Modifying USB Flash Drive?

[Cha3m]

Hi,
I wanted to know how do I modify a certain USB and what tools or software do i need?
Modifying as "Changing how computer saw the USB" and so on.

 

[tpetar]

Can you explain what you whant to do ?

 

[Cha3m]

Im planning on making my USB flash drive visible to my computer/laptop only. Meaning only my computer can see the pendrive as a removable disk others see it as a normal inserted USB stuff (Is it changing the .INI ?). Oh and another thing, I've tried searching and failed to find a way to build a flash drive any links or step that I can follow? tried going **broken link removed** here but still a bit blur.

 

[Kurenai_ryu]

unless you reprogram the pendrive firmware, which needs you to know which controller does it have, it's almost imposible... as it always will try to load as an USB mass storage device... (by the USB class and subclass)
have you considered changing the format type (to something beside FAT or NTFS)? or have you considered some encryption software for USB pen drives???

 

[tpetar]

Better use some kind of encryption or password protection just like says Kurenai_ryu.

 

[Cha3m]

Hurm, anyway what adapter, component or equipment is required to make a USB flash drives?

 

[tpetar]

Hurm, anyway what adapter, component or equipment is required to make a USB flash drives?

You can search edaboard forum I remember I think there is few threads with usb flash circuits and story about that.

 

[Cha3m]

Done searching and gain a few and still remains a bit unsure and blurry, sorry low knowledge. I dont plan on using an encryption software, planning on programming it inside the USB Flash drives but that is another story.
So let me see if I get this correct, in order to program my coding and such to Flash drives is call 'interfacing' and that can be done by using a USB microcontroller ready. So do you mind telling if the listed is the correct item for interfacing a USB Flash drives and what else is required other than a flash drive? a microChip?;
https://www.microchipdirect.com/productsearch.aspx?Keywords=DV164136
**broken link removed**

oh and this looks more simple
**broken link removed**

And can i interface it just by using a commercial pendrives?

if you require PIC based USB host you would need to use a PIC24 (or PIC32) - PIC18 only has USB device support

What does this mean?

 

[Kurenai_ryu]

well, the Vinculum will help you to access files and data in the pendrive, and maybe change the file format.... but essentially it works with well formated USB pendrives, which could be accessible from any PC...

as i suggested you can change the data format from FAT to anything else (maybe some dataformat you will design or, some non-windows formats) it's possible to do in any pendrive, but requires extra coding... (not ready applications for this, so you will have to do it yourself. or just write raw data on the pendrive)

about your Quote,

if you require PIC based USB host you would need to use a PIC24 (or PIC32) - PIC18 only has USB device support

you can't connect a USB device (like a pendrive or a mouse) to a PIC18....
if you want to connect a USB pendrive to a PIC, it should have a usb host, like some PIC24 or PIC32 devices... (or the vinculum you posted)

sorry for asking, but, Why do you need to make your pendrive available only in your PC??? i mean, what kind of purpose do you have that it can't be done by encrypting the files????

 

[Cha3m]

well, the Vinculum will help you to access files and data in the pendrive, and maybe change the file format.... but essentially it works with well formated USB pendrives, which could be accessible from any PC...



you can't connect a USB device (like a pendrive or a mouse) to a PIC18....
if you want to connect a USB pendrive to a PIC, it should have a usb host, like some PIC24 or PIC32 devices... (or the vinculum you posted)

sorry for asking, but, Why do you need to make your pendrive available only in your PC??? i mean, what kind of purpose do you have that it can't be done by encrypting the files????

So the vinculum USB Host controller is the most suitable controller.
https://www.ftdichip.com/Products/ICs/VNC1L.htm
*This site shows a picture of microchip, but features says it has USB ports and more. Is the picture really is the product?
*And is Vinculum capable of modifying even an average commercial USB Flash drive?
The extra coding can be manage.
The purpose is it's for my own encryption software related.

Hurm, I've read this from somewhere;

Creating a flash drive is a waste of time and takes alot of work. Much of the software used in these buggers is tightly guarded by their manufacturers (just try asking SanDisk for a schematic and firmware listing). The components are harder to work with also, being primarily fine-pitch surface-mount.

Not that you couldn't do it--but the result would be less than satisfying. As in "okay, it stores data and I can get it back--now what?"

If I were in your place and wanted something of very modest scale, I'd devise a project (a peripheral, for example) and implement it using a PIC or AVR microcontroller. They're inexpensive, easy to use and come in a wide variety of packages and features.

