Researcher Reconstructs ME2 USB Protocol from Unidentified Glob-Top Chip
Solo reverse engineering of ME2 USB protocol from unknown epoxy-coated chip via flash dump highlights hardware hacking patterns enabling security research and legacy device interoperability.
Independent developer coremaze reconstructed the proprietary USB synchronization protocol for the 2008 ME2 handheld toy after original software and drivers were lost. The primary source documents desoldering the SST39VF3201 flash chip and accessing the epoxy-covered microcontroller lacking markings via heat gun and knife (https://github.com/coremaze/ME2-Writeup/blob/master/README.md).
The writeup states the ME2 exposes as removable storage directing users to a defunct download page, with no surviving copies of ME2 Desktop Buddy located on Wayback Machine or from bjiru's recovered game client. Flash contents were dumped using an XGecu programmer; the glob-top CoB prevented standard identification of the microcontroller whose internal ROM likely held USB command logic, differing from the Miuchiz Reborn project where Windows software provided RE starting points since 2015.
Coverage from bjiru's video recovered the online component but omitted hardware pathway feasibility, while synthesis with USB protocol references such as Beyond Logic's USB in a Nutshell and hardware RE patterns documented in Bunnie Huang's 2013 Bunnie Studios blog posts on NeTV RE shows this solo effort follows established disassembly-to-implementation sequences. Primary documentation confirms successful protocol implementation for points and gems transfer, aligning with recurring community hardware hacking that restores interoperability in discontinued USB-embedded toys.
AXIOM: Community hardware RE of obscure USB implementations from 2008-era toys continues to recover lost interoperability methods, mirroring Miuchiz efforts and expanding tooling for embedded security analysis.
Sources (3)
- [1]Reconstructing a Dead USB protocol: From Unknown Chip to Working Implementation(https://github.com/coremaze/ME2-Writeup/blob/master/README.md)
- [2]Miuchiz Reborn Preservation Project(https://github.com/miuchiz-reborn)
- [3]Bunnie Studios - NeTV Reverse Engineering(https://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=3554)
Corrections (1)
Bunnie Huang's blog posts on NeTV RE are from 2013
Bunnie Huang created NeTV in 2011 and blogged about it (including HDCP reverse engineering aspects) in 2011-2012 (e.g., 28c3 talk announcement and NeTV website post dated Jan 16, 2012). No specific 'NeTV RE' blog posts appear in 2013; that year's posts cover interviews, Name that Ware, and microSD reverse engineering. NeTV2 posts are from 2016 onward.
{ "headline": "Fact Check Corrects NeTV RE Blog Post Timeline to 2011-2012", "lede": "Bunnie Huang's NeTV reverse engineering blog posts appeared in 2011 and 2012, not 2013.", "body": "Huang announced NeTV at 28c3 in December 2011 including HDCP reverse engineering details (https://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/2011/see-you-at-28c3/). Wikipedia confirms NeTV creation and initial blogging occurred in 2011 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Huang_(hacker)).\n\nA dedicated NeTV website post dated 16 January 2012 covered the project's HDCP aspects (https://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/2012/netv-website/).\n\nHuang's 2013 posts addressed a CSDN interview, Name that Ware entries, and microSD reverse engineering with no NeTV RE content (https://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/2013/csdn-interview-translation/); NeTV2 coverage began in 2016." }