Infosec Resources has a free online tutorial, An Introduction to Fuzzing: Using fuzzers (SPIKE) to find vulnerabilities. While not directly related to microcontrollers, this resource provides a hands-on guide to using open source Linux tools to find vulnerabilities in code on a networked Windows machine.
To fully participate in this demo, you’ll need two machines on your own network: one target with Windows, one fuzzing system with Linux (BackTrack 4 Final or later recommended.)
Texas Instruments has introduced the TLC59282, a 16-Channel Constant Current LED Driver with 4-Channel Grouped Delay. According to the datasheet, this 24-pin SSOP device allows control of each channel individually controlled via a simple serial communications protocol that is compatible with 3.3 V or 5 V CMOS logic levels, depending on the operating VCC.
Once the serial data buffer is loaded, a rising edge on LATCH transfers the data to the LEDx outputs. The BLANK pin can be used to turn off all OUTn outputs during power-on and output data latching to prevent unwanted image displays during these times. The constant-current value of all 16 channels is set by a single external resistor. Multiple TLC59282s can be cascaded together (as diagrammed above) to control additional LEDs from the same processor.
Contemplated uses include video displays, message boards and illumination.
The forum is brissling with activity this week. Check out some of these projects, feel free to join in, or start your own:
Frank documented his music playing alarm clock build.
This Instructable has 18 steps (with demo examples for each building block) and 5 appendices, with about 90 files and pictures, including logic analyzer files/screencaps, expected terminal output, USB device dumps. I sincerely hope you explore all my efforts. I covered everything from SD cards, FAT file system, USB mass storage, IR remote control, LCDs, RTCs, and decoding MP3s. It’s built using a Teensy++ and encased into a SparkFun shipping box.
Thanks Frank! Via the forum.
Spam poured in after our recent move to a phpBB3 forum. Captchas, registration questions, and other measures only stopped the stupidest scripts and annoyed everyone.
No more of that cat and mouse game, we’re trying something new. We deny spammers what they want: most links are now disabled for new users and guests. This dead-simple simple spam prevention method has stopped 100%* of spam so far, while being transparent to most people.
New users can post and join the party right away, no annoying moderation queues and impossible captchas. Common sites are white-listed, your favorites are probably excluded from the filter. Spambots and human spammers leave confused because they can’t deliver their toxic payload. Limitations are removed automatically for obvious non-spammers.
This method has been so effective that we removed all registration hassles, and enabled guest posting**. We may even go one step further and remove email confirmation. Enjoy forums like it’s August 1993.
Our anti-spam MOD is a feverish 4am rewrite (thanks GPL!) of the fantastic work done by Philthy, Skinny Vinny, and many others. We hope it will be rolled into a future version of the original phpBB3 MOD. For now, you can read our documentation and install instructions on the wiki.
The picture is an extract from the forum log. An automated purge removes zombie registrations like these every two hours.
*After removing the captcha one really stupid scripted attack that thought it had a spammy signature and posted an ego spam “Nice! Thanks for sharing!”. However, because of the link filter no actual spam was delivered.
**We’ll see how that goes.
Frank wrote a python script that reads the sht1x/7x temperature and humidity sensors using the Bus Pirate. Script source is in SVN.
Via the forum.
Get your own handy Bus Pirate for $30, including world-wide shipping. Also available from our friendly distributors.
mekonik has published complete details on his Arduino magnetic levitation project. Not content to settle for a typical “hello world” LED blinker as his first project, he supplemented the Arduino with an electromagnet, Honeywell SS19 Hall effect sensor, MC3401P op amp, NPN transistor and 1N4001 rectifier. The circuit essentially uses the small Hall effect sensor to sense the field of the permanent magnet and uses that information calculated by the Arduino to control the modulation of the magnetic field of the electromagnet. Pretty cool!
More photos and Arduino source code are available.
kphlight was working on a simple Pomodoro timer project using the MSP430 Launchpad, and wrote this Instructable on debugging using the IAR Embedded Workshop Kickstart, including the ability to make on the fly memory changes.
Sam documented his daft punk coffee table/display build.
Yes, I know this has been done before, but I wanted to build my own, using as few parts as possible. I built this as a table top or wall mount model, but it can be scaled up to make a coffee table. I built it as a study for a more ambitious project, which will be an 8×8 RGB coffee table. In designing this project, I wanted to keep the part count and cost as low as possible, and also to design the software for speed and minimal memory usage.
Thanks Sam! Via the contact form.
