bluemind.org

Driving Electric Heaters with OpenHAB, Pilot Wire and Wi-Fi Sensors

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 09:58:04 +0000

Replace aging 433 MHz heater controls with a modern OpenHAB solution using pilot wire, Shelly Wi-Fi temperature sensors, MQTT and window sensors. Learn how to build reliable room-based heating automation with external temperature regulation.

XMG Pro 16 m25 under Linux: Maximum GPU Power and Gaming Performance

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 18:17:32 +0000

Discover how to unlock the full potential of your XMG Pro 16 m25 under Linux. From GPU power tuning and CPU undervolting to automated gaming scripts, get the ultimate performance for gaming and work.

Raspberry pi powered wall mounted tablet

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 21:00:55 +0000

Discover how to build a low-maintenance, Raspberry Pi-powered wall-mounted tablet for home automation. Full guide: hardware, software, kiosk setup, and automated slideshow features.

GitOps driven Openhab in k3s

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 21:11:13 +0000

Discover how to run OpenHAB in a GitOps-driven, Kubernetes-native setup on K3s. From deployment definitions to secrets management and notifications, learn how to build a fully reproducible, “as code” home automation system.

Cloud at home with minimum toil - PXE / Proxmox / Saltstack / k3s

Sat, 01 Feb 2025 19:11:36 +0000

Explore a streamlined approach to setting up a home cloud environment using PXE boot, Proxmox virtualization, SaltStack automation, and lightweight Kubernetes with k3s. Achieve efficient deployment with minimal effort.

Converting a Tuya power plug to ESPHome device

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 20:52:18 +0000

A lot of "Tuya" Wifi devices can be flashed with opensource firmware. This is the cas of a Powerplug I bough which I integrated in OpenHab

Amstaga : Odroid XU4 powered neo-retro computer - Amiga style !

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 20:53:23 +0000

Emulates old computers like Amiga and Atari with a worthy heir that has a real mechanical keyboard and side SATA drive. Pi 400 is boring :)

Mini 3D printed arcade bartop

Wed, 29 Mar 2023 13:45:01 +0000

A display, a raspberry PI and a 3D printer : just enough to build a mini bartop to carry during the next Holliday !

Repairing an old CRT display

Mon, 20 Feb 2023 13:45:29 +0000

My retrogaming TV started to go in standby mode after a few minutes of hiccup of the display. I managed to repair it, so I share how I did

Homemade mini Visual Pinball system

Wed, 28 Dec 2022 16:39:18 +0000

This is the story of my build, not exactly a recipe, but it may inspire anyone who is thinking to build one

RFLink-to-MQTT Gateway with ESP8266 and Arduino Mega

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 21:09:29 +0000

Build a compact RFLink-to-MQTT gateway with an Arduino Mega Pro, Wemos D1 mini, 433 MHz modules, LEDs and OpenHAB 3 examples.

Fanless pfSense Router for Gigabit WAN

Mon, 08 Nov 2021 21:53:15 +0000

Choose a compact fanless pfSense router for Gigabit WAN: a Celeron J4125 mini PC with four Intel NICs and serial console.

GamOdroid C0 updated with fbdev retroarch

Wed, 09 Jun 2021 10:02:35 +0000

GamOdroid C0 is and handheld console I build several years ago. As I recentyl finished the V3.0 of my own fbdev retroarch build for C1 / C0, I decided to upgrade my console.

3d printed RC Hovercraft

Fri, 04 Jun 2021 17:04:08 +0000

Story of the build of my 3d printed RC hovercraft. Fun !

Odrophile : update !

Sat, 22 May 2021 15:25:35 +0000

This is an update of my initial build. It's now faster and more polished. Chromium is also GPU accelerated using GLES

DIY volumio driven audiophile DAC and CD player

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 21:00:39 +0000

Story of my DIY Volumio Dac with integrated CD-Player, remote control, mqtt support, volume knob, action button and status led

Odrophile : odroid C0 based audiophile tablet

Sat, 07 Nov 2020 14:45:06 +0000

How I built the tablet using 3d printed case and simple electronic parts

Anycubic i3 mega : more rigid bed for cheap !

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 14:19:34 +0000

Need a more rigid base plate for your Anycubic I3 Mega to avoid corner beending ? A 12mm piece of wood can help...

Odroid C1 fbdev Retroarch OS

Sun, 22 Mar 2020 16:50:24 +0000

Build a lightweight RetroArch fbdev system for Odroid C1/C0, with low-resolution display support and optimized retro-console emulation.

