36C3: Phyphox – Using Smartphone Sensors For Physics Experiments
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/36c3-phyphox-using-smartphone-sensors-for-physics-experiments/
It’s no secret that the average smart phone today packs an abundance of gadgets fitting in your pocket, which could have easily filled a car trunk a few decades ago. We like to think about video cameras, music playing equipment, and maybe even telephones here, but let’s not ignore the …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/36c3-phyphox-using-smartphone-sensors-for-physics-experiments/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/36c3-phyphox-using-smartphone-sensors-for-physics-experiments/
It’s no secret that the average smart phone today packs an abundance of gadgets fitting in your pocket, which could have easily filled a car trunk a few decades ago. We like to think about video cameras, music playing equipment, and maybe even telephones here, but let’s not ignore the …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/36c3-phyphox-using-smartphone-sensors-for-physics-experiments/)
Turning Sounds from a Flute Into Sheet Music
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/turning-sounds-from-a-flute-into-sheet-music/
Composing music can be quite difficult – after all, you have to keep in mind all of the elements of musical theory, from time signature and key signature to the correct length for all of the notes. A team of students from Cornell University’s Designing with Microcontrollers class developed a …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/turning-sounds-from-a-flute-into-sheet-music/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/turning-sounds-from-a-flute-into-sheet-music/
Composing music can be quite difficult – after all, you have to keep in mind all of the elements of musical theory, from time signature and key signature to the correct length for all of the notes. A team of students from Cornell University’s Designing with Microcontrollers class developed a …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/turning-sounds-from-a-flute-into-sheet-music/)
36C3: Open Source is Insufficient to Solve Trust Problems in Hardware
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/36c3-open-source-is-insufficient-to-solve-trust-problems-in-hardware/
With open source software, we’ve grown accustomed to a certain level of trust that whatever we are running on our computers is what we expect it to actually be. Thanks to hashing and public key signatures in various parts in the development and deployment cycle, it’s hard for a third …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/36c3-open-source-is-insufficient-to-solve-trust-problems-in-hardware/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/36c3-open-source-is-insufficient-to-solve-trust-problems-in-hardware/
With open source software, we’ve grown accustomed to a certain level of trust that whatever we are running on our computers is what we expect it to actually be. Thanks to hashing and public key signatures in various parts in the development and deployment cycle, it’s hard for a third …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/36c3-open-source-is-insufficient-to-solve-trust-problems-in-hardware/)
Hackaday Links: December 29, 2019
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/hackaday-links-december-29-2019/
The retrocomputing crowd will go to great lengths to recreate the computers of yesteryear, and no matter which species of computer is being restored, getting it just right is a badge of honor in the community. The case and keyboard obviously playing a big part in that look, so when …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/hackaday-links-december-29-2019/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/hackaday-links-december-29-2019/
The retrocomputing crowd will go to great lengths to recreate the computers of yesteryear, and no matter which species of computer is being restored, getting it just right is a badge of honor in the community. The case and keyboard obviously playing a big part in that look, so when …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/hackaday-links-december-29-2019/)
The Smart Home Gains An Extra Dimension
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/the-smart-home-gains-an-extra-dimension/
With an ever-growing range of smart-home products available, all with their own hubs, protocols, and APIs, we see a lot of DIY projects (and commercial offerings too) which aim to provide a “single universal interface” to different devices and services. Usually, these projects allow you to control your home using …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/the-smart-home-gains-an-extra-dimension/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/the-smart-home-gains-an-extra-dimension/
With an ever-growing range of smart-home products available, all with their own hubs, protocols, and APIs, we see a lot of DIY projects (and commercial offerings too) which aim to provide a “single universal interface” to different devices and services. Usually, these projects allow you to control your home using …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/the-smart-home-gains-an-extra-dimension/)
