After trying to choose a new thermostat I decided to make my own home automation system.

Progress below is in reverse chronological order – the top update is the latest one.

Final Assembly

1. News flash: math verified by real world observation
2. Math + facts = suck
3. But can math actually help in the real world?
4. Version 1.0
5. Unsexy and unexciting
6. The march towards ultimate truth continues.
7. Lets change everything at once
8. Space temp + delta: (-2.14748e+08) is less than SP: 70. Activating space heating
9. PotatoCam II
10. On the back of a screaming Harley

VPSB – Vic’s Power and Serial Board

The VPSB is done!  Assembly of the whole kit and caboodle is above.

1. I don’t mean to be boastful, but yeah I’m kind of awesome
2. Holy cow, it works
3. Don’t inrush into things
4. Seriously…
5. The failures just wont end
6. The expansion board is officially named: VPSB
7. Life in the past
8. Gratuitous pictures
9. Limit systemd intake
10. Limit crack intake
11. Chic background
12. Dull razor blades
13. Slow going
14. Failure is becoming second nature
15. To PWM the photovoltaic isolator or not to PWM the photovoltaic isolator
16. Here we go again

Vic’s IO Board

This is a weird place to be at.  I never thought I’d get here.  The journey of design of the IO board is essentially done.  Sure there are improvements to be made and challenges to be met with regard to assembly, for example, but overall the design is complete.  Everything below this paragraph is centered on the IO board.  Everything above is centered on the development of the Beaglebone power and serial cape.

1. … It did not turn out to be a train
2. Light at the end of the tunnel
3. Like a dog chasing his own tail
4. Nothing but violence
5. The magic hexadecagon
6. Software work and testing
7. Low level fault or fault low level
8. It’s alive!
9. The year-end retrospective
10. Modulo addressing
11. I break I fix
12. A horse is a horse, of course, of course, but what is a screw driver
13. Second board is complete
14. Perhaps this stuff should be left to engineers
15. Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?
16. I grind, you grind, we all grind for valgrind
17. The RC low-pass filter to the rescue
18. Webshit 2.0 — security through annoyance
19. Holy shit it actually works
20. I’ve made a huge mistake
21. So many failures, so little time
22. The turkey has landed. I repeat the turkey has landed
23. Lost in shipment
24. [almost] dead-short, this time on purpose.
25. The cape
26. Only girls cry
27. One of sixty five
28. This stuff is hard
29. The wonders of modern tools
30. Down the uC rabbit hole
31. Switching rails using lasers
32. Bling Bling
33. The current loop simulator
34. The first schematic
35. We have output
36. The blue LED is blinking
37. The beginning