• 1
    Acquire a few standard power strips

    I got few power strips from Home Depot. It's really difficult to tell if there's enough room inside before you open them up so you might need to experiment with few models (but at least make sure they're wider than a single module, i.e. 30mm, which almost all power strips are.) In some power strips, there's enough space to stuff in modules without any modifications. In other ones, you might need to remove the power switch or one or more outlets. In most cases, you will probably need to at least remove some internal ribs or drill some holes. Also, wiring gets tight with thick power cables so try to get the spaciest power strip you can find!


  • 2
    Choose what modules you want in there

    I modified two power strips. Once has the IR ToF sensor module (H08R60) to replace its power switch so that you can use hand gestures to turn on/off and the other one has a BLE and a USB modules so that you can control it via a smartphone or connect to your PC and use the CLI. Of course you need an AC relay and a 3.3V power supply as well as few mounting modules. Here's the complete list.

    Setup 1

    • 1 x 600 VAC / 1.2A Solid State Relay Module (H0FR60)
    • 1 x 3.3V / 1A DC-DC Buck Power Supply Module (H03R00)
    • 1 x Time-of-flight IR Sensor Module (H08R60)
    • 4 x M2/M2.5 Triangle Mounting Hole Module (T00R10)
    • 1 x power strip
    • M2 nylon screws and spacers (height according to your design)

    The USB module is optional.

    Setup 2

    • 1 x 600 VAC / 1.2A Solid State Relay Module (H0FR60)
    • 1 x 3.3V / 1A DC-DC Buck Power Supply Module (H03R00)
    • 1 x Bluetooth V4.0 Dual Mode Module (H23R10)
    • 1 x Mini USB-B-to-UART Converter (H1AR20)
    • 4 x M2/M2.5 Triangle Mounting Hole Module (T00R10) 
    • 1 x power strip
    • M2 nylon screws and spacers (height according to your design)

    Ended up using Mini USB-B module instead of the USB-B in the picture to reduce size.

  • 3
    Start assembling the modules together and find out best fit

    This step will require some iterations. You will need to find the best place inside the power strip and maybe remove some internal features that are blocking the modules. Remember that you can also go vertical and tune the vertical spacing based on module height, available space the way you want to access your modules, etc.