DIY tiny Arduboy based on Arduino pro micro

Mon, 05 Aug 2019 14:34:30 +0000

Build steps for a tiny arduboy clone

Odroid HC1 based swarm cluster in a 19" rack

Thu, 22 Nov 2018 21:59:39 +0000

Story of the build of a swarm cluster with 4 Odroid HC1 in a 3D printed 19" rackmount

Odroid N1 as NAS in a 19" rack

Mon, 27 Aug 2018 20:45:59 +0000

Configure an ODROID-N1 as a 19-inch rack NAS with Arch Linux, a custom kernel, SaltStack deployment and storage/network benchmarks.

Arduino driven 5v and 12v Smartpower

Thu, 23 Aug 2018 20:36:52 +0000

Build an Arduino-controlled 5 V and 12 V power system for a home server rack, with sensors, HTTP control and wiring details.

X-Craft Hovercraft battery replacement with LiPo

Wed, 08 Aug 2018 20:16:01 +0000

Replace the NiMH pack in an X-Craft RC hovercraft with a LiPo battery, covering voltage, charging, wiring and fitment.

PiBoy Micro : a Raspberry pi zero based mini portable retrogaming

Mon, 19 Feb 2018 21:27:42 +0000

See How I built a tiny retrogaming system with a Raspberry Pi Zero and a 3d printer

Custom Arduino Shield that provides MQTT to Rflink

Thu, 16 Nov 2017 19:30:13 +0000

An easy to build DIY arduino shield that give Rflink n Serial to Mqtt / json converter over ethernet

Another NAS with a BananaPI

Wed, 08 Nov 2017 22:33:09 +0000

Build and tune an Arch Linux Banana Pi NAS with SaltStack, Samba, NFS, disk management and Gigabit network performance testing.

GamOdroiD C0 : an Odroid based portable retrogaming

Sat, 26 Aug 2017 21:27:15 +0000

See how I created a portable retrogaming console from scratch with 3d print and an Odroid C0. Play PSX, Dreamcast, N64, etc... everywhere !

Saltstack : state for monitorix + ASD to monitor docker (Archlinux)

Thu, 16 Feb 2017 22:28:14 +0000

SaltStack states and build scripts for Monitorix, Anything Sync Daemon and Docker monitoring on Arch Linux.

Saltstack : state for SDCard / flash storage optimization (Arm SBC)

Mon, 13 Feb 2017 22:00:16 +0000

A small salstack state to set some optimized settings for SDCard and flash storage. Mostly used with Arm base SBC

Retrogaming: homemade bartop

Mon, 09 Jan 2017 21:50:09 +0000

Build story of my Street fighter 2 themed Bartop. It has a 19" monitor, runs many arcade games and pinballs, has a wii lightgun

Deploying Saltstack : master and minion (archlinux on ARM)

Fri, 23 Sep 2016 21:51:16 +0000

notes about saltstack deployment, as well as a little script to to even automate the minions deployment

Project : update of OpenHab binding for Zibase

Mon, 29 Feb 2016 22:33:01 +0000

Update of Zibase binding for Openhab's 1.9 branch

Linux : sheevaplug as a perfect NAS - Reloaded

Mon, 02 Nov 2015 21:24:25 +0000

Build a low-power SheevaPlug NAS on Arch Linux with SD-card tuning, Samba, drive management, search and network optimization.

Hardware / Linux : Retro Boy - portable gaming console with an Odroid-w and a GameBoy case

Fri, 29 May 2015 21:20:49 +0000

a Game Boy lookalike device that runs various 8 and 16 bits systems. Features are 3.5" color screen, 4-5h battery life, integrated wifi...

Arduino : HTTP driven power switches and UART to telnet gateway

Fri, 20 Mar 2015 20:45:28 +0000

Using an arduino to drive on/off switches and UART to telnet gateway for headless cubieboards servers

Linux : Monitoring And supervision with Zabbix

Thu, 05 Mar 2015 00:27:24 +0000

Here is some notes of my own Zabbix monitoring system installation (debian based). It has been done since a while now, but I never took the time to finalize this post. However, it can still be usefull as not much (nothing ?) has changed regarding activities to do..

