Hacker News Top Stories with Summaries (December 16, 2023)
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<h1> Hacker News Top Stories</h1>
<p>Here are the top stories from Hacker News with summaries for December 16, 2023 :</p>
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I bricked my Christmas lights
Summary: A tech enthusiast reverse-engineered Bluetooth LE LED light controllers to integrate them into a home automation system. Using Wireshark and jadx, they decrypted the bytes sent from the app to the device and replicated the controls in their own code. However, while testing additional effects, the lights stopped working, possibly due to a firmware corruption. The author shared their findings on GitHub as a Home Assistant custom component but warned users to proceed at their own risk.
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Smallest USB-C MIDI Synth
Summary: Mitxela has developed the "smallest and worst" USB-C MIDI synthesizer using a 32-bit RISC-V microcontroller, the CH32V003. The device is designed to fit within the diameter of a piezo buzzer and features a vertical-mount USB-C plug. The synthesizer is programmed to play notes when buttons are pressed and produces a square wave when MIDI data arrives at the chip. The project demonstrates the potential for creating compact USB-C devices with minimal components and low cost.