So it seems im better off getting a flash drives that isnt *tightly guarded by their manufacturers* (China USB Flash drive) and reprogram it using Vinculum so that it meets my need. So I dont really need to get those PIC or atmel and microcontroller stuff?

 

[doraemon]

Hello!

I am developing a Mass Storage Class based USB device right now...
Well, I suppose that you still want your PC to recognize other keys, therefore
you cannot use a standard key but develop your own. This is not exactly what I
would call a beginner task.
Beside this, if you develop you own key, which is feasible, you also have to
develop a driver to read your key on Windows (or linux / mac, etc...).
Now if you want to reprogram a standard USB key, you should also know that you
will more likely not have access to the hardware documentation. And if the
flash you are using is a mass production device, there are high chances that it
is simply not programmable (ROM based). And even if it were flash based (therefore
potentially programmable), how would you do it? Usually the maker does not leave
JTAG connector or even a boot strap loader pins...
I would go for the encrypted key stuff.

Dora

 

[Kurenai_ryu]

whatever you plan to do with the Vinculum, you can actually do with a PC, like accessing directly to the data blocks and so, (it's easy in linux, but it's possible with windows)

unless you plan to do a encryption device (not a encryption program but something more 'hardware')

if so, remember that the vinculum was primarly designed to make USB available to lower speed microcontrollers as it uses USART (or SPI) communication which are very slow compared with direct PC access to USB.... and remember, the vinculum can read/write/erase the flash data blocks of a USB pendrive BUT it can't change the USB descriptors or reprogram the firmware of the pendrive (OF any pendrive).... just the data memory....

that's why i would like to know how much data or at what rate do you need to hide it inside the pendrive...

mmm

i could try this approach...

get a Linux box or a linux VM,
plug my new USB pendrive,
format it in linux to be EXT2 or somekind of native linux filesystem
as it WILL NEVER be recognizable in a common windows PC.... gee, no one will get my files. (as windows even don't know about EXT2 and mark it as unrecognized)
if MY PC is windows, secretly get some EXT2 filemanager for my PC!!!! hardly no one will think or have some of this filemanagers installed on their PCs
the fallback is if my pendrives falls into a linux user, he will be able to read all my files with no extra effort...


or


plan a complete filesystem that noone could decipher....
format the pendrive to this new filesystem,
make a drive (with a DDK -huge work-) to access to my filesystem, or use a vinculum, and an extra microcontroller to read this new filesystem right from the datablocks (not so huge work, but really slow...)
and make sure that no one could get access to my drive or my USB dencrypting device....

---------- Post added at 01:27 ---------- Previous post was at 01:25 ----------

BTW doraemon got the idea, right from it's pocket

 

[Cha3m]

Hello!
you should also know that you
will more likely not have access to the hardware documentation. And if the
flash you are using is a mass production device, there are high chances that it
is simply not programmable (ROM based).

Dora

Owh, well thats a bummer Haha. So yeah I guess I'll be making a USB flash drive from start.

whatever you plan to do with the Vinculum, you can actually do with a PC, like accessing directly to the data blocks and so, (it's easy in linux, but it's possible with windows)

unless you plan to do a encryption device (not a encryption program but something more 'hardware')

if so, remember that the vinculum was primarly designed to make USB available to lower speed microcontrollers as it uses USART (or SPI) communication which are very slow compared with direct PC access to USB.... and remember, the vinculum can read/write/erase the flash data blocks of a USB pendrive BUT it can't change the USB descriptors or reprogram the firmware of the pendrive (OF any pendrive).... just the data memory....

plan a complete filesystem that noone could decipher....
format the pendrive to this new filesystem,
make a drive (with a DDK -huge work-) to access to my filesystem, or use a vinculum, and an extra microcontroller to read this new filesystem right from the datablocks (not so huge work, but really slow...)
and make sure that no one could get access to my drive or my USB dencrypting device....

---------- Post added at 01:27 ---------- Previous post was at 01:25 ----------

BTW doraemon got the idea, right from it's pocket

Wait Im still a bit confused, lets just say I managed to build my own USB flash drive and since you said Vinculum "can't change the USB descriptors or reprogram the firmware of the pendrive (OF any pendrive)" so any other tools that you can refer me?

*From other post*

I could get you a refernece design in block level from free scale semiconductors with thir chip
you could log on to thier site for more informations on teh schematics.
find the attached,

-cheers

Hah! Finally found the schematic!
I need to make a prototype of my own Flash drive, gonna design it on proteus or PCBWizard later I guess.
References : https://www.freescale.com/webapp/sp...=RD68HC908USBSKEY&fpsp=1&tab=Design_Tools_Tab
View attachment JB8_deskey_sch_rev00.pdf