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Hardware Hacking Guide — Citizen Engineer

Solderingfool writes "MAKE Magazine's Phil Torrone and open source hardware hacker Ladyada from Adafruit Industries have a new video series called 'Citizen Engineer.' In the first video they show how a SIM card works, then build a SIM card reader which could be used to clone a SIM card. They also show how to use an old payphone as a regular home phone, later with coins, and for their final hack — how to 'Redbox' it. They released all the projects as open source, and the video is well produced."

14 of 100 comments (clear)

  1. Re:How long will it take for the FBI to ride? by Shaitan+Apistos · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe the fact that a hole is there doesn't mean you can exploit it.

    I've seen a lot of videos on the internet that suggest there's no such thing as a hole you can't exploit.

  2. SMI reader kit is for sale by echucker · · Score: 4, Informative

    On their sister site - http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=27
    $17 seems pretty reasonable to me.

  3. Payphones? Redboxes? by strelitsa · · Score: 5, Funny

    1981 called - it wants its meme back.

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  4. Hole what hole? by TheLink · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why would it be wrong for me to backup my own SIM?

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  5. Re:How long will it take for the FBI to ride? by Manip · · Score: 4, Informative

    The video contains no holes in SIMs, Payphones, or the telco billing system.

    Did you even watch it?

    She had to rewire the phone in order to get a red box to work because modern phones keep the microphone unpowered before you pay.

    A SIM reader isn't illegal or even really a black hat thing to do.

  6. Re:Payphones? Redboxes? by jeiler · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Hacking in its purest form is not necessarily about being "useful," but about being interesting--an interesting hack may have no intrinsic utility whatsoever, but allows a person who is curious to do something that is new ... to them, at least.

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  7. Why video? by heptapod · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Online video is a waste of time and bandwidth unless it's porn.
    I can easily skim an article and review a diagram much quicker than watching a video. Text also provides an easier point of reference than fast forwarding and rewinding a video to find a pertinent bit of information.
    When it comes to online media the best innovation is no innovation at all.

    1. Re:Why video? by ZeroExistenZ · · Score: 5, Funny

      Online video is a waste of time and bandwidth unless it's porn.

      It's geekporn. A geeky girl, soldering, throwing together electronics and showing you her enthousiasm for hacking and electronics? This *IS* porn.

      Why do you think there aren't as much reactions?

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      I think we can keep recursing like this until someone returns 1
    2. Re:Why video? by syousef · · Score: 4, Funny

      It's geekporn. A geeky girl, soldering, throwing together electronics and showing you her enthousiasm for hacking and electronics? This *IS* porn.

      Dude! That was terrible porn. I mean she used Windows! Windows for crying out loud!!! And did you see her solder joints? They were messy and horrible! No way that reader's going to go the distance!

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      These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
  8. Re:Open Source? Not exactly. by ladyada · · Score: 5, Informative

    "They released all the projects as open source" means that the project information - code, schematics and layout - are open source. See: http://ladyada.net/make/simreader/download.html (The payphone schematics will be up soon, also CC 2.5 BY-SA)

  9. Re:"Geek girl" that doesn't know how to screw righ by ptorrone · · Score: 4, Insightful

    @DarKlajid - when women give examples of why they're not so interested in being part of a community like this, or even go in to the technical fields your comment about a "geek girl that doesn't know how to screw" pretty much symbolizes why. i realize it's a joke, it's just not that funny. to joke like that and then say it's fake to discount her ability as an engineer would make any person steer away from putting themselves out there to be made fun of. yes, it's a joke. i don't take it seriously, it's easier that way. something to think about, each one of us can be the change we want to see in the world...

  10. Re:"Geek girl" that doesn't know how to screw righ by ladyada · · Score: 4, Informative

    yes i'm reading the comments here and i dont think its very funny either. the only reason girls seem to be 'resistant' to these sorts of comments is because those that dont like it leave or are shunned.

  11. Re:How long will it take for the FBI to ride? by ladyada · · Score: 5, Informative

    From all the documentation I have read on smart cards, 3V (and 1.8V) cards are an extension of the 5V SIM spec. That is, they work at 5V as well (but with higher power usage, of course). If you have specific documentation otherwise, please post it. Secondly, I assure you the quality of my soldering is excellent (ie http://farm1.static.flickr.com/149/332269259_21900c5a01_b.jpg), but the lighting and video makes perfboard-soldering (ie http://itp.nyu.edu/physcomp/images/tutorials/perfboard/solderaperf26.jpg) look bad

  12. Re:And those who are lazy by KGIII · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Oh man but the beautiful thing about having done it yourself is that you've done it yourself and learned a lot in the process. What you made might not be perfect but it is your creation.

    I have made many things from wood and they exist in houses around the area, some even across the country. (Some stuff went to Germany but I don't think I had much to do with that project.)

    I had a 2000 Ford Explorer Sport that turned the lights on automatically. That got totalled (no I wasn't driving it). I got a 2001 model of the same vehicle but the mirror didn't have the sensor. Dash drilling and several weeks later (figuring on a failed attempt too and wondering how I'd cover the hole I'd drilled prematurely) and the sensor is embedded in the dash *with a timer even* so that it works properly and doesn't just randomly turn the lights on when the vehicle goes under a shadow. (It was tougher than I had anticipated and my mishaps were plentiful.)

    Either way, it is something you did. Something only you did. Even if you go the directions from a site (I probably should have but didn't find one) the result is still your work and you will have learned so much from just having done so and (I think) will appreciate it so much more.

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