The Kensington WiFi Finder, which you can get for around $10 used (and $29.99 new, I think) can also be hacked easily into a low-cost development platform for the TI MSP430 processor.
I personally didn't find the WiFi Finder that useful, but having an easy way to experiment with the MSP430 (with free tools from TI and a standard JTAG interface) was well worth the cost of the unit. Simply open it up, attach a double-row header, and get down to business.
Ponder some pictures and slightly more detail here.
Joe
Re:Because the target audience isn't thick??
on
Hardware Hacking
·
· Score: 2, Informative
Actually, the "Tools of the Warranty Voiding Trade" chapter at the beginning of the book serves as a -guideline- for the various tools needed for hardware hacking and modifications in general. There are 3 sections, ranging from beginner to advanced. We obviously can't list all possible tools in this section (since not all hacks use the same tools), as it is meant to give the reader an overview to the types of tools that are necessary.
However, each hack within each chapter of the book lists the -specific- tools needed to succeed (like your ingredient list). This way, you'll know exactly what you need for the hack and won't be halfway through wondering where you can buy widget X.
Actually, no. If you read the first part of my post, you would understand why we used him. He's a friend of mine, has a good technical knowledge, and provided good comments. Maybe if I knew you, we would have asked YOU to be the technical reviewer.
Joe
Re:Kev's an author?
on
Hardware Hacking
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
Kevin was the technical reviewer for the book. Since he has a technical background, but not specifically related to hardware/engineering, we thought it would be fun to get a different perspective. He gave us some extremely useful comments but didn't write any of the text.
If you didn't notice, his tagline on the cover is obviously tongue-in-cheek, as there is nothing illegal in the book.
And yes, his name does help sell books. But no, he doesn't get a cut.:)
Joe
Thanks for all the comments!
on
Hardware Hacking
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
Thanks to Blaine for the no-nonsense review. It's nice to hear people's thoughts without being sugar-coated.
For what it's worth, the full title of the book is "Hardware Hacking: Have Fun While Voiding Your Warranty".
As for the real mindset of a (hardware) hacker, true, that cannot be taught. But, it doesn't mean that more mainstream readers are not curious about tinkering with hardware. Getting people to think outside of what they are normally taught is the important thing and hopefully they'll benefit from the book.
I wanted to try and include something for everybody in this book. So, the introductory EE, coding, and OS chapters are for people who might not have a sense of those things (to tell you the truth, I use the EE chapter, which I wrote, as a reference guide all the time). The hacks range from easy (changing the LED in a Macintosh mouse or Atari 7800 Power indicator) to complex (Marcus Brown's Playstation 2 Independence Day hack). And, there's a wide range of hardware to play with, too.
I'd like to think there is something for everyone (well, almost everyone). You don't have to have extreme hardware skills or have an engineering degree to enjoy the book and rip your products apart. The worst you can do is break something, but that's part of the fun!:)
Joe
PS - PDFs of the TOC, Foreword, and Introduction can be found here.
Slashdot Mirror
The Kensington WiFi Finder, which you can get for around $10 used (and $29.99 new, I think) can also be hacked easily into a low-cost development platform for the TI MSP430 processor.
I personally didn't find the WiFi Finder that useful, but having an easy way to experiment with the MSP430 (with free tools from TI and a standard JTAG interface) was well worth the cost of the unit. Simply open it up, attach a double-row header, and get down to business.
Ponder some pictures and slightly more detail here.
Joe
Actually, the "Tools of the Warranty Voiding Trade" chapter at the beginning of the book serves as a -guideline- for the various tools needed for hardware hacking and modifications in general. There are 3 sections, ranging from beginner to advanced. We obviously can't list all possible tools in this section (since not all hacks use the same tools), as it is meant to give the reader an overview to the types of tools that are necessary.
However, each hack within each chapter of the book lists the -specific- tools needed to succeed (like your ingredient list). This way, you'll know exactly what you need for the hack and won't be halfway through wondering where you can buy widget X.
Joe
Actually, no. If you read the first part of my post, you would understand why we used him. He's a friend of mine, has a good technical knowledge, and provided good comments. Maybe if I knew you, we would have asked YOU to be the technical reviewer.
Joe
Kevin was the technical reviewer for the book. Since he has a technical background, but not specifically related to hardware/engineering, we thought it would be fun to get a different perspective. He gave us some extremely useful comments but didn't write any of the text.
:)
If you didn't notice, his tagline on the cover is obviously tongue-in-cheek, as there is nothing illegal in the book.
And yes, his name does help sell books. But no, he doesn't get a cut.
Joe
Thanks to Blaine for the no-nonsense review. It's nice to hear people's thoughts without being sugar-coated.
:)
For what it's worth, the full title of the book is "Hardware Hacking: Have Fun While Voiding Your Warranty".
As for the real mindset of a (hardware) hacker, true, that cannot be taught. But, it doesn't mean that more mainstream readers are not curious about tinkering with hardware. Getting people to think outside of what they are normally taught is the important thing and hopefully they'll benefit from the book.
I wanted to try and include something for everybody in this book. So, the introductory EE, coding, and OS chapters are for people who might not have a sense of those things (to tell you the truth, I use the EE chapter, which I wrote, as a reference guide all the time). The hacks range from easy (changing the LED in a Macintosh mouse or Atari 7800 Power indicator) to complex (Marcus Brown's Playstation 2 Independence Day hack). And, there's a wide range of hardware to play with, too.
I'd like to think there is something for everyone (well, almost everyone). You don't have to have extreme hardware skills or have an engineering degree to enjoy the book and rip your products apart. The worst you can do is break something, but that's part of the fun!
Joe
PS - PDFs of the TOC, Foreword, and Introduction can be found here.