Home Automation – Making a dumb switch for smart lights.
by firestorm_v1 on Feb.23, 2016, under Embedded devices, Hardware, How-To's, IoT
It might not look like much, but the switch used as this feature image has more to offer than one would think judging by appearances. In this article, we will be converting a “stupid” switch into a “smart” switch for the purposes of controlling a connected GE Light Bulb over Z-wave and discuss why you’d want to look for a stupid switch for smart devices in the first place. (continue reading…)
Cisco WiFi – Disconnect from the hive mind
by firestorm_v1 on Jul.16, 2015, under Embedded devices, Hardware, How-To's, Linux, Networking
Cisco AIR-AP1131AG-A-K9
Everyone knows that I love a bargain. That love for bargains is intensified any time networking gear is involved. Imagine my excitement when I found a bunch of the above pictured Cisco access points on Ebay for around $8 a pop because the lid won’t stay on. Unfortunately, my excitement was tempered a bit when I found out that these were designed to work with a controller and weren’t stand alone units. Undeterred by this disappointment, I researched and found a way to get these things to operate on their own as standalone units and freed them from the hive mind! In this article, we will cover converting the Cisco AIR-AP1131AG-A-K9 from “Lightweight”(controller-based) to “Autonomous”(standalone) and will even cover how to put them back in “Lightweight” mode if you want later on.
Raspberry Pi tastes better with RPi B+ edition
by firestorm_v1 on Jul.23, 2014, under Embedded devices, Hardware, Hardware Pr0n, Linux
Raspberry Pi B+
The Raspberry Pi Foundation announced a new arrival to their existing line of awesome little credit-card sized computers. I was fortunate enough to get my hands on one and give it a go. In the article (with pics!) below, I’ll cover what’s changed, what’s stayed the same, and what you can expect from everyone’s favorite mini machine.
Giving a PIX firewall a new lease on life
by firestorm_v1 on Jan.24, 2014, under Embedded devices, Hardware, Networking
Buying networking equipment off of Ebay can be one of the most rewarding and frustrating challenges you may ever face. Of course, being able to identify and fix issues with newly purchased hardware may mean the difference between having purchased a $500 firewall for $11 and some parts versus buying another piece of crap for $11 that will live out its life in the back of the parts closet. In this article, I’ll cover how to replace the power supply to a Cisco PIX 506E firewall with a standard computer power supply.
How to build a [better] Minecraft Server
by firestorm_v1 on Mar.10, 2013, under How-To's, Linux, Toys and Games
Quite some time ago, I posted an article on how to build a basic Minecraft Server which served to get you up and off the ground with multiplayer gameplay. It’s been two years since that article was posted and there have been so many advances in the Minecraft Server realm from administration changes (now you have a fancy GUI) to core game changes that allow for the modification for just about everything gameplay related. Popular alternative servers (Bukkit, Tekkit, Feed The Beast, etc..) allow for mods to be used which can drastically expand your Minecraft experience. This howto will detail the process going from a basic Debian server installation to a fully fledged vanilla Minecraft server with a browseable map. Read on for the full article, it’s pretty long but we have a lot to cover. (continue reading…)
New threat to sobriety: Arduino powered JagerBomber costume!
by firestorm_v1 on Nov.02, 2012, under Miscellaneous
Arduino powered Jagerbomber! (click to zoom)
The challenge for this year’s Halloween party was to find a “B-rate” superhero or villan. No superman, spiderman, ironman, or other mainstream nonsesne here. We had to come up with something unique and not-mainstream, so my answer was clear. I present to you the Arduino powered Jagerbomber, complete with countdown timer. This costume served me quite well, winning both the party’s “Best Male Costume” and later on at work, “Best Costume” so I’m sure it’ll give you some good ideas for next year! Remember, only 363 Days till Next Halloween! (continue reading…)
Arduino: Basic Network Temp and Humidity monitor
by firestorm_v1 on Aug.23, 2012, under Microcontrollers, Networking
I don’t know why I can’t flip this image. It’s cursed.
The (albeit crooked) image above is a basic environmental monitor I built for the server rack that I keep my house’s servers in. This project features network connectivity via an Arduino Ethernet shield, an HTF3223 humidity sensor, a TMP36 temperature sensor and a Sparkfun serial LCD for a decent monitoring station that is self-reliant. Read more for build details and the code to get it all working. (continue reading…)
IBM RS/6000 display repurposed for Arduino
by firestorm_v1 on Jul.23, 2012, under Embedded devices, Hardware, Microcontrollers
I couldn’t find a picture of an IBM server with the LCD so here are some squirrels.
We managed to unearth an old IBM RS/6000 server at work and decided that since the machine didn’t work, it was time for it to go away. Right off the bat, one of the things I noticed about this machine was that it had a diagnostic LCD panel in the bezel presumably for showing POST error codes and warnings. Since the machine was going to the scrap heap, I decided to relieve it of the LCD and managed to get it to work on an Arduino with minimal effort. Read on for pictures and a wiring pinout.
Hardware: Remote Control your Arduino
by firestorm_v1 on Jul.10, 2012, under Hardware, How-To's, Microcontrollers
Have a giant Arduino powered killbot, but can’t fancy being right next to it when you unleash it on the unsuspecting populace? Want to change the mood-lights in your dorm without having to get up off the couch? Why not use IR remote controls to do the walking for you? In this article, I will be covering how to use the IRremote Library written by Ken Shirriff for the Arduino to control a seven segment display as a proof of concept. Killbot not included.
Editorial:YWIV going dark for SOPA
by firestorm_v1 on Jan.17, 2012, under Site News
Ok, so here’s the deal. I’ve been on the fence about whether or not to black out my site in formal protest of SOPA but after talking with several other website owners and operators and consulting with a lawyer friend of mine, I did confirm my worst fears. While SOPA may be “well intentioned” to be a fight against piracy, the law is so vaguely written that it would allow anyone to shut down any website with little to no recourse or any due process.
As a self-generating content site, (I write my own articles and most of my images are hand-taken. Those that aren’t are linked and used with permission from the original content owners or with permission from the parent company.) this is seriously a threat to my sites’ existences. If I posted a bad review of a product didn’t like it, under SOPA, they could scream that my site was enabling piracy and they could effectively steal my domain without any due recourse. I could not petition to get my domain back, nor could I do anything else legal about it. All of my hard work on this site would have been wasted and even worse, under SOPA, they could even make it so I would lose all of my webhosting in its entirety.
I am opposed to any legislation that is written so vaguely and allows the indiscriminant shutdown of any website on the allegation of piracy. I oppose any legislation that makes my ISPs the “police” of the Internet. I oppose any legislation that allows others to take control of my domains without due process. If you are to charge me with something, you had best be prepared to defend yourself.
Other sites have taken notice. Google, Reddit, The Electronic Frontier Foundation, Mozilla, and many others are joining in the protest tomorrow and I am going to be one of them. We must send the warning to Congress that this must not be allowed to pass as it will destroy the Internet. Essentially, this will turn into a witch hunt, where everyone is guilty.
I understand that some of you may not understand and that some of you will be upset, however I will return on January 19th and I hope you will continue to read my site.
