My name is Jeff and I love to tinker with tech. Recently I’ve been playing around with the Arduino, the Raspberry Pi, and a 3D Printer. I’ve messed around with a variety of languages and platforms , but currently am enjoying some iOS Development (X-Code and Swift) and Web Development (Python, HTML, CSS and Javascript).
I created this site because I have learned so much from others through all of their efforts and knowledge that they have taken the time to share, that I thought I should also share some of the things I’ve learned with others who are maybe just beginning or looking to tackle something new related to something I’ve already done.
I’ll try to share some of the things I’ve learned along the way in the form of DIY Tech Projects that you can do at home. As you’ll be able to tell by looking through my projects, the Raspberry Pi is one of my favorite things to tinker with. But I’ll try to post other things as well if I think they might help someone along the way.
If you like to tinker with tech but haven’t made the leap to playing with the Raspberry Pi yet, I highly recommend you do yourself a favor and get one. They’re cheap and there are a ton of free resources out there to help you get started.
If the Raspberry Pi is completely alien to you, then here’s a link to the official web page to get you up to speed on the various models and their capabilities.
Once you get started, you’ll see that there are infinite possibilities that will keep you busy for as long as you desire. It is extremely well supported by the market, which has provided countless project kits and devices to extend its capabilities, with new products coming out all the time. You’ll find that a lot of the software is free and open source, making it easier to experiment without being concerned about the cost.
I also like tinkering with Smart Home tech. I have been using Samsung SmartThings for several years now, and one of the things I appreciate most about it is how open it is. They allow you to create your own SmartApps and devices, which is really cool. Previously it was primarily Groovy-based development on their hosted platform, but they have since moved away from that for the most part to a remote-hosted model using their API to access your devices, routines, etc. I leveraged that new model to create a SmartApp (Smart Home Dashboard) running on a Raspberry Pi.
My Smart Home Dashboard was in serious need of a re-write, so I’m documenting the process here so that others wanting to do something similar can get an idea of what the process is.
You can get started by checking out the projects I have posted here. Hopefully you’ll find something interesting or useful. If you do find something useful, please let me know. It will help me figure out what types of things to share.
Jeff Fry (FryDay Development)