[Swansea Hackspace] FTDI chip - PCB

[Neil Jones]

On 27/10/14 09:46, Justin Mitchell wrote:
> On Mon, 2014-10-27 at 09:38 +0000, Ceri Clatworthy wrote:
>> WARNING
>>
>>
>> if you have any 'Chinese' FTDI breakout boards,
>> Then DO NOT allow Windows to update driver !!!
>> because it will be BRICKED !!!
>> look at this post..
>> https://www.sparkfun.com/news/1629
>> Just 'lost' my 3D printer :(
> There is an FTDI util that lets you write the PID value back and
>
> re-enable the device, then learn from your mistakes and stop using
> windows :)
So it is the usual problem with a windows package.:-)
I always think it sounds better in Welsh. Problem gyda phecyn Windows. :-)

Seriously though, having looked at the discussion, even while I 
understand why this has been done, it  seems quite clearly to be a 
criminal offence under UK law.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/48/section/36

Neil








>
> p.s. that article is quite badly wrong and deluded, we know exactly how
> its done, and linux will never do it, i doubt mac ever would either, the
> drivers arent supplied by the manufacturer, and the fake "bug" in the
> code that does the bricking would have been spotted.
>
> p.p.s. for those that havent read, the driver does this by deliberately
> overwriting the PID value to 0 (making it an invalid device) but it does
> so in a way that would fail to write on a genuine device due to a quirk
> in the hardware. the cloned devices dont have the quirk and obediently
> make the write.
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Hackspace mailing list
> Hackspace at swansea.hackspace.org.uk
> http://swansea.hackspace.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hackspace
>