tech. blog. repeat.
This process uses a modified version of the official Raspberry Pi OS (2020-02-13-raspbian-buster-lite.img). It has been configured with the tools necessary to burn an Arduino style bootloader using the Raspberry Pi’s GPIO pins (described here). Brief summary of steps: Wire Raspberry Pi GPIO pins to Arduino ICSP pins Boot the custom Raspberry Pi image Connect a…
If you have an e-commerce website, you can validate shipping addresses on the front end to reduce delays and minimize costly returns due to bad addresses. Going further, you can also script and automate address validation for batch imports into UPS Worldship. This process will only apply to addresses in the United States, since UPS…
Hyper-V Server is great and it’s also completely free. Yes, Windows 10 Pro comes with the option to install and run Hyper-V, but anyone running more than a couple of virtual machines will eventually gravitate towards a dedicated virtualization server. So how do you manage Hyper-V Server if it doesn’t have a GUI? Any Windows…
The dangers of exposing Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to the internet are well documented. It’s no surprise that a tool designed for ease of use has become a prime target for scripted brute force attacks and other exploits, allowing compromised machines to serve as attack vectors for Ransomware. There are several practices for enhancing Remote…
I work with stepper motors a lot. My projects typically include multiple motors running off of a single microcontroller. Everything is great when you’re running all of them at the same speed. But what if you need each motor to run at a different speed? at a different time? or you need to do something…
Public Key authentication is one of the safest ways to log into a server. Instead of using a plain text password, Public Key authentication uses a Public/Private key pair to identify authorized users. The target server stores the Public Key while the user holds the Private Key. Step 1: Generating Public / Private Keys with…
If your business uses an e-commerce solution or ERP that records customer shipping information, then chances are you can integrate your shipping database with the UPS shipping platform, WorldShip®. Simply put, you can ship packages by keying in order numbers or any unique reference number. All relevant fields can be customized to automatically populate from…
The method described in this article, ‘DoDirectPayment,’ is depricated. It will work for existing users, but no new users are allowed. Important: PayPal isn’t accepting new users for this feature, and we require existing users to upgrade to our Advanced Debit and Credit solution that supports EMV 3DS (3DS 2.0) for PSD2. Our Advanced Debit…
I’ve long been a user of PDF::API2, a module available for Perl. I use it everyday at work and along with a few other modules, it has made Perl an invaluable tool for me. Being able to generate PDF’s for reports and documents allow for a bevy of automation shortcuts where traditional Data Merging, or…
A few months ago, I found myself needing a null modem cable to connect to a server, the Dell Poweredge R810. I had to figure out why it wasn’t booting (a RAID issue). At the time I didn’t have a VGA cable for video out, but luckily I did have a regular straight through serial…