Hacking Build your own dongle (Research and development thread)

[jj56185]

That means it is the same hardware, and you should have flashed the sysupgrade.trx that got built. (shrug)

Should still be able to push a uImage and uRamdisk over serial. The images should fit in RAM fine. That would get the dongle booting, and then you could do a sysupgrade with the trx.

There is some problems in my TFTPd.so I need to soder the spi flash;
if I flash this https://openwrt.org/toh/unbranded/a5-v11 Firmware . the router runs well and it display "CHAOS CALMER" in TTL. The DHCP runs well.

When I make the Firmware from github https://github.com/DavidBuchanan314/fusee-lede . flash it into my router,
DHCP unwork . TTL display LEDE, maybe there is some error in my openwrt project.

 

[retr0id]

Any example of how i would go about doing the EHCI Patch In-Memory?

Like this: https://gist.github.com/DavidBuchanan314/41b12362cc4d8c539dc441d75155f2e9

(Again, would need rewriting in C...)

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There is some problems in my TFTPd.so I need to soder the spi flash;
if I flash this https://openwrt.org/toh/unbranded/a5-v11 Firmware . the router runs well and it display "CHAOS CALMER" in TTL. The DHCP runs well.

When I make the Firmware from github https://github.com/DavidBuchanan314/fusee-lede . flash it into my router,
DHCP unwork . TTL display LEDE, maybe there is some error in my openwrt project.

I don't think the default configuration even has DHCP, just a static IP of 192.168.1.1, where ssh is running.

 

[jj56185]

Like this: https://gist.github.com/DavidBuchanan314/41b12362cc4d8c539dc441d75155f2e9

(Again, would need rewriting in C...)

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------



I don't think the default configuration even has DHCP, just a static IP of 192.168.1.1, where ssh is running.

It works. this is my bin file.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1UAD5Wsf8I-eyi-pDRkyQXW8oHbXGWTSR
It can update from factory system.

this bin include LUCI, fusee_lede. and it support command "lsusb" too.
Maybe you need to this： connect the router into Internet, then install the sftp to upload you switch payload.bin to the router.

 

[minakmostoles]

I think it would be possible to increase the RAM of the device through a modification but I do not know if it would be really useful.

Normally : alliance_MT48LC-1155509
New option: 512M-SDRAM-MT48LC32M16A2P-20140714-1288428

I found someone who did it:

Apparently you have to install a resistance of 4.7.

 

[Wierd_w]

Ok then, that is success for both "without battery" and "With battery" variants! Thats fantastic!

I have ordered another zsun, and I have a plan of action this time.

Rather than try to unsolder from both tiny boards, I will use a dremel tool to CUT the pin headers off, and then gently pick out the plastic, leaving me with some small riser pins on the mainboard. I will then use some JST battery cables I ordered from Adafruit, desolder ONLY from the daughter board, and then use the JST cables to plug onto the headers. Less soldering, easier to take apart again afterwards. Possibly reversible!

I ordered a proper soldering iron and other goodies from Adafruit to go with it.

 

[hisagishi]

This is probably not the right place to ask this but, since this is a generic linux SoC that continuously runs a very small piece of code, can I just grab any cheap SoC on ebay to make my own easily enough?

I mean hell a raspberry pi zero is 5 dollars and is seriously overkill spec wise, why are they charging so much just for the dongle?

 

[jj56185]

This is probably not the right place to ask this but, since this is a generic linux SoC that continuously runs a very small piece of code, can I just grab any cheap SoC on ebay to make my own easily enough?

I mean hell a raspberry pi zero is 5 dollars and is seriously overkill spec wise, why are they charging so much just for the dongle?

Because it is easy to payload. If you used a pi zero, you also need : micro usb cable; micro usb otg cable ; 5V power charger；
Pi 3 is batter.
If you are traveling, I think they were burden.

 

[hisagishi]

Because it is easy to payload. If you used a pi zero, you also need : micro usb cable; micro usb otg cable ; 5V power charger；
Pi 3 is batter.
If you are traveling, I think they were burden.

I was thinking grabbing a case+battery combo, then a small usb to usb OTG adapter. Something like this so you can just leave it in the RPI socket:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-C-3-1-...m=362298850768&_trksid=p2045573.c100506.m3226

 

[Wierd_w]

This is probably not the right place to ask this but, since this is a generic linux SoC that continuously runs a very small piece of code, can I just grab any cheap SoC on ebay to make my own easily enough?

I mean hell a raspberry pi zero is 5 dollars and is seriously overkill spec wise, why are they charging so much just for the dongle?

