OpenPCD has been doing a lot of work with RFID hacking. They have a bootable Linux distro available to make exploration easier: The bootable Live RFID Hacking System contains a ready-to-use set of hacking tools for breaking and analyzing MIFARE Classic RFID cards and other well known card formats. It is built around PCSC-lite, the […]
Author Archives: the machinegeek
How to build still another passive ethernet tap
firestorm_v1 from yourwarrantyisvoid has published this detailed tutorial on building and using a passive ethernet tap. His goal in this project is to facilitate network monitoring for intrusion detection purposes, and wanted hardware which will allow the monitoring for traffic without degrading performance.
Chronos controlled door lock
Addidis posted the above short video of his project controlling a door lock using the ez430-Chronos watch. He describes the hardware: Chipkit MAX32 , 2 Xbees, Chronos Control center, and a Chronos watch controlling a servo. (I’m gonna hot glue it to my door knob lock switch and not have to use my key any […]
Chip Quik SMD desoldering tool review
Joe Desbonnet writes: I stumbled across a product called “Chip Quik” for removing SMD chips from boards with nothing more than a soldering iron. I got the kit from Farnell and wrote this short review. Via the contact form.
Lightpack – USB content-driving ambient lighting system
Atarity writes to inform us of a project being developed in Russia known as the Lightpack 5.5, with an English language wiki page available. The software analyzes the image on your monitor and transfers its data by USB to the Lightpack board. This board lights the surface behind a monitor, TV or laptop by means […]
Tutorials: The Signal Path EE vlog
Kelvin writes to inform us of a tutorial site: Would like to recommend this blog site, The Signal Path. The videos there provide very good explanation about the topics covered. The most recent one is using op-amp to generate PWM signal. The previous one on oscillator was also very informative. Do check it out. Via […]
Tellymate makes serial to video easy
The UK based crew from Batsocks develops and sells open source kits including breadboard related projects. We found a project they call the Tellymate which looks like a simple and easy way to provide plug-in video text output to any MCU project using just an ATmega8 and a handful of passive components. TellyMate is a […]
Codeacademy
Codeacademy provides an interesting way for beginners to learn Javascript coding. While not directly applicable to MCU programming, it’s sites like these that expose new hobbyists to simple programming concepts. Once picqued, this curiosity about programming can lead to more exploration of coding with MCUs. Via Adafruit.
Arduino-based Tacit Project assists visually impaired
The Tacit Project from Grathio Labs is developing a wrist mounted sonar assistive device for the visually impaired. The hardware includes Parallax Ping ultrasonic sensors mounted in the glove which send distance measurements to an Arduino. The Arduino then activates small hobby servos to vibrate in the glove to communicate the relative distance to objects. […]
App note: CoolRunner-II character LCD module interface
Xilinx has an application note explaining how to use LCD modules with a CPLD. CoolRunner-II CPLDs can be used to control dot-matrix liquid crystal display (LCD) modules. The low-power characteristics of LCD modules make them an ideal complement to the CoolRunner-II family. These displays typically require 3.3V signals. However, this is not of concern because […]
PZST – an open-source Propeller IDE in development [ Version 1.0.1 released! ]
Andrey Demenev has been developing PZST – an open-source Propeller IDE. Not wanting to use Windows any more than necessary, he wanted to develop an open source Propeller IDE for use with Linux. He states: I have been always using Brad Campbell’s BST for Prop programming, and mostly was satisfied with it. But there are […]
Adding Bluetooth to your MSP430 project
NJC’s MSP430 Launchpad Blog has posted this tutorial on how to add Bluetooth to an MSP430 project. He chose the RN-42 module and designed his own breakout board (shown above). He writes: The RN-42 module, which is available at SparkFun electronics and Mouser, is a very cheap and simple way to use Bluetooth in your […]
Nuts and Volts LED Madness Contest
Nuts and Volts Magazine has announced a LED Madness Contest. Want to win a 3D LED Matrix Cube for FREE?! Enter the “LED Madness” Contest – Grand Prize is one of our 3D LED Cubes. All you need to do is upload a video of your LED Project that “YOU” created – get your friends […]
Chronos chronicles
For those interested in exploring the ez430-Chronos, TI has a wiki page summarizing tools, tips, mods and hacks. It’s a good place to check when starting your development.
Animatronic mouths
Chris from Pyroelectro wrote previously about his work developing robotic eyebrows. Now he’s experimenting with adding a new dimension to this robotic face, an animatronic mouth. Here’s another article I thought you guys would enjoy…..this article shows you two simple methods for building a believable robotic mouth. One articulated using a Servo and moveable, the […]
App note: using Microchip serial RTCC
Microchip has released an application note outlining usage of their serial RTCC devices. Many embedded systems require some form of accurate timekeeping. There are a growing number of applications that require an external Real-Time Clock/ Calendar (RTCC) and higher integration of external peripheral components into the RTCC. In order to achieve a highly robust and […]
IM-ME jams APCO P25 digital comms
APCO Project 25 is a digital modulation protocol used by a growing number of public safety radio systems and to a limited extent by Amateur Radio Operators. APCO P25 radio transmissions are capable of being monitored by scanning receivers from Radio Shack, GRE and Uniden. That is, unless the agency monitored decides to encrypt their […]
Microchip releases AR1100 USB touchscreen controller
Microchip Technology Inc., a leading provider of microcontroller, analog and Flash-IP solutions, has announced the release of the mTouch™ AR1100 Analog Resistive USB Touch-Screen Controller. Building upon the AR1000 Analog Resistive Touch-Screen Controller series, the AR1100 controller is a high-performance, USB plug-and-play device that offers advanced calibration capabilities as a USB mouse or single-input digitizer. […]
RHINO
The University of Cape Town in South Africa is developing an open source SDR project known as RHINO, which stands for Reconfigurable Hardware Interface for computiNg and radiO. Reconfigurable Computing is an attractive computational technology, allowing an almost limitless set of possible solutions to any particular problem. It does this by providing an effective compromise […]
TI deals: EZChrono at $24.50 only
octal apparently followed up on our TI Deals discount site post and ordered this Chronos wireless watch for half off! He writes: Leave it to Texas Instruments to bring you the coolest development platform that harnesses the wireless capabilities of the CC430F6137 microcontroller. The eZ430 – Chronos development tool is all of that and MORE. […]