We like Irongeek’s recipe for installing Metasploit on the Raspberry Pi. He presents a simple straightforward install method to install Metasploit on his board running the Debian “wheezy” public beta. For those looking for something more, you may want to consider PwnPi, which is a Linux-based penetration testing dropbox distribution for the Raspberry Pi.
Category Archives: how-to
Renesas RL78 promo board meets TI CC3000 WiFi module
If you’re just receiving your Renesas RL78 promo board, here’s an article from the Renesas Rulz blog discussing how to interface it with the LS Research TiWi-SL based TI CC3000 WiFi board. As the post points out, “The primary hardware issue is level conversion. The RPB is a 5V design and the CC3000 module operates […]
SketchUp tip: How to make 3D previews
Squonk shared a small tutorial on how to make ‘3D Warehouse‘-like previews for your SketchUp 3D Models. It involves installing and using the SketchUp Web Exporter plugin: This tool will create in the given directory a collection of JPEG pictures and an HTML file containing the JavaScript code to animate the panorama, as well as […]
Tips on speeding up SMD part placement
Mike made a video on how to speedup SMD assembly. He uses air/vacuum powered tools to for pickup, and placement, as well as for solder paste dispensing. Don’t be put of by thinking of expensive air compressors and vacuum pumps, as he gives some great advice on using inexpensive parts to build your own. Via […]
Compiling the Diolan PIC USB bootloader on OSX Lion
Neb posted instructions on how to compile the Diolan bootloader on OSX Lion. The instructions are also reposted below. In case you are having trouble compiling the Diolan bootloader on OSX Lion, here is a homebrew formula that will make things a little easier for you (I hope!)
AVR LCD name badge using ATtiny 2313
Erik Gregg (Hank) wanted a name badge using an 16×2 alphanumeric display for use at conferences, nerdfests, etc. He constructed this simple ATtiny2313 based badge which interfaces with the LCD with a minimum of components. This project is based upon this Instructable. He took the Instructable to the next level by moving from breadboard to […]
Arduino from the command line in Ubuntu 12.04
Martyn Davis is an Arduino enthusiast whose operations have outgrown the stock Arduino GUI IDE. “If you’ve done more than a bit of programming in the past, you’ll soon find the dinky IDE a little frustrating to use. For example, my preferred text editor, by far, is vim, and I find it quite jarring to […]
HOW TO: Bus Pirate as dev-board, read a voltage and view in terminal
The Bus Pirate uses the PIC24FJ64GA002 microcontroller, and can be used as a development board. In this tutorial we’ll read an analog voltage with an analog to digital converter, and then send it to the PC terminal via the UART. This is a culmination of the previous 3 tutorials ( blink the MODE LED, ADC […]
Learn.parallax.com
Parallax has launched a learning resources site for hobbyists and students. Known as learn.parallax.com, it’s the online home for materials relating to the Parallax Board of Education microcontroller development systems and robotics kits for BASIC Stamp, Propeller, and Arduino. The site is in the development stage, and is being populated with links to tutorials for […]
HOW-TO: Create parts with separate power pins
Ever wonder how some designs group all the power supply pins in one corner of the schematic? They look organized, and it’s easier to understand how the circuit works because pins are grouped by function. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to make an Eagle part with separate power pins. This can be extended […]
HOW-TO: Visit Bay Area Maker Faire
We are off to the Bay Area Maker Faire, and we’d like to share some of the tips we picked up on our previous visit there. Below are our tips for both visitors, and participants. If you are in the area be sure to drop by.
MMA7455L soldering explained
In our previous Workshop Video we mentioned we asked Pietja to solder up those pesky MMA7455L accelerometers. Here is how he got around to doing it. Check out the pics and his instructions below. Ian asked me to solder some MMA7455L on the USB POV Toy boards. So when I got them the first thing […]
Simple optical theremin
Here’s a simple theremin-like device designed by Sacred and presented by Jameco. Unlike other theremins which vary the sound based on the user’s proximity to stationary antennae, this project uses two phototransistors and a 555 timer. The theory of operation is the variation of the sound based upon the amount of IR light reflected by […]
HOW-TO: Advanced circuit board rendering with SketchUp and Kerkythea
See the latest version of this tutorial on the wiki. Overview Kerkythea is an open source rendering application that makes life-like images. A community developed plugin can import Google SketchUp 3D models into Kerkythea, so we can use it to render boards make with EagleUp. Since Kerkythea is open source there are no restrictions […]
HOW-TO: Learn PIC serial UART with your Bus Pirate
The Bus Pirate is a handy debugging tool, but it’s also a 16 bit PIC 24FJ64GA002 development board. You don’t need a programmer to play, just upload the firmware over USB using the Bus Pirate’s nearly-impossible-to-brick bootloader. It’s easy to go back to the original Bus Pirate firmware at any time. This demo is step […]
PCB macro photography without a macro lens
Torwag started a thread in the forum with lots of interesting tips for taking macro pictures of PCBs without buying an expensive macro lens: Many here know how difficult it could be to do good detailed images of your project. A lot of point and shoot cameras are not up to this (macro) task. DSLRs […]
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 […]
Global Geek Shenzhen: How not to get lost in the candy store
The SEG Market in Shenzhen, and the other markets too, are a maze packed with lots of small shops and goodies. It’s hard to find that shop with a special bargain again after you wander away. Below the fold are some tips for finding your way around the markets.
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, […]
HOW-TO: Single member LLC/Sole proprietor taxes
Here’s a dirty subject many new kit makers don’t think about until the last minute: paying taxes. If you’ve sold your first kits or hardware you’ve got a lot of record keeping and paperwork to do. Here’s a rundown of how we’ve done our US taxes for the last few years, but we’re by no […]