[{"content":"","date":"19 July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/blog/","section":"Blog","summary":"","title":"Blog","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"19 July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/categories/","section":"Categories","summary":"","title":"Categories","type":"categories"},{"content":"","date":"19 July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/ethics/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Ethics","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"19 July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/","section":"Home","summary":"","title":"Home","type":"page"},{"content":"","date":"19 July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/life-and-thoughts/","section":"Categories","summary":"","title":"Life \u0026 Thoughts","type":"categories"},{"content":"","date":"19 July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/philosophy/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Philosophy","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"19 July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Tags","type":"tags"},{"content":" On the longing for rational exchange in an irrational world # There is a certain type of discussion that tires me. Not because I lack arguments, but because they seem to have no effect. I’m not talking about different opinions, but about conversations in which rationality and fair argumentation hardly play a role anymore. These are conversations that are more about being right than about gaining insight, in which language becomes a weapon rather than a tool.\nThis form of exchange has become deeply ingrained in our social climate. It is not limited to certain platforms or milieus. Rather, it seems to be the new normal: quick judgments, rhetorical feints, reflexive defense of one’s own point of view before it is even clear what the issue is.\nExample: University teaching and frustration # Recently experienced again — a discussion about the didactic quality of university teaching. I had presented a factual and nuanced argument that, from a learning theory perspective, the traditional lecture format is inefficient, and that universities have an educational mandate that goes beyond simply providing materials. It was not about simplification or “holding people’s hands,” but about how to convey complex content more effectively.\nMy counterpart’s reaction? A mixture of formalism, dogmatic experience, and a friendly, condescending platitude at the end: “Enjoy your meal ^^.”\nAnd I realize: I’m fighting a losing battle.\nThe structural break in the discourse # Not because I’m wrong. But because the other person never had any intention of engaging with the argument. Because his position is not based on verifiable premises, but on self-protection. Because any criticism of the system is perceived as an attack on his own biography. Because many discussions are no longer a search for truth, but social dominance games.\nWhat frustrates me so much is not the individual case, but the pattern. I have never experienced anyone engaging in truly fair, rational, cooperative argumentation. Not entirely.\nThe ideal: two people who identify contradictions together, work out fallacies, correct each other — not to win, but to get closer to the truth. In reality, this ideal usually remains fiction. Instead, I find myself discussing not content, but fallacies, misunderstandings, and rhetorical smokescreens.\nAnd the worst thing about it is that it always seems to happen this way. Not only on social media, in comment sections, or on the street, but also where one would expect better — among academics. Even in these circles, the culture of discussion is often nothing more than an intellectually embellished power struggle. Rhetorical maneuvering replaces honest debate, and implicit status games supplant the collective struggle for clarity. It is sad enough that it is impossible to have nuanced debates on talk shows, in newspaper forums, or at the regulars’ table. But the fact that even university graduates argue in an intellectually dishonest manner is an indictment of society as a whole.\nEven more depressing is the fact that this form of exchange seems to be almost without alternative. Wherever one tries to engage in open, clear, and insight-driven discussion, one runs the risk of being ridiculed or attacked. One is labeled naive, dismissed as arrogant, or dismissed as impractical. Apparently, it is easier to defend oneself than to open up. Easier to react than to really listen.\nA real discussion could — in the best case — resemble a fencing match: rule-based, controlled, precise. Two opponents meet with respect, paying attention to their lines, posture, and counterattacks. But what I experience time and again has little to do with fencing. It is more like a rhetorical street fight: dirty, underhanded, unruly. It is not the smartest who wins, but the loudest, the most cunning, the one who is willing to fight by any means necessary — even unfair ones.\nThe desire for cooperative thinking # I don’t want to be right. I want people to make an effort. To be open to mistakes. To want to think together. But what I get is defensiveness, framing, evasion. And sometimes: personal attacks.\nI understand why this is the case. On a meta level, it’s clear to me that an academic degree is not proof of the ability to argue logically. In a sense, academics are classic “nerds” — outstanding in their field, capable of arguing their case, but not necessarily able to think objectively and rationally across disciplines.\nPerhaps the most important claim of university education — the ability to think rationally and structurally as a transferable skill — often remains an assertion rather than a lived practice.\nMany of them have learned how to solve formulas, apply theories, and operationalize research questions — but not how to engage in discourse that is open to other perspectives, to revision, to genuine understanding. The ability to think rationally not only within a system, but across systems remains rare. And perhaps this is not a coincidence, but a structural failure.\nSo what now? # Remain silent? Stay out of it to save energy? Perhaps. But that feels like surrender. Like falling silent in favor of the loud, the self-righteous, the naive.\nOr carry on? Again and again? In the hope that someone who is open to it will read this? That there is someone out there who shares the same ideals? Perhaps. But it takes strength. And not a little.\nBecause with every failed attempt, with every blow that falls flat, trust in the idea of understanding threatens to crumble further. And yet: I hold on to it. Not out of defiance. But out of conviction.\nI don’t know. But what I do know is that I’m not writing this to complain. I’m writing because I want to hold on to the belief that this ideal still exists. That it’s not naive to hope for fair discussion. That it’s rational to believe in rationality — even if you’re the only one left who does.\nMaybe that’s my way of not falling silent.\n","date":"19 July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tired-of-discourse/","section":"Blog","summary":"On the longing for rational exchange in an irrational world # There is a certain type of discussion that tires me. Not because I lack arguments, but because they seem to have no effect. I’m not talking about different opinions, but about conversations in which rationality and fair argumentation hardly play a role anymore. These are conversations that are more about being right than about gaining insight, in which language becomes a weapon rather than a tool.\n","title":"Tired of discourse","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"19. July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/alltag-gedanken/","section":"Categories","summary":"","title":"Alltag \u0026 Gedanken","type":"categories"},{"content":"","date":"19. July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/tags/ethik/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Ethik","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"19. July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/tags/philosophie/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Philosophie","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"11 July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/corporate-culture/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Corporate Culture","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"11 July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/grc/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"GRC","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"11 July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/information-security/","section":"Categories","summary":"","title":"Information Security","type":"categories"},{"content":" A call after the worst-case scenario # A company calls. Ransomware. Production has come to a standstill. The first question: “How could this happen?” A better question would have been: “Why didn’t we do anything about it before?”\nMany companies still treat information security as a chore – something you do because you have to. It is regrettable that regulatory pressure is often needed to make this happen, but given human weaknesses in dealing with statistics and risk, it is hardly surprising.\nMost people are simply not very good at understanding abstract probabilities or realistically assessing long-term risks. This applies not only to individuals, but also at the organizational level: Information security risks often seem vague, technical, far removed from core business activities, and rarely appear urgent in the hectic day-to-day routine.\nBut this is precisely where information security comes in: as a systematic attempt to make risks visible and manageable. And not just when an auditor demands it, but continuously, proactively, and in the service of the organization’s own business objectives.\nInformation security is more than just technology # Nevertheless, information security continues to be viewed as a purely IT problem in many organizations. When people talk about “security,” they quickly say, “We need a new firewall” or “We finally have to roll out EDR.” While well-intentioned, these responses fall short. After all, information security is not a toolbox—it is a strategic task.\nThe correct order is not: buy a tool, tick the box, feel secure. Instead, it is: understand the risks, derive requirements, identify appropriate measures – and only then think about tools. Those who understand security solely in technical terms miss the opportunity to design it in an economical, process-oriented, and company-wide manner.\nVibe security instead of risk management # Unfortunately, many companies still operate according to the principle of “vibe security”:\nVibe security (noun, ironic): Security measures that are introduced because they “seem right,” are popular, or are adopted by others – not because they fit the company’s risks or needs. The opposite of this is risk-based information security.\nThe loudest risks get attention (“the squeaky wheel gets the grease”), while structural weaknesses remain hidden. Security then becomes a reactive, action-oriented process instead of a planned course of action. This not only leads to inefficiency, but also to a false sense of security.\nISMS: A necessity, not a luxury # A functioning information security management (ISMS) is therefore not a luxury, but an operational necessity. And it is relevant in every industry – not just where IT plays a central role.\nEven a medium-sized napkin manufacturer can fall victim to a ransomware attack – and in the worst case, file for bankruptcy because production comes to a standstill. This company would most likely not have fallen under the requirements of NIS2. Nevertheless, the case clearly shows that structured security management – as required by NIS2 – would have been enormously beneficial in such cases. After all, ransomware is not interested in thresholds or industry classifications – only in vulnerable systems.\nAn ISMS serves to raise awareness of risks, evaluate them, and make informed decisions based on this evaluation. Those who know the risks can accept, avoid, mitigate, or transfer them. Those who do not know them act blindly – and that can be expensive. And this applies not only to cyber threats, but also to human error, organizational deficiencies, or inadequate access controls. Security is never just about technology – it is always about culture, structure, and processes.\nWhat does it cost to do nothing? # Information security is not just a protective mechanism – it is also a cost control tool. In a functioning ISMS, measures are geared to the actual protection needs of the company and its assets. This means that investments are targeted where they are necessary and make sense. At the same time, oversized or unnecessary measures are avoided – which often leads to lower overall costs.\nA frequently heard argument is: “We can’t afford it.” But the opposite is true: information security saves money – not in the form of immediate returns, but through avoidable damage.\nAn ISMS helps prioritize security measures based on the actual risk profile rather than gut feeling. Controls are not introduced because they are “modern,” but because they help reduce the Annualized Loss Expectancy (ALE) – i.e., the expected annual cost of a risk. So the crucial question is not: “What does it cost?” – but rather: “What does it cost us if we do nothing?”\nRegulation as a catalyst # Regulation such as NIS2 is therefore not just a constraint, but an opportunity. It forces companies to address risks before damage occurs. This is inconvenient, but healthy in the long term.\nIn a sense, companies must be forced to act in their own best interests. Without external impetus, many risks remain invisible – and therefore unaddressed. However, the aim of regulation is by no means to enforce perfect security. Rather, it is about establishing structured risk awareness and documented decision-making capabilities – exactly what a good ISMS should do anyway.\nSecurity does not have to be perfect # Information security does not mean eliminating every risk. It means being aware of risks and putting them in the right context. It is perfectly legitimate to accept risks – provided this is done consciously and within a commercially acceptable framework.\nInformation security does not have to be perfect, but sufficient. But this requires a system. A framework. A strategy. It is not about maximum security, but about appropriate security in relation to the business model, risk appetite, and protection requirements.\nA functioning ISMS does not thrive in silos, but in a corporate culture that promotes responsibility and openness. Security is not a foreign body in the company—it is part of its identity.\nGovernance instead of paper tigers # Information security is therefore not the responsibility of IT. It is a question of governance – and thus a matter for top management. Without clear responsibilities, defined goals, and a common understanding of risk, security remains a paper tiger. Or worse: a patchwork of measures that feels secure but does not provide real security.\nGood security governance defines who is responsible for what, how risks are escalated, and on what criteria decisions are made. It anchors information security in corporate management – where it belongs.\nConscious decisions instead of checkbox compliance # A mature ISMS only selects measures that make sense in relation to the asset being protected. Either because the costs are acceptable and the protection is necessary – or because a conscious decision has been made against it. In any case, however, the decision is made consciously.\nThis is precisely what distinguishes security governance from mere compliance. Checkbox compliance may save effort in the short term, but in the long term it increases uncertainty because it does not address risks, but only documents them.\nConclusion: Information security is a management responsibility # Information security is not a sacrifice, but a form of control. It is not a cost, but an investment. And ultimately, it is not an IT issue, but a corporate responsibility.\nThose who understand this act not out of fear, but out of insight – and thus lay the foundation for resilience, trust, and sustainable success.\n","date":"11 July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/information-security-is-not-an-it-issue/","section":"Blog","summary":"A call after the worst-case scenario # A company calls. Ransomware. Production has come to a standstill. The first question: “How could this happen?” A better question would have been: “Why didn’t we do anything about it before?”\nMany companies still treat information security as a chore – something you do because you have to. It is regrettable that regulatory pressure is often needed to make this happen, but given human weaknesses in dealing with statistics and risk, it is hardly surprising.\n","title":"Information security is not an IT issue – it is a corporate responsibility","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"11 July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/leadership-and-management/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Leadership and Management","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"11 July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/security-culture/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Security Culture","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"11. July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/tags/f%C3%BChrung-und-management/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Führung Und Management","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"11. July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/informationssicherheit/","section":"Categories","summary":"","title":"Informationssicherheit","type":"categories"},{"content":"","date":"11. July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/tags/sicherheitskultur/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Sicherheitskultur","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"11. July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/tags/unternehmenskultur/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Unternehmenskultur","type":"tags"},{"content":" Introduction: Hägglund’s critique of time and its limitations # Martin Hägglund’s This Life got me thinking with its fundamental ethical critique of capitalism. His central thesis: our lifetime is our most precious asset, and yet in the capitalist system it is put to work, controlled by others, exploited. We work more efficiently, more productively—and yet we do not get this time back. It flows into profits, not into freedom.\nHägglund’s answer: a democratic time economy in which the focus is not on profit but on the fair distribution of necessary and free time. A society in which everyone decides together what is necessary and in which automation does not lead to increased profits but to the reclamation of lifetime.\nBut as fascinating as his critique is, it remains too vague for me in economic terms. Who scrubs the floors? Who cleans the sewers when work is understood as a moral duty but no longer as a means of earning a living? How is work distributed when no one works out of necessity anymore? Hägglund’s utopia does not answer these questions. It eludes the realm of realpolitik.\nI don’t have a ready-made counter-model. But one thought has taken hold in my mind: the greatest inequality is not created by income or consumer behavior. It is created by birth. And it is elevated to a structural level through inheritance—reproduced across generations as a silent prerequisite of the supposed principle of performance.\nThe real systemic flaw: wealth without performance # Capitalism claims to be based on performance. Those who perform well should receive a lot. But what about those who start out with millions before they have ever achieved anything? What about those who inherit nothing, even though they never had a fair chance?\nInheritance is not an achievement. It is not earned. It is the result of a biological accident: being born into a certain family. Those who have wealthy parents will live better, be better fed, better educated, and better connected. Not because they are better, but because they have a different starting point.\nInheritance is often considered “natural,” but it is a social construct—legally permitted, but by no means mandatory. We could shape it differently. Or abolish it altogether.\nWhat is even more serious is that those who inherit a lot do not have to be productive. Capital accumulates. And with every death, another piece of society is dynastically entrenched. Often, this capital is no longer even used productively, but is parked in real estate, foundations, or corporate shares. And it remains there—unavailable to the society that created it.\nThis is not “capitalism” in the true sense of the word – it is a feudal-like structure with a market economy façade. The myth of the meritocracy is reduced to absurdity when wealth is not the result of action, but of descent. And with each generation, this structure becomes further entrenched. The market loses its dynamism when the game never really starts over.\nA system correction: the legacy of the community # What if inheritance were simply abolished?\nWhat if a person’s private property ceased to exist upon their death? Instead of going to their descendants, it would flow into a future fund. And this fund would have a single purpose: to provide every newborn with a fair amount of start-up capital.\nA freely available basic capital—not a monthly payment like UBI, but a real building block: for an apartment, for a college education, for starting a business. Capital that creates opportunities without obligations. Everyone starts with a similar perspective. Differences arise from decisions, not from origin. Social mobility would not only be claimed, but realized.\nThe model is based on the consistent application of the principle of equality in light of determinism. Not all people have the same abilities or prerequisites. But everyone has the same moral right to a fair starting position.\nUBI could also be funded from the same fund to support those who fail in life – without moral judgement. Because in determinism, there is no such thing as “deserving” in the classical sense. No one chooses their predisposition, their impulse control, their mental stability. So why should we punish some for ‘failure’ and reward others for “success”?\nFurthermore, inheritance could not be abolished completely, but rather partially restructured as a right of first refusal. Items of emotional value—such as an old musical instrument or an heirloom with personal history—would often be of little economic significance. Heirs could “buy back” these items from their share of the future fund. This would preserve personal items without transferring dynastic wealth.\nI am fully aware of how unrealistic such a proposal is given the emotional nature of the issue. Ownership is not only economic, but also identity-forming. The model contradicts deeply rooted ideas of family, responsibility, and passing on wealth. But precisely because these ideas are so powerful, it is worth questioning them. After all, they are not natural—they are culturally learned.\nCapitalism, but fair: no system change, just a restructuring # Abolishing inheritance would not destroy capitalism. On the contrary, it would free it from one of its greatest contradictions. Capital could still be earned, owned, and used within a lifetime. The only difference is that ownership ends with death.\nNo dynastic ownership, no inherited empires. Capital flows back—to society, to the next generation. The system breathes. It does not freeze wealth, but allows it to circulate.\nA side effect: the generational conflict that is often projected onto inheritance today – young people who cannot afford apartments while wealth remains hoarded by their parents’ generation – would be defused. There would no longer be a “property barrier,” no feelings of guilt about inheriting or not inheriting. The next generation would be collectively equipped with resources, not individually privileged or disadvantaged.\nAnother advantage: even in a system where people act out of selfish motives, the mechanism of returning capital to the fund would ultimately also strengthen the common good. The economic success of the individual automatically increases the resources available to the next generation. Society begins to actually build a common future.\nFrom an economic perspective, this is not a zero-sum game. Although capital is taken out of the market to feed the fund, the fund itself is part of the market. It invests, reinvests, generates returns, and stabilizes demand through its broad distribution. Ideally, the fund would act as an active, long-term investor, financing both child benefits and the subsequent capital payout—e.g., at age 18 or 25.\nThis means that the funds would not have to be available in full in liquid form. Instead, they could be invested for the long term and already have an impact during the beneficiary’s childhood—through education, security, and prospects. Those who then spend the money at age 25 will still have benefited from 20 years of stable market investments. And those who use it wisely will reinforce the dynamic once again.\nStarting a family without fear: an underestimated lever # An often overlooked advantage of this system is its effect on the birth rate. In affluent societies, parenthood is associated with considerable economic risks:\nCareer restrictions Costs for education, childcare, housing Uncertainty about their children’s future prospects Guaranteed start-up capital for every child – combined with unconditional child benefits – could significantly alleviate this pressure. Parents would have less to worry about when it comes to providing for their children. Even in low-income households, it would be clear that this child will grow up with prospects.\nThe decision to have a child would thus become less an act of self-sacrifice and more a conscious decision for the future.\nSocial, dynamic, stable # Unlike Hägglund, this proposal does not break the link between performance and pay. Those who do unpleasant work will continue to be paid for it. The labor market will remain intact. Only the structural advantage gained by birth will be eliminated.\nThose who do not complete higher education will continue to take jobs that are less prestigious—but voluntarily, knowing that they had the same starting opportunities as everyone else. No one would be forced to take degrading work out of existential necessity. But no one would be able to rest on inherited wealth either.\nIt would be a system that creates freedom not through egalitarianism, but through equality of opportunity. Envy loses its breeding ground. Those who can afford a sports car have not inherited it, but have chosen it – perhaps at the expense of other things. Those who have little had the same start. The differences are the result of choices, not inequality. The result would not be a levelled society, but a relaxed one.\nEconomically, too, the system would not be weaker, but more resilient. Tied-up capital would be freed up, invested, and flowed into education, entrepreneurship, consumption, and creativity. There would be less speculation and more real economic circulation. There would be more security, more risk-taking, and more participation.\nAnd there would be less fear. Fear of not leaving enough behind. Fear of failure. Fear of getting too little. This form of system design would not only be fairer—it would be more humane.\nSocial, dynamic, stable # Unlike Hägglund, this proposal does not sever the link between performance and pay. Those who do unpleasant work will continue to be paid for it. The labor market will remain intact. Only the structural advantage gained by birth will be eliminated.\nThose who do not complete higher education will continue to take jobs that are less prestigious – but voluntarily, knowing that they had the same starting opportunities as everyone else. No one would be forced to take degrading work out of existential necessity. But no one would be able to rest on inherited wealth either.\nIt would be a system that creates freedom not through egalitarianism, but through equality of opportunity. Envy loses its breeding ground. Those who can afford a sports car have not inherited it, but have chosen it – perhaps at the expense of other things. Those who have little had the same start. The differences are the result of choices, not inequality. The result would not be a levelled society, but a more relaxed one.\nEconomically, too, the system would not be weaker, but more resilient. Tied-up capital would be freed up, invested, and flowed into education, entrepreneurship, consumption, and creativity. There would be less speculation and more real economic circulation. There would be more security, more risk-taking, and more participation.\nAnd there would be less fear. Fear of not leaving enough behind. Fear of failure. Fear of getting too little. This form of system design would not only be fairer—it would be more humane.\nConclusion: Distribute opportunities, don’t defend them # This idea won’t fit on a protest sign. But perhaps it will find a place in the minds of those who understand justice not only as a question of distribution, but as a structural issue. Capitalism is not inherently unjust. But it needs a foundation that does not make the accident of birth the all-determining variable.\nAbolishing inheritance would not be an act of revenge against the rich. It would be an act of liberation for all those who were sent into the race under false pretenses. It would be a new beginning, with birth as the only reset point.\nAnd perhaps the first real step toward a society in which achievement really means something—because it can no longer be inherited, but arises from decisions, investment, and experience. A society that does not simulate equality, but stops inequality at its source. And perhaps also a society in which the term “equal opportunity” is finally more than just a rhetorical fig leaf.\nThe goal is not perfect equality, but a fair game. One in which everyone has the chance to play – without some starting with golden pieces while others have to start without a board.\n","date":"14 June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/inheritance-inequality-and-the-price-of-birth/","section":"Blog","summary":"Introduction: Hägglund’s critique of time and its limitations # Martin Hägglund’s This Life got me thinking with its fundamental ethical critique of capitalism. His central thesis: our lifetime is our most precious asset, and yet in the capitalist system it is put to work, controlled by others, exploited. We work more efficiently, more productively—and yet we do not get this time back. It flows into profits, not into freedom.\n","title":"Inheritance, inequality, and the price of birth","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"14 June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/moral/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Moral","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"14 June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/society/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Society","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"14. June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/tags/gesellschaft/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Gesellschaft","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"14 June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/art-and-design/","section":"Categories","summary":"","title":"Art \u0026 Design","type":"categories"},{"content":"","date":"14 June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/criticism-of-consumerism/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Criticism of Consumerism","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"14 June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/design-history/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Design History","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"14 June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/globalization/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Globalization","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"14 June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/market-failure/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Market Failure","type":"tags"},{"content":" An essay on the quiet disappearance of cultural design and the “race to the bottom” Introduction: When products still told stories # There was a time when you could tell where a product came from just by looking at it. Italian cars were beautiful, eccentric, often unreliable, but full of charm. Japanese cameras were minimalist, pragmatic, precise. German kitchen appliances were heavy, robust, and functional. Products were ambassadors of origin and attitude. They bore a signature, a cultural semantics, sometimes even an ethic. A toaster could be “German.” A radio could seem Italian. A camera from Japan not only had functions, but also an implicit value proposition.\nToday? At best, you can still tell if a product is from Apple. Everything else is uniform. Designed by anonymous design teams, manufactured in the same industrial zones, sold under interchangeable names. The result is a market in which consumers have little to go on—except price. And that reinforces a cynical trend: if everything looks the same anyway, why pay more?\nFrom signature to licensed shell # Brands such as AEG, Telefunken, Blaupunkt, Grundig and Thomson once stood for technical excellence, engineering prowess and durability. They became symbols of the German economic miracle and were the epitome of solidity and high standards. Today, they are nothing more than brand remnants, licensed to random OEMs that manufacture random products in random ways. An AEG vacuum cleaner has nothing to do with the original AEG company. A “Grundig” television is now produced somewhere in Turkey or China, with electronics from third-party suppliers and support provided as available.\nThe brand has degenerated into a graphic backdrop. A label for trust that no longer exists. What is particularly perfidious about this is that this trust is being deliberately exploited. The licensing strategy of many retail companies is based on the fact that older or technologically unsavoury customers instinctively associate the names “AEG” or “Telefunken” with former quality. It is a deliberate, downright predatory exploitation of the goodwill of past decades. No one explains that behind the supposedly familiar name there are now completely different structures, manufacturers, and responsibilities. The result is creeping disappointment – but only in individual cases. Because as soon as the damage becomes apparent, the brand has already been passed on or burned. The advertising power of the logo is exploited until the name is devalued – and then replaced by the next one that has not yet been used. It is the principle of the disposable brand.\nTemu is not the problem – Temu is the system taken to its logical conclusion. # When people complain about platforms like Temu today, they are right – but they often don’t look far enough. Temu is not the beginning, but the end point. It is the most consistent expression of a market that has spent decades doing everything it can to define itself by price. When “Made in Germany” eventually ceases to matter, the way will be clear for suppliers offering white box products with invented names like “AIOU,” “ZXTech,” or “HOMAX” for $3.99—with no support, no manufacturer liability, and no origin.\nThe responsibility? Disposable. The name? Disposable. The claim? Unimportant. It is no longer about trust, but about transaction optimization. Products are anonymized, brands are only used as visual triggers. No one expects quality anymore, just function at the lowest price.\nThe race to the bottom # Temu is the market-driven end form of the so-called race to the bottom:\nWhere product quality is just a cost factor, design is just a render graphic for marketing, support is a luxury, and consumer competence is seen as a hindrance. However, this race was not started by China, but by Western brands themselves:\nThrough outsourcing without any control mechanism, through the introduction of value lines that undermine quality standards, through planned obsolescence and non-repairable products, through the systematic training of consumers to adopt a bargain mentality. There is another aspect to this: the dissolution of authorship. There is no longer a signature style, no signature. Design does not arise from attitude, but from compromise. Where once Dieter Rams or Ettore Sottsass stood for clarity and vision, today interdisciplinary teams work on the basis of A/B testing and target group analyses. The result is functional, pleasing—but lacking in character.\nAnd the consumers? They have been trained to accept this. For decades. “Cheap is cool,” “more for less,” “top technology at low prices.” Who can still understand what a good product actually is? Even with premium suppliers such as Bosch, Miele, or Lenovo, you have to look closely today to see which segment you are buying—and whether the value still matches the name.\nThe loss of cultural depth # What used to be taken for granted—a product as an expression of origin, aspiration, signature—is now exotic. And thus almost meaningless.\nExamples?\nThe Italian transistor radios of the 1960s—such as those made by Brionvega—were functional sculptures. They celebrated form, color, and material. A T3 portable radio by Dieter Rams for Braun was not a box, but an attitude. “Less, but better” was not an advertising slogan, but an ethos. A typewriter like the Valentine by Olivetti/Sottsass was not just a tool, but a political statement against gray practicality. Kuba Komet Brionvega Transistorradio Herbert Hirche (1919-2002). HF 1 Fernsehgerät, Braun And today? A Bluetooth speaker is a black rubber sausage with USB-C. A vacuum cleaner is a battery-powered bone with LEDs. The “product world” has become a product backdrop. Everything works – but nothing tells a story anymore.\nIs there a way out? # Perhaps. But it won’t be easy, because it requires a radical rethink – and above all a political and economic honesty that is currently hard to find.\nRegulatory? The call for brand liability sounds obvious, but in reality it is often toothless. If the alleged manufacturer is based in Shenzhen, has no address that can be used to serve legal documents, and operates through a series of shell companies, even EU-wide labeling requirements are of little help. Legal recourse? Hardly enforceable in practice. The real market distortion remains. The real lever lies in externalized costs. If you take market logic seriously, it cannot only apply when it is convenient. A market can only be efficient if it prices in all costs. Currently, however, Western manufacturers bear the costs of electricity prices, CO2 certificates, environmental regulations, and labor laws, while imported cheap goods circumvent all of these. Those who defend market mechanisms must also work to ensure that they are not perverted by externalization. It is downright absurd that those who loudly proclaim themselves defenders of the free market are the very ones who tolerate or even actively promote these systemic imbalances. The market as it functions today is not free, but asymmetrically distorted—in favor of those who do not have to face up to their responsibilities. What is needed is CO2 and ethics pricing for imported goods, based on the standards we expect from domestic production. These include energy consumption, environmental pollution, occupational safety, and corporate responsibility. This is the only way to mitigate global competitive distortion. Protectionism? Yes—as a means of protecting fair competition. The term has historical baggage, but it is economically justifiable: Without at least a partial correction of the price distortions caused by global deregulation, any demand for quality, responsibility, and sustainability remains cynical. After all, comparing Temu with Miele is like comparing apples with asphalt. And here, too, the strategic short-sightedness is evident: while Western markets are being kept open with all possible means, China is systematically working to favor its own industry. Chinese companies receive subsidies, protective measures, strategic contracts – and market access is gradually being made more difficult for foreign suppliers. So what happens when the point is reached where Western companies lose the Chinese market – and at the same time have given away their home market to import dumping? The answer is simple: they disappear. Final thought: A product as a cultural statement # A product can be more than just a transaction. It can be an expression. A commitment. An object with a history. And in the best case scenario: a part of our cultural identity.