The dosing spoon shown, with many round openings for medication pellets to go into

Medicine Dosing Spoon Discontinued, Made 3D Printable Instead

October 14, 2022 by Arya Voronova 45 Comments

[Gregor Herz] caught wind of a problem that neuropediatric clinics in Germany have been facing recently. Orfiril, a seizure-preventing medication used in those clinics for treating children, is normally prescribed to adults, and the usual dosages are too high for kids. Orfiril comes in regular pill-shaped capsules, each capsule containing a bunch of small medication-soaked pellets, and you only need a certain amount of these pellets if you want to achieve a lower dose.

It used to be that you could get a special spoon helping you to get a proper dosage — but sadly, the original supplier has quit making these. So, our hacker designed a 3D printable model instead.

[Gregor] tells us that a lot of clinics in Germany are facing this exact issue right now, so sharing this model may mean that more hospitals can work around the supply issue. Provided a friendly hobbyist has food-grade 3D printing conditions available, anyway. He tells about some suitable filaments models you can buy, as well as research on food-grade printing requirements — a topic we’ve talked about in detail, and just this month have seen someone revisit with reassuring results. Are you interested in printing some of these? If so, there might be a clinic nearby that’d be thankful.

We’ve seen a surge of 3D printing for medical uses two years ago, back when supply chain issues had doctors face PPE shortages, and some critical parts for equipment were in short supply. Before that, we’d sometimes see medical purpose 3D printing done in dire circumstances, when no other choices were available. Now 3D printing of medical devices is more accepted, and we can’t wait for more research and hacking on this front!

This Week In Security: Npm Timing Leak, Siemens Universal Key, And PHP In PNG

October 14, 2022 by Jonathan Bennett 12 Comments

First up is some clever wizardry from the [Aqua Nautilus] research team, who discovered a timing attack that leaks information about private npm packages. The setup is this, npm hosts both public and private node.js packages. The public ones are available to everyone, but the private packages are “scoped”, meaning they live within a private namespace, “@owner/packagename” and are inaccessible to the general public. Trying to access the package results in an HTTP 404 error — the same error as trying to pull a package that doesn’t exist.

The clever bit is to keep trying, and really pay attention to the responses. Use npm’s API to request info on your target package, five times in a row. If the package name isn’t in use, all five requests will take the expected amount of time. That request lands at the service’s backend, a lookup is performed, and you get the response. On the flipside if your target package does exist, but is privately scoped, the first request returns with the expected delay, and the other four requests return immediately. It appears that npm has front-end that can cache a 404 response for a private package. That response time discrepancy means you can map out the private package names used by a given organization in their private scope.

Now this is all very interesting, but it turns into a plausible attack when combined with typosquatting and dependency confusion issues. Those attacks are two approaches to the same goal, get a node.js deployment to run a malicious package instead of the legitimate one the developer intended. One depends on typos, but dependency confusion just relies on a developer not explicitly defining the scope of a package.

Continue reading “This Week In Security: Npm Timing Leak, Siemens Universal Key, And PHP In PNG” →

An Open-Source HDMI Capture Card

October 14, 2022 by Lewin Day 37 Comments

[YuzukiHD] has provided files for anyone that wishes to build their own HDMI capture card at home. The design is known as the Yuzuki Loop Out HDMI Capture Card PRO, or YuzukiLOHCC PRO for short.

The build is based on the MS2130, a HD video and audio capture chip that’s compatible with USB 3.2 Gen 1. We’re pretty sure that’s now called USB 3.2 Gen 1×1, and that standard is capable of transfers at up to 5 Gbps. Thus, the chip can support HDMI at up to 4K resolution at 60 Hz depending on the exact signals being passed down the line. It’s compatible with YUV422 & MJPEG modes and can be used with software like OBS Studio and FFmpeg. The board itself is relatively simple. It features an HDMI In port, an HDMI Out port, and a USB-C port for hooking up to a computer for capture.

HDMI capture cards can be expensive and fussy things, so you may find it pays to roll your own. Plus, being open sourced under the CERN Open Hardware License V2 means that you can make changes to suit your own use case if you so desire.

We’ve seen some other hilarious video capture tricks over the years, such as a convoluted rig that uses a SNES to turn a Game Boy Camera into a usable webcam. If you’ve got any such madcap hacks brewing up in your lab, be sure to let us know!

Arduino Lo-Fi Orchestra closeup thumbnail

Lo-Fi Orchestra Learns Tubular Bells

October 14, 2022 by Dave Walker 4 Comments

Hardware projects often fall into three categories: Those that flash lights, those that make sounds and those that move. This virtuoso performance by [Kevin]’s “Lo-Fi Orchestra” manages all three, whilst doing an excellent job of reproducing the 1973 musical classic Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield.

Producing decent polyphonic sounds of different timbres simultaneously is a challenge for simple microcontroller boards like Arduinos, so [Kevin] has embraced the “More is more” philosophy and split up the job of sound generation in much the same way as a traditional orchestra might. Altogether, 11 Arduino Nanos, 6 Arduino Unos, an Arduino Pro Mini, an Adafruit Feather 32u4, and a Raspberry Pi running MT32-Pi make up this electronic ensemble.

