I'm Brian Dorey - electronics hobbyist, maker, and web developer based in Swanage on the beautiful Jurassic Coast of Dorset. I've spent the better part of three decades building things: websites, circuits, smart home systems, and the occasional robot. This is where I document the projects I am working on.
Location: Swanage, Dorset, south coast of England
Interests: Electronics, smart home automation, mountain biking, cyclocross, landscape & macro photography, walking the dogs
What I Do
Web Design & Development - Apexweb Ltd
In 1998, after years in retail management, I taught myself web development and never looked back. What started as fixing computers and building the odd website from a spare room in Swanage gradually grew into a proper business. In 2014, I formalised things with my brother Andrew — who'd joined me back in 2002 — and we incorporated as Apexweb Ltd, a web design and development company based in Dorset.
Over the years we've built websites and digital projects for organisations as varied as multinational corporations, NHS trusts, independent retailers, holiday accommodation, and everything in between. Today, Apexweb focuses on reliable, mobile-friendly websites for businesses across the UK.
Raspberry Pi Expansion Boards - AB Electronics UK
In September 2012, a Raspberry Pi blog post I'd written got far more attention than I expected. The response made it clear there was a real appetite for quality expansion hardware, so we launched AB Electronics UK to sell our own range of Raspberry Pi expansion boards. We design, manufacture, and sell them from Dorset to makers, developers, and educators across the world. The electronics business now accounts for the vast majority of what we do.
Virtual Swanage
Back in 1996, long before social media, before broadband, before most people had heard of the internet. I built a community website for my home town. Virtual Swanage is still running 30 years later, featuring local events, webcams, current and historic photographs, and visitor information for the town and surrounding area.
The Career in Brief
My working life didn't start with computers. I left school at 16 and spent seven years in food retail, working my way up to butchery manager at the local Somerfield supermarket, becoming the youngest person in that role across the entire company. A period of driving with water cooler deliveries across the south of England followed, behind the wheel of everything from a Transit to a 7.5-tonne lorry.
It was late 1998 when I finally made the leap into technology. I had always enjoyed building computers and tinkering with hardware, so I decided to try turning it into a career. The first year was difficult, funded largely by savings, but once local businesses started to take notice, work steadily grew. By 2003 I'd stopped repairing PCs entirely to focus on web design and development full-time, and I've been building for the web ever since.
Beyond the Workshop
When I'm not writing code or soldering components, you'll most likely find me out on a bike. I ride the Dorset lanes and off-road trails regularly, both road cycling and mountain biking with the local Purbeck Hills on the doorstep make for excellent on and off-road riding. I also enjoy landscape and macro photography, and walking the dogs along the coastal paths.
My brother Andrew shares the same interest in technology, though his focus is firmly on vintage hardware. If retro computing is your thing, his blog at Andrewdorey.com is well worth a look.
Find Me Online
GitHub - project code and firmware
YouTube - video companions to build logs
AB Electronics UK - Raspberry Pi expansion boards
Apexweb LTD - web design and development
Virtual Swanage - Swanage community website since 1996
Support the Blog
If you find the guides here useful and would like to support the work, the easiest way is to shop for your Raspberry Pi accessories and expansion boards at AB Electronics UK. Alternatively, donations via PayPal are always gratefully received.