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Home / I-Opener Areas / I-Opener General Posts Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! yep... No more translation tables...

Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) cyrixone Profile I just updated :Cat :Cracker, available at http://members.aol.com/amdinside/catcrack.exe the program now has the ability to decode using modified Base64. How is it modified? Well, here's the dirty little secret... The :Cue :Cat has the case of the letters "flipped". Ex: "a" is really "A" and vise versa "A" is really "a", and so forth. In order to do a Base64 decode from the :Cue :Cat you either can use a broken Base64 decoder, or you can flip the case on the letters before decoding them. This program uses the later method. After the Base64 conversion, each character must be converted to its ASCII number and Xor 67'ed, then converted back into a standard character. For those of you looking to make your own apps, I'll break it down without needing to give out source code: Take a :Cue :Cat string: .C3nZC3nZC3nYCNv6Dhb3CxnX.fHmc.C3DWC3nZCxn3D3zZ. Split it on the "."'s Flip the case, ie: C3DWC3nZCxn3D3zZ becomes: c3dwc3NzcXN3d3Zz Base64 decode it! http://www.catalyst.com/ has a free module for both 16 and 32-bit languages! It's in the SocketWrench package. Xor 67 each character: Do a loop that converts each character to its ASCII value, Xor 67 that value, then convert the ASCII value back to a character. And THAT'S IT! Great, now DigitalButtwads will definitly sue me... =P 09-11-2000 08:18:39

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) Youngert Profile cyrixone: Forgive my ignorance. What is Cue Cat? Is is a program that has the capability to decipher the IOpener's OS or what? 09-12-2000 07:03:20

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) YouBecha Profile Cue Cat is a FREE barcode scanner from Radio Shack. It was made to make it easier for them to advertize goods etc. The side benefit is that it will scan ALL barcodes...could be useful, or just a diversion. 09-12-2000 08:23:46

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) brokeniop Profile yeah, I have yet to pick one up, maybe this weekend, I wanna try out the new beos software that came out that works with it. Gotta try scanning my license =) 09-12-2000 10:46:19

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) Kudzu Profile LOL, you ought to see their infomercial. "What do we do with people who don't use our product? Why, we send them to hell." 09-12-2000 17:02:15

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) cyrixone Profile Okay, the 32-bit version is done! Weighing in at 2.3MB, it's a hefty download thanks to Micro$oft's runtime crap. http://members.hometown.aol.com/_ht_a/cyrixcmu/catcrk32.exe It now features the feature everyone hoped I'd feature... BACKGROUND DECODING! This program can now intercept and squelch the scan data (without needing focus!) and spew the decoded data into your app however you desire. Yes, this means you can use the :Cue :Cat in your favorate database app or wordprocessor or web browser to scan barcodes in for whatever reason. Enjoy! 09-13-2000 07:44:52

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) bbbc Profile >Okay, the 32-bit version is done! Okay, I got the puppy and executed it. After the extraction, it seems as though the extensions to each file are messed up. Instead of being like .exe, they have underscores for the third character like .ex_ Any help would be appreciated. I had no clue about this device until WIRED and Delta Airlines decided to drop one in the mail to me yesterday. I was cracking up by the idea that I would have any desire to install this spyware on my system. 09-13-2000 08:25:55

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) cyrixone Profile To bbbc: After the file self-extracts, run setup.exe to start the installation process. :) 09-13-2000 09:36:47

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) RVWinkle Profile Great job CYRiX, this is a very cool program. I now can pretend I didn't pick this Cue Cat for no reason. I never installed the software because I didn't see a point to wasting my valuable hard drive space for another advertisment system. I do have a feature request though.... I find that I usually have to brush the device over a barcode several times. I end up scanning the barcode 2 or 3 times right in a row (after 4 or 5 attempts). It seems to me that it would be very simple to have the software pick up the selected code once and then stop scanning for 5 or so seconds. Of course I'm not a programmer and I'm sure you don't intend to spend every waking hour hacking this software. Regardless, thanks for the entertainment RVWinkle 09-13-2000 18:46:41

