Welcome to my digital home! There are lots of articles you might find helpful buried in this site on topics such as modifying an Alfa Romeo 159, rebuilding a Lotus 7 (Robin Hood 2B), not to mention a ton of stuff on technology in general. It’s all here somewhere, so use the search function or navigate using the menu structure. if you want to talk, reach out via the contact function, I usually do answer!
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LiveMixesOldschool Hard House from the archives
https://jabawoki.com/wp-content/mp3/Jabawoki_16022001_Euphoric_Hard_House.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadRelated Images: [...]
InfoSecSo much has been said, good and bad, about GCHQ’s recent release of a cipher to the community. Simply a publicity stunt or well designed honey-pot? No one will ever really know, but what you don’t know is that this was an example of seeing a good idea and then totally cocking it up.
Let me start by saying these are my own words and thoughts and in no way reflect the opinion of my employer, or those organisations I am associated with.
A year or so ago, I got involved with the UK Cyber Security Challenge, which, as far as I am concerned is a good organisation, doing the right thing for the industry and those that want to be a part of it. I put a lot of my own personal time and resources into it for free, and make my employer give even more time, resources and money to the cause as well. Since I got involved with the UKCSC I have been providing them with simple on-line code breaking challenges, though my own devious thought processes and those of the many experts far better than me, that I have the pleasure of employing. We do these little challenges, typically on a quarterly basis, as well as to “support suitable and worthwhile endeavours”. One such endeavour happened recently, specifically, the London Conference on Cyberspace, hosted by the FCO. As was the usual manner for these things, I got a phone call from one of the UKCSC directors on a Friday evening asking if we could pull together a cipher for the event the following week, of course, I said we would be able to and engaged the collective grey matter of a couple of my team. The caveat to this request was that the cipher needed to somehow include GCHQ, the FCO, the UKCSC and of course my own companies brand. As such, I devised a simple 2 stage approach that would allow me to sufficiently bring together the brands and get the exposure each organisation wanted.
The cipher itself was a union jack (in keeping with the event) hosted on the FCO conference site, with a series of logos on the flag itself. It was uploaded as a PNG file and had a binary string in the middle of the flag. The binary string easily translated to a goog.le shortlink that took you to a holding page on one of my sites that had each of the organisations logo’s and a message saying thanks for playing. What was less obvious and in fact the real challenge, was that the flag actually had two binary strings embedded onto each other in such a way that if you played with the colours you would see a series of 0’s that were in fact 1’s and vice versa 🙂 This decoded to a different goog.le link that took you to a random page on a paste bin style site, where there was an ascii art pumpkin with some cipher text in it. The cipher text required a key to decrypt, and the key was hidden as a html comment in the other page that you went to if you only found the first shortlink, so to complete the entire task you had to visit both short links, and pull it all together.
It was a simple little cipher that around 100 or so people played and 3 people got right. I put the low turn out down to the last minute nature of the engagement and lack of major press coverage, but, it was still a lot of fun to pull together, and if you cant have fun in your work, what’s the point?
So, what does all this have to do with the GCHQ Cipher I hear you ask? Simple…
When my team and I developed this cipher for the event I was liaising with the guys at GCHQ careers to ensure they were happy with what we had done and that we had hit the relevant targets for them. In short, they “absolutely loved the cipher” and “thought it was a brilliant idea”.
…a few weeks later, they had their own.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I am aware I don’t own the rights to developing cipher/code breaking challenges to identify talent in the community, but I have been doing it long enough to know that you have to get the “pitching” absolutely perfect to the targets. By this I mean, there is no point in creating a cipher/challenge that would tax the most senior pen tester in the market when your using it to find talent to fill a job that pays £20K or so, in fact, this is the reason the ciphers we develop for the UKCSC are not that difficult. What these challenges do/should do is require the player to demonstrate some core requirements such as R&D/basic scripting/coding potentially, ability to think creatively etc, and then entice them in through layers of difficulty to a point where they are genuinely interested and engaged. This approach lets us target the college/university/entry to employment band of the industry and find the real talent in it to bring on board and then develop.
