A Portable Password Vault

**rgsparber** · Nov 8, 2021, 07:23 AM

I try to be security-minded, so my passwords are long and filled with every type of character. When I must manually enter such a password, it takes a lot of effort, and I often screw up a character, so I must start over. My solution was to build the Portable Password Vault. It consists of a Sparkfun Pro Micro, a pushbutton, and a short USB cable.

To use the Vault, I plug it into the PC via a USB port. Then I click on the login window and push the button. My login appears. After clicking Next, I push the button again. This time I get the password. Unplug the Portable Password Vault. No fuss and no frustration.

If you are interested, please, click here.

Your comments are welcome. All of us are smarter than any one of us.

Thanks,

Rick

**DIYer** · Nov 9, 2021, 04:51 AM

Thanks rgsparber! We've added your Portable Password Vault to our Electronics category,
as well as to your builder page: rgsparber's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Portable Password Vault by rgsparber

tags: electronics

**tonyfoale** · Nov 18, 2021, 03:25 PM

Nice one Rick. I do something similar for 6 sign-ins. Each is arranged in an 6 x 2 array. One button selects the array index and then the other button inserts the name and password in a similar manner to yours.

**rgsparber** · Nov 19, 2021, 08:35 AM

Originally Posted by tonyfoale

Nice one Rick. I do something similar for 6 sign-ins. Each is arranged in an 6 x 2 array. One button selects the array index and then the other button inserts the name and password in a similar manner to yours.

As I use the device, I have grown to appreciate the importance of using a partial password for security reasons. The last few characters can be thought of as a key and can be the same for all stored passwords. In this way, if someone does steal the device, they still can't use it.

The next iteration of my design can have any number of accounts as long as the total number of characters, including an end of field delimiter, is less than 1024. It will be updated via a Javascript. I'm not doing the software this time. A past student of mine who is a professional programmer has volunteered.

Rick