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) starfish Profile An OLD Thread with some Basic Decoder Ideas. I-Appliance BBS General / NEWS, Breaking NEWS / CueCat Hacked !!! FREE BarCode SCanner http://www.linux-hacker.net/cgi-bin/UltraBoard/UltraBoard.pl?Action=ShowPost&Board=bnews&Post=204&Idle=0&Sort=0&Order=Descend&Page=0&Session= For those looking for More on this Topic. I think New Questions & Posts should be in this Thread, * StarFish * 09-13-2000 20:23:10

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) cyrixone Profile to RVWinkle: I ran into the same problem on difficult-to-scan barcodes. The "Beep on Decode" feature helps let you know when a scan has been correctly registered. Having the program "ignore" repeat scans might not be a bad idea but it would rule out ever being used in a situation where you want to use the scanning feature as a way to count how many items of the same barcode you have (for inventory or something similar). Since it would be fairly simple to add, I will probably add a user-selectable option to do this in the next version. The one thing I did find out testing this program is that the new :Cue :Cat (black nose, catalog 68-1965-A) is a load of ####. I'm surprised they expect anyone to use this thing for its intended purpose - I COULD NOT get it to scan any of the damn "cues" (which by the way, I still have not figured out how to decode - but who cares) in the RatShack catalog no matter how many times I tried. The older version seemed slightly better - it only failed reading "cues" MOST of the time. Forget a USB version, this company needs to make a laser version if they really want people to save any time scanning those damn "cues". :) 09-13-2000 21:09:32

Ascii 2 hex/ hex 2 ascii program (modified 0 times) Busker Profile Cyrixone or anyone.... Can someone create a multipurpose ascii to hex/ hex to ascii program. We need a easy to use convertor program using the Hex and ascii values. I imported a hex/ascii list into crack32. I received some mumbo jumbo that did nothing. As simple as cuecat was, a hex/ascii convertor program should be just as easy. Here are numerous ascii/hex tables as reference: http://www.gator.net/~garyg/C/MISC/numconv.html http://claymore.engineer.gvsu.edu/eod/refer/units/units-4.html http://www-oss.fnal.gov/~mengel/Ascii_Chart.html http://www.komlamb.com/Technical/ASCII.htm http://www.sutron.com/products/reference/conversions/ascii.htm http://www.jimprice.com/jim-asc.htm Here are some examples of simple working ascii/hex convertors: http://javascript.internet.com/equivalents/ascii-engine.html (even has the source code) http://www.mit.edu/people/jmorash/conv.html http://javascript.internet.com/passwords/ascii-encryption.html (encrypted ascii) This is the prime example of a good coder: http://www.paradigm.nu/ascii2hex/ascii2hex.htm I'm asking for a windows based hex/ascii convertor that can easily translate a sentence of ascii code to hex, then visa versa. This has nothing to do with cuecat. Just a stand alone program that I can type some hex or ascii code and receive the converted values in either hex or ascii. PS. Try this link and tell me where you end up: http://www.playboy.com@3638221236/ http://3334130487/ 09-18-2000 14:57:38

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) Linuxguru Profile | Email BTW, Forbes magazine distributed a CueCat similar to the first Radio Shack version to all subscribers. However, the code that it outputs has an additional field in front of the serial number. The one I tested sent out a 1~. followed by the usual C3nZ.... This was the original 2-screw version without the red filter. 09-18-2000 19:59:38

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) AlainDelon Profile Cyrixone,I have tried several times to download the program,but all i get is 12.6kb.is it working? 09-24-2000 02:35:28

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) dr4web Profile 10-4 same problem on this end also. Thanks 09-24-2000 14:02:47

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) bbbc Profile If you need the archive I would be happy to send it to you. Just leave your email address in a post. 09-25-2000 07:09:14

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) dr4web Profile bbbc thanks would appreciate that. dr4web@yahoo.com 09-25-2000 08:01:07

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) duallnb Profile bbbc if you would please email me catcrack32. I have tried to download but no go. Thanks. ebell@nacs.net 09-26-2000 05:01:02

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) claymon Profile | Email bbbc, I have the same download problem. Could you please send it to me also ? Thanks! atnite@yahoo.com 09-27-2000 19:38:38

Cue Cat in the NY Times Circuits section 9-28-00 (modified 0 times) ballast Profile | Email There is a fairly lengthy article on the CueCat in the New York Times, Circuits section today. 09-28-2000 13:04:22