\nIf we allow it. And if we have the courage to resist the cheapest offer.\nNote: This article is intended as a critique of a system, not of individual consumers. The increasing disorientation in the market is not the “fault” of customers, but the result of a structural disconnect between design, origin, and responsibility. It is time to talk about this again.\n","date":"14 June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-end-of-authenticity/","section":"Blog","summary":" An essay on the quiet disappearance of cultural design and the “race to the bottom” Introduction: When products still told stories # There was a time when you could tell where a product came from just by looking at it. Italian cars were beautiful, eccentric, often unreliable, but full of charm. Japanese cameras were minimalist, pragmatic, precise. German kitchen appliances were heavy, robust, and functional. Products were ambassadors of origin and attitude. They bore a signature, a cultural semantics, sometimes even an ethic. A toaster could be “German.” A radio could seem Italian. A camera from Japan not only had functions, but also an implicit value proposition.\n","title":"The end of authenticity – Why products no longer have a soul","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"14. June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/tags/designgeschichte/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Designgeschichte","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"14. June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/tags/globalisierung/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Globalisierung","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"14. June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/kunst-design/","section":"Categories","summary":"","title":"Kunst \u0026 Design","type":"categories"},{"content":"","date":"14. June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/tags/marktversagen/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Marktversagen","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"14. June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/tags/produktdesign/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Produktdesign","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"13 June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/determinism/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Determinism","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"13 June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/free-will/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Free Will","type":"tags"},{"content":" Why moral judgment is possible (and necessary) without free will Introduction # In a world where political outrage, moral sensitivities and mutual recriminations dominate public discourse, the idea that no one is really ‘at fault’ seems radical. No politician, no criminal, no human being – not even Donald Trump. I subscribe to a harsh determinism: the idea that every thought, every feeling, every action is causally produced by preconditions. There is no free will in the metaphysical sense. And that is precisely why it is possible to treat people with deep empathy – without condemning them. But that does not mean we are defenceless.\nOn the contrary: a deterministic worldview allows us to rethink ethical responsibility – beyond revenge, guilt or moral superiority. It creates space for functional ethics, for systemic thinking and for an attitude that recognizes human dignity even where people instinctively want to deny it.\n1. The problem with guilt # Our Western thinking is based on an intuitive concept of guilt: those who do something bad could have decided differently. Those who ‘freely’ choose evil deserve punishment. But this assumption is empirically untenable. Every human being is a product of their genetics, upbringing, education, trauma, culture and biological predispositions. When someone acts violently, manipulatively or recklessly, it is the result of an unchosen causal process.\nEven the most serious offenses can be traced back to causes: violence can be the result of neglect, narcissism of deep insecurity, lust for power of learned compensation patterns. This does not excuse the act, but it explains the perpetrator. And without understanding, there can be no improvement.\nThere is no guilt in the metaphysical sense. But there can still be responsibility – functional, not morally charged. Not as condemnation, but as prevention.\n2. Hard determinism # Determinism is the philosophical view that all events – including human thoughts, decisions, and actions – are determined by previous causes. From a strictly scientific perspective, this means that if all initial conditions are known, everything that follows is also determined.\nIn the debate about free will, there are two main opposing positions:\nCompatibilism asserts that free will is compatible with a deterministic worldview. Proponents such as Daniel Dennett and Harry Frankfurt argue that freedom does not mean being able to make decisions ‘completely without cause,’ but rather that we, as acting subjects, make decisions that arise from our own motivational structure. As long as no one forces us, this is ‘free enough.’ Hard determinism, on the other hand, denies any form of freedom of choice. It considers the feeling of autonomy to be an illusion and argues that even our motives, intentions, and thoughts are themselves the product of causal chains. So, for example, when we believe that we are acting of our own free will, this impression is already determined. I myself subscribe to hard determinism. Compatibilism seems to me like a semantic evasion: it replaces freedom with coherence or self-identification without solving the actual problem. For even if I act ‘according to my will,’ the question remains: Where does this will come from? If I have not given it to myself, it is not free.\nI therefore assume that there is no free will. Nor is there a hidden entity within us that could decide freely ‘beyond’ the chain of causes. Even if indeterminate influences exist (as some would like to deduce from quantum physics), they are random – and randomness is no substitute for freedom. We act because we have to act. The decision we make is the only one we could have made.\nThis idea is unbearable for many. It seems to negate self-efficacy, undermine ethics, and even question what makes us human. But the opposite is true: abandoning the illusion of autonomous will allows us to analyze human behavior more radically – and influence it more effectively.\nIf no one is ‘free,’ then no one is inferior. Everyone is what they have been made. And even the person writing this did not create themselves.\n3. Ethics without free will # If no one is free, what remains of ethics? A great deal. Because people do not live in metaphysical concepts, but in societies. There, behavior must be regulated, protection guaranteed and conflicts resolved. Responsibility thus becomes a functional principle: those who pose a danger must be stopped – not out of hatred, but to protect the community. Those who cause suffering to others need boundaries – not for retribution, but for prevention.\nMy own ethical stance is based on a radically egalitarian view of human beings: if no one has chosen their character, their circumstances, or their history, there is no legitimate basis for moral superiority. Every human being is equally valuable, regardless of their development or their actions. However, this does not mean that all behavior is equally acceptable. Rather, ethics is a systemic corrective: it should protect, regulate and heal – not condemn, hate or punish.\nUnderstood in this way, ethics becomes a controlling system that focuses not on guilt but on mechanisms of action. What motivates people to harm others? How can conditions be created that promote cooperative behavior? What role do education, empathy, social security and mental health play? Questions like these replace the reflex to punish with systemic criticism.\n4. Understanding instead of contempt # On the difficulty of not being hateful # It is not easy to live by this principle, especially when confronted with ideologies or groups that actively seek to harm oneself or others. How can one remain empathetic towards people who question one’s very existence, for example in political contexts such as the rise of right-wing extremist parties?\nA deterministic worldview does not mean that you are no longer allowed to feel anger. This anger is a protective reflex: against threats, against injustice, against irrationality. But hatred as a moral judgment – as a condemnation of a person or group – loses its basis if no one is the cause of their own thoughts or actions.\nInstead, it becomes clear that even destructive ideologies are the product of fear, conditioning, educational deficits, trauma and cultural context. That does not mean that they should be tolerated – on the contrary. But we can defend ourselves differently:\nThink systemically, don’t dehumanize: I want to understand how people become this way – not to excuse them, but to prevent them. Act structurally, not destroy emotionally: I want to limit the influence and power of such ideologies – through political clarity, education, and enlightenment. Distinguish without despising: I strictly reject the behavior, but I do not see the person behind it as metaphysically ‘evil’. You have to protect yourself, be loud, clear, and consistent. But out of clarity, not hatred. Out of care, not moral hubris.\nWhat you don’t despise, you may be able to change effectively. What you understand, you no longer have to hate. And what you want to protect deserves clarity – not hostility.\nThe example of a murderer # Let’s take an extreme example: a murderer. In classical thinking, he is a ‘bad person’. In deterministic thinking, he is a tragic product of his circumstances. That does not mean that we trivialize the act. But we can refrain from hatred. We can view the person as a human being who never had the chance to be different. And yet we can (and must) isolate him, treat him or permanently separate him if he remains a danger.\nThis means that an enlightened society is allowed to defend itself. It is allowed to exert coercion, ward off dangers and draw boundaries. But it should do so without revulsion, without dehumanization, without moral arrogance. The murderer is not the Other, the ‘evil’ one. He is a human being with a different causal history.\nSuch an attitude does not imply weakness. On the contrary, it is rational, stable, and consistent. A society that remains humanistic even in its sanctions is stronger than any criminal justice system based on outrage.\n5. The functional illusion of freedom # Everyday experience suggests free choice: ‘Should I buy the red or blue shoes?’ But even such decisions follow unconscious preferences, contexts and external influences. Within the system, we experience an illusion of freedom that is necessary for our psyche and decision-making. But it is not a basis for metaphysical guilt.\nAn example: I can influence a person through arguments or rhetoric to choose red shoes instead of blue ones. That is functional influence. But viewed from the outside, my influence was also predetermined. Within the system, ‘responsibility’ makes sense. Outside the system, it is meaningless.\nThis insight does not devalue our actions – it merely relativizes the claim to moral absoluteness. We continue to act, make decisions, argue and persuade. But we do all this within a causal structure, not as autonomous agents.\n6. Conclusion: humanity through clarity # A radically deterministic worldview seems cold. In fact, however, it leads to deeper empathy. There are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ people. Only people. We can understand them without condoning them. We can limit them without hating them. We can rehabilitate or separate them without taking away their dignity.\nThis perspective enables a society that is both soft and strong: soft in its judgments, strong in its actions. It takes people seriously because it recognizes how little they have made themselves. And it takes itself seriously by systematically looking at causes rather than scapegoats.\nThose who think free of guilt do not think unethically. They think systemically. And perhaps that is the only way a just society can actually emerge.\n","date":"13 June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/freedom-without-choice/","section":"Blog","summary":" Why moral judgment is possible (and necessary) without free will Introduction # In a world where political outrage, moral sensitivities and mutual recriminations dominate public discourse, the idea that no one is really ‘at fault’ seems radical. No politician, no criminal, no human being – not even Donald Trump. I subscribe to a harsh determinism: the idea that every thought, every feeling, every action is causally produced by preconditions. There is no free will in the metaphysical sense. And that is precisely why it is possible to treat people with deep empathy – without condemning them. But that does not mean we are defenceless.\n","title":"Freedom Without Choice","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"13. June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/tags/determinismus/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Determinismus","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"13. June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/tags/freier-wille/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Freier Wille","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"11 June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/stoicism/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Stoicism","type":"tags"},{"content":" Introduction # There are days when I wonder if I am the problem. If it is narcissistic to keep asking myself why so many things around me are so obviously wrong. But the answer is no. It is not arrogance, but a painful attempt to survive in a world that does not understand itself. I understand the causes, the mechanisms, the psychological and social driving forces. And yet I am frustrated. Perhaps even because of this.\nBecause it’s not just the wrong actions of individuals that tire me – it’s the sum of indifference, the insistence on inefficient systems, the deliberate ignorance of better solutions. It’s the feeling of running headfirst into a wall of complacency, inertia, and a lack of awareness of the problem – over and over again.\nUnderstanding as a burden # I try to view the world rationally. I don’t believe in free will, but rather in determinism. What people do is a function of their circumstances, their genetics, their experiences. I don’t judge anyone morally because I believe that no one can act differently than they do. But this philosophical realism brings no relief. On the contrary, it prevents me from dismissing the behavior of others as “evil,” but rather as inevitably wrong—and that only makes it harder to deal with.\nIgnorance, impulsiveness, emotional reactions to complex issues—all of these things are explainable. But they are not excusable in a functional sense. Because even if I don’t blame anyone personally, the effect is real: the world is getting worse. And I have to watch.\nWhen you start to delve deeper into social dynamics, simple blame disappears. Instead, a bitter clarity remains: most things don’t happen out of malice, but out of incompetence. Out of a lack of reflection, a lack of education, poor information channels, or simply mental exhaustion. But the result remains the same – and so does the frustration.\nThe frustration in detail: small mistakes, big impact # I’m not annoyed by the big, abstract problems – but by the many small details that, when added up, create the big problem. The drinks fridge in the office: the shelf is upside down. As a result, everything is covered in condensation. It would have taken exactly the same amount of effort to put it in the right way round. It’s not a lack of resources, but a lack of mindfulness.\nOr road traffic: People race down highways in expensive sports cars, ignore speed limits, and overtake in no-overtaking zones. I drive with foresight and responsibility – and am declared an obstacle for doing so. I invest time, care, and responsibility – and others destroy the foundations of coexistence through negligence or intent.\nI documented an incident on video, with dash cams in the front and rear: a dangerous overtaking maneuver in a no-passing zone. The police closed the case. Insufficient evidence. No driver identification. No owner liable. Legally sound, but socially fatal.\nAnd this is not just an isolated case, but a pattern: lack of owner liability, selective checks, fine systems that hardly affect the wealthy – all this creates systematic distortion. Responsibility is regulated in theory, but in practice it is often arbitrary.\nThe structural imbalance # The cause is systemic: we have rules, but we don’t enforce them. Or only selectively. There is a speed limit, but it is enforced with traditional speed cameras. Those who know their way around can speed without any problems – as long as they drive slowly in the “wrong” place. Average speed measurement would be more efficient, fairer, and more tamper-proof. But the political will is lacking.\nWorse still, our sanctions are regressive. Fines hit low-income earners hard, but hardly affect the rich. Those with enough money and legal counsel can afford to break the rules. And typically successfully challenge them. As a result, breaking the law becomes a badge of distinction. Those who break the rules demonstrate power.\nThis is more than just a legal imbalance—it is a social affront. It undermines social cohesion when people see that the enforcement of rules is not neutral, but implicitly class-dependent. When responsibility becomes a question of money, justice is no longer a normative idea, but a question of price.\nInsight without impact # I understand the world. And that’s exactly what makes it so difficult. I know why people vote for the AFD. I know why they feel threatened, why they become radicalized, why they believe misinformation. Likewise, I see the sociological, psychological, and media dynamics behind it. But this understanding doesn’t make anything better. It doesn’t change anything. On the contrary, it leaves me feeling powerless.\nBecause how can you improve a world that doesn’t want to improve? How can you convince people when rational arguments are ignored and emotions are exploited? How can you maintain your stance when that very stance becomes a burden?\nParticularly distressing is the sight of those who not only act destructively, but are celebrated for it. Those who publicly mock science, responsibility, or empathy—and are considered “authentic” for doing so. Contempt for nuance has become socially acceptable. And the more nuanced your thinking, the more alienated you feel.\nThe price of integrity # Stoicism helps me not to despair. I try to influence what is within my control. My actions, my words, my attitude. But even that is exhausting. Because the constant dissonance between aspiration and reality wears me down. I am not cynical because I hate people. I am cynical because I understand them.\nI hardly consume any news anymore. Not because it bores me, but because it hurts me. I see people acting in an objectively destructive way – and being applauded for it. I see sincerity, science, and responsibility being mocked. I see ignorance and aggression being disguised as freedom of expression. And I know that this is not an isolated case. It is systemic.\nCynicism is a protective reaction. It prevents me from being constantly disappointed. But I distrust it—because cynicism is also capitulation in the guise of superiority. And I don’t want to surrender. I don’t want to become the kind of person who secretly gives up while still maintaining a facade of defiance.\nWhat remains? # Resignation? Conformity? Radical isolation? All understandable reactions. But I don’t want to lose myself. I don’t want to become cynical because I see through cynicism. I don’t want to become indifferent because I can no longer bear the pain. I don’t want to stop doing the right thing just because it doesn’t work.\nSo I stay. And write. And document. Not because I believe it will change the world. But because it keeps me from forgetting myself. It is my attempt to counter noise with clarity. Reflection with reflexes. Slowness with speed. And yes—dignity with arbitrariness.\nI don’t believe these words will change anything. But I know it would be worse not to write them down. Because silence is the quiet surrender of reason. And I want to fight against that – for as long as I can.\nConclusion # I’m not writing this because I think I’m better than anyone else. I’m writing it because I’m tired. Tired of understanding that doesn’t change anything. Tired of knowledge that doesn’t help. But also tired of silence. Perhaps writing is my way of not becoming bitter. Perhaps it is a last, quiet act of sincerity in a world that takes refuge in superficiality.\nAnd perhaps, just perhaps, someone will recognize themselves in it. Then this text would be more than just a lament. Then it would be a connection. And that alone would make it worthwhile.\nAnd if not, then it will remain. As a witness to an inner resistance. As a monument to an attitude that does not dissolve just because it seems ineffective. And maybe, in a moment when you yourself are on the verge of giving up, it will remind you that you are not alone. And that it is worth taking a stand. Despite everything.\n","date":"11 June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/stoic-frustration-in-an-irrational-world/","section":"Blog","summary":"Introduction # There are days when I wonder if I am the problem. If it is narcissistic to keep asking myself why so many things around me are so obviously wrong. But the answer is no. It is not arrogance, but a painful attempt to survive in a world that does not understand itself. I understand the causes, the mechanisms, the psychological and social driving forces. And yet I am frustrated. Perhaps even because of this.\n","title":"When understanding isn’t enough: Stoic frustration in an irrational world","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"11. June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/tags/stoizismus/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Stoizismus","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"9 June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/certification/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Certification","type":"tags"},{"content":" Preparation # I started preparing in January and took the exam in mid-March. So it took me about two months in total, with a few interruptions. I spent about an hour a day during the week and two hours at weekends. Some weeks I did nothing at all – but I didn’t let that stress me out.\nMy technical background allowed me to repeat familiar content instead of starting from scratch. Nevertheless, the exam was no walk in the park. It was crucial that I identified my weaknesses early on and worked on them systematically. I focussed on continuity rather than perfectionism – it was okay to skip a chapter from time to time.\nLearning resources – what really helped # Destination Certification book # My main tool. Clear, well-structured, easy to read. Some simplifications (e.g., on digital signatures) are questionable, but overall a very good book. The balance between depth and comprehensibility is just right.\nDestination Certification video course # Almost identical in content to the book, but helpful for structuring learning time. The book is sufficient for the budget-conscious. I like to use the videos as ‘light fare’ after work.\nDestination Certification App # Free and useful for travelling. Not a substitute for other resources, but good for revision in between.\nOfficial Study Guide # Dry, but strong in terms of content. I used it selectively for topics where I had weaknesses – e.g. legal framework conditions. If you persevere with it, you will be rewarded with depth of detail.\nOfficial Practice Tests # Excellent for consolidating understanding. Not only the right answers, but also the wrong ones are explained. Very valuable for fine-tuning, especially in the final phase.\nLearnZapp # Basically the official questions in app form – but saves a lot of time. Very efficient for $10 a month. I averaged 85%. My favourite tool for the last two weeks.\nTip Tip: I did some of the tests in the bathtub. Sounds banal, but learning in a relaxed atmosphere works better.\nStrategy # The key recommendation: ‘Think like a manager’ – not like a technician. This change of perspective was crucial. Thanks to my GRC experience, this was easy for me. I asked myself with every question: What makes strategic sense? What is politically viable? What can be documented?\nMy weaknesses lay in the area of memorisation – such as process steps in the right order. Mnemonic devices and acronyms helped me here, e.g. for the Cyber Kill Chain:\nReally (Reconnaissance)\nWicked (Weaponization)\nDudes (Delivery)\nExploit (Exploitation)\nInnocent (Installation)\nComputers (Command \u0026amp; Control)\nArrogantly (Actions on Objectives)\nI also built my own memory aids for other processes. The aim was always to understand the context – not just to memorise facts.\nWhat didn’t work # Destination Certification Workbook # I printed out the entire workbook – a packet of paper and toner. After the first chapter, I abandoned it. Without an accompanying course, it lacked context. For me, it was inefficient.\nPrinted Q\u0026amp;A questions # I started with the official paper questions. Looking back, it was a waste of time. LearnZapp was faster, more convenient and more motivating. Digital tools are clearly superior here.\nThe day of the exam # I was calm and prepared. Nevertheless, a few notes on the Frankfurt test centre:\nParking: Hardly possible above ground. Better to park in the hotel car park next door. Catering: No drinks or snacks. Drink enough beforehand. Procedure: Friendly but strict. ID and procedures take time – allow for a buffer. The exam environment was pleasantly quiet, the lighting and technology were fine. No reason to be nervous.\nThe exam itself # I was expecting worse. The reminders from Destination Certification (‘read four times’, ‘block answers’) were exaggerated for me. If you stay calm and know the type of question, you’ll do fine.\nIt took me just under two hours. Some of the questions were tricky, but never incomprehensible or unfair. I found the CCDP exam eight years ago much more difficult.\nIt was crucial to understand the why behind the answers – and to always take the perspective of the responsible manager.\nConclusion – For whom is CISSP worthwhile? # If you already have technical understanding and GRC experience, the CISSP is not an insurmountable hurdle. It’s not about specialist knowledge, but about judgement and prioritisation.\nMy recommendations: # Think like a decision-maker: technology plays a role – but from the perspective of responsibility and risk. Internalise the principles: Understand processes, not just their order. Stay pragmatic: You don’t need to know everything, but recognise what is relevant. Focus on structure: Processes, guidelines and formal procedures are often the right answer. Get to know the CISSP style: Questions have their own logic – practice specifically towards this. My conclusion: The exam has its reputation, but those who learn in a structured and reflective way can pass it well.\n","date":"9 June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/my-cissp-experience/","section":"Blog","summary":"Preparation # I started preparing in January and took the exam in mid-March. So it took me about two months in total, with a few interruptions. I spent about an hour a day during the week and two hours at weekends. Some weeks I did nothing at all – but I didn’t let that stress me out.\nMy technical background allowed me to repeat familiar content instead of starting from scratch. Nevertheless, the exam was no walk in the park. It was crucial that I identified my weaknesses early on and worked on them systematically. I focussed on continuity rather than perfectionism – it was okay to skip a chapter from time to time.\n","title":"My CISSP Experience","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"9 June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/self-study/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Self Study","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"9. June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/tags/selbststudium/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Selbststudium","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"9. June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/tags/zertifizierung/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Zertifizierung","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/behaviorism/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Behaviorism","type":"tags"},{"content":" Introduction # I keep asking myself why simple, well thought-out and cost-effective ideas for improving corporate culture, safety or productivity fall on deaf ears. Not only in corporations with cumbersome bureaucracy, but also in small companies with flat hierarchies and seemingly short decision-making processes. Am I naive because I believe that people would write a LinkedIn article for a cup of coffee? Or because I believe in a positive reinforcement culture instead of disciplining employees with compulsory training or silent frustration?\nI don’t think so. And I also don’t believe that this lack of understanding can be explained simply by pragmatism or cost-consciousness. Rather, I am convinced that you have to have a certain interdisciplinary understanding in order to really penetrate these dynamics. Anyone who wants to initiate systemic change should not only be familiar with economic principles, but also psychological, behavioural and communicative principles – or at least be prepared to take them seriously.\nAfter all, behaviour does not emerge in a vacuum. Those who only combat symptoms – for example with more training or even more control – will not achieve a lasting effect. However, those who try to understand why people do what they do – and what stops them from doing more – have the chance to make a real change.\nThis blog post is an invitation to reflect: on incentive systems, on frustration, on wasted potential and on what leadership really looks like\nThe illusion of equal treatment – ‘He is being paid for his time’ # In vielen Unternehmen gilt ein unausgesprochenes Prinzip: Wer Gehalt bekommt, hat keinen weiteren In many companies, there is an unspoken principle: if you receive a salary, you are not entitled to any further rewards. Whether I’m holding a customer workshop, writing an internal security white paper or cleaning the coffee machine – it’s all ‘working time’ and therefore compensated. Full stop.\nAt first glance, this attitude seems logical. If you exchange time for money, you owe time – regardless of how it is spent. But in practice, this way of thinking ignores the central question:\nWhy would someone voluntarily do more if they get the same for the minimum?\nThe answer is simple: most people don’t. And why should they? While central tasks such as customer projects or management reports have a certain social and functional visibility, many things that are ‘not explicitly required’ are simply left undone. Articles for the company website? Internal process improvement? Technical documentation? All tasks with real value – but no immediate reward.\nThe result: avoidance behaviour. Service by the book. Standstill. Not out of malice, but out of systemically understandable behaviour. It is a psychological self-protection against tasks that require effort but promise no recognition.\nBehavioural economics describes this phenomenon as moral hazard: if effort and result are not directly linked, the willingness to put in additional effort decreases.\nAnd even worse: those who show initiative anyway are often ridiculed or – even more perfidious – degraded to the standard. Suddenly, the extraordinary is seen as the norm and this leads to a devaluation of commitment.\nWarum Incentives keine Gefälligkeiten sind, sondern Steuerungsinstrumente # Before we go into further detail, it is worth taking a brief look at a fundamental misconception shared by many organisations: that work is motivating per se or at least experienced as sufficiently meaningful. In fact, the theologian and author Martin Hägglund describes in his book ‘This Life: Secular Faith and Spiritual Freedom’ that for most people, work is not an end in itself, but a means to an end – necessary to be able to afford life outside of work. Self-realisation does not take place in gainful employment, but in the freedom it is supposed to provide.\nThis realisation has far-reaching implications: Motivation is functionally limited in many contexts. It only goes as far as necessary – no further. If organisations expect employees to go beyond what is expected, then it is not enough to simply hope for an ‘inner attitude’. Then structures are needed that make initiative visible, reward it, protect it and support it culturally.\nAn example: Let’s say you suggest buying lunch for every LinkedIn article written. The cost? A maximum of 5 euros, negotiable. The benefit? Visibility, employer branding, SEO, potential leads. The reaction? Often dismissive. Reason: ‘It’s working time.’\nWhat is being confused here: Salary rewards time, not motivation. And motivation is not binary. Nobody works ‘with full vigour’ on tasks that they find tedious, pointless or unpleasant. A small incentive is not a ‘bribe’, but a signal: “We know that this means effort. And we appreciate it.”\nMotivational psychology clearly proves that extrinsic motivation, even small ones, can play a significant role in controlling behaviour – especially in the case of less intrinsically motivating tasks. Symbolic or social incentives in particular, such as praise, appreciation or small material rewards, can encourage commitment without risking the ‘crowding-out effect’.\nIn addition, such small incentives often act as a catalyst: they create momentum, lower the psychological barrier to entry and generate positive examples. Often, an initial success with visible recognition is enough to set a cultural change in motion.\nWhy good ideas fail – and what this has to do with power # The most frustrating experience is when you outline a functioning model with clear KPIs, low costs and a comprehensible benefit – and it still fails. Not because of feasibility. Not because of resources. But because of a mixture of:\nCultural conservatism, implicit mistrust, lack of courage, or simply: lack of interest. Psychological theories on organisational inertia show that established structures are often maintained not because of a lack of will, but because of a deep aversion to uncertainty and loss of control. Good ideas therefore often fail not because of their quality, but because they deviate from the expected.\nIt is often the case that ideas are formulated, calculated and presented. They are taken note of, never directly rejected, but never implemented. That’s the worst form of failure: the invisible, silent fizzling out of things that could work.\nDer wahre Grund für Leistungsvermeidung: Psychologische Kosten # The real reason for performance avoidance: psychological costs\nMany managers believe that employees avoid tasks because they are lazy or don’t have time. In reality, they avoid tasks when\nthe effort is high, the purpose is unclear, the recognition is low, and the return is not visible. These four factors generate psychological costs – and they are often higher than the actual amount of work involved. Writing an article is no big deal. But:\nWho reads it? Will it be criticised? What good will it do me? Will I be judged by it? Could I lose something if I stand out? There is a central psychological motive behind many of these questions: risk avoidance. Visibility always means vulnerability. Anyone who shows initiative is making an advance payment – emotionally, in terms of time and reputation. And those who are ignored, criticised or even exposed quickly learn that initiative is dangerous.\nThe principle of learned helplessness shows how people internalise through repeated non-recognition or a lack of consequences that their efforts have no effect – and then give up initiative. If an employee is even actively ‘shot down’ after contributing an idea, this effect is drastically amplified. The threshold for initiative not only becomes higher, it becomes insurmountable at some point.\nA practical example – phishing awareness as a case study # Let’s take the implementation of a phishing campaign to raise security awareness as a concrete example. The standard approach of many companies is based on a negative reinforcement model: a fake phishing email is sent out, anyone who clicks on it has to complete a mandatory mini training course or is sanctioned in some other way – sometimes silently, sometimes explicitly. The learning effect? Short-term at best, often accompanied by shame, frustration or resignation. Motivation is rarely the result.\nThere are now attempts to ‘gamify’ these campaigns, for example through departmental rankings or internal leaderboards. However, such measures often fizzle out because they do not provide any tangible incentives. Who really benefits from their own department performing better? Where is the individual benefit? Such measures are usually cosmetic – with no tangible effect.\nYet with minimal effort, a completely different direction could be taken. What if reporting a real or simulated phishing attempt was rewarded – for example with a coffee voucher, a cinema ticket or other small, immediately redeemable incentives? From a behavioural psychology perspective, this would actually be the more effective way: according to findings from learning psychology, positive reinforcements are most effective when they are given immediately after the behaviour has been demonstrated. The reward doesn’t have to be big – but it does have to be immediate and tangible.\nThe economic benefits are obvious: instead of carrying out expensive mandatory training for all employees – with the corresponding loss of productivity – targeted, motivating incentives could improve reporting behaviour, increase security awareness and at the same time make the culture more positive. A coffee for a reported (validly classified) phishing attempt costs perhaps 2 euros – an hour’s work for an average-paid employee can easily cost three to five times as much. The economies of scale are obvious.\nOf course, mechanisms are needed for verification, for example by involving the SOC or a responsible security team. But it is precisely this type of direct cooperation that can additionally strengthen the visibility and acceptance of security issues – without coming across as lecturing or paternalistic.\nWhat I have learnt – and what I am taking away with me # This examination of motivation, psychological costs and structural hurdles has given me some key insights:\nGood ideas need structural anchoring. Without a mandate, resources or protection, they often have no impact. Even the best idea will fizzle out if nobody supports its implementation. Incentives are tools, not favours. Motivation is not a permanent state, but the result of systemic framework conditions. If you want to encourage productive behaviour, you have to reinforce it in a targeted manner. Equal treatment must not mean levelling down. Different levels of commitment deserve different levels of response – not just morally, but functionally. Organisations thrive on their drivers. Realism is not cynicism. Not everything can be changed immediately – and not every idea belongs in every system. Those who recognise this can act in a more targeted way instead of losing themselves. Good ideas are timeless. What cannot be realised today may be the key to change tomorrow. It is worth archiving ideas – not as failed attempts, but as mature options. Systems do not change through confrontation alone. Patience, positioning and timing are part of strategic effectiveness. Not every suggestion needs to be implemented immediately – sometimes it is enough if it is understood. These principles have sharpened my awareness of psychological dynamics, of the relationship between effort and effect – and of the long-term importance of constructive perseverance. They are no guarantee of success. But they do provide orientation. And perhaps that is exactly what leadership can do at its core: Creating clarity where there is uncertainty. And show attitude where impact is still lacking.