Sometimes, hackers attack just to explore the secrets of old hardware. This is the case when (small fault) and a friend start to eavesdrop on some old Intel 8080 boards that have lived in the garbage heap for too long.
The motherboard in question is the motherboard of the Identity barcode scanner, running Intel 8080 CPU. Hacker attacks on the 8080 are somewhat different, because ancient CPUs require three independent voltages to operate. However, with the design of the power rail and the connection of the power supply, the old circuit board can be started and run.
These boards were first run using the test ROM, which showed that the 8080 CPU could work normally. There is a simple program on the ROM to make the 8080 display the word “HELO” on the HP HDSP-2416 ASCII character display. From there, the barcode scanning board is installed in a chassis and connected to a larger Siemens character display, and the memory is drawn.
As a result, [Fault] and partners were able to reverse engineer a lot of Identity hardware and learned that it was very similar to the Intel MCS-80 reference design at that time. They can run code on the platform, access RAM, and install larger 8-character displays. However, without the original barcode scanner accessories, these boards cannot resume their original work.
As far as hackers are concerned, this is quite old-fashioned. The board does not communicate with Twitter, nor does it light the lights or help wash the dishes. However, it is interesting to see whether this old metal can be made according to the instructions again. In our book, hacking for fun is always a good thing!