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) claymon Profile | Email Cyrix, It sounds like you have written a useful program for the CueCat - is there any chance you will repost it? 09-29-2000 08:26:00

:CueCat HARDWARE Hacked! ASCII OutPut (modified 0 times) starfish Profile :CueCat HARDWARE Hacked! ASCII OutPut (4 Screws Only, so far) http://www.topica.com/lists/pla_upl/read/message.html?mid=1702776249 (article) WARNING: Do not attempt to perform this modification unless you completely understand the instructions as a mistake could damage your computer's system board and/or the CueCat. 1. Open the CueCat by removing the 4 screws underneath and removing the top part. 2. Locate a set of 5 gold plated holes in the PC board they are close together in a row just above where it says FM+H Rev 0.3 on the pc board. {down & left of Crystal (tail is right side) 3. Solder a wire from the Red Wire (I like on top of the LED box(+5 volts)) to the second (or 4th) gold plated hole from the left in the group of 5 As a reference, left is the side where the light source is. (LED box) 4. Re-assemble the CueCat and reconnect to the computer. Now the CueCat can be used as an ordinary bar code scanner." (ASCII OutPut, WYSIWYG) http://www.flyingbuttmonkeys.com/foocat/cue-decrypt/ (WebSite / Color Pictures) Also, Serial Number can be Removed (set to 1s) & For the Most Infomation, GoTo http://air-soldier.com/~cuecat/ & incase You can't Find any of these Links (Legal Actions ???) Try this LIST of Mirrors !!! http://666pack.org/cuecat/Mirrors.asp I Don't Think, The Free GiveAway can last much Longer !!! Get them while you can. Oh Yea, One More Must Read !!! Digital:Convergence MUST BE STOPPED! http://braddock.com/dc/ 10-04-2000 00:46:42

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) sracer Profile bbbc, can you send it to me as well? sracer_ny@yahoo.com 10-04-2000 05:14:33

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) starfish Profile Here's a Web Site with a Photo of the Hardware Hack for the 06A00 Models http://www.jaggedsoft.com/cuedog/cuesnip.php 10-06-2000 00:26:02

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) starfish Profile Here's a BBS Just on the CueCat http://www.jaggedsoft.com/cgi-bin/YaBB/YaBB.pl?board=cuedog1 & From there comes the Hardware Hack Of the 2 Screws Neutering the Hyundai version Date posted: 10/06/00 at 03:42:43 EST The 2 screw case, Hyundai CPU version can be converted to plain ASCII output by lifting pin 10 of the Hyundai CPU. Pin 10 is normally connected to ground, so if you solder a wire from 5v to pin 10, you will have a short! Do not do this, instead seperate pin 10 from ground. When pin 10 is unsoldered (or cut), it will float high, no need to solder it to anything. Pin 10 can be found on the lower right side of the bottom row of pins when orienting the CPU so that the word "Hyundai" is right side up. Pin 11 is the last pin on the right of the bottom row. Pin 10 is just to the left of pin 11. There is a short length of PCB trace between pin 10 and the ground plane. This can be cut with a sharp knife, or one can use a soldering iron and desoldering braid to remove the excess solder on pin 10, then gently pry it up with the tip of a sharp knife while heating with the soldering iron. If you're good with the soldering iron, you can solder a wire to pin 10, connect it to a switch, then use the switch to convert from normal encrypted output to plain ASCII output. Pin 10 is only read by the CPU at power-up and reset, so you'll have to either unplug and replug the keyboard connector, or momentarily connect pin 4 (pin 4 is the reset line of the Hyundai CPU) to 5v AFTER changing the switch on pin 10 in order to get the output format to change. This modification has been verified on board version: K023A016 REV:C date code: 0024 ***************************************** Update on the 4 Screw Hack 10/4/2000 From: http://air-soldier.com/~cuecat/hardware-decrypt/cuecat_mods.html It appears that a pattern is forming - boards whose revision code starts with a T (or F) use the 2nd pad from the left, while boards with a revision code starting with H use the 4th pad. Regardless, the appropriate pin is wired to resistor R29. (Thanks to Chad Fawcett for this hint) 10-07-2000 00:02:49

