Carlos Felicio

Introduction ESPHome-Econet enables fully local, cloud-free control of Rheem water heaters and HVAC systems using ESP32 and ESP8266 microcontrollers. But even with detailed telemetry, one key question remains: How efficient is the system right now? Manufacturer COP (Coefficient of Performance) ratings are measured under ideal lab conditions and rarely reflect real-world usage. Ambient temperature, demand, … Calculate Rheem EcoNet Real-Time COP (ESPHome + Home Assistant Guide)

Introduction If HDR video looks washed out, too dark, or inconsistent in mpv media player, the problem is usually a misunderstanding of how HDR actually works. This mpv HDR guide explains HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision in practical terms, how mpv handles them internally, and why many HDR setups fail even with “correct” configurations. The … mpv HDR Guide 2026: HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision & Tone Mapping Explained

If you have a high-end media PC, a modern OLED TV, and an AVR that can handle Atmos, it can be challenging to figure out the optimal setup for your mpv.conf to take advantage of all the hardware. I spent some time trying to figure this out, and hoping my notes can help you along … Ultimate mpv.conf Guide (2026): HDR10+, Dolby Vision, gpu-next & Atmos Setup

If you already have a high-end mpv setup working correctly, the next bottleneck is usually not the renderer. It is the layer that decides whether mpv opens the original file directly or whether Jellyfin pushes playback through a weaker path first. That is where Jellyfin MPV Shim matters. For a quality-first home theater setup, the … Jellyfin MPV Shim Guide (2026): Direct Paths, HDR & Zero Transcoding

This mpv setup guide 2026 addendum expands on the baseline configuration from the main guide. If you haven’t read the core setup yet, start with the main Best mpv config 2026, which defines the reference Windows + gpu-next configuration used here. This article focuses on what changes when: The goal is not to replace the … mpv Setup Guide 2026 (Addendum): Linux, Nvidia, Intel & QLED Differences

Backing up personal data should not require trusting a blockchain economy. A short while back, I published a design for a decentralized storage network that deliberately avoided blockchains. The idea was simple. Most people who self-host backups do not need global consensus, token incentives, or smart contracts. They need recoverability, privacy, and reasonable guarantees that … The Secure Storage Trilemma

Backing up your data shouldn’t require trusting a blockchain economy. Yet most decentralized storage systems are built for speculation, not recovery. They require wallets, gas fees, global consensus, and financial incentives. For self-hosted users who want an offsite backup for family photos or personal documents, this is unnecessary complexity. Symbion is an attempt to design … Designing Symbion: A Hardened, Serverless P2P Storage Network

For the last decade, the conversation around decentralized storage has been dominated by blockchain projects. Projects like Filecoin and Arweave have focused on solving Global Permanence by relying on Global Consensus: the entire network must validate and record the proofs of storage for every file, secured by a native token, mining rigs, and a global … Beyond the Ledger: A Case for Self-Hosted P2P Storage

Background I replaced my original 3D printer with a smaller Flashforge Adventurer 5M Pro, but the Mosaic Palette 2 wasn’t connecting when plugged into the printer’s USB. dmesg showed the device was seen but not mounted, indicating the kernel was missing the USB-to-serial driver module. I spent time trying to compile the modules using the … Enable USB Serial (FTDI230X / Palette 2) on Flashforge Adventurer 5M (Pro)

As electric vehicles (EVs) become more common, one of the first hurdles for homeowners is installing a home charger, also known as Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE). A common question arises immediately: “Does my home’s electrical panel have enough capacity?” Unfortunately, getting a straightforward answer can be difficult. The rules laid out in the Canadian … Calculating Your Home’s Electrical Load for an EV Charger: A Guide to the Canadian Electrical Code (CEC)