/ Handbook companion /
Gear list
The tools and parts referenced in The Home Sensor Handbook and the guides on this site, grouped by where you use them.
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Handbook ch. 2
Core toolkit: buy once
The bench tools reused across all ten handbook builds.
PINECIL soldering iron USB-C powered · temperature controlled View on Amazon 
Fluke 101 digital multimeter Voltage, resistance and continuity View on Amazon 
BOJACK breadboard and jumper kit 4 breadboards · 126 jumper wires View on Amazon 
DOWELL wire stripper 22–30 AWG · cutter View on Amazon 
Ginsco heat-shrink tubing kit 580 pieces · 2:1 · 11 sizes View on Amazon 
HiLetgo ESP32 development board ESP-WROOM-32 View on Amazon Handbook ch. 8
Sensor library
The I2C, UART, 1-Wire and GPIO sensors from the cheatsheets.
DROK DS18B20 waterproof probes 5-pack · adapter board · 4.7k pull-ups View on Amazon SCD41 CO2 sensor module I2C · NDIR/photoacoustic CO2 · temp and humidity Find options on Amazon BME280 sensor module I2C · temperature, humidity, pressure · 3.3 V Find options on Amazon 
PMS5003 particulate sensor UART · PM1.0 / PM2.5 / PM10 · with cable View on Amazon 
PZEM-004T V3 Energy Monitor 100A CT clamp kit View on Amazon 
Gebildet recessed reed switches 3 sets · NO/NC · wired View on Amazon Water leak sensor probe Two-contact probe · GPIO input Find options on Amazon 
Capacitive soil moisture sensor 3.3–5.5 V analog · 5-pack View on Amazon Handbook ch. 5 and 7
Valves, relays and safe switching
Low-voltage actuation for on-device safety actions. Mains wiring stays with an electrician.
SunFounder 2-channel relay module 5 V coil · optocoupler · low-level trigger View on Amazon 
U.S. Solid 12 V solenoid valve Brass · normally closed · 3/4 inch NPT View on Amazon 
DIGITEN water flow sensor Hall effect · G1/2 · 1–30 L/min View on Amazon 
Mean Well HDR-15-5 DIN rail · 5 V / 2.4 A / 12 W View on Amazon Start here
Home server
A quiet, low-power box for Home Assistant, Immich and backups.
No cloud
Local automation
Zigbee coordinator and sensors that keep working without the internet.
Local recording
Cameras and NVR
RTSP cameras, PoE and storage that record on your own hardware.
Outage-proof
Backup and power
Keep the network up and the data recoverable when things fail.
