HackerBox 0113: Hardcore

Welcome to HackerBox 0113. Experiment with hardcore 8-bit microcontroller technology using modern-day variants of the legendary Intel 8051 from 1980. The modern STC15 and STC8 chips include 64 KBytes of flash memory to support simplified in circuit reprogramming. Assemble a custom programming target board and wire it up to an USB auto programmer. Explore the Small Device C Compiler (SDCC) to generate binary HEX files to burn onto the STC microcontrollers. Assemble the STC8G1K08A-based Spiral LED Kit to illuminates a rotating spiral of LEDs. Assemble the STC15W408AS-based Calculator Kit featuring novel functionality to decode resistor color bands. Build a laser-cut acrylic enclosure for the Calculator. Explore bare-metal coding exercises to trigger and modify elements of both the Spiral LED Kit and the Calculator Kit. Study two important mechanisms of modern A.I. systems: the humble perception and the mighty transformer. Understand the significance of Zero-Day vulnerabilities.

There is a wealth of information for current and prospective members in the HackerBoxes FAQ. Almost all of the non-technical support emails that we receive are already answered there, so we'd really appreciate it if you can take a few minutes to read the FAQ.

This Instructable contains information for getting started with HackerBox 0113. The full box contents are listed on the product page for HackerBox 0113 where the box is also available for purchase while supplies last. If you would like to automatically receive a HackerBox like this right in your mailbox each month, you can subscribe at HackerBoxes.com and join the party. Subscription members save at least $15 every month and automatically receive each new HackerBox shipped immediately off the production line.

A soldering iron, solder, and basic assembly tools are generally needed to work on the monthly HackerBox. A computer for running software tools is also required. Have a look at the HackerBox Workshops for tools and supplies along with a wide array of introductory activities and experiments.

The most import thing you will need is a sense of adventure, hacker spirit, patience, and curiosity. Building and experimenting with electronics, while very rewarding, can be tricky, challenging, and even frustrating at times. The goal is progress, not perfection. When you persist and enjoy the adventure, a great deal of satisfaction can be derived from this hobby. Take each step slowly, mind the details, and don't be afraid to ask for help.

WEAR SAFETY GLASSES WHEN SOLDERING, WHEN TRIMMING WIRE LEADS, OR WHEN CUTTING, DRILLING, ETC.

The 8051 is a single-chip microcontroller (MCU) series developed by Intel in 1980 for use in embedded systems. Intel's original versions were extremely popular throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. They've been widely deployed and are often noted as one of the most common microcontrollers ever made. The 8051 is a complex instruction set computer (CISC) with separate memory spaces for program instructions and data. Various enhanced binary compatible derivatives of the 8051 remain popular to this day. The 8051 has been termed "The Immortal MCU" because it just refuses to die.

The STC8051 series is a line of 8-bit single-chip microcontrollers with a fully compatible instruction set to the industry standard 8051 series microcontroller. The STC chips have 64 Kbytes of flash memory capable of in System Programming (ISP) and In Application Programming (IAP) to support user update of instruction code and data. The STC chips run around ten times faster than the original and they do not require an external crystal oscillator.

Modern 8051 implementations can take the form of "soft cores" generally for use in field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or "hardware cores" implemented within application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) designs such as the STC chips used here. These hardware cores are truly HARDCORE!

MARK YOUR CHIPS (RIGHT NOW)

HackerBox 0113 includes four different STC microcontroller chips that you will want to be able to differentiate.

1. Two are STC15W408AS (28 pin DIP) - datasheet - one blank and one programmed.
2. Two are STC8G1K08A (8 pin DIP) - datasheet - one blank and one programmed.

We suggest taking a moment, right now, to mark them as shown in the image above. We used some red adhesive flags, but you can use a cut section from any sticker or label - even the shiny boarder of your metallic sticker sheet.

1. MARK: The programmed 28 pin MCU from the Embedded Calculator Kit.
2. LEAVE UNMARKED: The blank 28 pin MCU from the plastic component box.
3. MARK: The programmed 8 pin MCU from the Spiral LED Kit.
4. LEAVE UNMARKED: The blank 8 pin MCU from the plastic component box.

Using this approach, the two factory programmed chips will be clearly marked so that you will know to avoid erasing or overwriting the flash in either of those chips. Then, the two unmarked chips (originally blank) can be erased and overwritten during your experimentation without concern for losing the factory programming on the two marked chips.

