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Cheers.

Thanks. I got them from this place in Sheffield, they were £1.80 each. I got way too many, I was too keen and should have waited until I did the design. Maybe I’ll build an insulated BBQ with the left overs. reclaimedbrickcompany.co.uk/products/reclaimed-refractory-furnace-fire-resistant-bricks-ideal-for-bbq-pizza-oven-and-fireplaces

I’ve not tested the wifi yet, I had the same thoughts though. I’m also concerned about the electronics and heat, the outside of the oven will still be quite warm. I feel like they are all solvable problems though. I’m almost done building the oven dome so I’ll be drilling a hole for the thermocouple soon. I’ll drill between the bricks until I’m a couple of centimetres from the inside. There will be a range of temperatures in the oven but I think they will all be proportionate to that point so I can plot out a set of temperatures across the oven. As for other ideas, I think a timer would be nice that I could easily set. Also a temperature alert automation that would tell me when the oven drops to a required temperature for baking bread etc. I think I’ll switch the Esp32 and display for an M5 Dial at the point so I can use the rotary encoder. Thanks for watching.

@@DeveloperDIY oh great idea with the rotaty timer! I'm thinking since it will be a battery powered device + semi weatherproof ideally I would use some kind of connector and mount to only bring it out and quickly install it when cooking. Thanks for response.

@@wasyl00 I’m thinking solar panels on the gazebo roof, I’ve got 2 x 400w panels spare so I’ll do an off grid setup, it’ll be good enough for lights and maybe a fridge etc. I can then embed some low voltage power cables into the perlite render of the pizza oven so it’s all hidden away.

@@DeveloperDIY oh thats a bigger project then! Cant wait for future videos 😁

@@DeveloperDIY oh one more thing look at the T-encoder pro from Lilygo seem to look much better then fugly M5 dial and also matches better with your setup 😁

Thanks. Yes, I’m using a product called Ciment Fondu. It’s available in the UK. I’m not sure about other countries. “Ciment fondu, also known as high-alumina cement or aluminous cement, can withstand temperatures of up to 1,250°C when used with the correct aggregates. It's a calcium aluminate cement that's suitable for use in environments where extreme temperatures are a factor.”

What's the reason for the wiring bridge? And if i don't have the same model as you, could i just connect ground and earth directly from the terminals?

It’s just because we are using the Solis to provide the 5v power, so we need to pass the ground too. As long as you get some power or bridge the ground another way that’s fine. 👍

The muffler has a hole in the bottom, that drains anything flowing back down the pipe. It’s positioned close to the heater end. Assuming it’s installed the right way up. I imagine it’s full of rain after the recent storms we’ve had. We mostly use it during the winter now, so a little service in autumn to clear out the pipes, check the batteries etc and we’re good to go.

Ah nice, very tidy set up, I admire the ingenuity, and thanks for the reply 👍

Thanks for watching the video.

The conservatory is quite small, about 2.5m by 3m give or take. We keep the heat on a low setting to reduce the diesel consumption, so it takes a few hours to dry a load. If you crank it up to full and position the clothes right you can dry in less than an hour. It helps having the windows open to ventilate the humidity. We also use a dehumidifier to help reduce humidity and improve drying time. This runs off the house solar panels. When it’s not raining.

It should work the same. I would imagine the Modbus registers are the same for reading information.

Thank you

In the UK I’ve used Amazon and eBay. If you search for “ride on car gearbox” they will range from £16 to £25 for a pair. Just check the voltage and the RPM you need. Remember, the faster they are the less torque they have. Otherwise if you don’t mind waiting then I’ve also bought ones direct from China using AliExpress. I’ve always found them reliable and slightly cheaper when you factor in tax and shipping.

@alextopper9638 for the controller search for “weelye controller”. You can get fully wired or do it yourself.

Thank you

Thank you, I hope you find it useful. The Halloween lights are my favourite project but oddly the video is not very popular. Maybe it’s a seasonal thing.

