url stringlengths 37 208 | title stringlengths 4 148 | author stringclasses 173 values | publish_date stringclasses 1 value | categories listlengths 0 12 | tags listlengths 0 27 | featured_image stringlengths 0 272 | content stringlengths 0 56.1k | comments_count int64 0 900 | scraped_comments_count int64 0 50 | comments listlengths 0 50 | scraped_at float64 1.76B 1.76B |
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https://hackaday.com/2009/01/29/pseudo-3d-chat/ | Pseudo 3D Chat | Eliot | [
"downloads hacks",
"home entertainment hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"3d",
"chat",
"johnny lee",
"opencv",
"video chat",
"wiimote"
] | [Chris Harrison] and [Scott E. Hudson] have built a novel system for
faking a 3D video chat session
. Their implementation separates the image of the chat participant from the background. They then dynamically reposition the video based on the movement of the viewers head. Their using the OpenCV library to do facial recognition (just like the
Laughing Man demo
). The 3D effect is very similar to what you see in [Johnny Lee]’s
Wiimote headtracking
. A video of the pseudo 3D chat is embedded below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8gOgwPgk2g] | 21 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "61284",
"author": "DarkFlib",
"timestamp": "2009-01-30T04:26:23",
"content": "The thing that attracts me is not the pseudo 3d effect its the decent effectiveness it managed to remove the background. It would be pretty cool to be able to replace the background (even if it requires a ... | 1,760,377,688.216249 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/29/boxee-and-apple-tv/ | Boxee And Apple TV | Eliot | [
"downloads hacks",
"home entertainment hacks",
"Mac Hacks"
] | [
"abc",
"apple",
"apple tv",
"atv",
"boxee",
"boxxy",
"ces",
"hulu",
"lifehacker",
"nbc",
"patchstick",
"usb",
"xbmc",
"xbox"
] | We’ve been following
Boxee
(not
Boxxy
) since its
public alpha debut last Summer
. We were captivated by it. Who expected a project built off of code originally intended for
hacked Xboxes
would be
shown on NBC’s Today Show
? We’ve been promised internet connected set top boxes for years, but it seems like Boxee is here to stay for two solid reasons: 1. It’s free. 2. Major content providers have finally figured out how to publish online and
Boxee
supports them. You can replace your network television with on demand content from Hulu, ABC, and the like.
One of the most affordable platforms currently supported by Boxee is the
Apple TV
. Lifehacker has a guide for
installing Boxee on an Apple TV
. You prepare a
USB flash drive
that is then used to patch the stock firmware. Once installed you can take advantage fun features like downloading torrents directly to the box. | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "61268",
"author": "nick",
"timestamp": "2009-01-30T02:31:41",
"content": "I run this setup at home along with XBMC on the apple tv, it works great. I highly recommend looking into an apple tv if you are considering HTPC options.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies"... | 1,760,377,687.959487 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/29/uhf-power-harvesting/ | UHF Power Harvesting | Eliot | [
"home hacks",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"antenna",
"dvice",
"e-paper",
"hd",
"hidef",
"hygrometer",
"intel",
"RF",
"rfid",
"supercap",
"thermometer",
"uhf",
"wireless"
] | [Alanson Sample] and [Joshua R. Smith] have been experimenting with
wireless power transfer for their sensing platform
. Their microcontroller of choice is the MSP430, which we used on our
e-paper clock
. They chose it specifically for its ability to work with low voltages and they discus its specific behavior at different voltages. The first portion of their paper uses a UHF
RFID
reader to transmit to the sensor’s four stage charge pump. They added a supercap to provide enough power for 24 hours of logging while the node isn’t near a reader. For the second half of the paper, they use a UHF antenna designed for digital TV with the same circuit and pointed it at a television tower ~4.1km away. It had an open circuit voltage of 5.0V and 0.7V across an 8KOhm load, which works out to be 60uW of power. They connected this to the AAA battery terminals of the thermometer/hygrometer pictured above. It worked without issue. The thermometer’s draw on a lab power supply was 25uA at 1.5V.
It’s an interesting approach to powering devices. Do you have an application that needs something like this? For more on wireless power, checkout this earlier post on
scratch building RFID tags
.
[via
DVICE
] | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "61264",
"author": "tony",
"timestamp": "2009-01-30T01:49:25",
"content": "Very cool.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "61265",
"author": "joe57005",
"timestamp": "2009-01-30T01:59:39",
"content": "i’m just waiting for ... | 1,760,377,688.358972 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/29/water-powered-jet-pack/ | Water Powered Jet Pack | Caleb Kraft | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"jet pack",
"water jet"
] | We’ve all dreamt, with tears in our eyes, of one day flying with a jet pack. The inherent danger of falling and/or exploding were almost as much as of a deterrent as the price tag. Now, that dream is closer to our grasp. This system, looks like it is
basically just a pump that drags along behind you
pushing water through nozzles on your back. You can see a
video of someone flying around on one
here. We think that the theme song should actually come with the unit and be broadcast at all times. | 37 | 36 | [
{
"comment_id": "61233",
"author": "Insipid Melon",
"timestamp": "2009-01-29T23:54:19",
"content": "This brings tears to my eyees.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "61235",
"author": "EdZ",
"timestamp": "2009-01-29T23:57:12",
"content"... | 1,760,377,688.439633 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/29/the-segwii/ | The Segwii | Caleb Kraft | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"segway",
"wii",
"wiimote"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYUm3V1NSAM&eurl=http://segwii.com/]
The
Segwii is a self balancing robot
. Yes, another one, only this one can be controlled via WiiMote. The Segwii can function in stand alone mode, which offers only the ability to balance, or it can be tethered. When tethered via USB to the laptop, it can be remotely controlled using the WiiMote through processing. Sadly, the video above doesn’t show any WiiMote action. Lets hope they continue the work to incorporate a direct bluetooth connection to the bot.
This one seems to be pretty sturdy, though he does mention that temperature changes can throw off the internal gyroscope. This one seems to be similar to the
Arduway
in terms of how smoothly it keeps balance. The
miniature balancing robot
has them both beat for pure goofyness though. | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "61246",
"author": "Skyler Orlando",
"timestamp": "2009-01-30T00:40:07",
"content": "I’m going to have to invest in a wiimote soon.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "61248",
"author": "neighbor",
"timestamp": "2009-01-30T00... | 1,760,377,688.588535 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/29/led-push-buttons/ | LED Push Buttons | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"LED Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"button",
"led"
] | [pros] has come up with a
very elegant way of making lighted buttons
(
translated
). Using a bunch of small push buttons harvested from old CD players, he rigged this unique way of mounting LEDs. Each LED has two buttons under it. They are wired in parallel, so if either of them is pushed, the button works. The LED isn’t actually soldered where it passes through the board. The anode and cathode are bent around and soldered to allow the LED a little bit of travel. There’s a good picture of how he did this on the site. The rest of the details might be hard to decipher though, it looks to be in dutch.
[thanks Tom] | 39 | 39 | [
{
"comment_id": "61190",
"author": "paul",
"timestamp": "2009-01-29T17:10:31",
"content": "Erk, it took me a while to notice that it was a google translation.My tired brain spent waaaaay too long trying to understand what they were saying.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
... | 1,760,377,688.302661 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/28/pandora-case-prototype/ | Pandora Case Prototype | Eliot | [
"handhelds hacks",
"News"
] | [
"clamshell",
"dev unit",
"gizmodo",
"pandora",
"prototype",
"video",
"youtube"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T6zzV1vmOI]
The last time we checked in on Pandora it was just being
shown in dev unit form
. Embedded above is a video of the first case prototype. It doesn’t have any components yet, but it definitely looks like a good formfactor with a lot of potential. The
Pandora
is a
Linux
based portable game console with an 800×480 touchscreen.
[via
Gizmodo
] | 23 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "61138",
"author": "MikeFez",
"timestamp": "2009-01-29T03:18:47",
"content": "I can see the top row of keys could be extremely helpful in RPG games, but all together there might be too many keys on there than necessary.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
... | 1,760,377,688.642793 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/02/01/generating-g-code-with-common-lisp/ | Generating G-code With Common Lisp | Eliot | [
"cnc hacks",
"digital audio hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"cnc",
"common lisp",
"eagle",
"fbz",
"g-code",
"gcode",
"lisp",
"midi",
"pcb",
"ruin wesen",
"wesen"
] | Ruin & Wesen are a two person shop creating specialized music gear. As part of their recent MIDI Command development, they got into case manufacturing. They purchased a mini
CNC
mill to cut the aluminum cases. Unhappy with the software options provide [Wesen] decided to
write his own G-code generator
.
G-code
is part of the numerical control used to command CNC machines. He implemented his interpreter using the language he’s most familiar with: Common Lisp (not surprising if you notice the
website’s backend
). The post covers the design philosophy used and some of the problems that came up. We look forward to future releases since the interpreter can generate milling code using processing.org sketches and cut PCBs directly from Eagle.
You may remember Ruin & Wesen from when they shared their
Eagle layout videos
.
[Thanks
fbz
] | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "61631",
"author": "j-striker",
"timestamp": "2009-02-02T15:01:15",
"content": "I learned about the G-Code on the STREETS, fool.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "61640",
"author": "Wolf",
"timestamp": "2009-02-02T18:12:02"... | 1,760,377,688.489172 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/02/01/eye-fi-teardown/ | Eye-Fi Teardown | Eliot | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"atheros",
"eye-fi",
"flash",
"flickr",
"memory",
"radio-on-chip",
"rocm",
"samsung",
"sd",
"skyhook",
"teardown",
"wifi",
"wintec"
] | [les robots] had a defective
Eye-Fi
card on his hands and when a replacement was sent, he was told to destroy the original. What better way to ‘destroy’ something than opening the case? The
Eye-Fi
is an SD card with a builtin WiFi radio so it can upload images while remaining in camera. One
version
uses Skyhook’s location service to geotag photos. You can see a few photos of the
dismantled card on Flickr
. The board is manufactured by Wintec. The wireless side is handled by Atheros’ ROCm, the same low power Radio-on-Chip module you would find in a mobile phone. The flash memory comes from Samsung and the antenna is
along the back edge
, where it has the best chance of getting signal. | 44 | 43 | [
{
"comment_id": "61581",
"author": "ejonesss",
"timestamp": "2009-02-02T01:42:22",
"content": "what a great idea!!!!so you can then get the camera into places where cameras are not allowed and if the camera is taken then you still have the pictures because they are wirelessly sent to a laptop in a c... | 1,760,377,688.046239 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/02/01/wireless-genesis-controller-for-pc/ | Wireless Genesis Controller For PC | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"game controller",
"genesis"
] | [Jacob] wanted to play some sega games on his PC and felt like the experience just wasn’t complete while using the keyboard for input. He had an old MadCatz controller laying around, which could have probably been connected fairly simply, but he really wanted it to be wireless. A wireless keyboard was sacrificed, and the
wireless genesis controller was born
. To make it, he disassembled the keyboard to take the controller chip out. After tracing out and soldering switches to the leads, he installed it in his genesis controller. | 13 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "61541",
"author": "Orange",
"timestamp": "2009-02-01T15:28:37",
"content": "Awesome, it can be a great base for other project!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "61550",
"author": "Craig",
"timestamp": "2009-02-01T16:41:02"... | 1,760,377,688.545274 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/31/fission-3d-game-engine-for-wii-homebrew/ | FiSSION 3D Game Engine For Wii Homebrew | Eliot | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks",
"Nintendo Wii Hacks"
] | [
"360",
"3d",
"fission",
"game engine",
"homebrew",
"nintendo",
"nintendo wii",
"punmaster",
"wii",
"xbox",
"xbox 360",
"xna"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd1DrN2PDt4]
[PunMaster] wrote in to tell us that he has just released the first public demo of
FiSSION Project
. It’s a homebrew 3D game engine for the
Wii
. He’s hoping it will make development easier for other people that want to get into the Wii hacking scene. The project was originally spun out of similar work he was doing targeted at XNA for the
360
. This is just a demo to generate interest in the project and hopefully get some feedback as to what’s needed to make a full release possible. | 36 | 35 | [
{
"comment_id": "61513",
"author": "abula45",
"timestamp": "2009-02-01T05:43:56",
"content": "hmm.. nice post..Thank’sBest Regards,Newbie From: Indonesia",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "61515",
"author": "dustin",
"timestamp": "2009-02-0... | 1,760,377,688.812075 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/31/ps3-ubuntu-install-for-emulation/ | PS3 Ubuntu Install For Emulation | Eliot | [
"downloads hacks",
"Playstation Hacks",
"PSP Hacks"
] | [
"gizmodo",
"net yaroze",
"playstation 3",
"powerpc",
"ppc",
"ps3",
"psp",
"snes",
"snes9x",
"sony",
"super nintendo",
"ubuntu"
] | Gizmodo has done us all a favor by wading through many forum posts and condensing them into a handy guide to
installing Ubuntu on your Playstation 3
. It covers some of the caveats of going this route. You have to backup all of your game data before starting since the system repartitions the drive. Ubuntu installs without any problem, but because the cell processor is a PowerPC architecture it means not everything has been ported to it. There are a few things you need to install to get the Sixaxis controller to be recognized as a joystick. Super Nintendo emulator SNES9X is available and works, mostly. It doesn’t support fullscreen and cries if you reconfigure the buttons.
Supporting developers through alternate operating systems isn’t new to Sony. With the original Playstation, they released
Net Yaroze
, a consumer grade dev kit. The Playstation 2 was the first time they
officially supported Linux
on a game console (our first Linux machine). The ground breaking thing about the Playstation 3 was bundling in Linux support with every single console; no specialized hardware needed. Unfortunately they’re not near as open with the
PSP
. | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "61504",
"author": "kamanashi",
"timestamp": "2009-02-01T04:01:05",
"content": "I have Ubuntu on my PS3, but I mostly use it for nothing. I thought I would use it for SNES games, but I ened up using my PSP and Wii still. But, it is still cool to know I still have a computer just in c... | 1,760,377,688.707514 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/31/surface-mount-soldering-in-depth/ | Surface Mount Soldering In Depth | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"smd",
"solder",
"surface mount"
] | [doctek] wants to help ease any fear you may have of surface mount design. He has written this
extremely in depth explanation
of how to design and build an LED driver composed of surface mount parts. While there has been plenty of surface mount instruction floating around for a while, he feels that they skimp on the details, especially when it comes to really tiny parts who’s pads are unreachable with a soldering iron. The method he uses is the “hot plate” method
we’ve seen before
. There’s enough information to build your own tiny LED driver with pulse width modulation, as well as tons of references to explain how and why he does things the way he does. Great job [doctek].
If you’re going to be doing a lot of soldering, you should check out our
soldering station how to
. | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "61464",
"author": "alexfox",
"timestamp": "2009-01-31T20:02:11",
"content": "nice beginner tutorial on the subjectfyi — using a toaster oven is much better than using a hotplate; thats the way they do it in industrial processes (with a very big toaster oven)",
"parent_id": null,... | 1,760,377,689.073978 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/30/avr-light-controller/ | AVR Light Controller | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"attiny",
"AVR",
"bike light",
"halogen",
"lithium polymer"
] | [Matthias] sent us this project where he
builds an AVR light controller
. He had a halogen bike light laying around, but was unsatisfied with its lead-acid battery. He wanted to use a lithium-polymer battery but found that they can’t be used directly with halogen lamps due to their voltage. His produced 8.5 volts at full charge and can’t be discharged to below 5 volts. He new a power controller would be necessary to try to flatten that out for his lamp, which needed to stay between 6-12 volts.
He used an ATtiny45 doing
PWM
to change the voltage. Some other cool features he added were the high and low settings and an LED status light for warnings. You can find pictures, schematics and source code on his page as well as tons of great information. Great job [Matthias]. | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "61378",
"author": "ninethcircle",
"timestamp": "2009-01-30T22:46:17",
"content": "new should be knew. other than that power controllers are neat.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "61382",
"author": "tony",
"timestamp": "20... | 1,760,377,689.029305 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/28/wireless-bootloading/ | Wireless Bootloading | Caleb Kraft | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Robots Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"atmega",
"bootloader",
"wifi",
"wireless",
"xbee"
] | [vimeo= 2976417]
Tired of having to physically connect to your microprocessor to upload new code? Just do it
over a wireless connection
. [Nathan] takes us through the process of setting up a wireless bootloader for the ATmega168. He is using the XBee base and remote modules for the
wireless communication
. While people have been doing wireless bootloading with the Arduino already, [Nathan] found that it was common for them to have timeout issues. His remedy was to make his own custom one that is much faster. He’s asking for help though. At this point it is tested and working, but he needs someone with more programming knowledge to help him make it “drop-in” compatible with the Arduino IDE.