Assemble the STC51 Programming Target Kit

Start with the Red STC51 Target PCB. All components are placed on the (front) side of the PCB with the "PWR" and "P3.2" markings. No components are placed on the (back) side that shows "STC51 TARGET".

Two 200 Ohm Axial-Lead Resistors can be oriented in either direction.

Two Blue 5mm LEDs must be correctly oriented. Note that the shorter pin (cathode) of an LED is next to a flat edge on the the lens (blue plastic) of the LED. Also note that the outline marking on the PCB is a circle with a flat side. The short-pin/cathode/flat-edge of the LED goes into the hole next to the flat side marking on the PCB such that the flat edge on the lens matches up to the flat edge on the PCB outline.

The Four-Pin Male Programming Header is installed as shown.

The DIP-28 ZIF Socket must be positioned with its lever adjacent to the four-pin header as shown. The ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) Socket is used to easily insert and remove chips for programming without applying any force.

There is also a small SMD pad for a decoupling cap, but it isn't strictly necessary.

Inserting an DIP-28 STC Chip

Lift the lever up to "open" the ZIF socket.

Note the semi-circular notch present on one end of the chip, but not the other.

Place the chip into the socket with the semi-circular notch closest to the lever.

Lower the lever to "close" the ZIF socket.

Inserting an DIP-8 STC Chip

Lift the lever up to "open" the ZIF socket.

Position the chip closest to the blue LEDs (as shown in the image and indicated on the back of the PCB).

Note the semi-circular notch present on one end of the chip, but not the other.

Rotate the chip such that the semi-circular notch faces the lever (as shown in the image).

Insert the chip and lower the lever to "close" the ZIF socket.

Wire the USB STC Auto Programmer to the STC51 Programming Target

Connect the supplied female-female DuPont jumper to the GND, RXD, TXD, and 5V0 pins of the USB STC Auto Programmer as shown in the left image. Note the positioning of the connector shroud notch relative to those four pins. For now, disregard the colors of the wires, if yours are different.

As shown in the right image:

Jumper the GND wire from the programmer (blue in the example shown here) onto the GND pin of the target PCB.

Jumper the RXD wire from the programmer (green in the example shown here) onto the TXD pin of the target PCB.

Jumper the TXD wire from the programmer (yellow in the example shown here) onto the RXD pin of the target PCB.

Jumper the 5V0 wire from the programmer (orange in the example shown here) onto the VCC pin of the target PCB.

Note that the RXD and TXD lines "twist" between the programmer and the target PCB. Alan's mouth does not talk to Bob's mouth, but instead to Bob's ear. The transmitter on one end connects to the receiver on the other and vice versa.

Set up the toolchain

The Small Device C Compiler (SDCC) is a retargetable, optimizing Standard C (ANSI C89, ISO C99, ISO C11, ISO C23) compiler suite that targets the a variety of microprocessors and microcontrollers including the 8051 series and variants.

Download SDCC from the link above and install it.

Be sure to let the install process add SDCC to your PATH.

Verify successful installation by opening a terminal or command window and typing sdcc.

Download the STC ISP programming tool. It's a single executable file, so it doesn't really need to be installed.

Compile an example C program

Grab the attached file hello.c

Grab the attached file my_stc_.h

Place both file into the same directory.

Follow instructions in the C file to create build.bat in the same directory.

Open a command window and run the batch file by typing build.

This will create a hello.hex file to burn onto the MCU.

Burn Baby Burn

Place the BLANK STC15W408AS chip in the programming target PCB.

Launch the STC-ISP program.

Select MCU Type: STC15W408AS.

Select Scan Port: CH340.

Select IRC frequency: 12MHz.

Click "Open Code File" and select the hello.hex file created above.

Click "Download/Program".

The status window should show, "Complete!"

The blue LED on I/O pin P3.2 should be blinking at 1 Hz.

Listen for Serial Output

In the STC-ISP program, switch to the tab "USB-CDC/UART Helper".

Select COM Port: [same as the CH340 port used for programming]

Select Baudrate: 2400.

Click "Open COM".

The receive window should show repeated transmissions of, "Hack the Planet".

