Blog about my hardware and software projects.

Category: hardware


  • Solum Newton M3 – programming custom firmware

    In this post, I describe how to set up a development environment to write a custom firmware for the Solum Newton M3 e-ink label. The device is based on the nRF52811 SoC and we will use the official nRF Connect framework. In the first part of this series, I described the internals of the Solum…

  • Solum Newton M3 – teardown and firmware dump

    Have you noticed that paper price labels are being replaced in large supermarkets in favor of electronic labels? They are an interesting piece of technology, featuring a nice paper-like screen, which some people even mistake for paper. In this post we will explore the Solum Newton M3 2.6″ BWR Electronic Shelf Label.

  • Getting admin shell on a ZyXEL gateway

    We have been using an old small business gateway ZyXEL SBG3300 in our computer network. A year ago, it started to reset itself at random times and it was time to replace it. I thought that before throwing it out, it would still be fun to play around with this 10 year old router. I…

  • Identifying fake op-amps by decapsulation

    A few months back, I ordered a lot of ten NE5534P operational amplifiers from AliExpress for a suspiciously low price (tenth of a normal price). My thoughts were that probably they are fake, but they might be good fakes and I could use them in a simple audio project that I work on with my…

  • WT1 Tuya LED Controller Teardown

    Hello, this is my teardown of the WT1 2 channel CCT LED controller. This is a device intended to dim WW/CW strips (CCT mode) but it can be also used as a 1 channel dimmer (DIM mode). One can control it using the Tuya app, dedicated remote control, or a physical push button. The protocol…

  • Hacking SES imagotag E-ink Price Tag

    I got an E-ink price tag from a friend and wanted to mess around with it. My goal was to redraw the contents of the display. My first step was to disassemble the device and take note of all serial numbers outside or inside. Disassembling was rather easy, the device is luckily not glued together.…

  • DIY Smart Thermostat

    DIY Smart Thermostat

    Motivated by rising energy prices I wanted to switch from a standard thermostat to a smart (but cheap) solution using Home Assistant, zigbee temperature sensors and wifi relay for controlling the gas boiler. In the following text I describe the system components and the setup process. Hardware Setup steps 1) Flashing CC2531 with custom firmware…