Home AutomationProgramming and Code
04 November 2026 23 min read
A small Python service that watches the front door step through an ESP32 based network camera and sends a notification through Home Assistant when a parcel has been left
14 October 2026 8 min read
How we capture video from vintage computers and games consoles, using a SCART to HDMI converter, a 1980s analogue TV tuner and a second-hand Kramer VP-770 scaler feeding into OBS.
10 October 2026 10 min read
How to turn an old low-power PC into an offline knowledge server with Project NOMAD on Debian 13, including a standalone Wi-Fi access point.
11 September 2026 3 min read
This year has two website anniversaries. It's twenty years since the first post went up on this blog, and thirty years since I built Virtual Swanage, the community site for my home town
17 August 2026 16 min read
It’s been nine years running our DIY pick and place machine using the same software and it’s time for some upgrades to the software as well as changes to the hardware with an Elgato Stream Deck and new picker nozzles
10 August 2026 13 min read
Using a Microchip/Atmel ATmega32U4 to create a ModBus to MQTT Ethernet Bridge for a Solis 1.5kW Solar PV Inverter to log data with Home Assistant