JTAGulator interfaced with a Raspberry Pi
Closed this issue · 2 comments
Greetings,
I'm still new to the JTAGulator but if I understand its design and functionality am I correct by assuming that the JTAGulator is only capable of handling lower-level communication, and if I wanted to interface and utilize higher-level communication/functions then would I need to use other dev boards such as, the Bus Pirate, TIAO USB Multi-Protocol Adapter (TUMPA), etc.? That being said, can a Raspberry Pi 3+ B Model be used for that purpose, to act as the adapter/interface?
At this point, it is possible that I've caused the reader to start scratching their head in confusion while trying to figure out what exactly I'm wanted to accomplish, so as a JTAGulator newbie I'll try to be a bit more specific. That being said, I'd like to do things such as, a) unbricking routers, b) basic reverse engineering of old embedded hardware (e.g., routers, smartphones, and misc IoT devices.
Overall, I see so many products out there that advertise capability and functionality for JTAG, UART, I2C, SPI, Serial communications, but the how-to's and instructions seem limited and/or a bit of a challenge to research through a clear path that might answer most if not all of my questions. Anyway, I'm definitely excited to begin this adventure now that I have the JTAGulator, but I would be most grateful for those out there with experience in hardware hacking/reverse engineering to steer me in the right direction - specifically in the open-source direction, if possible.
Thanks again,
CJ
Correct. The JTAGulator is currently designed to just identify interfaces and perform lower-level functionality (only JTAG and UART for now). Once you identify the pinout with the JTAGulator, you'll need to connect with other hardware specifically designed for the higher level communication/manipulation. So, if you're looking to take advantage of a JTAG interface you've just discovered, you'll need a separate JTAG hardware tool like Bus Blaster, Fly Swatter, Black Magic Probe, FT232H Breakout Board, or many others (http://openocd.org/doc/html/Debug-Adapter-Hardware.html). Some tools come with their own software and others you'll use OpenOCD and/or UrJTAG to manipulate your target. It will vary depending on architecture and design complexity.
It would be nice if the JTAGulator could also act as the hardware interface to work with open source JTAG software tools, which would simplify the amount of wire swapping you need to do. That's on my growing TO DO list.
Even though this issue isn't a problem with the JTAGulator and more of a general purpose hardware hacking question, I'll leave it open for a while in case other folks want to respond with help or suggestions.
Joe
No responses, so I'm closing the issue.