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Designing and Building a High-Speed Overland Amphibian

AZLK Amfibia KVV_EL

Creating an amphibious vehicle is always an exercise in compromise: boats handle poorly on asphalt, and automobiles are terrible swimmers. The goal of this project was to build an all-wheel-drive expedition vehicle capable of sustaining speeds of 100+ km/h on public roads, while also being able to navigate water and handle rough terrain. The philosophy is straightforward: use a Moskvich (AZLK) 2141 body shell and combine reliable, accessible donor assemblies (an UZAM engine and a Niva drivetrain) with a fully custom, watertight load-bearing steel displacement hull. The approach is to maximize the use of mass-produced stock components and minimize one-off custom parts. The packaging layout must allow straightforward repairs and servicing, while preserving maximum visual resemblance to the good old M2141.

Continue reading “Designing and Building a High-Speed Overland Amphibian”

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Moskvich 2141 Amphibian Based on UAZ (Abandoned Project)

M2141 based on UAZ

It all started with a good old Moskvich (AZLK) 2141 that had been sitting for 8 years after an accident and had rusted heavily — especially the floorpan, though the upper body shell remained in decent shape. The UZAM engine was in great condition and started easily in any weather. Selling it wasn’t interesting; restoring it seemed much more appealing. The initial decision was to try repairing and firing up the engine first. After 8 years of sitting, the engine came back to life. Once the brakes were rebuilt and a few adjustments were made, the car was drivable again. Its simplicity and reliability were its most attractive qualities. In this state, the car covered over 1,000 km with only a handful of minor issues — hardly surprising for a vehicle that had stood idle for so many years.

Since the core mechanical assemblies turned out to be solid, the next step was to decide on the direction of the build.

Continue reading “Moskvich 2141 Amphibian Based on UAZ (Abandoned Project)”

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Transforming a GAZelle Minibus into a 4×4 Overland Camper using UAZ Axles

Gazel KVV_EL

This project has a long and somewhat romantic backstory. I used to own a classic UAZ “Bukhanka” — a vehicle I invested a massive amount of time and effort into, and which suited my needs completely. After parting ways with it, I wanted a high-clearance, four-wheel-drive van. A classic body-on-frame SUV is great, but I wanted more interior space, while a standard commercial minibus offered zero off-road capability. Eventually, I was lucky enough to find a near-perfect base platform: a passenger GAZelle van in excellent condition, matching my driver’s license category, with an already installed LPG system (tank mounted outside the cabin) and the maximum registered seating capacity.

Project Objective: Building a four-wheel-drive vehicle on the GAZelle platform using simple, robust, and readily available mass-produced automotive assemblies, keeping one-off bespoke parts to an absolute minimum.

Continue reading “Transforming a GAZelle Minibus into a 4×4 Overland Camper using UAZ Axles”

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Climate Control System for Bee Wintering with Additional Functions

Контроль климата для зимовки пчел KVV EL

This system is designed to automate climate control within a beehive or a dedicated storage room during the wintering period. It continuously monitors both temperature and humidity. The user can select one of these parameters to be actively regulated (via heating or ventilation) if it falls outside the specified target range. Meanwhile, if the secondary parameter exceeds its set safety limits, the system will trigger an alert signal. Additionally, the system can be easily reconfigured to heat honey barrels, lowering the viscosity of the honey for easier decanting or mechanical pumping. The inherent flexibility of the controller allows it to be adapted for various other applications, such as general indoor climate control or egg incubator automation. Continue reading “Climate Control System for Bee Wintering with Additional Functions”

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IoT Request Forwarding Server Application

Forwarding IoT Server Frame KVV EL

This desktop software application is designed to act as a proxy/relay to forward requests from end-user IoT edge devices to their main production server when direct access to the server becomes unavailable due to routing issues, network blocks, or other external factors. The application is capable of seamlessly forwarding both raw telemetry requests from embedded hardware devices and API requests from associated client applications (such as Android or iOS apps). Continue reading “IoT Request Forwarding Server Application”

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Manufacturing Encapsulated DS18B20 Temperature Probes

DS18B20 в герметичном исполнении в гильзе KVVEL

DS18B20 digital temperature sensors are extremely popular among both electronics hobbyists and commercial manufacturers. Many applications require these sensors to be used in a waterproof, encapsulated form factor inside a protective metal sleeve. However, there are several prevalent issues with the cheap, pre-packaged sensors currently flooding the market:

  • The use of substandard or counterfeit sensor ICs by suppliers (most commonly, these fake chips fail to operate correctly in the 2-wire “parasitic power” mode);
  • The use of cheap wiring with a maximum temperature rating that is significantly lower than the sensor’s actual measurement range.

Continue reading “Manufacturing Encapsulated DS18B20 Temperature Probes”

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FileToC: Convert Any File to a C/C++ Byte Array

FileToC. Главное окно программы

FileToC is a desktop utility designed for the byte-by-byte conversion of any file into a standard C/C++ array within a *.c file. When developing firmware for microcontrollers (MCUs), it is often necessary to embed raw binary or text files directly into the source code—for instance, when serving static Web interface assets (HTML, CSS) directly from the MCU’s flash memory. Continue reading “FileToC: Convert Any File to a C/C++ Byte Array”

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Controlled Socket for the WatchDog_Max USB Timer

Управляемая розетка и WD_Max

The Controlled Socket (CS) is a device designed to safely interrupt a standard ~220V, 50Hz AC electrical circuit in order to temporarily power-cycle connected electrical appliances. The Controlled Socket is primarily used in conjunction with the WatchDog_Max (WD) to hard-reboot external network equipment (such as routers, switches, and modems) if the internet connection is lost. Continue reading “Controlled Socket for the WatchDog_Max USB Timer”

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WatchDog_Max USB – Comprehensive Protection for Mining Rigs, PCs, Servers, and Network Equipment

WD_Max, управляемая розетка, соединительные провода

WatchDog_Max USB (WD_Max / WD) is the ultimate tier of our hardware watchdog timer lineup. It is a comprehensive hardware-software solution designed to automatically hard-reset a PC, mining rig, server, or unattended terminal in the event of a system freeze or software crash. PC reboots can be executed using one of five advanced sequences. The software can monitor the local network connection to Claymore (or any other local application via a local IP address). Furthermore, when paired with the optional Controlled Socket, the system can automatically power-cycle external network equipment (routers, switches, etc.) if the global internet connection drops. Continue reading “WatchDog_Max USB – Comprehensive Protection for Mining Rigs, PCs, Servers, and Network Equipment”

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