Don’t forget to submit projects to
our tip line
. | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "61132",
"author": "Jerome",
"timestamp": "2009-01-29T01:49:42",
"content": "That is a great video!My friend told me about wireless bootloading and there it is.Bluetooth would be even nicer for short range!No need of a device connected to the computer.Very nice.Thanks for posting.",
... | 1,760,377,689.180837 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/28/5-cent-tilt-censor/ | 5 Cent Tilt Sensor | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"coin",
"tilt sensor"
] | This is a 5 cent tilt sensor. We know it cost more than 5 cents, but it is in fact a
tilt sensor that utilizes a 5 cent coin
. We’ve all done quick hacks to make quick sensors for various projects. We’ve seen tons of them, from stealing springs out of pens and shoving a resistor through them for flexible contact switches, to tin foil touch sensors. This one is new to us though. The design is fairly simple, you insert 4 bits of wire to serve as contacts and the coin will make contact with only two at a time. It isn’t analog, it isn’t extremely precise, but it is super quick and easy. Thanks for sharing [ix]. | 27 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "61088",
"author": "macegr",
"timestamp": "2009-01-28T19:33:03",
"content": "Gotta protect the children from all that corrupt tilt. Censor it! (this may not make sense if Caleb eventually edits the article for the correct spelling of “sensor”)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,... | 1,760,377,689.141871 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/27/quake-on-the-bug/ | Quake On The BUG | Caleb Kraft | [
"handhelds hacks"
] | [
"bug",
"buglabs",
"quake"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tpAHjh7O2Y]
It seems like every piece of hardware has to earn its respect by going through some standard paces. One of which is having
Quake
ported to it. Much like an angel earning their wings,
Bug Labs
, with the help of community [CMW], has ported
Quake
to the
BUG
. Right now, the only add on needed is the BugView module. Controls are done through the base unit. | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "60999",
"author": "TJHooker",
"timestamp": "2009-01-27T21:58:35",
"content": "I didn’t see too well, but it looks like it was dropping frames.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "61006",
"author": "andrew",
"timestamp": "200... | 1,760,377,689.22765 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/27/thermosonic-wedge-bonding/ | Thermosonic Wedge Bonding | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"hot plate",
"thermosonic",
"wire bonding"
] | In the past, if we’ve been doing smd soldering, we’ve used pretty basic
hot plates
. This project takes that idea a bit further. Since [kc6qhp] will be using parts that aren’t conducive to soldering, he has to use
wire bonding
. After locating a fairly cheap wire bonding machine and microscope, he
built the heated stage to fit perfectly with his other tools
. You’ll notice that he has machined a lip around the heat plate for small custom C-clamps as well as made it adjustable height. Very nice work [kc6qhp]. | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "60998",
"author": "spiderwebby",
"timestamp": "2009-01-27T21:55:03",
"content": "i’ve played this game at work :Dglueing dies down with a pair of tweezers and a toothpick is the hardest bit in my opinion, tho i was using a semi-automated wire bonder.",
"parent_id": null,
"de... | 1,760,377,689.380009 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/27/hardware-mod-portable-wii/ | Portable Wii | Strom Carlson | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks",
"Nintendo Wii Hacks"
] | [
"hardware hack",
"nintendo",
"portable",
"wii",
"wiimote",
"xteaph-n"
] | Not content with
Nintendo’s
current portable video game offerings, fifteen year old hardware hacker [
Xteaphn
] (pronounced “Steven”) has come up with a series of hardware modifications to make a battery-operated
Wii
console. The hacked console features a folding laptop-like screen, which apparently includes the IR emitters necessary to make the Wiimote operate properly, as well as a set of tiny stereo speakers. To show how tiny the modified console is, [Xteaphn] provides size comparisons with thirteen- and fifteen-inch
laptops
as well as with a classic Nintendo Game Boy. The only potential hindrance to its long-term durability, as best as we can tell from the video, is that the battery pack and its associated connecting wires hang crudely off the back of the console like a sort of electric colostomy bag.
Check out [Xteaphn]’s YouTube video after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUvQFaOGyYY]
[via
Engadget
] | 32 | 32 | [
{
"comment_id": "60986",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2009-01-27T20:15:00",
"content": "Actually his nickname is ‘Xteaph-N’;“I am Steven. However my nick name, pronounced the same, is Xteaph-N. I make portable hardware. I even go as far as making the current systems portable. I can and will tak... | 1,760,377,689.505827 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/27/sweat-bot/ | Sweat Bot | Caleb Kraft | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [] | The future is here ladies and gentlemen, robots are truly making our lives better. The grueling job of sweating into clothing has been taken over by the latest in technology:
the sweat bot
. With water heated fake skin, and robotic sweat glands, this machine works tirelessly to test clothing. While emulating walking or jogging, it sweats into the clothing. This helps in the design of more breathable and sweat resistant fabrics. Though we know it is just a machine, choosing to put the water hoses through its face was just plain creepy.
[via
BotJunkie
] | 13 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "60953",
"author": "Liam",
"timestamp": "2009-01-27T17:19:26",
"content": "damn right about those hoses in the face, should of put then through the ears, eyes, nose and mouth.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "60956",
"author":... | 1,760,377,689.429503 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/26/ferric-chloride-etching-chemistry/ | Ferric Chloride Etching Chemistry | Eliot | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"Chemistry",
"circuit board",
"copper",
"etch",
"etchant",
"ferric chloride",
"hydrogen peroxide",
"instructable",
"ladyada",
"oxidant",
"pcb",
"peroxide",
"wattcher"
] | [ladyada] has republished an interesting snippet from the synthDIY mailing list. [David Dixon] discusses the actual chemistry behind
ferric chloride based home circuit board etching
. He concludes that ferric chloride is essentially a ‘one-shot’ oxidant. It can’t be regenerated and can be difficult to dispose of properly. The use of acidified copper chloride is a much better path and becomes more effective with each use, as long as you keep it aerated and top up the acidity from time to time. This etchant solution is actually the result of initially using hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant along with muriatic acid. You can see us using this solution in our
etching how-to
and while
creating the board for our RGB lock
. For more information on using hydrogen peroxide, check out
[Adam Seychell]’s guide
and
this Instructable
.
Aside: [ladyada] has added the
receiver code
to the Wattcher project page. | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "60864",
"author": "Dennis",
"timestamp": "2009-01-27T03:30:57",
"content": "We used a similar thing in school if I remember correctly.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "60882",
"author": "dan",
"timestamp": "2009-01-27T06:... | 1,760,377,689.55557 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/24/hands-free-point-of-view-camera/ | Hands Free Point Of View Camera | Eliot | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"handhelds hacks"
] | [
"brush",
"brushes",
"camera",
"comic",
"comic tools",
"hands free",
"illustrate",
"matt bernier",
"photograph",
"photography"
] | Here’s an odd little footnote we found while perusing the
Comic Tools blog
. [Matt Bernier]’s blog is dedicated to drawing and inking tutorials for comic artists. He uses a lot of example photographs that involve both hands. This week, at the bottom of his post on
cleaning brushes
, he included a photo to illustrate how he takes all of these point of view shots. The camera is strapped securely to his head using an old lanyard. He can see the display and access the controls on the back. After composing his shot, he just sets the timer, and you get a picture of what the process looks like from his perspective. Sure, it looks silly from this angle, but it really helps out the posts. | 31 | 31 | [
{
"comment_id": "60634",
"author": "Rivetgeek",
"timestamp": "2009-01-25T03:56:33",
"content": "That’s just retarded. How did this even make hackaday? Some guy duct tapes a fucking point and shoot to his face?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6... | 1,760,377,689.627039 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/24/manual-protocol-analysis/ | Manual Protocol Analysis | Eliot | [
"downloads hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"analysis",
"binary",
"breakingpoint labs",
"druid",
"hex",
"packetfu",
"protocol",
"ruby",
"security",
"tod beardsley"
] | As a followup to last week’s post on
automated protocol analysis
, [Tod Beardsley] has written up how to start
analyzing a protocol manually
. He walks through several examples to show how to pull out the interesting bits in binary protocols. His first step was sending 10 identical select statements and capturing the outbound packets. He used the Ruby library
PacketFu
to help with the identification. It compared the ten packets and highlighted one byte that was incrementing by four with each packet, probably a counter. Looking at the response indicated a few other bytes that were also incrementing at the same rate, but at different values. Running the same query on two different days turned up what could be a timestamp. Using two different queries helped identify which byte was responsible for the statement length. While you may not find yourself buried in HEX on a daily basis, the post provides good coverage of how to think critically about it. | 2 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "60635",
"author": "tony",
"timestamp": "2009-01-25T04:04:55",
"content": "Patience is the hackers best friend.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "60650",
"author": "austin",
"timestamp": "2009-01-25T05:20:20",
"content"... | 1,760,377,689.665327 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/24/road-sign-hacking/ | Road Sign Hacking | Caleb Kraft | [
"Tool Hacks",
"Uncategorized"
] | [
"roadside",
"street sign"
] | We’ve all seen these on the side of the road and wondered
how we could change the message
. It turns out that it is actually pretty easy. There’s a keypad inside for programming that is often still set with a default password of “DOTS”. Even if the password has been changed, you can reset it right there pretty quickly. We shouldn’t even need to warn you that it is illegal to tamper with these, so unless there really are zombies ahead, you probably shouldn’t mess with it.
[via
Neatorama
] | 159 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "60611",
"author": "jimmys",
"timestamp": "2009-01-25T01:42:58",
"content": "Legality wouldn’t be my first concern. Some jackass is going to replace “DANGER: ICE AHEAD” with “PWND”.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "60612",
"au... | 1,760,377,689.815143 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/24/leyden-jar-of-doom/ | Leyden Jar Of DOOM. | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Uncategorized"
] | [
"arc",
"high voltage",
"leyden",
"spark"
] | A leyden jar is basically just a simple home made capacitor. We’ve
shown you
how to make them before. This, however, is how you
make a ridiculously large one
. [Nickademuss] used a five gallon bucket to make his leyden jar. That’s five whole gallons of lightning. The video, which you can see after the break, shows it light up the entire room when it lets out a fairly formidable spark. This is dangerous folks, be careful.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6_ADvpW0CA] | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "60608",
"author": "corp769",
"timestamp": "2009-01-25T00:48:24",
"content": "wow, thats a nice sized spark right there….imagine touching that damn thing…..",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "60609",
"author": "joe57005",
"t... | 1,760,377,689.727453 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/23/megaupload-captcha-cracking-in-javascript/ | MegaUpload Captcha Cracking In JavaScript | Eliot | [
"downloads hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"captcha",
"ga",
"genetic algorithm",
"greasemonkey",
"javascript",
"neural network",
"ocr",
"recaptcha",
"shaunf",
"waxy"
] | This was certainly the last thing we expected to see today. [ShaunF] has created a Greasemonkey script to
bypass the captcha on filehosting site Megaupload
. It uses a
neural network
in JavaScript to do all of the OCR work. It will auto submit and start downloading too. It’s quite a clever hack and is certainly helped by the simple 3 character captcha the site employs. Attempting to do the
same thing with ReCAPTCHA
has proven much more difficult.
UPDATE:
[John Resig] explained of
how it works
.
[via
Waxy
] | 25 | 25 | [
{
"comment_id": "60526",
"author": "johnny",
"timestamp": "2009-01-24T02:33:43",
"content": "The funny thing is the ReCaptcha is actually piggy backing difficult OCR of old texts while also doing a human test. So, if Recaptcha is ever “broken”, they would be solving a significant machine learning p... | 1,760,377,689.878435 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/23/wifi-theremin/ | WiFi Theremin | Eliot | [
"digital audio hacks",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"ap",
"audio",
"midnight research labs",
"midnightresearchlabs",
"modulate",
"mrl",
"pyaudio",
"python",
"script",
"wifi"
] | The fine folks at Midnight Research Labs have put together a new toy for you to play with. It’s a Python script that makes your
WiFi hardware behave more like a theremin
. Based on the pyaudio library it monitors the signal strength of the AP you’re connected to and changes the tone accordingly. There’s a sample embedded above (
direct link
). If you have a second interface, you can use it to modulate the volume. It’s an interesting trick, but they say that there’s enough latency that it would be hard to play actual music with it. | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "60537",
"author": "tikimexican",
"timestamp": "2009-01-24T05:03:06",
"content": "Musically, I’d say lame. As for the cool factor, to the max. This would be fun to use for checking wifi strength or while wardriving.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
... | 1,760,377,690.545423 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/23/choreographed-christmas-lights/ | Choreographed Christmas Lights | Caleb Kraft | [
"home hacks",
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"christmas",
"led",
"parallax"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Cj-morKHPQ]
We’ve covered a couple of different ways of doing choreographed Christmas lights. The most basic being
sound activated ones made from speakers
, then the
parallax controlled ones
. This one uses the parallax microcontroller as well, but [prabbit22m] seems to have put some more effort into the
construction and enclosure
. The lights are all LED this time around and there are 18 outlets that can be individually controlled in a nice, safe enclosure. The choreography was done well too. The capabilities video is pretty impressive, it looks like he has managed to do some fading in and out. You can see it after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZhcyr4RYLg] | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "60506",
"author": "aonomus",
"timestamp": "2009-01-23T21:52:59",
"content": "The first thought that comes to mind is that he’s lacking free-wheeling diodes for the relays… depending on the size/rating and the mosfet’s rating it may do bad things…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth"... | 1,760,377,690.165739 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/23/adding-right-click-to-a-macbook-pro/ | Adding Right Click To A Macbook Pro | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"laptops hacks",
"Mac Hacks"
] | [
"apple",
"macbook",
"right click",
"track pad"
] | Surprisingly, one of the most common complaints we hear from people trying out macs are the fact that there isn’t a right click. The latest version, the unibody, has an option that remedies this, but older versions are stuck without. While you could always plug a USB mouse in, that is hardly a hacker’s solution. [spiritplumber] sent us this mod he did,
adding right click functionality to his Macbook Pro
. It is worth noting that this is meant for the 2006 to 2008 version of the Macbook Pro. You’re on your own for different ones.
[spiritplumber] points out that there are test points on the back of the track pad that emulate certain events. One of wich, just happens to be a right click. He shows us how to wire this, to a home made contact button under the right corner of the track pad. This can be potentially hazardous to your macbook, so be careful and follow his tips for soldering. If you want, you can do the same to the opposite side for your left click, or just leave it the way it is. You can see a video of it in action after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPjDi4E_c3A] | 50 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "60466",
"author": "Timothy",
"timestamp": "2009-01-23T16:40:48",
"content": "Awesome. About time someone did this",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "60468",
"author": "dwebster",
"timestamp": "2009-01-23T16:51:36",
"con... | 1,760,377,690.12124 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/22/how-to-bus-pirate-v1-improved-universal-serial-interface/ | How-to: Bus Pirate V1, Improved Universal Serial Interface | Ian | [
"hardware",
"how-to",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"bus pirate",
"electronics",
"i2c",
"interface",
"interface tools",
"jtag",
"keyboard",
"pc at keyboard",
"scancode",
"serial",
"serial port",
"spi",
"uart",
"universal interface"
] | We use the Bus Pirate to interface a new chip without writing code or designing a PCB. Based on your feedback, and our experience using
the original Bus Pirate
to demonstrate various
parts
, we updated the design with new features and cheaper components.
There’s also a firmware update for both Bus Pirate hardware versions, with bug fixes, and a PC AT keyboard decoder. Check out the new
Hack a Day Bus Pirate page
, and browse the Bus Pirate source code in our
Google code SVN repository
.
We cover the design updates and interface a digital to analog converter below.
Concept overview
The Bus Pirate started as a collection of code fragments we used to test new chips without endless compile-program-run development cycles. We released it in a how-to and used it to demonstrate a bunch of serial interface ICs in our
parts posts
. This article introduces an updated design with new features and a bunch of improvements.
Surface mount design
Pull-up resistors on all bus lines with external voltage source
Software resettable 3.3volt and 5volt power supplies
Voltage monitoring of all power supplies
An external voltage measurement probe
Cheaper parts
Hardware
Click for a full size schematic image
(PNG). The circuit and PCB are designed using the freeware version of
Cadsoft Eagle
. All the files for this project are included in the project archive linked at the end of the article.
Microcontroller
We used a Microchip
PIC24FJ64GA002
28pin SOIC microcontroller (IC1) in this project. The power pins have 0.1uF bypass capacitors to ground (C1,2). The 2.5volt internal regulator requires a 10uF tantalum capacitor (C20). The chip is programmed through a five pin header (ICSP). A 2K pull-up resistor (R1) is required for the MCLR function on pin 1. Read more about this chip in our
PIC24F introduction
.
RS-232 transceiver
An inexpensive
MAX3232CSE
RS232 transceiver (IC2) interfaces the PIC to a PC serial port. This chip replaces the expensive through-hole
MAX3223EEPP+
used in the previous version of the Bus Pirate. The serial interface will work with a USB->serial adapter.
Bus pull-up resistors
The original Bus Pirate has 3.3volt pull-up resistors on 2 pins, but most of our tests required additional external resistors. The updated design has pull-up resistors (R20-23) on the three main bus signals (data in, data out, clock) and the chip select (CS) pin.
