Our Story & Lab
Where Real Hardware Meets South African Ingenuity
Chemcool Electronics was founded to demystify embedded systems, provide rock-solid DIY tutorials, and engineer energy-resilient hardware for an unpredictable world.
Hands-On Engineering, Not Theoretical Fluff
In an era dominated by purely abstract software, physical hardware remains the bedrock of modern life. At our workshop in Centurion, South Africa, Chemcool Electronics bridges the gap between raw silicon and real-world deployment.
From building custom ATtiny85 shields that breathe new life into classic Arduino Uno boards, to programming ESP32 microcontrollers that capture real-time atmospheric lightning data via AS3935 sensors, our work is defined by tangible results.
Living in South Africa means facing daily power grid instability and load shedding. That reality spurred our relentless focus on home solar battery telemetry, Victron BLE communication, and custom LiFePO4 charge governance.
Core Engineering Values
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01.
Field-Tested Reliability: Every circuit schematic and code line is assembled on an actual breadboard and verified before publication.
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02.
Open-Source Transparency: Complete C++ source code, wiring pinouts, and hardware datasheets are provided without paywalls.
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03.
Energy Self-Sufficiency: We design systems that empower home and business owners to monitor, safeguard, and maximize their solar storage.
FJ Snijman
Founder, Senior Hardware Architect • Centurion, South Africa
FJ Snijman is an avid electronics enthusiast, systems developer, and technical writer with decades of hands-on experience in microcontroller architecture, sensor integration, and digital instrumentation. His articles combine rigorous electrical principles with accessible, step-by-step guidance for hobbyists and professional engineers alike.
Laboratory Capabilities
Hardware Platforms & Protocols
Microchip AVR
ATmega328P, ATtiny85, Arduino Uno R3/R4, bare-metal C/C++, direct register manipulation.
Espressif Systems
ESP32-WROOM, Heltec WiFi Kit V3 with OLED, Arduino Nano ESP32, FreeRTOS, BLE, WiFi.
Sensors & I/O
AS3935 Franklin Lightning, DS18B20 1-Wire, I2C SSD1306 OLED, PIR motion, DS3231 RTC.
Power & Energy
Victron BLE telemetry, LiFePO4 charging logic, DC voltage sense dividers, Duffing oscillators.