This is fun little kit that leverages an STC8G1K08A microcontroller to illuminates a rotating spiral of LEDs. Two pushbuttons are used to increase or decrease the speed of rotation.

1. Place the four resistors. Either orientation is fine.
2. Place the two pushbuttons. They only orient the correct way.
3. The 19 red LEDs must each be properly oriented. The shorter pin (cathode) of an LED is next to a flat edge on the the lens (red plastic) of the LED. Also note that the outline marking on the PCB is a circle with a flat side. The short-pin/cathode/flat-edge of the LED goes into the hole next to the flat side marking on the PCB such that the flat edge on the lens matches up to the flat edge on the PCB outline.
4. Orient the DIP chip socket such that the semi-circular notch in the socket matches up to the semi-circular notch in the PCB marking.
5. Carefully insert the pre-programmed chip such that the semi-circular notch in the chip matches up to the semi-circular notch in the socket. It usually helps to first very gently form the pins of the chip sideways flat against the table. This slightly bends the pins toward the centerline of the chip such that they are protruding (closer to) perpendicular from the chip body.
6. Connect the battery holder to the BT header on the PCB. The red wire goes into the positive (+) hole and the black wire goes into the ground (-) hole.

This Calculator Kit is based on the STC15W408AS Microcontroller. In includes a nifty resistor color band decoder functionality. Despite what seems like a large number of components, it is fairly simple to assemble.

Notes:

1. DO NOT power the calculator via USB with the battery in place. It will damage the battery.
2. DO NOT populate the programming header (P1) if you plan to place the PCB into the supplied acrylic housing.

All of the components mount onto the (front) side of the PCB that shows "888 888":

1. Start with the Resistor (R1). It may be oriented in either direction.
2. The Capacitor (C1) may also be oriented in either direction.
3. Place the USB-C connector. It only fits in one direction.
4. Orient the 28 pin DIP socket such that the semi-circular notch in the socket matches up to the semi-circular notch in the PCB marking.
5. Match the (+) marking on the piezo speaker to the (+) marking on the PCB.
6. Orient the battery clip such that the semi-circular retaining tab is closest to the speaker and the open of the clip faces off the edge of the PCB.
7. Place the 17 pushbuttons. They only orient the correct way.
8. Place both 8-Segment LED displays with the decimal points closest to the buttons as shown on the PCB marking.
9. Install the 17 blue keycaps.
10. Cut out the 17 key labels.
11. Place each label (facing out) into a clear keycap cover and snap the cover onto the corresponding keycap as shown.
12. Carefully insert the pre-programmed chip such that the semi-circular notch in the chip matches up to the semi-circular notch in the socket. It usually helps to first very gently form the pins of the chip sideways flat against the table. This slightly bends the pins toward the centerline of the chip such that they are protruding (closer to) perpendicular from the chip body.
13. Insert the battery into the clip with its positive (+) side facing up against the springs of the clip.

Assemble the acrylic enclosure for the Calculator Kit:

1. Locate the four non-plated mounting holes in the PCB.
2. For each hole, place a SHORT screw through the front of the PCB. Tighten a brass standoff onto the screw at back of the PCB.
3. Identify the back plate of the enclosure as the large piece without the square keypad openings.
4. Peel the protective paper off of the acrylic back plate.
5. Align the four brass standoffs protruding from the PCB with the four holes of the back plate.
6. Insert a SHORT screw into each of the four holes in the back plate and tighten each gently.
7. Peel the four small side panels of acrylic.
8. Stand the four side panels around the PCB such that they rest into the slots on the back plate. Note the openings in the left and top panels.
9. Peel the top plate of the acrylic enclosure.
10. Position the top plate over the keycaps locking the side panels into place within its slots.
11. One at a time, place a LONG screw through each of the four corner holes and tighten one of the nuts onto the LONG screw.

Note that the battery can be removed with disassembling the enclosure. Simply insert a small screwdriver into the side panel opening just above the USB port and push the battery out through the opening in the top panel.

Operating Instructions

Hold the "Mode" button for one second to toggle between Calculator Mode (indicated by "0" on the display) and Resistor Mode (indicated by "r" on the display).

Calculator Mode functions more or less as one would expect.

In Resistor Mode, simply press the resistor stripe colors in sequence to display the corresponding resistance value. This works for both four and five band resistor codes. Press ON/C to clear the result and go again.