A row of jumpers (SV5) connects each resistor to an external voltage supplied through the Vext terminal (X4). Through-hole resistors are used like jumper-wires to make the PCB easier to etch at home.
We couldn’t find an elegant way to control an arbitrary voltage pull-up resistor array from a 3.3volt microcontroller. If you have any ideas, please share them in the comments.
Power supply
VR1 is a 3.3volt supply for the microcontroller and RS232 transceiver. VR2 is a 5volt supply. Both require two 0.1uF bypass capacitors (C3-C6). J1 is a power supply jack for a common
2.1mm DC barrel plug
. 7-10volts DC is probably the ideal power supply range.
The original Bus Pirate had dual power supplies, 3.3volts and 5volts, so most ICs could be interfaced without an additional power supply. A major annoyance was the lack of a power reset for connected chips. If a misconfigured IC needed to be power-cycled, we had to disconnect a wire. We got so tired of this routine that we added a software controlled reset to the updated design.
VR3 (3.3volts) and VR4 (5volts) are TI
TPS796XX
voltage regulators with an enable switch. A high level on pin 1 enables the regulator. A pull-down resistor (R13,R12) ensures that the regulators are off when the PIC isn’t actively driving the line, such as during power-up initialization. The datasheet specifies a hefty capacitor on the input (C23, C21) and output (C24, C22) pins, we used the same 10uF tantalum we use everywhere. An additional, optional, 0.1uF capacitor (C12,C11) can improve regulation.
The switchable regulators are powered by VR2, a 5volt supply. We did this because the maximum input for VR3 and VR4 is 6volts, leaving the device with a narrow 5.2-6volt power supply range. VR2 will work well above 10volts, and provides an adequate supply for the other regulators.
VR3 (3.3volts) has plenty of headroom to operate from a 5volt supply. VR4 (5volts) will lose about 0.2volts, but 4.8volts remains well within the acceptable range for most 5volt chips. In practice, and under light loads, we see less than 0.1volts drop-out from VR4.
Voltage monitoring
Voltage monitoring is a new feature we’re really excited about. Has your project ever mysteriously stopped responding because of an accidental short circuit? The Bus Pirate’s power supplies are equipped with voltage monitoring that can detect a change in power levels.
Each monitored signal is connected to an
analog to digital converter
(ADC) through a resistor voltage divider. Two 10K resistors (R10,R11 above) divide the input voltage in half, making it possible to measure up to 6.6volts with the 3.3volt PIC microcontroller.
The Bus Pirate has four voltage monitors. The 3.3volt and 5volt power supplies are monitored, as is the external voltage fed to the pull-up resistors. A fourth monitor is connected to pin 9 of the output header to make a voltage probe.
PCB
Click for a full size placement diagram
(PNG). The board is a quasi single-sided design, we etched ours in the lab on a single-sided photo-resist PCB. At the top, near C13, two jumper wires meet at a single via; we soldered one jumper wire to the other on the back of the board.
Part list
Part
Value
IC1
PIC24FJ64GA002
(SOIC)
IC2
MAX3232CSE
(SOIC-N)
VR1
LD1117S33
3.3volt regulator (SOT223)
VR2
LD1117s50
5volt regulator (SOT223)
VR3
TPS79633
3.3volt regulator (SOT223-6)
VR4
TPS79650
5volt regulator (SOT223-6)
C1-13
0.1uF capacitor
(0805)
C20-24
10uF tantalum capacitor
(SMC A)
R1
2000 ohm resistor
(0805)
R2,3
390 ohm resistor
(0805)
R4-13
10000 ohm resistor
(0805)
R20-23
2.2K
–
10K
ohm resistor (through-hole)
LED1,2
LED
(0805)
J1
2.1mm power jack
X2,X4
screw clamp (2 terminals)
*untested
X3
db9 female serial port connector
*untested
ICSP
0.1″ pin header, straight
SV4
0.1″ pin header
or shrouded header
SV5
0.1″ pin header, straight
Firmware
The firmware is written in C using the free demonstration version of the
PIC C30 compiler
. Learn all about working with this PIC in our
introduction to the PIC 24F series
.
The latest firmware is posted on the
Hack a Day Bus Pirate page
. The latest source is in our
Google Code SVN repository
.
Using it
The diagram above shows the Bus Pirate pinout.
We made a cable with alligator clips on the end, and added labels to each wire so we don’t have to refer to this table every time we interface a new chip.
If you know of any cool connectors or cables, please link to them in the comments.
LTC2640 SPI digital to analog voltage converter
The Linear Technology
LTC2640-LZ8
is an 8bit
digital to analog converter
(DAC) programmed over
SPI
. A DAC is essentially a programmable voltage divider. They’re useful for recreating waveforms, such as audio signals. An 8bit DAC has 255 even intervals between 0 and the reference voltage, the L part we used has an internal 2.5volt reference.
The LTC2640 only comes in a small SOT223-8 package, so we made a breadboard adapter in the profile of a DIP-8 chip. Our LTC2640 footprint is included in the project archive attached at the end of this article.
The schematic above shows our test circuit for the LTC2640. It requires a 2.7-5volt power supply, we used the Bus Pirate’s 3.3volt supply. C1 is a bypass capacitor between the power pin and ground. Pin 8 is an active-low reset pin, tie it high for normal operation. Pin 7 is the DAC output, connect the Bus Pirate voltage measurement probe (ADC) here.
Bus Pirate
LTC2640 (pin #)
MOSI
SDI (3)
CLOCK
SCK (2)
CS
CS/LD (1)
ADC
VOUT (7)
+3.3volts
CLR (8 )
+3.3volts
VDD (5)
GND
GND (4)
We connected the Bus Pirate to the LTC2640 as shown in the table. The LTC2640 doesn’t have a data output pin, this SPI connection remains unused.
The Bus Pirate’s hardware SPI library and software RAW3WIRE library are compatible with the LTC2640’s SPI interface. We used the SPI library; if you use the RAW3WIRE library be sure to choose
normal pin output
.
HiZ>m
<–select mode
1. HiZ
2. 1-WIRE
3. UART
4. I2C
5. SPI
6. JTAG
7. RAW2WIRE
8. RAW3WIRE
9. PC AT KEYBOARD
MODE>5
<–SPI or RAW3WIRE
900 MODE SET
Set speed:
1. 30KHz
2. 125KHz
3. 250KHz
4. 1MHz
SPEED>1
<–test at low speed
…
102 SPI READY
SPI>
Press M for the Bus Pirate mode menu, choose 5 for SPI mode. There are a bunch of configuration options for the SPI module, use the default options for all of them. After SPI mode is ready we need to configure the power supply.
SPI>p
<–power supply setup
W/w toggles 3.3volt supply?
1. NO
2. YES
MODE>2
<–use 3.3volt supply
W/w toggles 5volt supply?
1. NO
2. YES
MODE>1
<–don’t use 5volt supply
9xx SUPPLY CONFIGURED, USE W/w TO TOGGLE
9xx VOLTAGE MONITOR: 5V: 0.0 | 3.3V: 0.0 | VPULLUP: 0.0 |
SPI>
p opens the Bus Pirate power supply menu. We use the 3.3volt supply but not the 5volt supply. The voltage monitor verifies that the power supplies are off.
SPI>W
<–capital W (
silly CSS
) enables power supply
9xx 3.3VOLT SUPPLY ON
SPI>v
<–voltage monitor
9xx VOLTAGE MONITOR: 5V: 0.0 | 3.3V: 3.3 | VPULLUP: 0.0 |
SPI>
Capital ‘W’ enables any power supplies selected in the previous menu, a small ‘w’ disables them. V displays the supply voltage monitor, which now shows 3.3volts output from the 3.3volt supply.
Now that configuration is finished, we can send commands to the LTC2640 over the SPI bus. The LTC2640 has a 24bit (3byte) interface protocol. The first byte is a command, followed by two data bytes. The LTC2640 is available in 8,10, and 12bit versions; the 8bit version uses the first byte to set the DAC value, and ignores the second byte.
SPI>[0b00110000 255 0]
<–set DAC to full
110 SPI CS ENABLED
120 SPI WRITE: 0x30
<–write DAC command
120 SPI WRITE: 0xFF
<–DAC value
120 SPI WRITE: 0x00
<–don’t care
140 CS DISABLED
SPI>
Every SPI command begins by enabling the chip select pin ([). The first byte is the command to update the DAC (0b00110000), followed by the value to output (255), and a third byte that’s ignored (0). The command ends by disabling chip select (]).
We used an 8bit DAC with 255 even voltage steps, output set to 255 is 100%. We can use the Bus Pirate voltage probe to measure the output.
SPI>d
<–measure voltage
9xx VOLTAGE PROBE: 2.5VOLTS
<–DAC output
SPI>
D triggers a voltage measurement. The DAC output voltage is 100% (255/255) of the internal reference, 2.5volts.
SPI>[0b00110000 0 0] d
110 SPI CS ENABLED
120 SPI WRITE: 0x30
<–write DAC command
120 SPI WRITE: 0x00
<–DAC value
120 SPI WRITE: 0x00
<–don’t care
140 CS DISABLED
9xx VOLTAGE PROBE: 0.0VOLTS
<–DAC output
SPI>
The same command with a DAC value of 0 outputs 0% (0/255) of 2.5volts; 0volts.
SPI>[0b00110000 128 0] d
110 SPI CS ENABLED
120 SPI WRITE: 0x30
<–write DAC command
120 SPI WRITE: 0x80
<–DAC value
120 SPI WRITE: 0x00
<–don’t care
140 CS DISABLED
9xx VOLTAGE PROBE: 1.2VOLTS
<–DAC output
SPI>
A DAC value of 128 is about 50% (128/255) of the reference voltage, 1.2volts.
SPI>[0b01000000 0 0] d
110 SPI CS ENABLED
120 SPI WRITE: 0x40
<–power down command
120 SPI WRITE: 0x00
<–don’t care
120 SPI WRITE: 0x00
<–don’t care
140 CS DISABLED
9xx VOLTAGE PROBE: 0.0VOLTS
<–DAC off
SPI>
The LTC2640 has a low power mode, triggered by the command 0b01000000 and two bytes that are ignored. After the power down command we can verify that there’s output from the DAC. Write any DAC value to exit low power mode.
Taking it further
What’s the next step for the Bus Pirate? We’ll eventually make a final update to the design that includes USB on a professionally made, double-sided PCB. Power supply indicator LEDs were slated for this version, but didn’t get included. It would also be handy to have an AT keyboard connector for debugging without a PC. Check out the roadmap and wishlists on the
Hack a Day Bus Pirate page
.
Download:
buspirate.v1a.zip | 65 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "60424",
"author": "Cirictech",
"timestamp": "2009-01-23T05:06:58",
"content": "To think earlier today I ordered all the parts for the first one times six. Oh well any way thanks for all the hard work on this project I had been meaning to build something like this for some time.",
... | 1,760,377,690.265248 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/22/neuros-set-top-box-with-wiimote/ | Neuros Set Top Box With Wiimote | Caleb Kraft | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks",
"Nintendo Wii Hacks"
] | [
"neuros",
"set top box",
"wiimote"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUT0yb04q_A]
The
Neuros set top box
, called Link, is a disc-less computer running
Ubuntu
. Neuros encourages hacking and finding new ways to use the unit, as can be seen in their latest article explaining
how to get a Wiimote to work with it
. The results are pretty slick, as you can see in the video above. We can’t imagine trying to use the on screen keyboard with it, but it seems to work nice for basic navigation. | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "60404",
"author": "devturkler",
"timestamp": "2009-01-22T23:21:49",
"content": "hımm thanks Caleb Kraft",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "60409",
"author": "nubie",
"timestamp": "2009-01-23T00:05:22",
"content": "So it... | 1,760,377,690.630577 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/22/automated-shooting-range/ | Automated Shooting Range | Caleb Kraft | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"classic hacks",
"Uncategorized"
] | [
"airsoft",
"arduino",
"iobridge",
"target"
] | [Steve] was discussing airsoft with a friend when he came up with this idea. His friend was lamenting the lack of “action” style targets for their airsoft hobby. [Steve] took this as an opportunity to make his own
automated target system
. The targets themselves are made from
Construx
, a paper target and a piece of cloth to stop the airsoft pellets. Controlled by an
Arduino
and an
ioBridge module
, it has a web interface so he can switch programs from up range. You can see a video example of him shooting some targets after the break. Next,he should make it twitter where each target was hit.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL8V2lk75G4] | 28 | 28 | [
{
"comment_id": "60360",
"author": "TheZuke!",
"timestamp": "2009-01-22T15:47:57",
"content": "“down range”?Most targets _are_ changed “down range”,changing a target from “up range” (where theshooter is) is a nice convenience.(insert here Mel Gibson singing“dah, dadadah, da dada, da dadat da, dah da... | 1,760,377,690.32926 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/21/hackit-dtv-converter-boxes/ | Hackit: DTV Converter Boxes? | Eliot | [
"HackIt",
"home entertainment hacks",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"convert",
"converter box",
"dtt900",
"dtv",
"HackIt",
"serial",
"slashdot",
"teardown",
"zenith"
] | An anonymous
Slashdot
reader asked today what was the
best digital television to analog converter box
. He was looking for one with the best hacking potential. We actually purchased a Zenith DTT900 HD converter box this summer specifically wondering about the hacking potential. We did a teardown and you can find a
full gallery on Flickr
. Our conclusion was this: there’s not much there. You’re talking about a box that takes a digital RF signal and turns it into a crappier looking analog signal over composite. There isn’t much you can do outside of its designed use. Do you have any ideas what else can be done with it?
Slashdot commenter [timeOday] did
mention a Tivax brand box
that
features a serial port
. You can use it to issue remote commands to the box.
Not much has been said about the actual coupons. We’ve got a scan of them embedded below. The $40 coupons are essentially credit cards. We ran ours through a magstripe reader confirming this. Even though the card isn’t stamped with the recipient’s name, it is stored on the magstripe. | 63 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "60291",
"author": "Rob G.",
"timestamp": "2009-01-22T03:00:43",
"content": "Hah, that Circuit City wont be there much longer….",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "60295",
"author": "Eliot Phillips",
"timestamp": "2009-01-22T... | 1,760,377,690.50415 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/21/meggy-serial-cable/ | Meggy Serial Cable | Caleb Kraft | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"handhelds hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"ftdi",
"meggy",
"meggy jr"
] | We thought the
Meggy had some serious potential
. The open serial port is ripe for the plucking, but has thus far been fairly unused. Here’s directions on how to
make your own serial cable
capable of connecting two Meggies. Basically, it is just modifying an audio cable, used to connect CDROMs to the
motherboard
. The cool thing about this is that the resulting crossover cable should work on any
Arduino
that is programmed via an FTDI cable. | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "60268",
"author": "paul",
"timestamp": "2009-01-21T22:54:47",
"content": "On the one hand, it’s a good tutorial, complete with photos. On the other hand, it’s just a simple crossover cable! Do we even need photos for this, much less a full tutorial? It seems that the diagram alon... | 1,760,377,690.587508 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/21/external-antenna-on-panasonic-cf-r1/ | External Antenna On Panasonic CF-R1 | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"laptops hacks",
"Netbook Hacks",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"antenna",
"EeePc",
"external"
] | [Steven] managed to get his hands on a Panasonic CF-R1 for pretty cheap. Though it is a decently powerful machine, it was built in 2002 and didn’t come with an internal wireless card. It did, however have a mini-PCI slot. [Steven] promptly installed a wireless card, but found the internal antenna lacking. The solution was to
custom mount an external antenna
. Mounting it was fairly easy, he removed the phone jack and epoxied the connector in its place. The reception was greatly improved. He says he went from seeing 6 access points to 31 as soon as he installed it.
Similar things have been done to the Eee PC 900
. | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "60265",
"author": "Timothy",
"timestamp": "2009-01-21T21:07:43",
"content": "Wow. From 6 to 31 access points? He must be in a city.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "60266",
"author": "Lord Taco",
"timestamp": "2009-01-21T... | 1,760,377,690.680194 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/20/chumby-digital-picture-frame-teardown/ | Chumby Digital Picture Frame Teardown | Eliot | [
"classic hacks",
"digital cameras hacks",
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"camera",
"ces",
"chumby",
"devkit",
"digital camera",
"digital picture frame",
"dpf",
"hdk",
"samsung",
"stormwind",
"teardown",
"usb",
"widget",
"wifi"
] | At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show,
Chumby
unveiled their latest prototype. It’s a network connected digital picture frame that runs Flash widgets. Just like the current Chumby model, they’re publishing the software and hardware under a license designed to let you hack it. They let us borrow one of their open chassis evaluation kits to teardown and photograph. We’ve got more pictures, full specs, and the schematics below.
The new version has an 800×600 LCD touchpanel. They’re still using an open source
Linux
backend, but they’ve updated the UI. Chumby widgets are now managed on the device. Before, users had to log into the website and then have their chosen widgets pushed down to the Chumby. The software is designed so that it could be a user’s primary photo management application. It instantly recognizes inserted memory cards and lets users drag and drop photos into the widget playlist. The device integrates seamlessly with PhotoBucket letting you easily upload new galleries. You can send these to other Chumby users (Chums) as well.
