Cheap Logic Analyser

[trm]

Interesting. I've got two plans of attack:

1 - Go in via windbg and see what the stock software is doing and how it handshakes with the device so that I can see how the two interact, for interest's sake.

2 - Use my other logic analyser (my USB one, not the other big suitcase one

) to monitor the comms with this logic analyser to see the handshake at the hardware level, hopefully find some kind of NVRAM device ID read and then provide modified firmware for the boot to emulate a stock device.

One can never have too many logic analysers

Edit: Minor edit to make it clear I'm reverse engineering for compatibility, not for any nefarious purpose.

trm2011-06-18 16:35:39

 

[guddler]

Option 1s easiest but I imagine they'll be checking more than once or doing other things?

 

[trm]

Hopefully they'll be doing more checks otherwise it won't be much fun to see how it works

Edit: Minor edit to make it clear I'm reverse engineering for compatibility, not for any nefarious purpose.
trm2011-06-18 16:36:12

 

[guddler]

Your 1st challenge is to install and run it under OS X

 

[trm]

Hehe. Maybe the replacement firmware approach could be the way forward. I'm guessing they don't support PowerPC Macs? Like my super sexy G5 which just sits there looking pretty

 

[guddler]

Doesn't specifically say it doesn't. I'll check later to see if its a universal binary or not. They support tiger though so it wouldn't surprise me if it works under Rosetta. Anyway, what does that matter? I've got a DIY PC and OS X works fine. And while I've never done so, I believe OS X will install under vmware with the right know how.

Like I say, your first challenge is...

 

[trm]

Hmm. The idea of having to re-familiarise myself with gdb isn't exactly making me whoop with joy It's bad enough having to memorise one debugger let alone one for a RISCy architecture, unless I can bodge a hackintosh and get it working on x86.

3 working days now (not counting this evening as that's just nasty) and I'll have TIME to do stuff like this instead of just thinking of ways to do it whilst sat on conf calls

 

[guddler]

Just to confirm, it's certainly a universal binary. Which begs the question that if it doesn't support PPC then why bother with Tiger and a Universal binary?? I could try the software on my G4 Mac Mini but there's little point unless the logic analyser itself works with it.

To be fair, there's little point full stop. It's nice to be able to use it on my living room PC under OS X but at the end of the day, unless Dataman were to release an OS X version of their programmer software as well (what's that? hell frozen over??) then there's never going to be a Mac in the repair room

 

[guddler]

[EDIT] Ignore all that - due to the dodgy connection I was using a different cable. I've gone back to the original cable and it's working again. Very odd. Watch this space while I check out the 64 bit version then

guddler2011-06-18 16:13:00

 

[guddler]

Ok, further quick update. The 64bit version 1.0.33 works fine without doing anything nasty to the clone.

I'm going to run with this for a bit and if I get on ok with it, and I use it a lot then I might end up buying one of the new 16 channel versions. Still no clock input though which is a bit annoying!

 

[marmad]

It seems this thread has perhaps run out... but I just thought I'd mention that there is a clone of the Logic Port for sale ($150) which runs their software.