ADAV400 register dump using Sigmastudio

Question

Hello, 
 I am working on a troublesome legacy design using ADAV400 audio DSP. 
 Can I get a register dump from the DSP without creating a project in Sigmastudio? 
 I hope to be able to boot from the existing host, then to switch I2C lines to USBi and try to read the registers of the DSP. 
 Does this idea make any sense? 
 Are there other ways to implement register dump without intervention from the existing host? 
 Thank you for your help!

ADIApproved · Accepted Answer

There is currently no way to get a register dump from the DSP. Your best bet is to connect the USBi and manually read back register settings using the read/write window in SigmaStudio. Another option would be to "sniff" the SPI/I2C lines while the host is booting the device. An example of a sniffing tool is the Beagle from the company called Total Phase. 
 We do not publish our op-codes so it would be very difficult for anybody to reverse engineer a project and see what is contained inside, even if they read back the entire program contents. 
 However, as MagicRub mentions, it is possible to read back the initialization sequence using the "sniffing" technique. We're currently considering options for data encryption on the control port for future device designs.)

MagicRuB · Answer

I would be interested in hearing any discussion on this because this is the "easy" method to steal the code out of someone else's product. I am attempting to implement counter-measures for this sort of thing so no one can do it on mine. At least make the program disabled on startup so that some other external trigger non-SPI/I2C (MPx/ADC) enables audio output.

ADIApproved · Answer

I've been trying to figure out how to best deal with this predicament. The EVAL-ADUSB1 board is what we originally used to communicate with the ADAV400. Unfortunately, that board is not in production anymore. So, you're correct, the USBi is the only device we currently support. However, it looks like SigmaStudio does not currently have driver support for the USBi to talk to the ADAV400. Now we have a chicken-and-egg situation and I'm not sure how to fix it. 
 So, just to be clear, you don't have an ADAV400 evaluation board, correct? That would mean by extension that you don't have the EVAL-ADUSB1 board.

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ADAV400 register dump using Sigmastudio