Buspirate v3.6 firmware upgrade from USB

Upgrading Firmware

The Bus Pirate ships without the latest firmware, necessitating a manual update by the user.

• Buspirate v4: Supports firmware version 7.
• Buspirate v3.x: Supports firmware version 6 & 7. Note: Firmware version 7 may potentially damage the device hardware as it has not been fully tested. Proceed with caution and at your own risk.

Requirements

• Bus Pirate firmware and loader available at DangerousPrototypes GitHub.
• ICSP pins, with a focus on “PGD” and “PGC” for firmware loading. When in bootloader mode, the MODE LED of the Bus Pirate remains lit. Connect the “PGD” and “PGC” pins using a jumper cable as illustrated.

Firmware Upgrade Procedure

1. Clone the Bus Pirate repository from GitHub:

   git clone https://github.com/DangerousPrototypes/Bus_Pirate/
   cd Bus_Pirate/
   

2. Navigate to the bootloader folder:

   cd Bus_Pirate/BPv3-bootloader/pirate-loader/
   

3. Modify test.sh to change the port location. For Linux: /dev/ttyUSB0, for Windows: COMX (where X is the port number as recognized by Windows).

4. Ensure PC to Bus Pirate communication. Successful communication will display results.
5. Run the pirate loader command:

   ./pirate-loader_lnx --dev=/dev/ttyUSB0 --hex=BPv3-firmware-v6.2-r2162.hex --verbose
   

Known Issues

Firmware compilation may encounter errors. Ensure you are using the correct firmware version. For solutions, visit Dangerous Prototypes Forum.

References

• Official Bus Pirate repository: GitHub - BusPirate