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.
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.
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.
No, every means every. You have a tiny tiny fragment of every protocol that could ever exist or even of the ones that do. And you can't even potentially do many real protocols on an ESP. It's a tiny tiny subset. I'd suggest being honest.
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?
The BP V5 is only $42.50 and is still the most popular model, and is actively developed and supported. The BP6 has some fancier features that make it more expensive, but the Bus Pirate folks are very price sensitive and want to keep the tool as accessible as possible. (source: I'm a distributor for them).
@geotp Ignore a lot of the mean comments, this is an excellent project and something that I've being meaning to hack together for myself. Having web access to remotely debug I2C/UART is a literal godsend. I cannot wait to just drop in an ESP32 instead of having to connect a rats nest of wires.
18 comments
[ 3.7 ms ] story [ 50.9 ms ] threadIt 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.
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.
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.
When it said every protocol, I read it as potentially every protocol, myself. I have an O-scope that can read every wire protocol too.
Any reason why C1 is not supported?
I'd like to use as a serial-over-wifi adapter, for remote management of my SBCs.
Can anyone suggest a decent device for this, that relies on no soldering or 3d printing?
Ideally the device would expose a serial-over-USB port, so I can just plug in a USB-UART adapter.
Found it in recent days and couldn't have been better timing for what I needed to do.
I have it running well on a Heltec WiFi LoRa 32(V3) with very minor patches to support the CP2102 UART.