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Hardware Setup
bobberdolle1 edited this page Jan 7, 2026
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OpenFlash supports multiple microcontroller platforms and flash interfaces:
| Platform | USB | WiFi | Speed | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RP2040 (Pico) | ✅ | ❌ | Medium | ~$4 | Best for beginners |
| RP2350 (Pico 2) | ✅ | ❌ | High | ~$5 | Enhanced PIO, NV-DDR |
| STM32F1 (Blue Pill) | ✅ | ❌ | Low | ~$2 | Ultra-budget |
| STM32F4 (Black Pill) | ✅ | ❌ | High | ~$5 | Best MCU performance |
| STM32H747 (Arduino GIGA) | ✅ | ✅ | Very High | ~$60 | Enterprise features |
| ESP32 | UART/USB | ✅ | Medium | ~$4 | Wireless operation |
| Teensy 4.0 | ✅ HS | ❌ | Fastest | ~$20 | USB 480Mbps! ⚡ |
| Teensy 4.1 | ✅ HS | ❌ | Fastest | ~$27 | + SD card slot ⚡ |
| Raspberry Pi (SBC) | N/A | ✅ | Very High | ~$35-75 | Linux GPIO, headless |
| Orange Pi (SBC) | N/A | ✅ | High | ~$15-50 | Budget SBC option |
| Banana Pi (SBC) | N/A | ✅ | High | ~$15-35 | RPi alternative 🍌 |
OpenFlash supports three NAND flash interfaces:
- Parallel NAND - Traditional 8-bit parallel interface
- SPI NAND - Serial Peripheral Interface (4-wire SPI)
- eMMC - Embedded MultiMediaCard via SPI mode
Standard TSOP-48 NAND flash pinout:
┌──────────────────────┐
NC ─┤ 1 48 ├─ NC
NC ─┤ 2 47 ├─ NC
GND ─┤ 3 46 ├─ NC
VCC ─┤ 4 45 ├─ NC
NC ─┤ 5 44 ├─ NC
NC ─┤ 6 43 ├─ NC
GND ─┤ 7 42 ├─ NC
NC ─┤ 8 41 ├─ NC
NC ─┤ 9 40 ├─ NC
NC ─┤ 10 39 ├─ NC
NC ─┤ 11 38 ├─ NC
GND ─┤ 12 37 ├─ VCC
VCC ─┤ 13 36 ├─ GND
NC ─┤ 14 35 ├─ NC
WP# ─┤ 15 34 ├─ NC
NC ─┤ 16 33 ├─ NC
CE# ─┤ 17 32 ├─ NC
GND ─┤ 18 31 ├─ GND
NC ─┤ 19 30 ├─ NC
CLE ─┤ 20 29 ├─ I/O7
ALE ─┤ 21 28 ├─ I/O6
WE# ─┤ 22 27 ├─ I/O5
RE# ─┤ 23 26 ├─ I/O4
R/B# ─┤ 24 25 ├─ VCC
└──────────────────────┘
Note: Pinout varies by manufacturer. Always check your chip's datasheet!