Thanks, I was thinking of a ground layer but I didn’t want to over complicate my first attempt. I’m also conscious that the PCB will be mounted to a 500 degree oven and will probably be exposed to temperatures up to 60 degrees so having less copper might help with cooling.

@@DeveloperDIY I would say having more copper would be better for heat dissipation, and it will help the pcb stability shape wise. And if the card will have more heat exposed to it, I would make room for mounting a heat sink.

@@saysphilippe I suspect you are correct. I wasn’t happy with the rectangular case, I think version 4 will have a round case which will suit the shape of the oven dome better. I’m also keen to redesign the board to hold the ESP32 chip and voltage circuits directly so I don’t have to use a dev kit. This will make the whole PCB smaller too. All useful tips are welcome, there is so much to learn.

@@DeveloperDIY I think that is wise. I also design my boards with SMD components, have made multiple circuits with ESP32-S2 and ESP32-C6(Zigbee version). My latest Automatic Watering System for my kitchen garden is currenly under testing... I have to upgrade to S3 since S2 is obsolete. I will go for ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N4.

@@saysphilippe an automated watering system sounds like a great project, do you make videos or articles about your projects? Also using Zigbee sounds great too. Does the Zigbee connection work with Home Assistant well?

@TheFireBrickCo You deserve the respect for all the great quality information you provide for free. I’m sure you would do well in the UK/EU. My wife says I have enough tools so please stop encouraging me to buy more. 😁 she’s obviously wrong.

I’ve tried looking for that article but not found anything yet. As far as I understand, you can use the data logger stick to send the information to Solis Cloud and then you can pull the information from there. I don’t know of an easy way to have the data stay local (within your own wifi network) without using their cloud servers. Hopefully they now provide a way but they still ask for an NDA to see the Modbus registers so I’m not sure they have. The Hilderbrand IHD is very easy and a great solution for grid usage monitoring, I use that along with a Shelley EM in my consumer unit. The Shelley is faster but the IHD shows you what your energy supplier sees. Let me know if you get it all working without the Solis Cloud.

You are absolutely right. This was my first dive into EDA software and PCB design so there was much to learn. I’ve since learned that KiCad is open source and has a great community dedicated to its growth. I’m excited to learn more about KiCad and PCB design in general. Hopefully, as my knowledge grows I’ll do a few more videos.

I’ll swop you for some of your pulled pork! 😋 that looks amazing!

@@DeveloperDIY we have a deal :)

Thank you, it’s difficult to judge how much detail to put in without it getting boring. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

@@DeveloperDIY As a fellow creator, I understand the pressure to deliver value without wasting time. I often worry about boring people with technical details, but your video was engaging from start to finish. It reminded me that the right audience values genuine connection over perfection. Thank you for the inspiration!

I hoped you would say that! 🤓

Thanks, it’ll probably be easier to just move to Texas. My calculations were very similar, I worked it out to about 92Kwh of energy to go from 22 to 28 degrees, which sounded achievable but like you say that is in ideal conditions. Maybe digging a big hole with insulation is the way to go. Then build a shed on top of it. 🤔

Thanks. I’d not considered making it a 4x4, that’s a great idea.

@@DeveloperDIY One thing to note about the gearboxes for generic cars: They often tell you in the description what axle size they are designed for. Sometimes, the seller will have more than one version of the gearbox. I believe your Mercedes has 10mm axles - front and rear. Also know that very high speed motors tend to be a bit less tolerant of over voltage. They might also be a little low on torque, too. The higher RPM the motor, the more you might want to keep the voltage stock & rely on the higher RPM rating to deliver the speed you need. I mean, 40,000 RPM is a lot faster than 12,000, after all. This video shows a four wheel drive version of the Mercedes. It's currently running the stock motors. Right now, I'm just working on the programming necessary for it to work. th-cam.com/video/dTYz7ChCd2U/w-d-xo.html

@@jeremygeorgia4943 that looks like an awesome project! Are you planning to use sonar sensors or some kind of LiDAR setup? That would be immense.

