Wiegand data lines idle at 5V, and the ESP32 is not 5V-tolerant. You don’t need a level-shifter IC or a resistor divider — a single signal diode does the job, and it does it better.

A look inside a fully local, cloud-free Home Assistant installation — 1,900 entities, 66 automations, 20 rooms, and a Raspberry Pi 4 running the whole house.

Physics project redesign built for school STEM experiments — 7 measurable improvements over the Thingiverse baseline, including solid-spoke wheels, universal chassis cradles, and an axle string-release mechanism.

MicroPython rewrite of the Impression 5 giant calculator — 9-digit NeoPixel 7-segment display with 20 physical buttons, running on ESP32 or Raspberry Pi Pico.

Rugged printed case for a Raspberry Pi 2/3/3B with a 2.2" 320×240 6-button TFT display — purpose-built for running Raspbian Lite with a minimal but complete physical UI.

Printed holder mounts the Aqara Motion Sensor P1 to standard US 1" × ¼" peg board — quick to reposition wherever peg board is present.

Blocks internet access per-device on a schedule using OpenWRT nftables rules, with a Home Assistant dashboard toggle for manual overrides — no third-party apps or cloud dependency.

ESP32 ESPHome device that monitors a Carrier furnace — reads a differential pressure sensor for filter restriction and a phototransistor to decode blink error codes from the status LED.

ESPHome config for a Wiegand keypad reader built on a thin-edge philosophy — the device only captures input and relays it to Home Assistant. Now folded directly into the garage’s RATGDO board instead of running on its own standalone ESP32.

Wall-mounted friction-fit holder for the Bond Bridge BD1000 RF blaster — quick mount and unmount to a wall panel for home automation use.

Printed secondary scoop that cradles the litter scoop during transport — catches droppings that would otherwise fall through the wire tines on the way to the toilet.

Slim snap-fit case for the Wemos D1 Mini ESP8266 — optionally adds external LED holes and a 6.5mm clip for mounting to a laptop display. Pairs with ESPHome and Home Assistant as a simple status indicator.

Printed arch that straddles a plug to keep foster kittens from pulling out power cables — parametric Fusion 360 source included for other plug sizes.

Printed nightstand cradle for Samsung S10/S22 wireless charging — self-aligns the phone’s charging antenna to prevent overnight misalignment.

Printed shims to extend exterior hose bibs (sillcocks) away from recessed wall paneling — multiple depths included, with a removable wedge for retrofitting.

Cable/PCB adapter that converts any VirtualAccess/GW power supply connector to a standard USB-to-TTL/3.3V serial adapter for quick debug access on Westermo GW-series devices.

Daughter PCB that exposes the internal USB port externally on the VirtualAccess GW1152 router from Westermo.

Structural reinforcement of all 1,400 seating positions across the original pews at St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing, Michigan — installed during the 1968 renovation and individually assessed and repaired.

Two ESPHome configs for a SONOFF S31 smart plug that auto power-cycles a device when it stops responding — one using ICMP ping loss detection, one using Home Assistant API connection loss.

Clip-on holder turns an Aqara Water Leak Sensor into a Christmas tree bowl water level monitor — no more dry trees.

Python tool for validating cellular SIM activation on a Digi WR21 router — auto-detects carrier, cycles through known APNs, and reports results via a 2-line I²C LCD with RGB rotary encoder interface.

Arduino library for reading an array of photocell (LDR) sensors with a sliding-window moving average and configurable threshold detection — supports multiple sensors with individual sample rates.

Arduino Micro Pro HID device that prevents screensavers when room lights are on — uses a dual-criteria light-change algorithm to distinguish light switches from gradual daylight changes.

Interactive museum exhibit at Impression 5 Science Center — visitors use RFID tablets to explore botanical migration routes on a lit map, with green/red LED feedback guiding correct selections.

Arduino Mega replacement for Impression 5 Science Center’s giant calculator exhibit — custom LED display and keypad controller using big-number arithmetic.

Handcrafted walnut presentation box with finger-jointed corners, flocked cedar interior, and custom mounts for four silver candlesticks and a copy of Les Misérables — a gift marking the ordination of Bishop Robert J. McClory.

Eagle CAD Arduino Mega shield PCB designed for Impression 5 Science Center exhibits — standardizes wiring, connectors, and power for the Giant Calculator and Genome Map projects.

Raspberry Pi Zero W chore tracker — physical buttons and NeoPixel LEDs show daily task progress in a tactile, screen-free display for kids.

Custom Arduino shield redesigned for an intro Arduino class after SparkFun discontinued the original Danger Shield — adds improved components and layout while keeping the same hands-on exercise set.

A quick hands-on demonstration giving novice users a concrete feel for what an Arduino is, what it can do, and how easy it is to get started — progressing from blinking an LED through buttons, analog I/O, servo control, and sound.

CNC-milled collapsible upright piano shell built to replace hauling a real piano to exhibitions — assembles via slots, holes, and pegs with no tools, and disassembles flat for storage.

Detroit Maker Faire demonstration reproducing Edison’s original incandescent light bulb — pencil lead as the filament, D-cell batteries in a PVC pipe as the power source, and a glass bottle as the envelope.

Non-blocking, interrupt-driven Arduino library for the VLSI VS1053 audio decoder chip — streams MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, WMA, and WAV from SD card over SPI.

Life-size Connect Four built for Detroit Maker Faire to show that not every great maker project needs electronics — foam disc pieces, a magnetic placement stick, and simple enough for a 6-year-old to play.

The electronics half of the HarpsiGourd — 15 pumpkins wired as capacitive touch keys driving a Music Maker MP3 shield. Pairs with the CNC Faux Piano shell for exhibition use.

Oversized playable Tetris built from 200 addressable RGB LEDs across a 10×20 grid, controlled by an Arduino with a Wii Nunchuk. Presented at Detroit Maker Faire and used in the Lansing Silver Bells parade float.

Exercise bicycle with an automotive alternator powering a Jacob’s Ladder spark display — the spark activates when the rider hits 88 MPH on the speedometer. Shown at an early Detroit Maker Faire.

Full LCARS-style bridge simulator — hand-built capacitive touch consoles at every station, BSG 2003 aesthetic, support craft, narrated training, and spectator viewer portals.

A fully open source, 38-foot, 4-lane pinewood derby timing system built for Cub Scout Pack 2222 — Arduino Mega, custom PCB, IR sensors, solenoid starting gate, and 7-segment displays.

Arduino Mega sketch for sequenced Christmas lights using Vixen lighting software — supports daisy-chaining multiple Arduinos for up to 51 channels per board via serial passthrough.

A MagiQuest wand duel kiosk built for Maker Faire Detroit — two players wave their wands, one wins. Started as an ATtiny85 DigiSpark and later grew into a full NeoPixel ring display with EEPROM config and learn mode.

Reverse-engineered the IR protocol between Syma toy helicopters and their controllers using Arduino, enabling cross-control of multiple choppers or repurposing the controller for other devices.

Arduino library for measuring free RAM at runtime — critical for debugging out-of-memory crashes on AVR boards with as little as 2 KB of RAM.

The original non-blocking, interrupt-driven Arduino library for the SparkFun MP3 Player Shield (VS1053) — superseded by the generalized vs1053_for_SdFat library.

Decoded the MagiQuest IR wand protocol on Arduino — extracting each wand’s unique serial number and a swish-magnitude field — then built an IrSonicWand emulator that learns and replays any wand’s identity, with sound.