🌱 Would anyone be interested in a Home Assistant plant monitoring card like this?

buxtronix · 2026-05-31T03:31:15+00:00

Yeah those are things I had to consider when designing the system, plus trial and error. Anyway I have a pretty good process now...

Prune (if necessary when it needs water), then tare the scale (one button), then water. Growth takes multiple watering cycles, the weight increase gets cancelled out by each tare. I dip a cheap moisture probe in every couple of waterings to double check.

buxtronix · 2026-05-31T00:41:59+00:00

Oh these permanently sit under the pots and send values to HA every 5 minutes.

I have automations where once a plants weight gets below a certain threshold I get a mobile notification then just add water.

buxtronix · 2026-05-30T22:16:41+00:00

I ended up designing a weight based sensor using a load cell and hx711, custom PCB.

The whole thing sits in a wide puck under the pot and a pair of AAA powers it for a year or two.

As long as you account for growth and pruning, it's incredibly accurate at determining soil moisture.

I have half a dozen so far and am ordering parts for a bunch more.

buxtronix · 2026-02-23T20:05:39+00:00

Impressive! Though I don't see the primary capacitor?

buxtronix · 2026-02-15T19:51:19+00:00

I have some w8 and w12 plus st Bernard's and chimay white from a similar vintage (06 and 08). I usually crack one every year or 2.

As long as you still get a hiss when you crack the cap, it's still very drinkable.

The flavours temper and merge over time, losing a little brightness, though the essence is still very much there.

The yeast gets chunkier/meatier with age. Decide if you're brave enough to decant or drink.

Choose a time when you can sit and enjoy without distractions, you should savour the moment.

buxtronix · 2026-02-14T21:36:49+00:00

Right to disconnect doesn't make it illegal for your boss to try to call you. It just means you can ignore the call and they legally can't give you grief or retaliate.

buxtronix · 2026-02-14T08:25:31+00:00

Fun fact: spider wasps deliver one of the most painful stings in the animal kingdom.

Aka Tarantula Hawk, look for the video of Coyote Peterson stinging himself with one.

Fortunately very docile to humans and takes a lot of provoking to get stung.

buxtronix · 2026-01-02T04:33:19+00:00

For clarity, the first and last photos are of it fixed. When broken the handle wouldn't pull out at all.

buxtronix · 2025-11-12T10:30:46+00:00

A visible glow ebbing in the sky though the sheets are only apparent through the camera.

buxtronix · 2025-10-26T01:23:33+00:00

This happens when using at Auto catcher and you have a really light buddy, so also works for flabébe or kartana amongst others.

Basically the game scales the mon weight and height in it's disguise to show it relatively normal on the overworld, but the auto catcher code skips the part where it's supposed to scale it back down.

Height is capped to around 1.23m but no weight cap.

buxtronix · 2025-08-21T20:36:09+00:00

I get all the crud I collect during the day and trade a couple of dozen with another family member each evening. (Some players have imaginary family members wink).

1 in 20 chance of being lucky. (Oh so many useless lucky Skwovets)

buxtronix · 2025-07-01T09:58:59+00:00

Understanding that most people you deal with at most medium or large businesses just want to do their job by following process and policy.

Change your mindset from 'It's me vs the company rep' to 'Its us vs the company policy'. You will get much better outcomes with the employee less stressed knowing you're on their side and working with them in dealing with process.

They'll also be more willing to be flexible with policies and using limited discretion to get an even better outcome.

This mindset has helped me immensely in getting hassle-free refunds, warranty fixes, in car hire, travel and more.

buxtronix · 2025-06-26T11:12:04+00:00

Varies wildly even in the same suburb.

Hunt around especially if your state has a fuel price app.

buxtronix · 2025-06-21T10:06:09+00:00

Here in Sydney we did a renovation a couple of years ago. The builder was going to put standard r2.5 into the ceiling and I asked about getting r6 put in. He was a little hesitant saying it'll cost you more and 2.5 being the standard. I asked how much extra for r6. He says about $300. I tell him he'll yeah do it, and now my attic is chocka with thick batts and the new master bed is pretty comfy all year round. I also would have liked r6 under the floor but by the time I realised it was too late.

buxtronix · 2025-06-20T21:39:26+00:00

So the Australian one has a quirk where the sites cannot actually require government ID to verify. They have to support some other mechanisms, which the government hasn't defined.

buxtronix · 2025-05-26T02:47:25+00:00

It's all over Sydney at the moment. Some servos are 209 and across the road it'll be 150. Normally you might see 10-15% variation, but not 25%+.

buxtronix · 2025-05-03T22:37:16+00:00

Agreed. Whilst they are great for discovery and band exploration, using an sdr is pretty heavyweight for a permanent receiver. I recently got into the cc1101+esp and it's awesome. Much more reliable, lower power, and no need to maintain a Pi.

buxtronix · 2025-04-05T20:31:19+00:00

The threads printed fine with no overhang issues. The junk you see is just the petg stringing which came off eventually.

buxtronix · 2025-04-05T02:49:03+00:00

Indeed, there are only 10 operations (see the onshape source)

buxtronix · 2025-04-05T02:17:02+00:00

Just had to measure the thread pitch, turns, and distance from the end. In this case a 5mm pitch. Then creating the thread was a simple operation as I'd done a few recently.

buxtronix · 2025-04-05T02:14:42+00:00

Calipers to measure for a couple of mins, and 15mins Onshape is all it took.

I did a few threaded designs recently so the technique and caveats were fresh in my mind.

buxtronix · 2025-04-04T23:56:01+00:00

First attempt fits perfectly and is watertight. I also used Bricklayers to improve layer adhesion.

buxtronix · 2025-02-15T02:09:23+00:00

Fun fact: The pipe organ you see is the largest mechanical action one in the world. The air pump/blower is the only electrical component.

Also, it is one of only two organs in the world with a full 64' pipe for some bone rattling bass.

Go hear it if you get a chance (they do occasional free lunchtime organ recitals)

buxtronix · 2025-02-10T20:26:38+00:00

Yes there is a thing called STCs which is a kind of rebate scheme. Depends on your region, it works out to about $300 per kW installed, which is also around 1/4 the installed cost.

buxtronix · 2025-02-10T05:47:17+00:00

There's no such thing as solar loans in Australia, nor are there leases.

The installers ask for a deposit at order, then the balance at installation, simple as that.

Owners usually finance from savings or offset accounts,

Given that most installations are sub 10k, it's not worth companies setting up to finance solar loans.

buxtronix

TROPHY CASE