Bus Pirate Firmware Update (v.0c), JTAG And More

December 1, 2008 by Ian 31 Comments

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A few weeks ago we wrote about our Bus Pirate universal serial interface tool. We used the recent holiday to add some new features, like a JTAG programmer, macros, frequency measurement, and more. A major code reorganization makes everything easier to read and update.

Check out the a demonstration of the new features below. We’re compiling a roadmap and wish list, so share your ideas in the comments. You can also see how we used the Bus Pirate to read a smart card and test-drive an I2C crystal oscillator.

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Nintendo 64 Crammed Into A NES

December 1, 2008 by Caleb Kraft 17 Comments

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[Matthew] sent us this Nintendo 64 stuffed into an NES. He did a great job really, everything looks nice and tidy. the presentation is decent with only the game ports visible on the front to tell you its not stock. The accent lighting on the side vents is not overpowering. Overall this was a really well done mod. Just like the Nintendo 64 in a Wii mod, this only plays Nintendo 64 games. OK guys, lets get some mods going that don’t involve cramming one Nintendo product into another Nintendo product.

Using VFDs As Amplifiers

December 1, 2008 by Caleb Kraft 14 Comments

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[HP Friedrichs] sent us this cool writeup on how to use scrapped Vacuum Fluorescent Display tubes as amplifiers. For those unfamiliar, a VFD is a display device common to electronics. Many have been replaced by LCD, but you can still find them in modern products. [Friedrichs] points out that his 2008 ford has a VFD for the multimedia display.

Since these units are basically tubes, he figured that you should be able to use them as a tube amp. After some testing, he found it to be quite adequate. The project includes tons of background information on how tubes work, how VFDs work and how to utilize it for amplification. In the picture above, you can see him using one (middle) to amplify a home made radio (right).