Public posts from @matt@knight.fyi
It may not look like much, but I’m really proud of this. I wanted a mounting plate for our silcock and the ones I found were uninspiring - bare steel, multiple holes to fit different silcocks, etc. $15 + tax. So I decided to design my own. I designed this in Fusion, then sent it off to SendCutSend who laser cut it from 3/16” 316 stainless steel, tapped the holes and powder coated it. $66 for 2, so…
My digital microscope, hot air station and tweezers arrived. They made it much easier to swap the two 0402 resistors on my board - thanks to advice from folks here on how to do it. That’s the good news. The bad news is that I guessed I didn’t get the board totally dry after cleaning it with 70% IPA and I fried my ESD protection device. But, I can replace that now. And otherwise the board works.…
As disappointing as it is, I'm OK with it. This is a brand new thing for me, and I'm going to make mistakes. It's a cost of learning. That's OK. The question is what do I do next? The way I see it is I have two options: 1. Fix the issue with the schematic and order some new PCBs. Only assemble 2 of them to minimize costs (I only need 1 anyway). 2. Try and fix it myself. But at the very least I'd…
One of the biggest gambles was using really small components. I did it because size is a real issue with this project - it has to fit in a very small space. So I used 0402 resistors wherever possible. And the mistake I made was getting two resistors in a resistor divider for my voltage regulator backwards. 33k and 10k reversed on the schematic. Entirely my mistake. But they're both 0402 and that…
A couple of weeks ago I placed an order with JLCPCB for some PCBs - my first real such project of any significance. I ordered 5 boards, fully assembled which in hindsight was a mistake because it cost me a fortune in both tariffs and shipping. The good news is today they finally arrived and look amazing. The bad news is they don't work. 🙃 I knew I was taking a gamble, but it's still…
We’ve implemented new measures to protect our compost bins from the black bear. Our new electric fence is measuring 8.9kV. Per the recommendation, we’ve baited it with peanut butter. That should tickle when he comes back! # vermont # bear # blackbear # compost # garden # gardening # electricfence
Not today, bear. Not today. After he managed to open one of the supposedly bear-proof compost bins last week, we put them under the tractor rock bucket as a temporary measure until we get the electric fence setup. This is the first time he's been back since, and he wasn't very impressed. He isn't easily scared away though. Our floodlights and car alarm last week did nothing. He refused to move for…
Just got one of my more involved Home Assistant integrations online. We added a pressure transducer to monitor the water pressure for our pressure tank (where the well pump comes in). We have an Olimex PoE ESP32 there already and I decided to custom design and fabricate a PCB (first time ever) as a hat for an ADS1115 ADC and connectors. It works! So we can now monitor our water pressure in…
Oh, and in case anyone is interested in a TV that can be isolated from the internet yet integrated with Home Assistant, it's a Samsung QN32Q8FAAFXZA 32" TV.
It's hitting my DNS server once every 2 seconds for a CDN domain, and every 12 seconds for a time domain. Before I blocked those DNS queries, it was attempting (and failing) to reach them on port 443. I wonder if this still works: https:// syntaxslinger.com/posts/tricki ng-samsung-tvs-into-thinking-they-have-internet/ or if it will fail due to an invalid HTTPS certificate.... I've not seen it fall…
Oh no! /s What a joyous sight! Our new Samsung TV will never see the outside world. It's connected to our network via ethernet, locked on a VLAN so Home Assistant can connect to it, but it can see nothing except my local DNS server (for now). I've preemptively blocked its WiFi MAC address in case anyone ever accidentally tries to "help" by connecting it to the WiFi. Fully working with Home…
@ rickscully hey! Would you be open to chatting with me about your farm cam setup? I’m looking to do something similar and would appreciate some guidance. Can we connect via email or something?
TIL about `console.table`. How did I not know about this?! # webdev # javascript
Really enjoying my 3D printer for useful functional prints like these - a jig for aligning door trim, and some 135° brackets for my cabinets. I don’t expect the brackets to add a ton of strength, but while I’m moving them around on my own to get them installed, they help keep things in place. Worth a few cents of filament. # 3dprinting
Had to deal with a poopsicle on our RV today. If you’re not familiar with the term, it’s a frozen sewer hose. Ours is heated, but we’ve been lazy and leaving the valves open rather than jumping once a week or so. The slow steady flow combined with the prolonged cold spell (the average temperature here, day and night, has been just 17°F for the whole of January) caused it. It was just about has…
Reached a big milestone today - I got the transfer switch wired up to the electrical panels, so we finally have real power in the building. No more extension cords everywhere! And as a result, our GreenEye power monitoring system is now active too, so I can see power consumption for every individual circuit in Home Assistant. # building # electrical # diy # greeneye # homeassistant # selfhosted
Really happy with the Bambu P2S so far. I was up and printing within an hour of getting my hands on it. Already printed a benchy, scraper and some spool rings. It’s printing a poop chute right now and I’m wondering if there’s anything I can do to make the layer lines less prominent. Or is this just normal? I’m using the recommended settings from the model, and Bambu Basic PLA filament. #…
I have been re-architecting my self-hosted setup for public-facing websites, including my Mastodon server and my own personal website (linked in my Mastodon bio and verified). Watching the logs, I am getting a ton of traffic to my personal website from Mastodon clients, presumably due to the verified link in my bio. I'd never realized it was so much! Not a problem, just interesting (to me). #…
My first ever 3D printer, a Bambu P2S, is due to arrive later today. I've put two rolls of Bambu Basic PLA in my filament dryer. They did sit outside in the cold for a few days so I hope they're OK. # 3dprinting # bambu # p2s
On Sunday I finished painting the our new mechanical room, which means I can finally finish up all the wiring - both electrical and networking. There are over 20 power outlets, and just about as many CAT6 ports in this one small room. I have a second patch panel on the way so I can get the rack tidied up too. # building # networking # electrical # selfhosting # server