walk resources – coffee and pub stops and public rights of way
visitors this year: 171 places to drink and snack places to park Cambs & Herts council public rights of way maps South Cambs & North Herts cafes and pubs
Category: home & garden
light up the staircase with an LED strip and tasteless light effects
visitors this year: 1,341 see version 2 of this project here My initial want was for the stairs to have soft glow lighting … but what the hec, LED strip lights do more than...
diet: see your weight changing with a smart weighing scale
visitors this year: 1,065 A ‘smart scale’ that records my weight to a phone might be seen as ‘gadgety’ and unnecessary but I’m now many months into this and think it’s fabulous. Almost fact:...
buy the correct screw threaded adapters to mount a microphone and GoPro on a tripod or stand
visitors this year: 583 GoPro, microphone and camera fittings are so ridiculously different, so here are some pointers to help buy the right bits to mount them. In all cases, even a GoPro (below)...
Brompton rear rack bag – KlickFix alternative to the front carrier
visitors this year: 3,783 The good idea to mount a Swytch electric kit battery on the Brompton front luggage block had consequences. I’d lost a bestest way of carrying a bag. Searching for an easy-on,...
convert a bicycle to an ‘e-bike’ or electric powered bike
visitors this year: 1,249 when you want an e-bike and you don’t want another bike:
iPad LCD magnifier or microscope for SMD soldering or other close work
visitors this year: 348 , If you’re a casual electronics hobbyist like me, the idea of using a LCD magnifier or microscope may seem attractive. For example this music spectrum display kit requires soldering...
the Google Fit app helps record walking tracks, sleep, weight, bike rides and calories
visitors this year: 1,148 topics on this page: what do I eat? how does my weight change? do I get enough sleep? where did I go today? how does my body react to exercise?...
Huawei watch, Huawei watch fit new and Huawei Band 6 – useful, affordable smartwatches for 2022
visitors this year: 318 If you’re looking for a smartwatch, look at the Huawei Watch / Huawei Band 6 / Huawei Watch Fit New wearables If you’ve yet to get yourself a smartwatch I’ll...
sync Huawei Health watch data into Google Fit; Google Drive or fitness apps like Strava or Komoot
visitors this year: 16,178 … I can now see my Huawei health data in Google Fit and Google Drive. The Health Sync app acts as a go-between, and connects Huawei health to several other...
Robot arms reach out to the Raspberry Pi: this is art
visitors this year: 378 What’s going on? Hec, I’m in a room with robot arms and fingers twitching as they respond to social media. THIS can only be art but it’s art powered by...
addressable LED light strips put to use
visitors this year: 377 There are LED strip lights where every LED can be doing something different with the result that you can create peculiar effects. You can start with a commercially available kit...
addressable LED light projects
visitors this year: 369 There are ‘analogue’ LED lights on a tape that do a fine job of creating interesting lighting. All the LED lights on the strip usually do the same brightness or...
Dim display problem on large LED digital clock
visitors this year: 1,474 The digits at one end of a large LED clock displayed much more dimly than they ought. I’d say they were about half the brightness – and it was quite...
jura coffee machine repairs
visitors this year: 1,235 … how to service or replace the brewing unit on a Jura coffee machine and many other fixes. It might be assumed that if you can afford the BMW of...
Cheesecake recipe – Jewish style
visitors this year: 9,206 Some cheesecakes are set with gelatin and have a smooth, jelly-like texture. This cheesecake is baked and sets due to its whipped egg. When chilled it has an appealing dry,...
owning a marquee – garden tent
visitors this year: 412 A garden marquee is quite the thing in times not only when only outdoor mixing is allowed but also when you live in a climate with rainy summers. This page...
Sandstone patio – install, seal and maintain
visitors this year: 757 Here is advice to save money without affecting what you end up with. In short: your patio is going to end up looking like it was going to end up....
