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ETek Lab Blog

I²C OLED display experimentation – pt1

Part 1 – Failure is the first step to success (?) So, I’ve been trying to get a 0.96″ OLED display too work with a rp2040. it seemed really easy to figure out how to get it to behave but, for some reason, I get all kinds of issues. I found a micropython driver for […]

Published on December 12, 2024
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Thermostat hacking?

Can’t win them all, right? So, I’ve been donated some old thermostats from a coworker and one of them had a stuck button, I had to open it to unjam it and in the process, I moved the LCD screen connector and kinda ruined it ( these rubber connectors are SOOOOO temperamental… ) . Since […]

Last modified on November 9, 2024
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Desoldering plate – pt1

Part 1 : why is it always broken when I need it?! A little while ago, I grabbed that kit online to build a desoldering plate meant to “demolish” LED strips from TVs. The idea is simple: an aluminum plate that heats up and you put your part on it so the solder melts and […]

Last modified on October 30, 2024
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Mastercraft industrial Shelves Hooks – pt3

Part 3 : Completion… Almost. I now have a proper system to anchor things to my shelve! It’s not glorious but it holds steady, looks pretty decent and I can pretty much customize it to get whatever I need hooked up. The new model only has one set of holes, which is plenty enough with […]

Published on October 8, 2024
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Repurposed 18650 Batteries into a power station – pt1.4

part 1.4 : cooling and completion! I finally finished to put together the tester and charger system! By itself it would probably deserve a project category on it own but I’m lazy and tired so for now, it is what it is. Last time I left off with a pretty usable system but it was […]

Published on October 2, 2024
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Large battery storage, kinda

Big project means putting it somewhere. So with my latest project ( the power station ), I’ll be needed a LOT of 18650. Since these comes from repurposed laptop battery packs, they don’t come in a nifty case or package that I can put them in while the project is ready to be assembled. Behold, […]

Last modified on October 2, 2024
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Repurposed 18650 Batteries into a power station – pt1.3

Part 1.3 : Charger/discharger completion… ish? So, the next step was to install the PSU and wire everything, which went rather well. The connector did fit super nicely in the slot designed for it and I opted for only putting 2 screws instead of 4 on the PSU since it is pretty solid like that. […]

Published on September 27, 2024
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Repurposed 18650 Batteries into a power station – pt1.2

Part 1.2 : Progress on the charger/discharger So, since I needed to make a charger and discharger to test the tons of 18650s I’ll have to deal with, I decided to make it convenient. plus the form factor of the discharger is a bit odd to work with. At this point, I designed a frame […]

Published on September 21, 2024
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Repurposed 18650 Batteries into a power station – pt1.1

Part 1.1 : Getting the right tools for the job. Since I had these grandiose idea with limited tools, it was a bit long and difficult to do all the testing needed. So as my usual self, I ended up ordering the stuff I needed to make a proper charging and discharging station. The station […]

Published on September 21, 2024
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Lovely cotton swab holder for the bench

With the printer now working, also means I’m able to get new upgrade for my bench, especially for organizing stuff. One of these upgrade is a little surprise my partner decided to print for me. It’s a cotton swab holder because I was always trying to find where there were in the bathroom when I […]

Published on September 15, 2024
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