Here’s a followup to the open source hardware logo post. NBitWonder has some of the design candidates in an open source eagle library.
Thanks Ben! Via the comments.
Brian has finished a development board for the Luminary Micro LM3S3651, and will be giving away 2 of these boards.
I want to give two of these away to people in the Dangerous Prototypes community, just tell me what you would do with it. I will pick two out of the first 50 ideas or 2 on Friday whichever is first. Just post your idea here. [Preference will go to US to help reduce shipping cost but if you have a great idea I will mail you one anywhere.]
Via our forum
Sjaak found another WIFI development board with a PIC24FJ and MRF24WB0MB wireless module at Sure Electronics.
This is similar to the OpenPicus we covered earlier, but not open source and without the friendly development environment.
Thanks Sjaak!
Logisim is an open source educational tool for designing and simulating digital logic circuits. With its simple toolbar interface and simulation of circuits as you build them, it is simple enough to facilitate learning the most basic concepts related to logic circuits. With the capacity to build larger circuits from smaller subcircuits, and to draw bundles of wires with a single mouse drag, Logisim can be used (and is used and many colleges and universities) to design and simulate entire CPUs for educational purposes.
Logisim is Java based and downloads are available to run on any platform supporting Java 5, or later. Tutorials and guides are also provided.
Via Hack a Day.
Here’s an interesting tutorial from Embedds covering the use of watchdog timers in AVR and Arduino projects.
Die Schatenseite demonstrates an OLED display (original , machine translation) with the Bus Pirate.
Via eHajo, a Bus Pirate distributor in Germany.
Get your own handy Bus Pirate for $30, including world-wide shipping. Also available from our friendly distributors.
Peter documented his NES playing robot build.
I recently uploaded the details of a project of mine, the NESBot, and I figured you guys might be interested. This is an arduino based bot which can play back tool assisted speedruns on the NES. If you’ve ever seen the “Super Mario Bros 3 beat in 11 minutes” video, think that, but being played back on the actual console. This bot can only handle the original Super Mario Bros currently, but it can beat it completely.
For more details on the movie played back and tool assisted speedruns in general, take a look at here
Thanks Peter! Via the contact form.
Don’t forget to share your current project in the comments or the forum. This week our favorite project gets a free SOIC protoboard.
Here’s a summary of major developments over the last week:
There’s parts and PCBs in the workshop, and we’re going to be building prototypes all week:
We go through a lot of prototype PCBs, and end up with lots of extras that we’ll never use. Every Sunday we give away a few PCBs from one of our past or future projects, or a related prototype. Our PCBs are made through Seeed Studio’s Fusion board service.
This week we’re giving away two PCBs for our new xQFP breakout board. Prototype with QFP size surface mount chips. Currently available in 0.50mm, 0.65mm, and 0.80mm. If you’d like a PCB just ask for one in the comments – and please specify the size.
Available in 0.50mm, 0.65mm, and 0.80mm for $3, read about the design on the wiki.
UPDATE: According to information posted on the arissat.org website on February 13, 2011, the deployment of the ARISSAT-1 has been delayed until July, 2011.
Project developers had originally announced that ARISSat-1 (f/k/a Suitsat-2), would be launched and transmitting by February 16, 2011! However, due to unforeseen problems, the actual deployment into space has been delayed until July, 2011. See the ARISSat-1 website for more info.
ARISSat-1 is a 66-pound spacecraft produced in a joint venture between the Radio Amateur Satellite Corp., NASA and RSC Energia. The craft will support amateur radio operators, transmit still pictures of Earth from onboard video cameras and play recorded greetings in 15 languages. Main control of the satellite is accomplished with a PIC 32MX microcontroller. According to the ARRL summary, the bird’s voice transmissions will be capable of being monitored using a conventional radio scanner capable of receiving the 2-Meter amateur radio FM band on 145.950 MHz.
Digital transmissions using BPSK-1000 or BPSK-400 will occur on 145.920 MHz and nearby frequencies. In order to monitor the BPSK data, you will need to download and install the decoding software (Windows version only.)
Download the detailed hardware photos found in the system description slides.
The Open Hardware Summit has released Version 1.0 of the Open Source Hardware Definition (OSHW). With this definition they would like to release a logo to be used to brand Open Hardware.
Criteria: The logo for the Open Hardware Definition must:
* Be easy to print/see on a PCB
* Be easy to print/see on a Schematic document
* Signify Open-ness
Please propose your logos, or comment on the above designs at their Definition Forum.