| NAND Signal | Pico Pin | GPIO |
|---|---|---|
| CLE | Pin 1 | GP0 |
| ALE | Pin 2 | GP1 |
| WE# | Pin 4 | GP2 |
| RE# | Pin 5 | GP3 |
| CE# | Pin 6 | GP4 |
| R/B# | Pin 7 | GP5 |
| D0 | Pin 9 | GP6 |
| D1 | Pin 10 | GP7 |
| D2 | Pin 11 | GP8 |
| D3 | Pin 12 | GP9 |
| D4 | Pin 14 | GP10 |
| D5 | Pin 15 | GP11 |
| D6 | Pin 16 | GP12 |
| D7 | Pin 17 | GP13 |
| GND | Pin 3,8 | GND |
| VCC (3.3V) | Pin 36 | 3V3 |
| SPI Signal | Pico Pin | GPIO | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MISO (DO) | Pin 21 | GP16 | Data Out |
| CS# | Pin 22 | GP17 | Chip Select |
| SCK | Pin 24 | GP18 | Clock |
| MOSI (DI) | Pin 25 | GP19 | Data In |
| GND | Pin 23 | GND | Ground |
| VCC (3.3V) | Pin 36 | 3V3 | Power |
Raspberry Pi Pico NAND Flash
┌─────────────────┐ ┌──────────┐
│ GP0 (Pin 1) ──┼───────────┼── CLE │
│ GP1 (Pin 2) ──┼───────────┼── ALE │
│ GP2 (Pin 4) ──┼───────────┼── WE# │
│ GP3 (Pin 5) ──┼───────────┼── RE# │
│ GP4 (Pin 6) ──┼───────────┼── CE# │
│ GP5 (Pin 7) ──┼───────────┼── R/B# │
│ GP6 (Pin 9) ──┼───────────┼── D0 │
│ GP7 (Pin 10) ──┼───────────┼── D1 │
│ GP8 (Pin 11) ──┼───────────┼── D2 │
│ GP9 (Pin 12) ──┼───────────┼── D3 │
│ GP10 (Pin 14) ──┼───────────┼── D4 │
│ GP11 (Pin 15) ──┼───────────┼── D5 │
│ GP12 (Pin 16) ──┼───────────┼── D6 │
│ GP13 (Pin 17) ──┼───────────┼── D7 │
│ 3V3 (Pin 36) ──┼───────────┼── VCC │
│ GND (Pin 3) ──┼───────────┼── GND │
└─────────────────┘ └──────────┘
Raspberry Pi Pico SPI NAND Flash
┌─────────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐
│ GP16 (Pin 21) ──┼───────────┼── DO (MISO) │
│ GP17 (Pin 22) ──┼───────────┼── CS# │
│ GP18 (Pin 24) ──┼───────────┼── CLK │
│ GP19 (Pin 25) ──┼───────────┼── DI (MOSI) │
│ 3V3 (Pin 36) ──┼───────────┼── VCC │
│ GND (Pin 23) ──┼───────────┼── GND │
│ │ │ │
│ (Optional QSPI) │ │ │
│ GP20 (Pin 26) ──┼───────────┼── IO2/WP# │
│ GP21 (Pin 27) ──┼───────────┼── IO3/HOLD# │
└─────────────────┘ └──────────────┘
Note: For Quad SPI (QSPI) mode, connect IO2 and IO3 pins. Standard SPI mode only requires 4 wires.
| NAND Signal | Blue Pill | GPIO |
|---|---|---|
| CLE | PA0 | PA0 |
| ALE | PA1 | PA1 |
| WE# | PA2 | PA2 |
| RE# | PA3 | PA3 |
| CE# | PA4 | PA4 |
| R/B# | PA5 | PA5 |
| D0-D7 | PB0-PB7 | PB0-7 |
| GND | GND | GND |
| VCC (3.3V) | 3.3V | 3V3 |
- NAND flash operates at 3.3V
- Never connect 5V to NAND pins
- Both Pico and Blue Pill are 3.3V, so direct connection is safe
- R/B# (Ready/Busy) needs a 10kΩ pull-up to VCC
- Some chips have internal pull-ups, but external is recommended
- Add 100nF capacitor between VCC and GND near the NAND chip
- Helps with signal integrity
- Keep wires short (< 10cm)
- Use twisted pairs for data lines if possible
- Ground plane helps reduce noise
- For SPI NAND: keep clock line short and away from data lines
- WSON-8 (8-pin, 8x6mm) - Most common
- USON-8 (8-pin, 4x4mm) - Smaller variant
- TFBGA (24-ball) - For multi-die packages
┌─────────────┐
CS# ─┤ 1 8 ├─ VCC
DO ─┤ 2 7 ├─ HOLD#
WP# ─┤ 3 6 ├─ CLK
GND ─┤ 4 5 ├─ DI
└─────────────┘
- SPI NAND uses Mode 0 (CPOL=0, CPHA=0)
- Clock idle low, data sampled on rising edge
- Maximum clock typically 80-133 MHz
For easier connections, use a TSOP-48 breakout board:
- Search "TSOP48 adapter" on AliExpress/eBay
- Provides easy access to all pins
- Some include ZIF socket for chip removal
- Supported Chips - Verify your chip is supported
- Getting Started - Flash firmware and test
The ESP32 series provides WiFi/BLE connectivity for wireless flash operations.