At Three Grand A Tail Light, There’s An Opportunity For A Hacker
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/at-three-grand-a-tail-light-theres-an-opportunity-for-a-hacker/
It can be amusing sometimes, to read an incredulous reaction from outside our community to something that would be bread-and-butter in most hackerspaces. Take the sorry saga of the Cadillac XLR tail light, as reported by Jalopnik. This car was a more-expensive Corvette with a bit of lard around its …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/at-three-grand-a-tail-light-theres-an-opportunity-for-a-hacker/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/at-three-grand-a-tail-light-theres-an-opportunity-for-a-hacker/
It can be amusing sometimes, to read an incredulous reaction from outside our community to something that would be bread-and-butter in most hackerspaces. Take the sorry saga of the Cadillac XLR tail light, as reported by Jalopnik. This car was a more-expensive Corvette with a bit of lard around its …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/at-three-grand-a-tail-light-theres-an-opportunity-for-a-hacker/)
VGA Signal in a Browser Window, Thanks to Reverse Engineering
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/vga-signal-in-a-browser-window-thanks-to-reverse-engineering/
[Ben Cox] found some interesting USB devices on eBay. The Epiphan VGA2USB LR accepts VGA video on one end and presents it as a USB webcam-like video signal on the other. Never have to haul a VGA monitor out again? Sounds good to us! The devices are old and abandoned …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/vga-signal-in-a-browser-window-thanks-to-reverse-engineering/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/vga-signal-in-a-browser-window-thanks-to-reverse-engineering/
[Ben Cox] found some interesting USB devices on eBay. The Epiphan VGA2USB LR accepts VGA video on one end and presents it as a USB webcam-like video signal on the other. Never have to haul a VGA monitor out again? Sounds good to us! The devices are old and abandoned …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/vga-signal-in-a-browser-window-thanks-to-reverse-engineering/)
Image Sensor from Discrete Parts Delivers Glorious 1-Kilopixel Images
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/image-sensor-from-discrete-parts-delivers-glorious-1-kilopixel-images/
Chances are pretty good that you have at least one digital image sensor somewhere close to you at this moment, likely within arm’s reach. The ubiquity of digital cameras is due to how cheap these sensors have become, and how easy they are to integrate into all sorts of devices. …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/image-sensor-from-discrete-parts-delivers-glorious-1-kilopixel-images/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/image-sensor-from-discrete-parts-delivers-glorious-1-kilopixel-images/
Chances are pretty good that you have at least one digital image sensor somewhere close to you at this moment, likely within arm’s reach. The ubiquity of digital cameras is due to how cheap these sensors have become, and how easy they are to integrate into all sorts of devices. …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/image-sensor-from-discrete-parts-delivers-glorious-1-kilopixel-images/)
Parallel Pis for Production Programming; Cutting Minutes and Dollars Off of Assembly
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/parallel-pis-for-production-programming-cutting-minutes-and-dollars-off-of-assembly/
Assembly lines for electronics products are complicated beasts, often composed of many custom tools and fixtures. Typically a microcontroller must be programmed with firmware, and the circuit board tested before assembly into the enclosure, followed by functional testing afterwards before putting it in a box. These test platforms can be …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/parallel-pis-for-production-programming-cutting-minutes-and-dollars-off-of-assembly/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/parallel-pis-for-production-programming-cutting-minutes-and-dollars-off-of-assembly/
Assembly lines for electronics products are complicated beasts, often composed of many custom tools and fixtures. Typically a microcontroller must be programmed with firmware, and the circuit board tested before assembly into the enclosure, followed by functional testing afterwards before putting it in a box. These test platforms can be …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/parallel-pis-for-production-programming-cutting-minutes-and-dollars-off-of-assembly/)
36C3: All Wireless Stacks Are Broken
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/36c3-all-wireless-stacks-are-broken/
Your cellphone is the least secure computer that you own, and worse than that, it’s got a radio. [Jiska Classen] and her lab have been hacking on cellphones’ wireless systems for a while now, and in this talk gives an overview of the wireless vulnerabilities and attack surfaces that they …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/36c3-all-wireless-stacks-are-broken/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/36c3-all-wireless-stacks-are-broken/