@@DeveloperDIY Right now, I am working on lightning, and an improvised control system. I am using an ESP32 board for the wireless, and I am using an Arduino for the sensors, since they are 5 volts. I am using the ESPnow protocol for communication. I am sending the signals to the Arduino's analog input as PWM. When I get things working, I think I will pursue camera input. That seems to be the cheapest solution & communicates the most information. I might then supplement with sonar. Lidar is a bit out of my price range right now, but that would be the ultimate goal. For the Mercedes, I am using two motor controllers, to give the motors the most power. ESPnow can broadcast to multiple units at once, so the front and rear each have their own unit to control the motors. I have an additional ESP unit with an external antenna, that relays the commands to the front and rear units. It is directly wired to the Arduino, which controls the steering. Right now, I have switched focus to my Mini Countryman, which has a simpler 2WD setup. I am about through with the lighting setup that I want.

@@jeremygeorgia4943 Good luck, I can’t wait to see the video. It sounds like a very big project.

@TheExix Thanks, for some reason my wife won’t let me build a giant cauldron, it would be so much easier! Parallel, that’s a great suggestion, it would slow down the flow and give the heaters a fighting chance. It feels like you are encouraging the nerdiness, you only have yourself to blame for more nerdy content now!

The cheap pwm charge controller I used was around 75% efficient and the Epever MPPT is around 98% efficient so you are getting upwards of 25% more. Probably at least 20% better. If you can afford it then Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) is far better.

Thank you. I did create some schematics in KiCad for the floating pool thermometer project but I didn’t feel confident enough to send them out to be made. I might have another go using this project, the electronics are far simpler so might be a nice introduction to custom PCB design.

@@DeveloperDIY fantastic！

@@DeveloperDIY How could we contact you?

@@daisywong-ke1kz My PCBs are arriving today. I decided to give it a go.

👍

Thanks. Let me know how you get on.

@@DeveloperDIY where did you get your ceramic temperature prob?

@@paulhyland3528 Amazon UK K Type Ceramic Kiln... www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CCSG4LZK

@@paulhyland3528 for a BBQ you might be better with one of these. Also comes with the Max6675. DollaTek MAX6675 Module Mini... www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DK8VG87

@@DeveloperDIY just seen your reply, that's looks great definitely more suitable, thanks for your help. I'll be adding it to the ever growing list of esp projects

Thank you for watching. The roof is one of my favourite parts too. I imagine the felt roof tiles would melt in the Australian summer heat so they are probably more of a northern hemisphere product. Everything is just nailed in with roofing tacks and bits of my fingers where I missed with the hammer! 😵‍💫 I’ll book the flight as soon as the outdoor kitchen is complete! Although I suspect we’ll be waiting a good while, it’s taken two years to get this far!

Thank you and sorry twice, I’ve put part two on hold until I’ve completed the oven. It dawned on me that I need to fit the oven chimney first. The heat from the oven and flue will affect the light, especially if I embed led strips into it. Also, sorry for these videos being quite long, I’m still learning how to edit videos and now realise that shorter is better and less music is good too. 😁

Yes, the existing speed controller does have soft start. I’ve not used the new controller and pedal yet. I’ve been side tracked by the pizza oven project. I’ll have another go at the car later this year.

@@DeveloperDIY ah ok. I've never used the LiPO batteries. Do you need a low voltage cutoff for it?

@@beforeyourimmigrants8471 That would be a great addition to help protect the batteries. Maybe set around 3.2v per cell as a cut off. I always supervise the kids when they use the vehicles with lithium polymer batteries so I can check their temperature and voltage. It’s best not to take chances with lithium based batteries, they need treating with respect.

Thank you. I’ve fallen down a rabbit hole now. I’ve just got the display gauge working using LVGL in ESPHome. I’m hoping they merge the LVGL branch into a release version it’s very nice to work with for small device interfaces.