| SPI Signal | ESP32 Pin | GPIO | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCK | VSPI CLK | GPIO18 | Clock |
| MISO (DO) | VSPI MISO | GPIO19 | Data Out |
| MOSI (DI) | VSPI MOSI | GPIO23 | Data In |
| CS# | - | GPIO5 | Chip Select |
| GND | GND | GND | Ground |
| VCC (3.3V) | 3.3V | 3V3 | Power |
ESP32 SPI NAND Flash
┌─────────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐
│ GPIO18 (CLK) ──┼───────┼── CLK │
│ GPIO19 (MISO) ──┼───────┼── DO │
│ GPIO23 (MOSI) ──┼───────┼── DI │
│ GPIO5 (CS) ──┼───────┼── CS# │
│ 3.3V ──┼───────┼── VCC │
│ GND ──┼───────┼── GND │
└─────────────────┘ └──────────────┘
- Flash the ESP32 firmware
- Connect to "OpenFlash-XXXX" WiFi AP
- Open http://192.168.4.1 in browser
- Or configure to connect to your WiFi network
The STM32F4 series offers higher performance with native USB OTG.
| SPI Signal | Black Pill | GPIO | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCK | PA5 | PA5 | Clock |
| MISO (DO) | PA6 | PA6 | Data Out |
| MOSI (DI) | PA7 | PA7 | Data In |
| CS# | PA4 | PA4 | Chip Select |
| GND | GND | GND | Ground |
| VCC (3.3V) | 3.3V | 3V3 | Power |
STM32F4 (Black Pill) SPI NAND Flash
┌─────────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐
│ PA5 (SCK) ──┼───────┼── CLK │
│ PA6 (MISO) ──┼───────┼── DO │
│ PA7 (MOSI) ──┼───────┼── DI │
│ PA4 (CS) ──┼───────┼── CS# │
│ 3.3V ──┼───────┼── VCC │
│ GND ──┼───────┼── GND │
└─────────────────┘ └──────────────┘
- Faster: Up to 180MHz vs 72MHz (STM32F1)
- Native USB OTG: Better USB performance
- FSMC: Hardware parallel NAND controller (F446)
- More RAM: 128KB vs 20KB
The RP2350 is the successor to RP2040 with improved performance.
- Faster cores: Dual Cortex-M33 @ 150MHz (vs M0+ @ 133MHz)
- More RAM: 520KB SRAM (vs 264KB)
- Enhanced PIO: Better timing for NV-DDR NAND
- Security: ARM TrustZone, secure boot
- RISC-V option: Can run Hazard3 RISC-V cores
Same as RP2040 - direct pin compatibility:
| SPI Signal | Pico 2 Pin | GPIO | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MISO (DO) | Pin 21 | GP16 | Data Out |
| CS# | Pin 22 | GP17 | Chip Select |
| SCK | Pin 24 | GP18 | Clock |
| MOSI (DI) | Pin 25 | GP19 | Data In |
| GND | Pin 23 | GND | Ground |
| VCC (3.3V) | Pin 36 | 3V3 | Power |
For high-speed NV-DDR NAND (up to 400MT/s):
| Signal | Pico 2 Pin | GPIO | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| DQS | Pin 26 | GP20 | Data Strobe |
| RE_N | Pin 27 | GP21 | Read Enable |
| DQ0-7 | Pin 9-17 | GP6-13 | Data Bus |
Use a full Raspberry Pi as a flash programmer via GPIO.
| Model | SoC | GPIO Speed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pi 3B+ | BCM2837B0 | Medium | Good balance |
| Pi 4 | BCM2711 | High | Recommended |
| Pi 5 | BCM2712 | Very High | Best performance |
| Zero 2W | BCM2710A1 | Medium | Compact |
Uses hardware SPI (SPI0):
| SPI Signal | Pi Pin | BCM GPIO | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MISO (DO) | Pin 21 | GPIO9 | Data Out |