Arduino servo drumkit — Arduino Servo & Relay Drumkit

The servo & relay drumkit is a particular highlight, providing some physical sounds to go along with the otherwise solid-state generation.

The whole project is “conducted” over MIDI and the flashing sequencer in the middle gives a visual indication of the music that is almost hypnotic. The performance is split into two videos (after the break), and will be familiar to fans of 70’s music and classic horror movies alike. We’re astonished how accurately [Kevin] has captured the mood of the original recording.

If this all looks slightly familiar, it may be because we have covered the Lo-Fi Orchestra before, when it entertained us with a rousing rendition of Gustav Holst’s Planets Suite. If you’re more interested in real Tubular Bells than synthesized ones, then check out this MIDI-controlled set from 2013. Continue reading “Lo-Fi Orchestra Learns Tubular Bells“ →

Electroplating Makes 3D-Printed Star Wars Prop Shine

October 13, 2022 by Lewin Day 10 Comments

3D printing is known for producing parts with a fairly average finish at best. Even the smoothest resin prints are still fairly plasticky and dull in appearance. However, it’s possible to do much better if you get creative with electroplating. This thermal detonator prop from [HEN3DRIK] shows just how good a 3D print can look with a little post-processing and some chemical help.

[HEN3DRIK] started with a Star Wars thermal detonator model found online, and printed it in resin for the best possible surface finish from the get go. The parts were cleaned after printing and cured, as per usual resin processing techniques. From there, fine steel wool and sandpaper was used to make the print as smooth as possible. A conductive layer of copper paint was then sprayed on with an airbrush, with mating surfaces masked off to avoid ruining the fit.

The part was then dunked in an acidic copper bath while attached to a power source, and gently rotated during the electroplating process. The results were excellent, resulting in near-mirror finish copper-plated parts after polishing. Nickel was then plated on top to get the prop to the proper silver color. The prop was finally then assembled with an Arduino Nano inside to run several LEDs for visual effect.

Electroplating isn’t just for making things pretty. It can also add strength to your 3D prints, too! Video after the break.

Continue reading “Electroplating Makes 3D-Printed Star Wars Prop Shine” →

A cyclotron clock display, mounted on a wooden base. There are two stepper motors exposed on either side. There is a panel installed in the wooden base with a red button on the left, two knobs and four smaller buttons in a two by two grid on the right.

A Flipping, Perpetually-Rotating Clock

October 13, 2022 by Abe Connelly 6 Comments

Clocks are a mainstay of hackers and makers, as they provide a way to explore creative designs while still maintaining a functional aspect to the project. [Brett Oliver] follows this tradition in making a cyclotron clock that uses a perpetual rotating digit concept from a 1900s desk flip calendar.

Each digit of the clock has a rotating chamber that’s big enough to fit a group of tiles inside that have digits printed on either face. The tiles are sized and stacked in such a way that the rotation of the chamber allows the next tile to slide in front of the old one. Specific digits are revealed by rotating the chamber a number of times.

Each of the four digits positions has a 28BYJ-48 stepper motor to rotate the chamber, with each motor being driven by a ULN2003 driver module. The main microcontroller is a ESP32 WROOM, and an I2C compatible DS3231 real time clock (RTC) module keeps time. All of the motors are driven off of an LM2596 module that provides 7 V, while the ESP32 and RTC are powered from a USB connector.

The different modes and the ability to set time is done through a panel that has various buttons and knobs. The whole clock is mounted on a custom wooden base that has cutouts for the panels and cabling. [Brett Oliver] has done a great job of documentation, going into detail about the mechanics and electronics of the build. Design files, including STLs of the various components, are also available for download. Be sure to check out the video after the break.

We’ve featured a flip calendar with a similar operating principle before which clearly shows the inner workings of the mechanism.

Continue reading “A Flipping, Perpetually-Rotating Clock” →

How To Grow Your Own Pyramid Salt Crystals

October 13, 2022 by Lewin Day 22 Comments

The regular granular table salt you’re used to isn’t the most attractive-looking seasoning out there, even given its fundamentally compelling flavor. You don’t have to settle for boring old salt anymore though, because [Chase] has shown us you can grow your own pyramid salt crystals at home!

Pyramid salt crystals can grow naturally, and typically occur in locations where salt pools are undisturbed under the warmth of the sun. However, it’s possible to grow them on purpose, too. As a bonus, their hollow structure means they dissolve very quickly on the tongue, and can taste “saltier” than typical granular salt.

To grow your own, you’ll need a bag of salt, which is mixed with some water. You’ll want to do so in a glass dish, as the salty solution you’ll be making can ruin metal cookware. The dish can then be heated up on an electric hotplate, which is used to heat the solution to between 60 and 70°C.

A small amount of food-grade potassium alum is also added to the solution to calm the convection currents in the heated solution, allowing the crystals to form gently without sticking and clumping together. As the water boils away, the rectangular-pyramidal crystals grow.

Naturally, you must be careful before eating the results of any home-grown lab experiments. However, [Chase] reports having licked some of the crystals and has confirmed they do indeed taste salty. [Chase] also notes several ways in which the parameters can be changed to grow different types of pyramid crystals, too.

We’ve featured [Chase]’s crystal-growing work before. If you’ve got your own cool DIY crystal projects cooking up in the lab, be sure to let us know!