Keep in mind that this is just an evaluation kit, so it’s mounted in a generic wooden photo frame.
Click here for a bigger version
On the left side are stereo speakers connected to the onboard amplifier. The large orange ribbon at the bottom contains all of the display electronics. The lower connector on the right edge powers the backlight. The upper four wire ribbon is for the touchscreen. The cutout at the top is for the USB
WiFi
card. The coincell holder is battery backup for the real time clock. There are two control panel buttons along the top.
The board includes several headers to make debugging easier. The pins in the lower left provide a serial console (
detail
). The larger grouping is the CPU JTAG. Next to that is an MMC port for the initial boot image. The cryptoprocessor also has a JTAG connector.
Flipping the board over you can see the optional video camera daughter card.
The silkscreen next to the RAM on the front side says this board version is Stormwind v8.0 revC.
Click here for a bigger version
The front side of the board is where most of the interesting bits are. The reset and user buttons are located in the upper left. Next to that is an SD card socket and a CF card socket. The power jack and microphone are on the upper right corner along with the amplifier circuitry. Below the CF is a TSOP socket holding a Hynix HY27UF081G2A-TP memory device. Under that is the main processor, a
Samsung S3C6410
. It’s a 533Mhz ARM11 CPU. To the right of the chip, are two Hynix RAM chips. This new Chumby can be built with 2-8GB of storage. Below that is the Novatek NT39703 display driver. The crypto processor is left of there. The headphone jack is located in the lower right corner of the board. The board’s lower edge features three USB ports. A USB WiFi card is plugged into one of them. We assume not integrating WiFi means they don’t have to deal with FCC approval; they just use an approved card. The
USB
and memory cards are controlled by the Alcor Micro AU6350 located next to the camera module.
For those looking for even more detail, here are the full schematics:
IMPORTANT:
The materials contained in this download are subject to the
Chumby HDK License Agreement
contained in the download. By using the Chumby materials in this download, you are indicating that you have read and understood, and agree to be bound by, that agreement.
Download the Chumby Stormwind HDK | 27 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "60212",
"author": "deoryp",
"timestamp": "2009-01-21T04:46:21",
"content": "AWESOME!!! i can’t wait.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "60213",
"author": "rasz",
"timestamp": "2009-01-21T04:59:26",
"content": ">The silk... | 1,760,377,690.747801 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/20/passive-midi-foot-switch/ | Passive MIDI Foot Switch | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"digital audio hacks"
] | [
"foot switch",
"midi"
] | [Matt] was looking into some software that allows him to use his audio card as a means to control analog audio devices. After seeing how it worked, he got an idea to try to do the opposite. He is sending a signal into his audio input, and piping it to a pice of MIDI software. The input he has chose is a
foot switch
. To create the signal, he simply needed to supply voltage while the switch was depressed. You can see above that he used a battery and a simple contact switch to send the signal. He then piped it to a virtual MIDI port using
Maple Virtual MIDI Cable
. Unfortunately, this isn’t suitable for knobs, but that may be next on his list. | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "60171",
"author": "hogiewan",
"timestamp": "2009-01-20T20:01:27",
"content": "How is this passive?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "60173",
"author": "Abbott",
"timestamp": "2009-01-20T20:16:56",
"content": "Hmm… that... | 1,760,377,690.800088 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/20/mario-etching/ | Mario Etching | Caleb Kraft | [
"Netbook Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"eee",
"laser etch",
"mario"
] | [revolvingdork]
etched his Eeepc with the entire level map of Super Mario Land
for Game boy. He set the laser to 70% speed and 40% power to get it to turn out this way. This is a far safer way of expressing your self and playing with laser etching than
tattooing yourself with the laser
. | 13 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "60152",
"author": "j",
"timestamp": "2009-01-20T16:26:17",
"content": "opened it up on my eee 1000h and ever more jealous",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "60153",
"author": "sean",
"timestamp": "2009-01-20T16:36:00",
... | 1,760,377,690.85295 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/19/programmable-scientific-calculator-watch/ | Programmable Scientific Calculator Watch | Nick Caiello | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"calculator",
"pic",
"PIC24",
"RPN",
"Scientific Calculator",
"uWatch",
"watch",
"µWatch"
] | When the band support on [David]’s Casio CFX-400 Scientific Calculator Watch finally broke after 10 years of use, he found it almost impossible to find another watch with the same functionality. Like any good engineer, [David] decided to design a watch to meet his needs. The result of his endeavors was the
µWatch
, a programmable watch based on a PIC24 with both RPN and Algebraic calculation modes. The watch runs open source software and is expandable thanks to a serial port, an ICSP programming port, and a spot for an infrared LED on the board. On his site, [David] shows how he made the first µWatch and offers kits for anyone who wants to build their own. We’ve been told that the next batch of kits will be made available in 1-2 weeks and are expected to sell out fast.
[Thanks Tomesz] | 17 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "60082",
"author": "dan",
"timestamp": "2009-01-20T00:14:15",
"content": "I have one of these, and it’s bitchin’.In addition to RPN, it even tells you what phase the moon is in!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "60087",
"author... | 1,760,377,690.903189 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/19/servo-switch-assemblies/ | Servo Switch Assemblies | Caleb Kraft | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"home automation",
"oomlout",
"servo",
"switch"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0hBCdMJ96g]
If you are interested in trying out some home automation, but don’t want to get into the
potentially dangerous
area of hacking your house wiring, consider these
servo switches
. These allow you to flip a switch, using a servo. They are clean, temporary, and fairly compact. You can
purchase them at oomlout.com
or download the designs and build your own. | 16 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "60061",
"author": "kyle007",
"timestamp": "2009-01-19T22:35:21",
"content": "oh that is slick! and safe…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "60070",
"author": "sol",
"timestamp": "2009-01-19T23:03:00",
"content": "Nice. ... | 1,760,377,691.274045 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/19/high-frequency-start-box/ | High Frequency Start Box | Caleb Kraft | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"arc",
"tig",
"welding"
] | When welding with an AC arc welder, it is often necessary to “scratch start” them to get the arc going. For those unfamiliar, it is just like it sounds. You drag the head across something just like a giant match. There are some that come with an arc stabilizer or “high frequency starter”. This is preferred, but they can be hard to find. [Bill] shows us how to
make one of our own
. Though you may have an easy enough time finding a big transformer, you might run into some difficulty finding the capacitors, and tungsten spark gaps. If you manage to get your hands on them, you can follow [Bill]’s schematic and build one of these starters for yourself. | 52 | 38 | [
{
"comment_id": "60049",
"author": "blubb",
"timestamp": "2009-01-19T21:20:05",
"content": "looks intressting but the parts are not easy to find ;)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "60051",
"author": "Zorink",
"timestamp": "2009-01-19T21:3... | 1,760,377,691.225637 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/19/quick-cheap-remote-outlets/ | Quick Cheap Remote Outlets | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"automation",
"infrared",
"ir"
] | [jwad650] wanted a
remote controlled power strip
. These are fairly expensive, with a
single outlet
running roughly $15. He was able to build a 6 outlet version for about $50. He is using an
SIS-7c
to decode signals from a universal remote. Each plug is individually controlled by a 3Amp relay. Be careful making this, there’s lots of nasty shock potential in that mess of wires. We recommend that you confine it in an enclosure as well. [jwad650] plans on adding an enclosure, as well as LED indicators and fuses. You can see a video of it in action after the break. If you want more information about working with relays, check out the
working with relays
writeup.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw8JqXvDmGs] | 16 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "60040",
"author": "xrazorwirex",
"timestamp": "2009-01-19T20:40:15",
"content": "You can go to radioshack and get a remote single outlet and just plug it into a surge bar and just wire that to your wall, probably alot safer than having a bunch of loose high current wires lying aroun... | 1,760,377,691.137491 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/26/besmoke-fluid-dynamics/ | Besmoke – Fluid Dynamics | Caleb Kraft | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"iphone hacks",
"ipod hacks",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"fluid dynamics",
"iphone"
] | [vimeo= 2963541]
Besmoke
is a fluid dynamics engine. It is compatible with any multitouch system, as well as the accelerometer in an
iPhone
. It also accepts audio input. The audio input can turn it into a fancy music visualizer that would even work with live or acoustic music. Different frequencies cause fluid to be injected from different “emitters”. There’s great info on his page, including the papers that he based this off of. We’ve covered [Eric]’s work before with his
election party light system
. | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "60822",
"author": "Timothy",
"timestamp": "2009-01-26T21:42:12",
"content": "That’s pretty neat. I’ll check it out",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "60825",
"author": "ula",
"timestamp": "2009-01-26T22:18:05",
"content... | 1,760,377,691.412762 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/26/autofocus-assist-light/ | Autofocus Assist Light | Caleb Kraft | [
"contests",
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"camera",
"nikon"
] | [Aki]’s Nikon D2H did not come with an autofocus assist light. His other cameras have them, and he likes the feature, so he decided to
hack one into his D2H
. He wired into the AF system, so that his LED gets voltage when the shutter release is pressed half way. The circuit needs refinement though, he found that the light was staying on during shutter release and affecting his light metering. You can see the hack in action after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apuAG0CcG0I] | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "60807",
"author": "Dennis",
"timestamp": "2009-01-26T20:26:27",
"content": "Might have to do this myself. Looks good.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "60810",
"author": "chrisChris",
"timestamp": "2009-01-26T20:47:16",
... | 1,760,377,691.321597 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/26/parts-at-keyboard/ | Parts: AT Keyboard | Ian | [
"Parts",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"at keyboard",
"bus pirate",
"interfacing",
"keyboard",
"parts",
"parts monday",
"scancode"
] | Last week we introduced
a new version
of the
Bus Pirate universal serial interface tool
. The last firmware update included an AT keyboard decoder library for both hardware versions.
There’s a ton of old AT keyboards making their way to the landfill. We’ll show you how to recycle one as an input device for your next project.
Connection
Bus Pirate
PC AT keyboard (pin #)
SDA
KBD Data (3)
SCL
KBD Clock (1)
+5volts
VDD (5)
GND
GND (2)
AT keyboards communicate over a bidirectional two-wire interface. The bus is
open collector
, but keyboards already have internal
pull-up resistors
. The PC AT keyboard protocol is described
here
. We used our Bus Pirate tool to demonstrate the keyboard protocol, but the same basic principals apply to any microcontroller.
We connected the Bus Pirate to the keyboard as outlined in the table. We believe that
this
is a through-hole female AT keyboard jack, but we haven’t tested it. Do you know of a source for new sockets?
Protocol
The keyboard provides the clock signal for
all
data transfers; the PC side resembles a slave device. None of the existing Bus Pirate interface libraries work with an external clock, so we wrote a simple AT keyboard decoder library. The library depends on the keyboard’s clock signal, and it’ll hang if the keyboard fails or isn’t connected. If you use our library in your own project, consider adding a timeout delay in the readbit() and writebit() functions.
PC to keyboard command codes
Code
Command
0xed
Set status LEDs
0xee
Echo 0xee
0xf0
Set scancode type
0xf3
Set repeat rate
0xf4
Keyboard enable
0xf5
Keyboard disable
0xfe
Resend last byte
0xff
Reset keyboard
A PC uses these commands to control various functions of an AT keyboard. The keyboard responds to commands with an acknowledge byte (oxfa). In our experience, the keyboard will reset if the response byte is not read shortly after the command is sent.
Keyboard to PC response codes
Code
Response
0xfa
Acknowledge
0xaa
Self test passed
0xee
Echo response
0xfe
Resend last byte
0x00 or 0xff
Error or buffer overflow
The keyboard has a number of single byte response codes. Most PC commands are acknowledged with 0xfa. 0xaa is sent after a keyboard reset.
Setup the Bus Pirate
HiZ>m
1. HiZ
…
9. PC AT KEYBOARD
MODE>9
<–set mode
900 MODE SET
X02 PC AT KB DECODER READY
PC AT KEYBOARD>
First, we setup the the Bus Pirate for AT keyboard mode, option 9.
PC AT KEYBOARD>p
<–power supply setup
W/w toggles 3.3volt supply?
1. NO
2. YES
MODE>1
<–no 3.3volt supply
W/w toggles 5volt supply?
1. NO
2. YES
MODE>2
<–use the 5volt supply
9xx SUPPLY CONFIGURED, USE W/w TO TOGGLE
9xx VOLTAGE MONITOR: 5V: 0.0 | 3.3V: 0.0 | VPULLUP: 0.0 |
PC AT KEYBOARD>W
<–capital ‘W’, turn supply on
9xx 5VOLT SUPPLY ON
PC AT KEYBOARD>
Next, we configure the Bus Pirate’s power supply to provide 5volts for the AT keyboard.
PC AT KEYBOARD>r
<–read byte from keyboard
x30 PCATKB READ: NONE
<–no data available
PC AT KEYBOARD>
The AT keyboard library follows the standard Bus Pirate syntax. Numeric values are sent to the keyboard as bytes, ‘r’ reads a byte from the keyboard. The protocol is clocked by the keyboard so bitwise operations are disabled. If no data is available, the read will return ‘NONE’.
Setup the keyboard
PC AT KEYBOARD>0xee r
<–send 0xee, read one byte
X20 PCATKB WRITE: 0xEE GOT ACK
<–write oxee, got ack bit
x30 PCATKB READ: 0xEE
<–read 0xee, echo was successful
PC AT KEYBOARD>
We can test the connection to the AT keyboard using the echo command, 0xee. The keyboard will respond 0xee if our connections are correct.
The keyboard responds to commands with an ACK bit at the protocol level, and then again with an ACK byte. We found that our test keyboards reset automatically if the ACK byte wasn’t read immediately after sending the command.
PC AT KEYBOARD>0xee
<–echo command
X20 PCATKB WRITE: 0xEE GOT ACK
<–wrote echo, got ACK
PC AT KEYBOARD>r
<–read one byte
x30 PCATKB READ: 0xAA
<–read 0xaa, reset indicator
PC AT KEYBOARD>
Here, we tried to send the echo command and then read the reply later. The keyboard reset automatically and replies 0xaa, self-test passed.
PC AT KEYBOARD>0xff r r
<–reset command, read two bytes
X20 PCATKB WRITE: 0xFF GOT ACK
<–write reset command, got ACK
x30 PCATKB READ: 0xFA
<–command ACK byte
x30 PCATKB READ: NONE
<–read once more to reset
PC AT KEYBOARD>
The keyboard is reset by writing the command 0xff, and reading two bytes. The Keyboard won’t reset until the second byte is read.
PC AT KEYBOARD>r
<–read a byte
x30 PCATKB READ: 0xAA
<–reset success
PC AT KEYBOARD>
A short period after reset we can read the power on self test (POST) results, 0xaa indicates POST success.
PC AT KEYBOARD>0xf5 r
<–disable the keyboard
X20 PCATKB WRITE: 0xF5 GOT ACK
<–wrote command
x30 PCATKB READ: 0xFA
<–read ACK byte
PC AT KEYBOARD>0xf4 r
<–enable keyboard
X20 PCATKB WRITE: 0xF4 GOT ACK
<–wrote command
x30 PCATKB READ: 0xFA
<–read ACK byte
PC AT KEYBOARD>
0xf5 disables keyboard input. 0xf4 enables the keyboard and clears the buffer.
PC AT KEYBOARD>0xed r 0b111 r
<–set indicator LEDs
X20 PCATKB WRITE: 0xED GOT ACK
<–set LED command
x30 PCATKB READ: 0xFA
<–command acknowledged
X20 PCATKB WRITE: 0x07 GOT ACK
<–send LED value
x30 PCATKB READ: 0xFA
<–value acknowledged
PC AT KEYBOARD>
The num, caps, and scroll lock LEDs are controlled by the 0xed command. The last three bits of a second byte (ob111) indicate which LEDs to light. It’s very important to perform all four byte operations within the keyboard timeout period, or the keyboard will reset.
PC AT KEYBOARD>0xee r
<–echo test command
X20 PCATKB WRITE: 0xEE GOT ACK
x30 PCATKB READ: 0xEE
PC AT KEYBOARD>0xfe r
<–repeat last byte command
X20 PCATKB WRITE: 0xFE GOT ACK
<–write repeat command
x30 PCATKB READ: 0xEE
<–previous byte is repeated
PC AT KEYBOARD>
The last interesting keyboard command is the repeat byte command. 0xfe causes the keyboard to send the last byte again. This is a useful command if there was a error in the previous transmission.
Read key presses
Key presses are buffered by the keyboard until we read them.
PC AT KEYBOARD>r
<–read byte
x30 PCATKB READ: 0x29
<–space scancode
PC AT KEYBOARD>r
<–read byte
x30 PCATKB READ: 0xF0
<–key release scancode
PC AT KEYBOARD>r
<–read byte
x30 PCATKB READ: 0x29
<–space scancode
PC AT KEYBOARD>
A key press sends
scancodes
, multi-byte sequences that represent the key presses. In the example, we pressed space which has the scancode 0x29. When a key is released, the keyboard sends 0xf0 and the scancode for the key (0x29). Each key press results in a similar three part sequence.
