A short note on maintaining my self-hosted website setup using Kubernetes, Docker, React, Hugo, MkDocs, Drone CI, HAProxy, n8n and ChatGPT-assisted monitoring.
Welcome to JKTDEV.CO.UK — my personal engineering notebook, where I document projects, experiments, build logs, lessons learned, and the occasional technical rabbit hole along the way.
I’ve worked in and around software development for over 20 years, across everything from large-scale enterprise systems to embedded software, automation, hardware-adjacent projects, and practical prototyping. More recently, my focus has shifted further into electronics, PCB design, embedded systems, radio, test equipment, manufacturing, and small hardware building blocks.
At heart, I’m a tinkerer and builder. I enjoy projects that force me to learn something new — whether that means writing code, debugging hardware, designing a PCB, testing a tool, bringing up a board, or working out why something that looked simple on paper is misbehaving on the bench.
This site is where I capture that process — warts and all.
Some articles are polished write-ups. Others are closer to field notes from whatever I am working on at the time. That might include designing a circuit, ordering PCBs, testing a regulator under load, debugging an embedded board, experimenting with radio, trying out tools, or documenting the decisions behind a prototype.
A lot of the content now revolves around electronics, embedded systems, PCB design, practical prototyping and the process of turning ideas into working hardware. Software development, automation, AI, amateur radio and the occasional unrelated technical experiment still make appearances along the way.
Much of the engineering work documented here also feeds into Protoworks, my product design and prototyping business in Northern Ireland, including its Building Block Boards, UCMOD modules, tools and other products. I also run Ards Tech Fix, providing practical software troubleshooting and workflow automation for local businesses across the Ards Peninsula. JKTDEV remains my personal engineering notebook — a place for documenting the work, learning, mistakes and thinking behind those builds, as well as projects that have nothing to do with either business.
Recent articles are listed below.
Testing the RS485 Building Block Board
Testing the simplified RS485 Building Block Board derived from the earlier RS485 and 48 V passthrough design, including baud rate testing over 20 m of Cat 6 cable.
Digital I/O Expander Testing: Inputs
Testing the input side of the Digital I/O Expander building block board, including shift register reads, input-to-output mirroring, and discovering a silkscreen labelling issue.
Testing the Digital IO Expander and RS485 Building Block Boards
Receiving and beginning bench testing of the Rev A Digital IO Expander and RS485 building block boards, starting with output testing on the Digital IO Expander using a Raspberry Pi Pico 2W and MicroPython.
Improving My Demos
Improving the Protoworks demos and tools, including an in-browser Gerber viewer and an electrical engineering calculation workbench.
Using AI, Part 3: Useful, Powerful, and Risky
Thinking through the changing economics and risks of AI, and why businesses should treat AI as a powerful accelerator rather than something to build complete dependency on.
Sending Boards off for Fabrication
Sending the RS485 non-isolated board and revised Digital I/O Expander Board off for fabrication, while also preparing for future USB-C Power Delivery experiments using STM32 Nucleo development boards.
RS485 Non-Isolated Building Block Board
Creating a smaller non-isolated RS485 building block board based on lessons learned from the earlier RS485 and 48 V passthrough design.
Exploring a Different EDA Tool: EasyEDA
A practical look at trying EasyEDA for PCB design, weighing its smooth JLCPCB/LCSC workflow against concerns about vendor lock-in and long-term project control.
Adding Some STM32 Nucleo Boards to the Bench
Adding a couple of STM32 Nucleo boards to the bench for future embedded development work, USB-C Power Delivery experiments, and possible use in the Digital Sequencer project.
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