If you've peeked at the hello.c file compiled earlier and feel inspired to dive into some hardcore bare metal MCU adventures, grab a can of Tab, crank up an 80s soundtrack, and proceed with courage...

1. Use the red programming target board to program the BLANK 8-pin STC8G1K08A chip.
2. Program the chip to blink the Blue LED on I/O pin P3.2.
3. Swap the chip onto the Spiral LED Kit to see which arms of the spiral are connect to P3.2.
4. Update the program to sequentially blink P3.0, P3.1, and P3.2 on and off.
5. This should nearly recreate the original factory code for the Spiral LED Kit.
6. Now, attempt to read the buttons on P3.4 and P3.5 to alter the transition rate.

Moving on to the Calculator Kit...

1. Use the red programming target board to program the BLANK 28-pin STC15W408AS chip.
2. Pulse I/O pin P5.4 to sound the buzzer.
3. Examine the schematic and determine how to read one of the buttons.
4. Hint: The ON/C button (P3.7) only requires reading one pin.
5. The other 16 buttons require driving one pin and reading another (see matrix scanning).
6. Read one or more buttons to do something interesting with the buzzer.
7. The LED display comprises two 3631BS type 3-digit 7-segment displays.
8. Take CAUTION to note that there are no current limiting resistors on the LED displays.
9. Is the design using PWM or just being very unkind to the MCU I/O pins?

Please share what you learn by writing your own code to interact with the two hardware targets, or let us know if you wire up something of your own.

This video from Welch Labs features some beautiful DIY hardware tinkering to demonstrate operation of the perceptron. Developed in the late 1950s, the perceptron is a very basic machine learning algorithm inspired by biology - a simplified model of the neuron.

The Perceptron implements a binary classifier operable to determine whether or not an input, represented by a vector of numbers, belongs to some specific class. It is a type of linear classifier. That is, a classification algorithm that calculates its results based on a linear predictor function combining a set of learned weights with an input vector.

Operation of the perception is an outstanding first step to understanding modern A.I. systems.

The last portion of the video explains the limitations of perceptron learning and how these limitations inspired development of multilayer perceptrons, backpropagation training, and attention weighting used in the deep learning mechanism of ChatGPT and other modern artificial intelligence solutions.

The Transformer is a deep learning architecture that was developed by researchers at Google. It is based on the multi-head attention mechanism, which was proposed in the 2017 paper "Attention Is All You Need". Text is converted to numerical representations called tokens. Tokens are put into context by a parallel multi-head attention mechanism where signals associated with key tokens are amplified and signals associated with less important tokens are diminished.

In 2018, the OpenAI GPT series of Transformers became state of the art in natural language generation. Since 2020, Transformers have been applied in modalities beyond text, such as vision, speech recognition, and robotics. Image and video generators like DALL-E (2021), Stable Diffusion 3 (2024), and Sora (2024), use Transformers to analyze input data (such as text prompts) by breaking it down into "tokens" and then calculating the relevance between each token using self-attention, which helps the model understand the context and relationships within the data. (Wikipedia)

Lastly, this video lecture provides some fantastically clear intuition into the differences (and possible similarities) between large language modeling and true understanding.

In The Emperor's New Mind, Nobel Laureate Roger Penrose argues that human understanding is non-algorithmic and he hypothesizes that quantum mechanics plays an essential role.

Some argue that machines are obviously capable of true understand, because the meat-machines between our ears do it all the time. How does that make you feel? One thing is certain... It's a very exciting time to be studying computer technology!

Zero-day attacks are severe threats.

A Zero-Day is a vulnerability in a computer system unknown to its owners, developers, or anyone capable of mitigating it. Until the vulnerability is remedied, threat actors can exploit it in a zero-day exploit, or zero-day attack.

The term "zero-day" originally referred to the number of days since a new piece of software was released to the public, so "zero-day software" was obtained by hacking into a developer's computer before release. Eventually the term was applied to the vulnerabilities that allowed this hacking, and to the number of days that the vendor has had to fix them. Vendors who discover the vulnerability may create patches or advise workarounds to mitigate it – though users need to deploy that mitigation to eliminate the vulnerability in their systems. (Wikipedia)

A Powerful 2025 Netflix Miniseries

Nerdcore Anthem

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