So, in summary, GCHQ, nice try but don’t give up your day jobs, and next time you want some help finding talent to help protect the nation, just ask, we are always happy to help.
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InfoSecOpen post to see coverage:
North West Insider – August 2007 – IT Security
North West Insider – August 2008 – BERR Survey
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LiveMixesWell, this one is definatley better quality, on all fronts!! Music, mix & production. Let me know if you like it!
https://jabawoki.com/wp-content/mp3/DJJD__ElectroFied__04082008.mp3
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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InfoSecI read an interesting article the other day about the fact that Cray have toppled IBM of the top spot in the super computer race with a staggering 1.64 Petaflops of processing grunt from its XT Jaguar supercomputer. Of course, I expect this will be short lived given the Roadrunner has a theoretical 1.7 Petaflop capacity.
So what I hear you cry!
Well think of this, Cloud computing is here to stay and can yield some massive processing potential, but its still quite young and clouds tend to be privately owned and sold to the highest bidder. But what if we could all club together and build a cloud so big, so powerful it blew the Crays and IBMs of this world out of the water?
Again, I hear the crys of yeah right!
Well, ask yourself this, do I own a PS3? if the answer is yes, welcome to the “PSCloud”
The concept is simple, in a PS3 there is an IBM Cell Processor with 8 CPU cores, a very powerful CPU indeed! and guess what, IBM’s Roadrunner uses them too, yes, the Roadrunner has just short of 13,000 Cell Processors in it, of course it has quite a few AMD’s as well (6.4K), but the cells are the bulk of it.
So lets look at the facts, the same basic architecture used for the supercomputer market is in our homes, and cloud computing is here to stay, well I’m no rocket scientist but I reckon if we put these two concepts together, Roadrunner and Jaguar have a problem on their hands.
As of November 2008, over 16 million PS3’s have been sold around the world, of which we can assume by the design and nature of the unit, that nearly all of them are connected to the internet, so if we were able to join them into a single cloud, what sort of processing power could we achieve?
I ask you this….. If 13,000 Cells and 6K AMD’s get you 1.6 Petaflops, what would 16million Cells get you?
All we need to make this happen is a software/firmware update to turn the PS3 into a cloud member and a peer based command and control mechanism, any programmers out there?
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InfoSecOk, its been ages since I actually had snort up and running, so long in fact that the last time I used it, ACID was still the best way to deal with the alerts! Well after a couple of days (well a couple of hours here and there at least) I have a fully functional set of snort sensors in place on public and private segments of my networks, all feeding to a centralised database with “BASE” handling the analysis! woohoo. small victories are the best!
I can definatley say its come a long way. It was much easier to install, and only took a small amount of syntax debugging to figure out the configs. During my research / re-learning curve though it would seem that version 2.8 with the stream5 processor is not as good as version 2.4 with the flow processor at detecting portscans. This was certainley the concensus of the community, and after a bit of playing I can agree. However, I now have sfPortscan running with stream5 and its seems pretty accurate to me, so I am certainly happy with the results.
BASE is also a welcome move onwards from what used to be a very clunky interface. It seems light and intuitive, with decent features. I think it could do with the addition of some basic graphs, rather than having to use the graph engine to define your graphs each time, but on the whole i think it is certainly a good alternative to spending a large amount of money on a commercial product. Certainly the ability to abstract the managemnet interface, data storage and sensors from each other gives you a highly scaleable model to use a basis for a large scale deployment.
Of course, if you don’t fancy the pain of compiling code from scratch, or your just dam lazy, check out EasyIDS for a complete “IDS in a box” that gives you everything I just said with none of the hastle!
….You just can’t ingore the momentum that opensource has gained 😉
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RH2B Build DiaryThe first job on the agenda for the Hoody was to fix some rather terrible intake trumpets! The independent Throttle Bodies that were installed onto the engine are, well, how do I say this….. a bit shit. While there is a long term plan around changing these I needed a better short term solution to a specific problem. The trumpets kept falling off!