You can, but this has several things going for it:

Very cheap/inexpensive.
Has injection molded shell already
Is very small already (even the battery version is about the size of a large candybar, and no bigger)
If you get the one with the battery-- Self powered while on the go, no extra purchases
Does not require soldering at all
Easily programmed

It could use to be a bit smaller (the one with the battery), but all in all, for a COTS solution, this is pretty damn attractive.

 

[hippy dave]

I was thinking grabbing a case+battery combo, then a small usb to usb OTG adapter. Something like this so you can just leave it in the RPI socket:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-C-3-1-Type-C-Male-To-USB-Female-OTG-Adapter-Converter-For-Tablet-Phone-US/362298850768?_trkparms=aid=555019&algo=PL.BANDIT&ao=1&asc=20150817211709&meid=b1eba348fb414f4abe8100ea14ac333e&pid=100506&rk=1&rkt=1&&itm=362298850768&_trksid=p2045573.c100506.m3226

Oh nice find, very compact.

 

[retr0id]

I was thinking grabbing a case+battery combo, then a small usb to usb OTG adapter. Something like this so you can just leave it in the RPI socket:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-C-3-1-Type-C-Male-To-USB-Female-OTG-Adapter-Converter-For-Tablet-Phone-US/362298850768?_trkparms=aid=555019&algo=PL.BANDIT&ao=1&asc=20150817211709&meid=b1eba348fb414f4abe8100ea14ac333e&pid=100506&rk=1&rkt=1&&itm=362298850768&_trksid=p2045573.c100506.m3226

I think this only works to connect a 2.0 device to a typeC 3.1 host, not the other way arround. I haven't tried though, it would be great if this does work.

 

[Billy Acuña]

If you read the thread, you'd know that there are already cheap ($12) chinese "dongles" capable of launching payloads (you *do* need an A-to-C adapter, but that's only another ~$2). There is no need to "wait" for TX to do anything, since they aren't doing anything new and we already know exactly what their "dongle" does.

That said, cheaper SAMD21 (et al.) based devices are sure to pop up eventually, both for internal "modchip" and external "dongle" usage. However, I still don't see them going much below $12 (that's already less than the price of a basic SAMD21 dev board (~$13)...)

Also this is an open-source solution. Thanks for your efforts guys!

 

[Ninoh-FOX]

This is my dongle (I going to make the v2 a more small)

 

[Wierd_w]

This is my dongle (I going to make the v2 a more small)

Adafruit has much smaller batteries that would be more than adequate to power a trinket. The whole assembly could likely fit inside a tic-tac container.

 

[Hodorian]

This is my dongle (I going to make the v2 a more small

is there a link to the firmware? Or how did you implemented the payload without the linux kernel?

 

[Xandroz]

amazing thread, great to see some designs in action.

 

[Red1Reaper]

This is my dongle (I going to make the v2 a more small)

Why is the battery that big? it only needs to be powered a few seconds, whouldn't a more small battery be better?
By the way, great stuff, congrats.
Edited because a error happened and i sended the post whit only a "w"

 

[Ninoh-FOX]

well, adafruit trinker V5 NOT WORKS for this (the ram is very small and the usb libraries not work)

This is version 2:

this is the files:

https://github.com/atlas44/sam-fusee-launcher

now, this is important, the file src/main.cpp renamed you to main/main.ino

Download Arduino IDE and the libraries and targets from adafruit, select adafruit trinker M0 when you installed the drivers.

open main.ino (payload.h in the same folder)

edit the #include(s) so:

now open any payload.bin that you wish burn with an hexedit and copy all code so:

memorice the block sice

copy how:

now edit payload.h in IDE so:

the check and compile, if all is ok then upload the file IN BOOTLOADER MODE.

Is easy.

 

[Ateoeight]

well, adafruit trinker V5 NOT WORKS for this (the ram is very small and the usb libraries not work)

This is version 2:

this is the files:

https://github.com/atlas44/sam-fusee-launcher

now, this is important, the file src/main.cpp renamed you to main/main.ino

Download Arduino IDE and the libraries and targets from adafruit, select adafruit trinker M0 when you installed the drivers.

open main.ino (payload.h in the same folder)

edit the #include(s) so:

now open any payload.bin that you wish burn with an hexedit and copy all code so:

memorice the block sice

copy how:

now edit payload.h in IDE so:

the check and compile, if all is ok then upload the file IN BOOTLOADER MODE.

Is easy.

Thanks for taking the time to share your build, I love how much smaller your second revision is! Do you plan on future revisions?

 

[Xandroz]

nice build