Kanal von MegaOscarVideos from Germany presents a two-part video comparision of the Funcube dongle and a RTL-SDR DVB-T dongle, in this case a Hama Nano version. The two devices are connected to the same antenna and using identical test systems from a geostationary INMARSAT satellite to compare received signal to noise ratios (SNR).
Author Archives: the machinegeek
Free ebook: Virtual Justice
Virtual Justice is a book concerning the laws of online worlds which author Greg Lastowka has made available free online. Virtual Justice is a comprehensive examination of the application of law to the virtual environment. It includes coverage of case precedents, virtual property law, gaming, hacking and copyright. The 241 page PDF may be downloaded […]
Freescale Tower Trivia contest
You may be familiar with the Tower modular development system by Freescale. The Tower system consists of a family of MCU, sensor, RF and related modules which assemble into a cube-like structure through the use of side bus support panels which carry power and signals between modules. Freescale is currently conducting a Tower trivia contest […]
Shmoocon 2012: GHz or Bust!
Chronos hackers take note! In this presentation from the Shmoocon 2012 conference, atlas 0f d00m talks about using the USB RF dongle that comes with the EZ430 Chronos watch to conduct experiments in the ISM bands. This talk covers a lot of ground giving practical information on the ISM bands, modulation techniques, and the inner […]
FireHero – Arduino and guitar play with fire
Chris Marion has developed an impressive and dangerous project: FireHero. It uses a complex propane system and some electric valves coupled to an Arduino controller that hooks directly into a “guitar” – a Guitar Hero input device, hence the project name “FireHero”. The result is that the notes played directly affect the flames. Now that’s […]
Lessons learned with an external clock / USRP1 interface
In order to use even a high-priced SDR for GSM experimentation, an accurate clock source is indispensable. According to the GSM standard, a clock with “absolute accuracy better than 0.05 ppm for both RF frequency generation and clocking the timebase” is required. This means that with a standard USRP1 with frequency accuracy of 2.5 ppm, […]
Testing CMA-77-100 antenna with SYM-RFT-77 DCF77 receiver module
Michail Papadimitriou is in the process of developing a Nixie clock which will synchronize with the DCF77 time signal. These standard time signals are transmitted on 77.5 kHz from Germany, and Michail intends to use a DCF77 Time Receiver Module, like SYM-RFT-77 to demodulate the signal. Basically, this module receives the time standard signal and […]
Arduino lie detector
William Finucane of revoltlab posted this easy lie detector project on the Mad Science website. The hardware consists of nothing more than an Arduino, a 10K resistor, wire and some tin foil. (You didn’t use ALL your foil for your hat, did you?) The device operates on the galvanic skin response (GSR) principle and detects […]
GSM/GPRS & GPS modem with SIM900/SIM908 module
Boris suggests we look at this GSM/GPRS and GSM modem. A modem GSM & GPRS with SIM900 or SIM908 module. Allows you to create data connections on the GSM network through a standard USB interface. The cellular modems, particularly USB-stick ones, are now at very affordable prices, however they’re limited: they are explicitly designed for […]
Arduino and TM1640 LED display modules
Tronixstuff has posted a detailed tutorial on using Arduino and TM1640 LED Display Modules. The Arduino library included allows you to display numeric and certain alphabet characters on the display using the TM1640.
CAN-BUS based OBD reader
Debraj has been developing a project to read the OBD information through CAN bus. His design is based on the dsPIC33FJ128MC802 (3.3V) and MCP2551. He is using a factory stock OBD cable and feeding the data into a jack on the project board. The data is displayed on a 16×4 LCD and includes engine RPM, […]
Notacon 9 badge
If you miss the Defcon electronic badge hacking it’s a good idea to check out the offerings of some of the lesser known cons. The recently concluded Notacon 9 in Cleveland, OH presented a badge based on the PIC 8-bit processor (PIC18F14K50-IP) with USB support. Two versions were released: a novice version with fewer solder […]
Propeller object: solar position calculator and almanac
Here’s a unique Propeller code object providing the functionality of a Solar Position Calculator & Almanac. Written in Spin by Prophead100, this object takes input including date, local/solar time, latitude, longitude and daylight savings time status, and calculates “a good approximation of the position (altitude and azimuth) of the sun at any time (local clock […]
Wireless dual DC motor control system
Chris from PyroElectro writes: Here’s an article that explains how to build a dual DC motor control system, combined with a wireless receiver and transmitter (XBee modules) which tell the motors at what speed they should move forward, or backward. Standard and widely available parts are used so that anyone can follow along. The system […]
Printf style debugging over AVR-ISP pins
ihsan kehribar from the Little Wire project informs us of his recent work entitled “Printf style debugging over AVR-ISP pins.” He writes, “if you are breadboarding an AVR chip, you are already using the SPI pins for programming the device; therefore it would be nice to use that cable for low-level debugging also. I wrote […]
Online vintage tech library
tubebooks.org – Vintage info from the age of vacuum tubes tubebooks.org Vintage info from the days of vacuum tubes Kelvin informs us of an online stash of vintage engineering docs at tubebooks.org. He especially recommends you check out the technical books section/link. Tubebooks is “a collection of vintage engineering texts, vacuum tube datasheets, and other […]
SuperScope: circuit simulation through Arduino-Processing interface
Here’s a novel application. Supecapacitor has developed a circuit simulation project using Arduino-Processing. As he describes it: “SuperScope is a circuit simulator app for representing and calculating analog circuits. What’s so cool about SuperScope is the ability to actually import circuit components (via Arduino Serial) into the program where you can physically manipulate them. Arduino […]
DIY Bus Pirate case
Stan Hall informs us of a Bus Pirate case he made at the OHM Space Corporation, an Oklahoma City hackerspace. Stan created the case using the hackerspace’s member-built CNC router. Case materials include plywood, acrylic and rubber bands. Here’s the link to his writeup. Get your own Bus Pirate for less than $40. Via the […]
GOduino II motor driver
Hazim Bitar writes in about the GOduino II motor driver project. In addition to the Atmega328p w/Opti bootloader, he uses a L293D h-bridge and various supporting caps and resistors giving the project a total estimated cost of about $20. Visit the TechBitar blog for project build details, along with schematic and Arduino sketch. Via the […]
Graphing TI ez430 Chronos watch data in Processing
Chemicaloliver has written a short post describing how to graph ez430 Chronos watch data in Processing. His post includes links to the source code, which is an extension of the earlier Processing code by Sean Brewer. Originally written in 2010, this info remains relevant for newly minted Chronos hackers who’ve just received their TI packages […]