I’m not qualified to give legal advice. I’d always recommend that you get a qualified electrician in to check over your work as there will always be recommendations, improvements and regulations that need addressing. Each country will be different so an electrician will know what you need. You should also notify your insurance as it is a notable change to your house. Solar can be a significant investment that you would want to ensure is included in your building cover. Again, I’m not qualified to give advice, my videos just cover my experience and learning. If you attempt to do something similar then you should research the requirements in your own location. I always seek the relevant help to ensure safety. Plus it’s nice to have someone look over your work and point out improvements.

Oh, I’d love to build my own batteries. I keep looking but it’s a big investment of money. This month we generated more electricity than we used, if I had batteries to store it. I will try but probably a project for next year.

@@DeveloperDIY I made my own lead carbon batteries. Made the first test with lead and lead mixed with red oxide powder. But then I just recycled single use AA batteries using the carbon rod in place of red lead. Recycled, free and made it better.

@@Theoverthinker81 wow, that’s some serious chemistry then. I thought you meant some lifepo4s with a bms. You’re actually making the cells. That’s awesome. Let me know if you figure out how to make some of those sodium ion batteries.

Sure it’s the Fire Brick Company youtube.com/@thefirebrickco

Thanks for the nice comment. I’m in the midlands and yes it rains more than the sun shines so a roof is key. It’s very much a learning process so hopefully I can help someone else with their project. Good luck with your own build. Hopefully with a cold beer and a pizza cooking it’ll feel like I’m in a sun soaked California.

It’s a little frustrating to begin with but once you master the move and rotate tools along with rectangle and line, you are good to design anything. It’s worth sticking with and do a couple of tutorials. I’ve almost completed the design now, just the oven floor to go. When I’m done I could do a little video on using Sketchup to design the oven if you think it would be useful?

@@DeveloperDIY that would be very helpful!

Thanks. I did wonder about running copper water pipes within the dome insulation layer. I could then use this to heat the garage. Good luck with your own project.

Thank you for watching. I’m slowly getting the hang of the video editing. I just need a better microphone I think. I’m cleaning bricks as we speak! 😁

I’m about to go to sleep. A new subscriber from South Australia!

Night, night. 😁

I am planning to do a run through of my home assistant setup along with the sensors and switches. I’m not sure when though as it’s all about the outdoor kitchen and brick oven at the moment. Hopefully next month.

👍

Wow, converting a car to electric must have been a great project. It sounds like you are way ahead of me in your solar journey. Electric car is on my list for the future. I believe most hybrid inverters will do what you want and can be setup with rules for exporting and charging etc. there are hundreds of different makes and models to choose from so I’m unable to recommend anything in particular. All I can offer is my preference in brands. I do like Epever, Solis and Fox ESS. Epever do some cheap hybrid inverters. Solis seem very reliable and Fox also have a nice range. Sorry I can’t be of more help. Try Will Prowse, he has lots of great reviews for products.

​@@DeveloperDIY​@DeveloperDIY thanks, converting the car was the best thing I've ever done and is still ongoing. I posted a video series abut it. As for solar I'm only starting out and know almost nothing so trying to get my head around the various options. I can pick up some new 420W JA panels for £160 locally so might do that first then see what happens.

Check out City Plumbing, 425w panels are £70. Or HDMSolar, they are as low as £58. It’s a great time to buy panels. I did consider buying some and storing them.

​@@DeveloperDIYI'll do that thanks.

I’ll check out your video too.

Sounds like a good project, let me know how you get on. I’ve heard that bi facials work very well if you mount them vertically, mainly due to more efficient heat loss. I’ve been looking at ways of setting up a cylinder outside with a DC element to use excess solar to heat water, I really dislike exporting solar.

@@DeveloperDIY Wait on those bi-facials ones there has been an issue on a local solar farm of them just cracking.

I’m still waiting to find a new inverter so the Shunt and Epever integrations are not working at the moment. The Epever was courtesy of Colin Hickey so nothing for me to add there. I was going to do a video on the shunt esphome script as it needs re soldering anyway but I’ve been distracted with all things pizza oven the last few months. I don’t know anything about Batmon, but I’ll take a look and see if there is anything I can add.

