thus, I added a wifi enabled controller to it so its operations are controlled by my home automation system.
Projects3D printingESP8266IoTElectronics

General purpose IoT button

General purpose IoT button thumbnail
Over the years, I have built multiple IoT devices ranging from AC controllers to ceiling lights. Usually, I would control those devices using my smartphone or computer but sometimes a physical button can be more convenient. Thus, I designed this simple IoT button which publishes MQTT messages when pressed.
ElectronicsIoT3D printingCADProjects

BLE presence detection

BLE presence detection thumbnail
I wanted my home automation system to detect when I arrive home so as to unlock my door automatically or let me know if I leave the apartment without turning the A/C off. I figured my smartphone could be used to achieve this since it is equipped with a vast array of sensors and connectivity options. For example, I could use an app like OwnTracks which would send an MQTT message once I enter a certain perimeter around my apartment. However, constantly monitoring one's GPS location is wasteful in terms of battery life. Another option would be to ping my phone's IP address to check if it is connected to the WiFi, but smartphones can sometimes take a while to connect. So, I decided to use BLE advertising, which does not use too much battery while still remaining constantly active.
ESP32ProjectsIoTBluetooth

Odroid XU4 server

Odroid XU4 server thumbnail
Having one's own server provides the ability to run web services 24/7. However, having a computer running all the time can significantly increase one's electricity bill. The objective of this project was to build a low power home server capable of running common software (Apache, Node.js, etc.) while only consuming little power.
3D printingProjectsLinux

Publish a module to NPM

This article is based on <a href="https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/how-to-make-a-beautiful-tiny-npm-package-and-publish-it-2881d4307f78/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">this publiation</a>.
TutorialsNode.jsNPM

3D printed bracket for fume extractor

3D printed bracket for fume extractor thumbnail
I got myself a fume extractor but it takes a rather large amount of real-estate on my desk. I decided to mount it on an arm so that I could easily move it out of the way so I designed and 3D printed an attachment bracket for it.
3D printingCADProjects

TypeScript setup

TypeScript setup thumbnail
A guide to setup a TypeScript project from scratch
JavascriptTypeScriptTutorials

Barking alarm

Barking alarm thumbnail
Dogs are great at detering burglars from entering one's home. This system brings the same advantage, without the need for an actual dog.
ElectronicsProjectsArduino

ESP32-CAM firmware

The ESP32 supports ov2640 cameras, which makes it an ideal platform for a DIY IP camera. For this purpose, I wrote a customized firmware for the ESP32 which provides the following features:
ProjectsESP32

Loading an Neo4J 3.X database in a Neo4J 4.X instance

Loading an Neo4J 3.X database in a Neo4J 4.X instance thumbnail
Importing data from a Neo4J v3 database into a v4 one can be a hassle. Here are the steps to achieve the migration.
TutorialsNeo4J