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) delirium Profile bbbc- could you email me catcrack32 as well? i've had the same download problems as the others. thanks, delirium@new.rr.com 10-07-2000 22:36:02

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) fungoo Profile bbbs me too please... fungoo99@hotmail.com 10-08-2000 16:34:58

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) info Profile OK, A question about the optical sensor/detector inside the Cue Cat....anyone by chance know what the part# or equivlent is on this? Is it a photo transistor or photodiode? Opinions on spectral sensitivity? max peak sensitivity (ie @ 650 nm) will it work in the near I.R. 840-900 nm region. I've been looking thru some Siemens and other company's optical semiconductor catalogs and don't see a similar device.... I've been collecting a LARGE number of these (Different versions) due to the fact they give them away free and there are a lot of radio shacks in my area. Gotta find a use for the rest of them. 10-08-2000 18:58:38

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) info Profile . Forth round end easily dips right inverts vigorous energy . cellular overlays millinium iopener ******* 10-08-2000 19:13:46

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) ChooBaKa Profile Wouldn't mind the catcrk32 either. Thanks. 10-09-2000 11:11:16

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) Binky Profile | Email bbbc or cyrixone, I am having same download problem. Could you please re-post or email me? bsieling1@home.net 10-09-2000 21:36:56

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) melios Profile cyrixone: I was able to improve the scanning reliability of my 07A00 and 05A00 CueCats by turning the potentiometer all the way counter-clockwise. This is supposed to control the scanning speed, and definately made a difference. On both of mine the potentiometer was already adjusted midway. 10-09-2000 22:53:53

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) TrailerTrash Profile | Email I just put new VB code for reading cuecat scans at: http://www.michaelchaney.com/downloads/ It comes with two samples, including a really good one that reads the keys in the form's KeyDown and KeyPress events, making it pretty much invisible to the form and user. Give it a try. -TT 10-10-2000 21:35:32

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) 02U2 Profile Hmmm, Seems most of you may have missed the real meaning of the seamingly obscure post a few lines up.... 10-11-2000 01:42:07

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) gillesk Profile Has anybody gotten the CueCat to work as a USB device? I had the PS2 to USB adapter from an MS Natural Keyboard. I connected the cat to it and plugged it into my USB hub. The cat powered up and Windows 2000 detected a USB device, but I couldn't scan. The driver is a default USB device, should I change it to a keyboard device? Thanks 10-11-2000 08:58:16

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) starfish Profile Some 2 Screw :Cats have a SyncMOS CPU. Pin 10 is Still the one to Lift. (have You Noticed the White Silk Screen Mark for it ?)(Pin 4 also has a Mark) I have used a SMALL Flat Blade screwdriver, the width of the Height from the PCB to the Top of the Leg. With the screwdriver in this position, (Up & Down between Legs) Gently Push a little on Pin 10 near the PCB (bottom). then More to the other side. Always bracing against Pin 11 or 9, right as it comes out of the chip(TOP) DON"T BREAK EITHER !!! after 3 or 4 tries it will be Free, just bend it up alittle. You Need good lighting & Magnification. Might Not want to do this to Your only :Cat I haven't lost any from this Solderless Procedure. 10-11-2000 22:06:00

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) sracer Profile O2U2, nope the real meaning wasn't 'lost', it's only that there isn't enough data to make it useful. (Unless I missed *THAT* part) 10-12-2000 05:46:50

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) madtech Profile > O2U2, nope the real meaning wasn't 'lost', it's only that there isn't enough data to make it useful. (Unless I missed *THAT* part) sracer, What 02U2 was talking about was the post by "Info"... "Forth round end easily dips right inverts vigorous energy . cellular overlays millinium" First letter of each word.. "F r e e d r i v e . c o m" Right when you think you have the world by the balls, it sneaks around and f*ck$ you up the @$$! 10-12-2000 17:06:45

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) sracer Profile ummm, I *KNOW* that.... what I was referring to was that the link to a ######### was missing. Mentioning F R E E D R I V E is meaningless unless someone has a folder/disc to share. 10-12-2000 19:59:59

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) ydnar Profile Isn't it like the line from "Cities in Flight" about the mystery city--the same name twice...? 10-13-2000 10:24:58

