Projects
These are the public projects I've been working on recently. The source for each one is on GitHub, where you'll also find how to build, install and use it.
Elite FIP Server
A Windows app for players of the game Elite Dangerous. It reads the game’s data as you play and feeds it to Matric, an app that turns a phone or tablet into a touch screen control panel, so the buttons show the current state of the ship, such as whether the landing gear or lights are on, and details of your current target. It can also show the game data on a dashboard in your browser, for example on a second screen or tablet.
Version 4 is a rewrite as a WinUI 3 app, available from the Microsoft Store.
PlasmaStick Controller
MicroPython firmware for the Pimoroni Plasma Stick 2040 W, a Raspberry Pi Pico W based board that drives a strip of LED lights. The lights can show a single colour or a shade of white, follow the worldwide CheerLights colour, or play animations such as rainbows, fire and Christmas twinkles. You control them from a built-in web page, the button on the board, or Home Assistant over MQTT, and setting up Wi-Fi doesn’t involve editing any files.
PlasmaStick Controller on GitHub
Pico PIR
MicroPython firmware for a Raspberry Pi Pico W with a PIR motion sensor. It reports motion to Home Assistant over MQTT, and has a built-in web page showing its status, recent detections and settings. It’s built on the same foundations as PlasmaStick Controller, and it’s still in progress.
AmbiMote
Ambient lighting for PC monitors, in the style of Philips Ambilight, using Pimoroni Mote LED sticks. It reads the colours at the edges of each screen and lights the wall behind the monitors to match. The screen capture work is done on the graphics card, so it stays out of the way while gaming. It also works as a lamp, with white light, a single colour or effects, and can be controlled from a Windows tray app, keyboard shortcuts or the command line. It’s in early development.