TinkerNews #54: Practical Builds for Smarter Spaces

TinkerNews Issue #54 focuses on practical DIY electronics projects for smarter spaces. One such project is an ESP32 MAX30102 Vital Signs Sensor, which measures heart rate, SpO2, and temperature using a fingertip module. Another build is the OD-PT74 open-source RP2040 Logic IC Tester, featuring an OLED display, rotary encoder, and selectable test modes for 14-, 16-, and 20-pin 74xx TTL and CMOS chips.

Yertle is a 3D-printed quadruped robot designed for locomotion research, with open-source files covering mechanical build, hardware control, simulation, and machine learning. The ESP32 Cooker Whistle Counter uses a MAX4466 microphone and Wi-Fi to count sound events and send a WhatsApp message once a selected count is reached. Meanwhile, SonosESP transforms a touchscreen and ESP32-P4 into a music remote that browses libraries, controls speakers, displays album art, lyrics, weather, and clocks.

The ESP32 Tesla BLE Control with Home Assistant enables local Tesla BLE bridge communication with ESPHome and Home Assistant, allowing access to charging controls, vehicle data, and diagnostics. RIKA Stove Dongle replacement with ESP32-S3 enables open Firenet to speak the stove’s USB protocol, providing a Wi-Fi, local control page, and REST API. RuView utilizes ESP32 sensing nodes to estimate presence, movement, breathing, and heart rate via WiFi signals, without the need for cameras.

Finally, an old Intel board can be repurposed as an ESP32-P4-based router, though software issues like missing e1000e module may need addressing with alternatives like OPNsense. Meanwhile, Raspberry Pi builds include a Powerwall Grafana Dashboard for energy habits analysis, a repeater daemon in Python for OpenHop repeaters, an automated all-sky camera for astronomy hardware control, and a homelab monitor for host and container health.