Bus Pirate v5: A RP2040-based troubleshooting/programming tool has been released, and it looks interesting

Shabaz,

Thanks for posting this info. I am excited because the 'old' buspirate was one of my favourite debug tools. 

I just love a console to punch in commands and values instead of an API where I have to program something around it to make it useful for my case. 

I missed out on the old BusPirate so it will be new for me, but I'm looking forward to trying it!

I have the BP2. I use it surprisingly little.

I'm guessing this new version is mainly porting across the older BP protocols and user interface, and it's disappointing that (from what little I can tell) only a few protocols are supported on the BP5. I'm very happy that it's now RP2040 though, with the space to implement extras (e.g. program up Flash / EEPROMs etc). 

I considered the BP4 at one point, but figured I couldn't ever modify it (since it used a PIC). Plus I'd like to script, so a Python interface will be very attractive.

I used to use it for spi and i2c scripting / prototyping . Sometimes for UART - to - USB. I still do, but let's say once a year or less.

But I found that I am more performant doing that in C with a controller that I know well. (nothing wrong with the BPs performance. I'm faster in C than picking up the scripting protocol each time I need it).

I typically get going faster with an Arduino (UNO for 5V, MKR for 3v3), or an MBED board - if that has a better lib for the device I try to talk to.

I'm going to tell this to Chris!

Just kicking the tyre : ) I tried building it, that went smooth (except that on Ubuntu, I needed to type this first:

sudo apt install libstdc++-arm-none-eabi-newlib

After that, it was a normal build like any other Pico project, no different procedure.

Then I tried sticking it on a normal Pi Pico board, and a file system appears, containing this text file:

A couple of serial ports appear, one didn't do much (or I had the wrong baud rate), but the other worked with the usual 115200 baud:

I think most of it may function (or probably easy to modify) with the standard Pico board, especially if the extra features like adjustable I/O voltages and so on are not needed. Easy to add a microSD card too.

Just realised it is a 4 <blush/>

I have a Papilio Pro - partly designed by the same Ian. That one I use a lot. Not anymore for FPGA prototyping, but as a permanent protocol analyser.

Same here, regarding programming, keen to see if it can be used with Python controlling it from a PC, as a kind of halfway house, for dealing with stuff at the data level just to capture or dump bytes. The BeagleConnect Freedom had an interesting idea to allow a Linux driver to allow local PC implementation of protocols that would operate remotely via USB or wireless, but it's restrictive (Linux only, if it works!). But I think rather than that, I'd prefer just Python rather than using the Linux driver API, for a debug tool such as this.

Currently I use MicroPython as a sort of Bus Pirate! Actually, that would be a perfect implementation if the Bus Pirate CLI was just either a modified MicroPython or a library for MicroPython (but also with an interface to normal Python on a PC too). I'd prefer that than have to learn a CLI. But I guess that's a very different project, since perhaps many are familiar with the existing BP CLI.