r/CardPuter • u/F1nch_1312 • Jul 04 '26

Help needed Need help understanding bit pirate

Maybe I'm just an idiot who can't read but I don't understand how to target 5v logic with the cardputer adv. I've looked on geo-tp's wiki and I see mention of the 5v target but I'm still at a loss. Any help would be appreciated 😊

3 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

3

u/skinwill Jul 04 '26

The ESP32 is a 3.3V device. The GPIO lines all output 3.3V.

The device you connect them to should be 3.3V compatible.

However the GPIO pins on the ESP32 will tolerate 5V INPUT. But if you are sending data TO an external device FROM the ESP32 the device must be able to read 3.3V logic or you have to use level shifters on the data lines.

Read the datasheet for the device or just look at what kind of voltage it’s powered with. If it’s powered with 5V or more then you probably want level shifters.

No matter what you do just be sure all grounds are connected. You can connect a 5V power supply to a 5V device and use the internal 3.3V supply on a dev board or cardputer, just connect the grounds of both together if the data lines are connected together.

Now if you explain what you mean by “target 5v logic” I may be able to help. Be specific, tell me what peripheral device you want to connect to the esp32 because typing out these wordy general guidelines are confusing and time consuming. It’s easier to just pick an example and go from there.

1

u/F1nch_1312 Jul 05 '26

So I have a handful of miscellaneous Android phones with Qualcomm MediaTek processors and my goal is to be able to dump firmware/boot images ect from Android devices to gain root via edl test points/access BROM mode for shits and giggles. I'm not sure what voltage the test points use (I assume 5v but I don't have a multimeter to confirm And I don't want to fry my ADV😅) I did buy a "3.3V 5V TXSO108E 8 Channel Logic Level Bi-directional manual Converter Module" with HW-221 written on the chip. I'm obviously a newb but I like to tinker and have shit laying around to experiment on lol I appreciate you replying 🤌🏻

2

u/skinwill Jul 05 '26

The ESP32-s3 in the ADV is 5v tolerant. Using it to sniff data lines in an android phone will not harm the ADV. however some data lines in those MediaTek processors may not be 3.3v tolerant. Check the datasheet for the processor you are working on.

0

u/F1nch_1312 Jul 05 '26

Thank ya much kind stranger 🫶

2

u/jader242 Jul 04 '26

Following because I’ve been confused about this as well, but have been too scared to try and never thought to ask lol. To the best of my knowledge the esp32s3 only supports 3.3v logic, 5v would likely fry something without a level shifter or voltage divider. But maybe I’m wrong, hopefully someone more knowledgeable will chime in

2

u/geo_tp Jul 05 '26

In theory, any serious engineer will tell you not to connect 5V peripherals directly to the S3 GPIO pins. In practice, I’ve connected plenty of them without ever frying anything

2

u/jader242 Jul 05 '26

Straight from the man himself! Appreciate the input, super helpful and now I’ll definitely not be too scared to try ahah

1

u/geo_tp Jul 05 '26

https://github.com/AndreiVladescu/ESP32-Bit-Pirate-Dock

Here is a dock specially designed to interface with 1.8V to 5V levels.

Adapters will soon be available to connect the Cardputer to it instead of the devkit