Your cellphone is the least secure computer that you own, and worse than that, it’s got a radio. [Jiska Classen] and her lab have been hacking on cellphones’ wireless systems for a while now, and in this talk gives an overview of the wireless vulnerabilities and attack surfaces that they …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/36c3-all-wireless-stacks-are-broken/)
Linux Fu: Leaning Down with exec
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/linux-fu-leaning-down-with-exec/
Shell scripting is handy and with a shell like bash it is very capable, too. However, shell scripting isn’t always very efficient. Think about it. If you run grep or tr or sort to do some operation in a shell script, you are spawning a whole new process. That takes …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/linux-fu-leaning-down-with-exec/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/linux-fu-leaning-down-with-exec/
Shell scripting is handy and with a shell like bash it is very capable, too. However, shell scripting isn’t always very efficient. Think about it. If you run grep or tr or sort to do some operation in a shell script, you are spawning a whole new process. That takes …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/linux-fu-leaning-down-with-exec/)
Jeremy Cook is Living His Strandbeest Dream
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/jeremy-cook-is-living-his-strandbeest-dream/
The first thing Jeremy Cook thought when he saw a video of Theo Jansen’s Strandbeest walking across the beach was how incredible the machine looked. His second thought was that there was no way he’d ever be able to build something like that himself. It’s a feeling that most of …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/jeremy-cook-is-living-his-strandbeest-dream/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/jeremy-cook-is-living-his-strandbeest-dream/
The first thing Jeremy Cook thought when he saw a video of Theo Jansen’s Strandbeest walking across the beach was how incredible the machine looked. His second thought was that there was no way he’d ever be able to build something like that himself. It’s a feeling that most of …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/jeremy-cook-is-living-his-strandbeest-dream/)
Focus Stacking For Tiny Subjects
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/focus-stacking-for-tiny-subjects/
Focus stacking is a photographic technique in which multiple exposures are taken of a subject, with the focus distance set to different lengths. These images are then composited together to create a final image with a greater depth of field than is possible with a single exposure. [Peter Lin] built …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/focus-stacking-for-tiny-subjects/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/focus-stacking-for-tiny-subjects/
Focus stacking is a photographic technique in which multiple exposures are taken of a subject, with the focus distance set to different lengths. These images are then composited together to create a final image with a greater depth of field than is possible with a single exposure. [Peter Lin] built …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/focus-stacking-for-tiny-subjects/)
36C3: SIM Card Technology From A to Z
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/36c3-sim-card-technology-from-a-to-z/
SIM cards are all around us, and with the continuing growth of the Internet of Things, spawning technologies like NB-IoT, this might as well be very literal soon. But what do we really know about them, their internal structure, and their communication protocols? And by extension, their security? To shine …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/36c3-sim-card-technology-from-a-to-z/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/36c3-sim-card-technology-from-a-to-z/
SIM cards are all around us, and with the continuing growth of the Internet of Things, spawning technologies like NB-IoT, this might as well be very literal soon. But what do we really know about them, their internal structure, and their communication protocols? And by extension, their security? To shine …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/36c3-sim-card-technology-from-a-to-z/)
Cat Diner Now Under New Management
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/cat-diner-now-under-new-management/
Most of these stories start with a cat standing on someone’s chest, begging for food at some obscene hour of the morning. But not this one. Chaz the cat is diabetic, and he needs to get his insulin with breakfast. The problem is that Chaz likes to eat overnight, which …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/cat-diner-now-under-new-management/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/cat-diner-now-under-new-management/
Most of these stories start with a cat standing on someone’s chest, begging for food at some obscene hour of the morning. But not this one. Chaz the cat is diabetic, and he needs to get his insulin with breakfast. The problem is that Chaz likes to eat overnight, which …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/cat-diner-now-under-new-management/)
