Category Archives: Tinkering

Setup VNC on RPi

Posted on January 12, 2016 by robertwilkie

So you are not a command line person, like GUI’s?  Well if you setup an RPi to be headless thats going to be a problem for you.  But never fear, you can setup VNC (and have it start on boot) … Continue reading →

Posted in Misc-Life, RaspberryPi | Comments Off on Setup VNC on RPi

Make a cheap 3D printer

Posted on January 12, 2016 by robertwilkie

OK its going to be a “small” 3D printer and not the most accurate.  But its cheap, and I am pretty sure you can get it cheaper too (author is down to $55, I think I could get it down … Continue reading →

Posted in Cheap, CNC/3D-printing, Teaching and Learning | Comments Off on Make a cheap 3D printer

Build a man-in-the-middle device for USB

Posted on January 12, 2016 by robertwilkie

Interesting build.  The author basically put a simple system together to do a man-in-middle attack on a USB system to figure out how the device works. USB Proxy Rats Out Your Devices’ Secrets

Posted in Arduino, Cheap, Misc-Life, Printer Security, Security | Comments Off on Build a man-in-the-middle device for USB

Heck look, folks still using the Wink

Posted on January 11, 2016 by robertwilkie

I was worried they died off.  Anyways, looks like someone has started on opensource project to replace existing Wink Firmware with something more open.  This is nice cause Wink has several different antennas on it so it could support many … Continue reading →

Posted in Cheap, Misc-Life, sensors | Comments Off on Heck look, folks still using the Wink

Make a pancake printer

Posted on January 11, 2016 by robertwilkie

So you still waiting for your pancakebot?  Make your own instead.  Interesting build where the batter comes out via gravity.  All the ends/mounts you print out on your 3D printer, then build it around a griddle. http://www.instructables.com/id/Pancake-Printer/

Posted in CNC/3D-printing, Misc-Life | Comments Off on Make a pancake printer

Interesting 3D printed trigger assembly for a crossbow

Posted on January 11, 2016 by robertwilkie

Interesting build.  The trigger is pretty detailed and looks professional like when done.  Rest of the materials are stock PVC pipe and aluminum. http://www.3ders.org/articles/20160108-diy-dudes-put-different-spin-on-3d-printed-weapons-with-full-sized-crossbow.html

Posted in Cheap, CNC/3D-printing, Misc-Life, weapons | Comments Off on Interesting 3D printed trigger assembly for a crossbow

Homemade door opener and monitor

Posted on January 11, 2016 by robertwilkie

Interesting build, the author built his own arduino based board for it too.  I like the build but…it looks like its just a basic back and forth over bluetooth to open/close the door (not very secure). http://www.instructables.com/id/Bluetooth-Door-Opener-Monitor/

Posted in Arduino, Cheap | Comments Off on Homemade door opener and monitor

Security design for IoT (aka embedded systems)

Posted on January 8, 2016 by robertwilkie

I always get a kick out of the IoT term.  Basically its embedded systems.  Anyways…interesting article covering a paper written by Prpl on how to secure embedded systems. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/01/07/prpl_secure_iot_guide/

Posted in Printer Security, Software Development | Comments Off on Security design for IoT (aka embedded systems)

Nice article on using Blynk with Arduino

Posted on January 6, 2016 by robertwilkie

I remember the kickstarter project for Blynk.  Blynk was to be a platform to create interfaces to control the arduino from andriod or macOS, etc etc etc.  Not so sure how success it was, but it looks like some folks … Continue reading →

Posted in android, Arduino | Comments Off on Nice article on using Blynk with Arduino

Turning an RPi into a USB device

Posted on January 6, 2016 by robertwilkie

Interesting write-up on using the Raspberry Pi Zero as a USB device instead of a host. http://hackaday.com/2015/12/27/turning-the-pi-zero-into-a-usb-gadget/ Original article here https://learn.adafruit.com/turning-your-raspberry-pi-zero-into-a-usb-gadget?view=all

Posted in Cheap, Misc-Life, RaspberryPi | Comments Off on Turning an RPi into a USB device