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) cyrixone Profile I've been watching that cuecat reader software that is on eBay... A new version just came out that can read :cue :cat cue barcodes correctly. Damn, I gotta figure that $#!+ out. .fbquBqurbGyheqOvbM0ada4.ahb6.dWWecG1UcGWtbG0gewmtaHaqfaWrb24kdbmgdqyr. 10-13-2000 22:04:26

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) cyrixone Profile well the world gets crazier by the minute... My AIM/AOL site decided it doesn't like letting me upload anymore so I have not been able to cram Cat Cracker 32 back up. I'll be setting up another site on a real server soon. I've come to the conclusion that the clone/ripoff/whatever of Cat Cracker is probably the result of someone reading this board and using the same modules as me. Oh well, such is life with information freedom. Interestingly enough, their latest incarnation of "Kat Kit" can actually work with hardware hax0red cats that output standard data - this is an idea I have toyed with supporting in Cat Cracker, but came up perplexed. Once hacked, the cuecat will no longer send the Alt-F10 "attention" code. Things also get more confusing - when I try to capture the keyboard output, I get absoultely nothing. Is anyone else still working on the cuecat? 10-19-2000 00:24:40

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) ITPro Profile cyrixone, Seems like everyone's working on Windows drivers so I'm putting the finishing touches on a DOS TSR driver. Not that there will be any great demand for it, but it was fun to do. ITPro 10-19-2000 07:57:06

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) AngryRooster Profile I'd like that file too, send me a copy please, I'll check with my friend if I can post it on his site. send it to: killthecat@virtualducttape.com Thanks in advance. 11-05-2000 00:57:02

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) starfish Profile Elsewhere, it is asked: >What on earth can you do with a hacked cuecat? >Scan BarCodes and find out what the product is? >Am I missing something here? I would like to reply: Maybe ! Instead of thinking about what a product is, think about wanting to see the product move. Coming into your house, how long it sits, when it is used, & how long it takes to restock it. Imagine We are talking about Beer, or Soda Pop. You have to have a DataBase & want to maintain it. Once you have Known Items, You Want to Track, you will notice, that when 5 of something are gone but you only show 3 as being used. You find that your database contains 2 new items that are actually the missing 2 items, but they were miskeyed, causing 1 item to now have 3 names. So the Point of BarCodes being Machine Readable is Accuracy. We are trying to eliminate data entry errors as well as have a machine capture the input with minimal human intervention. The CueCat doesn't do the best job of this, but it sure does better than I can ! Interesting Story is of a Researcher who glued very small barcodes to the back of honey bees. The bees would be scanned leaving or returning to the hive. He then knew what time of day & for how long each & every bee was out of the hive. Being able to capture this much information, this easily, is why you are seeing barcodes everywhere ! Being able to use these existing Identifiers instead of needing to add your own is where the Free QueCat Shines. (& you can bet if I ever find a honey bee with a barcode on it's back, I will Need to know it's Name (ID)) 11-13-2000 00:12:40

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) PhotonWarrior Profile I do understand many that are not sure what good a CueCat is, I can think of very few uses, and not many people would use it like me. Once or twice a year, grocery stores in my area have case lot sales. the food is at much better prices than can be purchased normally. We can stock up then and use it all year long. At times, it is difficult to remember what we have in our stock (in the garage) and how old a certain case is, and keep track of unopened cases that get buried. It would also be nice to know when a sale is coming up, what items we use well, what items we are running low on, and what prices we have paid in the past. With the CuCat I can scan in cases as we buy them, along with price, count, date and description. Then throughout the year as we bring in items, we can scan them out of inventory from the Iopener on the kitchen counter. For us this is a perfect solution, but as I said, many people will find no use in this. The only other nice side will be to use it with DVD Profiler as many have said. But mostly it boils down to the thrill of the hack... 11-13-2000 16:43:13

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) Sculder Profile Please send me a copy of the software. Link didn't work. 05-25-2001 19:24:28

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) Sculder Profile Forgot my email address. papamarty@netcarrier.com. Please send me a copy of catcrk32. Thanks 05-25-2001 19:25:47

