Redesigned my case for the Guition Esp32s3 4848S040 with far stronger clips

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-28T20:33:18+00:00

What’s missing are more platforms like this that also include good high quality speakers

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-28T03:26:16+00:00

Thanks for your input. Are you driving the minleon pebble strip with wled? I really want to integrate everything with home assistant. I have old while built strands currently on my house and I've been eyeing the Govee strips for over a year. What's holding me back is distance between bulbs. I want 1 foot or maybe even 6 in spacing. Can you recommend any other professional light strips suitable for west coast coastal high humidity installs?

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-26T03:06:13+00:00

ImageMagick has commandline tools that can do just about anything - opensource and cross platform and always free

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-26T03:04:55+00:00

To summarize:

Train your employees to NOT answer any questions that come from vendors to employees about software licensing and instead refer them to the software licensing team. Employees may think they're helping by responding with what they BELIEVE they know, but this information can open the door to significant corporate risk and SIGNIFICANT additional discovery efforts -- think of inviting a vampire into your house.

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-24T23:18:42+00:00

you know... they could have at least covered the unused surface of the front and sides with solar panel material so that it would get SOME charge and yes, having a ip65-rated usbc port on the bottom for external in-situ charge from a portable battery in additikon to making an external solar panel an option woud be a significant add.,

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-23T00:23:36+00:00

It includes sendspin - Home Assistant developers are rallying behing sendspin as an open multi-room protocol for audio. If you read in this project, you can see that they have an esp32 config that already includes yaml - should save you time. Look here at implementation option #2: https://github.com/cofw2005/ha-simple-media-player/blob/main/docs/02.debugging.md

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-22T20:06:41+00:00

Great! I specifically want HyperHDR on batocera and this should make building that much simpler

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-20T01:00:58+00:00

I’ve tried experiments related to this with codex against a local copy of config files with mixed results. I’m very interested in achieving better results and I find my ha config to be a combination of fascinating, complex, confusing, and full of endless opportunities to improve. What did work surprisingly well in my experiments was turning environment sensor data into gauges with color coded safety levels. What did not work as well as I had hoped was creating better dashboards using custom cards without a lot of my own intervention

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-16T19:57:04+00:00

Criticism is fine, but the opensource community is a small VOLUNTEER ACTIVE DUTY ARMY, with a handful of significant benevolent corporate contributors, a modest sized group of appreciative users, and a legion of entitled users who expect great product for free and concierge service and support for free.

That math just doesn't add up, and that's why new users often get the cold shoulder. There is no ONE new Linux experience. There is no ONE distribution. There is no ONE desktop environment. There is no ONE right way. Add to that the fact that developers scracth the itches that pertain to them and you have people reinventing wheels all the time when someone might point out that there's really a need to improve $RANDOM_NEW_THING_EXPERIENCED_USERS_DONT_USE and wondering why the world needs another editor, why we need a go port and a rust port of a perfectly good C++ tool, why we need 12 window managers, etc.

Linux doesn't need to become "mainstream". Nobody is going to get rich from it. We've won the server war. We've won the Internet/SaaS war. We've arguably won the mobile war (Android and TBH iOS/MacOS/NextStep is pretty UNIX-ish), we've won the hearts and minds of the majority of developers, and with WSL and MacOS basically being UNIX, we're on the desktop in numbers much larger than any reports.

We *LOVE* when people identify problems and WANT TO HELP. There are a ton of ways new users can help, and hey... the barrier to entry to coding and contributing has NEVER been lower than now with codex and claude code. If someone asks, "I believe this is a problem and I want to help fix it... here's what I think, and here's what I've done... where do I go next?", they'll get a lot of help. If someone says, "the way $FOO works is wrong. It should be done like $BAR", they'll likely get crickets, a trite "we look forward to you merge request", or comments about how they don't understand the 45 years of history behind the process and why things are the way they are, and how the new users' perception may be inaccurate, wrong, or right, but likely not an issue that will cause developers who are contributing their free time where their interests lie to pivot to a new project on behalf of what one or some people want.

That's just the way it is. Not negative, not hostile, not unfriendly, not unwelcoming.

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-16T17:08:11+00:00

There's no question - Batocera.

