BIN · UNI
Universal
True anywhere.
Lessons that should hold in any yard on the planet. If it only worked in one yard, it does not belong here yet.
- Sensor placement
- Calibration
- Sealing and strain relief
- Reading the data
Nerdsquatch · field lab
Field-tested tinkering. Big feet, small parts.
Nerdsquatch is the garage engineer. Electronics, 3D printing, automation, circuit boards, web control panels and aquaponics. Built on the bench, then carried outside and proven in the dirt.
@nerdsquatchlab · YouTube, Instagram, TikTok: coming
A drawing of the plan. Photos replace it when the builds exist.
What this is
A garage lab with an outdoor test bench.
Most electronics projects end on a tidy desk. These ones end in a yard. A sensor that works on the bench still has to survive sun, rain, dust, bugs and a weak signal.
So every outdoor build here gets finished twice. Once in the lab, where it is clean and nothing bites. Once outside, where the real test starts.
Nerdsquatch hosts. A human’s hands do the work. You get the plan, the parts list, the mistakes and the fix.
- Electronics
- 3D printing
- Automation
- Circuit boards
- Web control panels
- Aquaponics
- Soil and water sensors
- Irrigation
- Solar and off-grid
The format
Same build, two yards.
Each outdoor build is installed twice: once in a test yard in Southern California, once in a test yard in Ghana. Same plan, same parts list where possible. Then every lesson gets sorted into one of three bins.
BIN · GEO
Geographic
Changes with climate and infrastructure.
Lessons that depend on where you are standing. The build is the same. The weather, the power and the parts shelf are not.
- Heat and humidity
- Rain and dust
- Solar yield
- Mobile coverage
- What parts you can buy locally
BIN · RULE
Rules
Changes with regulation.
Lessons that come from a rulebook, not from physics. These are notes on what the build ran into. They are not legal advice. Check your own local rules.
- Radio rules
- Drone permissions
- Import duties
- Data protection
- Water rights
No lessons logged yet. Numbers go here after the first season.
On the plan
First builds. Not built yet.
NS-001plannedFirst build
Column tank aquaponics
A small acrylic column tank turned into a standalone mini aquaponics loop: tiny pump, clay-pebble basket on top, a pepper plant above, small fish and shrimp below.
Water
NS-002plannedFirst two-yards build
Soil and water node
A small outdoor box that watches soil moisture, a pump and a water tank, and sends simple irrigation alerts. Solar-ready. Built to keep working on a poor connection.
Outdoor · two yards
NS-003planned
Lab network
The lab wired like a small office: structured cabling, a patch panel, PoE cameras, VLANs and a VPN for getting in from outside.
Network
Season one · starts January 2027
The season-one slate
Four planned builds. The order can change. Nothing on this list is finished.
The umbrella
One lab. Three channels.
Nerdsquatch is one of three maker channels under F&F Labz. Same lab, different benches.
- The garage engineerNerdsquatch
Electronics, printing, automation and the outdoor test bench. You are here.
- WoodworkingMortise & Motor
Hand and power-tool woodworking: benches, cabinets and joinery.
- Tiny dronesCrash Test Whoop
Tiny-whoop builds, tuning and flying. Crashes included.
Field notes
From the notebook
Draft
1 minOct 3, 2026
Field Note 001: Why the first build is a small tank
NS-001 is a column tank with a pepper plant on top. Here is why the first build is small, wet and mostly not electronic.
Read entryDraft
1 minOct 3, 2026
Field Note 000: Same build, two yards
The plan for how outdoor builds get tested: one yard in Southern California, one in Ghana, and three bins for every lesson.
Read entryNewsletter
Get told when the first build starts.
Field notes by email. Nothing is sent until there is something real to show.