Concepts — HHS Hackers
Hardware/software hacking collective. Chris + former students (Matt, Kyle).
Active Projects
| Project | Status | Key Concepts |
|---|---|---|
| ComBadge | Research | ESP32-S3, wearable, voice AI, PicoClaw, Wi-Fi |
| Tricorder | Design | ESP32-S3, sensors, UniHiker, voice, PicoClaw |
| Pi-hole Router | Planning | DNS, firewall, router, CM4, VLAN, network config |
| AI Rig Upgrade | GPU Shopping | GPU Passthrough, Ollama, local AI inference |
| Android Head Unit | Planning | CAN bus, car telemetry, voice AI, head unit |
| AI Desktop Companion | Research | M5Stack, StackChan, voice robot |
| Brewery PID Replacement | Prototyping | ESP32-S3, ESPHome, Home Assistant, PID, PT100 |
Core Skills
- ESP32-S3 — embedded development, low-level hardware
- Voice AI — hotword detection, speech-to-text, local LLM
- Home networking — DNS, DHCP, firewall, VLAN, router config
- Home Assistant — home automation, dashboarding, integrations
- OpenClaw — multi-agent systems, exec management
- Docker — containerized services
- CAD/3D printing — case design
Knowledge Dependencies (Skills needed for projects)
ESP32-S3 dev
├── C/Arduino SDK
├── esp-idf or Arduino framework
├── I2C/SPI protocols
├── Wi-Fi (station + AP modes)
└── BLE (optional)
Voice AI
├── Wake word / hotword detection
├── Speech-to-text (on-device or API)
├── Local LLM integration
└── Text-to-speech
Home Networking
├── DNS fundamentals ← Pi-hole requires this
├── DHCP fundamentals
├── Port forwarding / NAT
├── Firewall rules (iptables/nftables)
├── VLANs ← Natural next step after basic networking
└── VPN basics
Home Assistant
├── YAML configuration
├── ESPHome integration
├── Entities, automations
└── Dashboard (HA Lovelace)
ComBadge / Tricorder
├── ESP32-S3
├── Sensor selection / I2C
├── Battery management
├── Enclosure design
└── Voice AI pipeline
Pi-hole Router
├── DNS ← FOUNDATION (needed first!)
├── DHCP
├── Network routing
├── Firewall
├── VLANs ← after basic networking
└── VPN (optional, advanced)
Gap Analysis for Chris
Chris is strong on: hardware, ESP32, soldering, circuit design Chris is weak on:
- Networking fundamentals — DNS, DHCP, VLANs, firewall rules. He keeps running into networking gaps when doing Pi-hole and router projects. This is the biggest gap.
- 3D CAD — designing cases/enclosures. Has printer but not using it effectively for project enclosures.
- Software architecture — can build circuits but wiring multiple services together (Home Assistant, ESPHome, dashboards) takes too long.
Gap Detection Map
When Chris works on:
- Pi-hole → He needs DNS fundamentals first, then DHCP, then firewall, then VLANs
- ComBadge/Tricorder → He knows ESP32 well, but voice AI pipeline is new. Needs hotword → STT → LLM → TTS understanding.
- Brewery PID → He’s learning ESPHome + Home Assistant integration, which is mostly YAML config.
Recurring Topics
- ESP32-S3 — appears in ComBadge, Tricorder, PID controller, AI Desktop Companion
- Voice AI — ComBadge, Tricorder, Android Head Unit, AI Desktop Companion
- Home networking — Pi-hole, VLANs, router replacement
- Local AI inference — Ollama, GPU setup, ComBadge backend
- Home Assistant — fermentation dashboard, PID controllers, automation