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 …
What is a Breadboard? A breadboard is a device that allows you to connect electronic components and create circuits without soldering. It is a plastic board with lots of tiny holes that allow easy insertion and removal of parts. Usually will come in three sizes: full, half, and mini. Terminology Leads- the long metal legs …
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 worked on the blog, helped rearrange the office, opened up all our beautiful PCBs (https://blog.redkeyu2f.com/2018/07/05/u2f-token-building-the-pcbs-arrive/), and started learning about reflow ovens. Now that all our parts are here, we have to learn how to properly use our toaster oven to solder our boards. Apparently there’s quite a bit of technique to this- good …
Today our package from http://dirtypcbs.com/store/pcbs arrived! We ordered a +/- 10 protopack of a design we knew should work, as well as a protopack that I had updated the Gerber files on and resubmitted. We had NO idea if these would turn out at all, but they look perfect. Here’s the package the 22 PCBs came in …
We first stumbled across KiCad when looking to modify PCB components before sending the boards in for manufacturing. We learned that to modify the PCB, we had to modify the Gerber files, and to do that, you should use KiCad. This was a bit of a snag in our plan as none of use knew …
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 …