How to use an ESP32 development board to read from a VCNL4010 Proximity/Light sensor

If you have a Proximity/Light sensor, you will be able to detect how close an object is. When your range of detection is within 200mm, you can use the VCNL4010 Proximity/Light sensor.

Given that characteristic, you can use the VCNL4010 Proximity/Light sensor as a contactless switch to trigger some action.

For example, you can use it in a soap dispenser that will dispense some soap when a palm is near the nozzle.

In case you need it, this is how to use an ESP32 development board to read from a VCNL4010 Proximity/Light sensor.

How to use an ESP32 development board to read RFID tags from a SparkFun RFID USB Reader

When you have an RFID starter kit from Sparkfun, you will be able to read RFID tags through a serial connection.

Although the SparkFun RFID USB Reader comes with a USB port, you can also read RFID tags with an ESP32 development board.

In case you need it, this is how to use an ESP32 development board to read RFID tags from a SparkFun RFID USB Reader.

How to use Python 3 to convert your images to Base64 encoding

When you encode your images in Base64, your images can be transferred and saved as text.

Although there will be a 37% bloat in space requirements, it can be useful to encode images in Base64.

For example with SAP HANA XS Advanced, you can quickly build an OData service to receive images via JSON.

Given that, let’s see how we can encode an image in Base64 encoding with Python 3.

Cool Raspberry Pi 4B cases that cool your Pi 4B

As I had mentioned in my review of the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, the Pi 4B can overheat.

After I did a review on Seeed Studio Blink Blink ICE Tower CPU Cooling Fan, I am convinced that small heat sinks are inadequate in cooling a hot Pi4B.

If you are facing same issues, here are some cases to cool your Raspberry Pi 4B.

How to setup the Raspberry Pi Official 7 Inch Touch Screen with your Raspberry Pi 4 Model B

As I have noted in my review on the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, the Pi 4B came with substantial upgrades.

Since it has faster (and more) RAM along with better graphics processing capabilities, the Pi 4B is well suited for multimedia deployments.

Given that, you may want to add the Raspberry Pi Official 7 Inch Touch Screen to your Pi 4B so that you can use it to build a kiosk.

If that’s the case, read on to see how to setup the Raspberry Pi Official 7 Inch Touch Screen with your Raspberry Pi 4B.

How to setup a Raspberry Pi LEMP server with Raspbian Buster Lite for running PHP applications

Many useful applications are written in PHP backed by MariaDB/MySQL for data persistency.

When you wondering what you can use a Raspberry Pi for, one way is to turn it into a LEMP server for hosting PHP applications.

With this in mind, let us look at how we can setup a Raspberry Pi LEMP server with Raspbian Buster Lite for running PHP applications.

Cool your Raspberry Pi 4 with the ICE Tower CPU Cooling Fan

As I had mentioned in why my computer restarted itself when I play League of Legends, excess heat can cause a computer to behave abnormally.

So how will your Raspberry Pi 4 Model B deal with rising heat? In case there is a spike in operating temperature, Raspberry Pi 4 will slow your CPU down significantly. When that happens, you will not be able to enjoy 4K videos on your Raspberry Pi 4 anymore.

After I did a review on the Raspberry Pi 4, I had been contemplating whether to get a cooler fan for my Raspberry Pi 4. In the midst of delayed gratification, Seeed Studio asked if I am willing to do a review on their Ice Tower Cooler. Since I wanted a cooling fan for my Pi 4, I agreed to have a look at the Ice Tower Cooler.

Given that, this post contains some points for your reference if you are pondering whether to get the ICE Tower CPU Cooling Fan for to cool your Raspberry Pi 4.

How to change the hostname of your Raspberry Pi, running Raspbian, with raspi-config

When you deploy multiple Raspberry Pis in your house, it is a good practice to give each of them a unique hostname. Since the default hostname for Raspbian is raspberrypi, it will be easier to look for the IP address of a new Raspbian installation in this situation.

Given that, let us look at how you can change the hostname of your Raspberry Pi in Raspbian via the Raspberry Pi Software Configuration Tool (raspi-config).

How to add a React component that rotates recommended items on your website

As I had mentioned in how to monetise a programmer’s website effectively, affiliate marketing can be an effective way for your website to earn money.

Since affiliate marketing programs revolves around links, we can build a catalogue of items that we wish to recommend to visitors to our websites.

If you have already built that catalogue of product recommendations and an API endpoint, you can build a sticky component in your sidebar and rotates recommended items from there.

Since I have been hearing good feedback about React, I implemented such a feature on my website with React.

In case you are looking to do the same, this is how you can add a React component that rotates recommended items on your website.