http://ajwilson.me/ Recent content on ajwilson.me Hugo -- gohugo.io en-gb Sun, 26 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000 http://ajwilson.me/posts/2022-06-26-cloud-wall-art/ Sun, 26 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000 http://ajwilson.me/posts/2022-06-26-cloud-wall-art/ What is it? This project is a little bit different and is more art than a ‘home automation’ piece that I usually focus on. It’s a cloud that will light up with a thunderstorm flash. You can see a demo here: It doesn’t necessarily serve a functional purpose, but I find rain/thunder relaxing. I’ve also been wanting to decorate my home office and make it feel a bit more cozy. http://ajwilson.me/posts/2021-09-05-tv-ambilight/ Sun, 05 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000 http://ajwilson.me/posts/2021-09-05-tv-ambilight/ What is it? The Phillips Ambilight system will take what’s showing on screen and light up behind the TV to give a more immersive feel. You can see this in action on the video below. As always, I wanted to make my own! It’s more fun than off the shelf solutions and often works out cheaper. You also learn something new in the process! These builds are well documented, so I won’t go into too much depth on each step. http://ajwilson.me/posts/2021-05-06-reading-corsa-d-canbus/ Thu, 06 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000 http://ajwilson.me/posts/2021-05-06-reading-corsa-d-canbus/ I’ve recently been developing a bluetooth to aux board for my car, as part of this I wanted to hook into the CAN Bus and listen for steering wheel control buttons. I couldn’t find concrete information and code online, so I thought I’d release this and some notes. You’ll need an Arduino, almost any variant will do, I used a Nano. You’ll also need an MCP2515 module. I was only successful in using one with a 16mhz crystal. http://ajwilson.me/posts/2021-03-05-bluetooth-to-aux/ Fri, 05 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000 http://ajwilson.me/posts/2021-03-05-bluetooth-to-aux/ My car isn’t the newest (2014 Vauxhall Corsa D) and lacks Bluetooth connectivity. A common solution to this is to have a Bluetooth to aux device. These can easily connect to the cigarette lighter or USB of a car and provide Bluetooth functionality. I tried a few popular options from Amazon but they all had their caveats. They all have something just off about them. I’ve had one always start at 50% volume so when you switch to the radio your ears get blasted, another would only start when you held the power button, regardlss of if it received power from the USB cigarette lighter or not. http://ajwilson.me/posts/2020-05-18-macro-keypad/ Mon, 18 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000 http://ajwilson.me/posts/2020-05-18-macro-keypad/ Why? I’ve always liked the idea of a little macropad that’s got some handy functions at my fingertips. For example, the first button on my keypad will switch audio between my headset and my speaker. Rather than mess with windows settings, I just tap a single key! The Hardware In order to create keyboard input we need a specific Arduino board, not all of them are able to supported ‘HID’ (simulating keyboards, mice, etc). http://ajwilson.me/posts/2020-02-12-ir-remote/ Wed, 12 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000 http://ajwilson.me/posts/2020-02-12-ir-remote/ Why? There’s a few times I’ve considered the Logitech Harmony product line. The products allow you to take all your Infrared Remotes and consolidate them into a single ‘transmitter’. This gives control through Android/iOS apps and there’s APIs that Home Assistant, Google Home and Alexa can all hook into. The problem is when Logitech decide to no longer support the firmware, or decide to lock it down. The API has an uncertain future which a single update could lock out Home Assistant users. http://ajwilson.me/about/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://ajwilson.me/about/