The beginning

My parents will tell you that my interest in computers and electronics started pretty early on. I find blinkenlights fascinating and always have… When I was 5, or 6, I got an Amstrad PC, and a bunch of cassette tapes, yes cassette tapes, with games. It was with this that I got started programming, in basic.

When I was 9, I started building a cycle trolley with a car battery, lights, and switches. Which I dragged around and improved for years until it eventually became “uncool.”

Father and son, building the undercarriage of cycle trolley
Me, with the cycle trolley, in the basement
Me, with the cycle trolley, hooked to my bike

The year after, in 1993, the family got an x86 PC, with a color monitor and dot matrix printer. It was awesome; I stopped playing outside after that…

Me, in front of the family computer in 1993
My computer desk, living at home, 2004
The first rack system I built, sommer of 2004

On my own

I moved into my own apartment and started to build AVR microcontroller modules in my early 20’s, and it quickly became an obsession. I put them all into a control cabinet that controlled the apartment, and monitored itself; every voltage level, fuse, and module had some kind of monitoring and alert system. After a few years, it had gotten pretty big.

Desk and workbench in my old apartment
Entryway closet in my old apartment, filled with tools, parts, and a rack box
Lots of cables, wires, etc, inside a rack box

I went to school for two years and improved my electronics skills. After I graduated, I sold the apartment and bought a house.

Home office in my first house
Workshop in my first house
Part storage shelves in my first house
Server room, with rack, in my first house

Family man

After living on my own in the house for about two years, I met my girlfriend (now wife). We dated for a short while, then we rented an apartment and moved in together in her hometown. Almost a year later the twins were born — hectic times and not a lot of time for projects. In 2014, when the twins were about a year old, we bought our first house.

I called dibs on a room in the basement, and turned it into my combined home office, man-cave, workshop, electronics lab, and server room. 10.5 m2 (113 ft2) of pure awesomeness!

Panoramic view of home office
Man-cave, home office, workshop, and server room
Computer desk with ultrawide monitor and electronics lab
Homelab, server rack, in my man-cave

In 2018 our youngest son was born, and the family was complete. I try ever so gently to push the kids towards the right interests of course; it seems to be working.

My twin boys, using computers, at my work in 2015
My twin boys, at the dining table with blue LED strobe in 2017
My twin boys, playing with computer parts and motherboard in 2018
Alexander, looking at alarm module build
Niklas, looking at alarm module build
Adrian, playing with computer parts and motherboard in 2019

Then — in 2020, we bought our second house. And I once again called dibs on a room in the basement, were I made my home office.

My current home office, workshop and server room

In May 2022 — I asked Mona to marry me, and she said yes 😃

The ring!
Mona and I — kissing

And January 2023; we got married! ❤️

Mona and I — getting married
Our wedding rings