Dad, Energy Scavenger, Electronics, Software, Fabrication. PhD Computational Neuroscience but off-grid nerd in my spare time. The technology around that last bit is what this is all about. #OffGridhttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3mjyww2ovl22rNow regretting making the prototype the same size as the final product. #fatfingers21 Apr 2026 12:04 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjyww2ovl22rhttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3mjsaup3lj22tRecapping an old inverter. They'd had it.18 Apr 2026 20:14 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjsaup3lj22thttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3mjrqhwzzvc2tWhen you're off-grid and reliant on stored solar energy, do you install enough PV panels to cope with winter and waste the extra output in summer? Auto-charging an electric car with any surplus makes the car part of the Battery Management System, protecting my meagre 26kWh battery with a 90kWh sink.18 Apr 2026 15:20 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjrqhwzzvc2thttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3mjk6zt6fi22mWindMonitor v1.0 A Darrieus VAWT mounted to a soil pipe mast on a wheeled IBC base, + long range telemetry and a PTZ camera. Cobbled-together it may be, but it has just completed 6 months' service providing daily wind data in the top field. Next, a version that might actually generate electricity.15 Apr 2026 15:19 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjk6zt6fi22mhttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3mjhw2th2kc2mTesting out a new 4kW array prior to loading onto a tracking mount. Now I just need to work out a tracking mount.14 Apr 2026 17:34 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjhw2th2kc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3mf5am6yld22wI wanted to see if electronics design is going down the same AI drain that way software engineering appears to be, so I tried flux.ai. Short story even shorter: We're fine. They did, however, get the engineering behaviour right in that it ignored what I was saying and did its own thing anyway ..18 Feb 2026 14:02 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mf5am6yld22whttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3meb5myyaf22oFed up with your cheap security camera's buggy, half-arsed software? Can't trust it not to P2P your images around the world? Then buy one for £18, rip out the electronics and replace them with your own. This prototype is plain ESP32-based, but the final design will be an S3 on a custom PCB.07 Feb 2026 09:54 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3meb5myyaf22ohttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3m2ra57r63s25Well, someone's enjoying the sunshine :)09 Oct 2025 13:10 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3m2ra57r63s25https://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3lx7xhizysk22Washing machine gave up a few days ago. The BLDC Motor controller was to blame - 20 days and £160 for a full replacement, so decided to repair. Getting the thing out and removing the 3mm conformal coating on both sides of the PCB for diagnosing and H-Bridge replacement made me wish I hadn't.25 Aug 2025 12:04 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3lx7xhizysk22https://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3lvbo4e3pec2xI've been meaning to get this little lot together in one place for some time now.31 Jul 2025 17:31 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3lvbo4e3pec2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3lvbnclq3vk2xI grew up on these streets https://crpgaddict.blogspot.com/2021/07/game-421-dungeons-and-dragons-1-1977.html [contains quote post or other embedded content]31 Jul 2025 17:17 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3lvbnclq3vk2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3lrwzkptpts2qWhat’s common knowledge in your field, but shocks outsiders? Some computer Flash Memory relies on electrons 'magically' transporting from one side of an insulator to another via quantum tunnelling. [contains quote post or other embedded content]19 Jun 2025 07:41 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3lrwzkptpts2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3log3neeoes2tAlcatraz is still going to attract tourists, but not in that way .. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cze17n02gego05 May 2025 09:48 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3log3neeoes2thttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3lo7t6fap522yI just found one of my original photos of the fingertip. Even in 2017 it was possible to squeeze a MEMS pressure sensor, temperature sensor, microphone, opamp and ADC onto this tiny PCB. Around the outside is wound a nichrome heater. The 'skin' is moulded RTV silicone.02 May 2025 22:00 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3lo7t6fap522yhttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3lnisza4kss2cI love it when I can re-purpose an old PCB for a new project. This is a prototype water quality (TDS) sensor. The electronics were originally part of a biomimetic robotic fingertip sensor that I designed nearly a decade ago. It has a nice low-noise op-amp and I2C ADC on it which found use here.23 Apr 2025 18:26 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3lnisza4kss2chttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3lmclkmb7ks2wEverything's getting smaller, except my fingers :(08 Apr 2025 13:32 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3lmclkmb7ks2whttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3ljdtltotyk2lEu-Can has a bit of a ring to it, don't you think?01 Mar 2025 21:13 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3ljdtltotyk2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3lilssa3w4c24Good times. https://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3lilpanqvqs2z [contains quote post or other embedded content]20 Feb 2025 07:54 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3lilssa3w4c24https://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3likarmkrgc2zThanks MapQuest! gulfof.mapquest.com19 Feb 2025 16:59 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3likarmkrgc2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3li3syyyin22cBloody hell, Canadian Bacon (1995) was a bit prescient wasn't it? https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109370/13 Feb 2025 23:16 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3li3syyyin22chttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3li2wiafb7k2cThey may have had their wobbles in the past, but frankly I don't think the Nobel Committee are that dumb.13 Feb 2025 14:45 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3li2wiafb7k2chttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3lhbjn42qe22aFeels like a slow-motion car crash being played at Benny Hill speed.03 Feb 2025 12:19 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3lhbjn42qe22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3lh7msjq3l22aGot macular degeneration? https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article255317698/Aufruestung-Ich-sage-es-Ihnen-ganz-deutlich-Wir-muessen-uns-auf-Krieg-vorbereiten.html02 Feb 2025 18:10 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3lh7msjq3l22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3lh7i7ysark2aQuick and cheap ESP32 USB programmer made from an old NodeMCU D1 I had kicking around. Just remove the ESP8266 keeping the parts associated with the CH340. Only needs using for the original programming - all updates via OTA.02 Feb 2025 16:48 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3lh7i7ysark2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3lgq6blzgnd2oBeautiful visualisation of Storm Herminia right now: earth.nullschool.net#current/wind... https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/1000hPa/orthographic=-3.29,49.22,260027 Jan 2025 14:40 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3lgq6blzgnd2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3lggeqfn6r22oWhoever thought USB-C was going to standardise anything other than power was a gaslighting bastard.23 Jan 2025 17:09 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3lggeqfn6r22ohttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3lgdhw3yfws2o3 years behind the curve, my new Rokid Air AR glasses arrived today (AliExpress £133 excl, although once in the UK they were given to Evri, so obvs lost, found & delayed for a week before they got to me).22 Jan 2025 13:28 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3lgdhw3yfws2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/droffgrid.bsky.social/post/3lgauojwm4c2nDeactivated my X account today. Can't I be on-time for anything? www.helloquitx.com https://www.helloquitx.com/21 Jan 2025 12:38 +0000at://did:plc:zo3nhhfdcehzc6ngiesg2e3e/app.bsky.feed.post/3lgauojwm4c2n