Interfacing a new microchip can be a hassle. Breadboarding a circuit, writing code, hauling out the programmer, or maybe even prototyping a PCB. We never seem to get it right on the first try.

The 'Bus Pirate' is a universal bus interface that talks to most chips from a PC serial terminal, eliminating a ton of early prototyping effort when working with new or unknown chips. Many serial protocols are supported at 0-5.5volts, more can be added.

Adafruit is the official US distributor of Ian Lesnet's Bus Pirate, each purchase directly supports Dangerous Prototypes! You may also want to pick up a probe set.

Protocols: 1-Wire, I2C, SPI, JTAG, asynchronous serial (UART), MIDI, PC keyboard, HD44780 LCDs, and generic 2- and 3-wire libraries for custom protocols.

Features:

USB interface, USB powered

0-5.5volt tolerant pins

0-6volt measurement probe

1Hz-40MHz frequency measurement

1kHz - 4MHz pulse-width modulator, frequency generator

On-board multi-voltage pull-up resistors

On-board 3.3volt and 5volt power supplies with software reset

Macros for common operations

Bus traffic sniffers (SPI, I2C)

A bootloader for easy USB firmware updates

Transparent USB->serial bridge mode

10Hz-1MHz low-speed logic analyzer

Custom support in AVRDUDE, Flashrom

AVR STK500 v2 programmer clone

Scriptable from Perl, Python, etc.

Translations (currently Spanish and Italian)

USB has become the core of many projects, but it's troublesome to test USB voltage levels and current usage using a breadboard. Some people try to splice cables and alligator clip onto frayed ends, but it's difficult to get solid readings. This USB Tester will make it much easier to monitor any USB project's power source.As part of the USB spec, ports are limited to 500mA, so you want to monitor how close you are. Most people use USB hubs, both powered and unpowered, and with many devices connected, you can end up with less than 5V which can cause havoc on you projects. The USB Tester will make it a snap to monitor voltage levels and current usage without having to re-wire your breadboard. Just connect to your oscilloscope or DMM test leads, and you’re good to go! The USB Tester has both banana clip sized drills and standard 0.1” headers. When you are not testing current you can add a jumper for normal operation. The USB D+/D- pins are also broken out so you can monitor those on an oscilloscope, or for USB sniffing.Comes with an assembled PCB and a jumper. For more information on how to use, check out the product page.

FriedCircuits USB Tester v1.3 (5:39)