| MOSI (DI) | Pin 19 | GPIO10 | Data In |
| SCK | Pin 23 | GPIO11 | Clock |
| CS# | Pin 24 | GPIO8 | Chip Select |
| GND | Pin 6 | GND | Ground |
| VCC (3.3V) | Pin 1 | 3V3 | Power |
Raspberry Pi SPI NAND Flash
┌─────────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐
│ GPIO9 (Pin 21) ──┼──────┼── DO (MISO) │
│ GPIO10 (Pin 19) ──┼──────┼── DI (MOSI) │
│ GPIO11 (Pin 23) ──┼──────┼── CLK │
│ GPIO8 (Pin 24) ──┼──────┼── CS# │
│ 3.3V (Pin 1) ──┼──────┼── VCC │
│ GND (Pin 6) ──┼──────┼── GND │
└─────────────────┘ └──────────────┘
| NAND Signal | Pi Pin | BCM GPIO |
|---|---|---|
| D0-D7 | Various | GPIO2-9 |
| CLE | Pin 11 | GPIO17 |
| ALE | Pin 13 | GPIO27 |
| WE# | Pin 15 | GPIO22 |
| RE# | Pin 16 | GPIO23 |
| CE# | Pin 18 | GPIO24 |
| R/B# | Pin 22 | GPIO25 |
# Install driver
cargo install openflash-firmware-raspberry-pi
# Run as daemon (requires root for GPIO)
sudo openflash-gpio
# Connect from desktop app via network
# Or use local Unix socketThe most powerful Arduino platform for enterprise flash operations.
-
MCU: STM32H747 dual-core
- Cortex-M7 @ 480MHz (main)
- Cortex-M4 @ 240MHz (WiFi/BLE)
- RAM: 1MB
- Flash: 2MB
- USB: OTG HS (480Mbps)
- Connectivity: WiFi + BLE (Murata)
| SPI Signal | GIGA Pin | STM32 Pin | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCK | D13 | PA5 | Clock |
| MISO | D12 | PA6 | Data Out |
| MOSI | D11 | PA7 | Data In |
| CS# | D10 | PA4 | Chip Select |
| GND | GND | GND | Ground |
| VCC (3.3V) | 3.3V | 3V3 | Power |
The STM32H747 has a Flexible Memory Controller (FMC) for hardware-accelerated parallel NAND:
| NAND Signal | GIGA Pin | FMC Signal |
|---|---|---|
| D0-D15 | D22-D37 | FMC_D0-15 |
| ALE | D38 | FMC_A17 |
| CLE | D39 | FMC_A16 |
| CE# | D40 | FMC_NCE |
| WE# | D41 | FMC_NWE |
| RE# | D42 | FMC_NOE |
| R/B# | D43 | FMC_NWAIT |
- Hardware ECC: FMC has built-in ECC calculation
- 16-bit bus: Native x16 NAND support
- HS200 eMMC: High-speed eMMC via SDMMC
- WiFi control: Remote operation via WiFi
Budget SBC option for flash programming.
| Model | SoC | GPIO | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zero 3 | Allwinner H618 | 26-pin | ~$20 | Best value |
| Zero 2W | Allwinner H616 | 26-pin | ~$18 | Pi Zero form factor |
| 5 | Rockchip RK3588 | 26-pin | ~$50 | High performance |
| SPI Signal | OPi Pin | GPIO | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MISO | Pin 21 | PC0 | Data Out |
| MOSI | Pin 19 | PC2 | Data In |
| SCK | Pin 23 | PC1 | Clock |
| CS# | Pin 24 | PC3 | Chip Select |
| GND | Pin 6 | GND | Ground |
| VCC (3.3V) | Pin 1 | 3V3 | Power |
# Install driver
cargo install openflash-firmware-orange-pi
# Run as daemon (requires root for /dev/mem)
sudo openflash-gpio
# Connect from desktop app via network- GPIO libraries vary by SoC (Allwinner vs Rockchip)
- Memory-mapped GPIO requires root access
- SPI via /dev/spidev is more portable
The Teensy 4.x series offers USB High Speed (480 Mbit/s) for dramatically faster transfers.
| Feature | Teensy 4.0 | Teensy 4.1 |
|---|---|---|
| MCU | NXP i.MX RT1062 | NXP i.MX RT1062 |
| Speed | 600 MHz Cortex-M7 | 600 MHz Cortex-M7 |
| RAM | 1MB | 1MB |
| Flash | 2MB | 8MB |
| USB | High Speed 480Mbps | High Speed 480Mbps |
| SD Card | ❌ | ✅ Built-in slot |
| Ethernet | ❌ | ✅ (with adapter) |
| Price | ~$20 | ~$27 |
- 10-20x faster transfers: USB HS vs USB FS (480 vs 12 Mbit/s)
- 1GB dump in 3-5 minutes instead of 45 minutes!
