https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/categories/projects/ Recent content in Projects on Marcus Folkesson Hugo en-us Sat, 17 Jan 2026 09:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/remotely-controlled-usb-hub/ Sat, 17 Jan 2026 09:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/remotely-controlled-usb-hub/ Remotely controlled USB hub This is no fancy project, but I thought it might be useful for someone out there. There is probably better ways to do this, but this is what I came up with. My situation For those who haven't read my previous post [1], I have recently bought two (yes, TWO!) Rigol DP832 power supplies to power my lab equipment. (I really love them and will never use a non-programmable power supply without ethernet interface again. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/gnss-spoofings/ Thu, 15 Jan 2026 12:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/gnss-spoofings/ GNSS spoofing using SDR First of all, sending false GNSS signals on the air is illegal in most countries. You must have a controlled RF environment (Faraday cage or such) to perform GNSS spoofing experiments. A box covered with aluminum foil with copper tape in all joints works quite well, but be sure everything (holes for cables, joints etc) are properly shielded. The best is to not transmit to open air at all, but using coax cables only. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/repair-of-my-fluke179/ Thu, 03 Jul 2025 12:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/repair-of-my-fluke179/ Repair of my Fluke 179 multimeter My belowed Fluke 179 multimeter suddenly stopped working. There was no display, no beeps, nothing. I have had this multimeter for many (12+) years, and it has been a reliable companion in my projects. Fluke has a lifetime warrenty, but that only applies to the original owner, and I bought it second hand. Troubleshooting Here is what I did to troubleshoot the problem. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/blindfolded-chess/ Fri, 07 Mar 2025 12:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/blindfolded-chess/ An attempt to learn blindfolded chess This is one of my more unusual projects, but I still think it is worth sharing. First of all, I do not consider myself as a skilled chess player. I would not say that I'm bad, but I have a lot more to learn. My ELO at Lichess is about 1400. I have played chess since I was a kid, but I have never been serious about it. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/repair-of-sennheiser-momentum-true-wireless/ Fri, 10 Jan 2025 09:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/repair-of-sennheiser-momentum-true-wireless/ Repair of Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless earbuds I have a pair of Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless (MTW3) earbuds that had been lost for a while. Once I found them, they had been laying around for a while and the battery was completely drained. I tried to charge them, but they did not charge at all. They are completely dead. Here they are. What I could see, there was no obvious way to open them up. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/control-geothermal-heat-pump/ Thu, 19 Dec 2024 09:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/control-geothermal-heat-pump/ Control of my geothermal heat pump The electicity price in Sweden varies a lot during the day. It's usually cheapest during the night and most expensive during the day, but not always. One day a week ago, it was not much wind in Germany and therefore we exported electricity there which resulted in very high prices here in Sweden. 1 kWh cost over 10 SEK (almost 1 USD per kWh) for a few hours, this excluding transmission fees and taxes. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/restoring-a-power-hammer/ Sat, 19 Oct 2024 17:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/restoring-a-power-hammer/ Restoring a power hammer I have bought myself a power hammer - something that I have wanted for a long time. It is a Abno nr1, a swedish made 25kg spring hammer. It has been unused for many years and is in need of a little restoration. The last Abno hammers were manufactured in the sixties, so it is at least 60 years old. I've seen 60 year olds in worse condition than this, although there are parts that need improvement. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/forge-kitchen-knife/ Thu, 01 Aug 2024 17:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/forge-kitchen-knife/ Forge a kitchen knife Another attempt to forge a knife. The metal I use for this project is part of a feather harrow that I collected from my father farm. I cut out a ~8x4cm long piece from the springs of the feather harrow: Bosse (the dog) never leaves me, so I got him a sack to snuggle down on at the outside of the garage. I used the gas forge for the entire project. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/forge-knife-blade/ Sun, 14 Jul 2024 17:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/forge-knife-blade/ Forge a knife blade from a car spring I helped my friend to change springs on his car, so I kept the broken spring as forging material. The carbon content of spring steel is aroundd 0.6 to 0.8% which works well for hardening - so lets forge a knife! I cut out a ~10cm long piece from the car spring. I use the induction heater to straight it out and flatten it a little. