Maker projects and hardware hacking: IoT, embedded Linux, CircuitPython, and DIY electronics by Ayan Pahwa.https://codensolder.com/https://codensolder.com/posts/minimising-the-delta/https://codensolder.com/posts/minimising-the-delta/On closing the gap between intent and output when working with AI agents — and what it means for how we hire, build, and encode our values into the tools we use.Sun, 12 Apr 2026 10:00:00 GMThttps://codensolder.com/posts/2017-10-17-wifi-deauther-oled-thoughts/https://codensolder.com/posts/2017-10-17-wifi-deauther-oled-thoughts/Hands-on review of the ESP8266-based WiFi deauthentication device with OLED display — covering beacon flood attacks, deauth range, and build quality issues found on the Tindie unit.Tue, 17 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://codensolder.com/posts/2017-08-06-reverse-engineering-iot-devices/https://codensolder.com/posts/2017-08-06-reverse-engineering-iot-devices/Reverse engineering a Syska smart LED bulb by sniffing unencrypted BLE packets with Wireshark and Android HCI logs, then replicating the RGB control protocol using Linux Bluez tools (CVE-2017-18642).Sun, 06 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://codensolder.com/posts/2018-7-20-managing-dependencies-with-git-and-bonus-advance-concepts/https://codensolder.com/posts/2018-7-20-managing-dependencies-with-git-and-bonus-advance-concepts/A practical guide to managing project dependencies with Git submodules and Google's Repo tool, plus bonus advanced concepts — git remotes and cherry-picking for multi-developer open source workflows.Fri, 20 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://codensolder.com/posts/cloudbadge/https://codensolder.com/posts/cloudbadge/Using CircuitPython with an ESP32 co-processor to build an internet-connected conference badge (PyBadge) with MQTT-controlled name display and NeoPixel RGB color picker via Adafruit IO.Mon, 03 Feb 2020 07:18:21 GMThttps://codensolder.com/posts/rip-swd-programmer/https://codensolder.com/posts/rip-swd-programmer/How to use a Raspberry Pi as an SWD programmer with OpenOCD to flash the CircuitPython UF2 bootloader onto a Particle Xenon (Nordic NRF52840) board.Wed, 22 Apr 2020 17:20:51 GMThttps://codensolder.com/posts/3d-printed-turntable/https://codensolder.com/posts/3d-printed-turntable/Building a motorised 3D printed turntable using Adafruit M4 Feather and DC motor FeatherWing to create smooth 360° showcase videos of 3D prints.Thu, 08 Jul 2021 09:47:19 GMThttps://codensolder.com/posts/programmable-owl-tealight/https://codensolder.com/posts/programmable-owl-tealight/A weekend project: 3D printing an owl tea light with programmable NeoPixel LEDs, controlled by Adafruit Gemma M0 and CircuitPython with capacitive touch input for color cycling.Sat, 18 Jul 2020 16:50:54 GMThttps://codensolder.com/posts/2018-12-02-setting-up-raspberry-pi-headless-the-way-which-doesnt-sucks/https://codensolder.com/posts/2018-12-02-setting-up-raspberry-pi-headless-the-way-which-doesnt-sucks/The clean way to set up a Raspberry Pi headless — drop a wpa_supplicant.conf and an empty ssh file on the boot partition to enable WiFi and SSH before the first boot, no monitor needed.Sun, 02 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://codensolder.com/posts/2018-07-01-using-linux-in-commercial-products-yocto-project/https://codensolder.com/posts/2018-07-01-using-linux-in-commercial-products-yocto-project/Using embedded Linux in commercial products: SoC selection, the Yocto Project build system, cross-compilation, and system architecture — from my talk at the ILUG-Delhi meetup.Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://codensolder.com/posts/2018-6-10-knifeedge-rc-aeromodelling-club/https://codensolder.com/posts/2018-6-10-knifeedge-rc-aeromodelling-club/Founding KnifeEDGE, a community RC aeromodelling club: how the inaugural meetup at Gautam Buddha University brought 20 pilots together to build, fly, and crash model aircraft.Sun, 10 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://codensolder.com/posts/2018-03-28-ibowt/https://codensolder.com/posts/2018-03-28-ibowt/Building iBow-T, a wearable OLED bow-tie conference badge using Arduino Pro Mini and SSD1306 display over I2C — a demo project for the CodeWear wearable electronics platform.Wed, 28 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://codensolder.com/posts/2018-1-28-i-reviewed-a-book/https://codensolder.com/posts/2018-1-28-i-reviewed-a-book/A review of 'Designing Purpose-Built Drones for Ardupilot Pixhawk 2.1' by Ty Audronis — covering application-specific drone design for follow-me carts and autonomous RC vehicles.Sun, 28 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://codensolder.com/posts/2017-12-25-iot-holiday-lights-2017/https://codensolder.com/posts/2017-12-25-iot-holiday-lights-2017/Smart Christmas lights with Neopixel addressable LEDs, MQTT control, Alexa voice commands, and a live Raspberry Pi camera feed — all built on ESP8266 and open-sourced under MIT.Mon, 25 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://codensolder.com/posts/2017-11-14-iot-protocols/https://codensolder.com/posts/2017-11-14-iot-protocols/Comparing MQTT, CoAP, and Bluetooth Low Energy for IoT communication — a guide to choosing the right protocol for constrained devices, from Open Source For You Magazine.Tue, 14 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://codensolder.com/posts/2017-11-12-my-talk-at-pycon-india-2017/https://codensolder.com/posts/2017-11-12-my-talk-at-pycon-india-2017/Recapping my PyCon India 2017 talk on getting started with embedded Python using MicroPython and CircuitPython, including a live Arc Reactor demo that got the room going.Sun, 12 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://codensolder.com/posts/2017-04-30-iot-and-security/https://codensolder.com/posts/2017-04-30-iot-and-security/IoT security best practices for developers and startups — covering the do's and don'ts of securing connected devices, originally published as a guest blog on Mentor Graphics.Sun, 30 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://codensolder.com/posts/2017-03-30-micropython/https://codensolder.com/posts/2017-03-30-micropython/Getting started with MicroPython on ESP8266 NodeMCU: running Python in a serial REPL on a microcontroller, as written for Open Source For You Magazine.Thu, 30 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://codensolder.com/posts/2016-10-10-diy-plant-feeder/https://codensolder.com/posts/2016-10-10-diy-plant-feeder/An automated solar-powered plant watering system using soil moisture sensors, Arduino, and a servo motor — as published in Electronics For You Magazine, February 2016.Mon, 10 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://codensolder.com/posts/2015-08-01-element14-enchanted-objects-design-challenge/https://codensolder.com/posts/2015-08-01-element14-enchanted-objects-design-challenge/Selected as a top-15 participant in Element14's Enchanted Objects Design Challenge with a smart wardrobe concept that suggests weather-appropriate clothing using IoT and text-to-speech APIs.Sat, 01 Aug 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://codensolder.com/posts/2014-10-20-lets-make-some-airplanes/https://codensolder.com/posts/2014-10-20-lets-make-some-airplanes/Building RC foam airplanes inspired by FliteTest using locally-sourced Bio Foam, with a custom Arduino NRF24L01 remote controller designed from scratch when commercial options didn't fit.Mon, 20 Oct 2014 00:00:00 GMT