36 JANUARY 2023 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Over a Barrel by Britt Storkson Owner, P2FlowLLC I help out as an “answer man” from time to time for a Hutterite colony located in the state of Montana. One of the people there had bought a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and the company who built it wanted almost $1000 to supply the software (codes) to make it work with another device produced by the same company, which this fellow needed to complete a project. This company had him, as the saying goes, “over a barrel.” This fellow wanted to know how to find the codes needed to make the devices talk to each other. He was saying something like: “Isn’t there any way we could ‘pop the hood’ and look inside to get the codes needed to make it work?” I didn’t have any good news for him. The answer is no, that’s not how they work. All computers work basically the same way. A “source code” consisting of instructions for the microprocessor (micro for short) central processing unit is stored in a memory which is then “read” out in sequence as the micro encounters the instructions telling it what to do. These instructions determine everything regarding what the computer does and does not do. Computer memory is simply voltages stored on silicon. Each individual voltage is called a “bit.” This voltage is either 0 volts or whatever voltage the system operates on. I use 3.3 volts for my system, but there are a range of voltage levels which can be used. If we measure 0 volts at a bit, we call it a logic 0. If we measure 3.3 volts at this bit, we call it a logic 1. Eight bits in a row comprise a “byte” and each byte is numbered, as well as the bits within the byte are numbered from 0 to 7, right to left just like conventional decimal numbers. The byte location is called an “address” and the number is there so we can find it when we need it, very much like numbering lines on a sheet of notebook paper. Whoever writes the computer program defines everything about the computer. To find the relevant codes this fellow wanted, we would need to find whatever the programmer defined as access codes. Since there are nothing but logic 1s and logic 0s in there; the only way we know which data is the information we want, and which isn’t, is to know how the programmer defined it. Not only does one need to know what the computer programmer defines as access codes, but often programmers require certain routines to be performed before one can gain access to these codes. This provides yet another layer of security (for the computer maker) to make access even more difficult for an outsider. Often it makes things more difficult for the legitimate user of this equipment too. A simple comparison of this concept is a digital lock. I made a digital lock system for a large retailer to help with their theft issues. It requires a four-digit code to be entered before the magnetic lock releases. The correct code must be entered within a given time frame for the lock to release. It’s much like inserting a key into a lock. If everything matches - like the pin tumblers matching up with the ridges in the key - the lock opens. So to access the information the fellow needed to make the product he had work the way he wanted it to, he had to go through the manufacturer and pay the money for access code information and directions as to how to make his device work. It has been said we are now in the “information age” and it is very true. Have the right information and you can do almost anything. Not having the right information leaves you at the mercy of the product seller and you must pay whatever they demand. Britt Britt Storkson may be contacted via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com February 9-10, 2023 ~ The Mountain States Groundwater Expo is held annually at the Aquarius Casino Resort in Laughlin, Nevada, and is hosted by the groundwater and water well associations of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. New this year, a golf tournament at the Mojave Golf Resort with a shotgun start at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 8. The event is a great opportunity to see vendor displays in the exhibit hall, gain continuing education credits during the seminars and presentations, and participate in the Buck Lively Scholarship Auction & Raffle, which will include a 2023 Sportsman 570 EPS four-wheeler. Don’t miss it! Register now at https://mountainstatesgroundwaterexpo.com See more events at www.worldwidedrillingresource.com online issue. Are you planning to go? WorldWide will be looking for you!
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