Countax mower repairs – C600 – year 2008
visitors this year: 2,867 A page where I record successful repairs as they happen. The parts list on my 2008 C-series is downloadable below. Steering Problem – can’t steer – cog not engaging to...
how to know when the washing machine has finished
visitors this year: 932 If you need to know when a device, like a dryer or washing machine has finished working, get a ‘smart plug with energy monitoring‘. Amazon list many of them but...
automated fade up dimmer for analogue LED Strips – using a MOSFET and ESPhome
visitors this year: 8,610 This ceiling ‘coffer’ is lit by four 5m LED strips – each is cut to fit the space. When my kitchen lights turn on they fade up in a few...
what is the temperature of your oven? how to cook reliably with an inaccurate oven
visitors this year: 1,272 Ovens may have digital controllers or analogue temperature controllers and cooks seem to have blind faith in their settings. In this household the cooks were burning food so I checked...
how to integrate 433MHz temperature & humidity sensors with Home Assistant
visitors this year: 6,386 A home automation platform, such as Home Assistant, allows you to monitor temperature on graphs using sensors placed around the home. Monitoring temperatures allowed me to turn on/off my heating...
XANES 2606-8 headlamp review, tips, instructions (aka ynport, teyli)
visitors this year: 431 This insanely bright headlamp / flashlight is excellent for hobbies, camping and cycling. Here are a few instructions to use it well This flashlight (aka torch) requires 2 x 18650...
coping with 18650 batteries with and without button tops
visitors this year: 2,432 I discover my bicycle headlamp wasn’t working because some 18650 batteries have a button top. Oh my, that was embarrassing to admit The 18650 ‘battery’, like many batteries, is named...
use Google lens to search the Internet using a picture or photo
visitors this year: 749 Here’s what to do when a restaurant asks you to scan a QR code for their track and trace (written in 2020). And here’s how to identify a plant, an...
T4EU1C and Home Assistant
visitors this year: 885 a 3-gang wall switch for your home automation – using eWelink, T4EU1C and Home Assistant I got to a point where I had plenty of ‘smart’ lights and gadgets but...
project: plot the temperature of your fridge-freezer, pet home or fermenting wine on a history graph in Home Assistant
visitors this year: 1,966 In a previous project I set up temperature sensors in my room and sent the data via Bluetooth to Home Assistant, the home automation platform. Home Assistant is software that...
recycle laptop 18650 lithium batteries in a DIY power bank
visitors this year: 1,290 If you could look inside an old replaceable laptop battery pack like this you’d find 4 or 6 cells. Usually the cells are 18mm diameter, 65mm long and are called...
the buttons to press to reset a Toshiba laptop when the lithium battery can’t be removed easily
visitors this year: 4,288 Sometimes a laptop goes into a comatose state that no amount of charging or on-offing can end. The solution might be to try the following. If you’re desperate do them...
project: plug-in energy meter with graphs of energy use over time
visitors this year: 836 ‘Smart meters’ and metering devices usually measure the electricity used by the whole house*. However I prefer to pay attention to the electricity used by individual devices, such as a...
best uses for a smart socket
visitors this year: 289 smart sockets have uses. A smart socket adds a little cleverness to a table lamp or electric heater. They connect to your Internet wifi though some work on local 433MHz...
433MHz smarter letterbox – for when you don’t want to walk to the letter box
visitors this year: 1,311 see also more about 433MHz devices The letterbox is five doors and fifty metres from my desk. The uncertainty of the postie arriving in the afternoon means that I make...
estimate energy bills – the cost of living
visitors this year: 128 This quick post is for anybody wondering how much money they need to put aside for energy. If you don’t use electricity for keeping warm, your summer and winter electricity...
smart sockets vs smart bulbs – introduction
visitors this year: 173 smart bulbs and sockets have select uses. A smart socket adds a little on/off cleverness to a table lamp, electric heater or the printer upstairs that takes five minutes before...
calculate how long is the day
visitors this year: 1,589 … and see how to add features to the Home Assistant display An interest in solar energy is a possible reason to record the sun’s azimuth and the time of...
project: smart thermostat – nest and hive
visitors this year: 2,063 The Google nest thermostat (or its Hive equivalent) are devices which I’d be happy to pay for and recommend. A DIY person could make a thing to turn on the...
comparing the cost of fuels for heating
visitors this year: 1,754 I am the person who wants to know if using an electric fan heater in one room costs less than heating the whole house using gas*. At parties I can...
project: an immersion heater that turns itself when the water is hot – using a Sonoff POW relay.
visitors this year: 1,301 Domestic hot water can be heated by a gas or oil central heating boiler or by an electrical immersion heater. I take advantage of half-price nighttime electricity and use an...
