Relatively Universal ROM Programmer Makes Retro Tech Hacking Accessible

The ROM programmer on display, with an OLED screen attached

There’s treasures hidden in old technology, and you deserve to be able to revive it. Whether it’s old personal computer platforms, vending machines, robot arms, or educational kits based on …read more Continue reading Relatively Universal ROM Programmer Makes Retro Tech Hacking Accessible

This Debug Connector Brings Your Issues to the Edge

Given an unknown PCBA with an ARM processor, odds are good that it will have either the standard 10 pin 0.05″ or 20 pin 0.1″ debug connector. This uncommon commonality is a boon for an exploring hacker, but when designing a board such headers require board space in the design …read more

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Turning the Raspberry Pi into a MCU Programmer

Once you graduate beyond development boards like the Arduino or Wemos D1, you’ll find yourself in the market for a dedicated programmer. In most cases, your needs can be met with a cheap USB to serial adapter that’s not much bigger than a flash drive. The only downside is that …read more

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Simple Pogo Programmer for ESP8266 Modules

ESP8266 development boards like the Wemos D1 Mini and NodeMCU are an excellent way to get a one-off project up and rolling quickly, but their size and relative complexity mean they aren’t necessarily a good choice for even short-run production hardware. On the other hand, programming the bare ESP modules …read more

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