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) GamerX Profile Hey y'all, I just wrote a little program in VB6 that uses barcodes to quickly launch programs and files with an associated program. The only drawback so far is I doesn't work if either the file or the folders that lead to the program you want to launch has spaces in it. I'll probably fix that when I have the time. Drop by my site at http://gamerx-creations.cjb.net and click on "CueCat Interpreter" on the menu. (It's a small file too at 88kb) Stack Error: Lost in a cluttered desk, Gamer X 12-19-2001 16:43:45

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) *SF* Profile FIND "USB CueCats" on this Page http://www.cexx.org/cuecat.htm 12-26-2001 10:43:37

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) *SF* Profile a hack to decode a USB CueCat output (just like the keyboard version). Short answer: Find the chip marked HMS91C7316 (on the bottom side of the :Cat) and carefully cut/pry pin 5 to disconnect it from the board, as with the Neuter procedure. For those unfamiliar with pin numberings, see the diagram below. 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 | | | | | | | | ---------------------- | K130A033 | | HMS91C7316 | |o 0027 | ---------------------- | | | | | | | | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Or the same thing fron another Link http://www.flyingbuttmonkeys.com/foocat/usb/ Modifying the USB CueCat to output unencrypted data By Robert Miller -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you have a USB cat, you can carefully modify it to output unencrypted data. Just lift pin 5 of U2 (HMS91C7316), use a SHARP xacto. This works on a 2 screw USB cat with K023A055 Rev A board. Now this cat puts out the same data as a modified 06A00. The chip is made by Hyundai (now Hynix), but I couldn't find an exact match. I had modified a 07A00 (cut the trace to pin 10, both 10 and 11 go to the ground plane). Looking at the USB cat, I noticed that pins 5 and 6 go to ground. So I figured what the hell. Plugged it in, windows98 loaded a HID driver, and encrypted data would scan into Word, disconnected the internal connector(easier to get to than my usb connector), used a SHARP xacto and careful cut pin 5 from the board, reconnected the internal connector, and now it scans unencrypted data (the UPC from a CD case) into Word. 12-26-2001 14:34:31

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) cadetpc Profile | Email I got a Cue Cat from Wired Magazine (I think) when they first came out. I haven't done a thing with it and from reading this thread, it appears that the biggest thrill is to hack it. Other than that, it appears if mine were "modified", that about all I could would be to run around grocery stores pricing things. Why would I want to do that? Please let me know what I am missing in case I didn't "get it." I am not a techie (60 year-old "girl" whose iOpener has been hacked twice by other people on this BBS--xoxoxo), but just very curious about this little critter. Can I use it as is, and if so, for what? Clueless.... Thank you. "With an open mind, you will be open hearted." 01-07-2002 20:19:08

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) V4IO Profile Is :Cue Cat really FREE from any Radio Shack? I just don't want to make a trip to the local Radio Shack and find out that I have to pay for it. Can anyone please confirm? 01-07-2002 21:46:40

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) Kudzu Profile Can I use it as is, and if so, for what? Some people use it for their DVD or other item databases. Is :Cue Cat really FREE from any Radio Shack? Yes. I just don't want to make a trip to the local Radio Shack and find out that I have to pay for it. I'm sure they wouldn't turn down money if you offered it to them. Can anyone please confirm? Consider it confirmed. The PS/2, and in some cases, USB cuecats are free. I prefer the USB versions I got from IBM over Radio Shack's PS/2 version, but to each his or her own. 01-08-2002 01:14:35

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) DMasier Profile cadetpc I just got my USB cat hacked and I was thinking the same thing... "this is cool, now what do I do with it?" As mentioned above, I've heard of people using it to catalog CDs and DVDs but I don't really have that need. So I'm still working on it, but I have a few ideas... I'm terrible at remembering and typing numbers (my business requires me to type in ZIP codes all the time and it sucks). But then I thought, "Hey I can make a cheat sheet of all the numbers I have to remember and I can print them out using a barcode font. Then when I want to enter them, just swipe with the cuecat". (That was my brainstorm of the day.) Barcode fonts links, some free! http://www.adams1.com/pub/russadam/fonts.html I think you could do the same thing with web site passwords. Have a piece of paper on you desk with all the barcodes. Anyone walking by would have no idea what they were, but you have handy access to them all. I suppose you could do the same thing with email addresses (not sure if barcodes support the @ symbol) but email programs are pretty good at remembering email addresses already. If other folks have ideas, I'd love to hear them. 01-08-2002 04:47:31

