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Microcontrollers Not Allowed – Trolling a college instructor

ultrakeet.com.au

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Re: Microcontrollers Not Allowed – Trolling a college instructor

#2
Reminds me of the excellent EE-trolling magic circuits by Henryk Gasperowicz[1].

The number of things you could bury a little QFN MCU or similar in to play silly buggers with people is huge, especially if you have the luxury of them providing the 'support components'.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/user/Fredzislaw100

Re: Microcontrollers Not Allowed – Trolling a college instructor

#3
In the age of 4.5 V 'flat' batteries we did something similar, put an AC generator and another battery inside. (simple sine wave oscillator coupled to a cheap small transformer salvaged from a transistor radio). Watch the local electronics wizz tear their hair out in bafflement how an empty battery (according to the DC volt meter) can power a lamp. Why resort to 4 letter words if you can mess with the laws of physics directly?

Re: Microcontrollers Not Allowed – Trolling a college instructor

#4
Too bad the font isn't exactly the same as the real part (look at the 6, 7, and 9 near the end of the video), or maybe that was intentional...

One thing that still amazes people today is just how tiny a component can be, and yet provide so much functionality. I've been working with electronics for many years and the feeling still doesn't go away. The die of that microcontroller is even smaller than the package, and if he had access to the right equipment he could encapsulate one and make it basically identical to anyone who didn't look inside: http://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=208

On a more serious note, this brings up thoughts of surveillance implants and backdoors: He could've made that "simulated" display driver record data into the EEPROM of the MCU, and play it back at a later time. An external EEPROM, if the internal one isn't big enough, isn't much bigger; you can get a 256KB EEPROM in a 2x1mm package.

Re: Microcontrollers Not Allowed – Trolling a college instructor

#5
At about this point, I feel the urge to explain that basically Tony Abbott (our sledging PM) has basically helped kill off TAFE, but that's ok because his government wants to give students loans at high interest rates for private colleges to give an inferior education.

This is the PM whose latest innovation is to setup a ministry for science. Or rather, re setup a ministry for science because he formed the first Australian Federal government in 50 years that had no science ministry.

Turns out, that's a bad idea. headslap

Re: Microcontrollers Not Allowed – Trolling a college instructor

#7

At about this point, I feel the urge to explain that basically Tony Abbott (our sledging PM) has basically helped kill off TAFE, but that's ok because his government wants to give students loans at high interest rates for private colleges to give an inferior education. This is the PM whose latest innovation is to setup a ministry for science. Or rather, re setup a ministry for science because he formed the first Aust…

It's OK! He put a climate change denier in charge of it ...

Re: Microcontrollers Not Allowed – Trolling a college instructor

#9

Relatively new EE here with a quick question. You can, technically, make a system with the same output (spelling penis, etc.), without a microcontroller, correct? With the proper frequency dividers, timers, and logic gates? Or am I wrong here?

Of course, but then the instructor would have noticed the extra hardware and it would have ruined the fun ...

Re: Microcontrollers Not Allowed – Trolling a college instructor

#10

Relatively new EE here with a quick question. You can, technically, make a system with the same output (spelling penis, etc.), without a microcontroller, correct? With the proper frequency dividers, timers, and logic gates? Or am I wrong here?

I made a BLDC controller using TTL logic. It took about 15 chips. I could have made the same thing with a single 8 pin atiny85.
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