This is where I keep the things I’ve built, some on my own and some with friends. They’re all about tinkering with tech to automate or simplify everyday jobs, from home automation to a Raspberry Pi that waters the garden and an ESPHome fish feeder. I hope they give you a few ideas, whatever your level.
What’s here
It’s a mix of personal and joint projects, and they all come back to the same things I enjoy: home automation, DIY electronics and solving problems in slightly creative ways. Twenty years in IT plus a love of taking things apart means there’s always something on the go.
Highlights
- Monitor your Ubuntu servers in Home Assistant using MQTT. A lightweight agent that puts your servers’ CPU, memory, disk, IP addresses and pending updates on your Home Assistant dashboard, with a reboot button and one click updates.
- Ubuntu 24.04 AutoPatch script. A script that keeps Ubuntu servers patched without you having to babysit them. It installs updates, handles kept back packages, and reboots when needed, picking up where it left off afterwards.
- Home automation setups. How I’ve set up my own smart home, from lights and appliances to voice control and remote access.
- Raspberry Pi garden irrigation. A fully automated watering system built on a Raspberry Pi. Sensors and pumps water the garden based on soil moisture and the weather, which makes gardening a lot easier and saves water too.
- ESPHome fish feeder. An off the shelf Ilonda fish feeder given a new brain: an ESP8266 running ESPHome. It feeds on a schedule, can be triggered remotely, and means the fish are looked after even when we’re away.
- Working with friends. Some of the best ideas come from building things with friends. We aim for projects that work, can be copied, and can be adapted to suit you.
Build your own
Each project comes with step by step instructions, code and a parts list where it needs one, so you can follow along and make your own version. If you improve on one, or you’ve built something you’d like to share, I’d love to hear about it.
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