Linux : CIFS module for linksys E4200 (candyhouse) debian kernel

Tue, 20 Jan 2015 23:22:05 +0000

CIFS module for linux kernel 3.13.7 for linksys E4200 router running debian

Linux : cubieboard 1 & 2 headless server optimized custom kernel 3.4.103

Thu, 18 Dec 2014 19:52:02 +0000

A headless custom Linux 3.4.103 kernel for Cubieboard 1 and 2 servers, tuned for stability and available RAM.

Project : Openhab binding for Zibase

Fri, 05 Dec 2014 23:52:14 +0000

Zodianet's zibase homeautomation box binding for OpenHab. Get rid of Zodianet's awfull cloud interface !

Hardware : a cookie box to host 3 cubieboards

Tue, 11 Nov 2014 22:03:19 +0000

A compact cookie-box enclosure that houses three Cubieboard servers while reducing power adapters and dissipating heat.

Linux : cubieboard 1 & 2 custom kernel for headless server

Thu, 11 Sep 2014 12:12:12 +0000

Kernel and script.bin optimized for headless server cubieboards 1 and 2

Linux : Centralized logs + web interface (aka rsyslog + loganalyser)

Thu, 20 Feb 2014 22:46:48 +0000

Centralize log with rsyslog (even for non syslog based application) and offer a webinterface to filter them using loganalyser

Linux / Hardware : replacing cubieboard by cubieboard2

Tue, 29 Oct 2013 21:33:57 +0000

Main necessary steps to upgrade cubieboard 1 by cubieboard 2 with minimum effort and time

Linux: Nginx as a WAF and reverse proxy (for Wordpress running with Apache on cubieboard)

Fri, 11 Oct 2013 22:53:28 +0000

Configure Nginx with Naxsi as a caching reverse proxy and web application firewall in front of Apache WordPress on a Cubieboard.

Linux / Hardware : Using a Cubieboard as (web)server

Mon, 01 Jul 2013 09:04:19 +0000

Build a low-power Debian web server on a Cubieboard: prepare a bootable SD card, install U-Boot and enable SATA storage.

Linux : Sheevaplug as a perfect NAS

Fri, 31 May 2013 12:17:29 +0000

Using sheevaplug arm computer as a nas using its esata and usb2 ports as well as its gigabit ethernet interface

Install CyanogenMod 10.1 on an LG Optimus 4X HD

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:44:06 +0000

Legacy instructions for installing CyanogenMod 10.1 on an LG Optimus 4X HD, including bootloader unlock, root and CWM recovery.

Linux : custom shell framework and scripts for my servers

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 20:58:44 +0000

A reusable Bash framework and example scripts for server backups, tmpfs synchronization, logging, error handling and email reports.

Hardware / Linux : optimize SdCard (nand flash) speed and lifetime

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 16:49:23 +0000

optimize SdCard (nand flash) speed and lifetime using flashbench and a selfmade MS Excel file for parameters calculation

Hardware : which ARM mini-pc to replace an x86 server ?

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:21:29 +0000

A 2013 comparison of ARM mini PCs for replacing an Intel Atom home server, covering power use, hardware, price and Linux support.

Linux : my experience about OpenVZ and Archlinux

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 23:32:00 +0000

Notes on building an Arch Linux OpenVZ home server with bonded networking, LVM containers, HTTPS, SSH and OpenVPN support.

Network: How to fully bypass Cisco VPN Client and Server LAN restriction

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 15:48:55 +0000

Use an alternative Cisco-compatible VPN client and route changes to retain local LAN access while connected to a Cisco VPN.

Music: final touch on my turntable

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 18:40:49 +0000

Final upgrade notes for a custom Lenco L75S turntable fitted with a retipped Denon DL-103 cartridge, Shibata stylus and aluminium body.

Projects: "Lister", a Dopus Magellan like lister system for amigaOS

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 21:19:50 +0000

A historical AmigaOS 3.9 Directory Opus Magellan-style lister project built with C, Workbench and MUI.

Photo Galleries

Mon, 14 May 2012 07:31:48 +0000

[album id=1]

Amiga 600 HD Restoration Gallery

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 12:14:32 +0000

A short gallery note documenting the restoration of a rare Amiga 600 HD before reassembly.

PHP: a simple model mapper with Zend_Db_Table

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:24:42 +0000

A Zend_Db_Table row-mapping pattern that decouples PHP models from database column names using a simple __call wrapper.

PHP: Zend_Application and not working ressources

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:26:24 +0000

Debug a Zend_Application database resource that fails to initialize because copied application.ini settings contain hidden whitespace.

