helloworld-anyware

Non-exhausive list of HelloWorld running on anything that (secretly) has a CPU and firmware

Intro

You're probably viewing this text using a computer(PC, laptop, mobile phone or tablet). However, you're actually not doing so with a single computer, but with many computers. This is true for any modern PC or mobile device, because almost every peripheral/gadget today includes its own CPU, RAM, ROM and runs a firmware code. In short, they are computers on their own.

helloworld-anyware aims at reminding this simple yet possibly not well-known fact, by attempting to run a basic program on CPUs inside ubiquitous hardwares(e.g. USB Flash Drives, Wi-Fi cards, Bluetooth adapters, SSDs, stuff on laptop motherboards), which proves the existence of these cores.

Precaution

Running a custom firmware may cause unexpected behavior and brick/physically damage your devices.

• Do not attempt to run any arbitrary code on a device that is important to you.
• Be extra careful with 'stateful' devices, e.g. a USB flash drive that has NAND flash, or a Wi-Fi card that has e-fuses for calibration. In case they are (accidentally) changed, there is no sufficient knowledge provided in this repo to change them back.

Usage

Each hardware/peripheral has its own way to build(different CPU architectures), load(different DFU/ISP implementations) and run(different output devices, such as an LED) a HelloWorld. Please refer to chip-specific description for details. Find your target using the table below.

List of hardwares

Category	Manufacturer	Chip	CPU Architecture	Status
Bluetooth adapter	Atheros	AR3011	Xtensa	WIP
Bluetooth adapter	Intel	AX210	ARC	Unsupported
Card Reader	Genesys Logic	GL3223	8051	Unsupported
Card Reader	Genesys Logic	GL3233	8051	Unsupported
Card Reader	Prolific	PL2733	8051	Unsupported
Card Reader	Realtek	RTS5306	8051	Unsupported
Card Reader	Silicon Motion	SM330	8051	Unsupported
CD-ROM Drive	MediaTek	MT1198	8051	Unsupported
CMMB TV receiver	Siano	SMS1180	ARC	WIP
eMMC	Samsung	VNC	ARM	Unsupported
Hard Disk Drive	Marvell	88I6889	ARM	Unsupported
Laptop EC	ITE Tech	IT8586	8051	Unsupported
Laptop EC	ITE Tech	IT8987	8051	Unsupported
Solid State Drive	JMicron	JMF605	ARM	WIP
Solid State Drive	JMicron	JMF608	ARM	WIP
Solid State Drive	JMicron	JMF667	ARM	WIP
Solid State Drive	Marvell	88NV1120	ARM	WIP
Solid State Drive	Marvell	88SS1074	ARM	Unsupported
Solid State Drive	Phison	PS3111	Xtensa	WIP
Solid State Drive	Samsung	S4LN045X01	ARM	Unsupported
Solid State Drive	SanDisk	Milpitas	ARC	Unsupported
Solid State Drive	Silicon Motion	SM222	8051	Unsupported
Solid State Drive	Silicon Motion	SM223	8051	Unsupported
Solid State Drive	Silicon Motion	SM2231	8051	Unsupported
Solid State Drive	Silicon Motion	SM2246	ARC	Unsupported
Solid State Drive	Silicon Motion	SM2256	ARC	Unsupported
Solid State Drive	Silicon Motion	SM2258	ARC	Unsupported
Solid State Drive	Silicon Motion	SM2259	ARC	Unsupported
Touch Panel Controller	FocalTech	FT5x06	8051	Unsupported
Touch Panel Controller	Melfas	MMS134S	ARM	Unsupported
USB Flash Drive	Alcor Micro	AU6989SN	8051	Supported
USB Flash Drive	Huayi	HY6919	8051	Supported
USB Flash Drive	Phison	PS2251-06	8051	Supported
USB Flash Drive	Phison	PS2251-07	8051	Supported
USB Flash Drive	Phison	PS2251-50	8051	Supported
USB Flash Drive	Phison	PS2251-70-25	8051	Supported
USB Flash Drive	SanDisk	Anisha	ARC	Unsupported
USB Flash Drive	SanDisk	Karona	ARC	Unsupported
USB Flash Drive	SanDisk	Sumeru	ARC	Unsupported
USB Flash Drive	Silicon Motion	SM3257	8051	Unsupported
USB Flash Drive	Silicon Motion	SM3259	8051	Unsupported
USB Flash Drive	Silicon Motion	SM3280	ARC	Unsupported
USB Flash Drive	Solid State Systems	SSS6690	8051	Supported
USB Hub	Genesys Logic	GL3520	Unknown	Unsupported
USB-SATA adapter	JMicron	JM20339	8051	WIP
Wi-Fi adapter	Atheros	AR9271	Xtensa	WIP
Wi-Fi adapter	Intel	AX210	ARC	Unsupported
Wi-Fi adapter	Marvell	88W8801	ARM	Unsupported
Wi-Fi adapter	MediaTek	MT7601	NDS32	Unsupported
Wi-Fi adapter	Qualcomm	QCA6391	QDSP6v6	Unsupported
Wi-Fi adapter	Ralink	RT2571	8051	Unsupported
Wi-Fi adapter	Ralink	RT2870	8051	Unsupported
Wi-Fi adapter	Realtek	RTL8188EU	8051	Supported
Wi-Fi adapter	Realtek	RTL8191SU	MIPS	WIP

Adding support for new devices

Details of how a chip works varies vastly from one chip to another, hence here's only a general route if you want to add support for a new device.

• Gathering information about your target device
  • What chip does it use (lsusb, teardown, etc.)
  • Datasheet of the chip (CPU architecture, pinout for GPIO/LED)
• Diving into the details
  • Linux kernel driver source (e.g. Wi-Fi cards)
  • Manufacturer tools (e.g. USB flash drives)
  • fwupd project
  • USB packet capture
  • Firmware blob
• Sorting out the details
  • DFU/ISP protocol
  • Firmware load address (usually not zero)
  • Firmware usage (some uses the firmware as a library, called by bootrom)
  • Hardware initialization (not required by most)
  • Output 'device' (GPIO/LED registers)
• Implementing a custom firmware
  • Toolchain (may not be readily available in e.g. apt)
  • A startup asm file (a 'good' entry point, HW init)
  • A minimal main.c (toggles LED etc.)
  • A Makefile
• Implementing a minimal firmware loader
  • Talk to the chip with its DFU/ISP protocol
  • Not necessarily required when protocol is simple enough (e.g. use sg_raw)

What's next (beyond this repo)

Getting a minimal program to run is the first step towards a custom firmware. Here are some possible next steps:

• Implementing a bit-banged UART TX/'Ir'DA via LED
  • Dumping the internal ROM
• Experimenting with unknown registers
• Implementing a FOSS alternative firmware
• Repurposing the device, e.g.
  • A NAND programmer/USB to parallel port with USB flash drive controllers