Electronics & Automotive Tinkering

Microcontrollers, custom CAN/OBD-II telemetry, and vehicle modifications.

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Workbench Overview

I’ve had my hands in electronics since childhood and later went to college for electronics technology. For me, microcontrollers, single-board computers, and custom wiring are tools to solve everyday practical problems around the home and vehicle.

Whether it's flashing ESP32 microcontrollers to dump telemetry straight into Home Assistant via MQTT, reverse-engineering signals, or retrofitting vehicle audio and insulation, I prefer local-first, low-power solutions with zero commercial tracking attached.

Project Spotlight: Volkswagen Taos Upgrades & Telemetry

Custom ESP32 Bluetooth OBD-II Engine Telemetry

Goal: Capture raw vehicle sensor data directly into Home Assistant without relying on expensive, privacy-invasive cloud telematics services.

Hardware: ESP32 microcontroller paired with a custom Bluetooth OBD-II (ELM327) reader module.
Implementation: Programmed custom firmware to query PID engine parameters over Bluetooth. The ESP32 parses raw engine metrics (coolant temperatures, engine speed, state data) and broadcasts them directly over local Wi-Fi to MQTT.
Integration: Feeds directly into my Home Assistant server, allowing real-time dashboard tracking and background logging.

Cabin, Audio & Antenna Modifications

Beyond the software and microcontrollers, I’ve done several practical mechanical and cabin upgrades to improve road comfort and radio utility:

Modification	Details & Notes
Front Speaker Replacement	Upgraded factory front door speakers to high-efficiency Kenwood 2-Way 6.5" coaxials for clearer mid-range and highs without needing external amplifier modifications.
Full Sound Insulation	Stripped interior panels and applied high-density butyl/foam sound dampening material across the hatch area, cabin floor, and all four doors to drastically lower road noise and improve speaker acoustic isolation.
Window Tinting	Full interior window tinting for cabin heat rejection and privacy.
MeshCore Antenna Mount	Installed a custom vehicle mount for a MeshCore 915 MHz antenna to maintain off-grid mesh radio connectivity while driving. (Photos pending upload!)

Microcontrollers & SBC Hardware Quick-List

ESP32 & ESP8266: Custom sensors, BLE decoders, vehicle telemetry logging, and local Home Assistant MQTT nodes.
RF & Software Defined Radio: RTL-SDR sub-1GHz radio scraping for local weather telemetry (WeatherB).
Zigbee / Network Radios: Local-only Zigbee coordinators, custom mesh repeaters, and off-grid radio hardware.