# e-lab innovations > A maker's notebook by Mohammed Ashad at the intersection of hardware and software — long-form writing on embedded systems, firmware, and software craft, plus small useful apps and a photo log. This file follows the llmstxt.org convention. Links are canonical URLs. The full machine-readable index lives at https://elabins.com/sitemap.xml and the RSS feed at https://elabins.com/feed.xml. ## Blog posts - [Making a WCH-Link clone program the unsupported CH32V003](https://elabins.com/blog/making-a-wch-link-clone-program-the-unsupported-ch32v003): The listing said CH32V003 not supported. The hardware was never the problem, the firmware was, so I replaced it. - [Building Clipix, a Clipy-style clipboard manager for GNOME](https://elabins.com/blog/building-clipix-a-clipy-style-clipboard-manager-for-gnome): I missed Windows clipboard history on Linux, tried every manager I could find, then spent a weekend building my own GNOME extension. - [Building a USB display from a salvaged smartwatch LCD](https://elabins.com/blog/building-a-usb-display-from-a-salvaged-smartwatch-lcd): 2 Mbps of UART proved software USB was pointless. Then came an RP2040, a DMA rewrite, and a colour bug I could not see. - [Turning a ₹249 Smartwatch Into a DIY AirTag Tracker](https://elabins.com/blog/turning-a-249-smartwatch-into-a-diy-airtag-tracker): I lost my wallet on a night bus, so I turned a hacked ₹249 smartwatch into an Apple FindMy tracker and built my own app to follow it. - [Hacking a ₹249 Smartwatch: Custom Firmware on TLSR8232](https://elabins.com/blog/hacking-a-249-smartwatch-custom-firmware-on-tlsr8232): A bike navigation idea led me to reverse engineer a ₹249 smartwatch, crack its SWire debug port, and flash my own firmware on it. - [Reverse Engineering MoYoung Watch Faces in the Browser](https://elabins.com/blog/reverse-engineering-moyoung-watch-faces-in-the-browser): A gifted Porodo watch, no SDK, and a binary format nobody documented. How I ended up writing a watch face editor. - [How I Built an HLS Streaming Stack on Shared Hosting](https://elabins.com/blog/how-i-built-an-hls-streaming-stack-on-shared-hosting): Can shared hosting stream HLS? I built a browser-powered HLS pipeline, measured its limits, and shared the lessons learned. - [Introducing Elabins Portfolio Blocks: A Modern WordPress Portfolio Plugin with GitHub Integration](https://elabins.com/blog/introducing-elabins-portfolio-blocks-a-modern-wordpress-portfolio-plugin-with-github-integration): Discover Elabins Portfolio Blocks, a modern WordPress portfolio plugin designed for developers, designers, and creators. With seamless GitHub integration, customizable portfolio blocks, and Gutenberg support, it makes showcasing projects easier, faster, and more professional. - [The Evolution of CakeMail: From Google Sheets to People API](https://elabins.com/blog/the-evolution-of-cakemail-from-google-sheets-to-people-api): Take a behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of CakeMail, from a simple Google Sheets-powered mailing tool to a more scalable solution built around the Google People API. Discover the challenges, lessons learned, and technical decisions that shaped its growth. - [How To Propose Your Crush Using an Oscilloscope](https://elabins.com/blog/how-to-propose-your-crush-using-an-oscilloscope): What if an oscilloscope could help you express your feelings? This fun electronics project demonstrates how to create heart shapes, messages, and creative waveforms on an oscilloscope screen, turning engineering skills into a unique and memorable way to propose to your crush. - [OPEN-SMART ILI9327 3.2 Inch TFT LCD Shield With Arduino UNO](https://elabins.com/blog/open-smart-ili9327-3-2-inch-tft-lcd-shield-with-arduino-uno): Learn how to interface the OPEN-SMART 3.2-inch ILI9327 TFT LCD Shield with an Arduino Uno. This guide covers hardware setup, library installation, display initialization, and example sketches to help you create colorful graphical user interfaces and embedded display projects. - [ESP32-Cam Live Stream Using WebSocket](https://elabins.com/blog/esp32-cam-live-stream-using-websocket): Build a real-time video streaming system using the ESP32-CAM and WebSockets. This tutorial shows how to capture live video, stream it to a web browser with low latency, and create a simple wireless monitoring solution using the ESP32-CAM. - [ESP12 Based Home Automation](https://elabins.com/blog/esp12-based-home-automation): Turn your home into a smart home with this ESP-12 based automation project. Learn how to control electrical appliances over Wi-Fi using the ESP8266, along with circuit design, programming, and practical implementation details. - [Deploying Node-RED into Heroku](https://elabins.com/blog/deploying-node-red-into-heroku): Learn how to deploy Node-RED on Heroku and run your flows in the cloud without managing a dedicated server. This guide covers setup, configuration, deployment steps, and common issues to get your Node-RED instance online quickly. - [Nokia 1208 Colour Display With Arduino](https://elabins.com/blog/nokia-1208-colour-display-with-arduino): Give new life to the classic Nokia 1208 colour LCD by interfacing it with Arduino. This tutorial covers wiring, required libraries, and example code to display graphics, text, and custom content on this low-cost display. - [How to Make L293D Motor Driver Module](https://elabins.com/blog/how-to-make-l293d-motor-driver-module): Build your own L293D motor driver module from scratch with this step-by-step guide. Learn the circuit design, required components, PCB layout, and assembly process to create a compact motor driver board for Arduino, robotics, and embedded projects. ## Apps - [CH549-Link](https://elabins.com/apps#ch549-link): Browser-based firmware flasher that turns a WCH-Link debug probe into a single-wire CH32V003 programmer. - [Clipix](https://elabins.com/apps#clipix): Clipboard history and snippets for GNOME Shell. - [Dafit Canvas](https://elabins.com/apps#dafit-canvas): Browser-based visual editor for designing smartwatch faces compatible with the Da Fit / MoYoung ecosystem. - [OscillosPlot](https://elabins.com/apps#oscillosplot): Convert the image to an oscilloscope project Arduino C array - [XBM Sprite](https://elabins.com/apps#xbm-sprite): A tool to convert an image to an XBM Sprite ## Key routes - [Blog archive](https://elabins.com/blog): All posts, filterable by tag. - [Apps](https://elabins.com/apps): Open-source tools shipped from the lab. - [Photos](https://elabins.com/photos): A photo journal from the workbench. - [About](https://elabins.com/about): Who is behind e-lab innovations. - [Contact](https://elabins.com/contact): Freelance, speaking, collaboration.