\nClosing words: From the idea to leadership # Leadership does not begin with a title. It begins with the ambition to do things better. With an eye for connections. With a reflection on what moves people or slows them down.\nWhat may not be applied today can become the foundation for change tomorrow. It is not about implementing everything immediately, but about being prepared – with well thought-out concepts, psychological intuition and a systemic view.\nGood leadership means not forgetting the questions – even if the answers are a long time coming:\nHow can we combine safety with joy? How can we motivate people to do things that don’t bring immediate benefits? How do you recognise when to stop pushing – and when to start leading? How do you create spaces in which suggestions are not only heard, but supported? ","date":"8 June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/psychological-barriers-motivation-and-incentives/","section":"Blog","summary":"Introduction # I keep asking myself why simple, well thought-out and cost-effective ideas for improving corporate culture, safety or productivity fall on deaf ears. Not only in corporations with cumbersome bureaucracy, but also in small companies with flat hierarchies and seemingly short decision-making processes. Am I naive because I believe that people would write a LinkedIn article for a cup of coffee? Or because I believe in a positive reinforcement culture instead of disciplining employees with compulsory training or silent frustration?\n","title":"Rethinking leadership: Psychological barriers, motivation, and the value of small incentives","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"8. June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/tags/verhaltenspsychologie/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Verhaltenspsychologie","type":"tags"},{"content":" About honest materials, imitations, and the silent longing for authenticity # The aesthetics of Severance and what it triggers in me # The series Severance on Apple TV+ not only tells a dystopian story about the divided self—it also depicts a world that deeply moves me aesthetically. Clean lines, coordinated shades of green, wood paneling, simple textures: all of this creates an atmosphere of order and tranquility, but also alienation. It is an artificial world—and that is precisely what makes it so fascinating.\nMy interest in this aesthetic – and in the 1970s, cassette futurism, and mid-century design in general – is not retro fetishism. For me, it’s about something deeper: the way materials were used back then. How form and function belonged together. How things still meant what they said.\nThe 60s-70s: When materials still had attitude # For me, the 1960s to the 1970s represent a design attitude in which new materials such as plastic or glass-fiber reinforced plastic were not used to imitate other materials, but to enable something new. Eero Aarnio’s Ball Chair would have been unthinkable without these materials. This was not a break with style, but a design consequence: the material determined the form.\nEero Aarnio – Ball Chair Braun Phonosuper SK 4 „Schneewittchens Sarg“ von Dieter Rams und Hans Gugelot (1956) Apple II computer. On display at the Musée Bolo, EPFL, Lausanne. Rams-Möbel in einem Vitsœ-Showroom in Tokio Ein Kurzwellenempfaenger: Braun T 1000 CD Foto RR 126 scattata durante la mostra dei Castiglioni di Pordenone, 2019 Brionvega Radio Cubo TS 502 original ab 1966 “Klappradio”, Brionvega ts 522, Retro von 2004 At the same time, strong influences from functional modernism were still evident during this period – in particular the legacy of the Bauhaus and the Ulm School of Design. Designers such as Dieter Rams embodied an ethic of product design that placed form and function in an honest relationship. Rams’ principles, such as “Good design is as little design as possible” and “Good design is honest”, became benchmarks.\nEven companies such as Apple drew on this way of thinking in their early years. Devices such as the Apple II and the first Macintosh were not only functionally well-thought-out, but also reduced in form – with clean lines, subtle colors, and a design language clearly reminiscent of Braun designs from the 1960s and 1970s. Here, too, there was no imitation, but rather an independent design inspired by the spirit of the material.\nThis clarity appeals to me. Not because I romanticize everything old, but because I feel that today we have too often forgotten what things actually are.\nWhen plastic pretends to be wood # I have a personal aversion to wood-effect plastic. Not because I reject plastic outright, but because in this case it pretends to be something it is not. It does not look like wood—it looks like an attempt to imitate wood. The result is neither honest nor beautiful. It is smooth, but lacks depth. Durable, but without dignity.\nFor me, it’s less about the individual object than the principle: when we start hiding or disguising materials, we lose trust in what things could actually mean.\nArtificial plants: the silent symbol of a great displacement # For me, plastic plants are an even clearer example of this development. They symbolize the attempt to replace life with something completely dead. A real plant produces oxygen, regulates the indoor climate, changes, lives. An artificial plant, on the other hand, is made of petrochemical-based plastic, can release microplastics, is CO₂-intensive to manufacture—and eventually becomes problematic waste.\nAnd yet there it stands, in many homes. As a reassuring sign: “There is life here.” But it is a false life. A gesture of repression.\nThis logic is not new – it can also be seen in fast fashion, disposable furniture, and cheap decorations. The main thing is that it looks good somehow. For now. For the eye. For the illusion.\nI understand that people are under pressure – time pressure, financial pressure, mental pressure. No one makes these decisions out of malice. But we should recognize that these small compromises change our relationship with the world. When we start replacing life with imitation because caring for things is too much effort, we may lose more than just a little atmosphere – we lose our willingness to form relationships with things.\nThis is not dogma. It is not a call for asceticism. It is a desire for awareness. A desire to let the uncomfortable, the high-maintenance, the real back into our spaces.\nBetween IKEA and ideals # I don’t believe that all furniture has to be made of solid wood – I myself own furniture from IKEA. It’s a value proposition that’s hard to beat: a simple cabinet may not have the quality of handmade carpentry, but it may fulfill 80% of the same function for 20% of the price. That’s the Pareto principle in its purest form.\nAnd yet, the question remains: what does this simplification cost us in the long run? Even if the price is right, the total cost of ownership is often higher – when things age faster, fall apart or need to be replaced. Even more significant is the cultural price: we are getting used to replacing things rather than maintaining them. We are losing the ability to think in terms of long-term relationships with objects.\n“Honest” furniture, clothing, yes: an honest life – that’s expensive. Or at least: not easy. It takes time, care, responsibility. And no – things weren’t better in the past. The iconic images from design magazines of the 1970s show the homes of wealthy people. The design aesthetic of that era was never mainstream.\nBut should we celebrate the fact that today everyone can afford something beautiful – even if it may not last long? Isn’t commodification also a form of democratization?\nPerhaps. And yet I stand by my position: plastic has its place when it is used honestly. But too often it is used as a substitute, not as a material with its own expression. Too often it becomes a short-term solution that takes more than it gives in the long run.\nWhat I want is not an elitist world of handmade products, but a new appreciation for the durable, the maintainable, the honest.\nBetween deception and transformation: dialectical honesty # Not every instance of “material deception” is negative—sometimes it is downright poetic. There is a form of honest dishonesty that I deeply appreciate: when an object reveals that it is deceiving—and it is precisely in this that it shows its mastery.\nA prime example for me is the classic marble statue: it does not pretend to be real skin or real fabric – and yet it suggests it with such technical and artistic precision that the material takes on a new level of meaning. The fabric appears soft, the skin alive – even though the marble is cool and hard.\nA red Panton Chair – first introduced in 1967 Pere Borrell del Caso, Fleeing Criticism, 1874 The Veiled Virgin, Giovanni Strazza Probably the most impressive example is The Veiled Virgin (Giovanni Strazza, 19th century). The veil, finely carved from a single block of marble, appears translucent, delicate, and lifelike—and impressively demonstrates what material art is capable of.\nSuch objects transform material not into deception, but into a tribute to its versatility. What they all have in common is that they do not seek to hide what they are – but rather to show what a material is capable of when encountered on equal terms.\nHere, deception is not a betrayal, but a compliment.\nA personal plea # I don’t want a perfect world. I want a real one.\nOne where not everything is flawless – but where many things are meaningful. One where we live with things instead of just using them. One where materials are allowed to tell their story.\nPerhaps this is about more than just furniture or plants. Perhaps it’s about our attitude toward aging, toward imperfection, toward dignity. We should learn that flaws are not a disgrace – neither in things nor in people. That signs of wear tell stories. That patina is a sign of life.\nThis applies not only to wooden tables, but also to faces, relationships, and life stories. An honest life is rarely flawless—but perhaps that is precisely its strength.\nAnd maybe none of this is a design philosophy. Maybe it’s just a wish:\nThat our surroundings don’t just please us — that they mean something to us.\n","date":"4 June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/about-things-that-mean-what-they-are/","section":"Blog","summary":"About honest materials, imitations, and the silent longing for authenticity # The aesthetics of Severance and what it triggers in me # The series Severance on Apple TV+ not only tells a dystopian story about the divided self—it also depicts a world that deeply moves me aesthetically. Clean lines, coordinated shades of green, wood paneling, simple textures: all of this creates an atmosphere of order and tranquility, but also alienation. It is an artificial world—and that is precisely what makes it so fascinating.\n","title":"About things that mean what they are","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"4 June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/product-design/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Product Design","type":"tags"},{"content":"Dieser Artikel wurde im Rahmen meiner Arbeit für tanum consult GmbH geschrieben.\nEinleitung # Bald ist es wieder so weit: Am 12.11.2024 veröffentlicht das Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI) die diesjährige Version des Lageberichts der IT-Sicherheit in Deutschland (BSI, 2023). Zusammen mit dem Bundeslagebild Cybercrime 2023 (Bundeskriminalamt, 2024b) entsteht ein klares Bild der zunehmenden Kommerzialisierung der Cyberkriminalität. Diese Entwicklung wird überwiegend von finanziellen Motiven getrieben – mehr als 95 % aller Angriffe verfolgen das Ziel, monetären Gewinn zu erzielen.\nAbbildung 1 – Motivation von Angreifern in Einbrüchen (n=5.632) (C. David Hylenderet al., 2024)\nDie Profitorientierung der Angreifer führt zur Entstehung krimineller Strukturen, die der legalen Marktwirtschaft ähneln. Cyberkriminelle organisieren sich zunehmend wie Unternehmen und bieten Dienstleistungen im Rahmen des Cybercrime-as-a-Service an. Dies senkt die Einstiegshürden für weniger technisch versierte Kriminelle und beschleunigt die Verbreitung von Angriffstechniken. Der Markt für Ransomware, Phishing-Kits und andere illegale Tools wächst stetig und trägt dazu bei, dass immer mehr Unternehmen und Privatpersonen Opfer dieser Angriffe werden.\nDurch die geringeren Kosten werden außerdem immer kleinere Unternehmen finanziell interessant. In Deutschland gibt es 2,6 Millionen kleine (weniger als 50 Mitarbeiter) und mittlere Unternehmen (50 bis 249 Mitarbeiter), die zahlenmäßig fast 99,4 % der deutschen Wirtschaftsunternehmen ausmachen (BSI, 2023). Gerade diese Unternehmen rücken damit immer mehr in den Fokus der Cyberkriminellen, da sie häufig weniger in Cybersicherheitsmaßnahmen investieren können und daher anfälliger für Angriffe sind.\nAbbildung 2 – Unternehmen in Deutschland nach Größe Quelle: Statistisches Bundesamt Stand: Juli 2021\nDer Wandel der Cyberkriminalität # In den letzten zwei Jahrzehnten hat sich die Cyberkriminalität von isolierten Angriffen durch Einzelpersonen hin zu einer hochgradig organisierten und strukturierten Industrie entwickelt. Früher waren Cyberkriminelle oft Einzelgänger oder kleine Gruppen von Hackern, die aus verschiedenen Motiven wie Neugierde oder politischem Aktivismus agierten. Heute hingegen ist Cyberkriminalität eine kommerzialisierte und profitgetriebene Branche, die ähnlich wie legitime Unternehmen funktioniert (BSI, 2023; Bundeskriminalamt, 2024b)\nAbbildung 3 – Anteil von Ransomware oder Erpressungen bei erfolgreichen Sicherheitsvorfällen. (C. David Hylenderet al., 2024)\nEin entscheidender Faktor für diesen Wandel ist die Entstehung des Cybercrime-as-a-Service-Modells (CaaS) (Luber, 2023). Dieses Geschäftsmodell ermöglicht es weniger technisch versierten Kriminellen, einfachen Zugang zu vorgefertigten Tools und Dienstleistungen zu erlangen. Plattformen im Darknet bieten mittlerweile eine Vielzahl von Angriffswerkzeugen als Dienstleistung an; angefangen vom Verkauf von Software-Tools bis zur vollständigen Dienstleistungserbringung, inklusive Kundenservice. Dies senkt die Eintrittsbarrieren erheblich und öffnet die Tür für eine größere Anzahl von Angreifern​.\nZudem hat die zunehmende Professionalisierung der Cyberkriminalität zu einem wachsenden Ökosystem geführt, welches die Spezialisierung fördert. So gibt es beispielsweise Initial Access Broker, die sich darauf konzentrieren, sich Zugang zu Unternehmensnetzwerken zu verschaffen und diesen an andere Kriminelle weiterzuverkaufen (Bleiweiss, 2020; BSI, 2023; Bundeskriminalamt, 2024b). Diese Art der Arbeitsteilung in der Cyberkriminalität ist in den letzten Jahren stark gewachsen.\nDurch das Ransomware-as-a-Service-Modell können selbst unerfahrene Kriminelle hochwirksame Angriffe starten, indem sie sich einfach in dieses kriminelle Ökosystem einkaufen​ (BSI, 2023; Bundeskriminalamt, 2024b). Die Kriminellen hinter diesen Angriffen verwenden zunehmend auch Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) und Automatisierung, um Phishing-Kampagnen und Schadsoftware effizienter und gezielter zu gestalten (BSI, 2023; Bundeskriminalamt, 2024b).\nEin weiteres Zeichen für den Wandel der Cyberkriminalität ist die zunehmende Globalisierung dieser Bedrohung. Die Täter agieren häufig aus dem Ausland, was die Strafverfolgung erschwert, da nationale Grenzen im digitalen Raum keine Rolle spielen (BSI, 2023; Bundeskriminalamt, 2024b)\nDie Kommerzialisierung im Detail # Die Kommerzialisierung der Cyberkriminalität hat eine bemerkenswerte Transformation erlebt, indem sie das kriminelle Handwerk in ein professionelles Geschäft mit klaren Rollen, Strukturen und Märkten verwandelt hat. Ein wichtiger Bestandteil dieses Wandels ist die Entstehung des Cybercrime-as-a-Service (CaaS)-Modells.\nAbbildung 4 – Cybercrime Wertschöpfungskette (Bleiweiss, 2020)\nDiese Plattformen bieten eine breite Palette von Dienstleistungen an, die es Kriminellen ermöglichen, maßgeschneiderte Angriffe durchzuführen, ohne selbst über technische Expertise zu verfügen.\nStaatliche Duldung # Die Entwicklung dieser Schattenmarktwirtschaft im Internet wird durch mehrere Faktoren begünstigt. Da Cyberkriminalität keine physische Präsenz erfordert, ist sie ortsunabhängig und mit geringen technischen Einstiegshürden verbunden – ein Computer, Internet und Strom genügen.\nBesonders attraktiv wird Cyberkriminalität in Regionen, in denen zwei Bedingungen zusammentreffen. Erstens: Niedrige Lebenshaltungskosten und Löhne. In solchen Ländern kann selbst ein zeitaufwendiger Angriff schnell profitabel werden, wenn die Bezahlung in Kryptowährungen oder stabilen Währungen wie dem US-Dollar oder Euro erfolgt. Ein erfolgreicher Cyberangriff kann einem Kriminellen Einnahmen verschaffen, die weit über dem Durchschnittseinkommen liegen.\nZweitens: Das Risiko, strafrechtlich verfolgt zu werden, ist minimal, wenn man in einem Land lebt, das wenig Interesse daran hat, mit westlichen Strafverfolgungsbehörden zu kooperieren. Besonders in Ländern wie Russland oder Nordkorea werden Cyberkriminelle oft stillschweigend toleriert, solange sie keine Angriffe gegen ihr Heimatland oder seine Verbündeten durchführen. Hackergruppen wie die Lazarus-Gruppe oder Conti nutzen diese politische Immunität, um ihre Angriffe global auszuweiten, während sie selbst vor Verfolgung geschützt sind.\nAbbildung 5 – Weltkarte des WCI-Gesamtindex – die ersten 15 Länder sind markiert. (Bruceet al., 2024)\nEine Studie von Plos One hat zu dem Thema einen World Cybercrime Index entwickelt, welcher die Länder anhand ihrer Prävalenz im Zusammenhang mit Cyberkriminalität auflistet. Wenig überraschend führt Russland die Liste an, gefolgt von der Ukraine, China, den USA, Nigeria und Rumänien. Deutschland folgt lediglich auf Platz 18. (Bruce et al., 2024)\nCybercrime-as-a-Service # CaaS funktioniert ähnlich wie herkömmliche “Software-as-a-Service”-Angebote im legalen Bereich. Kriminelle Dienstleister entwickeln Ransomware, Phishing-Kits, DDoS-Botnets und andere Angriffswerkzeuge und verkaufen diese über Marktplätze im Darknet. Diese Marktplätze sind oft gut organisiert und bieten Support- und Beratungsdienste an, die den Einstieg in die Welt der Cyberkriminalität für weniger technisch versierte Täter erleichtern. Das bedeutet, dass jeder mit den richtigen finanziellen Mitteln in der Lage ist, komplexe Cyberangriffe zu orchestrieren. (Field Effect, 2024)\nInitial Access Broker # Ein weiteres Phänomen in der kommerzialisierten Cyberkriminalität ist das Auftauchen von Initial Access Brokern. Diese spezialisierten Akteure verschaffen sich Zugang zu Unternehmensnetzwerken, häufig durch Phishing, kompromittierte Zugangsdaten oder Zero-Day-Schwachstellen, und verkaufen diese Zugänge an andere kriminelle Gruppen​.\nDas erlaubt es Angreifern, sich auf spezifische Phasen eines Angriffs zu konzentrieren, was die Effizienz und Effektivität der Angriffe erhöht. Unternehmen sind dadurch oft über Monate hinweg unwissentlich infiltriert, bevor der eigentliche Angriff (z. B. eine Ransomware-Infektion) ausgeführt wird. (Bleiweiss, 2020; BSI, 2023; Bundeskriminalamt, 2024a)\nIBM’s X-Force Wissenschaftler konnten anhand ihrer Daten nachstellen, dass die Zeit zwischen dem Zeitpunkt bei dem ein Initial Access Broker zum ersten Mal einen Zugriff in einem Zielnetzwerk etablieren konnte, und der Zeit bis zum Deployment einer Ransomware-Attacke, zwischen 2019 und 2021 von fast 70 Tagen auf nur 4 Tage geschrumpft ist. (Countdown to Ransomware: Analysis of Ransomware Attack Timelines, no date)\nAbbildung 6 – Trendlinie welche die Reduktion der Zeit zwischen Erstzugang und Ransomware Installation zwischen 2019 und 2021 zeigt. (Countdown to Ransomware: Analysis of Ransomware Attack Timelines, no date)\nGoogle hat kürzlich weitere Daten veröffentlicht, die diese Entwicklung untermauern. 2023 konnte Google hier feststellen, dass fast ein Drittel aller Ransomware-Deployments bereits innerhalb der ersten 48 Stunden nach Erstzugriff erfolgt sind. (Bavi Sadayappan et al., 2024)\nAbbildung 7 – Tage zwischen Erstzugang eines Initial Access Brokers und Deployment einer Ransomware-Attacke. (Bavi Sadayappanet al., 2024)\nDabei waren 76% dieser Deployments außerhalb üblicher Geschäftszeiten, um ihre Aktivitäten zu verschleiern.\nAbbildung 8 – Uhrzeiten zu denen das Ransomware-Deployment gestartet wurde. (Bavi Sadayappanet al., 2024)\nRansomware-as-a-Service # Ein prominentes Beispiel für die Kommerzialisierung ist Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS). Hierbei entwickeln erfahrene Kriminelle Ransomware und stellen sie gegen eine Gebühr oder Gewinnbeteiligung anderen zur Verfügung. Diese „Partnerprogramme“ senken die Eintrittsbarrieren für Cyberkriminelle erheblich. Nutzer von RaaS müssen lediglich das Lösegeld erpressen, während die Entwicklung und Verteilung der Schadsoftware von spezialisierten Akteuren übernommen wird. (Ruellan, Paquet-Clouston and Garcia, 2024)\nMarktplätze im Darknet # Die kriminelle Infrastruktur umfasst nicht nur Angriffswerkzeuge, sondern auch eine Vielzahl anderer Dienstleistungen, die den gesamten Angriffszyklus unterstützen. Dazu zählen Dropper-Dienste (zur Verbreitung von Schadsoftware), Geldwäsche-Dienste (oft mithilfe von Kryptowährungen) und Bulletproof-Hosting-Anbieter, die es Kriminellen ermöglichen, ihre illegalen Aktivitäten auszuführen, ohne dass ihre Infrastruktur abgeschaltet wird​.\nDiese Dienste sind so organisiert, dass sie sicherstellen, dass alle Phasen eines Angriffs abgedeckt sind, was die Effektivität der Angriffe und die Anzahl der potenziellen Täter erheblich steigert. (Top 10 Dark Web Markets, 2024)\nRisikominimierung und Skalierbarkeit # Die Kommerzialisierung der Cyberkriminalität geht Hand in Hand mit der Risikominimierung für die Täter. Tatsächlich hat sich eine Art inverse des Too Big To Fail Motivs entwickelt. Wenn Cyberkriminelle Netzwerke zu erfolgreich werden, geraten sie immer mehr in den Fokus von Strafverfolgungsbehörden. Dies hat auch in jüngster Vergangenheit zur Zerschlagung oder zum Abtauchen solcher Organisationen geführt, deren Platz aber schnell durch alternative Anbieter eingenommen wurde (Bundeskriminalamt, 2024a, 2024c). Deshalb liegt es auch im Interesse der Cyberkriminellen, eine gewisse Größe nicht zu überschreiten.\nDurch die Arbeitsteilung und Spezialisierung innerhalb dieser kriminellen Ökosysteme können Angreifer in bestimmten Bereichen tätig sein, ohne sich den Risiken einer direkten Beteiligung an jeder Phase eines Angriffs auszusetzen. Gleichzeitig sorgt die Kommerzialisierung für eine Skalierbarkeit der Angriffe: Kriminelle können ihre Methoden und Werkzeuge weltweit anbieten und dadurch ihre Gewinne maximieren.\nWeitere Beispiele und Zahlen # Die Kommerzialisierung der Cyberkriminalität zeigt sich nicht nur in den wachsenden Märkten für Cybercrime-as-a-Service, sondern auch in den dramatisch steigenden Kosten und der Verbreitung von Angriffen weltweit. Angesichts der zunehmenden Professionalität krimineller Akteure sind die wirtschaftlichen und operativen Folgen für Unternehmen erheblich gestiegen. Die folgenden Statistiken verdeutlichen die weltweite Bedrohungslage:\nDas durchschnittliche Lösegeld im Jahr 2024 liegt bei 2,73 Millionen Dollar, was gegenüber 2023 einen Anstieg um fast 1 Million Dollar bedeutet. (Sophos, 2024b) 97 Prozent der Unternehmen, deren Daten verschlüsselt wurden, haben diese zurückerhalten. (Sophos, 2024a) Ransomware-Angriffe haben in den letzten fünf Jahren um 13 Prozent zugenommen, mit durchschnittlichen Kosten von 1,85 Millionen Dollar pro Vorfall im Jahr 2023. (Nivedita James Palatty, 2022) Im Jahr 2021 wurde die größte Ransomware-Zahlung von einer Versicherungsgesellschaft in Höhe von 40 Millionen US-Dollar geleistet und damit ein Weltrekord aufgestellt (Chang, 2021). Die höchste Ransomware-Zahlungsforderung aller Zeiten liegt bei 70 Millionen US-Dollar. (Blosil, 2022) Im Jahr 2022 entdeckten Organisationen auf der ganzen Welt fast eine halbe Milliarde Ransomware-Angriffe. (Ani Petrosyan, 2024) 93 Prozent der Ransomware sind Windows-basierte ausführbare Dateien. (The Latest Ransomware Statistics (updated June 2024) | AAG IT Support, no date) Die häufigsten Taktiken, die Hacker für Ransomware-Angriffe verwenden, sind E-Mail-Phishing-Kampagnen, RDP-Schwachstellen und Software-Schwachstellen. (ISAC, 2020) 59 Prozent der Arbeitgeber erlauben ihren Mitarbeitern den Zugriff auf Unternehmensanwendungen von nicht verwalteten privaten Geräten aus. (Bitglass, 2021) Eine Umfrage, die mit 1.263 Unternehmen durchgeführt wurde, ergab, dass 80 Prozent der Opfer, die ein Lösegeld gezahlt haben, kurz darauf einen weiteren Angriff erlebten, und 46 Prozent erhielten zwar Zugang zu ihren Daten, aber die meisten davon waren beschädigt. (Day, 2024) Darüber hinaus mussten 60 Prozent der Befragten Umsatzeinbußen hinnehmen und 53 Prozent gaben an, dass ihre Marke dadurch geschädigt wurde. (Day, 2024) 42 Prozent der Unternehmen, die eine Cyberversicherung abgeschlossen haben, gaben an, dass die Versicherung nur einen kleinen Teil der Schäden abdeckt, die durch einen Ransomware-Angriff entstehen. (Day, 2024) Fazit und Ausblick # Die Kommerzialisierung der Cyberkriminalität zeigt, dass Angriffe heute fast immer durch finanzielle Motivation getrieben sind. Doch wie kann man als Unternehmen auf diese Bedrohung effektiv reagieren? Im zweiten Artikel dieser Serie werden wir uns genau damit beschäftigen: Wie können Sie die finanziellen Anreize der Cyberkriminellen gegen sie einsetzen? Dabei zeigen wir, warum eine perfekte Sicherheit nicht erforderlich ist und wie Sie stattdessen gezielte Maßnahmen umsetzen können, die einen Angriff unrentabel machen. Durch risikobasierte Cybersicherheit können Sie mit verhältnismäßig geringen Investitionen eine effektive Verteidigung aufbauen. Seien Sie gespannt!\nQuellenverzeichnis # Ani Petrosyan (2024) Number of ransomware attempts per year 2023, Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/494947/ransomware-attempts-per-year-worldwide/ (Accessed: 15 October 2024).\nBavi Sadayappan et al. (2024) Ransomware Rebounds: Extortion Threat Surges in 2023, Attackers Rely on Publicly Available and Legitimate Tools, Google Cloud Blog. Available at: https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/ransomware-attacks-surge-rely-on-public-legitimate-tools (Accessed: 16 October 2024).\nBitglass (2021) Bitglass Remote Workforce Security Report 2021. Available at: https://pages.bitglass.com/rs/418-ZAL-815/images/CDFY21Q1RemoteWorkforceSecurityReport.pdf (Accessed: 15 October 2024).\nBleiweiss, A. (2020) ‘The Secret Life of an Initial Access Broker’, KELA Cyber Threat Intelligence, 6 August. Available at: https://www.kelacyber.com/blog/the-secret-life-of-an-initial-access-broker/ (Accessed: 15 October 2024).\nBlosil, J. (2022) Ransomware cost: Measuring the true cost of a ransomware attack. Available at: https://www.netapp.com/blog/ransomware-cost/ (Accessed: 15 October 2024).\nBruce, M. et al. (2024) ‘Mapping the global geography of cybercrime with the World Cybercrime Index’, PLOS ONE, 19(4), p. e0297312. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0297312.\nBSI (2023) ‘Die Lage der IT-Sicherheit in Deutschland 2023’. Available at: https://www.bsi.bund.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/BSI/Publikationen/Lageberichte/Lagebericht2023.html?nn=129410.\nBundeskriminalamt (2024a) BKA – Listenseite für Pressemitteilungen 2024 – Pressekonferenz zur Entwicklung der Cyberkriminalität in Deutschland. Available at: https://www.bka.de/DE/Presse/Listenseite_Pressemitteilungen/2024/Presse2024/240507_PM_Presseeinladung_Cybercrime.html (Accessed: 15 October 2024).\nBundeskriminalamt (2024b) ‘Cybercrime Bundeslagebild 2023’, p. 27.\nBundeskriminalamt (2024c) Weltweite Ermittlungserfolge gegen Cyberkriminalität, Bundesministerium des Innern und für Heimat. Available at: https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/kurzmeldungen/DE/2024/05/endgame.html;jsessionid=3872323A3201DF3143DE5C1CB097F96A.live861?nn=10001204 (Accessed: 15 October 2024).\nC. David Hylender et al. (2024) ‘2024 Data Breach Investigations Report’. Available at: https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/ (Accessed: 15 October 2024).\nChang, B. (2021) One of the biggest US insurance companies reportedly paid hackers $40 million ransom after a cyberattack, Business Insider. Available at: https://www.businessinsider.com/cna-financial-hackers-40-million-ransom-cyberattack-2021-5 (Accessed: 15 October 2024).\nCountdown to Ransomware: Analysis of Ransomware Attack Timelines (no date) Security Intelligence. Available at: https://securityintelligence.com/x-force/analysis-of-ransomware/securityintelligence.com/x-force/analysis-of-ransomware (Accessed: 16 October 2024).\nDay, G. (2024) Ransomware: True Cost to Business 2024. Available at: https://www.cybereason.com/blog/ransomware-true-cost-to-business-2024 (Accessed: 15 October 2024).\nField Effect (2024) The rise of cybercrime-as-a-service. Available at: https://fieldeffect.com/blog/cybercrime-as-a-service (Accessed: 16 October 2024).\nISAC (2020) Ransomware Guide September 2020. Available at: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/CISA_MS-ISAC_Ransomware%20Guide_S508C.pdf (Accessed: 15 October 2024).\nLuber, S. (2023) Was ist Cybercrime-as-a-Service (CaaS)?, Security-Insider. Available at: https://www.security-insider.de/was-ist-cybercrime-as-a-227da54abd15f73a0f3072b4e798b1ed/ (Accessed: 15 October 2024).\nNivedita James Palatty (2022) 100+ Ransomware Attack Statistics 2024: Trends \u0026amp; Cost. Available at: https://www.getastra.com/blog/security-audit/ransomware-attack-statistics/ (Accessed: 15 October 2024).\nRuellan, E., Paquet-Clouston, M. and Garcia, S. (2024) ‘Conti Inc.: understanding the internal discussions of a large ransomware-as-a-service operator with machine learning’, Crime Science, 13(1), pp. 1–13. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40163-024-00212-y.\nSophos (2024a) 2024 Ransomware Report: Sophos State of Ransomware. Available at: https://www.sophos.com/en-us/content/state-of-ransomware (Accessed: 15 October 2024).\nSophos (2024b) Ransomware Payments Increase 500% In the Last Year, Finds Sophos State of Ransomware Report | Sophos. Available at: https://www.sophos.com/en-us/press/press-releases/2024/04/ransomware-payments-increase-500-last-year-finds-sophos-state (Accessed: 15 October 2024).\nThe Latest Ransomware Statistics (updated June 2024) | AAG IT Support (no date). Available at: https://aag-it.com/the-latest-ransomware-statistics/ (Accessed: 15 October 2024).\nTop 10 Dark Web Markets (2024) SOCRadar® Cyber Intelligence Inc. Available at: https://socradar.io/top-10-dark-web-markets/ (Accessed: 16 October 2024).\n","date":"16. October 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/kommerzialisierung-der-cyberkriminalitat/","section":"Artikel","summary":"Dieser Artikel wurde im Rahmen meiner Arbeit für tanum consult GmbH geschrieben.\nEinleitung # Bald ist es wieder so weit: Am 12.11.2024 veröffentlicht das Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI) die diesjährige Version des Lageberichts der IT-Sicherheit in Deutschland (BSI, 2023). Zusammen mit dem Bundeslagebild Cybercrime 2023 (Bundeskriminalamt, 2024b) entsteht ein klares Bild der zunehmenden Kommerzialisierung der Cyberkriminalität. Diese Entwicklung wird überwiegend von finanziellen Motiven getrieben – mehr als 95 % aller Angriffe verfolgen das Ziel, monetären Gewinn zu erzielen.\n","title":"Kommerzialisierung der Cyberkriminalität","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"26 October 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/433-mhz/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"433 MHz","type":"tags"},{"content":" Welcome to the second part of enhancing our smart home with 433 MHz devices. We’ll delve into adding and tracking the state of these devices via your Sonoff RF BridgeR2, which you’ve already successfully integrated into Home Assistant, as discussed in our previous article. With the bridge in place, we’re poised to explore the next level of control and monitoring for your home automation setup. Integrating the RF device into Home Assistant. # Capturing the RF commands # We need the device we want to add to home assistant. The main purpose why I started this whole project was to add my ceiling fan, which is one of the more complex things you can add via an RF bridge, as many states can depend on each other. First you need to get the RF source, in this case the remote:\nYou can see the frequency (433.9 MHz), which is the important part. Next, you need to go Home Assistant’s Events tab in the Developer Tools section. Here you can start listening to esphome.rf_code_received events.\nIf you now press a button on the remote, you should see something like this:\nHere is what the data options mean:\nsync (int): RF Sync timing low (int): RF Low timing high (int): RF high timing code (int): RF code id (ID): The ID of the RF Bridge if you have multiple components. The essential part here is the code, which is the payload you want to reuse to control the device of your choice via Home Assistant. Go through all the options the remote control has and copy the codes and the corresponding actions.\nAdd helper entities # The next step may not be necessary for your case. Home Assistant is supposed to track the state of the ceiling fan, which is why we need to use some helper entities. This allows us to track state changes captured by the RF bridge and change the state of entities without automatically calling the corresponding turn_on/turn_off services. This is important because most remotes use the same RF code to turn a device on and off.\nAdding Switches # To control a simple binary entity like a light, the easiest way to do so is by using a custom switch template. For me, it looks something like this:\n- platform: template switches: deckenventilator_licht: friendly_name: \u0026#34;Deckenventilator Licht\u0026#34; value_template: \u0026#34;{{ is_state(\u0026#39;input_boolean.deckenventilator_licht\u0026#39;, \u0026#39;on\u0026#39;) }}\u0026#34; turn_on: - service: esphome.rf_bridge_send_rf_code data: sync: 11514 low: 590 high: 1772 code: 11261709 - service: input_boolean.turn_on target: entity_id: input_boolean.deckenventilator_licht turn_off: - service: esphome.rf_bridge_send_rf_code data: sync: 11514 low: 590 high: 1772 code: 11261709 - service: input_boolean.turn_off target: entity_id: input_boolean.deckenventilator_licht The value template actually tracks the state of the helper input_boolean entity. This allows us to change the state of the entity without actually calling the turn_on/turn_off functions. Then we simply add a service call to the turn_on/turn_off functions, which send the code we captured earlier. In case of the ceiling fan lamp, it is a binary switch, so it sends the same command each time.\nAfter the switch entity is created, it exists now in Home Assistant and can already control our light. Neat! You can now add a helper which changes the device type of the switch from switch to light to complete the integration.\nNow we have a minor problem though – if we use the remote control outside of Home Assistant, it is unaware of this change and does not change the state of the entity. This can be solved by using an automation:\nalias: Deckenventilator RF Bridge description: \u0026#34;\u0026#34; trigger: - platform: event event_type: esphome.rf_code_received event_data: code: 00abd70d id: licht_toggle We can use the rf_code_received event again to listen for RF commands sent by our remote! This way, we can change the state of our entity appropriately:\naction: - choose: - conditions: - condition: trigger id: - licht_toggle sequence: - service: light.toggle data: {} target: entity_id: light.deckenventilator_licht So whenever you want to track the state of an entity that is changed outside of Home Assistant, I recommend using helper entities and using an automation to change the state accordingly.\nThis completes the integration of a 433 MHz light entity. The process is the same for any other binary entity you wish to add.\nIntegrating more complex devices # I wanted to integrate my ceiling fan, however, which is a little more complicated. It has 5 different speeds, it can reverse direction, turn its light on/off and turn the fan on/off. Luckily, Home Assistant has a Template Fan integration. It allows us to create a custom entity which offers more features than just the binary on/off if we added the fan as a simple switch.\nOnce again, we make use of an input_boolean helper entity to allow us to change the state of the entity without calling the send_rf_code service:\n- platform: template fans: deckenventilator: friendly_name: \u0026#34;Deckenventilator\u0026#34; unique_id: deckenventilator_schlafzimmer value_template: \u0026#34;{{ is_state(\u0026#39;input_boolean.deckenventilator\u0026#39;, \u0026#39;on\u0026#39;) }}\u0026#34; This should look mostly familiar. This simply adds a fan that you can turn on and off, which mimics the way we integrated the light before. The value_template is once again used to set the entities’ state to that of the helper function.\ndirection_template: \u0026gt; {% if is_state(\u0026#39;input_select.deckenventilator_richtung\u0026#39;, \u0026#39;Vorwärts\u0026#39;) %} forward {% else %} reverse {% endif %} The direction template sets the direction of the fan displayed on the UI. We use another helper entity for that.\nset_direction: - service: esphome.rf_bridge_send_rf_code data: sync: 0x2c90 low: 0x024a high: 0x06ee code: 0x00abd70c - service: input_select.select_next data: cycle: true target: entity_id: input_select.deckenventilator_richtung To be able to change the fan’s direction, we simply send the appropriate RF command and change the state of our helper entity.\nturn_on: - service: esphome.rf_bridge_send_rf_code data: sync: 0x2c8e low: 0x024e high: 0x06ea code: 0x00abd703 - service: input_boolean.turn_on target: entity_id: input_boolean.deckenventilator turn_off: - service: esphome.rf_bridge_send_rf_code data: sync: 0x2c8e low: 0x024e high: 0x06ea code: 0x00abd703 - service: input_boolean.turn_off target: entity_id: input_boolean.deckenventilator Turning the fan off and on is identical to that of other boolean entities.\npercentage_template: \u0026gt; {{ states(\u0026#39;input_number.deckenventilator_geschwindigkeit\u0026#39;) if is_state(\u0026#39;input_boolean.deckenventilator\u0026#39;, \u0026#39;on\u0026#39;) else 0 }} speed_count: 5 The percentage_template merely controls how the speed is displayed in percent in the UI. The state of the fan is off when the speed is 0, on otherwise.\nset_percentage: - if: - condition: template value_template: \u0026#34;{{ percentage \u0026gt; 0}}\u0026#34; then: - service: input_number.set_value target: entity_id: input_number.deckenventilator_geschwindigkeit data: value: \u0026#34;{{ percentage }}\u0026#34; - choose: - conditions: - condition: state entity_id: input_number.deckenventilator_geschwindigkeit state: \u0026#34;20.0\u0026#34; sequence: - service: esphome.rf_bridge_send_rf_code data: sync: 11514 low: 590 high: 1772 code: 11261701 - conditions: - condition: state entity_id: input_number.deckenventilator_geschwindigkeit state: \u0026#34;40.0\u0026#34; sequence: - service: esphome.rf_bridge_send_rf_code data: sync: 11514 low: 590 high: 1772 code: 11261706 - conditions: - condition: state entity_id: input_number.deckenventilator_geschwindigkeit state: \u0026#34;60.0\u0026#34; sequence: - service: esphome.rf_bridge_send_rf_code data: sync: 11514 low: 590 high: 1772 code: 11261702 - conditions: - condition: state entity_id: input_number.deckenventilator_geschwindigkeit state: \u0026#34;80.0\u0026#34; sequence: - service: esphome.rf_bridge_send_rf_code data: sync: 11514 low: 590 high: 1772 code: 11261705 - conditions: - condition: state entity_id: input_number.deckenventilator_geschwindigkeit state: \u0026#34;100.0\u0026#34; sequence: - service: esphome.rf_bridge_send_rf_code data: sync: 11514 low: 590 high: 1772 code: 11261698 - service: input_boolean.turn_on data: {} target: entity_id: input_boolean.deckenventilator else: - service: fan.turn_off data: {} target: entity_id: fan.deckenventilator Setting the actual speed is slightly more of a chore. If the given percentage is 0, we call the fan’s turn_off function, which changes the appropriate helper entity as well. If it’s not 0, it sends the appropriate command and ensures that the state of the fan is on.