BitBuster b.2

Overview

BitBuster is a low-cost mixed-signal analysis platform. It features 2 analog channels and 8 external + 18 internal digital channels. The analog channels feature a bandwidth of ~20 MHz, the maximum sampling rate is 40 MSPS for all channels.

The 18 internal digital channels, as well as optionally the two analog channels, are routed to the Challenge-Slot on the mainboard. This slot is designated for challenge-boards that already feature the required modifications to analyze the challenge hardware.

Interfaces

The following connectors are available on the BitBuster Mainboard.

1. USB-C power (used also for debug)
2. 10/100 Mbit/s Ethernet
3. 2x 0.1” External analog connector (CH0 and CH1)
4. 8x 0.1” External digital connector (input only)
5. (optional) 2x external analog connector (one each for CH0 and CH1)
6. The Challenge-Slot
7. A reset button and an OTA-Confirm button
8. 5x status LED’s

The BitBuster analysis platform provides a number of software interfaces to interact with it from a network-connected client device.

These include the following:

• A combined REST and WebSocket API for interacting with the board.
• A simple UART over TCP/IP bridge for communication with the challenge board in the challenge slot available at port 1337.
• An Over-The-Air update interface for updating the firmware of the BitBuster board (currently unused).
• Furthermore, a simple python-based GUI is provided to interface with the REST api. Direct use of the API is possible, but discouraged.

In addition to the client-side interfaces, the BitBuster also provides a set of measurement-side interfaces, some of which can also be accessed externally via the external measurement inputs.

• 2 analog channels that can run at up to 8 bit @ 40 MSPS with a 20 MHz -3dB bandwidth each that can be switched between the external connectors and the challenge slot
• 18 internal digital channels at up to 40 MSPS that are directly routed to the challenge slot.
• 8 external digital channels at up to 40 MSPS accessible via the external digital channel connector.

Powering up the BitBuster

1. Plug in the challenge board to the Challenge-Slot.
2. Plug in a USB-C power source to the USB-C power connector.
3. Connect the BitBuster to a local network that has a DHCP server.
4. Wait for the DHCP-LED to turn on.
5. Using the hostname printed on the bottom left label, you should now be able to connect to the BitBuster.

Board Network Discovery (DHCP / mDNS)

The board will request a DHCP lease from a local DHCP server on bootup and will then advertise itself via mDNS using the hostname printed on the board label.

Please also provide either a default gateway that responds to pings, or ping access to the broader internet. If both fail, the device will periodically reset it’s network port.

LED’s

The BitBuster features five LED’s to indicate the board’s status. On the top left you’ll find a DETECT LED (labeled DUT-DETECT on the BitBuster b.2) that indicates whether a challenge board is plugged in and detected properly by the BitBuster. On the bottom side next to the ethernet port you will find a DHCP led indicating a working network connection. If this LED is off, fix your network setup to respond to DHCP requests, there is usually no need to unplug or reset the board as the BitBuster will frequently fully reset the network connection if no stable connection can be obtained.

On the right side of the board we have (top to bottom)

• A red ERROR LED: This LED will turn on if the board firmware encounters an uncaught exception (and blinks every time it encounters one). It is usually a good idea to reset the board via the reset button in case this happens. If you’d like to debug, more information can be found on the serial console of the BitBuster, if you can reproduce a bug, please let us know. Note: In case of an out-of-memory situation, the LED will quickly flash 10 times and then reset. Please let us know if this happens and how to reproduce the issue.
• A green READY LED: This indicates the device’s sampling state. It is turned off during bootup, turns on if the BitBuster is in idle mode, flashes slowly to indicate waiting for a trigger, and flashes fast while it is still capturing data after a trigger. Note that if no trigger is enabled (i.e. instant capture), the first half of the sample capture process will still be indicated as waiting for a trigger, which will then immediately switch over to sampling, as you currently can only sample the whole sample memory.
• A green POWER LED: This is always on while power is connected. Please only power the BitBuster through the builtin USB-C power supply, the power connector to the challenge slot is only intended for providing power to a challenge board, not for powering the BitBuster from a challenge board Magic smoke might happen if you do this.

Known bugs / limitations for version b.2

A few of these boards do not support USB C Power Delivery, i.e. for boards with a board revision 900-006-B, a USB-C to USB-C cable will not provide power to the device, only data. However, you can use a USB-C to USB-A cable to provide power to the BitBuster. Boards with revision 900-006-C support USB-C Power Delivery, so USB-C to USB-C is fine here. You can find your board revision above the ERROR LED.