Reading the original build diary there is a sentence that reads “Modified Maplin Speaker trumpets as air intakes”. That should be enough to make you shudder, it did me! So first things first was to fire up Fusion 360 and get to work with the vernier calipers!
After several iterations I found a design that worked. It has sufficient grip inside the intake to hold itself steady and a small ridge around the outside to stabilize itself. There was of course no where to bolt or secure an intake trumpet to as these ITB’s were once a dellorto carburetor and twice as long. (The builder literally cut them in half!) I had to design two types of intake as one of the 4 had to accommodate an air temperature sensor, but it was a simple enough modification once I had a good base design.
4 3d printed trumpets ready for installation.
Several printed iterations, as well as some R&D into the right type of material to print the final versions in was necessary. In the end I opted for an engineering Grade Carbon Fiber infused Nylon composite from Novamid. This material boasted a very high heat deflection temperature, extreme strength and nearly zero shrinkage whcih was ideal for my situation. It wasn’t cheap stuff though!
All in all the project took a while due to 1) me learning new skills in Fusion, 2) learning how to print composite materials and 3) modifying my printer to cope with the composites. That said, it was thoroughly enjoyable!
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LiveMixesAnoter day another mix…… back in the style of electro madness!
David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland – When Love Takes Over (Electro Extended Mix)
Melleefresh, Deadmau5 – Sex Slave (Original Mix)
Costello – Girls Speak Louder (Donique Mix)
Alexis, Darmon, Eran Hersh, George F – Girls Who Like Girls (Original Living Room Club Mix)
Larry Tee Feat. Roxy Cottontail – Lets Make Nasty (Afrojack Remix)
Jewlez – Get Down (Original Mix)
Pain, Gubellini – Shake It Up feat. Darook Mc (Maurizio Gubellini & Stefano Pain Main Mix)
Martin Solveig – Poptimistic (Bingo PLayers Vox)
Mowgli – London To Paris (Original Mix)
Laidback Luke, Lee Mortimer – Blau! (Original Mix)
Funkagenda – H3lix (Original Club Mix)
Wolfgang Gartner – Latin Fever (Original Mix)
Starkillers – Bitch Ass Trick (Original Version)
Incidentally, this is my first recorded mix on the APC40 with Ableton 🙂
https://jabawoki.com/wp-content/mp3/Jabawoki_DirtyFriday_05032010.mp3
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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LiveMixesA multi-part Electro Pop Mix for the masses 🙂
01. David Guetta – Memories (Bingo Players Remix)
02. Klubbheads – Kickin hard (DJ Solovey Remix)
03. Desto – Crazy (Lindberg And William Remix)
04. Snap – The Power (DJ Pomeha Remix 2010)
05. Gubellini vs Pain feat Darook Mc – Shake It Up (Javi Mula Remix)
06. Sabien And Alim – Naughty Feat Jerique (Shahin Remix)
07. Loleatta Holloway – Ride On Time 2010 (Bruno Ramos & HytraxX Mix)
08. DJ Eako & Morelly feat. Omega Brown – I Can’t Stop (Steel Mix)
09. Queen – You Don’t Fool Me (Dj Denis Rublev & Dj Natasha Baccardi Remix 2010)
10. Andrea Paci feat. Michelle Weeks – Big Mama (Elektro Mix)
11. Crookers Feat. Miike Snow – Remedy (Magik Johnson Vocal Remix)
12. Axwell – I Found You (DJ MikeY 2010 Remix)
13. Robbie Rivera feat. Fast Eddie – Let Me Sip My Drink (Chuckie Remix)
14. Topmodelz – Have U Ever Been Mellow (Rekoilz Electro Remix)
15. Niels Van Gogh And Emilio Verdez – Black Is Black (Club Mix)
16. Soul Puncherz – Speakerz Bumpin Loud (Filthy Rehab Remix)
17. Shadow Stars – Desintegration feat. Sergei Khovanksy (Mario Ochoa Remix)
https://jabawoki.com/wp-content/mp3/Jabawoki_Electro_Pop_Part_1_10082010.mp3
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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3DWhy this Kit?
