E-Ink Display Firmware with Network Photo Downloading and Home Assistant functionality

March 2, 2026 - 4 mins read

Hackaday.io Project Github Repository E-Ink Display On my way home from my third voyage to Antarctica with the Australian Antarctic Program, I realised I had accumulated thousands of photos that were just sitting on a hard drive. It felt wrong for them to live only as files. I wanted something quieter and more permanent than a monitor. Something that would sit on a desk and simply exist. So I purchased an ESP32-S3 Photo Painter.

Denman Marine Voyage

February 8, 2026 - 7 mins read

Introduction In 2025 I was one of the fortunate few selected for the Denman Marine Science Voyage. This was the first dedicated marine science voyage of the RSV Nuyina. My title onboard was that of a senior science systems engineer, my responsibilities being to provide technical support for marine science operations and science systems on board the ship, and in particular to support the Towed Camera platform, the Beam Trawl and their respective EOM cables and topside equipment.

Nuyina Watch Update

January 25, 2026 - 4 mins read

Nuyina Watch Update Since the end of November I’ve been aboard the Nuyina on Voyage 2 of the 2025/26 season. On this expedition to resupply Casey Station and then to explore Heard Island I’ve made great use of the Nuyina watch, and coded a few more improvements. In this update I’ll summarise the watches functionality and each watch face. Watch faces are switched by using the top button on the right side of the Nuyina Watch.

Nuyina Smart Watch

September 29, 2025 - 49 mins read

One of the standout features of RSV Nuyina is its sophisticated science data system. The ship uses the Open Research Vessel Data Acquisition System (OpenRVDAS)to collect and log scientific measurements, alongside an Australian Antarctic Division platform called Data in Real Time (DiRT). DiRT is a intranet on the ship’s Wi-Fi that lets expeditioners on board explore live data streams, build custom displays, and graph variables on the fly. For a while now I’ve had the idea of building an ESP32-based alarm clock that could show the ship’s time along with a few key parameters—something I could magnetically attach to my cabin wall.

ESP32 UFO Lamp

July 26, 2025 - 5 mins read

This post documents my UFO Lamp — a quirky, mood-setting centerpiece now living in my lounge room. The lamp uses RGB LEDs to light up a 3D-printed flying saucer, creating a warm and atmospheric glow when the room lights are off. The idea for the project actually came about during the development of the second iteration of my all-sky camera. I had planned to use an acrylic dome to protect the wide-angle lens, and during prototyping I noticed the dome bore a strong resemblance to the classic UFO saucer design.

DMV T-Shirt Art

March 29, 2025 - 2 mins read

Denman Marine Voyage T-Shirt Competition One of my favorite aspects of Antarctic voyages is the creative artwork people produce during our time at sea. On board the RSV Nuyina, our crew and expedition team have a talented group of artists. A tradition on many voyages is creating artwork for a commemorative patch or T-shirt. During my first Antarctic voyage, I designed the voyage patch, while my friend Alison created an impressive T-shirt design.

Target Trawl Commander

March 3, 2025 - 2 mins read

For the Denman Marine Science campaign, our engineering team embarked on the Nuyina for a four-day round trip to Burnie to refuel. With a tight turnaround after the vessel’s return from its previous voyage, we chose to get on board early to set up the science systems, ensuring we could troubleshoot any hardware or electronic issues before heading 3000km into the remote ocean. Thanks to solid planning and preparation, we enjoyed an unexpected lull during the transit to the Denman Glacier, with nearly a week of relatively quiet time.

Allsky Camera

February 22, 2025 - 4 mins read

Intro Nestled in the picturesque Huon Valley of Southern Tasmania, I’m privileged to witness breathtaking night skies, untainted by excessive light pollution. Moreover, my location at 42 degrees South affords me semi-regular glimpses of spectacular auroral displays. Seizing the opportunity to capture these celestial wonders, I embarked on building an Allsky camera in November 2023. If the camera is operational, it is available at https://allsky.rigby.systems/allsky/ The Allsky Project is an open-source initiative founded by Thomas Jacquin, with a dedicated team of developers contributing to its growth.

Pelican Case PC

February 14, 2025 - 5 mins read

As I embark on lengthy voyages at sea, the familiar comforts of gaming have become a cherished escape from the vast expanse of ocean. Especially after a long 12 hour shift. But for years, my trusty work laptop’s outdated hardware limited me to retro classics like Counter-Strike and Age of Empires II. Recently, I seized the opportunity to upgrade my desktop computer after a decade of faithful service, and a bold idea began to take shape: repurposing the old parts into a portable, rugged “pelican case” PC - a cyberdeck capable of bringing modern gaming to the high seas.

Nuyina Desktop Backgrounds

February 11, 2025 - 3 mins read

As part of my work with the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), I’ve been developing control software for the Nuyina Underwater Towed Termination System (NUTTS). Designed by the Polar Tech Design Team, NUTTS is a system that enables the operation of deep-sea science equipment. The system features four Electro-Optical-Mechanical (EOM) cables and supporting equipment, which provide power and interface capabilities for a range of deep-sea science platforms. Each system operates on a dedicated Linux computer, which can be accessed and controlled through a KVM switch.