changed blog to aricles

content/Articles/garmin-eink/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+---
+title: "Garmin Eink"
+date: 2026-02-20T15:42:06Z
+draft: false
+image: /projects/garmin-eink/featured.jpg
+summary: "Using an Eink display with an ESP32 to track and motivate me for a virtual running challenge"
+tags: ["ESP32", "Self-Hosting", Python]
+---
+<style>
+  section img, .content img, article img {
+    max-width: 70% !important;
+    height: auto !important;
+    display: block;
+    margin: 2rem auto;
+    border-radius: 8px;
+  }
+</style>
+
+![Early basic setup](./featured.jpg)
+
+### 📋 Project Highlights
+* **Goal:** Show my running progress on my desk
+* **Tech Stack:** Python, ESP32, C#
+* **Outcome:** A clean and simple setup that works reliably
+
+For christmas my wife got me a virtual running challenge. I have to run 80km with a smart watch and at the end I get a nice Scooby-Doo medal. The issue is, now that everything requires its own app I forget to open it. My Garmin watch tracks all my running and syncs it to the running app but I wanted a way see my progress, clearly on my desk in the hope it will motivate me to get out and run more.
+
+I had a waveshare 4.2" eink display in my drawer that ive been looking to find a good use for. A quick search only and I found a python wrapper that can pull data from Garmin connect and suddenly I had all the pieces to put this project together.
+
+---
+
+### Step 1 - Getting the Garmin Data
+
+I found this brilliant tool online called [Python Garmin Connect](https://github.com/cyberjunky/python-garminconnect) that allows you to input your Garmin account details and pull specific data from their API. The tool was installed and setup up as a system service on my server and the results servered with a Caddy web server.
+
+### Step 2 - Displaying data on the eink screen
+
+In VS Code I installed platform IO and connected my ESP32. The code was written to connect to wifi, grab the data from the web server and display it to the eink. I gave it a title and a progress bar with percentage to clearly show how much I have completed. I also added a Last Updated time stamp and logic to put the ESP to deep sleep and only update each morning after my typical workout time slot.
+
+![Early basic setup](./basic-setup.jpg)
+
+I later decided it made more sense to show todays date at the botton my the page, making it double as a basic daily calender. 
+
+One of the greatest challenges was my desicion to include an image. An easier option would have been to buy an ESP32 with a micro SD card slot to give me an easier way of storing the image. Wanted to make this work without buying anything new I decided to stream the image from my Caddy server directly ro the display. With some AI magic I had a bash script that would convert any image I gave it to a resized monochrome bitmap suitable for the basic eink display. The great thing about using this approach is it makes changing the image for a different future challenge much easier. 
+
+### Step 3 - The case
+
+The case comes from [printables](https://www.printables.com/model/495094-waveshare-42-e-paper-stand/comments) and felt like the cleanest option. 
+
+### 🏁 Summary & Lessons Learned
+Wrap up your project here. What would you do differently next time? This provides that "closing" feel for a future employer.
+
+![Early basic setup](./medal.webp)

content/Articles/retro-handhelds/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+---
+date: '2026-03-13T22:44:48Z'
+draft: false
+title: Retro Handhelds
+image: /blog/retro-handhelds/featured.gif
+summary: "Retro handheld collection"
+tags: ["Games"]
+---
+
+<style>
+  section img, .content img, article img {
+    max-width: 70% !important;
+    height: auto !important;
+    display: block;
+    margin: 2rem auto;
+    border-radius: 8px;
+  }
+</style>
+
+![Early basic setup](./featured.jpg)
+
+My biggest pass time outside of computing is retro game emulation. Most commonly in the form of dedicated emulation handhelds but also diving into console modding and Linux gaming. 
+
+
+## Handheld Emulators
+
+### Powkiddy V90
+
+![Powkiddy V90](./V90.jpg)
+
+A clamshell device with a custom firmware that provides a basic but functional UI. 
+It's limited chipset only really allows for emulating upto the 16 bit era with a few Playstation 1 games just about playable. 
+The screen leaves a lot to be desired by modern standards but when I first got this handheld I absolutely loved it. 
+It's low price and clamshell design make it a great device to throw in a bag without much thought or worry. 
+The buttons are great and it made a great first handheld. 
+Powkiddy is believed to be working on a V2 which I am very excited to see. 
+
+
+### Miyoo Mini +
+
+![Miyoo Mini Plus](./MiyooMiniPlus.jpg)
+
+This is an absolutely amazing device that I still regularly play today. 
+The screen is a bright 480p display, the controls are soft but precise and while small it's surprisingly comfortable to hold (ignoring use of the triggers). 
+The real brilliance behind this device is the open source Onion OS. 
+Adding features such as game switcher, auto save and loading states, custom themes and even a custom boot logo, alongside a £50 price tag makes the Miyoo Mini + a very easy recommendation. 
+
+### Retroid Pocket 3+
+
+![Retroid Pocket 3+](./Retroid3.jpg)
+
+This is the console that convinced me to start spending a bit of money on these devices. 
+At £120 and promising the ability to emulate GameCube and PlayStation 2 I was sold. 
+At the time of buying this device I was very impressed with the 720p display and the ability to play the sixth generation consoles (with a lot of tweaks and hacks) but sadly it hasn't aged that well as there are now much better options. 
+The one way that is handheld has improved is the software. 
+As my first android device I wasn't a big fan of the need to occasionally use the touchscreen for system navigation and the need for a frontend app to tie all the emulators together neatly. 
+The options for frontend apps was very limited back then but now that ES-DE has launched on android it's a much nicer experience. 
+
+### Anbernic RG35XXSP
+
+![RG35XXSP](./RG35XXSP.jpg)
+
+A direct clone of the Gameboy advance SP, but with the power to emulate upto Dreamcast and Nintendo 64.
+This is unfortunately the only handheld I have ever sold.
+This is an incredibly popular device so I am certainly in the minority but I just couldn't get over the clicky buttons, early software and poor build quality.
+
+
+### Miyoo Mini V4
+
+![Miyoo Mini V4](./Miyoo Mini V4.jpg)
+
+The Miyoo mini is the first handheld I really wanted but due to pricing, high demand and stock shortages it took me a long time to get hold of it.
+It really does not disappoint. Technically its a worse version of the Miyoo mini +. 
+Its smaller and lacks WIFI but that small, super pocketable size gives it a huge amount of charm.
+If you are looking for something that can play upto Playstation 1 games, and you can take anywhere in your pocket then this is the device to get.
+
+## Console Modding
+
+### Gameboy
+![Gameboy Before](./GameboyBefore.jpg)
+
+I purchased this original Gameboy from Facebook Marketplace. 
+Like a lot of old plastic grey electronics it has horrible yellowing, so I tool this opportunity to clean it up.
+The Gameboy was stripped down, rubber and plastic components washed and yhe main board was cleaned.
+The shell was coated in Hydrogen Peroxide and left outside on a sunny day. 
+
+![Gameboy After](./GameboyAfter.jpg)
+
+
+The console was then reassembled and a new screen lens applied to have it looking good as new.
+As much as I appreciate an original Gameboy, its not really something I would want to play in the modern day.
+The four AA batteries to power it, the contrast wheel and the fact that my nostalgia really starts at Gameboy color, means its more of a show piece for me.
+														