\nIn a separate automation, we make sure that we also track the commands of the RF remote:\nalias: Deckenventilator RF Bridge description: \u0026#34;\u0026#34; trigger: - platform: event event_type: esphome.rf_code_received event_data: code: 00abd70d id: licht_toggle alias: Licht an/aus - platform: event event_type: esphome.rf_code_received event_data: code: 00abd703 id: fan_toggle alias: Ventilator an/aus - alias: Wintermodus platform: event event_type: esphome.rf_code_received event_data: code: 00abd70c id: modus_remote condition: [] action: - choose: - conditions: - condition: trigger id: - licht_toggle sequence: - service: homeassistant.toggle data: {} target: entity_id: input_boolean.deckenventilator_licht - conditions: - condition: trigger id: - fan_toggle sequence: - service: homeassistant.toggle data: {} target: entity_id: input_boolean.deckenventilator - conditions: - condition: trigger id: - modus_remote sequence: - service: homeassistant.toggle data: {} target: entity_id: input_boolean.deckenventilator_wintermodus - service: input_boolean.turn_on data: {} target: entity_id: input_boolean.deckenventilator mode: single And… That’s it! You should now have a fully integrated fan.\nTroubleshooting and Tips # It is possible and possibly quite probably that the state of the entities in Home Assistant and the devices controlled via RF commands will diverge occasionally. This can, for instance, happen, when calling commands too quickly one after another: Only one of the commands will actually arrive at the device, but both commands will change the entity in home assistant. So if you quickly enable and disable the fan, it can be turned on while the entity’s state is turned off.\nI don’t have a workaround for this right now as we have no real way of tracking the actual state of the devices, so it is just something to keep in mind.\nConclusion # It is actually quite cheap and easy to add 433MHz controlled devices to Home Assistant. The largest time investment was actually figuring out how to create the custom fan template and make sure the states work as they should, which is why I’ve created this article — I hope it saves you some time! If it helped you, and you need one of the components mentioned above, I’d appreciate the purchase via one of the affiliate links — or buy me a coffee if we ever meet!\n","date":"26 October 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/433-mhz-in-home-assistant-with-sonoff-rf-bridge42/","section":"Blog","summary":" Welcome to the second part of enhancing our smart home with 433 MHz devices. We’ll delve into adding and tracking the state of these devices via your Sonoff RF BridgeR2, which you’ve already successfully integrated into Home Assistant, as discussed in our previous article. With the bridge in place, we’re poised to explore the next level of control and monitoring for your home automation setup. Integrating the RF device into Home Assistant. # Capturing the RF commands # We need the device we want to add to home assistant. The main purpose why I started this whole project was to add my ceiling fan, which is one of the more complex things you can add via an RF bridge, as many states can depend on each other. First you need to get the RF source, in this case the remote:\n","title":"433 MHz Devices in Home Assistant with Sonoff RF BridgeR2","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"26 October 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/esphome/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"ESPHome","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"26 October 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/guide/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Guide","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"26 October 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/home-assistant/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Home Assistant","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"26 October 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/smart-home/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Smart Home","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"26 October 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tech-and-projects/","section":"Categories","summary":"","title":"Tech \u0026 Projects","type":"categories"},{"content":"","date":"26. October 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/tags/anleitung/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Anleitung","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"26. October 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/tags/heimautomatisierung/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Heimautomatisierung","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"26. October 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/technik-t%C3%BCfteleien/","section":"Categories","summary":"","title":"Technik \u0026 Tüfteleien","type":"categories"},{"content":" Introduction # Bridging the gap between legacy devices and cutting-edge technology is a fascinating endeavour. If you’ve ever wanted to integrate your 433 MHz remote-controlled devices into your smart home ecosystem using the Sonoff RF BridgeR2, you’re in the right place. In this article, I’ll guide you through the process of flashing the Sonoff RF BridgeR2 with ESPhome, to make it vendor-independent and easily integrable into Home Assistant. Warning A Caution Against Cheap 433 MHz Modules\nWhile it might be tempting to experiment with low-cost 433MHz sender and receiver modules, my personal experience left me less than impressed. When I attempted to use these modules on a breadboard, I encountered significant noise and interference issues, making it nearly impossible to capture a single RF command reliably. It’s worth noting that sometimes the savings in cost don’t justify the frustration and limitations you may encounter. Surprisingly, the Sonoff RF BridgeR2, priced at around $20, proved to be a cost-effective and highly functional alternative. (You can buy it here if you want to support my website!) Its reliability and ease of use make it a worthwhile investment for anyone looking to integrate 433MHz devices into their smart home setup.\nWarning Disclaimer: Proceed with Caution\nThe 433 MHz spectrum is the Wild West of wireless communication. While standards exist in theory, in practice, many manufacturers prefer to roll their own obscure, proprietary protocols—most of which will not work with this setup. I was fortunate (and surprised) that my ceiling fan responded as well as it did. Attempts to replicate that success with other devices have largely failed.\nThink of this project as a low-cost experiment—a fun challenge for the curious. Don’t get your hopes up, and definitely don’t build your smart home strategy around it. If you’re looking for reliability, consider investing in technologies like Zigbee or Thread. If you stick with Wi-Fi, make sure the device is properly supported in Home Assistant.\nThis project is cheap in both cost and reliability. If that doesn’t deter you: happy hacking.\nUnderstanding the Sonoff RF BridgeR2 # The Sonoff RF BridgeR2 is a versatile smart home device designed to bridge the gap between traditional RF (radio frequency) remote-controlled devices and your smart home automation system.\nWhat is the Sonoff RF BridgeR2? # The Sonoff RF BridgeR2 is the second revision of an 433MHz-to-Wifi bridge from ITEAD, a company that specializes in IoT (Internet of Things) and smart home solutions. This device is part of the Sonoff family, which includes a range of smart switches, outlets, and sensors.\nWhat Does the Sonoff RF Bridge Do? # The primary purpose of the Sonoff RF Bridge is to capture and decode RF signals in the LPD433 UHF band from various remote controls and sensors, allowing you to integrate non-smart, RF-controlled devices into your smart home ecosystem. Here’s what it can do:\nRF Signal Capture: The RF Bridge is equipped with an RF receiver that can capture signals from RF remotes, such as those used for ceiling fans, garage doors, or light switches. It supports a wide range of RF frequencies, making it compatible with many devices. Decoding and Translation: Once it captures an RF signal, the RF Bridge can decode and translate it into a format that can be understood by your smart home automation system. This allows you to control RF devices using your smartphone or other smart home controllers. Integration with Home Automation Platforms: The Sonoff RF BridgeR2 is compatible with popular home automation platforms like Home Assistant and openHAB. This means you can easily incorporate RF-controlled devices into your existing smart home setup. Remote Control: With the help of compatible software or apps, you can remotely control RF devices that were previously only controllable using their dedicated remotes. This adds convenience and flexibility to your home automation. Automation and Scheduling: You can create automation rules and schedules for RF-controlled devices, enabling scenarios like turning on your ceiling fan at a specific time or in response to environmental conditions. In summary, the Sonoff RF BridgeR2 serves as a bridge between RF-controlled devices and your smart home setup, allowing you to modernize and integrate traditional RF-controlled appliances and fixtures into your automated environment. This device is particularly useful for individuals who want to extend the capabilities of their smart home to include non-Wi-Fi or non-Zigbee RF devices.\nPreparing the Hardware # The device The screws are hidden beneath the rubber feet Bottom removed Board removed To flash the device and unlock all of its capabilities, it is first necessary to gain access to its serial console. For this, it needs to be dismantled. On the underside are four rubber feet, under which four screws are hidden. Don’t be like me and lose one of the screws and the majority of the feet immediately. Once removed, the underside can be detached and the board is revealed. After the removal of the board, the UART pins can be found.\nPreparing the configuration # Before we flash the RF bridge, we can prepare the appropriate configuration file, which will be installed on the device. If you use Home Assistant’s ESPHome Add-On, this will be partially done in advance for you.\nFirst, we set up the name and the board, as well as disable logging to the UART output:\nesphome: name: rf-bridge friendly_name: rf-bridge esp8266: board: esp01_1m # Enable logging logger: baud_rate: 0 Next up is (mostly) housekeeping – enabling sensors and services, so we can control, update and reset the ESPHome device from Home Assistant.\n# Enable Home Assistant API api: encryption: key: !secret encryption_key ota: password: !secret password wifi: ssid: !secret wifi_ssid password: !secret wifi_password # Enable fallback hotspot (captive portal) in case wifi connection fails ap: ssid: \u0026#34;Rf-Bridge Fallback Hotspot\u0026#34; password: !secret fallback_hotspot button: # Restart the ESP - platform: restart name: \u0026#34;Restart\u0026#34; uart: tx_pin: 1 rx_pin: 3 baud_rate: 19200 captive_portal: # Sensors for ESP version and WIFI information text_sensor: # ESPHome version - platform: version hide_timestamp: true name: \u0026#34;ESPHome Version\u0026#34; # IP address and connected SSID - platform: wifi_info ip_address: name: \u0026#34;IP Address\u0026#34; icon: mdi:wifi ssid: name: \u0026#34;Connected SSID\u0026#34; icon: mdi:wifi-strength-2 sensor: # WiFi signal - platform: wifi_signal name: \u0026#34;WiFi Signal\u0026#34; update_interval: 120s - platform: uptime name: Sonoff RF Bridge Uptime binary_sensor: - platform: status name: Sonoff RF Bridge Status Next up, we set up a status LED using the bridge’s internal LED. The status LED of the board is on pin GPIO13.\nlight: - platform: status_led name: \u0026#34;Switch state\u0026#34; pin: GPIO13 Here comes the secret sauce that is necessary to make use of the RF bridging features on home assistant:\napi: # ... services: - service: send_rf_code variables: sync: int low: int high: int code: int then: - rf_bridge.send_code: sync: !lambda \u0026#39;return sync;\u0026#39; low: !lambda \u0026#39;return low;\u0026#39; high: !lambda \u0026#39;return high;\u0026#39; code: !lambda \u0026#39;return code;\u0026#39; - service: learn then: - rf_bridge.learn rf_bridge: on_code_received: then: - homeassistant.event: event: esphome.rf_code_received data: sync: !lambda \u0026#39;return format_hex(data.sync);\u0026#39; low: !lambda \u0026#39;return format_hex(data.low);\u0026#39; high: !lambda \u0026#39;return format_hex(data.high);\u0026#39; code: !lambda \u0026#39;return format_hex(data.code);\u0026#39; The services need to be added to the api: configuration earlier in the config file.\non_code_received Trigger\nWith this configuration option, you can write complex automations whenever a code is received. To use the code, use a lambda template, the code and the corresponding protocol timings are available inside that lambda under the variables named code, sync, high and low.\nrf_bridge.learn Action\nTell the RF Bridge to learn new protocol timings using this action in automations. A new code with timings will be returned to on_code_received Trigger\non_...: then: - rf_bridge.learn Configuration options:\nid (Optional, ID): Manually specify the ID of the RF Bridge if you have multiple components. Note Note\nThis action can also be written in lambdas:\nid(rf_bridge).learn();\nAt least is the rf_bridge component, with which we register an event handler. With this, the device will automatically forward any RF Codes it receives as an event in home assistant. More about that later.\nFlashing ESPHome Firmware # Materials and Tools Needed: # Sonoff RF BridgeR2 USB to Serial (UART) adapter (3.3V) DuPont wires (female-to-male) A computer with a USB port Screwdriver Procedure: # Prepare the RF Bridge: Disconnect the RF Bridge from any power source. Identify the Pins: On the RF Bridge board, locate the following pins: GND (Ground) 3V3 (3.3V power) RX (Receive) TX (Transmit) Prepare the USB to Serial Adapter: Make sure the USB to Serial adapter is set to 3.3V (most ESP8266-based devices, including the RF Bridge, require 3.3V logic levels). Connect the USB to Serial adapter to your computer via USB. Wire the Connections: Connect the DuPont wires as follows: Connect the GND pin on the RF Bridge to the GND on the USB to Serial adapter. Connect the 3V3 pin on the RF Bridge to the 3.3V on the USB to Serial adapter. Connect the RX pin on the RF Bridge to the TX on the USB to Serial adapter. Connect the TX pin on the RF Bridge to the RX on the USB to Serial adapter. Hold the Bridge in Flash Mode: With the wires connected, hold down the reset button on the RF Bridge while connecting it to the USB to Serial adapter. This puts the RF Bridge in flash mode. Install ESPHome: On your computer, install ESPHome, which is a tool that helps you create and manage firmware for ESP8266-based devices. You can use pip to install it: pip install esphome. Alternatively, you can also use Home Assistant’s ESPHome add-on, which takes care of many details. Create an ESPHome Configuration: Create an ESPHome configuration file that specifies the configuration for your RF Bridge and the settings for ESPHome. You can use the ESPHome documentation to guide you through the configuration file creation. Home Assistant does this automatically. Flash the Firmware: Use the esphome command to compile and flash the firmware to the RF Bridge. The command will look something like: esphome \u0026lt;your_configuration_file\u0026gt;.yaml run. Monitor the Flashing Process: Keep an eye on the flashing process through the terminal. It should display progress information. Wait for it to complete. Test and Reassemble: Once the firmware is successfully flashed, test the RF Bridge with ESPHome to ensure it’s working as expected. This process can vary slightly depending on your specific hardware and software setup, so be sure to consult the official documentation for ESPHome for any device-specific details or troubleshooting.\nAfter adding the device to home assistant, it should look like this:\nTroubleshooting and Tips # Admittedly, my method of using bent DuPont pins for the flashing process is a bit janky. It worked for me on the first try, but don’t be surprised if it might not work right away for you. Put some pressure on the pins to make sure they keep contact during the flashing process. Furthermore, make sure to hold the reset-pin before plugging in the UART device, so it properly boots into flashing mode.\nThere’s really not much you can do wrong here, and thanks to the cheap components, there’s also not much to lose.\nConclusion # You can now send and receive RF commands and handle them as events in Home Assistant! Refer to my follow-up article, in which I explain how to not only control “dumb” 433MHz devices via the RF bridge, but also how to make sure Home Assistant stays aware of its state.\nIf it helped you, and you need one of the components mentioned above, I’d appreciate the purchase via one of the affiliate links – or buy me a coffee if we ever meet!\n","date":"25 October 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/how-to-flash-the-sonoff-rf-bridger2-with-esphome/","section":"Blog","summary":"Introduction # Bridging the gap between legacy devices and cutting-edge technology is a fascinating endeavour. If you’ve ever wanted to integrate your 433 MHz remote-controlled devices into your smart home ecosystem using the Sonoff RF BridgeR2, you’re in the right place. In this article, I’ll guide you through the process of flashing the Sonoff RF BridgeR2 with ESPhome, to make it vendor-independent and easily integrable into Home Assistant. Warning A Caution Against Cheap 433 MHz Modules\n","title":"How to flash the Sonoff RF BridgeR2 with ESPHome","type":"posts"},{"content":" You can integrate your electricity meter into home assistant easily and cheaply using ESPhome and some cheap sensors. Here is how I added my parent’s solar panel electricity meter to home assistant. My parents installed solar panels onto their home nearly 15 years ago. Until very recently they had an old ferraris meter in their basement and apart from that, had no idea how their solar panels performed. They can technically be made smart too using a reed sensor – but that’s for another time. After a new smart meter had been installed – but without my parents getting any access to it directly – I figured it’s time to take things into my hands!\nHow to make your meter smart # If you’re lucky, your meter, or in case of a solar panel installation, your inverter is already smart and lets you access it easily via an API or web interface. If you don’t belong to that group of people, like me, there are some other ways you can go about.\nOff-the-shelf Solution # The easiest, most integrated and probably the best solution is to use a Shelly 3EM CT clamp sensor (affiliate link if you think about buying it, it keeps the lights on 😊). You can measure up to 4 cables, which include voltage, power, frequency and much more. They also effortlessly integrate into Home Assistant and are supposedly an all-around great solution.\nShelly 3EM Installed Shelly The cons would be that you actually need to wire them into your meter box. You should only do so if you know what you’re doing, and also keep in mind something like voiding your warranty or insurance if you add strange third-party devices to your meter box. That wouldn’t stop me personally, but as a student, I’m currently rather broke – so the price tag of 120 bucks is keeping me from splurging on it.\nDIY CT Clamp sensor # A CT Clamp\nYou can basically build the Shelly 3EM yourself using an ESP microcontroller and CT clamps sourced from your trusted electronics retailer. As this not only has you rooting around in your electricity meter cabinet, but combines microcontrollers with mains voltage, the advice “only do this if you know what you’re doing” goes double. While likely significantly cheaper, I opted against this. Especially because of the third option.\nDIY Pulse Counter # If you have a smart meter – but just no access to it – there is still hope. Many modern meters have a pulse emitter, that sends pulses corresponding to the power running through the meter. We can simply count these pulses and have what we need! Shout out to klaasnicolaas and his Home Assistant Glow project.\nDIY Pulse Counter Obstacle Avoidance Sensor Photoresistor The obvious upside is that this is not only really cheap (you basically only need an ESP32 and a light sensor, you can get for a few cents). You also don’t need to go anywhere near mains voltage power lines! You simply attach the sensor with some double-sided tape and you’re golden.\nApparently, this is even an option if you have a ferraris counter. You can count the turning of the disk utilizing a reed-switch sensor, but I haven’t been able to try this myself.\nBuilding a Pulse Counter # Because the smart meter sends the pulses in the IR range, I opted to use some obstacle avoidance sensors I already had at hand, whose sensors are tuned to the IR band. Note that this probably works with nearly any light sensor, so a photoresistor should work as well.\nInitially, I had planned this build to use a lipo battery, but after rather disappointing battery life I went with the USB powered option. Here’s what you need:\nItem Where to Buy (Affiliate Links) ESP32 Microcontroller Amazon.com Obstacle Avoidance Sensor / Light Sensor Amazon.com Dupont Jumper Wires Amazon.com Soldering Iron/Station Amazon.com Solder Amazon.com Side Cutter Amazon.com BOM\nThis build is straightforward. Since I used the obstacle avoidance sensor, I removed the LED that emits IR light and bent the LED that senses the IR light upward.\nI printed a case for mine, which ended up a lot larger than really necessary. Still, the components fit perfectly and you can find it here on printables. I’ll probably design a smaller case when I can make myself do it.\nConfigure and install the sensor. # First, set up the microcontroller using ESPhome. ESPhome is a system to control your ESP8266/ESP32 and RP2040 by simple yet powerful configuration files and control them remotely through Home Automation systems. You can do so directly from Home Assistant or using your local computer.\nNote the impulse count constant and the location of the IR sensor My pulse counter To configure the sensor, we use the pulse counter sensor component. I chose to send my value in Watts, hence why my multiplier is 6 (60s/10000 pulses per kWh) and why my accuracy_decimals is 0. If you want to send it via kW instead, use a multiplier of 0.006 and 3 accuracy decimals. Here’s the significant sensor configuration:\nsensor: - platform: pulse_counter id: pv_pulse_counter pin: GPIO13 device_class: \u0026#34;POWER\u0026#34; state_class: \u0026#34;measurement\u0026#34; unit_of_measurement: \u0026#39;W\u0026#39; accuracy_decimals: 0 name: \u0026#39;Leistung Solar\u0026#39; filters: - multiply: 6 # (60s/10000 pulses per kWh) In the case of the avoidance sensor, there is a small variable resistor on it to adjust the sensitivity of the sensor. I lowered it just enough before the “obstacle sensed” LED lit, making it as sensitive as possible (since I don’t think the IR light in the meter is terribly bright). To ensure best signal strength, make sure to place the sensor directly over the IR LED of your meter.\nNote that ESPhome mentions the addition of a sensor that also calculates the energy you produced – I suggest against that, as a power outage or other shenanigans could possibly mess with it. It’s by far easier to calculate this value directly in home assistant.\nConfigure the sensor and add helpers # If you set up your ESPhome sensor correctly, it should automatically be detected by Home Assistant and you can just add it as one of your devices. You’ll likely see something like this:\nMeter sensor device page Integration Component Now we only have the power of the solar panels. Next up, we want to know the actual energy produced by the panels. We do this by using simple mathematical integration. Go to /config/helpers and create an integration sensor. As a source sensor, you choose the power sensor provided by the sensor we built. This way you get the well-known value of kWh.\nBonus # Integration into the energy dashboard # Now you go to your energy dashboard (/config/energy). There you can now add the newly created integration sensor (mine is a solar panel):\nAnd presto! You have successfully added your meter to Home Assistant.\nUtility Meters # Use the utility meter helpers to keep track of your electricity. You can also calibrate them, so their value corresponds to the actual meter you are using to read the values from!\nDaily Utility Meter Total Utility Meter I’ve set up three meters. One that tracks the daily production (though technically redundant since the energy dashboard tracks that too), and one that corresponds to the actual meter in the basement. You can set the meter to have the same value as the one you are tracking by using the utility_meter.calibrate service:\nSolar Forecasts # As an extra step, you can add solar forecast prediction to the energy panel:\nThe common method is to use Forecast.Solar, but they’ve gotten really stingy with their free API calls, and I’ve recently hit rate limits. Their prediction on the free tier is only for one day in the future and overall not terribly great.\nAs an alternative, I opted for solcast, for which an integration exists that you can add as a custom repository in HACS. This gives a much better forecast, even several days in advance!\nDay Prediction Week Prediction Solcast is also stingy with their API rates, capping at 10 a day. I made an automation that calls the API 8 times a day during sunlight hours, leaving 2 for debugging/troubleshooting purposes. . Here’s the automation:\nalias: Solcast_update description: New API call Solcast trigger: - platform: template value_template: |- {% set nr = as_timestamp(state_attr(\u0026#39;sun.sun\u0026#39;,\u0026#39;next_rising\u0026#39;)) %} {% set ns = as_timestamp(state_attr(\u0026#39;sun.sun\u0026#39;,\u0026#39;next_setting\u0026#39;)) %} {% if nr \u0026gt; ns %} {% set nr = nr - 60*60*24 %} {% endif %} {% set hours_difference = (ns - nr) / 3600 %} {% set interval_hours = hours_difference / 8 %} {% set now_ts = as_timestamp(now()) %} {% set sunrise_ts = nr %} {% set sunset_ts = ns %} {% for i in range(8) %} {% set start_time = sunrise_ts + (i * interval_hours * 3600) %} {% set end_time = start_time + interval_hours * 3600 %} {% if start_time \u0026lt;= now_ts \u0026lt;= end_time %} true {% endif %} {% endfor %} condition: - condition: sun before: sunset after: sunrise action: - service: solcast_solar.update_forecasts data: {} mode: single Anyway, that’s mostly it. If you need any clarification, leave a comment or email me.\n","date":"12 September 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/home-assistant-esphome-meter-integration/","section":"Blog","summary":" You can integrate your electricity meter into home assistant easily and cheaply using ESPhome and some cheap sensors. Here is how I added my parent’s solar panel electricity meter to home assistant. My parents installed solar panels onto their home nearly 15 years ago. Until very recently they had an old ferraris meter in their basement and apart from that, had no idea how their solar panels performed. They can technically be made smart too using a reed sensor – but that’s for another time. After a new smart meter had been installed – but without my parents getting any access to it directly – I figured it’s time to take things into my hands!\n","title":"Home Assistant \u0026 ESPhome: Easy Electricity Meter Integration","type":"posts"},{"content":"I’ve been spending a lot of my spare time continuing to hone my artistic drawing skills with Drawabox. I’ve almost completed lesson two, and here’s my results thus far:\nThinking in 3D # The task here was to draw arrows and forms that appear to exist in a 3D space on a 2D surface.\nTexture and Detail # This one was a lot of fun but also surprisingly difficult. It consists of studying textures, their depth model and its application on a 3D surface under a fixed light condition.\nFirst up was a texture study:\nFollowed by applying random textures to the sausages we drew in the earlier homework — that meant understanding a texture, and recreating it on a 3D surface. This one was quite tough! Word of advice: Larger textures. I tended to draw mine far too detailed, which cost a lot of time…\nConstruction # Next up — construction! I can almost feel it. Getting closer to the meat of the course. This one consists of plopping several 3D objects into one another, and drawing their intersection. This one was tough! I spent a lot more time thinking about the objects in space than actually drawing. Still, I think it went fairly well — most of the time!\nAnd at last — floppy sausages!\nWith that, I completed lesson 2 — onwards to lesson 3.\n","date":"5 June 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/dab-lesson-2/","section":"Blog","summary":"I’ve been spending a lot of my spare time continuing to hone my artistic drawing skills with Drawabox. I’ve almost completed lesson two, and here’s my results thus far:\nThinking in 3D # The task here was to draw arrows and forms that appear to exist in a 3D space on a 2D surface.\nTexture and Detail # This one was a lot of fun but also surprisingly difficult. It consists of studying textures, their depth model and its application on a 3D surface under a fixed light condition.\n","title":"DAB — Lesson 2!","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"5 June 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/pigment-liner/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Pigment Liner","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"5. June 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/tags/pigmentliner/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Pigmentliner","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"5 June 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/sketching/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Sketching","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"5. June 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/tags/zeichnen/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Zeichnen","type":"tags"},{"content":"\nThe coffee machine, a Saeco Incanto HD8917/01 worked diligently for 10 years, and a few days ago it decided to display an odd behavior: Whenever it was requested to produce some bean squeezings, it’d shut off. It’d start normally, you could browse the menu — but the moment it started to do some work, it shut off.\nAt first, I expected some sort of jam — in my mind, a jammed electric motor could draw so much current that the voltage drop could cause the IC to reboot. I removed the brewing unit, gave it a thorough cleaning and lubricating — but same result.\nAlright, I thought — my train of thought couldn’t have been that far off. Maybe after 10 years, one of the capacitors went bad, resulting in the same problem? It was not having the capacity it needs to supply the high current when starting the heating coil and the motors? That meant, however — I needed to open that thing up. Completely.\nThe brain of the machine. Sadly, I couldn’t find a useful diagram of the machine, and didn’t think of looking on YouTube. So I did the usual approach — remove a screw or two, see what came loose and try to remove that, rinse and repeat. After some cursing, I did manage to free the guts from its case. And viola — aside from some rather gross unseen remains that regular cleaning couldn’t ever have reached — the power supply had a rather nasty looking burn mark.\nThe inside of the coffee outlet — despite regular cleaning. The traces show they had been heated up badly Unhappy Rectifier and remains of (coffee?) water The rectifier in question is an Onsemi DF08S 1.5A Bridge Rectifier. What appears to have happened is that some water got into the power supply and shorted the DC side of the rectifier against ground. A short on the AC side likely would’ve caused a big kaboom, but the 1.5A current limit of the rectifier probably allowed for a slow burn. You can get replacement rectifiers fairly cheaply at your source of choice.\nThe Repair # On the [workbench][6] Pre-Tinned connections \u0026amp; rerouted wire Connection to the old trace — not great, but good enough. The repair I removed the old rectifier using a hot air station. Afterward, I tried placing some solder on the remains of the connections. However, some old traces, especially the via, were burned to a crisp and wouldn’t take any solder. Luckily, Afterward the rectifier is right at the edge of the board, so I just… took a piece of solid wire, ran it around to the backside and attached it to the remains of the trace there.\nAfterward, I put the replacement rectifier on the pre-tinned traces and used the hot air station again. After getting it to stick, I used the soldering iron on each leg separately to get some more tin onto the legs for a better connection.\nThe largest chore, however, was putting the entire thing back together — but thanks to this helpful YouTube video I managed to put it back together in one piece. And — it worked! The part itself cost €1.50 – a new board would’ve cost €100, and a new coffee machine about €500! I call this a success.\nYour browser cannot play this video. Download video.\nDeferred Maintenance \u0026amp; Upgrades # The coffee machine didn’t have the luxury of a consistent maintenance scheme. While the electronics worked again, there were still some issues caused by wear and tear from being used daily for nearly a decade.\nThankfully, Saeco seems to provide third-party resellers with any spare part imaginable — chapeau! There’s even tiny spare parts available where other manufacturers would only offer an entire kit for resale. The brewing unit, for example — an entire replacement costs around 60 bucks, but you can get spare parts for every subcomponent for just a few bucks each.\nTo give the coffee machine an entire overhaul, I ordered the following spare parts:\nPart Part Number Partner Link Seal / O-ring for the piston of the brewing unit 0320-40 (silicone) NM01.044 140325062 Amazon.com Inlet nozzle (white) with O-ring 996530009825 421945002571 Amazon.com Crema valve with valve pin Coffee spout for piston (V3) 11009362 421944065222 Amazon.com Saeco seal maintenance kit O-rings for outlet valve Amazon.de Amazon.com (Food Safe) Silicone Grease Amazon.de Amazon.com I ended up replacing the water intake and extrusion from the brewing unit with more modern replacement parts — they changed the design of some parts throughout the sale of the device. Most importantly, I installed a replacement crema valve. This valve exists to withstand pressure within the brewing unit until the optimal brewing pressure is achieved, and then allows the extracted coffee to flow to the outlet.\nThe old version used a spring and a glass ball — pretty ingenious, actually. The newer version uses a spring and a plastic plunger of sorts, supposedly increasing the quality of the crema.\nI did, however, fail to replace the o rings on the multi water inlet valve. The new o-rings on the plunger and coffee outlet valve as well as the new crema valve spring meant that the prior leaks had been closed, thus increasing the total system’s water pressure back to original levels. Water doing what it does best, it sought the weakest point in the system — the old o-rings on the multi water inlet valve — and completely failed. The system couldn’t even produce enough pressure to make any coffee anymore, and just dumped it all into the water tray.\nLubing the old o-rings didn’t help, so I ordered a set of replacement o-rings. After replacing those as well, the coffee machine is good as new! So my advice: Get the replacement parts in the gallery above, and your coffee machine is good as new and ready for many more years of service.\n","date":"3 June 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/saeco-incanto-hd8917-01-repair-maintenance/","section":"Blog","summary":"\nThe coffee machine, a Saeco Incanto HD8917/01 worked diligently for 10 years, and a few days ago it decided to display an odd behavior: Whenever it was requested to produce some bean squeezings, it’d shut off. It’d start normally, you could browse the menu — but the moment it started to do some work, it shut off.\nAt first, I expected some sort of jam — in my mind, a jammed electric motor could draw so much current that the voltage drop could cause the IC to reboot. I removed the brewing unit, gave it a thorough cleaning and lubricating — but same result.\n","title":"Saeco Incanto HD8917/01 repair \u0026 maintenance","type":"posts"},{"content":"I’ve been giving learning how to draw an earnest new attempt. Currently, I’m on box 210 of 250 boxes of the drawabox 250 box challenge.\nIt’s mind-numbingly hard sometimes to push through. Someone compared it to “artistic push-ups”. And that’s what it feels like. I’ve been doing this for over a month now, about 5–10 boxes a day. But I like to think I’ve already come a long way!\nIt’s essentially brute forcing artistic skill. But it’s also well-structured and focused on practice, and that seems to work for me thus far! Other than that, I’ve been obsessed with a game called Rain World. Have a scug.\n","date":"12 May 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/boxes/","section":"Blog","summary":"I’ve been giving learning how to draw an earnest new attempt. Currently, I’m on box 210 of 250 boxes of the drawabox 250 box challenge.\nIt’s mind-numbingly hard sometimes to push through. Someone compared it to “artistic push-ups”. And that’s what it feels like. I’ve been doing this for over a month now, about 5–10 boxes a day. But I like to think I’ve already come a long way!\n","title":"Boxes","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"12 May 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/drawabox/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Drawabox","type":"tags"},{"content":" Workbenches! Everyone wants them. Everyone loves them. They’re the bee’s knees; but also hella expensive! At least when you want something sturdy, and not made from paper maché like the majority of tables sold by Ikea. So I figured — why not make my own? How hard could it possibly be? The Why # I needed a workbench. You’re supposed to learn from your mistakes, but it took me several purchases of Ikea tables to learn that they really don’t last even common office use. I don’t even mind that they’re made from honeycomb shaped paper, hopes, and wishes. Unless you drop something big and heavy on them (like I did), they’re fine. But even their damn coating rubs off after not even a year of regular use.\nRubbish\nI’ve reached an impasse. I live in a tiny flat, so my living room is also my bedroom and my office and my working area. Hence, why I made the decision that, if I’m already making a custom table for myself, it should be big enough for both my computer and my work area — especially since, while working with Electronics, the two were often intertwined.\nMost office tables are also embarrassingly small. I’m a big guy with big needs. I required something that is at least 80 cm deep, and due to the dual use nature of my workbench, approximately 200 cm wide.\nIkea Linnmon — Embarrassingly small\nI like wood. In theory. It is beautiful to look at, and just… speaks to the senses. Humanity has been working with wood as long as we have been working with tools. Hence, my decision to make the workbench out of wood. It’s cheap, tough, and you can get it just about everywhere. It is, however, also a giant pain in the perineum to work with. But I figured that was worth the trouble.\nThe What # I whipped up a vague table design based on ideas I found online, but none really gave away their precise schematics for free. While I’m a gigantic amateur and barely know what I’m doing, at least I can give you the detailed plans for a beer:\nThe Schematics\nThe table is basically 2 tables in 1. The goal was to need as few tools and cuts as possible. No complex/difficult cuts to begin with. I was able to get everything cut to length by the hardware store where I bought the lumber from. The only work required was on the desk plate itself.