01 / ELECTRONICS ⌁
ESP32-S3
Electronics &
embedded systems.
From breadboard prototypes to custom PCBs, microcontrollers, peripheral integration and firmware experiments.
Explore hardware lab ↗ENGINEERING / DEVELOPMENT / EXPERIMENTATION SH—001
Make the
complex work.
I turn curiosity into working systems. From custom electronics and software to self-hosted infrastructure and aerospace concepts, this is where ideas meet engineering.
BUILT INDEPENDENTLYDOCUMENTED DEVELOPMENTHANDS-ON ENGINEERING
FIG 01 / CUSTOM HARDWARE / V1DESIGN STATUS IN DEVELOPMENT
CORE DISCIPLINEBUILD · TEST · ITERATE
54°36' N · 05°55' W
FIELD NOTES / 2026
FIELD NOTES / 2026
SCROLL TO DISCOVER 01 — 06
01 / THE MINDSET
NOT JUST IDEAS. IMPLEMENTATION.
Good engineering isn't a look.
It's what happens under the surface.
Research, design, build, troubleshoot, document. Every project is an opportunity to understand a system properly — and make it better.
The studio approach ↗02 / WHAT I WORK ON
Capabilities
in motion.
One person, working across a range of technical interests. Different disciplines, one consistent approach: understand the problem, engineer a solution, validate the result.
Electronics &
02 / SOFTWARE ⌘
const system = await build();if (system.ready) deploy();STATUS: OPERATIONAL_
Software &
automation.
Practical scripting, web development, monitoring tools and integrations that connect services and make systems easier to operate.
View software projects ↗03 / INFRASTRUCTURE ▤
NODE 01
NODE 02
Infrastructure &
operations.
Linux-based hosting, web services, game servers, monitoring, networking, deployment and service reliability.
View live infrastructure ↗04 / AEROSPACE ↗
VTOL / AUTONOMY / SYSTEMS
Aviation &
aerospace concepts.
Flight training, aviation systems interest and an emerging VTOL UAV competition concept exploring integrated engineering.
Explore aerospace concept ↗03 / SELECTED WORK
Ideas, meet
reality.
A closer look at selected builds, live systems and concepts. Each project is presented honestly — including what works, what is being tested and what comes next.
CASE 001 / HARDWARE ENGINEERINGFrom prototype
to custom hardware.
Custom Bruce device / ESP32-S3 platform
A purpose-built two-layer PCB designed in KiCad to move a Bruce-based ESP32-S3 project beyond breadboard wiring and into a modular hardware platform.
The board brings together JST-connected peripherals including CC1101, nRF24L01 PA/LNA, PN532 NFC, microSD, GPS, display and IR hardware. The design has been manufactured and through-hole assembled; connected modules are undergoing initial testing. Physical buttons and final integration remain outstanding.
2-LAYERPCB DESIGN
ESP32-S3CORE PLATFORM
V1HARDWARE REVISION
LINUX / SELF-HOSTED
Self-hosted services
& live telemetry.
Linux VPS operations, Apache hosting, multiplayer servers, service monitoring and a public status interface. Includes public-facing status feeds, player telemetry, automated checks and operational dashboards for self-hosted services.
Inspect infrastructure ↗✧
VTOL / TDI / CONCEPT STAGEAutonomous VTOL
UAV challenge.
An emerging competition concept exploring how airframe design, embedded electronics, sensing, flight-control software and systems integration could come together in a vertical-take-off-and-landing aircraft.
An early teaser — not a completed or flight-tested aircraft.
HAVE A TECHNICAL CHALLENGE?
Let's explore what can be built.
sky.hexbusiness@gmail.com04 / HARDWARE LAB
Designed on screen.
Built on the bench.
The workbench documents the full development path: initial breadboard experiments, schematic and PCB design, manufactured hardware, assembly and testing.
FEATURED BUILD / BRUCE DEVICE V1One project.
One project.
Multiple engineering stages.
A modular ESP32-S3 board designed to bring several peripherals together in a single, maintainable platform.
DEVELOPMENT STAGEINTEGRATION & TESTING
FIG 02 / MANUFACTURED PCBDEVELOPMENT RECORD
From first wire to PCB.
PROTOTYPE / 21 JUNEBreadboard experiments.
Initial module, wiring and interface experiments established the prototype before a custom PCB was designed.
PROOF OF CONCEPT
DESIGN / 18 SEPTEMBERSchematic and PCB layout.
KiCad design work routed the ESP32-S3 platform, connectors, passive components and power connections into a two-layer board.
DESIGN COMPLETE
MANUFACTURE / 28 SEPTEMBERBoard received.
The green two-layer PCB arrived with component outlines, labels and through-hole pads ready for assembly.
PCB MANUFACTURED
ASSEMBLY / 05 OCTOBERAssembly and electrical checks.
Resistors, capacitors, headers and JST connectors were soldered. Multimeter checks followed before connecting modules.
ASSEMBLEDINTEGRATION / 05 OCTOBERModules connected for testing.
The ESP32-S3 and peripheral modules were connected for initial tests. Physical buttons and remaining integration work are still pending.
MODULE INTEGRATION
DIAGNOSTICS / 16 OCTOBERnRF24 diagnostics.
The nRF24 module was not transmitting. This stage documents the fault investigation and keeps the issue visible in the build log; successful operation is not yet claimed.