I could do a run through of my whole Home Assistant setup. I don’t know if that’s of interest to people.

Thanks, I can almost smell the burning pizzas 😁

The G98 is a work in progress, my end goal is to have kitchen roof and south facing garage connected to the Solis 3.6 and grid tied so the G98 will cover that configuration and then setup 10 more panels off grid to test the setup then move those to grid tied which will take me above the G98 and into the next tier. I still have 2 more vertical wall panels to install so the setup is not complete yet.

Let me know how you get on with it.

Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it. It’s a great time for buying panels, I’ve never seen them so cheap at the moment. I’m tempted to buy a few and store them in the shed for future use. Good luck with your project, I wonder if you could use bi-facials like a roof light, that would be nice.

@@DeveloperDIY You're very welcome. Yes I've seen panel prices come down slightly, though as usual, I have to priorities spending money, like most! Good point about bi-facials, I don't think they would work in my situation, but I like your thinking 👍 To start with I'll have around 3 x 2m x 1m panels - one might be some tree shade at times, so I might need to arrange them in a way that the shaded one doesn't drag the others down. I've heard some pro installs have panels with their own inverters, I'm betting they're crazy money? If it's working nicely, I have space for 2 more of a similar size within relative proximity to the other 3 (around 2m). Really though, perhaps I should start small like you, it would certainly work better for my budget and give me the same understanding as you if I tried a simpler route. Finally, just a thought about securely mounting on a flat roof without penetrating the felt. May be you could get some 50-70mm square hollow steel lengths, get an upright that's bolted a few courses above the flat roof/wall intersection. Then a horizontal length that goes over the flat roof but doesn't touch it, then a vertical member that goes down to the ground in front of the extension, bolted into a concrete pad. 2 of those space right, might allow for bracing between and make it quite sturdy. Happy to illustrate with Sketchup if helps...might just be a stupid idea! Thing is, some modern roofs have insulation directly under and may not even have OSB that would at least give some fixing to.

@@bikerchrisukk That’s a good idea for the frame. I suspect it might not pass the wife test though, plus I do like the ability to experiment and change configuration. I think a subframe bolted to the house wall might work too.

@@DeveloperDIY Ah, with all the panels and frames, I was unsure if it would pass the wife test. I think certainly having a section bolted 2-3 times to house, then a horizontal bit on the roof might be OK. could put rubber feet on end nearest the flat roof eaves, then 2 diagnonal members to act as a brace, then normal sections for attaching panels to, after the upright bit is done to get the angle right.

Great question. I don’t have batteries or a hybrid inverter so I don’t have any experience with trying to manage charging schedules etc. My integration is purely read only, I didn’t have any need to send commands to the inverter. You could add this though. You would need to wire up the TXD to the TX for the RS485 to the D1 Mini and the add the sending of commands within the ESPHome script. Sorry I can’t be of more help, It sounds like an interesting addition to make setup changes based on weather predictions. Let me know if you get something working.

@@DeveloperDIY thanks for the reply I do have a waveshare RS485 to ethernet powered over Poe but I have zero experience or idea on how this works or would wire up to what you've done. Is there any chance you could help with the physical wiring part as I have no idea what I am doing. I can follow instructions but sadly this is all very bespoke and there don't appear to be anyone who has done this before me (that I can find.) I have found several that are similar but not the same!

@@miketargaryen1210 that’s a completely different beast to the simple esp8266 microcontroller. I wouldn’t know exactly how to set that up. All I can offer is my thoughts. If you use my diagram from the video then RS485 A and B would go to your waveshare device into the respective A & B connections. You may need ground and 5v, I’m not sure. It may work without. I’m guessing you would then have to communicate with the waveshare via MQTT into Home Assistant. You wouldn’t be able to use my scripts for this. You would need to write something new. If you’re not 100% sure, it’s probably best not to experiment and wait for someone who has already done an integration to share.