\nBill of Materials # Item # Description Where to get Table Legs 8 Frame wood from spruce/fir, planed, 74 mm x 44 mm x 700 mm Hardware Store Crossbar (X) 3 Frame wood from spruce/fir, planed, 44 mm x 44 mm x 2.312 mm Hardware Store Crossbar (Y) 11 Frame wood from spruce/fir, planed, 44 mm x 44 mm x 642 mm Hardware Store Angle connector 50 mm x 50 mm x 40 mm, Galvanized Hardware Store Table top 2 beech (or other hard wood), 120 cm x 80 cm x 2.8 cm Hardware Store Wood Screw (table-to-frame) 28 pan head wood screw, Ø 6 mm x 60 mm Hardware Store Wood Screw (legs-to-frame) 20 pan head wood screw, Ø 6 mm x 140 mm Hardware Store Wood Finish Hardwax oil Hardware Store Amazon.com Amazon.de Sand Paper Various grades: 80–120–240 For making the two table tops, one Wood Glue For making the two table tops one Hardware Store Amazon.com Amazon.de Bill of Materials\nTool Description Where to get (Orbital) Sander Avoids sore muscles Amazon.com Respirator Especially while sanding, you want to wear a respirator, potentially also when applying the hard wax oil. Amazon.com Protective Goggles While sanding, you want to wear a pair of protective goggles that are more or less sealed, to avoid getting dust in your eyes. Amazon.com Ear Protection Sanders are noisy. Don’t be an idiot. Protect your hearing. Amazon.com Vises/Clamps At least two small ones to help keep things in check while screwing everything together. Amazon.com Ratchet straps Needed when glueing the table tops together. Needs to be at least 480 cm long. Alternatively, clamps that are 240 cm long. Amazon.com Brushes \u0026amp; Rollers For applying the hard wax oil on the table tops. In theory, you can also use towels, but I recommend getting 2-3 brushes or rollers. Tools\nThe How # After getting all the bits and pieces you require, I’d recommend starting preparing the table tops first.\nPreparing the tabletop # Both table tops need to be sanded and finished before they can be attached to the table. This is a labour-intensive, multistep process. They’re sold unfinished, so they need to be sanded and protected by either a wax or a lacquer. I went with a hard wax oil, which allows the wood to breathe and protects it from moisture.\nStep 1: Sanding # Use coarse sandpaper (80 or 120 grit) to get an even surface on the table. Afterwards, use a moist towel or sponge to moisten the surface lightly. This will raise the grain and get caught in the next sanding step.\nNext up is a medium or fine paper. You can either go 80 → 180 → 240, or skip the 180 grit stage. Decide based on how flat and smooth the surface already is. After finishing the sanding, it’s time to apply the oil.\nStep 2: Coating # Hard Wax Oil is a blend of oil and wax, that combines the advantages of both. The oil soaks deep into the wooden fibres, giving it protection even beyond the surface.\nApply an even thin layer of oil with a brush in the direction of the grain. Allow to react for approx. 10–30 minutes. Now remove excess oil with a cotton cloth or oil absorbent cloth. The surface should feel dry. For large surfaces, use a white pad if necessary. If necessary, a second coat can be applied after 6–8 hours without intermediate sanding. Warning Caution: Cloths, pads or wood dust soaked with oil can spontaneously ignite due to heat build-up, therefore please clean immediately after use or store underwater.\nConstructing the frame # Lay out the frame on the floor and screw the table legs together. I recommend using some extra lumber to slightly lift the frame while working on it. Use the wood clamps to tighten gaps while screwing in the angle connectors. Do this until the entire upper frame is complete.\nIn the photos, you can see me using a special drill bit that allows for cone-head screws to leave a flat finish. I bought the wrong kind of screws, so if you get the flat head ones, you won’t need to do this step.\nNext, attach the table legs to the upper frame, as well as the lower frame, to stabilize the legs. Wood clamps come in very handy here once again.\nAttaching the tabletop to the frame # After you’ve completed the frame, it’s time to attach the table-top. Chances are this took you long enough for enough time to pass for the hard wax oil to properly cure and harden, if not, you should wait until that is the case. Afterwards, put both plates onto the frame, and coat both surfaces that will mate in the middle with a liberal helping of wood glue. I made the mistake of not using enough — wood glue is easily sanded off once it’s dry, so feel free to use an extra helping to make sure to get a proper connection.\nNow follows what was probably the hardest step. For the tabletops to properly adhere to one another, you need to apply a lot of force. As we’re gluing the sides together, this means the only way of applying force is the opposite ends of the table tops. Luckily, I had a few ratchet straps that I normally kept in my car to secure loads. Ratchet straps can induce a surprising amount of force, and after slinging it all the way around both table tops, I was able to ratchet it tight enough for a fairly good seal.\nBefore the installation Apply wood glue liberally and press the tables against each other While tensioned, screw the table tops onto the frame What happens if you don’t use enough wood glue Almost perfect Now, before the glue dries, it is important to screw the tabletops into the frame. This is significant because the tabletops are likely not 100% flat, and the mating surfaces do not match completely. Doing so after would put tangential stress on the glued surfaces, which is why it should be done while it is still wet. Once again, I recommend using clamps to flatten the table before screwing it in. Afterwards, let it dry.\nThe connection wasn’t perfect in my case, so what I ended up doing was sanding the surface where the table tops meet until they were smooth, then applied hard wax oil again. Afterwards, it created a satisfying connection.\nWrap-Up # I underestimated how long it would take, and made some mistakes due to being a rookie, but overall, I am pleased with the results. I hope you can avoid some mistakes by reading this guide, and will be as pleased as I am with my table. It has served me well for years now, and I find it immensely satisfying to be using a piece of furniture I’ve made myself.\nI made a slight modification by adding a lower shelf to get more storage space, but apart from that, I am still happy.\nThe finished result!\n","date":"28 September 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/simple-diy-workbench/","section":"Blog","summary":" Workbenches! Everyone wants them. Everyone loves them. They’re the bee’s knees; but also hella expensive! At least when you want something sturdy, and not made from paper maché like the majority of tables sold by Ikea. So I figured — why not make my own? How hard could it possibly be? The Why # I needed a workbench. You’re supposed to learn from your mistakes, but it took me several purchases of Ikea tables to learn that they really don’t last even common office use. I don’t even mind that they’re made from honeycomb shaped paper, hopes, and wishes. Unless you drop something big and heavy on them (like I did), they’re fine. But even their damn coating rubs off after not even a year of regular use.\n","title":"Simple Yet Sturdy DIY Workbench Made Of Wood","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"5. August 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/tags/klimatisierung/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Klimatisierung","type":"tags"},{"content":"While selecting a time and date for my car’s yearly maintenance, the dealership offered to have my air conditioning system disinfected. At first, I thought this was more of a money-grabbing scheme more than anything. But I have, since then, learned, that air conditioning systems can become nasty. Very, very nasty. They can become breeding grounds for mildew and bacteria, which then spew into the passenger cabin whenever the air conditioning is used. This is accompanied by a rather unpleasant odour. It is at this point when you want to give your AC’s evaporator a thorough cleaning.\nDirty condenser on the left, clean on the right\nFor the low-low price of about a hundred bucks or so, you can pay your dealer (or other reputable places) to do the AC evaporator cleaning for you. However, with only a little effort, you can do it yourself!\nYour Car’s AC # A car’s air conditioning system works just the same as any other air conditioning system. (Check out my article on how to make monobloc air conditioners more efficient, where I go into more detail). It is in the end nothing more than a heat-pump, which are all built more or less the same. This article focuses on one particular part, however, the evaporator core.\nThe evaporator core gets its name from the fact that the coolant within it evaporates, creating a chilling effect which cools it down. The fan blows air through it, which cools down and then transported into the car’s interior. It is usually hidden beneath the centre dash console and an absolute pain in the perineum to get to. As mentioned earlier, this process also causes water in the air to condensate. It is collected in a drain pan below the evaporator and drained out of the car through a drain hose. This is also the reason you can sometimes see a car leaving a wet spot behind during the summer.\nPuddle left by a car’s air conditioning system\nCleaning Options # To prevent the build-up of mildew and other unwelcome guests in our evaporator core, it is recommended to clean it about once a year, preferably before the first use of the AC system of the year. This is done by using a disinfectant, of which various kinds exist. As with many things, a niche product market exists solely for this task alone. There are a few different kinds with their benefits and drawbacks.\nCabin Spray Cans # These are little aerosol cans filled with a disinfectant. They’re essentially bug-bombs for your car. The idea is that you turn them on, toss them into your car and close your doors and windows with your AC on full blast. The air, now filled with the disinfectant, circulates through your AC (and everything else), disinfecting it.\nIn my experience, however, they’re at best a band-aid solution. The one I had was a pain to use, and due to its “hands off” approach, I cannot imagine it can clean an evaporator coil thoroughly.\nDirect Application Disinfectants # A far more thorough and efficient way is the use of disinfectants that are applied to the evaporator coil directly. They come with a long those that can then be snaked through the air vent ducts straight to the evaporator, where their disinfectant and cleaning solution can work directly.\nThat is what I ended up using instead. I used this particular one, though I’m sure you can get similar results with about any other, as the chemistry is a fairly simple one. For this to work, however, you need to employ a little more effort.\nHow To # In this article, I explain the process of disinfecting the evaporator coil in a 2013 Toyota Yaris made for the German automotive market. The process should work for any Toyota Yaris model made between 2008 and 2017, and the gist is the same for essentially every car that has an AC.\nMy car!\nWhen trying to figure out how to do this, I basically found two common ways of doing this job. The first employs the use of the drain hose, the second that of air vents. The drain hose method is usually done by hoisting the car on a lift and inserting the disinfectant spray hose into the drain hose, spraying the evaporator coil from below. I think this method is flawed for three reasons.\nYou need a method to lift your car, which I do not have. You work against the flow, spraying the evaporator coil from below, making deep penetration of the core difficult. The disinfectant will obviously want to flow back out the drain hose it just came in from. You will have to seal the hole you spray into somehow, but this will likely still make a mess. My method uses a combination of the two, without having to lift the car.\nAccessing The Evaporator Core # First, here is a schematic of the A/C system of a Toyota Yaris.\nToyota HEATING \u0026amp; AIR CONDITIONING — COOLER UNIT\nAs you can see, the case containing the evaporator coil (Code 88501) sits right next to the cabin air filter and fan housing. To access it, you need to remove the glove box, a process which is necessary anyway when exchanging the cabin air filter, which I recommend doing at the same time. Toyota has a thorough and pictured guide that you can find here.\nThe main parts of the AC. The three striped things are (left-to-right): pre-heater, heater core, evaporator.\nWarning Attention!\nSome cleaning agents aren’t a particular joy to inhale, so ideally do this with your car’s doors opened up, so you’re not inhaling too much of the fumes.\nAfter removing the glovebox and removing the filter from its housing, it should look something like this:\nThe glove box air hose. You can also spray the disinfectant in through the passenger side foot air vent. Here you can see a convenient feature of my particular model: An air hose that vents cold air from the AC into the glovebox. It leads straight back to the evaporator core, so an ideal method of deploying the disinfectant. The hose can be snaked down the hose easily. If your model lacks this particular vent, you can also use the floor vents on either side. Don’t forget to set your vents to the right setting, so you can actually reach the evaporator core with the hose!\nClamping The Drainage Hose # The drain hose is hidden under the passenger side carpet Simply lift it up to reveal the rubber tube Before spraying the disinfectant, however, I did one more thing to make the cleaning process more thorough. We’ll make use of the drain hose after all – but for a different reason. Below the passenger side carpet is the drain hose (photo follows). It is made of soft rubber – clamp it! This prevents the disinfectant from draining out, essentially making sure the evaporator gets a nice bath inside the disinfectant. Careful though, too much and some of it might leak! I suppose airtight does not mean water sealed.\nAC Evaporator Cleaning # Anyway. Now you can simply follow the instructions given on the cleaning product of your choice. You should give it about ten minutes or so for the cleaning agent to do its job. If you’ve used something apart from your hands to clamp the drain hose, you can now use the disinfectant on the rest of the air vents. Simply push it in as far as it will go, spray and slowly pull the hose back. This way, you’ll coat as much as possible. Also give the cabin air filter case and blower a good spray of disinfectant. After the 10 minutes are over (or you’re finished disinfecting the rest of the vents), release the clamp and let the cleaning liquid drain. It’ll harmlessly drain onto the ground below the car.\nThe Clean-up # Replace the cabin air filter and close it back up like given in the official Toyota instructions. Run your AC on full blast for a few minutes to dry the evaporator coil (with the AC disabled).\nCongratulations! You’re done!\n","date":"5 August 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/2013-toyota-yaris-ac-evaporator-cleaning/","section":"Blog","summary":"While selecting a time and date for my car’s yearly maintenance, the dealership offered to have my air conditioning system disinfected. At first, I thought this was more of a money-grabbing scheme more than anything. But I have, since then, learned, that air conditioning systems can become nasty. Very, very nasty. They can become breeding grounds for mildew and bacteria, which then spew into the passenger cabin whenever the air conditioning is used. This is accompanied by a rather unpleasant odour. It is at this point when you want to give your AC’s evaporator a thorough cleaning.\n","title":"2013 Toyota Yaris Quick \u0026 Easy AC Evaporator Cleaning","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"5 August 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/air-conditioning/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Air Conditioning","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"23 June 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/3d-printing/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"3D Printing","type":"tags"},{"content":" Ducted, portable air conditioners suffer from terrible efficiency inherent to their design. Here is how they work and how to improve portable air conditioner efficiency. Portable (Air-to-Air, Monobloc or Ducted) Units # If you, like many others, find yourself unable to install a split or central air conditioning system due to rental agreements or insulated windows, your options for cooling are limited. Portable air-to-air units, despite their convenience, come with a significant design flaw that compromises their effectiveness. In this article, we delve into the drawbacks of these units and shed light on the inherent problem that plagues 99% of the available commercial models.\nMobile AC with vent hose\nVenting Hot Air: The Achilles’ Heel of Portable AC Units: Portable AC units, similar to traditional air conditioners and heat pumps, rely on the removal of ambient heat from the room air and subsequent dumping of that heat outside. However, this process introduces a range of challenges that impede their overall performance.\nThe Hose Conundrum: To vent excess heat, portable AC units require an exhaust hose. Proper installation of this hose becomes crucial in reducing the amount of hot air leaked back into the room. Unfortunately, this task can often be a nightmare due to the limitations of available options and the need for an airtight seal. Noise Pollution: With the compressor and fans housed inside the unit, portable ACs can generate noticeable noise levels, hindering peaceful environments. Additionally, the air flowing through the vent hose can create additional noise due to turbulent airflow. Worse still, however, is an even more crucial design flaw.\nWhy They Suck # The required vent hose truly is the largest drawback of a portable unit. Which is why most product pictures tend to downplay that little detail, as most photos only show the product itself. You may notice, however, that they seemingly all only have one hose. But that is a big problem.\nCan you see the issue?\nWhile the aforementioned challenges can be mitigated to some extent, the fundamental flaw lies in the design of the majority of commercial portable AC units. This flaw stems from their reliance on room air for heat dissipation and ventilation, inadvertently leading to a negative pressure differential that draws hot air from the outside into the room. This counterproductive phenomenon significantly hampers the cooling efficiency and undermines the unit’s purpose.\nThe Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) # Many electric appliances in the EU need to be sold with an energy label, which is supposed to tell you how (in-)efficient an appliance is. With single- and double duct air conditioners, this metric is calculated using the Energy Efficiency Rating (EER).\nThe EER is a measure of the energy efficiency of air conditioning systems. It provides a standardized metric that allows consumers to compare the efficiency of different models. The EER is typically used for evaluating window units, portable air conditioners, and other smaller air conditioning systems.\nThe EER is based on the concept of the coefficient of performance (COP). The COP is a ratio that represents the amount of cooling or heating provided by an air conditioning system per unit of energy consumed. In the case of air conditioners, the COP specifically measures the cooling capacity of the unit in relation to the electrical power input.\nThe COP is calculated by dividing the cooling capacity in British Thermal Units (BTUs) per hour by the power consumption in watts. This gives a ratio of how much cooling the unit can provide for a given amount of electrical energy consumed. A higher COP indicates greater energy efficiency, as more cooling is achieved per unit of energy consumed.\nTo convert the COP into the EER, the British Thermal Units (BTUs) are divided by the power consumption in watt-hours. The resulting value represents the cooling capacity in BTUs for every watt-hour of electricity consumed. Therefore, a higher EER signifies a more energy-efficient air conditioner.\nThis value completely disregards environmental variables, such as whether the system draws in hot air while it is running. That is why ducted air conditioners can receive an A energy efficiency rating — despite, realistically, being many times less efficient under real-world conditions than other air conditioner types. The only reason why single and dual duct systems are even still sold in the EU is because the EU made an exception for them, as they are so inefficient that they’d have been banned otherwise.\nHow to make portable ACs suck less # The biggest problem is: The negative pressure created by venting room air outside. The easiest and most obvious solution is the addition of a second hose — creating a separate loop for the hot side of the heat exchanging cycle. Outside air is sucked in, heat is dumped into it, and the air is then vented outside. Thus creating no pressure differential inside, and therefore not drawing additional hot air in.\nSingle and dual hose portable ACs compared.\nFor reasons beyond my understanding, however, there seem to be no dual hose ACs on sale anywhere in Germany. I can only conclude that this is done purely because the manufacturers don’t need to do it. The energy label rating, as stated previously, is entirely fictitious regardless of single or dual hose use. And consumers are likely already annoyed by having to install a single hose. The installation of a second hose therefore may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.\nThe different vents on a portable AC unit\nThat leaves us to take matters into our hands. It is possible, and actually fairly simple, to convert a single hose portable AC to a dual hose portable AC. First off, you need to identify the vent where your AC draws in ambient room air to cool down the hot side of your AC.\nI have a fairly cheap white-label AC I bought out of dire need at a local grocery store. It does have a lot of bang for the buck, but also has the flawed single hose design.\nRED: This is the hot side air intake. This is where we will install the air intake hose. GREEN: This is the hot side air exhaust. This is where the regular exhaust hose is installed. BLUE: This is the cold side air intake, which takes the room air, where it is then cooled down and vented out the other side. The Quick and Dirty Way # What you need:\nComponent Description Where to buy AC air hose The air that draws in the outside air. It should be identical to the exhaust vent hose to reduce the strain on the motor. Amazon.de Amazon.com AC air hose flange Regular duct tape. I said this is the quick and dirty way, after all. Amazon.de Amazon.com Duct Tape Regular duct tape. I said this is the quick and dirty way after all. Amazon.de Amazon.com Window AC adapter An adapter to fit the intake side into a smaller slot on the window. Not strictly necessary, but recommended. Amazon.de Amazon.com AC Window Seal Kit Likely only necessary for other Europeans out there, but a must-have for us for sure! Amazon.de Amazon.com Carton or other building material To cover the intake vent. I’ve used carton boxes, but nearly anything will do. Be creative! BoM\nCut the carton in a shape large enough to cover the intake vent. Before installing it, cut a hole around the centre of the cover and attach the hose adapter. Proceed to attach the cover to the AC unit and seal it with duct tape. Now attach the hose, once again seal it with duct tape. Proceed to hang the intake vent outside the window. Make sure to keep a distance to the intake hose, to prevent an air short-circuit. The quick…\n… and dirty way.\nIt ain’t pretty, but it works! I don’t have the tools necessary to take accurate measurements, but not only has the AC now managed to cool the room down far more, the compressor now occasionally turns off as it has reached the target temperature. This is something it had not done before.\nThe Proper Way # Now, while the above may work, surely there is a more aesthetically pleasing way? Well, you’re still going to be stuck with two ugly hoses hanging out of a window, so it’s going to be a losing battle, but I’ve designed a replacement attachment for the intake vent:\nThe 3D-Printed adapter alternative\nBecause I currently lack access to my 3D printer, I was unable to print the adapter myself. The installation process is much the same.\nConclusion # Once again, where manufacturers fail, makers like us can make up the difference. With just a bit of duct tape and carton, you can vastly improve the experience of your AC (and lower the electricity bill to boot!). I hope this helped — and if you know someone who also uses one of these abysmal AC units, tell them about this to make their misery slightly less agonising!\nI have recently discovered the joy of using ceiling fans. Furthermore, I was sceptical at first, but there’s a reason why they enjoy an immense popularity around the world. Because of the draft they create, I’ve been comfortable in room temperatures of 30 °C, while consuming only 30 Watts of power, and being much quieter overall. This has worked so well this summer (2022), that I’ve decided to sell my portable AC unit.\n","date":"23 June 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/improve-portable-air-conditioner-efficiency/","section":"Blog","summary":" Ducted, portable air conditioners suffer from terrible efficiency inherent to their design. Here is how they work and how to improve portable air conditioner efficiency. Portable (Air-to-Air, Monobloc or Ducted) Units # If you, like many others, find yourself unable to install a split or central air conditioning system due to rental agreements or insulated windows, your options for cooling are limited. Portable air-to-air units, despite their convenience, come with a significant design flaw that compromises their effectiveness. In this article, we delve into the drawbacks of these units and shed light on the inherent problem that plagues 99% of the available commercial models.\n","title":"Greatly Improve Portable Air Conditioner Efficiency","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"23. June 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/de/tags/3d-druck/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"3D-Druck","type":"tags"},{"content":"I’ve nearly completed the first semester of my two-semester CAD course at my university, and now for the first time have started to feel comfortable enough to use these newly acquired skills to design things that have a real-life application. That is how a 3D printed Kärcher SC3 Power Cable Holder became my very first functional CAD and print.\nThe Problem # My parents own a Kärcher SC3 EasyFix steam cleaner, and one of her most common complaints was the inability to store the power cable of it satisfyingly. The cable would dangle around when carrying the device and be an overall nuisance. I mulled the problem over in my head somewhat, starting as to where one could even securely attach an accessory to an object that consists of smooth, curved plastic surfaces.\nThe steam cleaner in question\nThe Design # Luckily, the device comes with a little indentation to store some accessory brushes. I took measure of the indentation using digital calipers and used it as my starting point for my design. As part of my university subscription, I have access to Autodesk’s Inventor CAD software suite, which is also the software the course is based on. It was the first time I exported a design from it to .stl and imported it into PrusaSlicer. The process, however, was very straight-forward and caused little trouble.\nMy first attempt was to simply design a plug that is basically like a Kärcher Lego brick. A proof of concept of sorts. I immediately went and printed one full-size… only to discover that my measurements were ever so slightly off, and it wouldn’t fit.\nInternal view of the first iteration Printing Partial success! Iterative design Still! The brush accessory fit onto the plug, so I continued on my design. Instead of printing the entire assembly, I started using PrusaSlicer to slice parts that needed to fit precisely into 1 mm thick slices that allowed me to measure them on the real-life example. This allowed me to iterate on the design far quicker and saved me a lot of material.\nLike a glove! Sizing the cable holder. One final addition was plug holes for the Schuko F type power plug. This is a feature I’ve seen a few times on other products, and I’ve always enjoyed its simplicity and practicality. It simply consists of two holes, 5 mm in diameter and spaced 19 mm apart, where one can plug in the power plug after coiling up the power cable.\nSchuko Specification Print of the first prototype The Result # I let the print run through the night, and first thing in the morning was to test if it fit — and it did! The initial planning paid off, as it almost does perfectly what I intended it for. There are a few things I’ll probably modify in future iterations. For one thing, I want to make it lighter, and thus reduce the printing time and overall used plastic. Then I would also like to reduce the protrusion towards the back to make the use of the in-built attachment plug of the steam cleaner easier. And lastly, I would like to add additional holders for more accessories apart from the small brushes.\nThe first prototype in action I’ve uploaded the .stl to PrusaPrinters.org, using the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA licence, and is available for anyone to print themselves. Since it is not exposed to any of the heat by the steam cleaner, printing it in simple PLA should suffice. I hope this is the first of many more little functional prints that I can design myself. Overall, it only took me a few hours of tinkering and a few grams of filament. I’m very excited about many more future CADs.\n","date":"28 January 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/simple-3d-printed-karcher-sc3-power-cable-holder/","section":"Blog","summary":"I’ve nearly completed the first semester of my two-semester CAD course at my university, and now for the first time have started to feel comfortable enough to use these newly acquired skills to design things that have a real-life application. That is how a 3D printed Kärcher SC3 Power Cable Holder became my very first functional CAD and print.\nThe Problem # My parents own a Kärcher SC3 EasyFix steam cleaner, and one of her most common complaints was the inability to store the power cable of it satisfyingly. The cable would dangle around when carrying the device and be an overall nuisance. I mulled the problem over in my head somewhat, starting as to where one could even securely attach an accessory to an object that consists of smooth, curved plastic surfaces.\n","title":"Simple 3D printed Kärcher SC3 Power Cable Holder","type":"posts"},{"content":" When you work on electronics projects, chances are you will need a mobile power source some time down the line. There is a plethora of options, meeting any need imaginable. If you’re on a tight budget you can even try making your own Li-Ion battery! But what if you’re on an even tighter budget, and/or want to do something for the environment? Then I suggest harvesting Lithium-Ion cells from used batteries! Warning Attention! Now, before you go poking and prodding old battery packs, keep in mind that batteries first and foremost store power. Power in the form of chemical reactions that can react violently if given the right (or wrong) conditions. If you do decide to do this, make sure to wear proper personal protection equipment, and have a place where you can dispose of the battery immediately, should it catch fire.\nOnly attempt this at your own risk!\nAcquiring the batteries # What we’re looking for is used 18650 Li-Ion cells. They’re versatile, standardized, rechargeable and have a fairly high power per weight and volume ratio. These characteristics have also made them very popular in the electronics industry. They are sometimes even used as the storage component in electric cars or home electricity storage!\nYour best bet at getting used cells are usually laptop and power tool batteries. Even from the outside it’s usually fairly easy to make an estimation of the number of cells used within. In case of laptop batteries it occasionally even says “6 cell battery” right in its name. Some other times it’s not quite as obvious, unless you know what to look for.\nLenovo laptop battery pack\nHere’s an example of a very common type of laptop battery. Its dimensions are a direct result of the battery cells hidden beneath its plastic shell. In a majority of cases, laptop batteries deliver about 11-13V, which is the voltage you get of putting 3 18650 cells in series. Both the width of the battery, and the capacity written on the label, give an indication of how many cells are used in parallel. Due to size constraints it is usually 1-2, giving you a haul of about 6 name-brand 18650 cells per laptop battery.\nPower tool battery packs are usually based on common 18650 lithium-ion cells\nI was lucky to acquire a large dump of old laptop batteries, and it’s not uncommon for laptops to be tossed away with their batteries still intact. Of course, they likely won’t be as performant as the day they left the factory, but if you’re on a budget, you’re unlikely to get more bang for your buck elsewhere.\nThe other common source is power tools. Their batteries are however a little more difficult to come by. Their main way of ending up in the recycling bin is usually because of a failed cell, rendering the entire battery pack inoperable. Since we’re after the cells themselves however, they can still be of use to us. Look out for people giving away or selling “broken” battery packs. If the price is right, you can get a large amount of 18650 cells, as the power requirements of power tools usually far exceed those of laptops.\nRip and Tear # Now that you’ve acquired your preferred source of cells, it’s time to get to the juicy innards. The process is, quite frankly, not pretty. I’ve used strong wire-cutting pliers and a flat-head screwdriver to pry apart the stubborn plastic casing of the laptop batteries. Turns out the manufacturers really don’t want people to service them, let alone take them apart!\nCells and BMS removed from case\nBe extremely careful at this step. Especially when trying to pry apart the casing, make sure not to accidentally stab any of the cells beneath. While not as dainty as lithium-polymer batteries, they don’t take kindly to foreign objects piercing their skin. Wear gloves, safety-goggles and keep a bucket of sand or an explosion containment pie dish at the ready, should things really go awry.\nOnce freed from its casing, the actual insides should be nearly identical between the other batteries you might take apart. The cells are connected together via thin nickel strips that are spot-welded to the cells within. Some additional wiring to the BMS for balancing purposes is also very common.\nSince the BMS is unlikely to meet our expectations (nor is it very likely to play nice unless you talk to it in a very specific way), the next step would be to take the wire cutters and take the battery apart. Cut the tin strips connected to the BMS, and then free the 18650 cells from each other.\nIn my case I tended to keep some nickel strips attached to the cells, to make it easier to solder them together at a later stage. If you have a spot-welder, this may not be necessary, and you might be better off shortening the nickel strips further. Again, be extremely careful at this step! The nickel strips themselves can become dangerous when cut, because the wire cutter might leave sharp edges that can short against the casing of the battery cells themselves. I know this because it has happened to me.\nInspecting the goods # Saved from the recycling bin Another opened battery pack LG cells Some of my haul At this point you should have a little pile of 18650 cells lying on your table. Time to see what you’ve got! The First step should be looking at the serial or product numbers printed on the batteries. Look up the numbers on them with some appropriate google-fu, and get the data-sheet. This will give you valuable information such as nominal voltage, maximum charge, discharge current, and so on.\nNext you should take a multimeter and verify the voltage of each battery cell. The nominal internal cell voltage is 3.6 V. If discharged, they should not be significantly lower than 2.8-3 V.\nIf they’re from a used pack that has been lying in a cupboard somewhere for a while, you’ll likely find some dangerously undercharged cells. Not all is lost however. It is possible to save most of these cells using an appropriate Li-Ion battery charger. This one, similar to the one I used (X2 instead of X4), has a modern charging circuit that detects the undercharged state of the batteries. It will automatically attempt to revive the cells in question. While this may not guarantee a fully restored cell (or even a working one), I have yet to find a completely unusable cell.\nWhat next? # You may want to charge your cells to see how much capacity they have left, and then store them in a safe place until you need them. Make sure to store them appropriately, you don’t want to store them improperly and cause a short, and thus, a fire.\nOther than that? The world is your proverbial oyster! Check out my article on how to make your own battery pack. Happy hacking!\n","date":"19 November 2020","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/harvesting-lithium-ion-cells-from-old-batteries/","section":"Blog","summary":" When you work on electronics projects, chances are you will need a mobile power source some time down the line. There is a plethora of options, meeting any need imaginable. If you’re on a tight budget you can even try making your own Li-Ion battery! But what if you’re on an even tighter budget, and/or want to do something for the environment? Then I suggest harvesting Lithium-Ion cells from used batteries! Warning Attention! Now, before you go poking and prodding old battery packs, keep in mind that batteries first and foremost store power. Power in the form of chemical reactions that can react violently if given the right (or wrong) conditions. If you do decide to do this, make sure to wear proper personal protection equipment, and have a place where you can dispose of the battery immediately, should it catch fire.\n","title":"Harvesting Lithium-Ion cells from old batteries","type":"posts"},{"content":" Running a Prusa i3 MK3S with Octoprint definitely improves the overall printing experience. You can quickly upload print jobs from the slicer and check on the printing process remotely. Prusa even has a guide on how to install a Raspberry Pi Zero W directly onto the EINSY board. However, the little board struggles to run Octoprint and in some cases it can even cause layer shifts that ruin a print entirely! Doing a Prusa i3 MK3S Raspberry Pi 4 Upgrade is a little more effort, but absolutely worth it. What I enjoyed most about the Raspberry Pi Zero W was how well integrated it was into the case. The printer was still just a single unit that did not have any extra wires hanging around. I wanted to have the same with a more powerful Raspberry Pi board, but it obviously couldn’t fit into the regular case. So I started to look around for a sleek alternative, and found one.\nIt is the Prusa MK3/S EINSY Raspberry Pi 4B/3B Enclosure with support Brace by KalleKnall. The case not only fits the RPI4 and the EINSY board at the same time, but also increases the sturdiness of the frame by adding a frame brace. Additionally, it also adds ventilation to the case through an optional case fan. My only nitpick would be that some ports of the RPI4 are obstructed, but none of them are really needed as the most important USB ports are easily accessible.\nWhat you need # Here’s a list of tools and materials you’ll need when replicating this build. Some of those are affiliate links; just an attempt to recoup some hosting cost in lieu of using annoying ads.