NN pen drive 4GB with SM321 controller
July 17th, 2008, 18:22
Seems like flash corruption, partially at least.
It is detected as removable media with the VID of the Silicon Motion controller, and the production tool for the SM321 shows the controller and some manufacturer names but a LBA size of 0, although the two banks of the 4GB flash (HY27UV08) are also recognized.
Setting it back to 8meg lets the tool crash on my PC.
Anyone with some experience on this chip?
BTW, the stick has no voltage regulator. Have they taken into account to roast the 3,3V SM321?!
It is detected as removable media with the VID of the Silicon Motion controller, and the production tool for the SM321 shows the controller and some manufacturer names but a LBA size of 0, although the two banks of the 4GB flash (HY27UV08) are also recognized.
Setting it back to 8meg lets the tool crash on my PC.
Anyone with some experience on this chip?
BTW, the stick has no voltage regulator. Have they taken into account to roast the 3,3V SM321?!
Re: NN pen drive 4GB with SM321 controller
July 17th, 2008, 18:58
shaun wrote:Seems like flash corruption, partially at least.
It is detected as removable media with the VID of the Silicon Motion controller, and the production tool for the SM321 shows the controller and some manufacturer names but a LBA size of 0, although the two banks of the 4GB flash (HY27UV08) are also recognized.
Setting it back to 8meg lets the tool crash on my PC.
Anyone with some experience on this chip?
BTW, the stick has no voltage regulator. Have they taken into account to roast the 3,3V SM321?!
Hi, yes the chip known, hynix...
You need to read it out externaly, and simulate the SM321 controller-
PM me or pcimage for the job.
Best Regards
Bosse
Re: NN pen drive 4GB with SM321 controller
July 18th, 2008, 8:48
@mr_spokk...
Yes Bosse,
Well known controller to you and me both!
This needs specialist h/w and s/w, which we both have!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@shaun............
I am in UK, Bosse is in Sweden. Take your pick!
Yes Bosse,
Well known controller to you and me both!
This needs specialist h/w and s/w, which we both have!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@shaun............
I am in UK, Bosse is in Sweden. Take your pick!
Re: NN pen drive 4GB with SM321 controller
July 18th, 2008, 10:05
Dont forget me!
I'm in Belgium.
Dobre
I'm in Belgium.
Dobre
Re: NN pen drive 4GB with SM321 controller
July 18th, 2008, 11:22
Sorry Dobre...I missed you, won't happen twice 
Bosse
Bosse
Re: NN pen drive 4GB with SM321 controller
July 18th, 2008, 15:03
he he
Sorry Marc, how could we forget you?
Sean
Sorry Marc, how could we forget you?
Sean
Re: NN pen drive 4GB with SM321 controller
July 18th, 2008, 19:10
Thanks for your replies.
It seems that there are common problems with either this controller, the Hynix flash or the combination of both - could you enlighten please?
I'm not looking for someone whose work I could probably re-sell, but for a technical discussion of this problem. Sure, DR is your job and you won't tell all your secrets in public, but this isn't actually what I'm asking, just some tech chat on this topic.
Still anyone of you who would like to talk further via PM?
I've just studied the reference schematics for SM321BB designs - looks much like the stick on the bench.
Anyway, the "production tool" from Silicon Motion recognizes the SM, and also some info (like two banks of nand flash) is displayed, but as I wrote yesterday - 0 LBA sectors.
Taking into account that the flash may be (partially) dead and that the configuration data is stored onto the flash, the sector count cannot be altered. So the way would be to obtain an image of the flash using an appropriate programmer and then emulate whatever the SM321 does with the raw data (error correction at least I'd guess).
It seems that there are common problems with either this controller, the Hynix flash or the combination of both - could you enlighten please?
I'm not looking for someone whose work I could probably re-sell, but for a technical discussion of this problem. Sure, DR is your job and you won't tell all your secrets in public, but this isn't actually what I'm asking, just some tech chat on this topic.
Still anyone of you who would like to talk further via PM?
I've just studied the reference schematics for SM321BB designs - looks much like the stick on the bench.
Anyway, the "production tool" from Silicon Motion recognizes the SM, and also some info (like two banks of nand flash) is displayed, but as I wrote yesterday - 0 LBA sectors.
Taking into account that the flash may be (partially) dead and that the configuration data is stored onto the flash, the sector count cannot be altered. So the way would be to obtain an image of the flash using an appropriate programmer and then emulate whatever the SM321 does with the raw data (error correction at least I'd guess).
Re: NN pen drive 4GB with SM321 controller
July 18th, 2008, 20:06
Hi shaun,
To have a failing controller circuit is a common problem on all brands.
The problem is when the controller get bad you lose all the structional information of your flash-chip...map of the banks and blocks e.c.t...
So to read the information out, you need to desolder the Nand-Flash, read it out with an external reader, simulate the controller, and reconstruct the order of your data information.
Regards/ Bosse
To have a failing controller circuit is a common problem on all brands.
The problem is when the controller get bad you lose all the structional information of your flash-chip...map of the banks and blocks e.c.t...
So to read the information out, you need to desolder the Nand-Flash, read it out with an external reader, simulate the controller, and reconstruct the order of your data information.
Regards/ Bosse
Re: NN pen drive 4GB with SM321 controller
July 21st, 2008, 3:24
and how easy is that to do
Re: NN pen drive 4GB with SM321 controller
July 21st, 2008, 6:06
craig6928 wrote:and how easy is that to do
Hi, Of course it's not an easy job...but it's like learning to ride a bicycle, once you figured it out you can only be better
Regards/ Bosse
Re: NN pen drive 4GB with SM321 controller
July 21st, 2008, 23:05
im very much interested in doing flash memory recovery on drives
as we have been asked in the past to do recovery work.
what the basic that you need to know
how does one simulate the controller and reconstruct it
to read the information of the chips
as we have been asked in the past to do recovery work.
what the basic that you need to know
how does one simulate the controller and reconstruct it
to read the information of the chips
Re: NN pen drive 4GB with SM321 controller
July 22nd, 2008, 7:23
You lock yourself into your lab, grab your bunch of pen drives, store representative information onto them, remove the flash, read the raw data and repeat this with different data until you've learned how the wear-compensation algorithm of the particular controller you're looking at works. Then you write a small program that resembles the raw data blocks into the correct order of the block device, write an image and use this image, probably after running a file recovery program over it (whenever bad blocks in flash have bitten the volume information). Easy enough
Re: NN pen drive 4GB with SM321 controller
July 22nd, 2008, 10:08
Everyone wants the EASY answer. Just give us that program you wrote 
Seriously, is all the information on the flash? Or do some controller chips store some of the wear-leveling information on themselves?
Seriously, is all the information on the flash? Or do some controller chips store some of the wear-leveling information on themselves?
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