INVESTIGATION IN PROGRESS
HARDWARE UPDATE / 23 OCTOBERBattery added.
A battery has been added to the hardware build, bringing the project another step closer to a self-contained portable platform.
MOST RECENT BUILD STEPSYSTEM COMPONENTS
A modular hardware platform.
Components shown in the supplied wiring reference and project build.
VISUAL ENGINEERING LOG
Details matter.
01 / Board layout02 / Bare PCB
03 / Electrical checks04 / Modules connected05 / nRF24 diagnostics06 / Battery added
Reference for the intended peripheral wiring and modular hardware layout.
05 / LIVE INFRASTRUCTURE
Built to run.
Made to be observed.
A live-facing view of selected self-hosted services. Telemetry is read-only and intentionally limited to public service status — operational administration remains private.
PUBLIC OPERATIONS CONSOLE LIVE TELEMETRY / READ ONLY
Awaiting telemetry
MONITORED SERVICESChecking services…
WEBSITE AGE COUNTERCalculating…
FEED STATECONNECTING
GAME SERVER / 01Checking
Stormworks
Build and Rescue / Multiplayer environment
SERVER NAMELoading…
PLAYERS ONLINE—
PLAYER FEEDAwaiting data
ACCESSInvite only
GAME SERVER / 02Checking
Kerbal Space Program
Luna Multiplayer / Shared spaceflight sandbox
SERVERLuna Multiplayer
PLAYERS ONLINE—
PLAYER FEEDAwaiting data
ACCESSApply to join
AUTOMATION / WEBHOOK SYSTEMS
Events in. Actions out.
A connected webhook setup keeps server activity visible and turns important events into useful notifications and actions — from routine player updates to unexpected downtime and security events.
EVENT-DRIVEN
SERVER AUTOMATIONWEBHOOK / 01
SERVER AUTOMATIONWEBHOOK / 01
SERVER EVENTS→MONITORING & LOGIC→WEBHOOKS→DISCORD / ACTIONS
Live server status
Automated status updates with current player counts, so server activity is easy to check at a glance.
STATUS · PLAYER COUNTSPlayer history
Recorded player activity gives a longer-term view of server usage, not just a snapshot of who is online now.
ACTIVITY · HISTORICAL DATADown detection
Automated checks detect when a monitored server goes down and send an alert so the issue is not missed.
HEALTH CHECKS · ALERTSSecurity alerts
Important security-related events can be surfaced through notifications, helping make infrastructure activity more observable.
SECURITY EVENTS · NOTIFICATIONSServer resets
Webhook-connected automation supports server reset operations as part of the wider management workflow.
REMOTE OPERATIONS · AUTOMATIONAnd more.
The system is built to grow — connecting additional events, services and custom workflows as new requirements come up.
CUSTOM EVENTS · INTEGRATIONS BUILT & OPERATED INDEPENDENTLYMONITOR · NOTIFY · RESPOND · IMPROVE
BEHIND THE STATUS LIGHTS / INFRASTRUCTURE PRACTICE
More than keeping a server online.
Infrastructure is treated as a complete system: hosting, web delivery, service processes, monitoring, automation, access control and recovery. The goal is not simply to launch a service, but to understand how it behaves and make it observable.
The current environment includes an Ubuntu VPS, Apache-hosted websites, Python monitoring processes, game-server services, Git-based updates and defensive server hardening.
SERVICE LIFECYCLE
01DeployLinux services, web applications and configuration
02ObserveHealth checks, logs, timestamps and public telemetry
03AutomateScheduled tasks, status reporting and notifications
04MaintainUpdates, access controls, troubleshooting and recovery
INTEGRATIONS / BUILT TO CONNECT
Make your systems talk.
Webhooks are already used across my own infrastructure for server status, player counts and history, downtime detection, security alerts and server resets. The same approach can connect APIs, websites, game servers and Discord — turning events into clear notifications, useful dashboards and automated workflows. Have a system that needs connecting? Let's explore what can be built.
Explore integration services ↗HAVE AN INTEGRATION IDEA?LET'S CONNECT.
INFRASTRUCTURE TOOLKITLinux administrationApache web hostingPython monitoringService automationNetwork configurationPublic telemetryGit-based deployment
06 / THE STUDIO
Curiosity is
the engine.
SH_
Sky_Hex is my independent engineering and technology project hub, built around learning through practical work.
I work across electronics, computing, aviation, networking, software and infrastructure. The aim is to understand how things work by designing, building, operating, testing and improving them — then documenting the process honestly.
This is a growing collection of hands-on work, documented as an independent engineering portfolio. Projects are labelled accurately: complete, ongoing or at concept stage.
01Understand the systemResearch the problem before reaching for a solution.
02Build with intentTurn concepts into practical prototypes and services.
03Test and documentRecord what works, what doesn't and what comes next.
GitHub profile ↗sky.hexbusiness@gmail.com
COMMUNITY / PARTNER NETWORKBEYOND THE WORKBENCH
Engineering is better
with good people.
Sky_Hex is also connected to Aviators Chasing Team, an aviation-themed storm-chasing community. The community brings enthusiasts together, shares experiences and provides access to multiplayer game servers and events.
HAVE SOMETHING INTERESTING IN MIND?
Let's make
something work.
sky.hexbusiness@gmail.com