News - Summer 2022

It's been a while since I gave an overview of my current projects. So here's a little update 🙂

WinDIY_2

I've been working on the second version of WinDIY for quite a while now. On the one hand, this is because I only work on it sporadically. On the other hand, I have also made a few changes to the planned concept in the meantime.

The following videos and photos will give you an insight into the current state of development.

Hub

The hub is the part that I first built completely and unfortunately only then realized that the construction could be simplified considerably. Instead of controlling each wing via a separate motor and electronics, in the new design all the wings are controlled in parallel by one motor.

This makes assembly less complicated, easier and also cheaper. You can get a few insights into the structure in the following videos.

printonTurbine

With the printonTurbine I want to test whether it is possible to build a Pelton turbine from 3D printed components. Similar to WinDIY or WinDIY_2, the structure should consist mainly of standard mechanical parts and 3D printed components.

The following videos and photos will give you an insight into the current state of development.

pxlBlck_16x16micro

The pxlBlck_16x16micro board is one of my latest PCB projects. It can be used to build a 16×16 pixel LED matrix. Only the LEDs are soldered to the board, which can be controlled (for example) by an externally connected ESP32. For example, the matrix can be controlled with the pxlBlck plugin or to play GIFs on it.

Incidentally, I used the SK6805-EC15 LEDs, which are only 1.5×1.5mm in size, for the assembly. The manual assembly was quite a challenge 😀

I bought the board from the board manufacturer PCBWay.com which has provided me with these free of charge. At this point, thank you again for the great service and cooperation 🙂.

See the following videos and photos for more details.

pxlBlck_10x11mini

With the pxlBlck_10x11mini board it is possible to build a 10×11 pixel LED matrix. In addition to the LED matrix on the front, the following components are also installed.

• ESP32 Wrover-B
• DS3232M RTC
• USB-C connection incl. programming option
• BME280 Climate Sensor
• Micro SD card slot
• TSL2591 Brightness sensor
• MPR121 touch sensor for up to 12 touch electrodes
• MAX98357 3W I2S DAC
• ADXL345 Accelerometer

I bought the board from the board manufacturer PCBWay.com who made them available to me free of charge.

See the following videos and photos for more details.

pxlBlck_ringMicro

With the pxlBlck_ringMicro PCB I want to realize a small version of the pxlBlck_ringClock. For this purpose, 60 SK6812-EC20 LEDs are installed on the circular PCB. This is the first time I have used an ESP32 PICO. I also changed the USB to serial converter from a CH340G to a CH340K. The latter is somewhat more compact and an external quartz is not necessary.

Further details about the components used can be found in the following list and photos.

• ESP32 PICO
• DS3232M RTC
• USB-C connection incl. programming option
• BME280 Climate Sensor
• Micro SD card slot
• TSL2591 Brightness sensor
• MPR121 touch sensor for up to 12 touch electrodes
• MAX98357 3W I2S DAC
• ADXL345 Accelerometer

I bought the board from the board manufacturer PCBWay.com who made them available to me free of charge.

See the following videos and photos for more details.

solarSens

SolarSens is my design for a modular weather station.

SolarSens can be equipped with various sensors. Sensors that need to be exposed to sunlight can be installed watertight on the "sensor phalanx" below the solar cell. For example, brightness and UV exposure can also be measured.

Additional sensors can be installed inside the weather station (e.g. temperature and humidity sensors). In addition, an SDS011 can be installed on the back of the housing to measure the fine dust concentration. The solar cell on the front supplies the electronics with energy and charges the built-in 18650 LiPo cells.

The measurement data can then be sent to your own SmartHome via WLAN, for example.

I am currently working on a new circuit board that will enable data to be forwarded via LoRa and/or GSM/LTE.

See the following videos and photos for more details.

pxlDigit24_mini

Another project that I have secretly completed in between is the pxlDigit_24mini . I installed the circuit board in an aluminum printed housing. I use black semi-transparent acrylic glass as a diffuser.

I ordered the circuit board and the aluminum 3D printed housing from the circuit board manufacturer PCBWay.com who provided me with both free of charge.

See the following videos and photos for more details.