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Bus Pirate: firmware v5.3

July 16, 2010 in Bus Pirate, firmware by Ian | 2 comments

Bus Pirate firmware v5.3 is ready for download. This is a recommended update with bug fixes, enhanced features, and major code cleanup. The documentation wiki has been updated with the new commands and macros.

  • Reviewed and updated terminal text
  • SPI sniffer update (reduced minimum CS delay from 50us to 120ns)
  • Removed sniff while CS high option from SPI sniffer (for now)
  • I2C sniffer update (increased max speed from ~70kHz to >100kHz)
  • Corrected LSB/MSB menu quirks
  • Added least significant bit configuration to all modes
  • Added |X command to convert byte X bitorder
  • Code cleanup: removed allowLSB and allowPULLUP variables
  • Fixed wrong CS terminal text in raw3wire mode

Read about the firmware update process for the ds30 Loader GUI (Windows/Linux) and pirate-loader console app (Windows/Linux/Mac). This firmware requires the v4+ bootloader, be sure you upgrade to the v4 bootloader first if you still have bootloader v2.

Get a Bus Pirate for $30, including worldwide shipping at Seeed Studio. Adafruit also has the Bus Pirate and probe cables in stock and ready to ship.

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What's your favorite HEX editor?

October 28, 2009 in tools, utilities by Ian | 3 comments

hxd

A HEX editor lets you view and edit raw values in any computer file. We like HxD for Windows, it’s free but not open source.  It has extensive search features for locating a specific string or value sequence in a huge binary blob. It also opens raw drives, including boot sectors and directory tables, which is helpful for developing microcontroller FAT file systems.

If you’ve never needed to use a HEX editor, why not try it out and feel like a real geek? Download HxD, it runs from a no-install mode so there’s nothing to setup. Drag a file onto HxD, the HEX editor will open and show you the contents. Try a few different files to get a feel for how your operating system stores values in files. A simple notepad .txt file just contains ASCII text values, a Word document looks a lot different. Try a .PNG image file, look at the first few bytes of the file: 0×50 0×4E 0×47, or ‘PNG’.

What’s your favorite HEX editor for your platform?

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Bus Pirate: Number formats

September 1, 2009 in Bus Pirate by Ian | No comments

hexdecbin

This is an old version, see the latest version on the documentation wiki.

The Bus Pirate terminal interface accepts numbers in three formats: hexadecimal, decimal, and binary. It also displays values in HEX/DEC/BIN and a raw byte format. This short guide explains how to enter number values into the Bus Pirate, and how to adjust the Bus Pirate number display format.

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Bus Pirate HEX/DEC/BIN converter

August 27, 2009 in Bus Pirate by Ian | 3 comments

logic

See the latest version in the documentation wiki.

Converting between hexadecimal, decimal, and binary is a pretty constant activity when you work with a new microchip.

HiZ>=<<<HEX/DEC/BIN converter command
CONVERT (1) >0b1010 <<<convert this value
 0×0A <<<HEX equivalent
10<<<DEC equivalent
0b00001010<<<BIN equivalent
HiZ>=<<<HEX/DEC/BIN converter command
CONVERT (1) >0xf
0×0F
15
0b00001111
HiZ>

The latest Bus Pirate nightly firmware compile (v2.1-RC3+) adds a much-needed base conversion command, available in all modes. Press ‘=’ and enter any byte value to see the HEX/DEC/BIN equivalent.

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