\nMaterial # Item # Comment Buy Raspberry Pi 1 Anything starting with the 2B ought to work. I used a 4B with 2 GB of memory. Amazon.com Raspberry Pi Heatsinks 1 Since the RPI is already exposed to a rather hot environment, I recommend adding heatsinks to it. Amazon.com MicroSD-Card 1 SD cards have gotten ridiculously cheap. Anything above 8 GB will probably do. Amazon.com DC-DC Converter 5V/2A (10W) (1) In this guide I went with what I had, that is why I used the 10W converter. The manufacturer recommends adding a heatsink when requiring more than 2A. Amazon.com Banggood DC-DC Converter 5V/5A (25W) (Recommended) (1) This is the recommended 25W module, especially if you want to use the RPI to power additional devices! Amazon.com Banggood Low Noise: 40×40×10 mm fan 5VDC (1) This case fan is technically optional but increases the lifespan of both the Raspberry Pi and the EINSY board. The 5V version runs through the DC-DC converter Amazon.com High Performance: 40×40×10 mm fan 24VDC (1) This case fan is technically optional but increases the lifespan of both the Raspberry Pi and the EINSY board. The 24V version runs directly on the Prusa power supply and is relatively noisy. Amazon.com 2-Pair 1,5 mm² / 16 AWG wire ~2m The included wire of the Prusa is too short. Rather than splicing something together, I would recommend getting appropriately gauged wire. Stereo speaker wire seems to make good high-power DC cables. Amazon.com Jumper Wire Some jumper wires to connect the internals together. Amazon.com Banggood M3 Hexagon Full Nut to DIN 22 Cable mounts: 8 Raspberry Pi: 4 Einsy Board: 4 Cover: 8 Fan: 4 Amazon.com M3 Hexagon Nylon Insert Thin Nut 3 Brace to Case: 3 Amazon.com M3 x 8 mm Cap Head Hexagon Socket Drive Screw 18 Cable mounts: 8 Raspberry Pi: 4 Case to Frame: 2 Einsy Board: 4 Amazon.com M3 x 10 mm Cap Head Hexagon Socket Drive Screw 4 Brace to Frame Amazon.com M3 x 12 mm Cap Head Hexagon Socket Drive Screw 8 Cover Amazon.com M3 x 10 mm Countersunk Head Hexagon Socket Drive Screw 3 Brace to Case Note: You can make do with regular cap head screws. Amazon.com M3 x 12 mm Countersunk Head Hexagon Socket Drive Screw 12 Cover: 8 Fan: 4 Note: You can make do with regular cap head screws. Amazon.com M3 Form A Flat Washer 4 Brace to frame Amazon.com M6 3030 T-Nuts 4 Brace to frame Amazon.com M4 x 10 mm Cap Head Hexagon Socket Drive Screw 2 Frame Amazon.com M4 Hexagon Full Nut to DIN 2 Frame Amazon.com Zip Ties 2 To tame the cable beast Amazon.com Spade Wire Connectors 4 To crimp the wire ends together. Stranded wire should not be used in screw terminals because it damages the strands. Soldered stranded wire, even less so! Invest in a crimping tool (see below). Amazon.com BOM\nTools # Tool Comment Buy 3D Printer Obviously, needed to print the case. Small Screwdriver To work on the wire terminals. Allen Keys For the M screws. Amazon.com Multimeter Checking wiring and voltage levels. Optional but very recommended. Amazon.com Banggood Soldering Station / Iron Soldering the pins/cable onto the DC-DC converter. That’s the one I have, which is a bit pricey, but served me well! Amazon.com Wire Crimping Tool Crimping the wire ends. Very handy tool. Amazon.com Lab Bench Power Supply KORAD KA3005 is the best bang for your buck you can get as a lab power supply. Optional, but useful while doing tests. Amazon.com Tools\nThe Case # Print the Case # Printing the case. The different fan duct is the Delta-P fan duct by teookie!\nI printed it in PETG, 20% gyroid support and two different colors. The latter primarily because I ran out of orange filament after printing the base, but the two-color scheme actually looks rather good! Even though it does vaguely remind me of hot wheels.\nAssemble the frame brace and the EINSY case. # The installation is a little tricky, and the screws going into the frame require strength to cut the appropriate threads into the metal frame. Obviously, make sure you have everything you need printed at this point!\nCase and frame brace installed.\nThe Electronics \u0026amp; Wiring # Preparing the DC-DC Converter # The Raspberry Pi 4 is rather power hungry, so we cannot use the Einsy board as a power source like the Pi Zero did. Instead, we can hook into the 24 VDC printer power supply and use a DC-DC converter to convert it into the 5V we require for the RP4.\nAdjusting the output voltage of the DC-DC converter The little brass screw adjusts the output voltage DC-DC Converter Configuration I use a converter that has a variable output. It can take an input voltage of 3-32V and convert it to anything between 5-35V. For our use-case, I hooked the input side to my lab bench PSU set to 24V, and adjusted the little variable resistor until the output voltage was just about 5V. I soldered some pins to the board, so I can use breadboard jumpers for the internal wiring. The wire diameter is a bit thin, but it should be fine.\nWhen using the recommended converter, this step is not necessary. It is already intended for a 5VDC output and has a variable input.\nPreparing the Raspberry Pi # Before installing the RPI into the case, we need to apply the heatsinks to the Raspberry Pi. When installing the heatsinks on the RPI4B, make sure not to short out the capacitor on the board!\nAfterward may be a good time to also give the RPI a short test run using the DC-DC converter and a 24VDC power supply (for instance, your lab bench power supply).\nIf the heatsink touches the capacitor it can cause a short and damage the board! Giving the RPI and converter a test run Preparing the Raspberry Pi Wiring # Install all components so you can begin to do the wiring. The installation is a little tedious. Getting the M3 nuts in all the way can be annoying because they tend to shift and get stuck or otherwise refuse to cooperate.\nPower and Data wiring\nThe green connection connects the RPI to the RESET pin on the EINSY board, allowing the RPI to hard-reset the board if necessary. The yellow pin is just another GND pin and can in theory be omitted.\nWire everything as seen above. You can put a ring or spade connector onto the same terminal on the Rambo board as the input wires. As we power the RPI through the DC-DC converter, we don’t need to use the 5V VCC pin of the Rambo board. However, to make the serial communication between the devices possible, they need to share a common ground. That is why the GND pin of the Einsy board also needs to be wired to GND. Complete the rest of the wiring as described in the printer manual.\nThe RPI mounted in the enclosure Installed converter and testing the wiring More wiring checks Wiring up the case Cut the new power supply wires to the appropriate length and crimp the wire ends with spade connectors. Do not use tinned wire ends! Tinned wires used in screw terminals can become a fire hazard.\nCase Wiring Complete Case Closed Case If you chose to also install a fan into the case, this is also the time to put the fan wires on top of the spade connectors before screwing the terminals tight. The wires are solid core, so they do not pose a fire hazard.\nFinally — for the serial interface to be enabled on the printer itself, you need to activate the RPi port — this can be done by going to Settings and toggling the RPi port from [off] to [on].\nAfter the replacement of the power wires. Wires installed on the PSU Wires going into the case Completing the wiring outside the case The Raspberry Pi # Install Octoprint and enable the internal serial connection. # Follow the steps as described here to install Octoprint. The prepared SD card can then simply be plugged into the RPI.\nThe first thing to do, to enable the internal serial connection of the RPi, is to swap ports used by the GPIO and the internal Bluetooth chip. There is a file called config.txt that can be found in the /boot/ directory. You can open it with nano /boot/config.txt, after which you need to add dtoverlay=pi3-miniuart-bt to the end of the file.\nSwapping ports used by GPIO and Bluetooth\nDisable Linux serial console # By default, the primary UART is assigned to the Linux console. Since we want to use this interface for a different purpose, we need to change this. This can be done by using raspi-config:\nStart raspi-config: sudo raspi-config. Select option 5 – interfacing options. Select option P6 – serial. At the prompt Would you like a login shell to be accessible over serial? answer ‘No’ At the prompt Would you like the serial port hardware to be enabled? answer ‘Yes’ Exit raspi-config and reboot the Pi for changes to take effect. Adding serial port # Last part of the configuration is in the web interface. Open your browser and type either “the OctoPrint mDNS hostname” or the IP address of the Raspberry Pi. You may need to go through the welcome wizard first.\nAs soon as you arrive at the home screen, open “Settings” (top right), head to “Serial Connection”, then “Additional serial ports” and insert the following:\n/dev/ttyAMA0 Save the change and reboot OctoPrint. After the reboot, select the new port and connect to your printer.\nCompleted connection via the internal GPIO ports\nSet up your printer profile # Configure the printer profile as shown below. Notable is the custom bounding box, which prevents “out of bound” errors. These would otherwise occur because PrusaSlicer first places a line of filament outside the printing area to get a proper flow going.\nGeneral Settings # Name: Prusa I3 MK3S (or whatever you like) Identifier: (filled in automatically) Model: Original Prusa I3 MK3S Print Bed and Build Volume # Form factor: Rectangular Origin: Lower Left Heated Bed: yes X: 250 Y: 210 Z: 210 Custom Bounding Box: X: 0, 250 Y: -10, 220 Z: -1, 210 The PrusaSlicer first prints what is called a purge line outside the actual printing area to get an ideal material flow. That is why the custom bounding box is needed, it prevents Octoprint from throwing errors when the printer wants to print “outside its printing area”.\nAxis # X: 10,200 mm/min Y: 10,200 mm/min Z: 720 mm/min E: 7,200 mm/min Hotend and Extruder # Nozzle Diameter: 0.4 mm Number of extruders: 1 Set up the default filament temperatures (optional) # Temperature Presets\nI’ve added a few of the most common filament types and the default temperatures they’re printed with. This is completely optional.\nAnd we’re done! # Back in its enclosure.\nAfter another XYZ calibration (which you should do whenever you move the printer), it is done. It does look quite nice and sleek, with the RPI integrated in the Einsy enclosure. I’m not sure if it was worth the effort though, in hindsight, a separate case for the RPI with a regular USB cable to the printer might’ve been just as good. Better, even, if placed outside the enclosure, and thus not exposed to the higher temperature.\nSomething to consider, and possibly do in the future. For now, I’m happy to have replaced the old RPI Zero W with the speedy RPI4.\n","date":"31 October 2020","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/prusa-i3-mk3s-raspberry-pi-4-upgrade/","section":"Blog","summary":" Running a Prusa i3 MK3S with Octoprint definitely improves the overall printing experience. You can quickly upload print jobs from the slicer and check on the printing process remotely. Prusa even has a guide on how to install a Raspberry Pi Zero W directly onto the EINSY board. However, the little board struggles to run Octoprint and in some cases it can even cause layer shifts that ruin a print entirely! Doing a Prusa i3 MK3S Raspberry Pi 4 Upgrade is a little more effort, but absolutely worth it. ","title":"A sleek Prusa i3 MK3S Raspberry Pi 4 Upgrade","type":"posts"},{"content":" When working on electronics projects, there will undoubtedly come a time when you want to take your project mobile. Choosing the right battery for your project is another whole can of worms by itself, as there are many variables to consider. How high does the voltage need to be? How many amps will be pulled at once? Are there weight or size restrictions? How many W/cm³ do I need? A good bang-for-your-buck are 18650 cell based Li-Ion battery packs. The best part? You can make them yourself! You can even use scavenged cells in your DIY lithium-ion battery pack to save even more money!\nDepending on how many of the cells you put in series and parallel, you can build a battery pack that should suit most of your needs.\nThe finished battery\nParts \u0026amp; Tools Required # Some of those are affiliate links. Just trying to recoup the hosting cost!\nBOM # Item Amount Buy 18650 Li-Ion Cells Varies N/A Battery Management System (BMS) 1 Amazon.de Amazon.com Banggood 18650 Battery Spacers # of Cells * 2 Amazon.com Banggood Nickel Strip (8 mm x 0.1 mm) Varies Amazon.com Banggood Wire Varies Amazon.com Banggood XT60 Connectors 1 Pair Amazon.com Banggood BOM\nTools # Soldering Station / Spot Welder Wire Stripper/Cutter Hot Air Station / Hot Air Gun (alternatively, lighter) Multimeter Li-Ion Charger / Bench Power Supply Determine your requirements # Voltage # Find out the voltage requirements of your project. Common voltages are 3.3V, 5V, 12V and 24V. A suitable approach is usually to choose a battery voltage that is equal or higher than the highest voltage requirement in your project. For lower voltages, you can simply use a DC-DC step-down module.\nYou reach the desired voltage with your battery pack by putting the 18650 cells in series. Each cell has ~3.7V, and the number of batteries in series is noted by the S in the XSXP battery name. Now simply multiply the voltage per cell until it reaches the desired voltage. Alternatively, you can also use this online calculator.\nIn my example, I used 3 cells in series, for a voltage of 11V.\nCapacity # The capacity of the battery depends on the capacity of each 18650 cell and how many of them you run in parallel. A common cell capacity is about 2600 mAh. The total capacity of your battery pack will be the number of cells in parallel * the cell capacity.\nI went with 3 cells in parallel, so I should have a theoretical maximum capacity of 5200 mAh.\nDischarge Current # The maximum continuous discharge current depends on the cells themselves, as well as how many of them run in parallel. Make sure that your project does not exceed the current rating of your BMS or the cells themselves. Failure to do so can lead to catastrophic failure, and potentially a fire.\nIf you have a high current application, you might be better off with Li-Po battery packs.\nBMS # Picking the right BMS depends directly on your cell setup. You want to choose one that is rated for your requirements, and provides features such as cell balancing, over-current protection and others.\nA BMS\nMy pack is a 3S2P pack with the appropriate BMS ordered from Banggood.\nWire Gauge # Make sure to size your wires appropriately, to prevent unnecessary heat loss or worse, fire hazards. There are many handy calculators online that help you find the right wire gauge for your needs.\nSourcing the battery cells # Purchase Online # You can find various stores online selling 18650 battery cells in bulk. You can select the ones that fit your requirements and order them online. Beware of scams, though, as it’s not uncommon for shady sellers to sell counterfeit battery cells. These usually have far lower ratings than advertised, and could cause catastrophic failure if brought beyond their limits.\nScavenging # Then there is the alternative of scavenging 18650 battery cells that you might already have lying around. Chances are that you do! A common source of these cells are laptop battery packs and battery packs meant for power tools. It’s likely that even failed battery packs still have plenty of reusable cells inside. Have a look at my article on how to harvest Lithium-Ion cells from old batteries!\nBattery cells out of a Lenovo battery pack Cells and BMS removed from case Another opened battery pack LG cells Some of my haul Personally, this appeals to the maker in me, and also allows extending the use of battery cells that still have plenty of life left and aren’t ripe for the dump yet. However, it doesn’t come without its drawbacks. Removing the cells can be tricky, and you could damage the cells (and yourself) if you’re not careful.\nAssembly # Insert Cells # First, you need to arrange the battery brackets in a fashion that allows you to solder the nickel strip to the positive and negative terminals as required.\nPrepare the frame Insert cells Prepare frame for the other side Attach head frame Inserting/Arranging cells In the gallery, I re-used scavenged batteries that had some remains of nickel strips still attached.\nSolder/Weld the connections # Important Important! Make sure the cells have a similar charge before connecting them in parallel. Otherwise, there will be a high current flow between the batteries, which could result in damage or even fire. Ideally, the cells should be between 3.5–3.7 V.\nUnless you’re regularly building your own battery packs, chances are you don’t have a spot-welder on hand. Well, neither do I. Soldering the nickel strips to the terminals is frowned upon because it exposes the cells to large amounts of heat, causing degradation.\nWell, you have to work with the tools you got. Soldering the nickel strips isn’t pretty, but it gets the job done. If you use batteries that already have tabs attached, you can try soldering the nickel strips to those instead. This reduces the heat the cells are exposed to.\nIt ain’t pretty, but it works…\nIf you correctly inserted the battery cells into the frames, it should now be clear how to solder them together. Take the nickel strips and solder them appropriate to your cell arrangement. Make sure to leave a few extra cm of the nickel strip on the side where you want to attach your BMS.\nAdd the BMS # Time to add the BMS! Chances are the BMS is already designed to be used in a battery pack. Check the wiring diagram of your BMS and attach it to your battery pack. I used some hot-glue to stick it in place.\nBMS on battery pack\nWire the BMS # Attach the nickel strips and connect them to the nickel strips on the battery terminals as shown in your BMS wiring diagram. In the image below is an example based on the BMS used for my 3S2P battery pack.\nBMS Wiring Diagram\nAttach two wires which will be your battery leads to the P+ and P- terminals. Make sure the wire gauge is rated for the maximum current you expect your battery to handle. I suggest also using XT wire terminals, to make attaching the battery to your projects easier. The number after the XT letters stands for the maximum current they’re rated for.\nAdd the XT60 connector to the wire — don’t forget to add heat shrink BEFORE soldering it on…\nWrap the batteries # For the finishing touch, you might want to wrap your battery pack. I used wire insulation tape to create a makeshift wrap. In hindsight, I don’t recommend it because the adhesive seems to degrade over time. Ideally, you’d want heat shrink wrap, but I found the ones with the necessary size too expensive for my taste. It might be worth experimenting with other wrapping techniques to protect the cells and BMS from damage.\nWrapped and ready to go\nCharge # Time to charge the battery pack! I used my bench power supply and configured it with the appropriate maximum charging current and voltage settings. These depend on the cells used in your battery pack, as well as the BMS used. Check the specification sheets of both to make sure which settings to use!\nWarning Caution! Charging Lithium-Ion batteries should only be done with an appropriate charging device. Only use a bench power supply or other means if you really know what you are doing. Using the wrong type of charger can cause damage and possibly a fire hazard!\nYou might want to invest in an appropriate Li-ion battery charger instead.\nCharging the batteries with my lab PSU\nConclusion # If everything worked out as expected, you should now have a complete and charged battery pack, ready to be used in a project of your choice! The steps described above should work for most other battery configurations.\nIf this is more than a one-off for you, it might be worth checking into getting a battery spot-welder. There are various options out there, from €20 Chinesium boards to several thousand € professional machines. An open-source, DIY alternative is the kWeld spot-welder from keenlabs.\n","date":"16 October 2020","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/inexpensive-diy-lithium-ion-battery-pack/","section":"Blog","summary":" When working on electronics projects, there will undoubtedly come a time when you want to take your project mobile. Choosing the right battery for your project is another whole can of worms by itself, as there are many variables to consider. How high does the voltage need to be? How many amps will be pulled at once? Are there weight or size restrictions? How many W/cm³ do I need? A good bang-for-your-buck are 18650 cell based Li-Ion battery packs. The best part? You can make them yourself! You can even use scavenged cells in your DIY lithium-ion battery pack to save even more money!\n","title":"Inexpensive DIY Lithium-ion Battery Pack","type":"posts"},{"content":" What are the health risks of 3D printing? # Appropriately dealing with health hazards is (hopefully) nothing new in our workshops and maker spaces, and just with any other tool it is important to analyse and mitigate the health risks, to ensure 3D printing safety. This article concerns common safety hazards of fused filament fabrication printers. Mechanical Hazards # All parts of the 3D printer that move pose the threat of injury. Examples include: flywheels, pulleys, belts, couplings, chains, cranks, gears, etc. The feed mechanisms and auxiliary parts of the 3D printer should also be considered.\nMitigation # Don’t reach into the printing area while the printer is running. Run the printer inside an enclosure that protects from accidentally reaching into the printing area. Only work on the printer when it is completely de-energized. Electrical \u0026amp; Fire Hazards # While a properly assembled 3D printer should never have any accessible surfaces exposed to live electricity, they do bear the potential of exposing the user to mains voltage if improperly handled or maintained. Especially low-cost 3D printers tend to cut corners that could create a real fire or electric hazard. While most parts of the 3D printer usually run on 12V or 24V, some heat beds run on mains’ voltage (120-230V depending on where you’re from), and of course, a malfunctioning power supply can pose a significant risk.\nMake sure to buy your printer from reputable sources. # Try purchasing your printer from (re)sellers that have a good track record. Legitimate shops will make sure that the items they sell adhere to local laws and have gone through the appropriate import steps if imported from overseas.\nAlternatively, be aware that the item you bought might not adhere to local safety laws if you purchase something through AliExpress or some other back channel directly from China. I bought a cheapo heat gun from China and had to resolder the internal connectors.\nCheck wiring and connectors. # Lose connectors lead to higher resistance, leading to higher temperatures, leading to higher resistance. Repeat that a few more times until you have an electrical fire. Ensure all wires are appropriately sized. Especially when buying from, ahem, less reputable sellers, the products tend to be made for the lowest price possible. That means cutting corners left, right and centre. As long as the product doesn’t burst into flames immediately, it gets shipped.\nMake sure wires are properly terminated. Do not tin wires that are to be terminated with screw terminals. Invest in a wire crimping tool and several ferrules.\nTake preventive measures # Consider running your 3D printer within a metal enclosure, fit a smoke alarm and keep a fire extinguisher nearby.\nDo not let the printer run unattended # As enticing as it might seem, unless you have strong reason to be confident in your 3D printer (i.e. it’s a commercial unit), do not leave your printer running unattended. And if you do, at least make sure you can check up on it remotely through something like OctoPrint.\nOnly work on the printer when it is completely de-energized. # This should go without saying, but make sure to unplug your 3D printer when doing maintenance on it. If you’re not experienced with electronics, you should leave potential electric fixes to someone else.\nTemperature Hazards # The most obvious source of burns would be the print bed and the heating block. Print beds can reach temperatures exceeding 100 °C, while heating blocks easily reach 270 °C and above. Both temperatures are high enough to cause burns when touched without appropriate safety gear.\nThe most obvious source of burns would be the print bed and the heating block. Print beds can reach temperatures exceeding 100 °C, while heating blocks easily reach 270 °C and above. Both temperatures are high enough to cause burns when touched without appropriate safety gear.\nBe aware of the hot bits # The most common items of a 3D printer that can become hot are, as stated above, the hot-end, the heat bed and potentially the stepper motors. It might be a good idea to invest in an IR thermometer, which allows you to check the temperature of parts without touching them.\nLet it cool down # Except for some maintenance tasks that require the printer to be hot while being worked on, give it time to cool down before working close to the hot parts. Most printers also have a screen that shows you the current temperature the components are at.\nWear protective gloves # Wearing some thin-sleeved work gloves can protect your hands from accidental burns while working on the hotend. Make sure they are rated for higher temperatures, however, otherwise you might have them melt onto you instead.\nVOC \u0026amp; Dust Emissions # FFF 3D printers are a major source of VOCs and ultrafine particles, both of which can be health hazards. While this can vary drastically on the filament type, it is still advised to reduce your exposure to 3D printer emissions.\nRun the 3D printer in a well-ventilated area. # The caution here is that moving (cold) air can seriously deform and ruin your print. Some filaments even require a certain ambient air temperature to behave as expected.\nPut the 3D printer in an enclosure. # The enclosure requires appropriate air filter capabilities to completely mitigate the harmful emissions, but it should significantly reduce the exposure.\nInvest in an air purifier. # Rather than filtering the air inside the enclosure (which, admittedly, would be more efficient), you can also get an air purifier that continuously filters the air in the room the 3D printer is in. The market is swamped with shady companies that try to upsell you with various technologies that supposedly clean the air even better. Disregard any filter using an ionizer or any other snake-oil filter techniques.\nSize does matter in this case; the larger the filter area, the better. It should contain at least a HEPA filter as well as an activated carbon stage. Any others are superfluous.\nWear a respirator # An alternative to filtering the air in the room, you can just filter the air going into your lungs. That can be done by wearing a mask with appropriate filters. That means particulate filters rated at FFP2/3 and activated carbon cartridges.\nChemicals # Some steps in the 3D printing workflow require the use of chemicals, which require various safety considerations. Make sure the gloves are non-reactive, that means either made from neoprene or nitrile. Latex can react with some chemicals and degrade or lose its protective properties entirely.\nIsopropyl Alcohol # Isopropyl Alcohol, also known as Isopropanol, 2-propanol and rubbing alcohol, is commonly used when cleaning build plates of 3D printers, and more recently for cleaning up resin prints before curing them. While commonly used in household cleaners, pure isopropyl alcohol is far more dangerous.\nTo handle IPA safely, as stated by Formlabs:\nWear disposable non-reactive gloves (nitrile or neoprene) to handle IPA. Work in a well-ventilated area. Transfer IPA from larger containers with a siphon pump Acetone # Acetone is commonly used to vapour smooth 3D prints. Also known as propanone, it is a clear, colorless liquid that is highly flammable. It is considered a hazardous waste material and needs to be handled and disposed of properly. The potential negative health effects are skin, eye, and lung irritation. Long-term exposure can result in dry, cracked skin and possible damage to the nervous system.\nHandling considerations:\nMake sure the area in which the acetone is used is well-ventilated Wear proper PPEs (gloves, goggles, mask) If you work with acetone on a surface, make sure the surface it’s a surface that doesn’t soak up the liquid If you use acetone in your business, make sure you have got the proper licensing in place to do so More information can be found here.\nConclusion # 3D printing using FFF technology is an overall relatively safe affair, if some simple safety precautions are taken. Always make sure to keep your health and safety in mind, especially when working with 3D printers regularly.\n","date":"16 October 2020","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/3d-printing-safety/","section":"Blog","summary":"What are the health risks of 3D printing? # Appropriately dealing with health hazards is (hopefully) nothing new in our workshops and maker spaces, and just with any other tool it is important to analyse and mitigate the health risks, to ensure 3D printing safety. This article concerns common safety hazards of fused filament fabrication printers. Mechanical Hazards # All parts of the 3D printer that move pose the threat of injury. Examples include: flywheels, pulleys, belts, couplings, chains, cranks, gears, etc. The feed mechanisms and auxiliary parts of the 3D printer should also be considered.\n","title":"3D Printing Safety","type":"posts"},{"content":" 3D printers can create harmful fumes # FFF 3D printers are a major source of VOCs and ultrafine particles, both of which can be harmful to your health. While this can vary drastically on the filament type, it is still advised to reduce your exposure to 3D printer fumes. There’s a continued research effort in comparing 3D printing filament emissions with each other. The number of studies regarding 3D printer emissions is still relatively small, and has until very recently only considered basic filament types such as PLA and ABS​1​. PLA is fairly benign, as it mostly consists of mostly harmless components. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), as the name suggests, emits large amounts of styrene when heated. Hardly any studies have compared these filament types with the more modern alternatives on the market. I was especially interested in the performance of PETG, and I’ve found this study that has a closer look.\nParticle size distribution (PSD), particle number concentration (PNC), particle chemical composition and particle volatility were measured. In addition, volatile and very volatile organic compounds (VOCs and VVOCs) emitted during 3D printing were analysed.​2​\nThe results were rather interesting. Here are the types of filaments they tested:\nABS – Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ULTRAT – Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene + 0–3% polycarbonate ASA – Acrylonitrile styrene acrylate HIPS – High-impact polystyrene PETG – Polyethylene terephthalate glycol GLASS – 80% PETG + 8–12% fibre glass filings PCABS – 30–35% polycarbonate + 55–65% ABS ESD – PETG + carbon-based conductive additives Notable are two things. One being that styrene is a common component of 3D printer filament, the second is an absence of PLA. The latter can probably be explained because earlier studies have already established its emission profile to an adequate degree. It is, however, still somewhat disappointing, as it makes direct comparisons more difficult.\nParticle Emissions # Fine Particle Emissions (0.3–10 µm) # First up, we have the amount of particle emissions created by the different filaments. The measurements were taken with two different devices, and thus two different sized scales. The number of particulates created between 0,3 – 10 µm was relatively low:\nParticle Emissions (0.3–10 µm)\nBecause of their small size, particles on the order of 10 micrometers or fewer (coarse particulate matter, PM10) can penetrate the deepest part of the lungs, such as the bronchioles or alveoli. When asthmatics are exposed to these conditions, it can trigger bronchoconstriction.​3​\nEspecially, long-term exposure to these particulates should be avoided, which is why it is commonly recommended to run 3D printers only in well-ventilated areas. That is the easiest method of reducing the total number of particulates in the air, and also the cheapest. There are several alternatives, such as running the 3D printer in an enclosure or filtering either the air inside the enclosure or the room the 3D printer is located in through an air filtration system.\nUltra Fine Particle Emissions (5.6–560 nm) # The second category of particle emissions is that of the ultra-fine particles. These range between 5.6 to 560 nm.\nParticle Emissions (5.6—560 nm)\nThe inhalation of ultra-fine particles should also be avoided, especially when suffering from various forms of lung disease.\nThe main exposure to UFPs is through inhalation. Owing to their size, UFPs are considered to be respirable particles. Contrary to the behaviour of inhaled PM10 and PM2.5, ultrafine particles are deposited in the lungs, where they have the ability to penetrate tissue and undergo interstitialization, or to be absorbed directly into the bloodstream — and therefore are not easily removed from the body and may have immediate effect. Exposure to UFPs, even if components are not very toxic, may cause oxidative stress, inflammatory mediator release, and could induce heart disease, lung disease, and other systemic effects.​2​\nThese types of particulates are more difficult to filter from air due to their size, but HEPA filters can still reduce their numbers, especially when recycling the contaminated air through the filter medium repeatedly.​4​\nParticle-Specific Emission Rate # The SER is based on the emission of particles in the size range of 5.6-560 nm.\nParticle-Specific Emission Rate\nVOC Emissions # VOCs, or Volatile Organic Compounds, aren’t inherently dangerous or problematic by themselves. Most smells and odours are actually of VOCs. This does not mean they cannot be dangerous, however. Respiratory, allergic, or immune effects in infants or children are associated with man-made VOCs and other indoor or outdoor air pollutants. Some VOCs, such as styrene and limonene, can react with nitrogen oxides or with ozone to produce new oxidation products and secondary aerosols, which can cause sensory irritation symptoms.​5​\n3D printing with PETG and GLASS was related with low TVOC emission, while high emission rates were found for ULTRAT, ASA and ABS. The most abundant VOC was styrene for most of the filaments except PETG-based filaments (PETG, GLASS and ESD). In addition, for the eight filaments, benzaldehyde (8 times), acetophenone (6 times), ethylbenzene (5 times), toluene (5 times), and other C3-benzenes (5 times) were detected.​2​\nStyrene, being a major component of ABS and ASA-based filaments, inevitably leads to an increased emission of this VOC during printing.\nEmission of VOC\nInterestingly, even filaments based on the same type of material (plain ABS and ULTRAT) showed different amounts of emissions, albeit under different printing conditions:\nFilaments that have the same basic polymers may show different VOC emission profiles: For instance, ABS and ULTRAT are mainly based on ABS polymer, and while the main monomers styrene and acrylonitrile were often detected, both the TVOC emission rates and other major VOCs differed. The printing temperatures of ABS and ULTRAT are also different (275 °C vs. 260 °C). Therefore, no conclusion can be drawn whether the subtle difference in the filament composition, the printing temperatures, or other undefined factors are contributing to the different VOC emissions. The same is found for PETG and ESD, which are both PETG-based materials.​2​\nThis might suggest that many other “special blends” of filaments can introduce more VOC emissions. This is likely because of additives such as stabilizers, lubricants, mineral oils, antioxidants, and colourants. Most notably again is the performance of PETG, with only trace amounts of VOCs.\nVOC can be filtered using activated carbon filters.​6​ These filters are usually one of the filter stages found in most air filtration systems and are very efficient. Do note that they lose their efficiency over time, as they become saturated. That is why it is necessary to replace them regularly.\nConclusion # While 3D printing is unlikely to be directly harmful to your health, precautions should still be considered, especially when considering long-term exposure. That is especially true when printing with the nastier types of filament, primarily those with styrene as a major component. Luckily, PETG seems to be a viable alternative to many ABS-based filaments these days. Not only do its characteristics match or exceed that of ABS, but its emission profile is also much less hazardous.\nRegardless of what filament you choose, you should always take common safety precautions while 3D printing.\nBravi L, Murmura F, Santos G. Additive Manufacturing: Possible Problems with Indoor Air Quality. Procedia Manufacturing. Published online 2019:952-959. doi:10.1016/j.promfg.2019.10.020 2. 2.\nGu J, Wensing M, Uhde E, Salthammer T. Characterization of particulate and gaseous pollutants emitted during operation of a desktop 3D printer. Environment International. Published online February 2019:476-485. doi:10.1016/j.envint.2018.12.014 3. 3.\nBalmes JR, Fine JM, Sheppard D. Symptomatic Bronchoconstriction after Short-Term Inhalation of Sulfur Dioxide. Am Rev Respir Dis. Published online November 1987:1117-1121. doi:10.1164/ajrccm/136.5.1117 4. 4.\nLowther SD, Deng W, Fang Z, et al. How efficiently can HEPA purifiers remove priority fine and ultrafine particles from indoor air? Environment International. Published online November 2020:106001. doi:10.1016/j.envint.2020.106001 5. 5.\nWolkoff P, Wilkins CK, Clausen PA, Nielsen GD. Organic compounds in office environments – sensory irritation, odor, measurements and the role of reactive chemistry. Indoor Air. Published online February 2006:7-19. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0668.2005.00393.x 6. 6.\nSidheswaran MA, Destaillats H, Sullivan DP, Cohn S, Fisk WJ. Energy efficient indoor VOC air cleaning with activated carbon fiber (ACF) filters. Building and Environment. Published online January 2012:357-367. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2011.07.002\n","date":"5 October 2020","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/comparing-3d-printer-emissions/","section":"Blog","summary":"3D printers can create harmful fumes # FFF 3D printers are a major source of VOCs and ultrafine particles, both of which can be harmful to your health. While this can vary drastically on the filament type, it is still advised to reduce your exposure to 3D printer fumes. There’s a continued research effort in comparing 3D printing filament emissions with each other. The number of studies regarding 3D printer emissions is still relatively small, and has until very recently only considered basic filament types such as PLA and ABS​1​. PLA is fairly benign, as it mostly consists of mostly harmless components. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), as the name suggests, emits large amounts of styrene when heated. Hardly any studies have compared these filament types with the more modern alternatives on the market. I was especially interested in the performance of PETG, and I’ve found this study that has a closer look.\n","title":"3D Printer Emissions of common filament types compared","type":"posts"},{"content":"The market for 3D printer resin is, perhaps unsurprisingly, far smaller than the one for 3D printer filament. However, there are still several manufacturers that offer 3D printer resin made in the EU.\nWith Anycubic’s release of their new series of Photon Mono resin printers, I started looking for 3D printer resin to buy in preparation. For similar reasons as I had stated in my 3D printer filament article, I wanted to buy resin that was made within the EU. And again, despite being made in the EU and under EU law, there are a bunch of resins available that aren’t too expensive either.\nTable of 3D Printer Resins # Manufacturer Name Price (€) Amount (ml) €/L Made In ALT LCD Resin 33.19 500 66.38 Netherlands DruckWege Type D Flex UV DLP Resin 77.99 500 155.98 Germany DruckWege Type D High Temp UV DLP Resin 105.28 500 210.56 Germany DruckWege Type D Pro UV DLP Resin 52.99 500 105.98 Germany DruckWege Type D Standard (Vorteilspaket) UV DLP Resin 96.5 1500 64.33 Germany DruckWege Type D Standard UV DLP Resin 34.96 500 69.92 Germany DruckWege Type D Tough UV DLP Resin 72.99 500 145.98 Germany Formfutura Engineering Series Heavy Duty 92.99 500 185.98 Netherlands Formfutura Engineering Series Tough 77.99 500 155.98 Netherlands Formfutura Platinum LCD Series 40.89 500 81.78 Netherlands Liqcreate Clear Impact 155.99 1000 155.99 Netherlands Liqcreate Clear Impact 53.99 250 215.96 Netherlands Liqcreate Flexible-X 150.99 1000 150.99 Netherlands Liqcreate Flexible-X 51.99 250 207.96 Netherlands Liqcreate Hazard Glow 57.99 250 231.96 Netherlands Liqcreate Premium Tough/Flex/Model 87.99 1000 87.99 Netherlands Liqcreate Premium Tough/Flex/Model 35.19 250 140.76 Netherlands Liqcreate Premium Black/White 77.99 1000 77.99 Netherlands Liqcreate Premium Black/White 29.19 250 116.76 Netherlands Liqcreate Stone Coal Black 106.99 1000 106.99 Netherlands Liqcreate Strong - X 189.99 1000 189.99 Netherlands Liqcreate Strong - X 64.99 250 259.96 Netherlands Liqcreate Tough-X 163.99 1000 163.99 Netherlands Liqcreate Tough-X 55.99 250 223.96 Netherlands The price per litre varies wildly, and the more exotic resins cost an arm and a leg. But the standard resins price comparably to ones made outside the EU.