Michael Hofmann

IT Systems Engineer

PowerShell Microsoft 365 Entra ID Intune Unraid Docker Home Assistant Node-RED

IT Systems Engineer by day, homelab builder by night. This site is where the two overlap. Documenting what I build, what breaks, and what I learn along the way.

Latest Tutorials

Multi Machine Hugo Development With an Unraid SMB Share

Learn how to host your Hugo site files on an Unraid server and mount them on multiple Pop!_OS machines so you can develop from your desktop or laptop using the same files, scripts, and workflow.

A beginner-friendly guide to deploying MariaDB on Unraid with Docker Compose. Covers directory setup, environment variables, persistent storage, and verifying connectivity from other containers on the shared core_net network.

Docker Compose on Unraid with Compose Manager Plus

A beginner-friendly guide to Docker Compose on Unraid. Install the Compose Manager Plus plugin, create an organized stack directory structure, write a compose file with environment variables, and manage container lifecycle from both the terminal and the Unraid UI.

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Latest Projects

Image Privacy and Optimization Pipeline with Folder Watching

My iPhone embeds GPS coordinates, camera serial numbers, and acceleration vectors into every photo. I built a Bash script to strip all of it and convert images to web-optimized WebP, with an optional folder watcher to make it fully automatic.

Fixing a Whirlpool Dishwasher Start Button for $4

The Start button on my Whirlpool WDT730HAMZ0 dishwasher stopped working reliably. Instead of buying a $100+ control board, I traced the fault to a worn SMD tactile switch and replaced it for a few dollars.

Taming the Arizona Heat: SRP Time-of-Use Automation

Living in the Arizona desert, my electricity bill is not just a monthly expense. It is a tactical challenge. With SRP's Time-of-Use plans, power prices double during peak hours. This post covers how I built a Node-RED logic engine to load shift my cooling.

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