Creative Blasterkey MP3 External Power Mod
How to use Creative’s BlasterKey MP3 with a dedicated power source.
Category: life hack
Power a Laptop without a Dedicated Power Adapter
I am often given laptops for repair/cleanup. However, not everybody brings the power adapter along. Anyone who has ever dealt with laptops knows from experience that pretty much every make/model has a different kind of power socket, even though they pretty much have the same power requirements. In this quick …
Custom Development Boards To Speed up Development
(This article is updated regularly as I create new development boards. The new ones are towards the bottom of this page.) Over the years I have created several development boards and breakout boards. Despite their cost (time, effort, money) they are invaluable investments for development. They simplify and speed up …
Geeking out on a DOA Wifi Smart Light Bulb
Introduction Recently, I have tried a number of cheap WiFi smart bulbs. Usually, they arrive OK from China (although they are in serious need of weeding all the spyware in them), but this particular one failed to do more than a quick flash when I switched it on. No WiFi, …
Broadlink Smart Bulb Conversion to Open Source
Introduction Recently I have come across some smart LED light bulbs that came in different sizes, shapes, functionalities and manufacturers. One thing they share is that they all do their “smarts” over a WiFi connection for which you need to use a smartphone and one of the many apps that …
Expert tip: Add More Flash Memory to your Sonoff Basic Wifi Smart Switch
Introduction The Sonoff Basic Wi-Fi Smart Switch is an inexpensive wireless smart switch for anyone who wants to remote control and/or automate electric devices around the house or workplace. Unfortunately, it suffers from the same privacy issues as many of the inexpensive consumer grade smart devices, like the one in …
Privacy Showcase: How to Use Smart Devices without Ewelink/Internet
Recently, more and more consumer devices are available to make your home “smarter”. While they can make our lives a bit easier, comfortable, most of these smart devices also give rise to a number of privacy concerns as well as usability/reliability issues: The mobile apps (i.e. Ewelink, Smart life, etc) that …
Installing OpenWrt on D-Link DIR-600 Router
Introduction The D-Link DIR-600 is a consumer grade router. Although it’s not a new model, it is still a very capable router at a price tag and feature set that is difficult to beat. Also, OpenWrt can be installed on it to make it even more capable and more configurable. …
Fridge Magnets from your Own Photos
Introduction This is not a pure DIY project in the sense I also used a third party company to achieve my goal. Nevertheless, it’s a fun and pleasant one if you like photography as I do (I am also a photographer). In this article I will describe a novel way …