content/Articles/smart-train/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+---
+title: "Smart Train"
+date: 2026-02-20T12:27:11Z
+draft: false
+image: /projects/smart-train/featured.png
+summary: "EVERYTHING MUST BE SMART! I take an old Hornby train and make it controllable from Home Assistant"
+description: "EVERYTHING MUST BE SMART! I take an old Hornby train and make it controllable from Home Assistant"
+tags: ["Smart-Home", "ESP32"]
+---
+
+<style>
+  section img, .content img, article img {
+    max-width: 70% !important;
+    height: auto !important;
+    display: block;
+    margin: 2rem auto;
+    border-radius: 8px;
+  }
+</style>
+
+![Early basic setup](./featured.jpg)
+
+### 📋 Project Highlights
+* **Goal:** What was the main objective?
+* **Tech Stack:** Proxmox, Docker, Caddy, etc.
+* **Outcome:** Did it work? Is it still running?
+
+---
+
+### 🚀 The Deep Dive
+This is where you write your main paragraphs. You can drop images anywhere using the standard syntax. Thanks to the style block above, they will automatically stay at 50% width.
+
+![Description](./station.png)
+
+---
+
+### 🏁 Summary & Lessons Learned
+Wrap up your project here. What would you do differently next time? This provides that "closing" feel for a future employer.

content/Articles/solar-cells/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+---
+title: "Solar Cells"
+date: 2026-03-13T22:16:00Z
+draft: false
+image: /projects/solar-cells/featured.jpg
+summary: "Final year University project making Dye Sensitised Solar Cells."
+tags: ["Electronics", "University"]
+---
+
+<style>
+  section img, .content img, article img {
+    max-width: 70% !important;
+    height: auto !important;
+    display: block;
+    margin: 2rem auto;
+    border-radius: 8px;
+  }
+</style>
+
+![Early basic setup](./featured.jpg)
+
+### 📋 Project Highlights
+* Fabricate Dye Sensitized Solar Cell using Natural Dyes
+* Investigate a variety of different dyes and their effects on cell efficiency
+* Develop cosensitized cells by mixing compatible dyes and comparing their performance
+
+---
+
+For my final year project of my BSc Physics degree, I fabricated solar cells using natural dyes extracted from plants, fruits and vegetables.
+The motivation being the project was to investigate alternative methods for solar power generation which don't involve conventional silicon as this can be difficult to recycle at end of use.
+
+### Benchmarking a silicon cell
+To test the cells that we would be making, a light box was setup.
+A standard silicon cell was then tested to get an understanding of how much power could reasonably be harnessed from the light source and to give a benchmark to compare results against.
+Initially the testing of cells was done using a separate voltmeter and ammeter to record the I-V curve created by the cell.
+This was found to be very inefficient and was difficult to reliably repeat, so I setup a test circuit with an Arduino to record the result. 
+
+![Arduino Digital Poteniometer](./Arduino.jpg)
+
+### Extracting the Dyes
+The dyes were extracted from a range of plants, fruits and vegetables all based on success in previous research. 
+The exact extraction method had to vary slightly based on the source of the dye but the base principle involved crushing the source in either water or ethanol and then filtering the solution.
+
+### Analyzing the Dye
+With the dye extracted it was then watered down and analyzed using a spectrometer.
+This allowed us to see the absorption of the dye over a range of wavelengths.
+The absorption of the dye in the wavelengths of the sun are one of the most important properties of the dye so testing this at an early stage helped us rule out certain dye sources without making cells for them.
+
+### Making the Cells
+To make the cells, a Titanium dioxide paste was made, and spread thinly onto a sheet of conductive glass. 
+The cell was then heated on a hotplate and left to cool.
+The extracted dye was then carefully dropped onto the Ti02 with a pipet and left to soak in.
+The excess dye could then be rinsed off and the cell is left to dry.
+Finally a small amount of redox electrolyte solution is sandwiched between the Ti02 layer and another sheet of conductive glass, and the pieces are clamped together.
+
+### 🏁 Summary & Lessons Learned
+Wrap up your project here. What would you do differently next time? This provides that "closing" feel for a future employer.
+
+
+