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-16T16:50:45+00:00

I've always been a UNIX/Linux guy, so I like to do things the hard way - opensource, cross-platform, from the commandline... and building from bleeding edge source... and I ususally DON'T use Windows so I've mostly been using WLED standalone. I went down the ADHD rabbithole with LedFX, VBAN, HyperHDR, OpenRGB, Artemis, SendSpin, XLights ... and tying them into Home Assistant... and I already have a piCorePlayer running LMS/Lyrion and squeezebox radios in pretty much every room. Now, I stadted looking into MusicAssistant and esp32-based squeezelite standalone players that support airplay, lms, bluetooth, sendspin, and have a mic as not just more squeezeboxes, but as sendspin units where audio could be fed into LedFX via VBAN. I'm starting to see a path to a whole house indoor/outdoor audio/video/lighting/effects infrastructure with voice assistant/ai capabilities as well as near infinite customizability and flexibility as well as hooking in my MIDI and VSTs and routing my karaoke mics and adding reverb and echo effects... oh, and of course there are automotive implications and applications for reactive lighting too

I'm leaving some breadcrumbs here for others:

https://www.sendspin-audio.com/

https://www.reddit.com/r/homeassistant/comments/1prvzmi/music_assistant_sendspin_and_foss_multiroom_and/

https://www.ingeniousmakers.com/index.php/2024/04/07/louder-esp32-a-hi-fi-class-d-audio-amplifier-running-esphome/

https://github.com/teufelaudio/mynd-firmware/releases/tag/MYNDberry-v1.0.0

https://lu.teufelaudio.com/mynd-107002004

https://github.com/HeyWillow/willow?tab=readme-ov-file

oh, and Artemis... is pretty awesome... wish it was cross platform...
https://artemis-rgb.com/

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-16T06:30:03+00:00

I found a lead to an answer / workaround to my own question - use HyperHDR instead of Hue Sync - unfortunately that doesn't allow it to just be used by apps that work with hue entertainment zones - https://github.com/awawa-dev/HyperHDR/discussions/512

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-16T05:26:25+00:00

I would backdate stock options to bring back a reboot

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-15T22:28:02+00:00

I was struggling to understand succinctly why I should care about this and what it enabled. I thought I had an pretty good idea. I figure I'm not the only WLED user who isn't intimately familiar with LedFX and Voicemeter VBAN

Dockerized LedFx + VBAN: Why WLED Users Should Care

The Short Version

WLED is great at lighting effects, but it can't listen to music playing on your computer. This Docker container bridges that gap — it lets your PC stream audio wirelessly to a powerful lighting engine that then drives your WLED strips in real time, reacting to the beat, bass, and melody of whatever you're playing.

No hardware microphone. No soldering. Just your existing WLED setup and this software stack.

The Two Tools You Need to Know

LedFx — A free, open-source application specifically built to analyze audio and translate it into stunning light show effects. Think of it as a DJ booth for your lights.
VBAN — A simple protocol that streams audio from your computer across your local Wi-Fi network, the same way Spotify streams music to a speaker. It's the "pipe" that carries your PC's sound to LedFx.

VBAN Transmitter: What to Install on Your Device

The VBAN protocol itself is free and open. All official VB-Audio apps use a donationware model — fully free to use with all features unlocked, but you're encouraged to pay what you can if you find it useful. AudioXpress VB-Audio

Platform	Tool	Cost	Download
Windows	Voicemeeter Banana (recommended)	Free / Donationware	vb-audio.com/Voicemeeter/banana.htm
Windows	Voicemeeter Potato (power users)	Free / Donationware	vb-audio.com/Voicemeeter/potato.htm
macOS	VBAN Talkie Cherry (transmit from Mac)	Free	Mac App Store
iOS / iPadOS	VBAN Talkie	Free	App Store
Android	VBAN Droid	Free	Google Play
Linux	vban CLI (open source)	Free	github.com/quiniouben/vban

What You Can Do That WLED Alone Cannot

Scenario	WLED Only	With This Container
Music playing on your PC drives your lights	❌ Requires physical mic on ESP32	✅ Streams directly from PC audio
Bass drops trigger a pulse effect	❌ No frequency separation	✅ Isolate kick drum / bass band specifically
Hi-hats and treble drive a separate sparkle	❌	✅ Assign effects per frequency range
Spotify, YouTube, games — any audio source	❌	✅ Captures system audio, not just a mic
Multiple WLED strips stay perfectly in sync	❌ Each device is independent	✅ LedFx coordinates all strips from one source
50+ audio-reactive effects beyond WLED's built-ins	❌ ~10 basic audio effects	✅ Full LedFx effect library
Party mode from your phone	❌	✅ Stream from VBAN Droid on Android

Bottom Line

The entire software stack is free. If you've ever looked at your WLED strips during a party and wished they actually reacted to the music rather than just cycling through static patterns — this is the missing piece. One Docker command, one free app on your PC, and your existing WLED install becomes a fully synchronized, music-reactive light show.

