Please keep in touch with GPLed control software

[DavidGriffith]

I'm directing https://github.com/vdudouyt/minipro with Valentin's blessing because he's busy with other stuff. Please keep that project in the loop with what you're doing. Right now a high-priority task is to reverse-engineer the device database dll. I'm sure both projects will benefit from the results.

[cr1901]

Current status is:

• Custom bitbang commands that can set voltages, assign pins to voltages, and read/write ZIF pins are implemented.
• I need to write documentation on how to use these bitbang commands plus show an example or two.
• A Python API is soon to follow for bitbang commands

Future work is to:

• Write a bootloader to make reloading firmware easy. Chances are, it will not be compatible with the stock bootloader.
• Write a few algorithms in C directly in the firmware.
• Look into a VM plus compiler (hopefully picobit) and compile to bytecode to make algorithms "easy to add". This in particular could benefit from the devicedb.

If you have any more questions, we have an IRC channel where most discussion takes place: #proghq on Freenode!

[JohnDMcMaster]

@DavidGriffith:

• FYI we have #proghq on freenode IRC if you want to keep in the loop more directly
• I saw there was an article on the DB reversing but haven't got a chance to take a look at it yet
• A good immediate source of collaboration would be to figure out where to put links like above and other related info. Say a github or external wiki. I haven't done much with github wikis but sounds like it could be easy, up to other suggestions
• I have mixed feelings about our team looking at the DB format at this time due to IP contamination, which is part of why I haven't read the article, I would feel more comfortable if we did a bit of design work of how we would like to do things, and then maybe someone happens to write a tool that can use their DB with our FOSS firmware, just as they could for any other manufacturer's DB (ex: bpmicro)

@cr1901:

• Its fine if the bootloader isn't compatible, although it would be ideal to have a procedure to switch back (with a risk of bricking in the process)
• I haven't given much thought into the generic algorithm stuff, lisp or otherwise. I've never done lisp so I don't have an immediate opinion there

[d235j]

There is a wiki at https://minipro.txt.si. I'm not sure who runs it — probably the owner of https://txt.si.

The DB from the official vendors software will probably not be that useful to this project as it tells the firmware what algorithm to use for each respective chip. I believe the plan here is that the algorithms are software rather than firmware defined, with some functionality provided by the firmware for improved performance.

[DavidGriffith]

@d235j: So, your firmware isn't intended to do nearly as much as what the official firmware does, instead having the controlling software do it?

[JohnDMcMaster]

Scope is TBD. To start with we are focusing on applications that were precluded by the original FW. Some of these (ex: voltage glitching) may be incompatible with the original protocol intents