36C3: Build Your Own Quantum Computer At Home
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/36c3-build-your-own-quantum-computer-at-home/
In any normal situation, if you’d read an article that about building your own quantum computer, a fully understandable and natural reaction would be to call it clickbaity poppycock. But an event like the Chaos Communication Congress is anything but a normal situation, and you never know who will show …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/36c3-build-your-own-quantum-computer-at-home/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/36c3-build-your-own-quantum-computer-at-home/
In any normal situation, if you’d read an article that about building your own quantum computer, a fully understandable and natural reaction would be to call it clickbaity poppycock. But an event like the Chaos Communication Congress is anything but a normal situation, and you never know who will show …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/36c3-build-your-own-quantum-computer-at-home/)
Your TS80 – Music Player
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/31/your-ts80-music-player/
By now most readers will be familiar with the Miniware TS100 and TS80 soldering irons, compact and lightweight temperature controlled soldering tools that have set a new standard at the lower-priced end of the decent soldering iron market. We know they have an STM32 processor, a USB interface, and an …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/31/your-ts80-music-player/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/31/your-ts80-music-player/
By now most readers will be familiar with the Miniware TS100 and TS80 soldering irons, compact and lightweight temperature controlled soldering tools that have set a new standard at the lower-priced end of the decent soldering iron market. We know they have an STM32 processor, a USB interface, and an …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/31/your-ts80-music-player/)
Reverse Engineer PCBs with SprintLayout
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/31/reverse-engineer-pcbs-with-sprintlayout/
[Bwack] had some scanned pictures of an old Commodore card and wanted to recreate PC boards from it. It’s true that he could have just manually redrawn everything in a CAD package, but that’s tedious. Instead, he used SprintLayout 6.0 which allows you to import pictures and use them as …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/31/reverse-engineer-pcbs-with-sprintlayout/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/31/reverse-engineer-pcbs-with-sprintlayout/
[Bwack] had some scanned pictures of an old Commodore card and wanted to recreate PC boards from it. It’s true that he could have just manually redrawn everything in a CAD package, but that’s tedious. Instead, he used SprintLayout 6.0 which allows you to import pictures and use them as …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/31/reverse-engineer-pcbs-with-sprintlayout/)
Fail of the Week: Ambitious Vector Network Analyzer Fails To Deliver
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/31/fail-of-the-week-ambitious-vector-network-analyzer-fails-to-deliver/
If you’re going to fail, you might as well fail ambitiously. A complex project with a lot of subsystems has a greater chance of at least partial success, as well as providing valuable lessons in what not to do next time. At least that’s the lemonade [Josh Johnson] made from …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/31/fail-of-the-week-ambitious-vector-network-analyzer-fails-to-deliver/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/31/fail-of-the-week-ambitious-vector-network-analyzer-fails-to-deliver/
If you’re going to fail, you might as well fail ambitiously. A complex project with a lot of subsystems has a greater chance of at least partial success, as well as providing valuable lessons in what not to do next time. At least that’s the lemonade [Josh Johnson] made from …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/31/fail-of-the-week-ambitious-vector-network-analyzer-fails-to-deliver/)
A Soft Robotic Insect That Survives the Fly Swatter
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/31/a-soft-robotic-insect-that-survives-the-fly-swatter/
Swarms of robotic insects incapable of being swatted away may no longer be the product of science fiction and Black Mirror episodes. A team from EPFL’s School of Engineering has developed an insect propelled at 3 cm/s, dubbed the DEAnsect.
What makes this robot unique is its exceptional robustness. Two …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/31/a-soft-robotic-insect-that-survives-the-fly-swatter/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/31/a-soft-robotic-insect-that-survives-the-fly-swatter/
Swarms of robotic insects incapable of being swatted away may no longer be the product of science fiction and Black Mirror episodes. A team from EPFL’s School of Engineering has developed an insect propelled at 3 cm/s, dubbed the DEAnsect.
What makes this robot unique is its exceptional robustness. Two …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/31/a-soft-robotic-insect-that-survives-the-fly-swatter/)