Category: Hardware

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Pwnagotchi and MultiPass news…

So I spent more time than I care to admit this weekend trying to prep a Pwnagotchi platform (RPiZW and e-paper). The code (by @evilsocket) hasn’t been released yet, but I want to be ready. My mistake was only ordering one e-paper HAT from Waveshare. I should have taken failure rates into account. At least I’m 75% certain it’s a DOA unit. I tried numerous approaches based on numerous experiences by randos on the internet, and I couldn’t get that damned thing to display SQUAT. If it fed me back any data, it was just “e-paper busy.” Not helpful, Waveshare. Not helpful.

On the plus side, I was watching a video comparing different levels of USB microscopes for soldering (GreatScott!), and noticed that it was sponsored by JLCPCB, and they were offering a too-good-to-be-true deal on new PCB orders. So I went ahead and placed an order for ten MultiPass boards. Some of those will be up for grabs when they arrive. WAY cheaper than expected. I remain cautiously optimistic.

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BadgeBuilding

So a few of us came to a consensus of wanting to work on Hackerbox #0046 “Persistence” for the upcoming September meeting. If you want in, bring one, and bring soldering gear. I have specialty stuff, like an electric solder removal tool and a hot air tool, but bring your basics — iron, solder, etc.

I am REALLY tempted to order boards and parts to assemble the DC27 Multipass badge, since the Gerber/Eagle files have been released along with the software. It will be a bit of a challenge for some — but we’re all about challenges, right? There are like 70 0603-sized SMD parts on it. I have more than half the parts in my lab already, but some parts I’ll need to order. If there’s enough interest, I can order stuff for the October meeting. Cost of the bare boards is about $36 each from OSHPARK, ordered in sets of three. If there’s enough interest I’ll price out the BOM and you can decide if it’s worth it to you to play.

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And on to the next meetup!

Tonight was another fun evening for DC540.  Three of us pregamed at Red Dragon Brewery, then headed over to the library, where our three became five.  We played show and tell with the CrowPi and the TS80 solder iron, and shared our experiences with the Pontifex crypto scheme, designed by Bruce Schneier for Neal Stephenson’s excellent book Cryptonomicon.

We decided that even though there’s no meeting on the 4th Monday of December because the library is unavailable for Xmas eve, that we’re going to go ahead with a social meeting at the brewery on Tuesday, December 18.  

Interesting upcoming events: Shmoocon tickets – next round Friday.  BSides Philly February 1.  If anyone has extra Shmoocon barcodes and is looking for worthy buyers, look no further.

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Working with SMD parts? TWEEZERS are everything.

When I first started taking solder seriously, I used household tweezers when I needed.  That took about ten minutes before I realized they sucked.  So I bought a manicure set, hoping those tweezers would be better.  After one session, the two arms broke apart.

So I bought a generic set of “technical tweezers” from Amazon.  Then I was told by a good friend that you really need to look at “precision tip” tweezers, and he sent me a link to McMaster-Carr’s stainless steel tweezers page.  I ordered a set of Aven Technik tweezers ($33) for comparison.

On the left is the bite of the generic Amazon tweezers, which are clearly simply far lower quality tweezers designed and marketed to look like precision-tip tweezers.  Look how misaligned the bite is, and how little surface area is actually making contact at the bite, compared to the Aven Technik on the right.  When dealing with near-microscopic parts, the Aven will grip the part solidly, while the tweezer on the left is likely to twist it around and send it flying across the room like a clipped fingernail.

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What evil have you brought upon us?

One of last month’s meeting attendees, bless his heart, and I will hereafter refer to him as HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED, because I haven’t asked his permission… Gave these lovelies out at the meeting.  I finally got around to looking at it, and SAVAGE!  Good thing I got new tweezers.

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Shenzhen IO

What a badass little game.  Found it by accident on Steam.  You’re a hardware hacker/coder taking over for someone who left or got fired, and you have to figure out how to design circuits and write machine code to make them meet specs.  Fun and challenging, and well-designed.  Exactly what I needed right now.

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The Hardware Hacker

This book arrived at my doorstep yesterday. Color me excited.  $12 something at Walmart, go figure.  He goes way into Chinese factories, manufacturing and the supply chain before getting into the hacking part of it.  Exciting if you’ve got some hardware ideas in your head.