- 600 MHz CPU: Soft ECC (BCH-16/24) on-the-fly without speed loss
- FlexIO: Programmable I/O for precise NV-DDR timing
- Logic analyzer mode: Debug unknown chips at 24 MHz sample rate
- Teensy 4.1 SD card: Autonomous operation without PC
| SPI Signal | Teensy Pin | Description |
|---|---|---|
| SCK | Pin 13 | Clock |
| MISO (DO) | Pin 12 | Data Out |
| MOSI (DI) | Pin 11 | Data In |
| CS# | Pin 10 | Chip Select |
| GND | GND | Ground |
| VCC (3.3V) | 3.3V | Power |
| NAND Signal | Teensy Pin | Description |
|---|---|---|
| D0-D7 | Pin 2-9 | Data Bus |
| CLE | Pin 10 | Command Latch |
| ALE | Pin 11 | Address Latch |
| WE# | Pin 12 | Write Enable |
| RE# | Pin 24 | Read Enable |
| CE# | Pin 25 | Chip Enable |
| R/B# | Pin 26 | Ready/Busy (input) |
Teensy 4.0/4.1 SPI NAND Flash
┌─────────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐
│ Pin 13 (SCK) ──┼────────┼── CLK │
│ Pin 12 (MISO) ──┼────────┼── DO │
│ Pin 11 (MOSI) ──┼────────┼── DI │
│ Pin 10 (CS) ──┼────────┼── CS# │
│ 3.3V ──┼────────┼── VCC │
│ GND ──┼────────┼── GND │
└─────────────────┘ └──────────────┘
Teensy 4.1 can operate autonomously:
- Insert SD card
- Press button to start dump
- Dump saved directly to SD card
- No PC required!
# Build firmware
cd openflash/firmware/teensy4
cargo build --release --target thumbv7em-none-eabihf --features teensy41
# Flash via Teensy Loader
teensy_loader_cli --mcu=TEENSY41 -w target/thumbv7em-none-eabihf/release/openflash-firmware-teensy4.hex
# Or use Teensy Loader GUI (press button on Teensy)Budget SBC alternative to Raspberry Pi and Orange Pi.
| Model | SoC | Architecture | GPIO | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M2 Zero | Allwinner H3 | ARM Cortex-A7 | 40-pin | ~$15 | RPi Zero form factor |
| M4 Berry | Allwinner H618 | ARM Cortex-A53 | 40-pin | ~$25 | RPi 4 alternative |
| BPI-F3 | SpacemiT K1 | RISC-V | 40-pin | ~$35 | RISC-V enthusiast! |
- Lower cost than Raspberry Pi
- Better availability in some regions
- RISC-V option (BPI-F3) for enthusiasts
- Hardware SPI for fast SPI NAND/NOR operations
- Parallel NAND not recommended: Linux timing constraints
- Best for SPI interfaces: SPI NAND, SPI NOR, eMMC
- Requires root for GPIO access
| SPI Signal | BPi Pin | GPIO | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MISO | Pin 21 | PA16 | Data Out |
| MOSI | Pin 19 | PA15 | Data In |
| SCK | Pin 23 | PA14 | Clock |
| CS# | Pin 24 | PA13 | Chip Select |
| GND | Pin 6 | GND | Ground |
| VCC (3.3V) | Pin 1 | 3V3 | Power |
Banana Pi SPI NAND Flash
┌─────────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐
│ PA16 (Pin 21) ──┼────────┼── DO (MISO) │
│ PA15 (Pin 19) ──┼────────┼── DI (MOSI) │
│ PA14 (Pin 23) ──┼────────┼── CLK │
│ PA13 (Pin 24) ──┼────────┼── CS# │
│ 3.3V (Pin 1) ──┼────────┼── VCC │
│ GND (Pin 6) ──┼────────┼── GND │
└─────────────────┘ └──────────────┘
# Build driver
cd openflash/firmware/banana_pi
cargo build --release
# Run as daemon (requires root)
sudo ./target/release/openflash-gpio
# For remote access
sudo ./target/release/openflash-gpio --tcp 0.0.0.0:5000
# Connect from desktop app via networkThe BPI-F3 uses SpacemiT K1 RISC-V SoC:
- First RISC-V board supported by OpenFlash!
- GPIO access via /dev/mem or libgpiod
- SPI via /dev/spidev0.0
- Great for RISC-V enthusiasts
- Supported Chips - Verify your chip is supported
- Getting Started - Flash firmware and test