\nMy printer hasn’t arrived yet, so I can’t make any recommendations regarding the quality. However, I’ll probably get the value pack by DruckWege and see how it goes.\n","date":"25 September 2020","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/3d-printer-resin-made-in-the-eu/","section":"Blog","summary":"The market for 3D printer resin is, perhaps unsurprisingly, far smaller than the one for 3D printer filament. However, there are still several manufacturers that offer 3D printer resin made in the EU.\nWith Anycubic’s release of their new series of Photon Mono resin printers, I started looking for 3D printer resin to buy in preparation. For similar reasons as I had stated in my 3D printer filament article, I wanted to buy resin that was made within the EU. And again, despite being made in the EU and under EU law, there are a bunch of resins available that aren’t too expensive either.\n","title":"3D printer resin made in the EU compared","type":"posts"},{"content":" The Enclosure # A 3D printer enclosure perfect for a Prusa i3 MK3S, made of powder coated sheet-metal and has a safety glass door. Even before I received my 3D printer, I was looking for an appropriate enclosure. I did that for two reasons: One being that filaments apart from PLA tend to warp outside the stable temperature environment an enclosure provides, and two being that I wanted to reduce the toxic emissions and noise of the printer.\nThere are a few common options, though none of them really convinced me. One of the most recommended options is the Ikea LACK enclosure, developed by Prusa itself. While certainly enticing, what I didn’t like about it was the fact that it’s practically made from paper maché. As affordable as Ikea furniture is, it’s also not very durable.\nOther alternatives are usually little more than boxes made of acrylic or little plastic tents that are sold for outrageous prices.\nThen I stumbled over this article by Daniel Schweinert. Here’s what he has to say:\nI’ve found the perfect enclosure for my Prusa i3 MK3 3D printer (no modification needed!). It’s a cheap server wall mount cabinet for only 79,- EUR. You can find it on eBay or in different computer online shops. It has 4 mm safety glass and powder coated sheet metal walls. The roof and bottom have cable entries and the roof is also prepared for mounting 2 x single fans. That may be useful if you want to build a fume exhaust for ABS printing.\nHe’s just about spot on. Using 19″ racks as enclosures still seems to be under the radar of most 3D printing enthusiasts. Brand-new ones can be found as cheaply as €80, whereas used ones can be picked up cheaply from offices that don’t want to deal with the disassembly themselves.\nI would recommend against getting the 15U tall enclosure, and instead opt for the 12U enclosure (Unless you want to go for the MMU upgrade). This way, the filament spool can be mounted outside the enclosure. This allows the use of air-sealed filament containers on top of the enclosure. Otherwise, its size is perfect for a Prusa i3 MK3S, and similar sized 3D printers.\nIn a ~24 °C room, I printed without problems both PETG and PLA. The temperature in the enclosure was about +10 °C above room temperature. This could be further increased with improved sealing of the enclosure.\nI’ve placed my enclosure on top of large tool drawers, but you can place it anywhere with a sturdy surface. If you still want to have some LACK in your project, a LACK table would work perfectly well.\nBOM # Material Comment Buy at Server Enclosure There are a few different options out there. I went with one that has an additional on/off plug with integrated IR sensor that I could glue to the side of the rack. Reichelt (de) Amazon.de Conrad: (at), (be), (cz), (dk), (de), (fr), (hr), (it), (hu), (nl), (pl), (si), (sk), (se) Smoke Detector In case of an overheating or fire event. Any cheap detector should do. Amazon.de Amazon.com RGB LED Strip, 5m Sides: 15×15 mm Back left and right: 40 × 35 mm Back top and bottom: 30 × 30 mm Amazon.de Amazon.com Cable Conduit Sides: 15×15 mm Back left and right: 40 × 35 mm Back top and bottom: 30 x 30 mm Hardware Store Smoke Detector Mount Pad In my version of the rack, I’m feeding the filament into the enclosure through a separate PTFE tube that runs directly to the filament storage. For this, you either want a flange on the ceiling or a fitting on the extruder itself. I went with the latter. Amazon.de Amazon.com PC4-M6 tube fitting In my version of the rack I’m feeding the filament into the enclosure through a separate PTFE tube that runs directly to the filament storage. For this you either want a flange on the ceiling or a fitting on the extruder itself. I went with the latter. Amazon.de Amazon.com PTFE tubing, 2m See above. Amazon.de Amazon.com Banggood BOM\nSome of these are affiliate links. I don’t get much traffic, so every bit helps if you buy something through them!\nUseful Tools # Tool/Material Comment Buy at Power Drill If you want to drill extra holes into the enclosure, you may want to use a power drill together with a step drill bit. Amazon.de Amazon.com Step drill bit set Needed if you want to drill a (large) hole into the metal enclosure. Amazon.de Amazon.com Deburring Tool When cutting the cable trays or other parts, it is recommended to remove the rough edges with a deburring tool. Amazon.de Amazon.com Sandpaper Sponge As above, but sandpaper is a valid alternative. Amazon.de Amazon.com Pop Rivet Gun Useful when wanting to fasten something to the metal enclosure. Amazon.de Amazon.com Tools\nOptional # Material Comment Buy at Reduces sound and vibrations. Any regular concrete tile will do. The heavier, the better! Foam, 40 × 40 x 5 cm Hardware Store Foam, 40 x 40 x 5 cm Foam, 40 × 40 × 5 cm Amazon.de Amazon.com Optional\nOverall, the entire enclosure cost me about €100, including shipping. A bargain, considering you get an actual metal enclosure with safety glass!\nIf you can, try to buy an RGB LED strip that has a plug that can be removed from the power supply / controller. I had to cut mine and solder it back together, so I could fit it through the small hole I had drilled into the side.\nConcrete slab on top of furniture foam\nI used a combination of a concrete tile and a piece of foam to reduce the overall noise and stabilize the case through the extra weight. The tile absorbs energy, while the foam decouples the printer from the case. This reduces the noise drastically, and I can sleep in the same room as the printer while printing. Any concrete tile should do, just get one from a local hardware store. The heavier, the better! The piece of foam I got at the same hardware store, normally meant to be used for furniture construction/repair. Both are 40×40 cm, and thus a perfect fit.\nThe Build # Assemble the case # First, build the case according to the manual. It’s fairly straightforward. Keep in mind that since the case is meant to be wall mounted, it’s not very sturdy without support and can easily be bent out of shape. This is not a big problem, you’ll just notice that the door won’t fit properly until you finally placed the enclosure in its final resting place. In my case, it rests against two walls, and is thus sturdy enough. Adding a few 90° brackets may help if you want to make the case more sturdy.\nThe assembled case needs a solid surface or needs to be wall-mounted.\nI’ve placed my enclosure on top of large tool drawers, but you can place it anywhere with a sturdy surface. If you still want to have some LACK in your project, a LACK table would work perfectly well.\nThe case will be a lot more sturdy if you use the concrete slab dampener, as it will add extra weight to the enclosure.\nInstall the cable conduit # To Cut the cable conduit to length, you require two of the wider pieces on the back, and 1-4 of the thinner ones to mount in the 4 corners of the enclosure, to get the RGB LED cabling to the front. I opted to use 2 to keep things symmetrical. I recommend cleaning up the cuts with either a deburring tool, a sharp knife or some sanding paper.\nThere are two mounted nuts on each side in which the side panels are mounted. Drill one hole for each nut into the cable conduit. This securely attaches them to the case (keep the hole slightly smaller to press-fit them in), while also making the whole thing a little more aesthetically pleasing.\nYou can use these nubs to press-fit the cable conduit Measure the distance, drill a hole of the appropriate size and deburr the hole Press fit the conduit in. Installing the conduit Drill a hole into one of the larger cable conduits in the back, to allow for the LED power cable to get to the strip.\nSince I can’t use the top or bottom cable access, I had to drill a separate hole\nI used pop rivets to attach the rear cable conduits to the holes of the rear panel. This is probably overkill, but I had the tools at hand. You can most likely get away with simply gluing them in.\nInstall the LED strip # My LED strip came with an infrared remote, so I mounted the receiver to the side of the case. I then drilled a hole into the side, to get both the LED and the power cable for the 3D printer in. Note: If you place the enclosure somewhere that allows you the use of the cable chute of the cabinet, you can skip this step.\nRGB LED strip around the top door corner Strip behind the back cable conduit Lower back DIY cable feeding the strip on the front Glue the LED strip all around the small recess of the back panel. Then comes the tricky part (or maybe I’m just dumb and missed an alternative method). I cut the RGB ribbon and soldered 4 cables (RGB + GND) to it. I then twisted the cables to make one pseudo 4-core-cable and used it in one of the cable conduits to get to the front of the enclosure. There I soldered them to the remaining LED strip.\nThere, you do the same – install the RGB strip all around the recess in the front. This allows for some beautiful indirect lighting.\nLED IR Receiver and Switch\nInstall the smoke alarm # If you choose to install a fire alarm (which I recommend), I suggest simply gluing two neodymium magnets to it and attaching the fire alarm directly above the printer.\nSmoke-Alarm with glued on neodymium magnets\nFeeding filament into the enclosure # To get things started, I fed the filament simply through one of the fan mount screw holes. Eventually, I fed the printer with some PTFE tubing straight from my filament storage container. Mid-Term I recommend drilling an extra hole, make sure to deburr it. Long-term, I’m thinking of installing a PTFE coupler into the ceiling to make filament changes easier.\nPTFE tube from the air-sealed filament storage Into the extruder The tube inside the enclosure has enough flex to move Feeding filament into the enclosure Conclusion # So far, I’m pleased with the enclosure and can recommend it. I’ll continue to update this article (or write a new one) if I make any more modifications. I am considering moving the PSU out of the enclosure, to reduce its exposure to heat.\n","date":"24 September 2020","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/ideal-server-rack-3d-printer-enclosure/","section":"Blog","summary":"The Enclosure # A 3D printer enclosure perfect for a Prusa i3 MK3S, made of powder coated sheet-metal and has a safety glass door. Even before I received my 3D printer, I was looking for an appropriate enclosure. I did that for two reasons: One being that filaments apart from PLA tend to warp outside the stable temperature environment an enclosure provides, and two being that I wanted to reduce the toxic emissions and noise of the printer.\n","title":"Ideal server rack 3D Printer Enclosure","type":"posts"},{"content":" Sourcing “ethical” 3D printer filament # *There’s an abundance of 3D printer filament manufacturers on the market. While there is a plethora of reviews and tests regarding their quality and price, far too often the circumstances under which they are made is disregarded. I was looking for filament made in countries that have acceptable human right standards and labour laws. That’s why here’s a list of 3D Printer Filament Made in the EU.* While globalization certainly has its upsides, I’ve come to try to source things I purchase from Germany (or any other country within the EU) whenever I can. This is also the case for 3D printer filament. Naturally, I looked around.\nI found a post by ddd-filament which lists various manufacturers. I found the list to be very useful, and I recommend you check it out. Some manufacturers have been missing, however, and they also list some manufacturers that don’t sell to end-users directly.\nWhy filament made in the EU? # Buying filament that has been produced in the EU means it falls under EU laws and directives. That means it should adhere to labour and environmental laws during its production. Taxes paid on the products also go back into the local economy, and in turn social systems.\nI strongly urge buying against filament made in China, as chances are they are made at a low price at the cost of human rights and the environment.\nList of Manufacturers # Manufacturer Country of Origin Materials 3DJake EU ABS, ASA, Bio Filament, PLA, PVA, Recycled PETG, Recycled PLA, SKULPT, TPU add:north Sweden ABS, Boron Carbide, Carbon Fiber, Cellulose, Graphene, Nylon, PET, PLA, Polyethylene, PVDF Das Filament Germany PETG, PLA, TPU Extrudr Austria ABS, Greentech, PETG, PLA, TPU Fiberlogy Poland ABS, ASA, BVOH, FIBERFLEX, FIBERSILK, FIBERWOOD, HIPS, NYLON, PETG, PLA, PP, Refill Fillamentum Czech Republic ABS, ASA, CPE, CPE-CF, CPE/PETG, HIPS, Nylon, PC/ABS, PLA, PP, Timberfill, TPE, TPU, Vinyl Formfutura Netherlands ABS, ASA, HIPS, PA, PC, PC-ABS, PETG, PLA, PP, PVA, SBC, TPC, TPU HERZ Germany ABS, ABS – Tech line, COC Filament, ESD Filament, HiPS, PA6.66, PA-12 (W/H), PAHT-CF, PC, PC/PBTP, PETG, PLA, PLA-HI, PMMA, PP, PVA, TPS, TPU-R Innofil3D BV Netherlands? ABS, ABS Fusion+, ASA, BVOH, HiPS, PA, PAHT CF15, PEI, PET, PET CF15, PLA, PLA PRO1, PP, PP GF30, PPSU, rPET, TPC, TPE, TPU, Z-PETG Kaisertech Germany ABS, Fleixble Rubber, HIPS, PETG, PLA, PP, PVA, Wood Material 4 Print Germany ABS, ABS-PC, ASA, PETG, PLA, PMMA Orbi-Tech Germany ABS, ABS/PC, ASA, BendLay Glass, HiPS, Mold-Lay, Nylon PA, PC, PET, PLA, smartABS, TPE \u0026amp; TPU Prusa Czech Republic ABS, ASA, FLEX, PET, PLA, SPECIAL Ultimaker Netherlands ABS, Nylon, PC, PLA, PP Personally, I’ve purchased filament from Das Filament and material4print, and so far, I’m pleased. I especially enjoy the refill option Das Filament offers, as to avoid empty rolls ending up in the rubbish. They also seem to enjoy a good reputation in the 3D printing community, and I’ll use them as my “bread and butter” (PLA \u0026amp; PETG) source in the future.\nI’ve also looked for 3D printer resin manufacturers in the EU, check it out if you’re interested!\n","date":"19 September 2020","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/3d-printer-filament-made-in-the-eu/","section":"Blog","summary":"Sourcing “ethical” 3D printer filament # *There’s an abundance of 3D printer filament manufacturers on the market. While there is a plethora of reviews and tests regarding their quality and price, far too often the circumstances under which they are made is disregarded. I was looking for filament made in countries that have acceptable human right standards and labour laws. That’s why here’s a list of 3D Printer Filament Made in the EU.* While globalization certainly has its upsides, I’ve come to try to source things I purchase from Germany (or any other country within the EU) whenever I can. This is also the case for 3D printer filament. Naturally, I looked around.\n","title":"3D Printer Filament Made in the EU","type":"posts"},{"content":"I’m an information-security professional with a technical foundation in network architecture and an enduring interest in art and philosophy.\nI don’t treat those as separate identities. Security teaches me to reason under uncertainty; philosophy asks what our decisions imply; making things keeps both honest by forcing ideas into form. The useful work tends to happen where these disciplines meet.\n","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/about/","section":"Pages","summary":"I’m an information-security professional with a technical foundation in network architecture and an enduring interest in art and philosophy.\nI don’t treat those as separate identities. Security teaches me to reason under uncertainty; philosophy asks what our decisions imply; making things keeps both honest by forcing ideas into form. The useful work tends to happen where these disciplines meet.\n","title":"About","type":"pages"},{"content":" Get In Touch # E-Mail # Good old e-mail. Greatest common denominator.\nSend an E-Mail LinkedIn # Facebook wearing a suit. Check my profile if you’re interested in my career.\nMy Profile GitHub # Sharing is caring.\nMy Profile Printables # I upload most of my stuff on PrusaPrinters, including stuff not worth its own article. Check it out!\nMy Profile GrabCAD # To fit things properly I tend to create CAD files of existing electronics and share them there.\nMy Profile Signal # If you have my mobile phone number, feel free to hit me up on Signal!\n","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/contact/","section":"Pages","summary":"Get In Touch # E-Mail # Good old e-mail. Greatest common denominator.\nSend an E-Mail LinkedIn # Facebook wearing a suit. Check my profile if you’re interested in my career.\n","title":"Contact","type":"pages"},{"content":"This Cookie Policy was last updated on 19.06.2025 and applies to citizens and legal permanent residents of the European Economic Area and Switzerland.\\\n1. Introduction # Our website, \u0026lt;/\u0026gt; (hereinafter: “the website”) uses cookies and other related technologies (for convenience all technologies are referred to as “cookies”). Cookies are also placed by third parties we have engaged. In the document below we inform you about the use of cookies on our website.\n2. What are cookies? # A cookie is a small simple file that is sent along with pages of this website and stored by your browser on the hard drive of your computer or another device. The information stored therein may be returned to our servers or to the servers of the relevant third parties during a subsequent visit.\n3. What are scripts? # A script is a piece of program code that is used to make our website function properly and interactively. This code is executed on our server or on your device.\n4. What is a web beacon? # A web beacon (or a pixel tag) is a small, invisible piece of text or image on a website that is used to monitor traffic on a website. In order to do this, various data about you is stored using web beacons.\n5. Cookies # 5.1 Technical or functional cookies # Some cookies ensure that certain parts of the website work properly and that your user preferences remain known. By placing functional cookies, we make it easier for you to visit our website. This way, you do not need to repeatedly enter the same information when visiting our website and, for example, the items remain in your shopping cart until you have paid. We may place these cookies without your consent.\n5.2 Statistics cookies # We use statistics cookies to optimize the website experience for our users. With these statistics cookies we get insights in the usage of our website. We ask your permission to place statistics cookies.\n6. Placed cookies # WordPress # Functional\nConsent to service wordpress\nUsage # We use WordPress for website development. Read more about WordPress\nSharing data # This data is not shared with third parties.\nFunctional # Name # WP_PREFERENCES_USER_*\nExpiration # persistent\nFunction # Store user preferences\nName # wp-settings-*\nExpiration # persistent\nFunction # Store user preferences\nName # wp-settings-time-*\nExpiration # 1 year\nFunction # Store user preferences\nName # wordpress_test_cookie\nExpiration # session\nFunction # Read if cookies can be placed\nName # wordpress_logged_in_*\nExpiration # persistent\nFunction # Store logged in users\nName # wp_lang\nExpiration # session\nFunction # Store language settings\nName # wpEmojiSettingsSupports\nExpiration # session\nFunction # Store browser details\nKadence Blocks # Functional\nConsent to service kadence-blocks\nUsage # We use Kadence Blocks for website design. Read more about Kadence Blocks\nSharing data # This data is not shared with third parties.\nFunctional # Name # kadenceBlocksPrebuilt\nExpiration # persistent\nFunction # Provide a responsive website\nWordfence # Functional\nConsent to service wordfence\nUsage # We use Wordfence for security and fraud prevention. Read more about Wordfence\nSharing data # For more information, please read the Wordfence Privacy Statement.\nFunctional # Name # wf_loginalerted_*\nExpiration # persistent\nFunction # Provide protection against hackers\nName # wfwaf-authcookie*\nExpiration # 1 day\nFunction # Read to determine if the user is logged in\nMatomo # Functional, Statistics (anonymous)\nConsent to service matomo\nUsage # We use Matomo for website statistics. Read more about Matomo\nSharing data # This data is not shared with third parties.\nFunctional # Name # MATOMO_SESSID\nExpiration # session\nFunction # Provide fraud prevention\nName # mtm_cookie_consent\nExpiration # 30 years\nFunction # Store cookie consent preferences\nStatistics (anonymous) # Name # _pk_id*\nExpiration # 13 months\nFunction # Store a unique user ID\nName # _pk_ses*\nExpiration # session\nFunction # Store a unique session ID\nWistia # Marketing\nConsent to service wistia\nUsage # We use Wistia for video display. Read more about Wistia\nSharing data # For more information, please read the Wistia Privacy Statement.\nMarketing # Name # wistia\nExpiration # persistent\nFunction # Store performed actions on the website\nPolylang # Functional\nConsent to service polylang\nUsage # We use Polylang for locale management. Read more about Polylang\nSharing data # This data is not shared with third parties.\nFunctional # Name # pll_language\nExpiration # persistent\nFunction # Store language settings\nComplianz # Functional\nConsent to service complianz\nUsage # We use Complianz for cookie consent management. Read more about Complianz\nSharing data # This data is not shared with third parties. For more information, please read the Complianz Privacy Statement.\nFunctional # Name # cmplz_consented_services\nExpiration # 365 days\nFunction # Store cookie consent preferences\nName # cmplz_policy_id\nExpiration # 365 days\nFunction # Store accepted cookie policy ID\nName # cmplz_marketing\nExpiration # 365 days\nFunction # Store cookie consent preferences\nName # cmplz_statistics\nExpiration # 365 days\nFunction # Store cookie consent preferences\nName # cmplz_preferences\nExpiration # 365 days\nFunction # Store cookie consent preferences\nName # cmplz_functional\nExpiration # 365 days\nFunction # Store cookie consent preferences\nName # cmplz_banner-status\nExpiration # 365 days\nFunction # Store if the cookie banner has been dismissed\nMiscellaneous # Purpose pending investigation\nConsent to service miscellaneous\nUsage # Sharing data # Sharing of data is pending investigation\nPurpose pending investigation # Name # cfEmail\nExpiration # Function # Name # tooltipPause\nExpiration # Function # Name # rank_math_analytics_date_range\nExpiration # Function # Name # odSubmitted-eb3c8ebf180c49d65e424559ceea5a2269dcfbdf\nExpiration # Function # Name # odStorageLockTime\nExpiration # Function # Name # odSubmitted-d082ecde8665f30b4d3cd14bdb49d34931d06192\nExpiration # Function # Name # nocache_bfcache_js_enabled\nExpiration # Function # Name # wordpress_bfcache_session_3017670f0075e28b0e7de5a5160eea04\nExpiration # Function # Name # odSubmitted-d088c9f863be6422bbbc5162655b45c7456624a6\nExpiration # Function # 7. Consent # When you visit our website for the first time, we will show you a pop-up with an explanation about cookies. As soon as you click on “Save preferences”, you consent to us using the categories of cookies and plug-ins you selected in the pop-up, as described in this Cookie Policy. You can disable the use of cookies via your browser, but please note that our website may no longer work properly.\n7.1 Manage your consent settings # You have loaded the Cookie Policy without javascript support. On AMP, you can use the manage consent button on the bottom of the page.\n8. Enabling/disabling and deleting cookies # You can use your internet browser to automatically or manually delete cookies. You can also specify that certain cookies may not be placed. Another option is to change the settings of your internet browser so that you receive a message each time a cookie is placed. For more information about these options, please refer to the instructions in the Help section of your browser.\nPlease note that our website may not work properly if all cookies are disabled. If you do delete the cookies in your browser, they will be placed again after your consent when you visit our website again.\n9. Your rights with respect to personal data # You have the following rights with respect to your personal data:\nYou have the right to know why your personal data is needed, what will happen to it, and how long it will be retained for. Right of access: You have the right to access your personal data that is known to us. Right to rectification: you have the right to supplement, correct, have deleted or blocked your personal data whenever you wish. If you give us your consent to process your data, you have the right to revoke that consent and to have your personal data deleted. Right to transfer your data: you have the right to request all your personal data from the controller and transfer it in its entirety to another controller. Right to object: you may object to the processing of your data. We comply with this, unless there are justified grounds for processing. To exercise these rights, please contact us. Please refer to the contact details at the bottom of this Cookie Policy. If you have a complaint about how we handle your data, we would like to hear from you, but you also have the right to submit a complaint to the supervisory authority (the Data Protection Authority).\n10. Contact details # For questions and/or comments about our Cookie Policy and this statement, please contact us by using the following contact details:\nDennis Irrgang\nHauptstr. 37\n85445 Oberding\nGermany\nWebsite: \u0026lt;/\u0026gt;\nEmail: privacy@ex.comirrgang.dev\\\nThis Cookie Policy was synchronized with cookiedatabase.org on 28.06.2025.\n","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cookie-policy-eu/","section":"Pages","summary":"This Cookie Policy was last updated on 19.06.2025 and applies to citizens and legal permanent residents of the European Economic Area and Switzerland.\\\n1. Introduction # Our website, \u003c/\u003e (hereinafter: “the website”) uses cookies and other related technologies (for convenience all technologies are referred to as “cookies”). Cookies are also placed by third parties we have engaged. In the document below we inform you about the use of cookies on our website.\n","title":"Cookie Policy","type":"pages"},{"content":" SERVICE PROVIDER # Dennis Irrgang\nHauptstr. 37\n85445 Oberding\nGermany\nIf you require any more information or have any questions about our site’s disclaimer, please feel free to contact us by email at webmaster@irrgang.dev\nWEBSITE DISCLAIMER # The information provided by Dennis Irrgang (“we,” “us” or “our”) on \u0026lt;/\u0026gt; (the “Site”) is for general informational purposes only. All information on the Site is provided in good faith, however we make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability or completeness of any information on the Site. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE SHALL WE HAVE ANY LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE USE OF THE SITE OR RELIANCE ON ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THE SITE. YOUR USE OF THE SITE AND YOUR RELIANCE ON ANY INFORMATION ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK.\nEXTERNAL LINKS DISCLAIMER # The Site may contain (or you may be sent through the Site) links to other websites or content belonging to or originating from third parties or links to websites and features in banners or other advertising. Such external links are not investigated, monitored, or checked for accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability or completeness by us. WE DO NOT WARRANT, ENDORSE, GUARANTEE, OR ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR RELIABILITY OF ANY INFORMATION OFFERED BY THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES LINKED THROUGH THE SITE OR ANY WEBSITE OR FEATURE LINKED IN ANY BANNER OR OTHER ADVERTISING. WE WILL NOT BE A PARTY TO OR IN ANY WAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING ANY TRANSACTION BETWEEN YOU AND THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS OF PRODUCTS OR SERVICES.\nAFFILIATES DISCLAIMER # The Site may contain links to affiliate websites, and we receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made by you on the affiliate website using such links.\nOur affiliates include the following:\nAmazon Banggood ","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/legal-notice/","section":"Pages","summary":"SERVICE PROVIDER # Dennis Irrgang\nHauptstr. 37\n85445 Oberding\nGermany\nIf you require any more information or have any questions about our site’s disclaimer, please feel free to contact us by email at webmaster@irrgang.dev\nWEBSITE DISCLAIMER # The information provided by Dennis Irrgang (“we,” “us” or “our”) on \u003c/\u003e (the “Site”) is for general informational purposes only. All information on the Site is provided in good faith, however we make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability or completeness of any information on the Site. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE SHALL WE HAVE ANY LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE USE OF THE SITE OR RELIANCE ON ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THE SITE. YOUR USE OF THE SITE AND YOUR RELIANCE ON ANY INFORMATION ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK.\n","title":"Legal Notice","type":"pages"},{"content":"","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/pages/","section":"Pages","summary":"","title":"Pages","type":"pages"},{"content":"Last updated 11.11.2024\nThis Privacy Notice for irrgang.dev (“we,” “us,” or “our“), describes how and why we might access, collect, store, use, and/or share (“process“) your personal information when you use our services (“Services“), including when you:\n**Questions or concerns?**Reading this Privacy Notice will help you understand your privacy rights and choices. We are responsible for making decisions about how your personal information is processed. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our Services.\nSUMMARY OF KEY POINTS # This summary provides key points from our Privacy Notice.\nWhat personal information do we process? When you visit, use, or navigate our Services, we may process personal information depending on how you interact with us and the Services, the choices you make, and the products and features you use. Learn more about personal information you disclose to us.\n**Do we process any sensitive personal information?**Some of the information may be considered “special” or “sensitive” in certain jurisdictions, for example your racial or ethnic origins, sexual orientation, and religious beliefs. We do not process sensitive personal information.\nDo we collect any information from third parties? No.\nHow do we process your information? We process your information to provide, improve, and administer our Services, communicate with you, for security and fraud prevention, and to comply with law. We may also process your information for other purposes with your consent. We process your information only when we have a valid legal reason to do so. Learn more about how we process your information.\nIn what situations and with which parties do we share personal information? We may share information in specific situations and with specific third parties. Learn more about when and with whom we share your personal information.\nWhat are your rights? Depending on where you are located geographically, the applicable privacy law may mean you have certain rights regarding your personal information. Learn more about your privacy rights.\nHow do you exercise your rights? The easiest way to exercise your rights is by contacting us. We will consider and act upon any request in accordance with applicable data protection laws.\n1. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT? # Personal information you disclose to us # In Short: We collect personal information that you provide to us.\nWe collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you register on the Services, express an interest in obtaining information about us or our products and Services, when you participate in activities on the Services, or otherwise when you contact us.\nSensitive Information. We do not process sensitive information.\nAll personal information that you provide to us must be true, complete, and accurate, and you must notify us of any changes to such personal information.\nInformation automatically collected # In Short: Some information — such as your Internet Protocol (IP) address and/or browser and device characteristics — is collected automatically when you visit our Services.\nWe automatically collect certain information when you visit, use, or navigate the Services. This information does not reveal your specific identity (like your name or contact information) but may include device and usage information, such as your IP address, browser and device characteristics, operating system, language preferences, referring URLs, device name, country, location, information about how and when you use our Services, and other technical information. This information is primarily needed to maintain the security and operation of our Services, and for our internal analytics and reporting purposes.\nLike many businesses, we also collect information through cookies and similar technologies.\n2. HOW DO WE PROCESS YOUR INFORMATION? # ***In Short:***We process your information to provide, improve, and administer our Services, communicate with you, for security and fraud prevention, and to comply with law. We may also process your information for other purposes with your consent.\nWe process your personal information for a variety of reasons, depending on how you interact with our Services, including:\n3. WHEN AND WITH WHOM DO WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION? # ***In Short:***We may share information in specific situations described in this section and/or with the following third parties.\nWe may need to share your personal information in the following situations:\nBusiness Transfers. We may share or transfer your information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business to another company.\n**Affiliates.**We may share your information with our affiliates, in which case we will require those affiliates to honor this Privacy Notice. Affiliates include our parent company and any subsidiaries, joint venture partners, or other companies that we control or that are under common control with us.\nBusiness Partners. We may share your information with our business partners to offer you certain products, services, or promotions.\n4. DO WE USE COOKIES AND OTHER TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES? # ***In Short:***We may use cookies and other tracking technologies to collect and store your information.\nWe may use cookies and similar tracking technologies (like web beacons and pixels) to gather information when you interact with our Services. Some online tracking technologies help us maintain the security of our Services, prevent crashes, fix bugs, save your preferences, and assist with basic site functions.\nSpecific information about how we use such technologies and how you can refuse certain cookies is set out in our Cookie Notice.\n5. HOW DO WE HANDLE YOUR SOCIAL LOGINS? # ***In Short:***If you choose to register or log in to our Services using a social media account, we may have access to certain information about you.\nOur Services offer you the ability to register and log in using your third-party social media account details (like your Facebook or X logins). Where you choose to do this, we will receive certain profile information about you from your social media provider. The profile information we receive may vary depending on the social media provider concerned, but will often include your name, email address, friends list, and profile picture, as well as other information you choose to make public on such a social media platform.\nWe will use the information we receive only for the purposes that are described in this Privacy Notice or that are otherwise made clear to you on the relevant Services. Please note that we do not control, and are not responsible for, other uses of your personal information by your third-party social media provider. We recommend that you review their privacy notice to understand how they collect, use, and share your personal information, and how you can set your privacy preferences on their sites and apps.\n6. IS YOUR INFORMATION TRANSFERRED INTERNATIONALLY? # ***In Short:***We may transfer, store, and process your information in countries other than your own.\nOur servers are located in Germany. If you are accessing our Services from outside, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored by, and processed by us in our facilities and in the facilities of the third parties with whom we may share your personal information (see “WHEN AND WITH WHOM DO WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?” above), in and other countries.\nIf you are a resident in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom (UK), or Switzerland, then these countries may not necessarily have data protection laws or other similar laws as comprehensive as those in your country. However, we will take all necessary measures to protect your personal information in accordance with this Privacy Notice and applicable law.\n7. HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION? # ***In Short:***We keep your information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Notice unless otherwise required by law.\nWe will only keep your personal information for as long as it is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Notice, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law (such as tax, accounting, or other legal requirements).\nWhen we have no ongoing legitimate business need to process your personal information, we will either delete or anonymize such information, or, if this is not possible (for example, because your personal information has been stored in backup archives), then we will securely store your personal information and isolate it from any further processing until deletion is possible.\n8. DO WE COLLECT INFORMATION FROM MINORS? # ***In Short:***We do not knowingly collect data from or market to children under 18 years of age.\nWe do not knowingly collect, solicit data from, or market to children under 18 years of age, nor do we knowingly sell such personal information. By using the Services, you represent that you are at least 18 or that you are the parent or guardian of such a minor and consent to such minor dependent’s use of the Services. If we learn that personal information from users less than 18 years of age has been collected, we will deactivate the account and take reasonable measures to promptly delete such data from our records. If you become aware of any data we may have collected from children under age 18, please contact us at privacy@irrgang.dev.\n9. WHAT ARE YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS? # ***In Short:***You may review, change, or terminate your account at any time, depending on your country, province, or state of residence.\nWithdrawing your consent: If we are relying on your consent to process your personal information, which may be express and/or implied consent depending on the applicable law, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us by using the contact details provided in the section “HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?” below.\nHowever, please note that this will not affect the lawfulness of the processing before its withdrawal nor, when applicable law allows, will it affect the processing of your personal information conducted in reliance on lawful processing grounds other than consent.\nAccount Information\nIf you would at any time like to review or change the information in your account or terminate your account, you can: Upon your request to terminate your account, we will deactivate or delete your account and information from our active databases. However, we may retain some information in our files to prevent fraud, troubleshoot problems, assist with any investigations, enforce our legal terms and/or comply with applicable legal requirements.