Hacking a Best Buy gift card...
Moderator: Moderators
Hacking a Best Buy gift card...
I got a Best Buy gift card lately for $20. I bought a game and had a bit left over, so I bought another Best Buy gift card for $0.01. This card has a 7 by 21 LED display that shows simple scrolling messages. I opened it up, and have no idea what to do next - I've never done something like this before. What can I do with this display?
I can't; I just let my father borrow my camera for his trip 
One side is the 7 by 21 LCD panel.
The other side has:
- seven small black rectangular objects in the upper left; each is labeled J3Y and is surrounded by a white box on the circuit board.
- the battery
- three buttons.
- twelve very small square objects attached to the circuit board; some are in a clump of seven, some in a clump of four, and the last alone.
- a somewhat larger, but still small black rectangle labeled FM24C16 0717J3R.
- a black circular blob off-center of a rectangular portion surrounded by metal rectangles on the circuit board.
One side is the 7 by 21 LCD panel.
The other side has:
- seven small black rectangular objects in the upper left; each is labeled J3Y and is surrounded by a white box on the circuit board.
- the battery
- three buttons.
- twelve very small square objects attached to the circuit board; some are in a clump of seven, some in a clump of four, and the last alone.
- a somewhat larger, but still small black rectangle labeled FM24C16 0717J3R.
- a black circular blob off-center of a rectangular portion surrounded by metal rectangles on the circuit board.
Well, you know what it looks like, perhaps Google can help you get a picture? I'll take a look but meh...LSK wrote:I won't have access to my camera for a little while.
I might have found one, might it look like this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DiD4GDKqKE
DUDE! I'm getting my family together, going to Best Buy, and having each person get 5 cards!
Thanks sooo much for the post, I wouldn't have known about them without you. If I do go and get a whole bunch, maybe I can send them out to those who can't go get one.
- Get a datasheet for the EEPROM.
- Find out the protocol it uses (im thinking I2C)
- Get a microcontroller that uses that protocol
- write 20 lines of code to command the microcontroller to change the data in the EEPROM, using the information from the datasheet
whats do those three buttons do... the youtube video suggests that the card is already programmable manually.
- Find out the protocol it uses (im thinking I2C)
- Get a microcontroller that uses that protocol
- write 20 lines of code to command the microcontroller to change the data in the EEPROM, using the information from the datasheet
whats do those three buttons do... the youtube video suggests that the card is already programmable manually.
Last edited by timmeh87 on Mon Dec 24, 2007 10:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Linux is only free if your time is worthless"
Microchip are a friendly bunch, they give them out for free.
If you know nothing about programming these things, then I suggest you start out in the 16F series, 16F767 or 16F877a are good chips. Look for something with an internal oscillator, it cuts down on the hardware you need.
use the parametric search, find what you are looking for, go to the detail page, find the "request samples" link. make an account.
make sure you get the DIP package.
If you know nothing about programming these things, then I suggest you start out in the 16F series, 16F767 or 16F877a are good chips. Look for something with an internal oscillator, it cuts down on the hardware you need.
use the parametric search, find what you are looking for, go to the detail page, find the "request samples" link. make an account.
make sure you get the DIP package.
"Linux is only free if your time is worthless"
One can add messages to a limit of six. One button advances characters; another moves to the next letter in the alphabet in one's selection; another moves to the previous letter in one's selection.timmeh87 wrote:whats do those three buttons do... the youtube video suggests that the card is already programmable manually.
