rsdio presents: MAX11209/MAX11211, ultra-low-power, high-resolution, serial-output ADCs
Dogsbody released v6 of the Verilog core for the Logic Sniffer, codename “Demon Core”. Try it with Jawi’s latest 0.9.3.1 client software:
Feb 8 Edit: Release6. Removed inclusive-RLE mode, since breaks older clients and is no longer used by Jawi’s. Also fixed 24-bit RLE counts. Note: Please be sure to use Jawi’s 0.9.3 release (or newer)!
Via the forum!
Get a Logic Sniffer for $50, with free worldwide shipping.
The Gadget Factory has a complete upgrade package for the new v3 Logic Sniffer core and firmware:
Here is a package that eliminates the hassle of getting up and running with the latest “Demon” Core. Included is Jawi’s latest client and an upgraded version of the OLS Upgrader. The OLS Upgrader will step you through the process of upgrading your OLS to the newest firmware. As a bonus the OLS Upgrader has been upgraded to work under both Windows and Linux.
Note: Linux users will need dialog, fw_update, and ols-loader in their path.
Via the forum.
Get a Logic Sniffer for $50, with free worldwide shipping.
dogsbody released a new version of his Windows GUI upgrade utility for the Logic Sniffer. It now upgrades both the PIC microcontroller an the FPGA ROM chip:
I’ve updated my Windows GUI OLS loader to support programming PIC firmware. There are no extra knobs or buttons needed.
Just select an image file, and the loader knows where to put it. Small files for the PIC, big files for the FPGA.
Via the forum.
Many of us use Linux on a regular basis, and some users mistakenly believe that it’s immune to many of the hack attacks commonly used against Windows machines.
In this talk presented at the Shmoocon 2011 conference which recently concluded in Washington, DC, Jon Larimer demonstrates how the development of common windows features in Linux, including autorun, allow attackers to gain access to a live system by using a USB flash drive. He also shows how USB as an exploitation platform can allow for easy bypass of protection mechanisms like ASLR and how these attacks can provide a level of access that other physical attack methods do not. Protective measures are also discussed.
Here’s a circuit by Joe Desbonnet’s Random Tech Stuff that’s designed to monitor battery voltage. It uses one resistor, one diode (or LED), one microcontroller ADC input and one digital output. A practical application using a PIC 12F675 is presented. This allows you to monitor battery voltage under load, allowing sufficient time to replace the power source before failure.
From the comments on our earlier Miniscope v4 post:
I’ve updated bus_pirate.dll to current interface version. There are only few changes between v4 and v3 app, but there will be no new additions to v3 (except for fixes if any).
Library was not tested, so some feedback would be nice. Same as previous version, library was built with Code::Blocks 10.05 + bundled MinGW, main app: Turbo C++ 2006 Explorer (unfortunately not free anymore).
Binaries (current main app + dll)
Thanks Tomasz!
Get your own handy Bus Pirate for $30, including world-wide shipping. Also available from our friendly distributors Adafruit, Open Source Control Systems, and eHaJo.
Seeed Studio is back from holiday. Any pending orders should ship this week.
Stay tuned for more new projects.
There is a new firmware v2.5 for the Logic Sniffer with an important bug fix. Please upgrade your Logic Sniffer right away.
We noticed a bug in the OLS firmware where the PIC and FPGA could both try to control the ROM CS pin at the same time during the self-test. Firmware v2.5+ fixes this issue.
Get a Logic Sniffer for $50, with free worldwide shipping.
Wireless sensor networks are used in increasing numbers and levels of complexity in today’s automobiles. Here’s a lengthy, detailed analysis published by CMU, Pittsburgh, PA detailing their use and interaction in contemporary applications.
The Makers Workbench shares this project which measures the rate of liquid flow using a Seeedstudio Water Flow Sensor and Seeeduino.
This is part of their Arduino Controlled PC Liquid Cooling project. The flow sensor uses a simple rotating wheel that pulses a hall effect sensor. By reading these pulses the Arduino mathematically calculates the liquid flow with a 3% accuracy rate and sends the reading via serial to the PC. Schematic and Arduino source code included.
Jawi has a new version of his client for the Logic Sniffer. This supports new features in the experimental Verilog core from dogsbody.
Download it here. Here’s the major updates, see the changelog for more:
And a summary of the improvements/bug fixes/other annoyances that have been fixed:
Get a Logic Sniffer for $50, with free worldwide shipping.
Brandon made a DIY Bus Pirate case :
…Seeing that I just purchased my own CNC machine, I decided that I would make an el cheapo case for the time being and later mill one out of acetal or some other type of plastic. I looked around my house for something small and made of plastic to house the pirate in. I cam across a NDS cartridge case. After a little drilling, nibbling, cutting and glueing, I came up with this not so pretty, but protective case for my Bus Pirate.
There’s more DIY cases here.
Get your own handy Bus Pirate for $30, including world-wide shipping. Also available from our friendly distributors Adafruit, Open Source Control Systems, and eHaJo.
Open source Multi Touch, known as OpenMT, is an open source hardware project for developing multitouch applications. Unlike camera-based multitouch, OpenMT lets you make a thin, flexible multitouch surface. It is Arduino friendly and has been developed by Sensible UI in Seoul, Korea. Users can experiment with hardware development themselves with projects such as ArduMT, or can use OpenMT software to interface with other multitouch devices.
The project’s abstract is available for download as well as full source code and docs.
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:
We’re not quite sure what’s happening this week, best guess:
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.
Starlino has a great article on using gyroscopes and accelerometers.
I’ll try try to cover few basic but important topics in this article:
– what does an accelerometer measure
– what does a gyroscope (aka gyro) measure
– how to convert analog-to-digital (ADC) readings that you get from these sensor to physical units (those would be g for accelerometer, deg/s for gyroscope)
– how to combine accelerometer and gyroscope readings in order to obtain accurate information about the inclination of your device relative to the ground plane
rsdio serves us another heaping helping of interesting parts today. Check out the MAX8934G dual-input Li+/Li-Poly linear battery charger:
- Monitors temperature to ensure safe charging and JEITA battery charging specification compliance
- Charges safely by lowering the termination voltage and charge rate in hot or cold temperature
- Includes all integrated MOSFETs
- Delivers smart power path control to allow the system to be powered when the battery is completely dead
Thanks for the tip rsdio!
Deddies Lab needed a way to water their resident Ficus Lyrata on a schedule of one-half liter per week. In order to automate the process, they designed an Atmega8 based control system which activates a water pump at appropriate intervals in order to keep the plant watered. A simple AC plug-in wall timer activates the electronics for 15 minutes once a day, during which time the program increments the day of week counter and turns on the pump for a preset time. Other sensors keep track of data such as the water reservoir level.
The schematic and source code in C are provided.
At the Shmoocon 2011 conference which recently concluded in Washington, DC, Ryan Speers and Ricky Melgares presented ZigBee Security: Find, Fix, Finish.
ZigBee is a low-power, low-data rate wireless protocol based on IEEE 802.15.4. It connects lightweight embedded technology like HVAC, smart energy, security, and process automation systems, and is an attractive target as it touches the kinetic framework more than other wireless technologies. Techniques for sniffing ZigBee packets have been presented, as have theoretical vulnerabilities in other types of wireless sensor networks, but this talk uses injection and intelligent packet generation to move towards real proof-of-concept attacks on 802.15.4/ZigBee networks. This talk examines which attacks actually work on ZigBee, and provides proof of concept implementations of theoretical attacks. They present a tool that autonomously discovers and profiles networks in real time, gathering as much information over time about a network and its devices, their relationships, and traffic flows among other things.