\n10. CONTROLS FOR DO-NOT-TRACK FEATURES # We respect and honor the “Do-Not-Track” (DNT) settings that you can configure in your web browser. When DNT is enabled, our website will not set or use non-essential cookies (such as those used for analytics or advertising), and we will refrain from tracking your browsing behavior across sessions or third-party services.\nPlease note that DNT is a browser-level setting and must be enabled manually in your browser preferences. The exact implementation may vary depending on the browser you use.\nFor more details on how we process personal data and your choices regarding tracking technologies, please refer to the relevant sections of this Privacy Policy.\n11. DO WE MAKE UPDATES TO THIS NOTICE? # ***In Short:*Yes, we will update this notice as necessary to stay compliant with relevant laws.\nWe may update this Privacy Notice from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by an updated “Revised” date at the top of this Privacy Notice. If we make material changes to this Privacy Notice, we may notify you either by prominently posting a notice of such changes or by directly sending you a notification. We encourage you to review this Privacy Notice frequently to be informed of how we are protecting your information.\n12. HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE? # If you have questions or comments about this notice, you may contact us via email.\n13. HOW CAN YOU REVIEW, UPDATE, OR DELETE THE DATA WE COLLECT FROM YOU? # Based on the applicable laws of your country, you may have the right to request access to the personal information we collect from you, details about how we have processed it, correct inaccuracies, or delete your personal information. You may also have the right to withdraw your consent to our processing of your personal information. These rights may be limited in some circumstances by applicable law. To request to review, update, or delete your personal information, please fill out and submit a data subject access request.\n","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/privacy-policy/","section":"Pages","summary":"Last updated 11.11.2024\nThis Privacy Notice for irrgang.dev (“we,” “us,” or “our“), describes how and why we might access, collect, store, use, and/or share (“process“) your personal information when you use our services (“Services“), including when you:\n**Questions or concerns?**Reading this Privacy Notice will help you understand your privacy rights and choices. We are responsible for making decisions about how your personal information is processed. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our Services.\n","title":"Privacy Policy","type":"pages"},{"content":"","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/terms-and-conditions-2/","section":"Pages","summary":"","title":"Terms and Conditions","type":"pages"},{"content":"Last updated****November 11, 2024\nAGREEMENT TO OUR LEGAL TERMS # We are irrgang.dev (“Company,” “we,” “us,” “our“), a company registered in Germany at __________, __________.\nWe operate the website \u0026lt;/\u0026gt; (the “Site“), as well as any other related products and services that refer or link to these legal terms (the “Legal Terms“) (collectively, the “Services“).\nYou can contact us by email at d@irrgang.dev or by mail to __________, __________, Germany.\nThese Legal Terms constitute a legally binding agreement made between you, whether personally or on behalf of an entity (“you“), and irrgang.dev, concerning your access to and use of the Services. You agree that by accessing the Services, you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by all of these Legal Terms. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH ALL OF THESE LEGAL TERMS, THEN YOU ARE EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED FROM USING THE SERVICES AND YOU MUST DISCONTINUE USE IMMEDIATELY.\nSupplemental terms and conditions or documents that may be posted on the Services from time to time are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to make changes or modifications to these Legal Terms from time to time. We will alert you about any changes by updating the “Last updated” date of these Legal Terms, and you waive any right to receive specific notice of each such change. It is your responsibility to periodically review these Legal Terms to stay informed of updates. You will be subject to, and will be deemed to have been made aware of and to have accepted, the changes in any revised Legal Terms by your continued use of the Services after the date such revised Legal Terms are posted.The Services are intended for users who are at least 18 years old. Persons under the age of 18 are not permitted to use or register for the Services.\nWe recommend that you print a copy of these Legal Terms for your records.\n1. OUR SERVICES # The information provided when using the Services is not intended for distribution to or use by any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use would be contrary to law or regulation or which would subject us to any registration requirement within such jurisdiction or country. Accordingly, those persons who choose to access the Services from other locations do so on their own initiative and are solely responsible for compliance with local laws, if and to the extent local laws are applicable.\nThe Services are not tailored to comply with industry-specific regulations (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), etc.), so if your interactions would be subjected to such laws, you may not use the Services. You may not use the Services in a way that would violate the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA).\n2. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS # Our intellectual property\nWe are the owner or the licensee of all intellectual property rights in our Services, including all source code, databases, functionality, software, website designs, audio, video, text, photographs, and graphics in the Services (collectively, the “Content”), as well as the trademarks, service marks, and logos contained therein (the “Marks”).\nOur Content and Marks are protected by copyright and trademark laws (and various other intellectual property rights and unfair competition laws) and treaties in the United States and around the world.\nThe Content and Marks are provided in or through the Services “AS IS” for your personal, non-commercial use or internal business purpose only.\nYour use of our Services # Subject to your compliance with these Legal Terms, including the “PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES” section below, we grant you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to:\naccess the Services; and download or print a copy of any portion of the Content to which you have properly gained access. solely for your personal, non-commercial use or internal business purpose.\nExcept as set out in this section or elsewhere in our Legal Terms, no part of the Services and no Content or Marks may be copied, reproduced, aggregated, republished, uploaded, posted, publicly displayed, encoded, translated, transmitted, distributed, sold, licensed, or otherwise exploited for any commercial purpose whatsoever, without our express prior written permission.\nIf you wish to make any use of the Services, Content, or Marks other than as set out in this section or elsewhere in our Legal Terms, please address your request to: d@irrgang.dev. If we ever grant you the permission to post, reproduce, or publicly display any part of our Services or Content, you must identify us as the owners or licensors of the Services, Content, or Marks and ensure that any copyright or proprietary notice appears or is visible on posting, reproducing, or displaying our Content.\nWe reserve all rights not expressly granted to you in and to the Services, Content, and Marks.\nAny breach of these Intellectual Property Rights will constitute a material breach of our Legal Terms and your right to use our Services will terminate immediately.\nYour submissions and contributions # Please review this section and the “PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES” section carefully prior to using our Services to understand the (a) rights you give us and (b) obligations you have when you post or upload any content through the Services.\nSubmissions: By directly sending us any question, comment, suggestion, idea, feedback, or other information about the Services (“Submissions”), you agree to assign to us all intellectual property rights in such Submission. You agree that we shall own this Submission and be entitled to its unrestricted use and dissemination for any lawful purpose, commercial or otherwise, without acknowledgment or compensation to you.\nContributions: The Services may invite you to chat, contribute to, or participate in blogs, message boards, online forums, and other functionality during which you may create, submit, post, display, transmit, publish, distribute, or broadcast content and materials to us or through the Services, including but not limited to text, writings, video, audio, photographs, music, graphics, comments, reviews, rating suggestions, personal information, or other material (“Contributions”). Any Submission that is publicly posted shall also be treated as a Contribution.\nYou understand that Contributions may be viewable by other users of the Services and possibly through third-party websites.\n**When you post Contributions, you grant us a license (including use of your name, trademarks, and logos):**By posting any Contributions, you grant us an unrestricted, unlimited, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free, fully-paid, worldwide right, and license to: use, copy, reproduce, distribute, sell, resell, publish, broadcast, retitle, store, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, excerpt (in whole or in part), and exploit your Contributions (including, without limitation, your image, name, and voice) for any purpose, commercial, advertising, or otherwise, to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, your Contributions, and to sublicense the licenses granted in this section. Our use and distribution may occur in any media formats and through any media channels.\nThis license includes our use of your name, company name, and franchise name, as applicable, and any of the trademarks, service marks, trade names, logos, and personal and commercial images you provide.\nYou are responsible for what you post or upload: By sending us Submissions and/or posting Contributions through any part of the Services or making Contributions accessible through the Services by linking your account through the Services to any of your social networking accounts, you:\nconfirm that you have read and agree with our “PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES” and will not post, send, publish, upload, or transmit through the Services any Submission nor post any Contribution that is illegal, harassing, hateful, harmful, defamatory, obscene, bullying, abusive, discriminatory, threatening to any person or group, sexually explicit, false, inaccurate, deceitful, or misleading; to the extent permissible by applicable law, waive any and all moral rights to any such Submission and/or Contribution; warrant that any such Submission and/or Contributions are original to you or that you have the necessary rights and licenses to submit such Submissions and/or Contributions and that you have full authority to grant us the above-mentioned rights in relation to your Submissions and/or Contributions; and warrant and represent that your Submissions and/or Contributions do not constitute confidential information. You are solely responsible for your Submissions and/or Contributions and you expressly agree to reimburse us for any and all losses that we may suffer because of your breach of (a) this section, (b) any third party’s intellectual property rights, or (c) applicable law.\nWe may remove or edit your Content: Although we have no obligation to monitor any Contributions, we shall have the right to remove or edit any Contributions at any time without notice if in our reasonable opinion we consider such Contributions harmful or in breach of these Legal Terms. If we remove or edit any such Contributions, we may also suspend or disable your account and report you to the authorities.\nCopyright infringement # We respect the intellectual property rights of others. If you believe that any material available on or through the Services infringes upon any copyright you own or control, please immediately refer to the “COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENTS” section below.\n3. USER REPRESENTATIONS # By using the Services, you represent and warrant that: (1) you have the legal capacity and you agree to comply with these Legal Terms; (2) you are not a minor in the jurisdiction in which you reside; (3) you will not access the Services through automated or non-human means, whether through a bot, script or otherwise; (4) you will not use the Services for any illegal or unauthorized purpose; and (5) your use of the Services will not violate any applicable law or regulation.\nIf you provide any information that is untrue, inaccurate, not current, or incomplete, we have the right to suspend or terminate your account and refuse any and all current or future use of the Services (or any portion thereof).\n4. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES # You may not access or use the Services for any purpose other than that for which we make the Services available. The Services may not be used in connection with any commercial endeavors except those that are specifically endorsed or approved by us.\nAs a user of the Services, you agree not to:\nSystematically retrieve data or other content from the Services to create or compile, directly or indirectly, a collection, compilation, database, or directory without written permission from us. Trick, defraud, or mislead us and other users, especially in any attempt to learn sensitive account information such as user passwords. Circumvent, disable, or otherwise interfere with security-related features of the Services, including features that prevent or restrict the use or copying of any Content or enforce limitations on the use of the Services and/or the Content contained therein. Disparage, tarnish, or otherwise harm, in our opinion, us and/or the Services. Use any information obtained from the Services in order to harass, abuse, or harm another person. Make improper use of our support services or submit false reports of abuse or misconduct. Use the Services in a manner inconsistent with any applicable laws or regulations. Engage in unauthorized framing of or linking to the Services. Upload or transmit (or attempt to upload or to transmit) viruses, Trojan horses, or other material, including excessive use of capital letters and spamming (continuous posting of repetitive text), that interferes with any party’s uninterrupted use and enjoyment of the Services or modifies, impairs, disrupts, alters, or interferes with the use, features, functions, operation, or maintenance of the Services. Engage in any automated use of the system, such as using scripts to send comments or messages, or using any data mining, robots, or similar data gathering and extraction tools. Delete the copyright or other proprietary rights notice from any Content. Attempt to impersonate another user or person or use the username of another user. Upload or transmit (or attempt to upload or to transmit) any material that acts as a passive or active information collection or transmission mechanism, including without limitation, clear graphics interchange formats (“gifs”), 1×1 pixels, web bugs, cookies, or other similar devices (sometimes referred to as “spyware” or “passive collection mechanisms” or “pcms”). Interfere with, disrupt, or create an undue burden on the Services or the networks or services connected to the Services. Harass, annoy, intimidate, or threaten any of our employees or agents engaged in providing any portion of the Services to you. Attempt to bypass any measures of the Services designed to prevent or restrict access to the Services, or any portion of the Services. Copy or adapt the Services’ software, including but not limited to Flash, PHP, HTML, JavaScript, or other code. Except as permitted by applicable law, decipher, decompile, disassemble, or reverse engineer any of the software comprising or in any way making up a part of the Services. Except as may be the result of standard search engine or Internet browser usage, use, launch, develop, or distribute any automated system, including without limitation, any spider, robot, cheat utility, scraper, or offline reader that accesses the Services, or use or launch any unauthorized script or other software. Use a buying agent or purchasing agent to make purchases on the Services. Make any unauthorized use of the Services, including collecting usernames and/or email addresses of users by electronic or other means for the purpose of sending unsolicited email, or creating user accounts by automated means or under false pretenses. Use the Services as part of any effort to compete with us or otherwise use the Services and/or the Content for any revenue-generating endeavor or commercial enterprise. Use the Services to advertise or offer to sell goods and services. Sell or otherwise transfer your profile. 5. USER GENERATED CONTRIBUTIONS # The Services may invite you to chat, contribute to, or participate in blogs, message boards, online forums, and other functionality, and may provide you with the opportunity to create, submit, post, display, transmit, perform, publish, distribute, or broadcast content and materials to us or on the Services, including but not limited to text, writings, video, audio, photographs, graphics, comments, suggestions, or personal information or other material (collectively, “Contributions”). Contributions may be viewable by other users of the Services and through third-party websites. As such, any Contributions you transmit may be treated as non-confidential and non-proprietary. When you create or make available any Contributions, you thereby represent and warrant that:\nThe creation, distribution, transmission, public display, or performance, and the accessing, downloading, or copying of your Contributions do not and will not infringe the proprietary rights, including but not limited to the copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, or moral rights of any third party. You are the creator and owner of or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents, releases, and permissions to use and to authorize us, the Services, and other users of the Services to use your Contributions in any manner contemplated by the Services and these Legal Terms. You have the written consent, release, and/or permission of each and every identifiable individual person in your Contributions to use the name or likeness of each and every such identifiable individual person to enable inclusion and use of your Contributions in any manner contemplated by the Services and these Legal Terms. Your Contributions are not false, inaccurate, or misleading. Your Contributions are not unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, pyramid schemes, chain letters, spam, mass mailings, or other forms of solicitation. Your Contributions are not obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, violent, harassing, libelous, slanderous, or otherwise objectionable (as determined by us). Your Contributions do not ridicule, mock, disparage, intimidate, or abuse anyone. Your Contributions are not used to harass or threaten (in the legal sense of those terms) any other person and to promote violence against a specific person or class of people. Your Contributions do not violate any applicable law, regulation, or rule. Your Contributions do not violate the privacy or publicity rights of any third party. Your Contributions do not violate any applicable law concerning child pornography, or otherwise intended to protect the health or well-being of minors. Your Contributions do not include any offensive comments that are connected to race, national origin, gender, sexual preference, or physical handicap. Your Contributions do not otherwise violate, or link to material that violates, any provision of these Legal Terms, or any applicable law or regulation. Any use of the Services in violation of the foregoing violates these Legal Terms and may result in, among other things, termination or suspension of your rights to use the Services.\n6. CONTRIBUTION LICENSE # By posting your Contributions to any part of the Services, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to us an unrestricted, unlimited, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free, fully-paid, worldwide right, and license to host, use, copy, reproduce, disclose, sell, resell, publish, broadcast, retitle, archive, store, cache, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, transmit, excerpt (in whole or in part), and distribute such Contributions (including, without limitation, your image and voice) for any purpose, commercial, advertising, or otherwise, and to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, such Contributions, and grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing. The use and distribution may occur in any media formats and through any media channels.\nThis license will apply to any form, media, or technology now known or hereafter developed, and includes our use of your name, company name, and franchise name, as applicable, and any of the trademarks, service marks, trade names, logos, and personal and commercial images you provide. You waive all moral rights in your Contributions, and you warrant that moral rights have not otherwise been asserted in your Contributions.\nWe do not assert any ownership over your Contributions. You retain full ownership of all of your Contributions and any intellectual property rights or other proprietary rights associated with your Contributions. We are not liable for any statements or representations in your Contributions provided by you in any area on the Services. You are solely responsible for your Contributions to the Services and you expressly agree to exonerate us from any and all responsibility and to refrain from any legal action against us regarding your Contributions.\nWe have the right, in our sole and absolute discretion, (1) to edit, redact, or otherwise change any Contributions; (2) to re-categorize any Contributions to place them in more appropriate locations on the Services; and (3) to pre-screen or delete any Contributions at any time and for any reason, without notice. We have no obligation to monitor your Contributions.\n7. THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES AND CONTENT # The Services may contain (or you may be sent via the Site) links to other websites (“Third-Party Websites”) as well as articles, photographs, text, graphics, pictures, designs, music, sound, video, information, applications, software, and other content or items belonging to or originating from third parties (“Third-Party Content”). Such Third-Party Websites and Third-Party Content are not investigated, monitored, or checked for accuracy, appropriateness, or completeness by us, and we are not responsible for any Third-Party Websites accessed through the Services or any Third-Party Content posted on, available through, or installed from the Services, including the content, accuracy, offensiveness, opinions, reliability, privacy practices, or other policies of or contained in the Third-Party Websites or the Third-Party Content. Inclusion of, linking to, or permitting the use or installation of any Third-Party Websites or any Third-Party Content does not imply approval or endorsement thereof by us. If you decide to leave the Services and access the Third-Party Websites or to use or install any Third-Party Content, you do so at your own risk, and you should be aware these Legal Terms no longer govern. You should review the applicable terms and policies, including privacy and data gathering practices, of any website to which you navigate from the Services or relating to any applications you use or install from the Services. Any purchases you make through Third-Party Websites will be through other websites and from other companies, and we take no responsibility whatsoever in relation to such purchases which are exclusively between you and the applicable third party. You agree and acknowledge that we do not endorse the products or services offered on Third-Party Websites and you shall hold us blameless from any harm caused by your purchase of such products or services. Additionally, you shall hold us blameless from any losses sustained by you or harm caused to you relating to or resulting in any way from any Third-Party Content or any contact with Third-Party Websites.\n8. SERVICES MANAGEMENT # We reserve the right, but not the obligation, to: (1) monitor the Services for violations of these Legal Terms; (2) take appropriate legal action against anyone who, in our sole discretion, violates the law or these Legal Terms, including without limitation, reporting such user to law enforcement authorities; (3) in our sole discretion and without limitation, refuse, restrict access to, limit the availability of, or disable (to the extent technologically feasible) any of your Contributions or any portion thereof; (4) in our sole discretion and without limitation, notice, or liability, to remove from the Services or otherwise disable all files and content that are excessive in size or are in any way burdensome to our systems; and (5) otherwise manage the Services in a manner designed to protect our rights and property and to facilitate the proper functioning of the Services.\n9. PRIVACY POLICY # We care about data privacy and security. Please review our Privacy Policy:. By using the Services, you agree to be bound by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Legal Terms. Please be advised the Services are hosted in Germany. If you access the Services from any other region of the world with laws or other requirements governing personal data collection, use, or disclosure that differ from applicable laws in Germany, then through your continued use of the Services, you are transferring your data to Germany, and you expressly consent to have your data transferred to and processed in Germany.\n10. COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENTS # We respect the intellectual property rights of others. If you believe that any material available on or through the Services infringes upon any copyright you own or control, please immediately notify us using the contact information provided below (a “Notification”). A copy of your Notification will be sent to the person who posted or stored the material addressed in the Notification. Please be advised that pursuant to applicable law you may be held liable for damages if you make material misrepresentations in a Notification. Thus, if you are not sure that material located on or linked to by the Services infringes your copyright, you should consider first contacting an attorney.\n11. TERM AND TERMINATION # These Legal Terms shall remain in full force and effect while you use the Services. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF THESE LEGAL TERMS, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO, IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION AND WITHOUT NOTICE OR LIABILITY, DENY ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SERVICES (INCLUDING BLOCKING CERTAIN IP ADDRESSES), TO ANY PERSON FOR ANY REASON OR FOR NO REASON, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION FOR BREACH OF ANY REPRESENTATION, WARRANTY, OR COVENANT CONTAINED IN THESE LEGAL TERMS OR OF ANY APPLICABLE LAW OR REGULATION. WE MAY TERMINATE YOUR USE OR PARTICIPATION IN THE SERVICES OR DELETE ANY CONTENT OR INFORMATION THAT YOU POSTED AT ANY TIME, WITHOUT WARNING, IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION.\nIf we terminate or suspend your account for any reason, you are prohibited from registering and creating a new account under your name, a fake or borrowed name, or the name of any third party, even if you may be acting on behalf of the third party. In addition to terminating or suspending your account, we reserve the right to take appropriate legal action, including without limitation pursuing civil, criminal, and injunctive redress.\n12. MODIFICATIONS AND INTERRUPTIONS # We reserve the right to change, modify, or remove the contents of the Services at any time or for any reason at our sole discretion without notice. However, we have no obligation to update any information on our Services. We will not be liable to you or any third party for any modification, price change, suspension, or discontinuance of the Services.\nWe cannot guarantee the Services will be available at all times. We may experience hardware, software, or other problems or need to perform maintenance related to the Services, resulting in interruptions, delays, or errors. We reserve the right to change, revise, update, suspend, discontinue, or otherwise modify the Services at any time or for any reason without notice to you. You agree that we have no liability whatsoever for any loss, damage, or inconvenience caused by your inability to access or use the Services during any downtime or discontinuance of the Services. Nothing in these Legal Terms will be construed to obligate us to maintain and support the Services or to supply any corrections, updates, or releases in connection therewith.\n13. GOVERNING LAW # These Legal Terms are governed by and interpreted following the laws of Germany, and the use of the United Nations Convention of Contracts for the International Sales of Goods is expressly excluded. If your habitual residence is in the EU, and you are a consumer, you additionally possess the protection provided to you by obligatory provisions of the law in your country to residence. irrgang.dev and yourself both agree to submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Germany, which means that you may make a claim to defend your consumer protection rights in regards to these Legal Terms in Germany, or in the EU country in which you reside.\n14. DISPUTE RESOLUTION # Informal Negotiations # To expedite resolution and control the cost of any dispute, controversy, or claim related to these Legal Terms (each a “Dispute” and collectively, the “Disputes”) brought by either you or us (individually, a “Party” and collectively, the “Parties”), the Parties agree to first attempt to negotiate any Dispute (except those Disputes expressly provided below) informally for at least thirty (30) days before initiating arbitration. Such informal negotiations commence upon written notice from one Party to the other Party.\nBinding Arbitration # Any dispute arising from the relationships between the Parties to these Legal Terms shall be determined by one arbitrator who will be chosen in accordance with the Arbitration and Internal Rules of the European Court of Arbitration being part of the European Centre of Arbitration having its seat in Strasbourg, and which are in force at the time the application for arbitration is filed, and of which adoption of this clause constitutes acceptance. The seat of arbitration shall be Munich, Germany\n. The language of the proceedings shall be German. Applicable rules of substantive law shall be the law of Germany.\nRestrictions # The Parties agree that any arbitration shall be limited to the Dispute between the Parties individually. To the full extent permitted by law, (a) no arbitration shall be joined with any other proceeding; (b) there is no right or authority for any Dispute to be arbitrated on a class-action basis or to utilize class action procedures; and (c) there is no right or authority for any Dispute to be brought in a purported representative capacity on behalf of the general public or any other persons.\nExceptions to Informal Negotiations and Arbitration # The Parties agree that the following Disputes are not subject to the above provisions concerning informal negotiations binding arbitration: (a) any Disputes seeking to enforce or protect, or concerning the validity of, any of the intellectual property rights of a Party; (b) any Dispute related to, or arising from, allegations of theft, piracy, invasion of privacy, orunauthorized use; and (c) any claim for injunctive relief. If this provision is found to be illegal or unenforceable, then neither Party will elect to arbitrate any Dispute falling within that portion of this provision found to be illegal or unenforceable and such Dispute shall be decided by a court of competent jurisdiction within the courts listed for jurisdiction above, and the Parties agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of that court.\n15. CORRECTIONS # There may be information on the Services that contains typographical errors, inaccuracies, or omissions, including descriptions, pricing, availability, and various other information. We reserve the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies, or omissions and to change or update the information on the Services at any time, without prior notice.\n16. DISCLAIMER # THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED ON AN AS-IS AND AS-AVAILABLE BASIS. YOU AGREE THAT YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES WILL BE AT YOUR SOLE RISK. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN CONNECTION WITH THE SERVICES AND YOUR USE THEREOF, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE MAKE NO WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE SERVICES’ CONTENT OR THE CONTENT OF ANY WEBSITES OR MOBILE APPLICATIONS LINKED TO THE SERVICES AND WE WILL ASSUME NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY (1) ERRORS, MISTAKES, OR INACCURACIES OF CONTENT AND MATERIALS, (2) PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE, OF ANY NATURE WHATSOEVER, RESULTING FROM YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SERVICES, (3) ANY UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR USE OF OUR SECURE SERVERS AND/OR ANY AND ALL PERSONAL INFORMATION AND/OR FINANCIAL INFORMATION STORED THEREIN, (4) ANY INTERRUPTION OR CESSATION OF TRANSMISSION TO OR FROM THE SERVICES, (5) ANY BUGS, VIRUSES, TROJAN HORSES, OR THE LIKE WHICH MAY BE TRANSMITTED TO OR THROUGH THE SERVICES BY ANY THIRD PARTY, AND/OR (6) ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN ANY CONTENT AND MATERIALS OR FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE USE OF ANY CONTENT POSTED, TRANSMITTED, OR OTHERWISE MADE AVAILABLE VIA THE SERVICES. WE DO NOT WARRANT, ENDORSE, GUARANTEE, OR ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY PRODUCT OR SERVICE ADVERTISED OR OFFERED BY A THIRD PARTY THROUGH THE SERVICES, ANY HYPERLINKED WEBSITE, OR ANY WEBSITE OR MOBILE APPLICATION FEATURED IN ANY BANNER OR OTHER ADVERTISING, AND WE WILL NOT BE A PARTY TO OR IN ANY WAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING ANY TRANSACTION BETWEEN YOU AND ANY THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS OF PRODUCTS OR SERVICES. AS WITH THE PURCHASE OF A PRODUCT OR SERVICE THROUGH ANY MEDIUM OR IN ANY ENVIRONMENT, YOU SHOULD USE YOUR BEST JUDGMENT AND EXERCISE CAUTION WHERE APPROPRIATE.\n17. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY # IN NO EVENT WILL WE OR OUR DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, OR AGENTS BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOST PROFIT, LOST REVENUE, LOSS OF DATA, OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.\n18. INDEMNIFICATION # You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold us harmless, including our subsidiaries, affiliates, and all of our respective officers, agents, partners, and employees, from and against any loss, damage, liability, claim, or demand, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, made by any third party due to or arising out of: (1) your Contributions; (2) use of the Services; (3) breach of these Legal Terms; (4) any breach of your representations and warranties set forth in these Legal Terms; (5) your violation of the rights of a third party, including but not limited to intellectual property rights; or (6) any overt harmful act toward any other user of the Services with whom you connected via the Services. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we reserve the right, at your expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter for which you are required to indemnify us, and you agree to cooperate, at your expense, with our defense of such claims. We will use reasonable efforts to notify you of any such claim, action, or proceeding which is subject to this indemnification upon becoming aware of it.\n19. USER DATA # We will maintain certain data that you transmit to the Services for the purpose of managing the performance of the Services, as well as data relating to your use of the Services. Although we perform regular routine backups of data, you are solely responsible for all data that you transmit or that relates to any activity you have undertaken using the Services. You agree that we shall have no liability to you for any loss or corruption of any such data, and you hereby waive any right of action against us arising from any such loss or corruption of such data.\n20. ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS, TRANSACTIONS, AND SIGNATURES # Visiting the Services, sending us emails, and completing online forms constitute electronic communications. You consent to receive electronic communications, and you agree that all agreements, notices, disclosures, and other communications we provide to you electronically, via email and on the Services, satisfy any legal requirement that such communication be in writing. YOU HEREBY AGREE TO THE USE OF ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES, CONTRACTS, ORDERS, AND OTHER RECORDS, AND TO ELECTRONIC DELIVERY OF NOTICES, POLICIES, AND RECORDS OF TRANSACTIONS INITIATED OR COMPLETED BY US OR VIA THE SERVICES. You hereby waive any rights or requirements under any statutes, regulations, rules, ordinances, or other laws in any jurisdiction which require an original signature or delivery or retention of non-electronic records, or to payments or the granting of credits by any means other than electronic means.\n21. CALIFORNIA USERS AND RESIDENTS # If any complaint with us is not satisfactorily resolved, you can contact the Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the California Department of Consumer Affairs in writing at 1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N 112, Sacramento, California 95834 or by telephone at (800) 952-5210 or (916) 445-1254.\n22. MISCELLANEOUS # These Legal Terms and any policies or operating rules posted by us on the Services or in respect to the Services constitute the entire agreement and understanding between you and us. Our failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Legal Terms shall not operate as a waiver of such right or provision. These Legal Terms operate to the fullest extent permissible by law. We may assign any or all of our rights and obligations to others at any time. We shall not be responsible or liable for any loss, damage, delay, or failure to act caused by any cause beyond our reasonable control. If any provision or part of a provision of these Legal Terms is determined to be unlawful, void, or unenforceable, that provision or part of the provision is deemed severable from these Legal Terms and does not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions. There is no joint venture, partnership, employment or agency relationship created between you and us as a result of these Legal Terms or use of the Services. You agree that these Legal Terms will not be construed against us by virtue of having drafted them. You hereby waive any and all defenses you may have based on the electronic form of these Legal Terms and the lack of signing by the parties hereto to execute these Legal Terms.\n23. CONTACT US # In order to resolve a complaint regarding the Services or to receive further information regarding use of the Services, please contact us at:\nirrgang.dev\nd@irrgang.dev\n","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/terms-and-conditions/","section":"Pages","summary":"Last updated****November 11, 2024\nAGREEMENT TO OUR LEGAL TERMS # We are irrgang.dev (“Company,” “we,” “us,” “our“), a company registered in Germany at __________, __________.\nWe operate the website \u003c/\u003e (the “Site“), as well as any other related products and services that refer or link to these legal terms (the “Legal Terms“) (collectively, the “Services“).\nYou can contact us by email at d@irrgang.dev or by mail to __________, __________, Germany.\n","title":"Terms and Conditions","type":"pages"}]