Citizen Engineer: new video series on hacking, hardware, and art.

Posted by Xeni Jardin, July 18, 2008 2:03 PM | permalink

Phil Torrone, whose work you may know from MAKE magazine, shares his latest online video project with us -- it looks pretty awesome! Hats off! He explains.

Citizen Engineer is an online video series about open source hardware, electronics, art and hacking. The first video debuted at "The Last HOPE" conference today in New York City. Volume 1is about phones: SIM card & payphone hacking. Learn how a SIM card works (the small card inside GSM cell phones) make a SIM card reader, view deleted messages, phone book entries and clone/crack a SIM card. Modify a "retired" payphone so it can be used as a home telephone and for VoIP (Skype). Then learn how to modify the hacked payphone so it accepts quarters - and lastly, use a Redbox to make "free phone" calls from the modified coin-accepting payphone.

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Discussion

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#1 posted by Anonymous , July 18, 2008 3:36 PM

Whoaa, i just _love_ that music! And video! Anyone got a link?

Take a look at this

#2 posted by zuzu

, July 18, 2008 4:11 PM

I imagine the music was made with Lady Ada's open-hardware 303.

I'm excited to see her take up the documentation and reverse-engineering of newer SIM cards such as the COMP128v2 and v3, not just the original COMP128v1.

For USB-to-Serial adapters, I recommend anything that uses the Prolific PL-2303 chip. (Also popular for GPS pucks such as the BU-303 with GPSd.)

Take a look at this

#3 posted by Orchestra Spy , July 18, 2008 5:47 PM

Hey #2, I've made music with a Roland 303, how 'bout that?

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#4 posted by Mike Estee , July 18, 2008 6:30 PM

#2 Zuzu - any advantages over the the popular ftdi chipset?

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#5 posted by rasz , July 18, 2008 10:38 PM

sorry, but the part about cloning is useless in civilized world (europe :P), last comp128v1 card i saw was 7 years old.

Take a look at this

#6 posted by drted , July 18, 2008 11:46 PM

Music (made with the x0xb0x, the open source TB-303 clone)
Mindblock - Ferrapsylix / Troy Sheets.
Live Jam - Resonator.
Easter Acid - Rusuden.
The Man with the Funky 303 - EvilXSystems.
Crisp Acid Day - Ceedub.

Fear the Robots - Jalcide.