AmpBenzScientist @AmpBenzScientist@qoto.org

@PawelK It might be as the MCUs I'm focusing on are some of the most hated on the market currently. When they fail, recovery isn't an option on all models. I'll see what I can do.

I've been analyzing and reverse engineering harddrive firmware recently. I haven't had enough samples yet for a good scope of research. The firmware update utilities for HDDs have usually been very well thought out and implemented. Updates for a SSD's firmware can be easy or not worth the trouble.

I haven't had time to document the work due to two SSDs that have been troublesome. The SSDs are the same brand with the same MCU. When they were new, they were tested and grouped in the Pre Fail category. From a cold boot the recorded temperature of the SSDs was 100C.

Hopefully I will have something better in the near future. Remember to make backups.

@al1r4d I've never had that problem. The only problems on Lenovos I have encountered were due to firmware.

I managed to recover my workstation and my files. Control + Alt + F3 on GNU/LINUX to get out of the gui. Log in and use the package manager. I haven't had a problem that did not fix. It even brought back a LUKS volume when the update failed. It took a week but I still have a picture of that event.

My workstation won't boot into the OS. I don't have the internet access to download everything again to recreate it. I guess I'm going to have to try to recover it once again.

@valleyforge A Dremel only works for so long before it destroys itself.

@al1r4d How did it break it? Even for UEFI, it should be able to be reflashed with a low capacity USB 2.0 drive that is FAT32 formatted with the firmware on it.

I'm glad that I have more than one project going on right now. My main project was going shockingly well until I hit the part with no documentation or information. I will continue with this project but this is the point where a slow crawl is maximum speed. It's going to be a very difficult job.

Progress so far: Information discovered by probing, rough MCU specifications, Architecture, and some capabilities. Thankfully the next part is likely encrypted and signed.
A good point to say I had to stop? Yes it is!
I'm not going to stop.

@lupyuen A new challenger has stepped into the ring. Will the notoriously overrated ARM be victorious in more than a hardware accelerated unrealistic test? Will the architecture that has refused to die for the past 20 years crush ARM again for this year? ;)

@valleyforge Baby Nambu with functional safety. Don't use anything other than Ruger brand mags or you're gonna have malfunctions. Ruger is notorious for this.

I know what I will be working on and the side projects that will be included. This is going to involve a fair amount of development and documentation. This will assist me on a project that I stopped a while back too. I don't have any idea of when I will release the work(s), or what will be included, but it is in progress.

@minespatch Ah.

@minespatch I don't mean to throw brand names around but have you ever tried the Pentel white erasers? I've never been so impressed by an eraser.

@Piquant Suicides and drug overdoses are likely the majority of that 84%. Keep on Rockin in the free world.

The course of my work is taking a turn for the better. Hopefully I can have the foresight and follow through for something I've never done before. That something is documenting my work properly. This isn't going to be as easy as the last project. Documenting isn't going to be easy.

It's been long enough of a break for me and I plan to resume work on my project soon. Hopefully it will be a great toolset.