Junkyard

  • Simple tablet charge controller using Sonoff’s ZBMini

    Simple tablet charge controller using Sonoff’s ZBMini

    I’m using an Amazon #FireHD tablet stuck to my fridge with several magnets and 3D printed case as a #homeassistant dashboard. I read it’s bad for the tablet’s battery if it’s constantly plugged into a charger. Battery can swallow or worse. So I installed Sonoff’s #ZBMini (Zigbee) smart switch into…

  • Dishwasher saga part 3 (it wasn’t a microswitch!)

    Dishwasher saga part 3 (it wasn’t a microswitch!)

    As I wrote in my previous post I was so happy when I finally discovered what’s wrong with my 20yr old #Bosch #dishwasher. A faulty microswitch. Except that it wasn’t. The joy was over after a day and the symptoms returned: I disassembled the dishwasher for the 23rd time. Added…

  • When did I change the batteries in my sensors?

    When did I change the batteries in my sensors?

    Last month I learned about the integration which helps track battery change status in various devices connected to #homeassistant. Today I finally had some time to install #HACS integration (source) called ‘Battery Notes‘ which was written by Andrew. After the installation and HA restart, it automatically found my #Aqara battery…

  • Home Assistant and breaking changes (27. 12. 2023)

    I’ve been running #homeassistant for 2 years now and have never dealt with breaking changes. Until today. 1st breaking change: #ESPHome entities are unavailable After updating Home Assistant Core to 2023.12.4 and ESPHome to the latest (Dec. 2023) I’ve noticed ESP entities marked as ‘Unavailable‘. Moreover, all entities had duplicates…

  • Pimp my dishwasher part 2

    In my previous post, I wrote about measuring the consumption of the dishwasher using a Tuya smart socket and Home Assistant. The bottom line was that buying a new one doesn’t pay off. But there’s more to it. Knowing how much it consumes per washing cycle I found an issue…

  • How much electricity does 20y old dishwasher consume (Tuya Zigbee smart socket test)

    Aliexpress Santa delivered a cheap (10€) Tuya smart socket (Zigbee version). I have several Aquara smart sockets (SP-EUC01) around the house that work really well in #homeassistant. But they cost 20-25€. I wanted to test the #Tuya smart socket this time. Not sure exactly which model it is, Aliex… markets…

  • The water meter experiment failed successfully

    This, my dears, this is how to fail spectacularly:I wanted to measure my home’s water consumption and track it in Home Assistant. I failed (for now). Read on to find out what happens if you buy all the correct components, follow the instructions but fail to check the type of…

  • Sorry because of testing messages

    Hi there! I’m trying to fix the #Activitypub plugin for #WordPress therefore you will probably see some random test messages. Sorry for that and please bear with me. I’d really like to make it work. There is a glitch somewhere in my home lab setup and I am still searching…

  • Blogger to WordPress migration

    Today I’ve managed to transfer my old (13+ years) blog posts from Google #Blogger (Blogspot) to #WordPress. It was surprisingly easy: Surprisingly, publication dates are intact. I’ve also noticed images are still linked to Blogger. At the same time, I find images from Blogger in my Media library. I’m puzzled.

  • Energy dashboards in Home Assistant

    Energy dashboards in Home Assistant

    I spent quite some time configuring the Energy dashboard in #homeassistant. My primary objective was to track how much electricity my home consumes, how much my micro #PV produces and how much I return to the grid. Finally, this is the result: Today is a cold and sunny day, so…