Auto-Saving Serial Monitor Output in VS Code (PlatformIO)

Dassa — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 08:35:17 +0000

When working on embedded systems — especially robotics, sensing, and control experiments — serial monitor logs are critical for debugging and data analysis.

Manually copying serial output is inefficient. So here’s how to automatically save serial monitor output to a file when using VS Code + PlatformIO.

Step 1: Install Required Extensions

First, install the following VS Code extensions:

PlatformIO IDE (by PlatformIO)
Serial Monitor (by Microsoft)

The PlatformIO extension provides the embedded development environment, while the Microsoft Serial Monitor extension offers an alternative serial terminal if needed.

Step 2: Access the Serial Monitor

You can access the Serial Monitor in VS Code (PlatformIO) by clicking the Serial Monitor in the bottom status bar.

Step 3: Chose a folder to save the log files.

Step 4: Before opening the serial port, click on this button,

Then the file will be saved in the logs folder.

Setting Up Obsidian on Ubuntu and Syncing with Git & Android (Step-by-Step)

Dassa — Sat, 10 Jan 2026 20:32:33 +0000

In this guide, I’ll walk you through:

Installing Obsidian on Ubuntu
Syncing your vault with GitHub (private repo)
Making it work seamlessly on Android, even though mobile Git does not support SSH

This setup is stable, version-controlled, and works offline.

Why Obsidian + Git?

Markdown-based, future-proof notes
Full version history (unlike cloud sync tools)
Private repositories = full control over data
Works across Linux, Windows, and Android

Step 1: Install Obsidian on Ubuntu

Download the .deb package from the official site:

https://obsidian.md/download

Install using `gdebi`

First, install gdebi if it’s not already installed:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gdebi

Then open the downloaded .deb file with GDebi Package Installer and install Obsidian.

Why gdebi?
It automatically resolves dependencies, unlike dpkg.

Step 2: Create a Private GitHub Repository

Go to GitHub
Create a new repository
Set it to Private
Do not initialize with README (Obsidian will populate it)

Step 3: Clone the Repository Using SSH (Desktop)

On Ubuntu, navigate to where you want your vault:

cd ~/Documents

Clone the repository:

git clone git@github.com:DasDNS/Obsidian_Notes.git

You should see output similar to:

Cloning into 'Obsidian_Notes'...
Receiving objects: 100% (4/4), done.

Verify the remote:

cd Obsidian_Notes
git remote -v

Output:

origin  git@github.com:DasDNS/Obsidian_Notes.git (fetch)
origin  git@github.com:DasDNS/Obsidian_Notes.git (push)

Step 4: Open the Vault in Obsidian (Ubuntu)

Open Obsidian
Click Open folder as vault
Select Obsidian_Notes
Start creating notes

Step 5: Install & Configure Obsidian Git Plugin (Desktop)

Go to Settings → Community Plugins
Disable Safe Mode
Install Obsidian Git
Enable the plugin

Recommended settings:

Auto commit on interval
Auto pull on startup
Commit message template (optional)

Now your notes automatically commit and sync.

Step 6: Why Android Needs HTTPS (Important)

Obsidian Git on Android:

❌ Does NOT support SSH
✅ Supports HTTPS + Personal Access Token (PAT)

So we keep SSH on desktop, but create an HTTPS copy of the vault for Android.

Step 7: Create an HTTPS-Compatible Copy (Desktop)

Duplicate your vault:

cp -r ~/Documents/Obsidian_Notes ~/Documents/Obsidian_Notes_HTTPS
cd ~/Documents/Obsidian_Notes_HTTPS

Change the remote from SSH → HTTPS:

git remote set-url origin https://github.com/DasDNS/Obsidian_Notes.git

Verify:

git remote -v

Output:

origin  https://github.com/DasDNS/Obsidian_Notes.git (fetch)
origin  https://github.com/DasDNS/Obsidian_Notes.git (push)

✅ This repo is now Android-compatible.

Step 8: Copy the Vault to Android

Connect phone via USB
Enable File Transfer (MTP)
Copy the entire folder:

.git/
.obsidian/
All markdown files

Recommended location:

Internal Storage / Obsidian

⚠️ Copy the folder itself, not just its contents.

Step 9: Install Obsidian on Android

Install Obsidian from the Play Store
Open the app
Select Open existing folder
Choose the copied Obsidian folder

Step 10: Git Sync on Android (Access Token Required)

Go to Settings → Community Plugins
Enable Obsidian Git
Open the Command Palette
Run Obsidian Git: Pull

You’ll be prompted for:

Username → GitHub username
Password → Personal Access Token (PAT)

⚠️ This token is mandatory. SSH keys do NOT work on Android.

Once entered, Obsidian Git will:

Pull updates
Commit changes
Push back to GitHub

Final Result

✔ Ubuntu → SSH Git (secure & fast)
✔ Android → HTTPS Git (token-based)
✔ Same private repository
✔ Full version history
✔ Offline-first notes

Final Thoughts

This setup gives you:

Full control over your data
No paid sync service
A workflow that scales from student notes to research archives

If you’re serious about long-term note-taking, Obsidian + Git is worth the setup.

References

I used several community resources when refining this workflow:

🔗 Obsidian + GitLab Setup (Andrew Wegner)
A detailed walkthrough of connecting Obsidian to a Git repository, which helped inform the desktop Git steps in this guide:
https://andrewwegner.com/obsidian-gitlab-setup.html

🔗 Obsidian Android Syncing via GitHub (Reddit)
A community discussion about syncing Obsidian on Android using GitHub and personal access tokens:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ObsidianMD/comments/17odzjb/obsidian_android_syncing_via_github_in_2023/

DEV Community: Dassa