vaporCAM
Active Development
Stability, earned value, multi-project workflows, deploymentEngineering • Robotics • AI • Infrastructure
VaporWare Labs
An independent engineering lab for software, robotics, artificial intelligence, embedded systems, home automation, infrastructure, and experimental projects.
Experiment. Share Results. Enjoy the Process.
About the Lab
Ideas. Built. Tested. Iterated.
VaporWare Labs is a growing collection of engineering projects, experiments, and shared knowledge.
Projects range from autonomous vehicles and smart-home systems to project-management software, local artificial intelligence, self-hosted infrastructure, and documented cooking experiments.
The lab is not limited to one technical field or product. It is a place to follow curiosity, build useful things, preserve what was learned, and make the results available to others.
Current Lab Status
What is active now
The website provides the overview. Detailed source code, roadmaps, design notes, issues, and experiment history remain in GitHub.
vaporAI
Experimental
Local RAG, model evaluation, engineering memoryvaporCORE
Operational
Self-hosted development, testing, and AI infrastructurevaporCHEF
Active Development
Version-controlled recipes and cooking experimentsRobotics
Experimental
Quadcopters, indoor flight, rovers, autonomyProject Vapor
Operational
Local home automation, sensing, and smart spacesActive Projects
What We’re Building
Each project begins as a useful experiment and grows through real-world testing, documentation, and iteration.
Active Development
Engineering Software
vaporCAM
An open-source engineering planning and control-account management application built with Django.
- Jira Feature and Story synchronization
- Monthly ETC and labor actuals
- Feature rollups and earned-value visibility
- Search, notes, audit history, and Excel export
- Linux deployment with Gunicorn and Nginx
Current focus: production stabilization, usability, deployment hardening, and Excel round-trip workflows.
View repository →
Operational
Infrastructure
vaporCORE
The self-hosted platform supporting VaporWare Labs development, experimentation, and local AI.
- Proxmox virtualization
- Ubuntu virtual machines
- Tailscale remote connectivity
- Development and test environments
- Snapshots and infrastructure experiments
Experimental
Artificial Intelligence
vaporAI
A private, self-hosted AI platform running local language models and Retrieval-Augmented Generation.
- Ollama and Open WebUI
- Local language models
- RAG over approved documentation
- Private engineering-memory assistant
Active Development
Knowledge System
vaporware-knowledge
A version-controlled knowledge repository designed for both humans and AI systems.
- Project overviews and design documents
- Roadmaps and feature descriptions
- Infrastructure notes and lessons learned
- Curated institutional memory for vaporAI
Active Development
Cooking Experiments
vaporCHEF
A Git-based collection of evolving recipes documented in Markdown and refined through experimentation.
- Record the initial recipe
- Test and evaluate the result
- Revise the ingredients or method
- Preserve photos, notes, and version history
Experimental
Flight Systems
Quad-001
An endurance-focused quadcopter platform based on CubePilot and ArduPilot, supported by smaller indoor-aircraft experiments.
- S500 airframe and CubePilot controller
- RFD900 telemetry
- Mission planning and autonomous flight
- Control tuning and system integration
Experimental
Robotics
Rover-001b
A modular Raspberry Pi and Arduino rover platform for RC control, autonomy, computer vision, and future docking concepts.
View project →
Operational
Smart Space
Project Vapor
A Home Assistant–based smart-home ecosystem built around local automation, practical sensing, and ESP32 devices.
- Presence-aware lighting
- Voice satellites and scene controllers
- Environmental and occupancy sensing
- Local automation wherever practical
Planned
Future Software
vaporTASK, vaporEXEC & Institutional Memory Engine
Planned projects for a focused Jira interface, a management-level portfolio dashboard, and an institutional memory engine. These are not current development priorities.
Technology Stack
One lab, many disciplines
Software
Python, C++, Django, FastAPI, JavaScript, Bootstrap, SQLite, Gitea
Artificial Intelligence
Ollama, Open WebUI, local LLMs, RAG, prompt engineering, local inference
Hardware
Raspberry Pi, Arduino, ESP32, STM32, RC systems
Infrastructure
Ubuntu, Linux, Proxmox, Docker, Gunicorn, Nginx, systemd, Tailscale
Robotics & Control
ArduPilot, MAVLink, computer vision, autonomous systems
Mechanical Design
SolidWorks, CAD prototyping, 3D printing, 2020 aluminum extrusion
Home Automation
Home Assistant, ESPHome, voice satellites, sensing, local control
Documentation
Markdown, version control, roadmaps, design history, experiment records
Design Philosophy
Build small. Test honestly. Preserve what matters.
Documentation is treated as a first-class engineering artifact. Whenever practical, projects preserve not only what was built, but why important decisions were made.
- 01Start with a useful experiment.
- 02Build the smallest workable version.
- 03Test it in the real world.
- 04Study the results.
- 05Improve the design.
- 06Document what was learned.
- 07Share the results.
Current Focus
Where the lab is spending its energy
- Stabilizing and improving vaporCAM
- Expanding the vaporAI RAG knowledge system
- Building the vaporware-knowledge repository
- Documenting vaporCORE infrastructure
- Growing vaporCHEF
- Improving VaporWareLabs.org
- Preserving project history and lessons learned
- Building a consistent public identity across the ecosystem
Explore the Work
The website is the front door. GitHub is the workshop.
Source code, detailed documentation, roadmaps, issues, experiment notes, recipes, and project history are maintained in the VaporWare Labs GitHub organization.