PC AT KEYBOARD>r:4
<–read 4 bytes
x31 PCATKB BULK READ, 0x04 BYTES:
0x29 0xF0 0x29 NONE
<–space scancode
PC AT KEYBOARD>
This is just a simplified version of the previous example. Rather than read three bytes individually, we used the bulk read command. Again, we get the space scancode sequence. Our attempt to read a non-existant fourth byte fails. | 15 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "60796",
"author": "YenTheFirst",
"timestamp": "2009-01-26T18:21:38",
"content": "I actually hooked up an old IBM model M to my arduino last week. how coincidental. :)As for sockets, what I did is take apart an old MIDI cable I didn’t need. MIDI uses the same physical connector (5-pi... | 1,760,377,691.57362 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/25/forknife-android-g1-controlled-robot/ | Forknife, Android G1 Controlled Robot | Eliot | [
"Android Hacks",
"Arduino Hacks",
"Cellphone Hacks",
"g1 hacks",
"google hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"android",
"arduino",
"dtmf",
"engadget",
"G1",
"google",
"java",
"jeffrey nelson",
"otg",
"robot",
"t-mobile",
"t-mobile g1",
"usb",
"usb host",
"usb otg",
"video"
] | When we first saw [Jeffrey Nelson]’s
G1 based robot
we immediately wondered what the transport for the controls was. The
G1
‘s hardware supports
USB
On-The-Go, but it’s not implemented in Android yet. It turns out he’s actually sending commands by using
DTMF
tones through the
headphone adapter
. The audio jack is connected to a DTMF decoder that sends signals to the bot’s
Arduino
. He wrote client/server code in
Java
to issue commands to the robot. You can find that code plus a simple schematic on his site. A video of the bot is embedded below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PddThiIbGz4]
[via
Engadget
] | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "60758",
"author": "Taylor Alexander",
"timestamp": "2009-01-26T08:07:15",
"content": "Hah, good ol DTMF. I used to get free payphone calls with the coin tones on my ipod.-Taylor",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "60763",
"autho... | 1,760,377,691.370934 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/25/tempest-a-signal-problem/ | TEMPEST: A Signal Problem | Eliot | [
"Security Hacks",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"bell labs",
"cia",
"crypto",
"eavesdropping",
"electromagnetic",
"electromagnetic radiation",
"eliza",
"encryption",
"foia",
"nsa",
"plaintext",
"schneier",
"security",
"tempest",
"wwii"
] | TEMPEST is the covername used by the NSA and other agencies to talk about emissions from computing machinery that can divulge what the equipment is processing. We’ve covered a few projects in the past that specifically intercept EM radiation.
TEMPEST for Eliza
can transmit via AM using a CRT monitor, and just last Fall a group showed how to
monitor USB keyboards remotely
. Through the Freedom of Information Act, an interesting article from 1972 has been released.
TEMPEST: A Signal Problem
(PDF link dead, try
Internet Archive version
) covers the early history of how this phenomenon was discovered. Uncovered by Bell Labs in WWII, it affected a piece of encryption gear they were supplying to the military. The plaintext could be read over that air and also by monitoring spikes on the powerlines. Their new, heavily shielded and line filtered version of the device was rejected by the military who simply told commanders to monitor a 100 feet around their post to prevent eavesdropping. It’s an interesting read and also covers acoustic monitoring. This is just the US history of TEMPEST though, but from the anecdotes it sounds like their enemies were not just keeping pace but were also better informed.
[via
Schneier
] | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "60766",
"author": "SoundwaveHi",
"timestamp": "2009-01-26T10:02:41",
"content": "Ha they still bothered to block out 3/5 of the report…that sux",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "60780",
"author": "hans",
"timestamp": "2009... | 1,760,377,691.721851 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/25/sound-effects-box/ | Sound Effects Box | Caleb Kraft | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"classic hacks",
"digital audio hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"monome",
"project 64",
"sound effects",
"voice shield"
] | At first glance, this may look like a retro styled
monome
, but it is actually quite different. Merging a
Project64
key pad and a
Voice Shield
for Arduino, [Spikenzie] has
made a sound effects box
. Each button triggers a unique sound that is stored in the Voice Shield. Of coarse, it will be like a game of
memory
trying to remember what sound is where. You can see a
demo video here
. | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "60718",
"author": "pragma",
"timestamp": "2009-01-25T22:50:55",
"content": "Is it just me, or are all the sounds playing back too fast – like it’s the wrong sample-rate or something?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "60731",
"... | 1,760,377,691.617696 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/24/wattcher-twittering-kill-a-watt-plans-posted/ | Wattcher, Twittering Kill A Watt Plans Posted | Eliot | [
"home hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"adafruit",
"core77",
"green",
"greener gadgets",
"kill a watt",
"killawatt",
"ladyada",
"limor fried",
"make",
"phillip torrone",
"power",
"power meter",
"power monitor",
"twitter",
"xbee",
"zigbee"
] | You probably saw [Phillip Torrone] and [Limor Fried]’s
twittering Kill A Watt
earlier this week. It was an entry in the
Core77/Greener Gadgets Design Competition
. We saw a little bit about how it was assembled, but now they’ve posted a
full guide to assembling the hardware
. Each Kill A Watt gets an XBee radio that transmits back to a receiver that logs the power usage. The difficult part when putting this design together was the XBee required 50mA when transmitting. This is well above the Kill A Watt’s internal power supply. They remedied this by adding a 10,000uF supercap to act as a rechargeable battery. The daily twittering is just a side-effect of the project. The Kill A Watts transmit every 2 seconds, so you’ll get a very accurate report of your power usage. This is a great project for renters who can’t permanently modify their power infrastructure. Each Kill A Watt can support quite a few appliances since they’re rated for 15A, ~1800W. | 20 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "60646",
"author": "Taylor Alexander",
"timestamp": "2009-01-25T04:53:50",
"content": "Those xbee radios rock, btw. If you’re only using two, you don’t even have to program anything, they default to acting like a dumb serial link. Send a few commands, tho, and you can talk to any num... | 1,760,377,691.676292 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/18/multitouch-tabletop-gaming/ | Multitouch Tabletop Gaming | Eliot | [
"classic hacks",
"home entertainment hacks",
"Multitouch Hacks",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"fiduciary marker",
"game",
"multitouch",
"ramon viladomat",
"reactable",
"tangible",
"video",
"warhammer",
"warhammer 40k",
"warhammer40k"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QflrIK-m4Ts]
Reader [Ramon Viladomat] sent in what he has been working on over the last year at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. Tired of see nothing but zooming map demos, he created a roleplaying game that takes advantage of the
reacTable
‘s multitouch interface. Along with
multitouch
, the reacTable also uses tangible
fiducial markers
to represent objects and as an alternative input method. Embedded above is a video demoing the interface and gameplay (starts at 3:43). The game lets you move your miniature through a virtual world. The surface shows you how far you can move dynamically as your action points regenerate and slowly reveals more dungeon as you discover it. You can pause the action and use gestures to set attack patterns. We really like this demo and would love to see someone build one using a popular tabletop game like
Warhammer 40K
. Embedded below is a demo of the associated map editor.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cDtWNtQzCE] | 29 | 29 | [
{
"comment_id": "59832",
"author": "Wwhat",
"timestamp": "2009-01-19T04:06:50",
"content": "Pretty damn sweet, but that rotating light in the first part of the video is annoying as hell IMHO.And I bet it dazzles the babes too! :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
... | 1,760,377,692.783974 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/18/use-the-cpu-cache-to-prevent-cold-boot-no/ | Use The CPU Cache To Prevent Cold Boot? No. | Eliot | [
"downloads hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"cache",
"cold boot",
"coldboot",
"crypto",
"crypto coprocessor",
"encryption",
"frozen cache",
"key recovery",
"keyschedule",
"memory",
"ram",
"slashdot"
] | Frozen Cache
is a blog dedicated to a novel way to prevent
cold boot attacks
. Last year the cold boot team
demonstrated
that they could extract encryption keys from a machine’s RAM by placing it in another system (or the same machine by doing a quick reboot). Frozen Cache aims to prevent this by storing the encryption key in the CPU’s cache. It copies the key out of RAM into the CPU’s registers and then zeroes it in RAM. It then freezes the cache and attempts to write the key back to RAM. The key is pushed into the cache, but isn’t written back to RAM.
The first major issue with this is the performance hit. You end up kneecapping the processor when you freeze the cache and the author suggests that you’d only do this when the screen is locked. We asked cold boot team member [
Jacob Appelbaum
] what he thought of the approach. He pointed out that the current cold boot attack reconstructs the key from the full keyschedule, which according to the Frozen Cache blog, still remains in RAM. They aren’t grabbing the specific key bits, but recreating it from all this redundant information in memory. At best, Frozen Cache is attempting to build a ‘ghetto crypto co-processor’.
We stand by our initial response to the cold boot attacks: It’s going to take a fundamental redesign of RAM before this is solved.
[via
Slashdot
] | 21 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "59834",
"author": "Wwhat",
"timestamp": "2009-01-19T04:20:22",
"content": "If someone can open your computer and take out the RAM and walk away then you are already bogged down by much more serious security issues and there’s little to protect from keeping your encryption keys secur... | 1,760,377,694.530388 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/18/attiny-breadboard-headers/ | ATtiny Breadboard Headers | Eliot | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"attiny",
"attiny13",
"attiny2313",
"AVR",
"breadboard",
"header",
"isp",
"prototype"
] | [Alex] was frustrated by the amount of time it took to start prototyping with an AVR ATtiny. To make things easier, he built
headers that carry the 8 and 20 pin chips
and plug directly into breadboards. The boards include a 6pin ISP header, resonator, pull-up resistor, reset, and blocking caps. The ATtiny2313 version also has a serial connection header. This is a
prototype
though, and he forgot to route one of the connections. He plans on having a large batch of boards ready for next month. | 22 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "59763",
"author": "Taylor Alexander",
"timestamp": "2009-01-18T18:59:19",
"content": "Hah, i was JUST going to do something like this! I saw the post on making PCB’s and i thought this would be a good start.-Taylor",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
... | 1,760,377,694.469543 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/17/scrabble-keyboard/ | Scrabble Keyboard | Eliot | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"gizmodo",
"keyboard",
"keys",
"scrabble",
"scrabble keyboard",
"steampunk",
"typewriter"
] | Here’s another bizarre keyboard mod to add to the pile. Unlike previous
typewriter style
mods, this one
uses Scrabble tiles
. All of the tiles were hand beveled and attached to a clicky keyboard. The Num, Cap, and Scroll lock buttons have their letters’ hollowed out so the LED light will shine through.
[via
Gizmodo
] | 13 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "59716",
"author": "Basic A.",
"timestamp": "2009-01-18T07:18:34",
"content": "Nice.gotta miss the simpler days of board games… just imagine… entertained by a wooden tile… preposterous.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "59729",
... | 1,760,377,694.667417 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/17/using-bittorrent-on-amazon-ec2/ | Using Bittorrent On Amazon EC2 | Eliot | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"amazon",
"amazon ec2",
"ami",
"apache",
"bittorrent",
"brett oconnor",
"cloud",
"ec2",
"keypair",
"mysql",
"php",
"seedbox",
"ssh",
"torrent",
"ubuntu",
"waxy"
] | Bittorrent
is a great distribution method for large files, but its heavy bandwidth usage can be disruptive to both work and home networks. [Brett O’Connor] has decided to
push all of his torrenting activity into the cloud
. Amazon’s
EC2
service lets you run any number of Amazon Machine Images (AMI, virtual machines) on top of their hardware. You pay for processing time and data transferred. [Brett] put together a guide for building your own
seedbox
on the service. First, you set up the Security Group, the firewall for the machine. Next, you specify what AMI you want to use. In this example, it’s a community build of
Ubuntu
. Once you have your SSH keypair, you can start the instance and install Apache, PHP, and
MySQL
.
TorrentFlux
is the web frontend for bittorrent in this case. It manages all the torrents and you just need to click download when you want to grab the completed file.
Even if you don’t plan on setting up a seedbox, the post is a straightforward example of how-to get started with EC2. He’s not sure what the cost will be; the current estimate is ~$30/mo.
[via
Waxy
]
[photo:
nrkbeta
] | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "59708",
"author": "Imroy",
"timestamp": "2009-01-18T05:04:24",
"content": "Why go to all this trouble when Amazon S3 (their storage service) already supports torrents? All you have to do is add ‘?torrent’ to the URL.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
... | 1,760,377,694.414272 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/17/malware-posing-as-changegov/ | Malware Posing As Change.gov | Eliot | [
"News",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"barack obama",
"botnet",
"change.gov",
"fast-flux",
"lithium",
"malware",
"obama",
"pandalabs",
"president",
"president-elect",
"storm worm"
] | PandaLabs has identified a botnet running a
malware campaign impersonating president-elect Obama’s website
. The front page of the site features a sensational story titled “Barack Obama has refused to be a president”. Clicking the link will download the malware and make the target’s machine part of the botnet. They’re using
fast-flux
to assign the malicious domains to the massive number of compromised nodes that are hosting the actual site. The team has contacted the domain name registrar in China to get the domains removed. Using a sensational headline is not new to malware; it’s how the
Storm Worm
got its name.
[via
lithium
] | 13 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "59707",
"author": "HZ",
"timestamp": "2009-01-18T04:33:11",
"content": "I wonder how many people attempted to visit the sites marked “Please do not attempt to visit the sites.” lol. I did…in BT3.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "... | 1,760,377,694.617895 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/17/ipod-touch-2g-jailbreak-demoed/ | IPod Touch 2G Jailbreak Demoed | Eliot | [
"digital audio hacks",
"ipod hacks",
"Mac Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"apple",
"appstore",
"cydia",
"exploit",
"iboot",
"iphone dev team",
"ipod",
"ipod touch",
"ipod touch 2g",
"jailbreak",
"kernel",
"musclenerd",
"nes",
"patch",
"redsn0w",
"yellowsn0w"
] | Now that the iphone-dev team has
unlocked the iPhone 3G
they’re moving onto jailbreaking the
iPod Touch 2G
. While they have a fully working jailbreak, it’s not yet in a user friendly format. [MuscleNerd] did a
live video demo this afternoon
to show what progress they had made. It starts with him showing the
iPod
on but not booting. He’s already patched the kernel, but it’s failing the signature check in iboot. He then uses the team’s recoverytool to exploit a hole in iboot and patch out the signature check. The ipod then boots normally and he shows non-App Store software like Mobile Terminal,
Cydia
, and an NES Emulator (which makes use of the iPod’s internal speaker).
The
redsn0w jailbreak
works, but it has to be applied via tether every time the iPod boots. The team won’t release anything until they’ve found a way around this problem. For more insight into the boot process, check out our coverage of their
Hacking the iPhone
talk at 25C3. | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "59701",
"author": "marz",
"timestamp": "2009-01-18T03:32:07",
"content": "WTF is up with that photo?Takin’ pics under your bed covers?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "59706",
"author": "xrazorwirex",
"timestamp": "2009-0... | 1,760,377,694.72282 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/17/cuiduino-arduino-with-true-usb-support/ | CUIduino, Arduino With True USB Support | Eliot | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"classic hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"ATmega168",
"AVR",
"cuiduino",
"ftdi",
"hid",
"midi",
"midi over usb",
"osc",
"peripheral",
"pic",
"pic18f4550",
"usb",
"usb hid"
] | The
CREATE USB Interface (CUI)
was a project that came out of UC Santa Barbara around the same time the
Arduino
was being developed. It has a USB port, a PIC18F4550, and a prototyping area. It was designed to enable easy interfacing with the real would through many A/D inputs and general I/O ports. It supports both OSC and MIDI-over-USB natively. The biggest difference between the CUI and the Arduino is its
USB support
. The Arduino uses an FTDI chip to create a serial interface to its onboard AVR. The CUI’s PIC has native support for USB. That means you can have the CUI appear to be any USB HID device you want:
keyboard
,
mouse
, game controller, etc.
The Arduino has a friendly development environment and a large following though. CUI create [Dan Overholt] decided to add an ATmega168 to his board to get the best of both worlds, the
CUIduino
(scroll down). It can be programmed just like any other Arduino compatible device, but the having the CUI parent means your Arduino project can behave like a native USB HID gadget.
