Open source project ESP32 Bus Pirate - A Hardware Hacking Tool That Speaks Every Protocol

#esp32 #arduino #cpp #learning

https://github.com/geo-tp/ESP32-Bus-Pirate

🔌 Hack Hardware with the ESP32 Bus Pirate

Ever wanted a powerful protocol analyzer that doesn’t cost a fortune? ESP32 Bus Pirate is an open-source firmware that turns any ESP32-S3 board into a multi-protocol hardware toolbox — and you can get the necessary hardware for around $10. Flash it once and a cheap, pocketable ESP32 becomes a serial console, I²C/SPI inspector, 1-Wire reader, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth sniffer, IR sender/decoder, HID emulator, Sub-GHz tool, and more — all accessible via a fast USB serial terminal or a browser-based CLI.

🏴‍☠️ What the Bus Pirate Actually Is

The Bus Pirate is a long-standing open hardware project that exposes low-level bus access from a simple terminal. Think of it as a universal bridge between your computer and electronic parts: it lets you

discover unknown peripherals,
read and write chip registers and memories,
observe exchanges between modules,
debug hardware without re-flashing firmware on the target,
assist in reverse-engineering tasks.

Originally built for benches and labs, the Bus Pirate streamlines everyday tasks like scanning an I²C bus, dumping SPI flash, or sniffing UART traffic. The ESP32 Bus Pirate brings the same utility with modern extras — wireless access, USB HID emulation, IR, and radio support (Subghz, RF24 and more).

🌐 Three Ways to Control It

USB Serial — low-latency, scriptable, and familiar for embedded work.
Web CLI — control the device from any browser over Wi-Fi; same commands, remote convenience.
Standalone - on device screen and keyboard, available for the Cardputer.

All interfaces provide the same feature set.