Want to know more about Pinball Zero? You are not the only one.
The Pinball Zero adventure begins in the summer of 2020. It is then crowdfunded. Unfortunately, many projects seeking crowdfunding quickly end up in the trash. That’s why I didn’t pay much attention to it.
But eventually, sometimes dreams come true. And I heard about it more and more frequently, until finally receiving a copy at the end of last year.
Buy Pinball Zero from the official website (USA)
Features
- Arm Cortex-M4 32-bit 64 MHz (mobile chip)
- Arm Cortex-M0+ 32 MHz (network chip)
- Flash: 1024 KB
- SRAM: 256 KB
- Screen : 1.4-inch 128 x 64 monochrome LCD
- Joystick: 5 buttons with back button
- Battery : 2000mAh rechargeable
- Frequencies below 1 GHz: 315 MHz, 433 MHz, 868 MHz and 915 MHz (depending on regions)
- NFC: 13.56MHz
- RFID: 125kHz
- Connector: 18 GPIOs
- Infrared TX/RX range: 800-950 nm, TX power: 300 mW
- Bracket: iButton 1—Wire (Dallas DS1990A/CYFRAL compatible)
- USB port : 2.0 Type-C
Image: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET.
Design and features
The gadget looks like a child’s toy: it’s all plastic and brightly colored (much like a Tamagotchi). But beneath its amusing appearance, aided by the virtual dolphin that serves as its mascot, hides a dual-core Arm processor that drives the components capable of hacking almost anything you can get your hands on.
Image: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET.
OK, but what can Pinball Zero do? Many things. First, there’s a built-in infrared transceiver that can both capture and transmit infrared codes to control certain devices, like TVs.
Image: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET.
Then there’s a sub-GHz wireless antenna that can also capture and transmit wireless codes to operate devices like garage door remotes, overhead gates, IoT sensors, and even remote key systems. . It can also read, store and emulate EM-4100 and HID Prox RFID cards.
Image: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET.
It can read, write, store and emulate NFC tags. On the front panel, there is a 1—Wire connector that can read and emulate iButton badges (DS1990A, CYFRAL, Touch Memory or Dallas key).
Connector 1— Wire // Image: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET.
Finally, on the top are GPIO connectors that allow the Zero pinball to connect to other gadgets.
Image: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET.
Wi-Fi development board connected to the GPIO connector. Image: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET.
For storage, there’s a microSD card slot, but the card isn’t included.
Use
That’s a lot in such a small package.
Everything is controlled using the 5-key touchpad and a back button. The 1.4 inch 128 x 64 screen is enough to give you the necessary information.
A 2000 mAh rechargeable battery ensures the machine’s autonomy. It lasts about a week before claiming its charger.
Although I’ve tested some of these functions — and everything seems to work just fine — it’s going to take some time and experimentation to see how useful these functions are in practice (within legal limits of course). ).
Image: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET.
The inventory problem
For 320 euros and some (delivery included), the Pinball Zero is a very interesting product. While it won’t replace high-end pentesting tools, it packs a lot of power into a tiny package. Contrary to what its look might suggest, it’s far from being a toy. It’s even one of the easiest and cheapest ways to work with RFICs and NFCs.
As for successfully buying the Pinball Zero, that’s another story. Stocks often run out (the store is often restocked, so keep an eye out) and if you’re in a hurry, you can find some at stockists, but the prices are often crazy.
For further
Source: ZDNet.com