[Thanks Peter] | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "59695",
"author": "Dan P",
"timestamp": "2009-01-18T02:13:38",
"content": "“…interfacing with the real would”I think you mean real world :P",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "59703",
"author": "amk",
"timestamp": "2009-01-1... | 1,760,377,694.367848 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/17/reprap-pinch-wheel-extruder/ | RepRap Pinch Wheel Extruder | Eliot | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"3d printer",
"dc",
"dc motor",
"drive",
"extruder",
"gear",
"motor",
"rapid prototyping",
"reprap",
"zach",
"zach smith"
] | What you see above is the culmination of [Zach Smith]’s work
building a pinch wheel style extruder
for the RepRap. The current RepRap 3D printer uses a
screw mechanism
to push 3mm polymer filament into a heating barrel where it is melted and then extruded through a fine nozzle. [Zach]’s new version uses a drive gear from SDP/SI mounted directly to the DC motor we saw him
teardown earlier
. He’s
redesigned the carrier
for the extruder as well. It’s now much lighter and has provisions for mounting current and future controller electronics along with a magnetic rotary encoder. In the last two days, he’s been doing
real world testing
. It’s been doing well, but he’s learning to do things like always using a full spool and not trying to run short lengths back to back. | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "59702",
"author": "Benjamin Brown",
"timestamp": "2009-01-18T03:51:07",
"content": "I’ve been kicking the idea around of building a reprap that uses reclaimed plastics for extruding material, I like this design very much. It could work well with irregular shape material it seems.",
... | 1,760,377,694.571314 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/17/cat5-camera-flash-extension/ | Cat5 Camera Flash Extension | Eliot | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"camera",
"camera hack",
"cat5",
"cat5e",
"digital",
"digital camera",
"digital photography",
"dslr",
"ethernet",
"ethernet cable",
"ethernet jack",
"extension cable",
"flash",
"flash extension",
"mario giambanco"
] | Network engineer [Mario Giambanco] recently purchased a cable to move his flash off camera. Unfortunately, it ended up way too short for his purposes. Instead of purchasing a slightly longer proprietary cable, he decided to employ what he had around him: a lot of cat5e cable and ethernet jacks. He cut the cable close to the center in case things didn’t work out and he’d need to repair it. His post on building the custom
ethernet flash extension cable
goes into heavy detail to make sure you get it right the first time. He’s tested it using both five and 50 foot pieces of cable with no apparent lag.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen cat5 repurposed:
composite video through cat5
,
vga cat5 extension
, and
cat5 speaker cables
.
[via
Lifehacker
] | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "59676",
"author": "Michael Wheeler",
"timestamp": "2009-01-18T00:06:18",
"content": "I wouldn’t wanna be holding the cat5 cable when the flash goes off. That stuff doesn’t have too much insulation, and knowing from experience of getting zapped by a disposable camera flash (to make a... | 1,760,377,694.772306 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/16/generating-midi-with-ruby/ | Generating MIDI With Ruby | Eliot | [
"digital audio hacks",
"downloads hacks"
] | [
"achaeopteryx",
"dj",
"giles bowkett",
"midi",
"reason",
"ruby",
"rubyfringe",
"step",
"step sequencer",
"video"
] | [vimeo 720761]
[
Giles Bowkett
] has been working on a music library for Ruby called Archaeopteryx. He describes it as a “
Ruby MIDI DJing/live-coding thing
“. In the video above, He’s using it to generate and then morph rhythms. The Ruby code is directly controlling the step sequencer in
Reason
. It’s an interesting approach to music development. The video above gives a full intro to the probability approach to generation. To really get a feel for the library, we suggest you watch his presentation from RubyFringe. It shows him playing music by
editing a live block of code
. Check out his
Vimeo feed
for many more demo videos.
[via
CDM
] | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "59620",
"author": "Sanjay",
"timestamp": "2009-01-17T14:56:30",
"content": "Sounds better than alot of the shit i hear played in clubs.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "59641",
"author": "csirac2",
"timestamp": "2009-01-1... | 1,760,377,694.80797 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/16/dismantling-the-storm-worm-botnet/ | Dismantling The Storm Worm Botnet | Eliot | [
"News",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"25c3",
"botnet",
"ccc",
"german",
"isp",
"malware",
"nat",
"security",
"storm worm",
"stormfucker",
"xor",
"zero-day"
] | Zero Day has an interview with German researchers who have found a way to
take down the Storm Worm botnet
. Their program,
Stormfucker
, takes advantage of flaws in Storm’s command network: Nodes that are
NAT
‘d only use a four-byte
XOR
challenge. Nodes that aren’t NAT’d are only using a trivial 64bit RSA signature. Their solution can clean infected machines and also distribute to other nodes. Unfortunately, installing software without the user’s consent is the exact same behavior as malware. Don’t expect to see this in any sort of widespread use. The researchers did point out that some ISPs have moved to shutting off service for infected customers until their machines are cleaned. | 26 | 26 | [
{
"comment_id": "59595",
"author": "_matt",
"timestamp": "2009-01-17T08:40:44",
"content": "those crazy germans, cutting service off to infected customers.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "59596",
"author": "cde",
"timestamp": "2009-01-17... | 1,760,377,694.949343 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/16/pid-smd-reflow-hot-plate/ | PID SMD Reflow Hot Plate | Eliot | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"ceramic",
"hot plate",
"hotplate",
"mightyohm",
"pid",
"reflow",
"solder",
"soldering",
"ssr",
"thermocouple"
] | [mightyohm] put together a nice piece of lab kit. It’s a
PID controlled hot plate
. The plate is capable of reaching 500F, hot enough to do
SMD reflow soldering
. The large chunk of metal has a hole drilled through the center to contain a cartridge heater. A thermocouple is used to monitor the temperature of the plate. Ceramic standoffs separate the plate from the rest of the device, but he still needs to come up with a way to stop the radiant heating. The control box houses the surplus PID controller along with the power switch and solid state relay (SSR). | 15 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "59601",
"author": "gio",
"timestamp": "2009-01-17T10:29:15",
"content": "My guess is that the base plate does not only heat up by radiant heating, but also by conduction thru air. To lower the radiant heating, one might polish that base plate (I guess), but maybe there are better ma... | 1,760,377,695.011889 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/16/electric-spinning-wheel/ | Electric Spinning Wheel | Eliot | [
"cnc hacks",
"home hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"bobbin",
"dc",
"ebay",
"flyer",
"glacialwanderer",
"knit",
"knitting",
"motor",
"motor controller",
"sheep",
"spinning wheel",
"syren",
"wool"
] | [glacialwanderer], who you may remember from his
CNC machine build
, recently completed an
electric spinning wheel
. Spinning wheels are used by knitters to turn raw sheep’s wool into yarn. He went through several iterations before arriving at a good design. Besides the motor, there are two major components to the spinning wheel: the flyer and the bobbin. A Scotch tension brake is used to slow the rotation of the bobbin in relation to the flyer. This causes the wool to twist as it’s pulled on.
He initially tried to just use a dimmer switch with an AC motor. That quickly burnt up. The next version used a sewing machine motor since they’re designed with a variable speed control. Unfortunately, it didn’t have enough torque at low speeds. The final design used a DC motor with a
SyRen motor controller
. It offered plenty of power and at ~$150 it’s still less than the cheapest commercial models on eBay. You can see a video of it and the spinning process embedded below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hsioj0cVNJs] | 16 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "59590",
"author": "smilr",
"timestamp": "2009-01-17T05:08:00",
"content": "Pretty nifty. One thing that I notice, having helped my mother make yarn on her manual spinning wheel was that the foot-pedal action allowed for “on the fly” control of the speed without taking your hands awa... | 1,760,377,695.164401 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/13/multitouch-patched-into-android/ | Multitouch Patched Into Android | Eliot | [
"Android Hacks",
"Cellphone Hacks",
"g1 hacks",
"google hacks",
"Multitouch Hacks"
] | [
"adp1",
"android",
"G1",
"google",
"multitouch",
"tmobile"
] | [Luke Hutchison] has come up with a rather clever hack to get
multitouch support on the G1
. He wrote a patch against the Synaptics touchscreen driver. When two fingers are placed, the driver reports the x/y of the midpoint and a radius for the size field. If only one finger is used, the size is reported as zero. The nice thing about this approach is that it’s backwards compatible; the extra data will be ignored by current apps. Unfortunately, Google’s Android team says that if multitouch is ever added, it would identify individual fingers and definitely not using this method.
[via
ABN
]
[photo:
tnkgrl
] | 16 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "59149",
"author": "ALAN",
"timestamp": "2009-01-14T06:44:20",
"content": "Hack",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "59159",
"author": "eric",
"timestamp": "2009-01-14T07:12:32",
"content": "Sounds like a software fix to a... | 1,760,377,695.313896 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/13/automated-protocol-analysis/ | Automated Protocol Analysis | Eliot | [
"downloads hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"bioinformatics",
"breakingpoint labs",
"druid",
"druidian",
"fuzzing",
"protocol",
"protocol informatics"
] | [I)ruid] from BreakingPoint Labs has been doing quite a bit of protocol reverse engineering as part of his work. He put together a
post covering some of the tools
that have been useful for this task. Text-based protocols have a lot of human readable characters that can help you identify fields. Binary protocols don’t have this luxury though. He recommends the
Protocol Informatics Project
for tackling these situations. It applies bioinformatics algorithms to network traffic. You give it a packet dump of the protocol and it compares them to find similarities the same way genetic sequences are compared. It can be confused by protocols that waste a lot of space, but it’s still a very clever approach to reversing.
[photo:
slashcrisis
] | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "59166",
"author": "Gert",
"timestamp": "2009-01-14T07:41:14",
"content": "News: the project was published as a proto in 2004, and was abandoned since.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "101847",
"author": "furniture",
"time... | 1,760,377,695.429393 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/13/rickshaw-pulling-robot/ | Rickshaw Pulling Robot | Eliot | [
"Robots Hacks",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"bob schneeveis",
"chinese",
"maker faire",
"rickshaw",
"robot",
"wu yulu"
] | [Wu Yulu] is a Chinese farmer with no formal mechanical training. He’s been building various contraptions over the years and even accidentally burned down his house at one point. Pictured above is a walking, talking rickshaw pulling robot he built to haul himself around town. You can see a
video of the mechanical man on Reuters
.
The design reminds us of [Bob Schneeveis]’
Schwarzenegger towed solar chariot
we saw at Maker Faire.
[via
DVICE
thanks cnelson] | 21 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "59104",
"author": "bistromathics",
"timestamp": "2009-01-14T01:40:58",
"content": "Isn’t this a bit unnecessary? How about just an electric motor?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "59105",
"author": "bistromathics",
"times... | 1,760,377,695.489653 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/13/a-history-of-sparkfun-prototypes/ | A History Of SparkFun Prototypes | Eliot | [
"News",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"bluesmirf",
"development",
"dfm",
"pcb",
"prototype",
"rx",
"serial",
"sparkfun",
"sparkfun electronics",
"tx"
] | If you haven’t checked out SparkFun Electronics’ prototype collection yet, you’re missing out. They unearthed many of their old prototypes and published them to
show what kind of mistakes could be made
. You’ll see plenty of errors and get hints on what to look for while developing your own hardware. This pairs well with their
Design for Manufacture
post. Along with the pile of broken board iterations, they also walk through
how the company developed
. Finally, they specifically cover the
individual iterations of the BlueSMiRF
.
One of the interesting modules in the gallery that never saw full release was the SparkFun Toys line pictured above. The individual units used the standoffs as the power and data bus. The four posts were arranged so they could only be connected in one orientation: power, ground, TX, and RX. It’s an interesting idea that seems like it might be worth exploring further. SparkFun says that it worked fine, but didn’t feel they had the resources to market it to the intended audience. | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "59350",
"author": "monster",
"timestamp": "2009-01-15T06:43:35",
"content": "so not only is Savad spamming, the website is a forgery. Savad just proved it’s possible to suck and blow at the same time. lets give him a hand.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
... | 1,760,377,695.259197 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/13/hand-made-triode/ | Hand Made Triode | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"short wave radio",
"triode",
"vaccum tube"
] | [Claude Paillard]
makes his own triodes
(
google translated
) for short wave radios. The site doesn’t have a lot of details itself, but links to entire books on the history of radio tubes and manufacturing of them. [Claude] takes us through the entire process of building a
triode
in a 17 minute long video. Even if you aren’t into them, this is fascinating. From the looks of it, several of us might only be a pump or two short of being able to cobble one together.
[thanks Dieter] | 29 | 29 | [
{
"comment_id": "59078",
"author": "zigzagjoe",
"timestamp": "2009-01-13T21:20:20",
"content": "Failure.http://hackaday.com/2008/01/07/how-to-make-a-vacuum-tube/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "59080",
"author": "rvisokey",
"timestamp": ... | 1,760,377,695.385365 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/12/the-ondestrak/ | The Ondestrak | Caleb Kraft | [
"digital audio hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"gametrak",
"music",
"theremin"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9S9SZswOC0]
If you like the sound of the theramin, you may enjoy the
Ondestrak
. Based loosely off of the
Ondes Martnot
, the Ondestrak works by changing the pitch of a continuous note. [Devin_mccutchen] built his using an old
gametrak
controller. The controller looks pretty cool. We hadn’t seen that one before. Check out a more musical performance after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_C2sstB4p4] | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "58989",
"author": "Adam Ziegler",
"timestamp": "2009-01-13T03:55:32",
"content": "Very Cool… I would make amplitude / volume more sensitive with the closing and opening of the board, and make the total distance the board has to close much smaller.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth... | 1,760,377,695.594411 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/12/giant-nixie-tube/ | Giant Vacuum Tube | Caleb Kraft | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"el wire",
"electro luminescent",
"nixie tube",
"vacuum tube"
] | When we saw this
giant home vacuum tube
, we thought it would go perfectly along side the
giant LED lamp
. Constructed from spare computer parts, a glass display dome and some EL wire, it is fairly convincing looking. If only he had shaped some characters with the EL wire, we could do a giant nixie tube project. | 20 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "58949",
"author": "stealthmonkey",
"timestamp": "2009-01-12T21:20:24",
"content": "Umm… It’s not a Nixie fake… But it’s a giant fake regular vacuum tube – very nice decoration for oldschool geeks =)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id"... | 1,760,377,695.547597 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/16/m-cle-hacked-smart-cycle/ | M-CLE: Hacked Smart Cycle | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"creativity",
"robot",
"smart cycle",
"toy"
] | M-CLE
, described as ” a physical learning environment in which synergistic artificial intelligence through the use of robots(creative agents) is employed to embellish the creativity of the child”, looks like a pretty fun toy. For those of you who haven’t figured out what it does from that quote, it is a toy that kids ride on to control a robot. That robot draws on the floor while other robots interact with it using AI. This is all made to “embellish” the child’s creative work.
To control the robot, a child rides on a Fischer Price Smart Cycle. The factory electronics were replaced with an ATMEGA168. A wireless transmitter connects to the robot, which is also powered by an ATMEGA168. While one robot is controlled by the child, the others are packed with sensors to allow them to interact with it. They use touch, ultrasonic ping detectors, and IR line detectors. You can see it all in action in the
video summary
.
The design is interesting, everything is bright and colorful, and the shark fins on the robots are a nice touch. We have to wonder though, with a toy to ride on, a robot to control, and 3 other robots to watch in wonder, is the child going to be too distracted to be very creative? | 15 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "59550",
"author": "kyle",
"timestamp": "2009-01-16T17:03:28",
"content": "Thats interesting but try to get a halfway creative child to sit back seat to 4 robots drawing on the kitchen floor. you will soon find them disassembled and markings on your walls.+1 for the work-1 for the id... | 1,760,377,695.65393 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/15/debian-on-the-g1-once-again/ | Debian On The G1 Once Again | Eliot | [
"Android Hacks",
"Cellphone Hacks",
"downloads hacks",
"g1 hacks",
"google hacks"
] | [
"adp1",
"android",
"android dev phone 1",
"arm",
"arm eabi",
"busybox",
"debian",
"ghostwalker",
"linux",
"root",
"t-mobile",
"t-mobile g1",
"tnkgrl"
] | [ghostwalker] dropped in on our
previous Debian Android post
to let us know that he had
streamlined the install process
. The first time around, it quickly became difficult to complete the process because firmware updates had taken away root access. Hackers have since figured out how to
downgrade from RC30
and
install BusyBox
. All you need to do to put
Debian
on your phone is download the package from [ghostwalker] and then run the installer script. This isn’t technically a port since Debian already has ARM EABI support. What would you run on your
phone
if you had access to the entire Debian package tree? A video of Debian starting up is embedded below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl0LSHbUbzE]
[photo:
tnkgrl
] | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "59496",
"author": "kd5uzz",
"timestamp": "2009-01-16T04:15:53",
"content": "Xastir would be great.GPS + Net access allowing APRS-IS access = single device APRS tracker. Yes, it needs internet access to make it happen, but the next step would be to pair it with a Bluetooth serial ada... | 1,760,377,695.699904 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/15/how-to-prepare-your-eagle-designs-for-manufacture/ | How-to: Prepare Your Eagle Designs For Manufacture | Ian | [
"how-to",
"Parts"
] | [
"cadsofteagle",
"circuit boards",
"digital picture frame",
"diy pcb",
"eagle",
"electronics",
"gerbers",
"pcb"
] | Cadsoft Eagle
is a multi-platform freeware circuit layout program. Lots of open source hardware is designed in Eagle, and it’s become a hobbyist favorite. We use it for all of our
hardware designs
.
