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Encrypted Arch Linux Installation

Since a few years, I’m a big fan of Arch Linux: Always up to date packages and no major release upgrades, due to its rolling releases philosophy. And minimal installations only packed with the tools you need.

So I’ve got a new device and I had to install it from scratch, including LUKS encryption and the slim systemd-boot.

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Tags: linux, arch, encryption, luks, systemd-boot

Bye-bye old CMS, hello Static Website

Exactly 9 months ago, I wrote an article about my new blog (this one) and the story which CMS I’ve picked and why.

Back then, I’ve written a few blog posts and was happy with my decision. But there is a problem with all those fancy content management systems out there: Housekeeping.

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Tags: static website, hugo, blogging, cms, maintenance, markdown

Ikea Tradfri - Arduino based Reset- & Pairing-Station

Resetting Ikea Tradfri devices, especially the different lightbulbs, can be annoying. There is an official video showing the process of switching the bulbs on and off six times, but the timing has to be nearly perfect. For me, it works only one out of five times. If you have to reset your entire set of light bulbs or even two or more, you have to be a very calm person… ;)

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Tags: ikea, tradfri, diy, arduino, home automation, microcontroller, zigbee, conbee, deconz

VS Code as Home Assistant Editor

Home Assistant can detect most of your devices automagically and you can configure the new fancy Lovelace UI directly in Home Assistant. But if you want to go deeper and love configuring things manually, so you exactly know what’s happening, you need an external editor. Vim may be good enough for terminal heroes, but Visual Studio Code can add a few benefits.

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Tags: home assistant, visual studio code, vscode, editor, ide, ssh, remote

Fixing my Ambilight's Rainbow Color Phenomenon

I have a weird problem with my self-built Hyperion Ambilight: It shows rainbow colors when shutting down the AV Receiver and there is no HDMI signal anymore.

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Tags: raspberry pi, home assistant, automation, ambilight, hyperion, hdmi

Should I use an SSD for my Raspberry Pi?

A Raspberry Pi is a great device for a bunch of projects. As a server for your home automation project, a 3D printer controller, a simple NAS or a media center, the possibilities are limited by your imagination only. Nonetheless does a Raspberry Pi, even in the newest generation 3, have its limitations.

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Tags: raspberry pi, ssd, performance, storage, home assistant, influxdb, usb, sd card