Dangerous Prototypes Open Source Hardware

The USB interface in Bus pirate and replacement of PIC

August 12, 2011, 01:42:08 pm

I haven't worked with Buspirate because there are problems in buying like I don't have international credit card. If I wanted to make it, I could have asked a PCB from Ian with a coupon, and buy components from local shops. There's an issue that I could get everything just except the PIC in my country.

The BP v1 had a Serial interface which was replaced by a USB->RS232 converter chip FT232. Since I work mostly with AVR, I've experienced that with real RS232 port, any device runs very fast than that of running by a FT232 IC. So, I think (maynot be true) BP became slower when it became an USB version.
Now when BPv4 is being designed, there's a revolutionary change and the new BP now have pic24fj256 and the same PIC is used to USB interfacing too.
Won't it be even slower after single chip design?

I have question about a replacement of the unavailable PIC. Can you make a design adopted for AVR MCU? Like Mega128 has a lots of features and it's easily available in India, so a design without PIC, but AVR.

Re: The USB interface in Bus pirate and replacement of PIC

Reply #1 – August 12, 2011, 03:12:30 pm

the micro controllers are very similar to each other, with the obvious differences of usb and larger flash.

the usb portion of the micro will run almost separate from the core.

one major advantage of using the pic with usb is cost, no longer have to buy an ft232.

Re: The USB interface in Bus pirate and replacement of PIC

Reply #2 – August 12, 2011, 04:13:17 pm

There was an AVR port of the buspirate some time ago.

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=598&hilit=avr

Re: The USB interface in Bus pirate and replacement of PIC

Reply #3 – August 12, 2011, 06:14:33 pm

USB PIC connection will be about 50x faster on average. The UART is limited to UART baud rates, but the new hardware can run at USB speeds.

Re: The USB interface in Bus pirate and replacement of PIC

Reply #4 – August 12, 2011, 06:23:18 pm

And Ian, what would you say about adopting an version of BP for AVR?
But if PIC is the last solution, then which of the available PIC can be used to build a BP ?
Here I can get only a few PIC: PIC18F4550, PIC12F675, PIC16F676, PIC16F628A, PIC16F72, PIC16F877A

Re: The USB interface in Bus pirate and replacement of PIC

Reply #5 – August 12, 2011, 06:25:48 pm

[quote author="arupbsk"]And Ian, what would you say about adopting an version of BP for AVR?
But if PIC is the last solution, then which of the available PIC can be used to build a BP ?
Here I can get only a few PIC: PIC18F4550, PIC12F675, PIC16F676, PIC16F628A, PIC16F72, PIC16F877A[/quote]

the BP v4 uses a PIC24FJ256GB106

Re: The USB interface in Bus pirate and replacement of PIC

Reply #6 – August 12, 2011, 06:27:45 pm

See Sjaak's link, there is a very limited Bus Pirate for the AVR. I doesn't ahve near the features of a PIC.

Those are all very old processors, I'm afraid none of them are good replacements.

Re: The USB interface in Bus pirate and replacement of PIC

Reply #7 – August 12, 2011, 06:51:13 pm

[quote="sqkybeaver"
the BP v4 uses a PIC24FJ256GB106[/quote]
I know that. I've wrote it in topic head also that these ICs aren't available in my country. Hence looking for alternatives.

Re: The USB interface in Bus pirate and replacement of PIC

Reply #8 – August 12, 2011, 06:56:57 pm

@ian, the post is incomplete in many manners. I don't need any ready source schematic, or board for avr. But if you somehow release the code and block diagram for avr, I'll design the PCB for you. But what i actually need is an modified code that runs on avr.

Re: The USB interface in Bus pirate and replacement of PIC

Reply #9 – August 12, 2011, 07:21:52 pm

I'm sorry about the miscommunication. The code sjaak linked already runs on an AVR.

Re: The USB interface in Bus pirate and replacement of PIC

Reply #10 – August 12, 2011, 08:18:22 pm

The topic has two broken outgoing links, to hodgepig<. org and  fletchtronics<. net
Did you reffer to the Teensy module?

Re: The USB interface in Bus pirate and replacement of PIC

Reply #11 – August 14, 2011, 09:26:00 am

I don't know about the Teensy module, but this is what Sjaak was referring to:
http://blog.hodgepig.org/busninja/