Lazy Lawn Mowing

Sometimes a low-tech solution to automation is all that is needed to save a lot of work. Although I now use robotic lawn mowers, you might still enjoy the story of how I once turned my gas-powered walk-behind mower into a work-saving autonomous mower. My neighbors certainly found it amusing. (More on that later.)

This simple hack cut my mowing time to about a third of what it used to be. I’m not sure of the exact cost because most of the parts were scrounged. Even the mower was a $30 garage sale special. In total, I probably spent less than $50 for the whole project, including the mower.

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X10 Mini Controller Repair

Here’s another post bringing back some of my old site content. It was originally submitted as an HTI Home Toys tips contest entry and was the October 1998 winner. The Mini Controller design has changed little over the years so the information should still be relevant.


I have X10 home automation Mini Controllers all over my house. They’re a cheap and easy way to control X10 equipment and provide input to my system. Now and then one would quit working Continue reading X10 Mini Controller Repair