A community project based in Charlotte, North Carolina that turns e-waste into a classroom. We collect discarded electronics, probe the boards with GreatFET One, and identify what each chip is and how it communicates. Every discovery is logged in a public database of salvaged components.

The purpose is simple: to teach those who wish to learn. Charlotte used to have a hackerspace, but it’s gone. This project aims to bring that energy back - hands-on, curious, and open.

• Teach people how to identify and understand chips from real boards
• Reduce e-waste by reclaiming usable components
• Build a shared database of microcontrollers, sensors, and peripherals
• Rebuild a hardware hacking community in Charlotte

We hold small community “clinics” where anyone can bring in a broken device or scrap board. Volunteers -ideally- use the GreatFET One to:

• Scan I²C devices and identify their addresses
• Enumerate USB chips and read descriptors
• Probe UART or SPI lines for serial data
• Log each result into a shared spreadsheet

Over time, this forms a searchable map of what’s inside the tech we throw away.

The GreatFET is open, transparent, and friendly to beginners. It bridges the gap between curiosity and understanding. With it, anyone can safely connect to a board and see what’s really there.

• Fork this repo and document your own teardown sessions.
• Add new GreatFET scripts or fix existing ones.
• Submit chip data to expand the shared catalog.
• Share the project with teachers, repair cafés, or hackerspaces.

• Initial project documentation
• Test I²C and USB scripts on sample boards
• Build live spreadsheet integration
• Host first public workshop in Charlotte
• Publish full component database

Software is released under the MIT License.
Documentation and workshop materials under CERN-OHL-S.

We are building this openly so others can copy it, improve it, and teach with it.