Programming: MDA Overview

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 13:28:30 +0000

An introduction to Model-Driven Architecture (MDA), its model levels, existing tools and the XMITransform middleware project.

Projects: XmiTransform, convert XMI to source code

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 13:13:39 +0000

XMITransform is a PHP 5 project for converting XMI models and source code through XSL transformations and XML rule descriptors.

VBS: reading and writing excel sheet

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 07:21:37 +0000

VBScript examples using ADO and Microsoft Excel drivers to read worksheet rows and insert data into an XLS spreadsheet.

Linux: virtualbox using physical bootable partition

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 08:19:02 +0000

Run a Windows XP partition natively and in VirtualBox by creating a raw virtual disk with a pseudo MBR.

Java: playing with Java 2D

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:08:10 +0000

A legacy Java 2D experiment showing a Swing Canvas and BufferStrategy approach to accelerated double buffering.

Projects: YAG Genesis for Amiga

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:00:06 +0000

YAG Genesis is an Amiga GUI frontend for Amigenerator, with game previews, ROM information and configurable emulator settings.

Projects : BootManager for Amiga

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 10:04:53 +0000

BootManager is an Amiga utility that selects one of 13 startup-sequence files at boot using function keys or mouse buttons.

Projects: JSBricks, an arkanoid clone in javascript

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 09:52:41 +0000

JSBricks is a historical JavaScript Arkanoid-style game project created during the Internet Explorer 4 and Netscape 4 era.

PostgreSQL: backup script for all databases

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 09:33:07 +0000

A shell script for scheduled PostgreSQL backups of every database, with timestamped filenames and automatic retention cleanup.

Linux: autokill a crashed / infinite loop process

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 08:15:12 +0000

A cron-oriented Bash script that identifies and force-kills a process that has exceeded a CPU-time threshold.

Linux: Auto Login without XDM

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 08:13:23 +0000

Legacy Linux console autologin setup using a small C login wrapper and getty; includes an explicit security warning.

Hardware: Comtrend CT-633 hidden things

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 08:08:26 +0000

Discover hidden Comtrend CT-633 router administration pages and Telnet commands for MAC filtering and PSTN ring control.

Linux: wepcrack quick howto

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 08:03:44 +0000

Legacy WEPCrack workflow using Linux wireless tools, airodump and aircrack to capture traffic and recover a WEP key.

Video: Convert a DVD chapter to Divx

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 07:41:57 +0000

A MEncoder command-line example for converting a DVD chapter to a small DivX AVI file.

Video: Convert a video for a Clie TH55

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 07:38:31 +0000

Convert video to a Sony CLIÉ TH55-compatible MPEG-1 file with FFmpeg, including required resolution, codec and filename settings.

XSLT: Make a smart pagination in HTML

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 07:15:31 +0000

An XSLT implementation outline for Google-style numbered HTML pagination, including previous/next links and sliding page ranges.

Javascript: Decode HTML entities

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 07:01:39 +0000

A small JavaScript technique for decoding HTML entities into plain text with a temporary textarea element.

Javascript: Check if any checkbox is checked

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 06:57:50 +0000

JavaScript example for testing whether at least one checkbox in a same-name form field array is selected.

PHP / ZendFramework: Using Zend_config together with ZendCache

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 06:51:29 +0000

Cache Zend_Config data with Zend_Cache through a transparent PHP wrapper to avoid repeatedly parsing large configuration files.

HTTP: Avoid Acrobat Reader error with IE

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 06:28:44 +0000

Fix Acrobat Reader’s Internet Explorer “document not found” PDF error by sending a private, must-revalidate Cache-Control header.

PHP: Ascii to Mac Roman

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 06:20:18 +0000

PHP function for converting ASCII text to Mac Roman encoding for pre–Mac OS X compatibility.

PostgreSQL: full text search on entire words

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 06:14:44 +0000

Use PostgreSQL SIMILAR TO word-boundary expressions to search a text field for complete words rather than partial matches.

About

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

BlueMind is a personal technical space about Linux, open source, self-hosting, automation, home automation, hardware and the maker spirit.

It is where I document things I build, hack, experiment with, break and eventually get working — from servers and network infrastructure to software, electronics, home automation and Linux systems.

The common thread is curiosity and control: understanding how things work, building and adapting them to fit real needs, keeping control of the systems we use, and sharing what was learned along the way.