Creating a Second Factor Authentication Token
Today I learned all about the many different methods of pad repair! After watching a couple videos, I came to the realization that basically, people do whatever they can to make the pad work again. YouTube Videos Watched: “PCB Solder Pad Repair & Corrosion Clean Up- the Epoxy Method”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx50YtEC2S8 “Silver Conductive Pen- DIY PCB Trace …
Today I attempted to remove the faulty parts from our finished PCBs. This proved to be a lot harder to do without tearing off a pad than expected. Every technique I tried would rip at least 1 pad off of the LED’s spot. The capacitor on the other hand, was smooth sailing every time. To …
Today I learned all about the computer software, Simplicity Studio. Simplicity Studio is a Silicon Labs product that allows you to program and run tests on circuits or microcontrollers. Here’s the link to download the software (it’s free)- https://www.silabs.com/products/development-tools/software/simplicity-studio-version3 I had some issues getting Simplicity Studio to run in the beginning. First, I didn’t have …
The last couple of days we’ve been struggling to figure out what’s causing the voltage overage in our finished PCB. Finally, we found the problem. We got the wrong type of C4 (4.7µF capacitor). We ordered a 0508 size instead of a 0805 size, meaning that the cap doesn’t sit on the pads properly. So, …
Today we worked on the continuity problem we’re having with the finished U2F tokens. After much discussion and looking at the token’s wire diagrams, it was decided that we should try taking parts out of the circuit to test the continuity. This meant that I had to learn how to desolder surface mount components- a …
Today I worked with wires! I learned all about wire strippers and tinning wires among other things. To program our U2F tokens, we got a universal programmer kit- unfortunately we couldn’t find a small enough wire to make the pin connections. What we needed was half the size of a normal pin connector! After sifting …
Today I spent the whole day doing hands-on work. I took all the parts I’d harvested from hours of desoldering, and learned how to identify and test all of them with a multimeter. Before I actually got started, I got to watch my boss test them and he gave me tips on what to look …
Today I sat and learned a whole bunch from my employers. We talked about different jobs, how other employers act, money, and a whole lot of other stuff. Then, I set off to try and clear the fog that learning about electronic components had put on my brain. Just watching videos wasn’t working, so luckily …
Today I spent the first half of the day putting together an fm radio kit. It comes with all the components needed (minus some good, solid instructions), and you just have to solder the electronics in. Here are some pictures of before and during this project process: However, when I finally finished, I realized that …
Today I watched and took notes on a bunch of videos to try and better understand cybersecurity. I also wanted to find out what the general public knew about cybersecurity (through comments). Here are the videos I watched: “Gmail security key?”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2fEPUtxMhc This guy in the video didn’t really have much of an understanding about U2F …