PIN-Cracking Robot

So, imagine you picked up a second-hand GPS unit that requires the entry of a 4-digit PIN code to unlock, and you don't have the code. What do you do? Well, if you're JJ over at Dashfest, then the obvious answer is to build a robot to cycle through all 1000 possible combinations for you, of course.
The PINcracker in action
The PIN-cracker in action (screenshot from YouTube video)

So, imagine you picked up a second-hand GPS unit that requires the entry of a 4-digit PIN code to unlock, and you don't have the code. What do you do? Well, if you're JJ over at Dashfest, then the obvious answer is to build a robot to cycle through all 10,000 possible combinations for you, of course.

As you can see, JJ cobbled together a collection of electronic odds and ends, producing a delightfully functional PIN-cracking device that would have made MacGyver proud. JJ describes his creation on his blog:

Entirely built from junk I had lying around, starting with an HP scanner. I don't have the hardware lying around to drive the stock stepper motor, so I decided to use servos instead. On top of the scanner's sled is a gutted DVD drive. 2 servos for X and Y, and a 3rd servo for pushing a pencil eraser stylus onto the screen. I didn't have servo horns, so I used clothes pins instead. Most everything is hot glued together. It's all run by an Arduino Nano.

The PIN-cracker doesn't include any way to detect when the GPS actually unlocked, but JJ happened to be watching when the magic number (0248) was entered.

The thing that is most appealing about the PIN-cracker is that is simple but incredibly effective. This is something you and the kids could readily make out of Lego. The kids would love it, it would impress their friends to no end, and it just might inspire the kiddies on to a later career as a master-criminal-hacker-spy. Well, maybe not so much that last thing.

Anyway, looking around JJ's blog, it's clear that he is an enthusiastic Maker. He has postings about other projects such as a Hallowe'en Tesla Coil Display, a portable NES in a Gameboy shell, an iPhone controlled garage door opener, and more. Be sure to take a look around while you're there...