asciilifeform: kakobrekla: i own several. who doesn't?
asciilifeform: dignork: no data sheet (at the time) - but leaked fw update util. that chinese scammers used to sell fake (undersized) usb drives at russian flea markets. lifted fw protocol off the wire from these.
asciilifeform: re: usb diddling: i had the entire thing working two years ago, with same 'phison', likewise cribbed russian docs. didn't think it was interesting to anyone other than me.☟︎
asciilifeform: sold in just about every shop of any description.
asciilifeform: those are so common, every man woman and child in usa can get own pipe right now from existing inventory, most likely.
asciilifeform once actually filmed indicator lights on refrigerator, using high speed camera (verified they were, indeed, oscillating, because someone should've failed electrical school)
asciilifeform: decimation: more importantly, is the fact that their machines cost money that i don't have.
asciilifeform: model railroad is not physically much like an actual railroad.
asciilifeform: precisely, as someone mentioned earlier, railroads
asciilifeform is very much familiar with the traditional setup
asciilifeform: Vexual: how all of this is done in 'adult' factory - is very well known. (anyone who gives a damn - find university library.) but won't help here.
asciilifeform: 'how to eat the airplane? one piece at a time.'
asciilifeform: the pick'n'place cum pastelayer is the only cut to a 'gordian knot' - namely, can't have the boards populated at a genuine factory (prohibitive cost for small batches) - but can't populate by hand with acceptable yield (very fine-pitch components)☟︎
asciilifeform: i'm genuinely surprised no one wrote in to say 'madness'
asciilifeform: because NRE (nonrecoverable engineering cost) is deadly
asciilifeform: can't have a part machined, for example, unless there is no possibility of making it to spec with own hands (pcbs with soldermask, vias, hard gold - fall into this category)
asciilifeform: so everything must be done in the most painfully economical way.
asciilifeform: i may have said it before, but i will repeat: s.nsa has a piggy (see mircea_popescu's site); every month, i invoice him for materials, get some btc. but, since i can't safely convert btc to usd where i live, i just sit on them. they will probably be buried with me. hence: s.nsa, presently, in practice runs on guess what (my pocket money...)☟︎
asciilifeform: decimation: flexible tube is annoying in various ways (can't rotate 360 deg.; wear around the connector ends; nonlinear resistance to turning, have to use gear train on stepper; etc)
asciilifeform: decimation: i don't have a cnc lathe.
asciilifeform: decimation: yes, with that lathe. with what else.
asciilifeform: at any rate, hopefully answered the question of why simple-looking piece of junk had to be laboriously cut.