This kit is well built and well packaged which combined with the relative cost is absolute value for money for the print size. It does suffer a number of issues though and the “community guide” is an invaluable asset in the build of these printers.
The community around this printer is great and has many people both skilled and novice, all of whom seem happy to help. The community is mostly in the Facebook Group, or at least that is where I found them! There is an extremely detailed and maintained “Community Guide” that contains a wealth of information about the printer, its issues, its features and how to get the most out of it. This can be found linked from the Facebook Group or can be downloaded from this link.
One of the best features for a first time builder like me was the very extensive video build guides from:
ruiraptor. His 15 video series on the full build process took all the pain out of this for me. That said, It would have taken more pain out of it if I had watched all 15 videos before starting to build the printer as sometimes he will show you how to do something the “TEVO Way” and then his own way, which is often much better!
The community guide also holds some key information not covered in detail or at all in the videos such as the BL Touch installation.
TEVO Black Widow 3D printer – All assembly videos
Aside from the support. Guides and quality of this printer, the main reasoning behind the choice was the build area. A whopping 370mm x 250mm x 300mm build area was exactly what I needed to support some of the planned projects that I will use this for.
Where to buy it?
Do not buy this kit off ebay! Buy it direct from the manufacturer shop via AliExpress. This will ensure you get the latest version direct from the manufacturer stock rather than an old one that has been sat in someone’s stock room for a while. At the time of writing this, V3 was the latest.
A key reason for this is that early versions of this printer had some serious faults such as an earthing issue on the power switch that could electrocute you!
Additional Mandatory Parts:
12 x 28mm Cast Aluminium Corner Brackets
24 x 8mm M5 High Tensile Butten Flange Allen Bolts
24 x CNBTR M5 Thread T Spring Nut 20 Series EU
1 x Red Button 4 Pin DPST ON/OFF Illuminated Rocker Switch AC 250V 15A
1 x 2 metres of 10mm Expandable Braided Sleeving
1 x 1 roll of 9mm cloth wiring tape
1 x Standard Floated Glass 400mm x 250mm x 3mm with Polished edge (from local glazier)
1 x Right-Angle USB2.0 B Male to USB B Female Socket Panel Extension Cable Cord
Optional Parts:
7 x Solid V Xtreme Wheel
8 x Mini V Xtreme Wheel
1 x 24v 40mm Layer Fan
1 x 3m of 28 AWG red & black silicon wire for layer fan
2 x pair of 2 PIN JST SM Plug Socket Connectors – Soldered / Crimp
1 x 400mm x 250mm PrintBite+
Optional Tools
1 x 15 or 30cm metal ruler
1 x 8mm flexible head ratchet spanner
1 x 60 in 1 S2 Tool Steel Precision Screwdriver Nutdriver Bit Repair Tools Kit hv2n
Tools & Assembly
Although the kit comes with all the tools you need to build it, it does make it quite hard work if you only use them. The additional tools suggested make light work of the job and if you don’t have them, come in handy in many other places! The general assembly is straight forward, although if you are following the build videos, make sure you have watched them all first. I found that in certain videos, Rui would build something and take it apart then show you a better way to build it! If your following the video for the first time this can mean you build somethings twice or more.
Modifications
Let me fist answer the question of why modify? These kits are “Open Build” based which essentially means that they are based on 100% open sourced common components that have been pulled together to make this kit. TEVO have a number of custom parts size / length and manufactured their own versions to suit this kit perfectly which makes this kit very good.
That said, a number of parts in this kit such as wheels or angle brackets are not the absolute best that are available, and as with anything built to a market price point, some compromises exist. It is these compromises I am not willing to accept and that I wanted to tackle as part of the build process.