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 1 times) Kudzu Profile If other folks have ideas, I'd love to hear them. Hmm. Encrypting business/client related phone numbers. You could probably use a similar cheat-sheet for your grocery list. 01-09-2002 02:18:25

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) BigDog Profile | Email I use mine to track network equipment at work, I keep a database of switchs, hubs, etc that have IP addresses that I assign and also track the serial number for maintance purposes. It's a lot easiier to scan the bar code and get the serial number rather to type it in by hand which sometimes leads to data entry errors. Since the serial number is already encoded by barcode, the CueCat reads the correct derial numbers everytime! 01-09-2002 06:35:35

This is Not Related to :CueCat Hardware (modified 0 times) *SF* Profile Looking for Camkat software (This is Not Related to :CueCat Hardware) Reads 1D/2D PDF417 Barcodes from: - picture files (bmp, jpg, gif, wmf ...) - Twain peripherals - VFW peripherals: Webcams, video acq. boards ... Realtime video processing . Turns Webcams into omnidirectional, realtime, 1D/2D barcode readers as efficient as dedicated barcode readers. Reads poor quality, damaged, low contrasted barcode labels. Barcoded URLs recognition. Keystroke automation. This is Shareware, Does anybody have a Copy they could Share ? Most Links are Dead, Home Page is Down. All Links for Download point back to Home Page. Only Comment I found about it. Hi Wang, Readerware Normally CamKat can read barcodes as good as most of professional CCD readers and better than any wand type readers. However the webcam must allow short focus adjustement (macro mode) : about 2 to 4 inches from the lens. This adjustment wasn’t possible with previous Logitech webcam generation and I think this is the reason why you didn’t get aggressive reading. With good quality cameras, you don’t need a specific lighting, just take care to specular reflections. However without lighting one can find difficult to aim the code. Unless you add an aiming to your camera, the best way is to look at the video on your PC screen (I agree this is not very convenient if you have to scan at 2 meters from it). Today I recommend, but I ‘ve not made exhaustive tests, either Philips Toucam Pro or Logitech Quickam Pro 3000. About settings : Video settings with the 2 cameras above : Format : 320x240 IYUV - Source : 30fps Trigger : Auto-Single read - (the continuous mode should be used for test only) Pattern : Centered semi-directional or Full Pict semi-directional The price (49$) is surely too high for that usage, but this software allows PDF417 reading and document processing. In this category it is by far the cheaper product. To finish a good new, a lite version will be available soon for less than 20$. B. Massat (CamKat’s author) Dont hesitate to contact me : contact@camkat.com Hi Wang, Readerware Normally CamKat can read barcodes as good as most of professional CCD readers and better than any wand type readers. However the webcam must allow short focus adjustement (macro mode) : about 2 to 4 inches from the lens. This adjustment wasn’t possible with previous Logitech webcam generation and I think this is the reason why you didn’t get aggressive reading. With good quality cameras, you don’t need a specific lighting, just take care to specular reflections. However without lighting one can find difficult to aim the code. Unless you add an aiming to your camera, the best way is to look at the video on your PC screen (I agree this is not very convenient if you have to scan at 2 meters from it). Today I recommend, but I ‘ve not made exhaustive tests, either Philips Toucam Pro or Logitech Quickam Pro 3000. About settings : Video settings with the 2 cameras above : Format : 320x240 IYUV - Source : 30fps Trigger : Auto-Single read - (the continuous mode should be used for test only) Pattern : Centered semi-directional or Full Pict semi-directional The price (49$) is surely too high for that usage, but this software allows PDF417 reading and document processing. In this category it is by far the cheaper product. To finish a good new, a lite version will be available soon for less than 20$. B. Massat (CamKat’s author) Dont hesitate to contact me : contact@camkat.com Does this suggest that "Readerware" is "CamKat" ??? Anybody Know anything about this Software ? Thanks in Advance ! * StarFish * 07-17-2002 00:40:08

RE:Cue Cat REALLY REALLY hacked! (modified 0 times) xicyx Profile Has anyone done anythig with the CRQ Wireless Audio-Link? 09-16-2002 20:55:52

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