Author Archives: robert

Fawlty USB3.0 controller card — quick DC-DC regulator check

Posted on September 17, 2015 by robert

This card is pretty good, when it works. Transfer-speeds were fine, close to 100MB/s with an external USB3 disk. It works nicely with Linux – plug and play. Then the problems started…

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It looks nice on graphs, but there’s so much to not understand

Posted on September 11, 2015 by robert
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“Easy” remote-admin — static systemd service

Posted on September 9, 2015 by robert

In the previous two posts we dealt with the script ‘after.local’, which is a remnant on openSUSE of the ‘init’-days, before systemd became the standard. After looking more closely, it turns out that there is a ‘unit-file’ for ‘after.local’ backward-compatibility. … Continue reading →

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“Easy” remote-admin — take 2

Posted on September 8, 2015 by robert

In my previous post I described a method for a boot-activated remote-admin option for my parents’ computer. On 2nd thought, it is not always a good idea to rely on changing system-wide configurations (such as sshd_config, firewall…) In this post … Continue reading →

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“Easy” & quite safe remote-admin for parent’s linux machine

Posted on September 7, 2015 by robert

Yes, I know about KDE desktop sharing, FreeNX and relatives… and again yes, this is nothing new, but someone might still find it useful. I wanted and needed something simple, something that could be activated in the bootloader menu (grub … Continue reading →

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Spontaneous LED bulb teardown — OSRAM AA66588 [10W]

Posted on September 5, 2015 by robert

Yes, yet another power-supply failure!

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Looking for a new job…

Posted on September 2, 2015 by robert

Just to be on the safe side, not being guilty of lack of initiative, I post this on here as well ;-) I seek permanent employment in Germany, willing to move almost anywhere (*). By education I’m a physicist, dealt … Continue reading →

Posted in Dear Diary. | Tagged | 2 Comments

IKEA Samtid mood-light BT firmware — simple_serial

Posted on July 9, 2015 by robert

This firmware for the ISML + HC-05 Bluetooth module currently implements the same simple interface as the current WiFi-code named ‘browser_control’.

Pairing the ‘HC-05’on linux using the command line (openSUSE 13.2): When first powered on, the HC-05 module will … Continue reading →

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Importing LEDs from China — Battle with customs follow-up

Posted on July 3, 2015 by robert

Behold, the stickers of DOOM… If you should find any of these on a shipment to you, prepare for battle!

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HZA — Won the battle, but not the war

Posted on July 2, 2015 by robert

I ordered a couple of WS2812B on Aliexpress more than THREE months ago. Boy what trouble that has conjured up! The seller on Aliexpress now probably thinks I’m a crook, because I missed an email that asked me to provide … Continue reading →

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Status lamp on the loose — Partial oven teardown

Posted on July 2, 2015 by robert

ARGH! I can’t be having with that! I do hope this lamp is a low voltage one…

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Soldering for masochists — LED indicator 0402 edition

Posted on June 26, 2015 by robert

Purple circuit boards are available on oshpark. $2.30 for a three-pack (free shipping).

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ISML + WiFi — ESP8266 finally tamed, but…

Posted on June 19, 2015 by robert

Preliminary testing of WiFi control using the ESP8266 module.

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ISML killed 1st power supply — short autopsy

Posted on June 10, 2015 by robert

Last night I experienced a slight audible annoyance, coming from the #ISML power supply (5V-3A). Shortly thereafter the light literally went out, permanently. I noticed a very faint smell of burnt electronics, but delayed the autopsy until today.

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Throwing out old trash — impromptu tear-down

Posted on June 8, 2015 by robert

Everything must go! What a good excuse to “Take it apart!” ;-)

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“Still at war with customs” — yet another letter from the HZA

Posted on June 3, 2015 by robert

To be honest, I’m not looking forward to opening this letter… …but there is no way around it.

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Small project #14 — KIS-3R33S breakout — with citrus smell !

Posted on May 20, 2015 by robert
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vuW6tQ0218″

Not “pining for the fjords”, but pining for the boards!

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Small project #13 — AVR-ISP level shifter (VCC+I/O)

Posted on May 9, 2015 by robert

Bought a cheap AVR-ISP programmer on Ebay, and you find out that while it does provide 3.3V, it is VCC-only & your device is NOT 5V tolerant on its I/O pins. BUMMER! This little board fixes just that issue. All … Continue reading →

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Small project #12 ⅔ — IKEA Samtid mood-light BT firmware

Posted on April 28, 2015 by robert

A user of the “new” version of the lamp has undertaken the heroic task of writing the Bluetooth code for controlling it! Here’s a sneak-peak:

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The “at war with customs” saga continues

Posted on April 27, 2015 by robert

Today, a Sunday, I discovered a letter in my mailbox. A LETTER FROM CUSTOMS – >> MAIN OFFICE

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