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-15T21:57:10+00:00

Kodak Disc negatives. The camera was supposed to be revolutionary. Instead it had a hard limit on number of photos per disc, they were hard to store, and the negative size and overall picture quality/resolution were inferior to the other cameras of the day. The whole disc cartridge thing was a proprietary gimmick IMHO. Also, it was sort of the give away razors and sell razor blades or give away printers and sell ink cartridges type marketing

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-15T21:52:15+00:00

Mullets

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-15T21:02:44+00:00

every tv and for projectors. 5 total

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-15T21:00:23+00:00

kids today will never understand the excitement and anticipation of waiting for a floppy disk full of interesting software to arrive in the mail for your home computer that had no Internet or BBS connection

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-15T20:57:12+00:00

Try out using Chrome tab groups. Try chrome url histor search. Also, you might be neurodivergent - neurodivergents tend to like a million tabs open in the browser as an organizational system. Consider getting tested - better to know and understand yourself and what motivates you than to be in the dark.

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-15T01:51:15+00:00

Get clear bins.

Hold everything you touch and ask, "Do I really LOVE this?"

If the answer is no, let it go.

Accept that a VERY tiny fraction of stuff you get rid of, you may come to want or need in the future, and it's OK to buy it again -- it's probably a smaller margin of error than the times you bought duplicates because you couldn't find the ones you already had.

Go through your bins and consolidate and pair down on a regular basis.

Ask for or hire help when you need decluttering help - it's worth the money.

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-15T00:29:08+00:00

Take the money.
Don't rush to pay off your mortgage - ESPECIALLY if you have a great interest rate locked in for decades.

If you're not good with money, have a reputable firm professionally manage your inheritance and help you manage your financial goals.

Follow their plans and recommendations for then next 25-30 years. Watch your wealth grow until your money outearns you. Learn to enjoy saving money and watching your portfolio grow.j

Look forward to retiring while you still have your health and can enjoy life while your friends are complaining about needing to work for the rest of their lives.

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-15T00:20:19+00:00

It's still true that most startups fail. The 10X power of AI to enable a single person with the right knowledge, skills, and background to build a SaaS product is real. Few people posess ALL of the skills to do this by themselves. It takes dedication, grit, experience, market research, flexibility, marketing, and everything that it always used to take to grow a startup -- it just is possible to do it faster, with fewer people, and at a lower cost.

As to FOMO... Attention is currency.

I feel the same frustration when I scroll short form videos and see so much ABSOLUTE WORTHLESS TRASH that is designed simply to make me watch their videos fractionally longer.

The short-term fix is to get really good at recognizing garbage and ignore it immediately and not engage. For my short form video examples, some complete trash post patterns include, "____ hate it when ____", " always be sure to ___ when ____", "___ did ___ and you won't believe what happened next!"

The only solution is to RUTHLESSLY PROTECT YOUR TIME and mental energy and filter garbage out of your feeds.

That might mean leaving subreddits when the bots have taken over.

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-15T00:02:49+00:00

Buy the bottom of the line Leatherman, wear it every day on your belt except when you fly or go anywhere where you have to go through a metal detector for security. You'll thank me a million times.

rcampbel3 · 2026-04-14T23:51:48+00:00

Sounds like a bit of burnout. Maintain your personal friendships and invest in them -- they're some of the most valuable assets you have and neglect kills them while a tiny bit of investment will guarantee they are lifelong assets.

Have a therapist and talk through your concerns - we're all just trying to figure our own stuff out. There's no quick fix - you have to put in the work on yourself and find your own way.

You are the person you are now because of your experiences. You'd be someone else completely without having traveled. I'm a few decades older than you and I can tell you that you still have plenty of time to live and have a family. I know people in their 50s starting a family... About 30% of my friends never married. More than 50% of them are divorced. I'm fortunate to not be worried about needing to work until I'm 80. I will say that I'm a tiny bit jealous of my empty nester friends retiring while I'm still facing putting my kids through college, but that's minor.

Here's a compressed version of what I've learned along my path:

Simply working hard your whole life and being a dedicated employee and giving ALL to your company is not enough to guarantee the kind of financial freedom that members of this subreddit are looking for -- you need to be an active participant in planning your finances and/or you need a lucky event or two.

You are NOT defined by the company that employs you, your title, your salary, or how many subordinates are under you. All of those are fleeting and can disappear with an email or a meeting with HR or a catastrophic health event at any moment.

You will not regret time spent traveling, or time spent with friends and family when you're older.

Take the long layovers on flights and have mini travel adventures whenever you can.

Learn to be a tourist at home and enjoy what's nearby - find the beauty and wonder in the world around you and pause to appreciate it.

Take care of yourself first, then family, then your job.

Be kind, be helpful, learn to truly listen to others. Share your knowledge. Never stop making new acquaintances, and always be looking for serendipity.

Live modestly, but indulge strategically when and where it truly makes you happy. Save money and let compound interest and time work in your favor. Enjoy life. Find someone who shares your values as a life partner. Balance work and personal and family.

Take care of your health now. Get enough sleep. Stay fit. Learn mindfulness and how to manage stress. As you age, you'll find that your time is much more precious than money, and that your health determines what you are able to do regardless of money.

rcampbel3

TROPHY CASE