hack News - Page 11 of 14 - CNX Software

March 31, 2015March 31, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Connect a 9.7″ Retina Display (iPAD 3/4) to Your Computer via a DisplayPort Adapter

One way to connect an extra Retina (2048×1536) display to your computer is to purchase Adafruit Qualia 9.7″ DisplayPort Monitor for $224.95. But in case your budget is limited, you could combine an old iPAD 3/4 display with AbuseMark 2048×1536 LCD to DisplayPort Adapter for 3,500 JPY ($29 US). If you don’t have an old iPAD, or would rather not dismantle your “old”-but-still-useful iPAD, you could purchase LG LP097QX1-SPC1/2, LG LP097QX1-SPA1/2/V, or Samsung LTL097QL01-W01 LCD panels instead for about $80 on Amazon US (LP097QX1 / LTL097QL01). If you live in Japan, AbuseMark also ships a complete kit for 12,000 JPY. Key features listed for the board: Video Input – DisplayPort Display Connector – 51-pin 0.3mm pitch FPC connector STM32F103CB 32-bit Cortex M3 MCU with native USB for firmware update and power/brightness/etc control Dual TI TPS61187 WLED drivers Power – USB or 5V-powered (separate connector) / 1.35A total current draw. Buck […]

March 29, 2015March 30, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments

A5-V11 Mini Router Runs OpenWRT (Linux) For Just $8

In case you you still think OpenWRT capable NEXX WT1520 router is still too expensive at $15, what about an $8 OpenWRT router? That’s what LY mini wireless router costs including shipping, and it’s better known as A5-V11, the name of its PCB. It’s not exactly a 3G/4G router as the casing implied, but it does support external USB 3G/4G dongles like most other routers with USB on the market. A5-V11 specifications: SoC – Mediatek/Ralink) RT5350F MIPS processor @ 360MHz System Memory – 32MB RAM (W9825G6EH-75). Some people reported theirs only have 16MB RAM, so YMMV. Storage – 4MB NAND flash (Pm25LQ032) Connectivity – Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n up to 150 Mbps; 1x 10/100M Ethernet USB – 1x USB 2.0 host port, 1x micro USB port for power Misc – Power LED, factory reset pinhole Power – 5V via micro USB port Dimensions – 6.1 x 2.3 x 1.4 cm Contrary to […]

March 29, 2015March 29, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 17 Comments

$15 NEXX WT1520 Wi-Fi Router Supports OpenWRT

TP-Link WR703N is a popular low cost router well supported by OpenWRT that costs about $23 shipped. But there’s now a new cheaper router that’s been mentioned in comments on CNX Software a few times, with a different processor, but otherwise similar specs plus an extra Ethernet port. NEXX WT1520 is powered by Mediatek RT5350F, sells for $15 including shipping from sites like Banggood, Aliexpress and eBay, and can run OpenWRT, although it’s not officially supported yet. NEXX WT1520(F/H) specifications: SoC – Mediatek (previously Ralink) RT5350F MIPS processor @ 360MHz System Memory – 32MB RAM Storage – 4MB NAND flash Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n up to 150 Mbps with built-in PIFA antenna 2x 10/100M Ethernet (LAN and WAN) USB – 1x USB 2.0 host port, 1x micro USB port for power Misc – Status LED, reset pinhole, power button Power – 5V via micro USB port Dimensions – 63 x 43 […]

November 16, 2014November 16, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

Zsun SD111 Is Now “Officially” an Hackable Wireless Flash Drive

Zsun SD11x are Wi-Fi flash drives for 8 to 128 GB eMMC, alternative to Sandisk or Kingston. Yesterday, I soldered the UART pins to Zsun SD111 (8GB) flash drive to access the serial console, but I did not manage to enter the terminal as it was password-protected. I posted my results anyway, as I was convinced I would get some clever ideas from my readers, some of which appeared to be a little time consuming, but Zoobab offered a simple solution that consisted in changing the boot parameters, by replacing /sbin/init by /bin/sh. The first step is to interrupt the boot by pressing space or another key, in order to access U-boot. Now we can check the U-boot environment ar7240> printenv bootargs=console=ttyS0,115200 root=31:02 rootfstype=jffs2 rw init=/sbin/init mtdparts=ar7240-nor0:64k(u-boot),64k(u-boot-env),6720k(rootfs),1216k(uImage),64k(NVRAM),64k(ART) bootcmd=bootm 0x9f6B0000 bootdelay=4 baudrate=115200 ethaddr=0x00:0xaa:0xbb:0xcc:0xdd:0xee ipaddr=10.168.168.1 serverip=10.168.168.10 stdin=serial stdout=serial stderr=serial ethact=eth0 Environment size: 361/65532 bytes Let’s keep everything the same, except the init, […]

