Relay switching
Switching modules built on relays and MOSFETs, sized for the job and the space they live in.
01 Custom hardware & firmware · Devon, UK
Custom hardware for the piece nobody sells.
Most problems are standard parts plus one piece nobody sells. I design and build that piece, from the circuit to the firmware: relays, dimmers, sensors and PoE cameras made for your installation and built to work with the rest of your system.
02 How it works
I start with the job: what needs switching, sensing or watching, where it has to fit, and what it needs to talk to. If an affordable off-the-shelf part already does it, I’ll use that and tell you so.
When nothing fits, I design a node around a microcontroller or a single-board computer, write the firmware, and build a prototype. You see it working on the bench before it goes anywhere near your building.
Nodes in the same family share one firmware and the same simple HTTP API, so every unit behaves the same, adding another is quick, and your control server, dashboard or other software can drive them.
03 What I build
Small parts, built to fit.
Dimmers
Wi-Fi dimming modules that share their firmware with the relays, so they’re set up and controlled the same way.
Sensors
Sensor nodes that report into your dashboard or control system, placed where you need them.
PoE cameras
Cameras that take power and data over one network cable, for monitoring without extra wiring.
Firmware
Firmware written for the job and shared across each family of nodes, so every unit behaves the same.
Integration
A simple HTTP API on every node, so the rest of your system can switch, read and monitor it.
04 Built already
Real systems, running every day.
Anonymised, but all real.
Hardware · Firmware
Wi-Fi relay and dimmer nodes
Wi-Fi switching and dimming modules that all share one firmware, so every unit behaves the same and adding another one is quick.
- Microcontrollers
- C++
- HTTP API
Workshop · Monitoring
Machine tracking for a workshop
PoE cameras and a custom web server showing which machines are in use and for how long, without touching the machines’ own electronics.
- PoE cameras
- Custom web server
- Live dashboard
05 Questions
Fair questions, straight answers.
Isn’t custom hardware expensive?
It doesn’t have to be. I use affordable, proven parts wherever they work and only build the piece that’s missing. You get a written scope and a clear price before anything is built, and I’ll always include the most affordable option that does the job.
How do I know it’ll work?
Prototype first, then the real thing. You see it working on the bench before it’s installed.
Wired or wireless?
Whichever suits the installation: Wi-Fi where it’s convenient, a network cable where that’s more dependable, and PoE where a device needs power and data on one cable.
Am I tied to you for repairs?
No. You get the documentation and the firmware source code, so anyone competent can work on it. Support and updates are there if you want them.
06 Other services
Whatever else the job needs.
- 01
Control & automation systems
Central servers and controllers that tie lighting, heating, media, sensors and third-party kit together into one system, and keep working when the internet doesn’t.
- 03
Monitoring & dashboards
Live views of what’s running, what’s idle and what’s wrong, on a wall screen, a laptop or a phone.
- 04
Bespoke software & web
Web servers, integrations, internal tools and websites, written to fit how you work.
- 05
Networking, servers & Docker
Networks set up or sorted out, servers specified and supplied to fit the job and the budget, and services run on your own hardware in Docker rather than rented from the cloud.
Got something that needs building?
Tell me what you’re trying to do. I’ll reply with honest next steps. No pitch, no obligation.