DWM-W034 UART

Fri, 15 May 2015 13:43:56 +0000

In response to my previous post about UART access on the Alfa AWUS036NHA, I got a nice email from Jim Ewing about the DWM-W034, an ath9k_htc device that apparently is embedded inside HDTVs and readily available for $10. He found the TX/RX pins on the board, and it looks like it would be a bit easier to put a socket on one of these compared to the Alfa since there are no pesky chips nearby.

Reserialized

Sun, 10 May 2015 04:17:32 +0000

I got a shiny new device today and the first thing I did was crack it open and heat it to 680 degrees. A good feeling.

The device in question is an ath9k_htc USB wifi dongle. A colleague suggested this one has an easy to access UART because they brought out the TX/RX pins out from the SoC to dedicated pads. He and I apparently have different definitions for “easy.” Unlike the TP-Link routers which give you through-holes to work with, these are simply SMT pads, and they are tiny in comparison. My soldering iron tip is at least double the size of the pad. Yes, it is somewhat better than trying to solder directly to the pins on the SoC, but not by a whole lot.

Ath9k_htc on Insignificant Bits

DWM-W034 UART

Reserialized