ESP32 Bit Pirate, a Hardware Hacking Tool with WebCLI That Speaks Every Protocol(github.com)
43 pointsby geotp4 hours ago7 comments
  • officialchicken2 hours ago
    I have an old v3.6 from Dangerous Prototypes that I still frequently use and works fine with a coding assistant over serial terminal for doing some wire-level debugging of firmware. I am definitely not interested in paying the Pi tax for a new one just to get improved scripting. The roughly $100 BP v6 price point means looking into a other analyzers is required. How does this ESP firmware really compare - can anyone who's used both say what's different other than wireless?
    • geotp2 hours ago
      The two projects have fairly different directions, even though they overlap on most core wired protocol features.

      The original Bus Pirate relies heavily on a more complex bytecode-style syntax for many lowlevel operations. The ESP32 version replaces most of that with simple, explicit commands that perform the same tasks through a more straightforward workflow

      The ESP32 version also avoids flag heavy commands and uses interactive shells where appropriate. Its main additional strength is radio support not present on the original Bus Pirate, including WiFi, RFID/NFC, SubGHz, NRF24, FM, infrared, and Bluetooth.

      It can also be controlled through the Web CLI from any phone, tablet, or device with a web browser, using integrated AI assistant to help with hardware task.

      So it is not simply a cheaper Bus Pirate v6 clone

      • rigonkulousan hour ago
        One thing in BP v6's favor is the RP2350 - which can be put into operation as a "data-cap analyser for GPIO" - true - but it can also be programmed for use as a full protocol tap for embedded projects which will also integrate the RP2350, or something like it, in an embedded design.

        The ESP32 is great - I will get a couple for my toolbox, sitting alongside my own ancient Bus Pirate and things - but the RP2350 is a bit more BOM-friendly, imho. All of these things can be used to bring-up an embedded system - I'd really want to use the BP v6 to bring up an embedded system with an IO package I could emulate/integrate with the RP2350 on both sides of the design ..

      • officialchickenan hour ago
        Due to this obviously AI-generated response (thus codebase) - I'll pass.
        • geotpan hour ago
          I’m French and my English isn’t very good, so please excuse me for using a translator. Feel free to take a look at the codebase
          • officialchickenan hour ago
            Ok! Sorry, the translation is kinda rough and seems rigid and robotic.
  • geotp4 hours ago
    ESP32 Bit Pirate is an open-source firmware that transforms compatible devices into versatile multi-protocol hacking tools, inspired by the original Bus Pirate.

    It can sniff, send, script, and interact with digital protocols such as I2C, UART, SPI, and 1-Wire through either a Serial CLI or a Web CLI. It also supports wireless technologies including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Sub-GHz, and RFID.

    Install the firmware in one click with the ESP32 Bit Pirate Web Flasher. The Wiki provides detailed guides for every mode and command, while ESP32 Bit Pirate Scripts offers a collection of ready-to-use examples and utilities.

    For additional hardware capabilities, the ESP32 Bus Expander adds extra radio interfaces, while the ESP32 Bit Pirate Dock provides compatibility with original Bus Pirate adapters and accessories.

  • jwr2 hours ago
    This looks great! The Bus Pirate was quite a good tool. For hardware hacking there is also Glasgow Interface Explorer, which I've been using recently with AI with much success.

    The main difference is that Glasgow has an FPGA on-board, and you (or AI) can create applets for custom protocols and serious high-speed hacking.

  • marcosscriven2 hours ago
    I’m curious about how you used LLMs here?

    Also, to what extent you designed this vs the LLM copying it?

    My concern is all these vibe coded projects with huge readmes and fake GitHub stars are essentially just copying the work of others, and don’t really do anything new.

    • throwa3562622 hours ago
      You can see in the git commit log how it has progressed slowly over a period of one year to get here.

      So at least it is not a weekend vibe coded AI slop.

      • marcosscriven18 minutes ago
        Not sure 600,000 commits by one person in a year, most concentrated in a few months over the year, counts as “slowly”.
        • geotp13 minutes ago
          Where do you see 600k commits? Are you talking about 600k lines of code? If so, the project includes libraries in the `lib` folder, notably a large screen library called `tft_espi` which must be 500k lines on its own (which has since been removed, that's why you see -500k lines)

          I know the codebase inside and out, feel free to ask

    • geotp2 hours ago
      I’m not sure I fully understand the question.

      The implementation is entirely new and was built specifically for this project, it is not copied from another project. LLMs were used as development tools, but the architecture, feature selection, integration, testing, and overall direction were designed and validated by contributors and me.

  • throwa3562622 hours ago
    @geotp

    Any reason why C1 is not supported?

    • geotp2 hours ago
      What do you mean by C1? Do you mean the ESP32-C3 or C5? If so, they are not supported mainly for performance and hardware capability reasons
  • ktzar2 hours ago
    compatible with Cardputer?
    • geotp2 hours ago
      Yes, it is compatible with both Cardputer models and many other devices, including the $5 ESP32S3 clone
  • voidUpdate2 hours ago
    Wow, it speaks EVERY protocol? That's pretty impressive. I'll need to flash one of these so I can read CYCLADES data transmissions, whatever protocol those parallel port security keys use and LORAWAN. Does it also read any random protocol I just invented myself, out of the box?
    • geotp2 hours ago
      Yes, it includes scripting and raw GPIO/bit-banging features, so you can read essentially any custom protocol yourself, including one you invented five minutes ago
      • voidUpdate2 hours ago
        Probably needs an asterisk after "speaks ALL protocols" to say "you will need to write the protocol handlers yourself, this does not speak all protocols out of the box".

        Speaking of which, I wrote a program that can crack any encryption every designed. It just executes a python file in the same folder, you have to write the cracker yourself