With the hacker multi-tool Flipper Zero, it was unclear for a long time whether it would really materialize as a product. The device has now arrived at the c’t editorial office.
Some speak of a hacking multi-tool, others of a Tamagotchi for hackers: When it was announced about two years ago, the Zero pinball machine, designed in a Moscow hacking space, not only caused a sensation, but also raised doubts: there was speculation from the start whether the product will be launched at all and whether it delivers what it promises; After all, there have often been crowd financing campaigns that turned out to be hot air.
Now the pinball zero has arrived in the c’t editorial office. Before the detailed tests start there, the c’t-3003 team produced a video with the very first steps (see above).
The device looks valuable and comes with a display that is easy to read even in bright surroundings. The pretty design with the animated dolphin puts you in a good mood while hacking. In a quick hands-on session, it was easy to learn the infrared transceiver and use it to control devices such as amplifiers and televisions. In addition, the hands-on worked right away: the Bad-USB function with Rubber Ducky-compatible scripts, computer remote control with Bluetooth (here the Pinball Zero pretends to be a Bluetooth keyboard) and reading NFC cards.
Reading 125 kHz RFID cards or tags was not immediately successful. According to the documentation, the Pinball Zero supports the types EM4100, EM4102, H10301 and Indala. Different access cards were not recognized by Pinball Zero. The tests planned for the next few weeks will show whether this was due to the device or the cards. Tests with iButton keys, sub-GHz radio systems and the GPIO interface are also planned.
Not only the firmware running on the Pinball Zero is open source, but also the update program and the iOS and Android apps. Although the pinball zero has only recently been delivered, there are already a number of community projects.
The pinball zero is only sold directly by the manufacturer and costs around 215 euros including shipping to Germany and taxes. If you order now, the device should be delivered in August.
c’t 3003 is c’t’s YouTube channel. The videos on c’t 3003 are independent content and independent of the articles in c’t magazin. Editor Jan-Keno Janssen and video producers Johannes Börnsen and Şahin Erengil publish a video every week.
(jkj)