There are several ways to turn an Eagle design into an actual
printed circuit board
(PCB). We’ll show you how to save Eagle designs as industry-standard gerber files that are accepted by any PCB manufacturer. You can use the gerbers to order a single prototype, or a full panel.
Introduction
Toner transfer is the beginners’ favorite way to make a PCB because the investment in materials is minimal. We’ve
covered toner transfer before
. Most PCBs in our
how-tos
are made with the
photo-resist process
. The photo process makes nice boards, but requires a bit of equipment; sensitized boards, developer, and an ultra-violet light source.
Some board manufacturers, like
Olimex
, make PCBs directly from Eagle .brd files. Most require a minimum order of one
eurocard-sized
PCB (100mmx160mm). Good if you need a few boards, expensive for a single experimental prototype.
The cheapest option is to submit
gerber files
like the professionals. Any PCB manufacturer will accept gerber formatted design files.
Gold Pheonix
sells 155square inches of PCB panel for $110. If you’re looking for something smaller, services like
BatchPCB
and
PCB-Pool
combine small orders and submit them as a full panel. Either way, you’ll submit gerber files to the board house. This is the process we describe.
Process overview
Prepare the design.
Create gerbers, generic files accepted by any PCB fab house.
Verify that the gerbers are correct.
Send the design for production.
Prepare the design
We’re going to walk you through the process of preparing our
digital picture frame
PCB for production. This design requires a double-sided board with fairly small traces.
Download the
project archive
(ZIP) from last week. Open the .brd file with the freeware version of
Cadsoft Eagle
.
The ground fill is empty when the file opens. Press the ratsnest button (
or Tools->Ratsnest
) to fill in the empty polygons.
Board manufacturers publish specifications outlining their production capabilities, such as the smallest possible traces, spacing, and drill size. BatchPCB has 8mil
minimum traces and spacing
, and 20mil minimum holes.
Don’t torture the manufacturer. Just because they advertise 8mils, doesn’t mean it’s safe to make every trace 8mils. Slightly larger-than-minimum tolerances will reduce
manufacturing errors
. The digital picture frame has 8mil traces around the tiny
LCD connector
, shown above. The traces are 8mils only until there’s enough clearance to use 10mil traces.
Use Eagle’s
design rule check
to make sure your board doesn’t exceed the manufacturer’s production abilities. Download the
SparkFun design rules
(DRU) for BatchPCB, or the Olimex
8mil
(DRU) or
10mil
(DRU) design rules. Click the DRC icon (or,
Tools->DRC
) and load the design rule file. Eagle analyzes the design and highlights any areas that violate the design rule parameters.
Correct any errors. Here, the spacing between traces is too close. Sometimes the spacing on a part footprint is too small to be manufactured. Sparkfun’s default footprint for the Nokia LCD connector had pad spacing less than 8mils. We
edited the part library
to make the pads smaller, and the separation larger.
It’s helpful to include part numbers on the printed silkscreen layer. BatchPCB prints a silkscreen on both sides. Be sure to see what your board house offers, some charge extra. Use the smash tool to unlink obscured labels, then move them to a better location.
Create gerber files
Gerber files are the
PDFs
of PCBs. Gerber files describe a PCB exactly as it should appear, agnostic of the display hardware. It’s a final production format that isn’t intended to be edited. We created our gerber files in Eagle using the procedure outlined in
SparkFun’s Eagle tutorial
.
The Eagle CAM processor writes gerber files, open it from the menu under
File->CAM processor
.
SparkFun has a
script
(CAM) that configures the CAM processor to make gerber files. Load the CAM script using
File->Open->Job…
By default, SparkFun’s silkscreen configuration only includes the
place
layer. Our parts usually have labels on the
names
and
docu
layers, activate these layers on the top and bottom silkscreen tabs to add them to the output.
Click
Process Job
to create the gerber files.
The CAM processor creates seven files that we need.
Top and bottom copper (.GTL, .GBL)
Top and bottom solder mask (.GTS, .GBS)
Top and bottom silkscreen (.GTO, .GBO)
Drill file, 2.4 leading (.TXT)
Verify that the gerbers are correct
Verify the CAM output in a
gerber viewer
to make sure everything was positioned correctly. We followed SparkFun’s suggestion and used
Viewplot
.
Load the seven files with Viewplot.
Be sure to specify the drill file type as 2.4 leading.
Check for errant vias, mirrored layers, and alignment. We’ve noticed that text added to the silkscreen layer is usually bigger than it was in Eagle. Correct any problems and run the CAM processor again.
When everything looks good, the board is ready for production.
Send the design for production
Zip
the seven gerber files and submit them to the PCB fab house.
Remember to tell them that the drill file format is 2.4 leading.
BatchPCB is a pooled panel service that sells space by the square inch. Other manufacturers and batch services require you to order
at least
a full eurocard. We use BatchPCB for prototyping because we never need the extra board space of a full eurocard, and we don’t mind the average 20day wait.
At BatchPCB, $2.50/square inch buys a PCB with silkscreen on both sides, unlimited vias, and a huge range of drill sizes; stuff that usually costs extra. BatchPCB’s minimum traces, spacing, and drill are similar to other prototyping services. There’s a $10
per order
setup fee, but an order can include multiple designs. Shipping, even internationally, isn’t outrageous.
If you need a lot of the same board, look at Gold Phoenix. They manufacture boards for BatchPCB. A 100 square inch panel is $100, a 155 square inch panel is $110.
Create an account at
BatchPCB
. Click upload to add a new design. Name the design and upload the zip archive containing the 7 gerber files.
Verify that the gerber layers were successfully detected.
Verify that the correct size was detected.
The BatchPCB rule check ‘robot’ will verify that your design meets production standards, and send an e-mail in a few minutes. Since we ran our own rule check prior to sending the design, we can expect that everything will be fine. Click continue and you’ll have the option to order the board. For more help, see the BatchPCB
help
and
support forum
.
Receive your boards
Boards arrive from BatchPCB in about 20 days. Check the boards for obvious errors before soldering. Some manufacturers test PCBs, BatchPCB doesn’t. We’ve ordered PCBs from two of the popular hobbyist board houses, Olimex and BatchPCB, and all the boards have been satisfactory.
Taking it further
It’s easy to order professional PCBs using gerber files. Why not build that awesome DIY project you’ve been putting off?
What has been your experience with PCB fab houses?
UPDATE: the files have been moved!
find them here
. | 47 | 46 | [
{
"comment_id": "59480",
"author": "Adam Ziegler",
"timestamp": "2009-01-16T00:43:25",
"content": "Great article!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "59481",
"author": "jimmys",
"timestamp": "2009-01-16T00:46:00",
"content": "Excellent w... | 1,760,377,695.807805 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/15/power-suit-for-japanese-farmers/ | Power Suit For Japanese Farmers | Eliot | [
"News",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"farm",
"farming",
"iron man",
"japan",
"japanese",
"power suit",
"powersuit",
"robot",
"tokyo"
] | Researchers at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology have been
demoing a new power suit
. It’s intended to be used by people hand harvesting in the farm industry. The 55 pound device supports the worker’s joints as they squat and reach. Within three years, they hope to have the cost within $10K. We’ve seen quite a few power suit devices this year, but research has been going on for many years, as you can see in our
power suit roundup
.
[Thanks Lane] | 24 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "59487",
"author": "sarsface",
"timestamp": "2009-01-16T03:00:21",
"content": "$10 grand is more than a farm worker like that would make in their entire ‘career’",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "59489",
"author": "Anti-sarsfac... | 1,760,377,695.907399 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/15/libelium-arduino-contest/ | Libelium Arduino Contest | Eliot | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"arduino",
"contest",
"libelium"
] | Libelium is holding another
Arduino Open Hardware contest
. Just create a how-to by April 15th that makes your daily life easier. Prizes include
GPS
, GPRS, SD, and solar modules designed for the
Arduino
. | 0 | 0 | [] | 1,760,377,695.847295 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/15/smart-attic-fan/ | Smart Attic Fan | Caleb Kraft | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"fan",
"hawaii",
"pic"
] | [Andrew] lives in Hawaii where the climate usually doesn’t necessitate heating and cooling systems. Usually, some open windows and doors will cool the house down enough. This relies on the breeze though, and that isn’t always there. [Andrew] came up with the solution of
automating an attic fan
to circulate air depending on outside temperature. Sure, he could have just installed a fan with a switch, but he wanted it to do all the work itself. He used a PIC16F877 as the brains and made the pretty control panel shown above. | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "59470",
"author": "kyle007",
"timestamp": "2009-01-15T22:28:31",
"content": "I wish they’d post more pictures in the actual installation of the exhaust fan..I’m sooooo prooo home automation! :D",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "59... | 1,760,377,696.063203 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/15/tape-measure-generator/ | Tape Measure Generator | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"generator"
] | [Dr. West] wanted to do his small part to help save the planet. He has built a
small generator from a stepper motor and a tape measure
. The tape part of the tape measure was replaced with some cord. The spring loading mechanism makes the string re-wind automatically, which is nice. He shows it attached to one leg, with the string tied to the other, generating power while he walks. This is cumbersome, but seems fairly effective. You can see him waking around in a video after the break. Would this benefit from a flywheel or friction drive to keep the motor spinning after each pull? How can he rig it to feed off of the motion of only one leg to avoid tripping hazards?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW14fJawpm4&eurl=&feature=player_embedded]
[thanks afroman] | 39 | 39 | [
{
"comment_id": "59417",
"author": "strider_mt2k",
"timestamp": "2009-01-15T15:50:13",
"content": "What?The video is no longer available? :(It looks interesting.I wonder if one could use a small gen like the ones in other crank-gen type devices more efficiently?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth":... | 1,760,377,696.335768 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/14/oomlouts-guide-to-kitting/ | Oomlout’s Guide To Kitting | Eliot | [
"Robots Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"design",
"dfm",
"kitting",
"ladyada",
"limor",
"manufacture",
"minty boost",
"oomlout",
"serb",
"servobot",
"sticker cutter",
"wire cutter"
] | The team at
oomlout
has continued to post all the methods they use in their manufacturing process. This time around
it’s the kitting process
: how they actually packaged 30 identical
SERB
kits in an efficient fashion. We covered their
wire cutting bot
before, but they’ve got other dedicated machines like a
sticker cutter
. The stickers are used to remove all the cut acrylic pieces from the laser cutter as one unit. They’ve got some other tricks like using a scale to count bolt quantities, and an egg timer to keep track of the laser cutting. All of their envelopes are printed using a parallel port inkjet that has been modified to work with any thickness paper.
We love when hackers bother to post this much detail about their process. One of our favorites is [ladyada]’s full rundown of
how the Minty Boost was created
. | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "59351",
"author": "Jack",
"timestamp": "2009-01-15T06:48:20",
"content": "Enough spamming ddsas (or whatever you’re going by at the moment). That website isn’t even interesting. Just a collection of the latest random trash on the net. And get a proper domain name.",
"parent_id":... | 1,760,377,696.159832 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/14/defcon-calls-for-new-ctf-organizer/ | Defcon Calls For New CTF Organizer | Strom Carlson | [
"cons",
"News"
] | [
"capture the flag",
"conference",
"ctf",
"defcon",
"defcon 17",
"defcon17",
"hacker con",
"hacker convention",
"kenshoto"
] | Kenshoto
, organizer of the official Defcon
Capture the Flag contest
for the last four years, has stepped down from the position, and thus Defcon is
looking for a new organizer for the event
. If you’re highly competent, and maybe a little crazy, this might be your chance to step in and run one of the most well-known and prestigious hacking contests in the world. Please understand that the staff is looking for someone who wants to take ownership of the contest and make something new, unique, and challenging, and that Kenshoto has left
extremely
huge shoes to fill. Merely offering to replicate the existing contest and keep things mostly unchanged isn’t going to cut it.
If you’re up to the challenge, check out Dark Tangent’s post on the Defcon forums (which, for some odd reason, sounds strikingly like his
2005 post calling for a CTF organizer
), where he comprehensively lays out what the staff is looking for in a new event organizer. If it jives well with you, get in touch with the Defcon staff, and maybe we’ll be covering your contest later this year. | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "59315",
"author": "jiggy-wiggy-piggy",
"timestamp": "2009-01-15T03:09:59",
"content": "that is some huge shoes to fill",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "59326",
"author": "TJHooker",
"timestamp": "2009-01-15T05:08:26",
... | 1,760,377,696.107932 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/14/high-voltage-cable-inspection/ | High Voltage Cable Inspection | Strom Carlson | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"electricity",
"faraday",
"faraday cage",
"gizmodo",
"helicopter",
"high voltage",
"hv",
"nomex",
"safety",
"video"
] | Have you ever wondered how they inspect high voltage cables without taking them out of service? Check out this
video
which offers a glimpse into the life of a professional high voltage cable inspector. There are parts of the job you’d expect—namely perching on the cable like a bird, trying to not fall off—but the part of the job you wouldn’t expect is the suit. This suit is made of 75%
Nomex
, to prevent it from catching fire, and 25% stainless steel thread, turning the suit into a wearable Faraday cage. Of course, because he’s got a Faraday cage mere millimeters from his skin, the cable inspector spends his workday surrounded by half a million volts. To avoid electric shock, he equalizes the voltage potential between himself and the line before touching the cable.
Depending on your specific phobias, this video might make your job seem really dull… or really really safe.
[via
Gizmodo
] | 27 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "59266",
"author": "localroger",
"timestamp": "2009-01-15T00:42:22",
"content": "It is worth watching the video for the last line. However, I wouldn’t want to have to wear the magic Nomex lined Faraday cage suit in very cold or hot weather — it’s a magic material that manages to nei... | 1,760,377,696.473695 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/14/interview-with-an-adware-author/ | Interview With An Adware Author | Strom Carlson | [
"downloads hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"adware",
"interview",
"malware",
"matt knox",
"spyware"
] | Philosecurity has an
interview with [Matt Knox]
, a former coder for Direct Revenue, an adware company which was sued in 2006 by New York governor Eliot Spitzer. The interview contains some interesting details of how the adware code worked internally: it created a Browser Helper Object, then ensured that the Browser Helper Object stayed up by creating a poller to check every ten seconds and regenerate the Browser Helper Object if it had stopped running. The poller ingeniously masked itself partly by exploiting Windows’ Create Remote Thread function to run itself as a series of threads instead of as an executable.
The truly fascinating bit of the interview is how [Knox] defies your initial suspicion that he’s a complete scumbag; he started off writing spam filtering software, was hired by Direct Revenue to do traffic analysis, started writing tiny bits of code to improve the adware, and eventually wound up knee-deep in the code. [Knox] notes that you can get ordinary people to do incredibly distasteful things if you break those things into small enough chunks and introduce them gradually.
[via
Waxy
]
[photo:
xcaballe
] | 41 | 40 | [
{
"comment_id": "59256",
"author": "BigD145",
"timestamp": "2009-01-14T23:38:13",
"content": "He knew exactly what he was doing. He’s a scumbag.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "763674",
"author": "rick",
"timestamp": "2012-08-3... | 1,760,377,696.561387 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/14/apple-forces-wired-to-take-down-netbook-osx86-video/ | Apple Forces Wired To Take Down Netbook OSx86 Video | Strom Carlson | [
"laptops hacks",
"Mac Hacks",
"Netbook Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"apple",
"chilling effects",
"hackintosh",
"mac",
"macintosh",
"netbook",
"OsX",
"osx86",
"wired"
] | Wired Gadget Lab
has taken down a video made by [Brian X. Chen] in which he gives a brief overview and demonstration of how to install OSX on an MSI Wind
netbook
. This apparently didn’t sit well with Apple, who contacted Wired and complained; Wired agreed and removed the video. Frankly, we’re disappointed with Wired’s response. While they were technically posting content which is questionable at best—in the video, Brian mentions that this is illegal and that it would be a good idea to have a retail copy of OSX on hand, but then goes on to point out that you can also download the hacked operating system off The Pirate Bay, Isohunt, etc—the video in and of itself wasn’t illegal, and thus Wired comes off as susceptible to what amounts to bullying by Apple. We’re all about creativity and innovation, and stifling that innovative spirit has never worked well in the long run.
Fortunately, if you’re feeling like you’ve missed out on the video, don’t despair: Gizmodo has
posted the video on their website
for you to view and enjoy.