Joints
I was unhappy with the quality of the L brackets given the need for a true and non-flexing chassis and as such decided to opt for the 28mm cast aluminium brackets instead. These make a much stronger connection that is less likely to flex during use. For me this was key as a chassis of this size will likely have a lot of pressure put on the joints and any flex in a joint will lead to an inaccuracy in the layer.
Wheels
I was not initially going to replace the wheels despite hearing about the issue of some users reporting flat spots. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a bad decision and in fact I needed to replace the stock wheels straight away. Essentially, the stock wheels will deform if they are left in the same position for a period of time due to the malleable nature of the material used. What I was not expecting in my build was for the heat bed carriage wheels to do this within the first 24 hours! Some people suggested that this is simply because they were too tight, but personally I don’t think that they are as you need to have them tight enough to stop all lateral movement or “wobble” as this will effect print quality. For me, the wheels deformed very quickly so it was better to change them for a much harder polycarbonate compound that is less prone to deformation.
Rocker Switch
Although supposedly fixed in V3 with a new style toggle switch, the possibility of getting electrocuted didn’t appeal. Looking at the toggle switch that comes with the kit, its metal and rated at 12v /20a which just doesn’t sit right with me given its switching the mains live wire directly :/. Instead I opted for a much better quality 250VAC / 15A plastic illuminated switch to ensure that I am insulated from any potential shorts in the switch that could give me a nasty jolt.
Drag Chains
Each of the drag chains can cause the wires to rub and eventually fail unless they are put into nylon sleeving. This sleeving helps to prevent the rubbing and allows the chains to keep everything neat. It is also useful for hiding the mess of cables that connects the control box to the printer and keeping everything untangled.
Layer Fan
A Layer fan is option but seems to be quite a common modification. Even if you are not installing a layer fan on day 1, I do recommend running the cable for the fan through all of the sleeves and drag chains while you build it to save having to take it all apart at a later date when you decide you want one. Its worth running the wire (30 gauge red & black) from the control box to the print head and putting a 2 pin JST connector on it ready for the addition of a fan at a later date. You can also add a break where all of the other cables join from the control box to the printer and using a JST connector (male & female) to match the stock wiring setup
Wiring / Controller Box.
The way in which TEVO suggest to organise the controller box is flawed and Rui does a great job in showing you a much better way. Essentially you need to transpose the holes for the motherboard and mosfet from one side panel to the other, and then mark and drill holes on the original side where the motherboard and mosfet were to be located, in order to mount the PSU on its side. The result is much more space, much less cable mess, better airflow and room to work!
The other major change to the controller box is the power switch. If you use the power switch I suggested you are going to have to cut a square hole around the existing round one. A Dremil some painters tape and patients is all you need. And just remember if you make a total hash of it, you can always print a new one once your printer is up and running!
Firmware Upgrade
I’m a subscriber to “the latest version is best” way of life and as such, job one, even before an actual print, is to upgrade the firmware to the latest version. The printer I bought came with 1.1.0 RC7, while at the time of writing this, 1.1.8 (RC8 V4) was available. The best guide on how to perform the upgrade is here from Rui:
How to easily configure and flash firmware to a TEVO BlackWidow 3D printer
Calibration
This stage is key. Take your time on Video’s 13 & 14 and make sure your eSteps and extrusion is perfect. If you have opted for the BL Touch (recommended) then you do need to follow the community guide on how to calibrate it, but once done its ability to self level the bed before a print is so time saving.
First Print
The first print is always going to be nerve wracking but as long as you have taken your time with everything during the build process and especially the calibration, then it will come out just fine. Here we have my first print, a 20mm XZY Calibration cube printed at 0.2mm layer height:
Key Builds
Universal Spool Holder
Part Cooling Duct for Tevo Black Widow & 40mm Fan
Its best if you print the part cooler and one of the velocity stacks first. Then assemble that and fit it before printing the rest.
Overall the quality is very good though:
Build Gallery
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