November 15, 2014June 18, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Zsun SD111 Wi-Fi Flash Drive Hacking Tentative

Two days ago, I reviewed Zsun SD111 a 8GB Wi-Fi flash drive based on Atheros AR9331, and I discovered the telnet port was open, but I could not access it because none of the standard username and password combinations (root/root, admin/admin, root/admin, etc…) would work, which is actually a good thing. However, as I opened the stick, the serial pins were clearly marked, so today I’ve soldered some Dupont wires to access the serial console. In order to open the stick, you need a rigid sharp object to push the top cover via the neck strap hole, as shown below, and another tool (mine looks similar to a scalpel) to help popping the cover up. Then I connected the three wires to a USB to TLL debug board, connected it to my PC, started minicom (115200 8N1), and pressed the power button. I could see U-Boot 1.1.4 message, so it […]

August 25, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

$25 GL.iNet 6416A is an Hackable OpenWRT Router with Easy UART and GPIO Access

There are plenty of low cost routers supporting OpenWRT, but GL.iNet 6416A has several advantages compared to devices like TP-Link WR703N. Both are based on Atheros AR9931, but GL.iNet router has more memory and storage (64MB RAM + 16MB Flash vs 32MB RAM + 4MB Flash), two Ethernet ports instead of just one, and 6 GPIOs, the serial pins, and power signals (5V, 3.3V and GND) are all easily accessible via though holes or headers. Gl.iNet 6416A can be purchased for about $25 on DealExtreme or Amazon US, and it used to be listed on eBay, but is now out of stock. Gl/iNET 6416A specifications: Wi-Fi SoC – Atheros AR9331 MIPS processor @ 400 MHz System Memory – 64MB RAM Storage – 16MB Flash Connectivity – 2x 10/100 Mbit Ethernet ports, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-FI up to 150Mbps USB – 1x USB 2.0 port, 1x micro USB port for power Debugging […]

July 28, 2014July 28, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments

Kankun KK-SP3 Wi-Fi Smart Socket Hacked, Based on Atheros AR9331, Running OpenWRT

Kankun KK-SP3 is a $20 Wi-Fi smart socket that can be controlled via iOS and Android app. But one person created a Kankun community on Google+ to try to hack the device and control it from a PC, or from outside the home network for example. Up to now, the device has been opened, found to run OpenWRT, and one the member wrote a Windows app to control the socket from a PC. It is a basic smart socket, without power monitoring capabilities, and unless you start hacking the hardware, all you can do is basically turn it on and off. The device is based on Qualcomm Atheros AR9931, found in many low cost routers supporting OpenWRT, and the socket indeed runs OpenWRT, which you can access via SSH or Telnet (username/password: root/admin). There’s 32MB RAM (Winbond W9425G6JH), and a 10A OMRON relay. The smart socket actually communicates with the […]

July 19, 2014October 19, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 17 Comments

The World’s Cheapest Linux Computer? Pogoplug Mobile Now Sells for $7

Somebody asked “Anyone knows a computer cheaper than a Raspberry Pi with a network interface?” on Google+ mini PCs community. Some OpenWRT routers such as TPLink WR703N selling for about $20, or the VoCore Wi-Fi module selling for about the same price (Wi-Fi only) were parts of the answers, and I also mentioned some HDMI TV dongles that now sell for around $35, which is still a little cheaper than the Raspberry Pi model B when one considers shipping. But I found the answer by dhead666 particularly interesting: Pogoplug Mobile goes for 7$ on Amazon and that includes psu and network cable. It run Linux great (I’m using Arch) but you will want to have a ttl-usb cable and soldering iron available in case you manage to mess u-boot (go to the doozan’s forums for more info about the u-boot). Let’s have a look. Pogoplug Mobile is not a new […]