[photo:
Brian X. Chen
] | 28 | 28 | [
{
"comment_id": "59242",
"author": "joe57005",
"timestamp": "2009-01-14T22:52:38",
"content": "Why bother? Everything apple is so horribly proprietary, i can hardly see this as more than a novelty. i’d just stick with linux, though not the included one.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"... | 1,760,377,696.401535 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/14/hack-a-walkie-talkie-for-music/ | Hack A Walkie Talkie For Music | Caleb Kraft | [
"digital audio hacks",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"fcc",
"radio",
"walie talkie"
] | [nepheron] shows us how he
hacked his walkie talkie to broadcast music
. While using this to broadcast music is
possibly illegal
, it could be used to make actual upgrades to your system as well. He has replaced the microphone input with a headphone cable and extended the antenna. It is only mono, and he states it will only run for a minute before shutting off, so there is definitely room for improvement. | 40 | 36 | [
{
"comment_id": "59218",
"author": "AnarKIT",
"timestamp": "2009-01-14T21:02:07",
"content": "Cute, I did something like this a while ago with a cordless phone.http://daxter12.topcities.com/electronics/punkphone/punkphone.htm",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"c... | 1,760,377,696.645234 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/14/wiimote-controlled-coil-gun/ | Wiimote Controlled Coil Gun | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks",
"Nintendo Wii Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"coil gun",
"iobridge",
"wiimote"
] | [thecapacity] sent us his iobridge project where he
controls a coil gun with a Wiimote
. To make the coil gun, he took apart an office golf putter that had a ball return. The mechanism to return the ball is a metal cylinder that is moved magnetically. He simply replaced the cylinder with a smaller diameter piece of metal to create the gun. His computer monitors the Wiimote axis changes and sends them to the ioBridge. The unit could be located anywhere, but without a camera on it, he’ll have a hard time aiming. There’s a video of it working after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBKoaXtHyfs] | 24 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "59196",
"author": "Harvie",
"timestamp": "2009-01-14T17:09:17",
"content": "nice, but it have big latency… ;)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "59197",
"author": "mess_maker",
"timestamp": "2009-01-14T17:26:23",
"conte... | 1,760,377,696.790617 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/12/illuminato/ | Illuminato | Caleb Kraft | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"classic hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"illuminato",
"shields"
] | [Matt] sent us this very cool looking project called
Illuminato
. After brainstorming on how to improve upon the
Arduino
, and receiving lots of input on his ideas, [Matt] has put together this board that has several nice improvements. It has more I/O, more code space, faster serial communication speeds, built in PWM, and works with existing Arduino shields. Not only does it make these improvements, but it does it with style. The finish is quite nice, the layout is pleasing and it even has two rows of SMD LEDs on the back for some added geek cred. You can see a couple videos of it in action after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izlhyRDwGUI]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0f5_ohCMZk] | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "58920",
"author": "fractalrock",
"timestamp": "2009-01-12T16:37:24",
"content": "Awesome! Wow, good job. And as for the looks of the board…well, I normally don’t care a bit about the looks; I’m a function over form guy. However, I’ve got to admit: I like the pcb color, and love t... | 1,760,377,696.708878 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/11/windows-drivers-for-ps3-controllers/ | Windows Drivers For PS3 Controllers | Nick Caiello | [
"downloads hacks",
"News",
"Playstation Hacks"
] | [
"dcemu",
"dualshock 3",
"force feedback",
"playstation",
"playstation3",
"ps3",
"sixaxis",
"sony",
"windows"
] | Recently, a Japanese coder on the DCEmu Forums released Windows drivers for DualShock 3 controllers. While the drivers only support using the controllers over USB and not bluetooth, they do include force feedback and Sixaxis support. Included with the drivers is a configuration tool, and though it appears to be in Japanese there is some explanation of how to use it included in the forum post. We have not tested these personally, but you can try out the drivers for yourself by downloading them from the forum
here
.
[photo:
William Hook
] | 38 | 37 | [
{
"comment_id": "58676",
"author": "Darkzero",
"timestamp": "2009-01-12T00:35:44",
"content": "It’s awesome! It works with PS2 emulator, rumble and all (except the 6axis, ofc ;)..I’m not sure how they’ll be able to incorporate 6 axis on windows though?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"r... | 1,760,377,696.898787 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/11/putting-fd-lenses-on-a-digicam/ | Putting FD Lenses On A D60 | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"canon",
"digial camera",
"dslr",
"fd lens"
] | [Peter] sent in this really slick project where he ads an
FD lens mount to a cannon EOS D60
. He already had a collection of nice lenses and didn’t want to waste them. After finding some a donor camera for the
FD mount
, he purchased a cheap D60 to graft it onto. While his first impulse was to simply glue the new mount onto the front of the camera, it was evident that this would hold the lenses too far from the sensor. The camera went under a bit for a while and luckily, no real damage was done to the mirror housing. The final result seems to work very well, there are
example galleries
available on his site. | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "58640",
"author": "entropia",
"timestamp": "2009-01-11T19:28:14",
"content": "canon, not cannon. somehow i think this isn’t the first time its been typo’d. otherwise it’s a nice project. i use fd lenses with a converter on my d30 but it makes infinity focus impossible.",
"parent... | 1,760,377,696.97564 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/10/n8vem-single-board-z80-computer/ | N8VEM Single Board Z80 Computer | Eliot | [
"computer hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"cpm",
"hombrew",
"n8vem",
"oldbitcollector",
"parallax",
"ppdb",
"propeller",
"smd",
"ttl dip",
"vt100",
"z80"
] | The
N8VEM
is a homebrew computer project based on the classic
Z80
microprocessor. It’s designed to be easy to build using large TTL DIP components instead of SMD devices. It runs the
CP/M
operating system and all drives are virtual in RAM/ROM. While the base hardware is interesting, we really like the potential for expansion using a backplane. Have a look at the project’s
Hardware Overview
to see extra boards like the bus monitor and the prototyping board. We found out about this project on [Oldbitcollector]’s blog; he’s using a
Parallax Professional Development Board
to create a
VT100 terminal for the N8VEM
. | 17 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "58572",
"author": "Jake of All Trades",
"timestamp": "2009-01-11T02:35:28",
"content": "Looks like the guts of a Timex/Sinclair 1000 to me. Just add a membrane keyboard and a composite video output and you’re set!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
... | 1,760,377,697.04951 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/10/resistive-ladder-volume-control/ | Resistive Ladder Volume Control | Eliot | [
"digital audio hacks",
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"instructable",
"jefffolly",
"passive",
"resistor",
"resistor ladder",
"rotary switch",
"volume",
"volume control"
] | [jefffolly] published some straight forward plans for a
passive volume control
. It uses a resistive ladder built across the contacts of 12W rotary switches. Each resistor provides a 5dB difference, and he recommends using 0.1% tolerance resistors to maintain accuracy. The use of discrete resistors instead of volume pots means that the output is much more predictable. All of the RCA sockets were connected using oxygen-free copper wire. | 26 | 26 | [
{
"comment_id": "58568",
"author": "none",
"timestamp": "2009-01-11T02:19:21",
"content": "lolololololololFIRST",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "58574",
"author": "none",
"timestamp": "2009-01-11T02:54:14",
"content": "what what in my... | 1,760,377,697.12188 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/10/wireless-blinkm-control/ | Wireless BlinkM Control | Eliot | [
"classic hacks",
"LED Hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"atmega",
"ATmega168",
"AVR",
"blinkm",
"led",
"receiver",
"rflink",
"rgb",
"RGB LED",
"wireless"
] | [John] has been working with several
BlinkM
RGB devices. He’s created a
controller to talk to each of the BlinkMs wirelessly
and change their behavior. The core is an old relay tester box used to test telephone circuits. Each of its four knobs are connected to the analog inputs on the Arduino. The signal is transmitted using RFlink devices. Each BlinkM is paired with an ATmega168 and receiver. The control box also has a switch to send the same signal to all of the devices at the same time. The transmit and receive code are available on his site. You can find a video of it embedded below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=secbVg2sG_w] | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "58571",
"author": "sly",
"timestamp": "2009-01-11T02:25:47",
"content": "ooooo… shiny O.O",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "58773",
"author": "Fate",
"timestamp": "2009-01-12T06:10:01",
"content": "They must be the new... | 1,760,377,697.236883 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/10/dc-gearmotor-teardown/ | DC Gearmotor Teardown | Eliot | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"flickr",
"gearmotor",
"gm3",
"kysan",
"reprap",
"solarbotics",
"zach",
"zach smith"
] | The RepRap project has made heavy use of the
Solarbotics GM3 Gearmotor
as part of their extruders. Unfortunately they’ve proven to be underpowered for the task and the plastic gears could cause future problems. [Zach] decided to investigate some other options. He
bought a pile of motors
from Kysan to try out. He posted a
teardown of one of the motors on Flickr
. He found it not only easy to disassemble, but the metal gears were also easy to put back together. Next up is testing it on the machine. | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "58554",
"author": "Danny",
"timestamp": "2009-01-10T23:23:33",
"content": "This is a bit lame Hack a Day. I expected better from you. its just pictures of a motor in pieces. and just cos theres a gearbox in there dosnt make it any better.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,377,697.185376 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/08/artfall-pachinko-for-techies/ | ArtFall: Pachinko For Techies | Caleb Kraft | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"iphone hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks",
"Nintendo Wii Hacks"
] | [
"iphone",
"pachinko",
"projection",
"wiimote"
] | [vimeo= 2758525]
ArtFall
allows you to draw on a whiteboard, then have small geometric shapes interact with your drawing like a barrier. Imagine a
pachinko machine
where you have to draw the pegs in. Not only can you draw barriers, but you can change the direction of gravity with either an
iPhone
or a Wiimote. The footage also shows some sound interaction as the pieces seem to bounce with the bass from some music. The effect is quite nice and somewhat reminiscent of the
whiteboard pong
we saw recently.
[thanks eric] | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "58375",
"author": "wbdeejay",
"timestamp": "2009-01-09T02:42:25",
"content": "Very entertaining, nice job. lol’d at the cat chasing the cursor @2:35 & ~3:17",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "58439",
"author": "Rbz",
"times... | 1,760,377,697.403744 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/08/hacking-a-digital-picture-keychain/ | Hacking A Digital Picture Keychain | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"coby",
"keychain",
"lcd",
"picture frame"
] | The Coby DP-151sx Digital picture frame keychain seems to be
ripe for hacking
. At
roughly $9
, you get a screen, and Li-Ion battery. That’s not bad considering a
similar screen
alone would cost $20 elsewhere even though it runs on a slower serial connection. While they’ve only put a 3 color pattern on it so far, more can’t be far behind. If you don’t feel like actually tearing it apart, there are
some projects that have managed to customize what it displays
via the USB connection. | 28 | 28 | [
{
"comment_id": "58328",
"author": "deoryp",
"timestamp": "2009-01-08T16:48:47",
"content": "“While they’ve only put a 3 color pattern on it so far…” seems like the guy just picked that pattern to show us. Fun project, I have seen those lcd guys at the store and thought about hacking them too but n... | 1,760,377,697.473221 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/07/bouncing-ball-analog-computer/ | Bouncing Ball Analog Computer | Eliot | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"analog",
"analog computer",
"aphex twin",
"bouncing ball",
"eric archer",
"opamp",
"oscilloscope",
"video"
] | [Eric Archer] constructed an analog computer to
model the physics of a bouncing ball
. The core is a TL074 opamp that does all the integral math. He had no trouble finding descriptions of analog computers, but how to set the initial conditions was rarely covered. The controls include potentiometers to set the initial velocity, force of gravity, and coefficient of restitution (how much energy is lost in the bounce). The output is displayed on an oscilloscope. He mentions that this output could be used in electronic music, citing
Aphex Twin’s Bucephalus Bouncing Ball
. Watch the video below for a demo of all the features.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt6RVrmvh-o] | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "58276",
"author": "zool",
"timestamp": "2009-01-08T03:33:58",
"content": "Great! Now can you model something that goes splat?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "58282",
"author": "chris",
"timestamp": "2009-01-08T04:00:51"... | 1,760,377,697.522451 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/07/uiremote-universal-remote-application-for-iphone/ | UIRemote: Universal Remote Application For IPhone | Nick Caiello | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"iphone hacks",
"ipod hacks",
"News"
] | [
"apple",
"infrared",
"iphone",
"iphone app",
"remote",
"UIRemote",
"universal remote"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-SlcjmqeYw]
When several students from the University of Toronto became tired of having multiple remotes lying around, they decided to do something about it. Their solution to this problem came in the form of
UIRemote
, a universal remote application for the
iPhone
. The application allows the iPhone to control anything that is normally controlled by an infrared remote, thanks to the use of a custom infrared adapter that plugs into the phone’s headphone port. It’s a technique similar to our
iPod remote control
from 2004. While the UIRemote application and adapter are still in beta, the students expect to release both things simultaneously sometime within the next two months.
[via
Engadget
] | 18 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "58239",
"author": "Christopher Finke",
"timestamp": "2009-01-07T23:24:29",
"content": "If the price is right (less than $20 for the adapter+software), I would definitely buy this.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "58284",
"aut... | 1,760,377,697.580224 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/07/autonomous-game-controllers/ | Autonomous Game Controllers | Caleb Kraft | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Playstation Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"ps2",
"ps3",
"psx",
"video game"
] | [vimeo=2727246]
On the off chance that you want to
program a microcontroller to play your games for you
, you should check this out. Near Future Laboratories has made a dongle that can allow an Arduino to operate as a
PS2
or
PS3 controller
. You can see the Arduino running a random path generator in Katamari Damacy in the video above. They wanted to see how long it would take to clear a room. It managed to get almost all of them in about 70 minutes, only missing those that you have to cross a narrow bridge for. Actually, this could be quite useful in allowing people to create alternative input methods. You may recall reading about their
early progress
back in June 2008. | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "58267",
"author": "K1ngfunK",
"timestamp": "2009-01-08T02:40:36",
"content": "When it comes to autonomous gaming, I still prefer the “rubber-band-on-left-stick-wrapped-around-controller” method for Gran Turismo, mainly for endurance races.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,377,697.698313 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/07/brute-force-attack-on-twitter/ | Brute Force Attack On Twitter | Caleb Kraft | [
"News",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"brute forcce",
"hack",
"twitter"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKNbggNJMVI]
Wired Threat Level has posted an
interview with the hacker who recently broke into several high profile twitter accounts
, such as Fox News, and Barack Obama. Since we know how much
you all love twitter
, we thought you might want to learn more about it. Apparently he used a brute force method to get into a member of the support team. The password was “happiness” which was cracked pretty quickly. This might be a good time to review your own
strategies to prevent brute force attacks
. | 22 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "58246",
"author": "zub",
"timestamp": "2009-01-08T00:20:07",
"content": "that’s a dictionary attack, not quite the same as brute force",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "58248",
"author": "happypinguin",
"timestamp": "2009-... | 1,760,377,697.658517 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/07/tour-thinkgeeks-offices/ | Tour ThinkGeek’s Offices | Caleb Kraft | [
"News"
] | [
"thinkgeek",
"tour"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTOMezmVC-s]
If you’ve ever been curious what it is like to work at ThinkGeek, check out this video. [John Frazier], a purchasing agent,
talks about the history of ThinkGeek as well as what daily work is like
. Fairly interesting, but the summary is that it’s just like any other job, with more toys. They probably have to
test all the products
fairly thoroughly, we know we would.
[thanks Yan] | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "58238",
"author": "sheep",
"timestamp": "2009-01-07T23:17:31",
"content": "hmmm… sourceforge > slashdot > thinkgeek… never knew that…inexpensive monocular nightvision goggles… sounds hackworthy to me!and that is definitely an interesting little glass jar…. you can put your weed in t... | 1,760,377,697.881527 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/04/parallel-parking-system/ | Parallel Parking System | Eliot | [
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"autoblog",
"car",
"hydraulic",
"mechanical engineering",
"parallel parking",
"toledo",
"video"
] | Autoblog
dug up
this classic mechanical engineering project from 2006. A team of five University of Toledo students constructed a system to help parallel park a car. First, you drive nose first into the space. Hydraulic rams then lower the drive wheel out of the trunk, raising the rear of the car. The single wheel is also hydraulically driven and moves the car into the space. They have a
blog documenting the six week build
. Have a look at the demonstration video below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uir63vOhXeg] | 40 | 40 | [
{
"comment_id": "57923",
"author": "deamon",
"timestamp": "2009-01-05T01:31:03",
"content": "So………..you know this has already been done by an auto company. Not putting anyone down, just saying its been done.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "57924... | 1,760,377,697.83676 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/01/04/hacking-at-random-2009-call-for-papers/ | Hacking At Random 2009 Call For Papers | Eliot | [
"cons",
"News"
] | [
"call for papers",
"hacking at random",
"har",
"har2009",
"Netherlands"
] | With the
Chaos Communication Congress
concluded, it’s time to start looking towards the next massive European hacker event. This means
Hacking at Random
August 13-16th in the Netherlands. It’s a four day long camp experience that will feature many conference talks, interactive projects, and more.
The team has selected three tracks in their official call for papers: Dealing with data, Decentralization, and People and politics. You can find
more details in the post
. Deadline is May 1st.
[photo:
mark
] | 1 | 1 | [
{
"comment_id": "57984",
"author": "Hals",
"timestamp": "2009-01-05T16:53:33",
"content": "Yeah! Everyone is welcome, get yass here and enjoy HAR",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,377,697.746192 |
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