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I created an open-source Hardware Hacking Wiki – with tutorials for beginners

hardbreak.wiki

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Re: I created an open-source Hardware Hacking Wiki – with tutorials for beginners

#51

Post by hw-f3nter »

amatecha wrote: post #46

A minor nitpick, but it would be great if you put a description of the site in the meta/og description[0] so people get an explanation of what the site is when linking elsewhere, e.g. the same "This page is a free and open-source wiki about hardware hacking!" as is on the page itself. I just linked the site in Slack and it just says "hardbreak.wiki / Welcome to HardBreak | Hardbreak" which is pretty terse. I imagine…

You are right! I encountered the same problem. Unfortunately, I didn't find a setting in Gitbook to change the preview text, just the preview image. It seems like it just takes the name of the first page 'Welcome to HardBreak' and adds the site name 'HardBreak' at the end. So I'd have to change the name of the first page, but a name like 'HardBreak - a Hardware Hacking Wiki' or something similar would look weird on the website, I think. I haven't found a good solution for that yet.

Re: I created an open-source Hardware Hacking Wiki – with tutorials for beginners

#52

Post by Joel_Mckay »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #47
Joel_Mckay wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Get a ham radio technician license, and you may develop an intuitive perspective on most electrical engineering concepts. i.e. the physics lab derivation of the core EE tool set is unnecessary if you understand what the models are describing. AI is slop in and slop out... and dangerous to students... =3 John Shive's Wave Machines is where every student should start: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DovunOxlY1k

> Get a ham radio technician license, and you may develop an intuitive perspective on most electrical engineering concepts. May. I managed to get one without developing much intuition for most EE concepts, unfortunately.

Did you mean you don't understand the equations/theory, or are having difficulty applying the concepts to design circuits?

In the first case, install LTSpice (free from Analog Devices), and head here to run down the basics:

https://www.youtube.com/@FesZElectronics/videos

And in the latter, go though common basic designs analyzing how they work:

https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofelectroniccircuits...

https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofel02graf

https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780070110779

https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofel0006graf

Then try your own designs combining properties of several designs. Start with simple blinkers and buzzers at first... Try to avoid Arduino designs until you've done a few 555, transistor, and opamp circuits first. =3

Re: I created an open-source Hardware Hacking Wiki – with tutorials for beginners

#54

Post by CaptainFever »

abetusk wrote: post #6

Unfortunately not Open Source, in the common definition of the word. From the license.md [0] page, under "Terms": > Exemptions: Commercial Use: For inquiries regarding commercial use, please contact the author. [0] https://github.com/f3nter/HardBreak/blob/fd3d2d4cd17624a3f62...

Thanks for your work in pointing this out! Like a trademark, we have to defend this term if we want its meaning to persist.

I don't have specific sources, but to those curious, the gist is this: open source, or more accurately free software or free culture, is not about the creator. It is about affirming the rights of the user, to use the work in any way they wish, which includes selling it.

A common phrase to correct this unfortunate misconception is "free as in speech, not as in beer". The price tag is not the issue (you can actually sell free work, like by commission or by phsyical copies), the freedom of the user is. This includes the freedom to reuse the content in a commercial manner. Just about the only freedom that may be restricted is the freedom to restrict others.

You may disagree with this, but this is just the history of the free software, free culture and open source movement, which built a significant portion of the software world we have today.

Re: I created an open-source Hardware Hacking Wiki – with tutorials for beginners

#55

Post by TeMPOraL »

Joel_Mckay wrote: post #52
TeMPOraL wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Get a ham radio technician license, and you may develop an intuitive perspective on most electrical engineering concepts. May. I managed to get one without developing much intuition for most EE concepts, unfortunately.

Did you mean you don't understand the equations/theory, or are having difficulty applying the concepts to design circuits? In the first case, install LTSpice (free from Analog Devices), and head here to run down the basics: https://www.youtube.com/@FesZElectronics/videos And in the latter, go though common basic designs analyzing how they work: https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofelectroniccircuits... https://a…

Most of my issues seem to be about power - I have no feel for the relevant math, so even as I remember the basic equations and methods, I never feel certain I'm calculating it right. So in terms of hands-on experience, I pretty much jumped straight from burning through-hole resistors with 12V battery to ignite rocket motors made of PVC and caramel fuel, to Arduinos and RPIs and NodeMCUs -- basically, stuff that comes with an USB port it can draw power from...

Thanks for the links, I'll work through them and hopefully come out with some understanding at the end of this process :).

