hi again!

Another short update. I've been playing around with the setup a bit more. Things seem to be doing relatively well. I'm running off a 12v iron core transformer now, testing the voltage after the rectifier and the capacitor seems to be looking ok. I could do with a bit more capacitance I think though, my output voltage isn't quite as smooth as I would have liked. Even with this though, the regulator copes perfectly fine, and outputs a beautiful 3.3v. I do have one problem at the moment that I don't understand. For some reason when I am running off the AC transformer, with a pwmed output, every so often my voltage goes negative when it should be 0v. I'm not quite sure what I am doing wrong, if anything. It doesn't seem to effect the output, but it's something I need to look into further. If you know what's happening, please let me know. Edit - Well, that was simple, I just didn't have a big enough load on it. Once you put the light on it, the signal smooths right out.

Anyway the reason for the post is that I've uploaded a video to YouTube on my first solder paste experience.

http://youtu.be/r60sGJJpSOk

As you can see, I'm not so confident on camera :) apologies for the quality of the video, it is my first ever video I have recorded that amounts to anything.

In the end, before I put my regulator on, I put a bit more solder paste on. This is probably what caused it to twist around a bit, as you can see from the last four seconds of video.

Anyway, onwards and upwards. Things are looking good. I think I need to slap on a few more caps to smooth out my voltages a bit more, and probably add an additional cap specifically for the regulator to make sure it gets clean power.

Also as I mentioned in my comment to Robert below, I'm looking to implement openHAB support for this project. It seems to be the go-to home automation system out there. I'm in the process of setting it up for my place at the moment.