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Raspberry Pi Car Speed Detector
(2016-12-18 Version 2 is now on github. It fixes one bug, makes the code style more consistent, and adds a few additional options for tracking the results.) It started with a Facebook post from my …
Topics /
Hardware & Electronics
The most popular blog posts about hardware & electronics on Hacker News. 247 posts.
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Lumen: Auto brightness based on screen contents
Lumen is a menu bar application for macOS that magically sets the screen brightness based on your screen contents.
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Storage Pod 6.0: Building a 60 Drive 480TB Storage Server
Get the details on Storage Pod 6.0 and learn how to build your own data storage server.
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Weirdly broken Wi-Fi access points
And how to work around one kind on Mac OSX
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Wired Documentary on Shenzhen
This shoot was a lot of fun, and it was a great pleasure working with Posy and Jim. I think their talent as producer and director really show through. They also did a great job editing my off-the-cuff narratives. The spot in the video where I’m pointing out Samsung parts isn’t matched to the b-roll of Apple parts, but…
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Apple EFI firmware passwords and the SCBO myth
My original goal when I started poking around Apple’s EFI implementation was to find a way to reset a MacBook’s firmware password. My preliminary research found references to a “magical” SCBO file that could be loaded onto a USB flash drive and booted to remove the password. The normal process workflow is to first…
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Turn your PC upside down to boot into Linux (2003)
Finally the ultra low profile memory I was waiting for arrived and so at last I had Windows XP running inside my "Windows XP Box", and one of the most compact Mini-ITX projects ever. The cooling solution with two case fans and a ducted CPU fan works like a dream and is both quiet and effective. So far it has shown no…
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Practical Reverse Engineering Part 5 – Digging Through the Firmware
Fifth post in the series, covering how to obtain GPL source code, disassemble MIPS binaries with tools like IDA, and search the firmware for a default WiFi p...
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Reverse Engineering a Real Candle
Two years ago, I spent some time analyzing the algorithm used in a candle flicker LED as commonly found in cheap artificial candles. I reverse engineered the algorithm from the flickering pattern…
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Help Make “The Essential Guide to Electronics in Shenzhen” a Reality
Readers of my blog know I’ve been going to Shenzhen for some time now. I’ve taken my past decade of experience and created a tool, in the form of a book, that can help makers, hackers, and entrepreneurs unlock the potential of the electronics markets in Shenzhen. I’m looking for your help to enable a print run of this…
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New batteries could make phones, drones, and electric cars last twice as long
MIT spinout SolidEnergy Systems has developed an anode-free lithium metal battery with double the energy capacity of lithium ion batteries that power smartphones, electric cars, wearables, and drones. The device was created by Qichao Hu, former postdoc in the group of batteries expert Donald Sadoway.
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Seagate Introduces a 60TB SSD – Is a 3.6PB Storage Pod Next?
Yes you read that correctly - a 60TB SSD. So what does that mean for cloud backup? Is a 3.6PB storage pod on the horizon? We take a look at the numbers.
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CCTV Cameras Sold on Amazon Come with Pre-Installed Malware
I needed a simple set of good outdoor surveillance cameras for a friends home. Like everything else I buy, I turned to Amazon. I found (what seemed like) a great deal for a set of 6 poe cameras and...
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Unlocking my Lenovo laptop, part 3
The decryption function If you are just joining this story you may want to start at part 1. In part 2, we discovered that a embedded controller update is performed by uploading a small 'flasher' program to the EC. This flasher program is then responsible for programming a new firmware image t
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Everything about the state of the Mac
Updates: October 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , November 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 18 , 22 , 27 , December 2 , 5 , 12 , 13 , 27 , January 2 , 5 , 5 , 9 , 11 , 13 , 22 , February 2 , 19 , March 15 , 17 , 21 , 22 , 28 , April 3 , 5 , 6 , 12 , 20 , 23 , May 3 , 6 , 19 , June 4 , July 27 …
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UEFI boot: how does that actually work, then? (2014)
AdamW on Linux and more
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How many x86 instructions are there?
It’s surprisingly hard to give a good answer (the question was raised in this article). It depends on how you count, and the details are interesting (to me anyway). To not leave you hanging: …
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A Practical Guide to Lasers for Experimenters and Hobbyists
However, many others have contributed in one form or another (newsgroup postings, email, laser parts, etc.). They are cited in the Acknowledgments and/or in the individual sections which contain their material. And, by the way, the name: "Sam's Laser FAQ" was more or less created by those who have read and commented…
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Tutorial On Designing/Building A PCB (Using FOSS)
Learn electronics by working through real designs, builds, and stubborn bugs at the bench. You’ll get practice making your own boards and understanding what they do when you power them up.
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Introducing a new kind of Wi-Fi system
Whether you’re video chatting with mom, binge-watching the latest series, or simply getting work done, strong and reliable Wi-Fi is key to staying connected.
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