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/knife-making/ Mon, 01 Jul 2024 17:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/knife-making/ Knife Making It's been a long time since I made knives. Knife making was actually the reason I bought my gas forge a few years ago and it's still something I intend to do. I forged a few knife blades back then, but it was way too much manual grinding to be fun and I didn't have the right tools back then, and I'm still missing a belt grinder in my toolbox. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/weather-satellites/ Thu, 30 May 2024 17:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/weather-satellites/ NOAA Weather satellites Me and a friend started to talk about SDR (Software Defined Radio) and GNURadio [1], which reminds me of a old project I did for many years ago - reading out images from NOAA weather satellites using SDR, a QFH antenna and GNU Radio! I found some old pictures, but unfortunately, I do not remember the details as it was almost ten years ago. But I do know that we were using a HackRF [3] to catch the radio signals. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/owl-house/ Mon, 13 May 2024 17:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/owl-house/ Building an owl house I like owls. I always have. There are so many reasons to be fascinated about owls. For example, did you know that Owls has special flight feathers that makes them almost silent? That they can swivel their heads around (how cool is'nt that?) is commonly known, but that they can do the same with their toes too? Their eares are asymmetrical to make them better to pinpoint the location of sounds in multiple dimensions? https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/repair-ic-211e-radio/ Tue, 07 May 2024 17:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/repair-ic-211e-radio/ Repair of an IC-211E HAM Radio A friend of mine (SM7FWZ [3] ) gave me an ICOM IC-211E, a 2M all mode transceiver that I'm having a lot of fun with. When I got it, it had one drawback - transmitting on SSB (Single Side Band) didn't work very well, neither for USB (Upper Side Band) nor LSB (Lower Side Band). The signal that reached the antenna was really disturbed, so here is something that needs to be fixed! https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/bird-counting/ Tue, 16 Apr 2024 17:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/bird-counting/ Bird counting I've been counting birds for couple of years now, but for the last past six mounths I have also recorded which species I see at bird table. I live in the middle of a bird sanctuary, so I think it could be good to know my neighbors. So the main reason for this was to learn to tell the difference between different species for birds. I must say that this was a success, I can name about 30 different bird species with a fairly high degree of certainty around my bird table. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/watch-repair-1/ Thu, 01 Feb 2024 17:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/watch-repair-1/ Watch repair Time for another watch repair! The watch can be winded up to max, but it does not move nor tick, so my guess is that the gear train is stuck somewhere. It is also the first time I use my microscope to something else other than soldering components (and looking at creepy bugs with my kids..). Take it apart I started to take everything apart as usual, starting with the balance wheel. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/leather-fox-pouch/ Fri, 28 Jul 2023 17:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/leather-fox-pouch/ Leather fox pouch I bought this [1] pattern to make a fox leather pouch to a friend of mine. I made some modifications to the pattern to make it more how I like it. I used Veg-tanned Bellies 5oz leather for this project. The steps The laser machine is not involved at all in this project. Stamp each hole is a time consuming pleasure. Beavel all the edges. Dye the leather and add a layer of shene. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/servicing-pocket-watch/ Mon, 27 Feb 2023 17:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/servicing-pocket-watch/ Service of a pocket watch Mechanical watches is fascinating. A mechanical timepiece that gets its energy from unwinding a tightly coiled flat spring. All this energy does feed another spring-driven balance wheel that oscillates back and forth in a given frequency. All without any batteries. Isn't that cool? Mechanical watches is quite expensive and need regular services, so I bought a no-name brand pocket watch that suddenly could stop tick and didn't keep time very well. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/leather-case-razor/ Mon, 20 Feb 2023 17:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/leather-case-razor/ Razor Leather Case My safety razor broke during usage last week, so I sadly had to order a new one. I'm not really into shaving at all, but I want something that works and safety razors does both work and is cheap in the long run. For those interested, I bought a AL13 razor from Henson Shaving [1]. This time I used my Laser cutting machine to cut out the leather. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/watch-leather-strap-keeper/ Mon, 13 Feb 2023 17:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/watch-leather-strap-keeper/ Leather watch strap keeper My watch was missing the strap keeper, so I had to make one. To be honest, I did not put my soul into this project, I had an urge to fix it while the food was getting ready in the oven. Anyway, here is my steps to make one. The steps Cut out a leather strap. My final size was about 14mm wide. Bevel the edges: https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/hoof-scratch/ Sat, 04 Dec 2021 17:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/hoof-scratch/ Forge a hoof scratch In this project I made a hoof scratch as a gift to a friend - made out of a horse shoe of course. I do have a few different forges depending on what to forge. The induction forge is great for thick and straight materials such like hammer heads and tongs. One of the greatest benefit is that there is only 30s startup time as it requires no preparations at all. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/sewing-machine/ Wed, 04 Nov 2020 17:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/sewing-machine/ Leather sewing machine I have worked with leather for some time which I enjoyed a lot. Leather is so general purpose and is both robust and nice looking. So far I've made myself a wizard hat, dice bags, mug pads, bookmarks.. The majority of all leather projects involves a sewing, which is quite entertaining but really time consuming so I invested in a $60 leader sewing machine which make the whole process a lot smoother. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/leather-penguin/ Fri, 16 Oct 2020 17:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/leather-penguin/ Leather penguin A Linux guy needs his penguin, right? I found this pattern [1] on etsy and thought it would be a fun project to make a little companion. The leather I'm using for this is a 2-3oz veg-tanned goat skin. It is a little too thin to make a robust penguin, but I rather want it soft and squeeze-friendly than robust. That's how I prefer to have my companions. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/phb-dmg-mm/ Sat, 20 Jun 2020 16:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/phb-dmg-mm/ Player's handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual These three books are the "core books" for Dungeons and Dragons 5e. This is not an in depth review of these books as they are so fundamental. But I think it is good to mention them at least, before I go any further with the more cool-but-not-so-neccessary-books. Player's Handbook The Players Handbook [1] (PHB) contains all the basic rules that the player needs to know to play the game, equipment, spells, character options, feats, races, backgrounds and everything to put it all together. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/dnd-confession/ Fri, 19 Jun 2020 16:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/dnd-confession/ Dungeons and dragons - My confession I have always been fascinated about fantasy. The computer games I appreciated most during my young days was role-playing game such as Baldur's Gate, Diablo and Neverwinter Nights, all games with their own mysterious setting there evil lurks at every corner. For half a year ago, a friend of mine introduced me to Dungeons and Dragons 5e and I was hooked. Maybe a little too much. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/amarillo-1/ Sat, 04 Aug 2018 16:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/amarillo-1/ Oppigård Amarillo, third batch This recipe is also from the book [1] and the third batch of this beer and it is one of my favorite hopier beer. I think it is fun to brew single hop beers since you learn to recognize the taste and aroma of a single hop at a time. The aroma of Amarillo is described as flowery, spicy and citrus-like with a distinct orange bouquet. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/green-fingers/ Tue, 17 Jul 2018 16:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/green-fingers/ Green fingers This year I have engaged more than usual in growing vegetables. I grow quite common things like cucumbers, tomatoes, dill, beans, peas, squash, salad, carrots and potatoes. We live in a moss that cools the environment quite a bit, so it's hard to grow without a greenhouse - which we happily have. In the past years it has become a mediocre harvest of vegetables, but this year it has really exploded. https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/st-eriks-pale-ale-1/ Sat, 14 Jul 2018 16:39:34 +0200 https://www.marcusfolkesson.se/projects/st-eriks-pale-ale-1/ St Eriks Pale Ale, second batch The book "Klona öl" [1] ("Clone beers" in English) has collected recipes from many Swedish breweries. One challenge is to brew a recipe and then buy a bottle with the same beer and compare, hope This is the second time we brew a St:Eriks Pale ale, which is a pale ale with a lot of citrus aroma from the Citra and Simcoe hop. The body is quite light and it is a perfect summer beer.