A connected level regulator

By mvuilleu, in DIY and Internet of Things, september 01,2017.

The application that we discuss this week answers an actual problem that we encountered this Summer: how to replace an old float level regulator for a swimming pool, impossible to repair, with an alternative solution which fits in the same small sealed cavity. The main aim is to avoid expensive replacement work. If at the same time we can increase our control on the pool water consumption, it's always a bonus...

Yoctopuce-style light barrier

By martinm, in DIY and Internet of Things, august 18,2017.

You are probably aware of the problem: how to ensure a minimum of security when you back out of a private property in a car, without visibility. Most of the time, people simply back out really slowly and hope that no one bumps into them. But you are still at the mercy of a distracted driver. Hence the idea of a light barrier triggering a light signal to warn oncoming traffic of the danger.

DIY RGB LED bar lamp

By martinm, in DIY and Internet of Things, july 28,2017.

This week, we show you how to build a bar lamp based on RGB LEDs. It's easy and you will end up with something almost as pretty as those you may find in your favorite appliance store. Moreover, each LEDs can be controlled individually, which is not a common feature among design lamps.

How to detect leaks in an irrigation circuit

By mvuilleu, in DIY and Measures, july 21,2017.

Irrigation controllers are very convenient to avoid the garden watering chore, but they sometimes create disasters. As times goes by, and with changes in temperature, pipes tend to unbend and sometimes to separate at the joints, creating local inundations which can be devastating the vegetable patch, for example. Let's see how to detect leaks as quickly as possible...

Interfacing a Wiegand RFID reader by USB

By mvuilleu, in DIY and Electronics, june 30,2017.

Among the requests that we received in the past few weeks, one caught our attention more particularly: how to interface a Wiegand RFID badge reader via USB, using Yoctopuce modules. It's interesting because Wiegand readers are widely spread in access control systems, and they are readily and quite cheaply available on the net. The good news is that we now have a solution, using a simple Yocto-Serial.