Re: I created an open-source Hardware Hacking Wiki – with tutorials for beginners

#56

Post by sen »

hw-f3nter wrote: post #51
amatecha wrote: post #46

A minor nitpick, but it would be great if you put a description of the site in the meta/og description[0] so people get an explanation of what the site is when linking elsewhere, e.g. the same "This page is a free and open-source wiki about hardware hacking!" as is on the page itself. I just linked the site in Slack and it just says "hardbreak.wiki / Welcome to HardBreak | Hardbreak" which is pretty terse. I imagine…

You are right! I encountered the same problem. Unfortunately, I didn't find a setting in Gitbook to change the preview text, just the preview image. It seems like it just takes the name of the first page 'Welcome to HardBreak' and adds the site name 'HardBreak' at the end. So I'd have to change the name of the first page, but a name like 'HardBreak - a Hardware Hacking Wiki' or something similar would look weird on t…

I think having it in the homepage title is fine. I do it for most sites I build for exactly this reason.

“HardBreak - Open-Source Hardware Hacking Wiki”

Looks fine as a title, and helps for embeds/sharing.

Re: I created an open-source Hardware Hacking Wiki – with tutorials for beginners

#57

Post by otteromkram »

Joel_Mckay wrote: post #52
TeMPOraL wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Get a ham radio technician license, and you may develop an intuitive perspective on most electrical engineering concepts. May. I managed to get one without developing much intuition for most EE concepts, unfortunately.

Did you mean you don't understand the equations/theory, or are having difficulty applying the concepts to design circuits? In the first case, install LTSpice (free from Analog Devices), and head here to run down the basics: https://www.youtube.com/@FesZElectronics/videos And in the latter, go though common basic designs analyzing how they work: https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofelectroniccircuits... https://a…

I mean I'm a dummy who just wanted to listen to ISS static and trucker jargon.

Re: I created an open-source Hardware Hacking Wiki – with tutorials for beginners

#59

Post by Joel_Mckay »

otteromkram wrote: post #57
Joel_Mckay wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you mean you don't understand the equations/theory, or are having difficulty applying the concepts to design circuits? In the first case, install LTSpice (free from Analog Devices), and head here to run down the basics: https://www.youtube.com/@FesZElectronics/videos And in the latter, go though common basic designs analyzing how they work: https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofelectroniccircuits... https://a…

I mean I'm a dummy who just wanted to listen to ISS static and trucker jargon.

Indeed, we also end up learning about our sun in levels of detail no person should find enthralling... lol =3

Re: I created an open-source Hardware Hacking Wiki – with tutorials for beginners

#60

Post by mindcrime »

Joel_Mckay wrote: post #35
CamperBob2 wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(Shrug) If you're retired or independently wealthy, you can afford that attitude. Hopefully one of those describes you. Otherwise, you're going to spend the rest of your career saying things like, "Well, OK, so the last model couldn't count the number of Rs in 'Strawberry' and the new one can, but..." Personally, I dislike being wrong. So I don't base arguments on points that have a built-in expiration date, or that…

Every model is deprecated in time if evidenced Science is done well, and hopefully replaced by something more accurate in time. There is no absolute right/correctness unless you are a naive child under 25 cheating on structured homework. The point was there is nothing intelligent (or AI) about LLMs except the person fooling themselves. In general, most template libraries already implement the best possible algorithms…

I have no position on whether or not CamperBob is a chat-bot, but they are definitely not being silly. Their point, as I take it, is that it's dangerous to look at the state of "AI" as it is today and then ignore the rate of change. To their stated point from above:

> Otherwise, you're going to spend the rest of your career saying things like, "Well, OK, so the last model couldn't count the number of Rs in 'Strawberry' and the new one can, but..."

That's a very important point. I mean, it's not guaranteed that any form of AI is going to advance to the point that it starts taking jobs from people like us, but when you fail to look forward and project a little bit and imagine what they could do with another year of progress... or two years of progress... or 5 years, etc? I posit that that kind of myopia could leave one very under-prepared for the world one lands in.

> The point was there is nothing intelligent (or AI) about LLMs except the person fooling themselves.

Sure. The "AI Effect". Irrelevant. It doesn't matter how the machine can do your job, or whether or not it's "really intelligent". It just matters that if it can create more value, more cheaply, than you or I, we are going to wind up like John Henry. Who, btw, for anybody not familiar with that particular bit of folklore "[won the race against the machine] only to die in victory with a hammer in hand as his heart gave out from stress."

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