Bus Pirate 5XL and 6 hardware debugging tools with color terminal

The Bus Pirate 5XL and 6 are open-source hardware debugging tools that help you connect and work with different chips and sensors, like the RP2350A and RP2350B. It takes simple commands and turns them into different languages, like 1-Wire, I2C, SPI, and UART. It has features like two-way communication for input and output, voltage measuring and current measuring, an adjustable power supply, and a user-friendly interface with a bright LCD screen and color display support.

This hardware debugging tool comes with several handy features. They have buffered IOs, allowing them to connect directly with voltages from 1.2 to 5 volts and provide 8 bidirectional pins for data. You can measure voltage and current in real-time, with readings shown on both the screen and terminal, and there’s even a programmable hardware fuse to limit current up to 500mA. The built-in power supply lets you set the output from 1 to 5 volts and handle up to 400mA, so you can easily power different devices. The color terminal display includes a status toolbar that shows pin functions and voltages. It has a special button that can do the same thing over and over again, so you don’t have to type it out every time.

We can find some differences between Bus Pirate 5, 5XL, and 6, which are based on RP2040 MCU, in the table below.

Previously, we have written about other interesting hacking tools like the RF hacking device, the LUNA hacking multitool, the 4-Port Nano hub, and much more, feel free to check those out if you are interested in the topic.

Bus Pirate 5XL and 6 Specifications:

• Buffered I/O Pins:
  • 8 bidirectional buffered I/O pins
  • Supports voltage levels from 1.2V to 5V
• Voltage and Current Measurement:
  • Real-time voltage monitoring for each pin
  • Current usage monitoring
  • Programmable hardware fuse with adjustable current limit from 0 to 500mA
• Display and Terminal:
  • VT100 terminal emulation
  • Status toolbar shows pin functions and voltages
  • Color terminal support
• Automation Feature:
  • Dedicated button to automate repetitive debug commands
• Programmable Power Supply:
  • Adjustable output voltage: 1V to 5V
  • Maximum output current: 400mA

The Bus Pirate 5XL and 6 come with powerful RP2040 or RP2350 chips, featuring dual ARM cores that support a range of hardware interfaces and firmware that’s easy to update by simply dragging and dropping a file onto a USB disk drive. The hardware design includes an output expander; while the Bus Pirate 5 and 5XL use shift registers to provide extra outputs, the Bus Pirate 6 achieves this with additional IO pins. It has a special part that can check the voltage on 16 different pins at the same time. So, you can see what’s happening with your hardware in real time. Bidirectional buffers enable communication across different voltages (1.2 to 5 volts), and the “Look Behind” buffer in the Bus Pirate 6 provides an always-on logic analyzer feature.

The Bus Pirate 5XL and 6 have a built-in power supply that you can adjust to different levels. It can also measure how much current is flowing and stop it if it gets too high to protect your devices. This device has a special feature that stops electricity from flowing backward, so it won’t damage the inside of the tool. Additional features include toggleable 10K pull-up resistors on each IO pin, main and auxiliary IO connectors for easy debugging, 1Gbit NAND flash for storing configurations and logs, and a 240×320 pixel color LCD display that shows pin labels, voltage, and status information.

Commands are typed into a serial terminal. The new VT100 mode allows you to see color text and has a status bar that shows the function and voltage of each pin.

The Bus Pirate 5XL and 6 hardware debugging tools are really flexible tools for hardware hackers, having many features like fixing problems and merging with various electronic components. The choice between Bus Pirate 5, 5XL, and 6 depends on the specific requirements, such as additional IOs, processing power, and integrated features like the “Look Behind” buffer. You can get Bus Pirate 5 (RP2040) from here for $42.50 and the cable kits from its official site.

You can find more details about the Dangerous Prototypes Bus Pirate 5, 5XL, and 6 on their hardware wiki page. For additional information on hardware design and firmware source code, you can check out the company’s GitHub page. However, if you want to know more about RP2350A and RP2350B, you can find the details on their official RP2350 page.

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