Hacking the eVic

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jluster

Full Member
Jan 2, 2013
11
9
50
Dallas, TX
So I signed up to look around for like-minded individuals who, as I do, love hacking their 3rd generation mods with more than a soldering iron. smok wasn't too pleased with me when I released a reburned EPROM for the VMax with puff counter, but I guess now that the eVic is available everywhere it's not that big of a deal for them anymore. I understand the liability issues in letting people essentially reprogram whatever power governor is in those little electronics, but for the eVic I am much more interested in dumping the data into a readable format and using it as part of a Quantified Self[1] routine.

So I am wondering - has anyone taken steps to decode both the firmware and/or the USB downloaded data? I can get basic info from the mod, such as number of puffs, current battery state, and similar, but even sniffing USB traffic for a day I am banging my head against the write side of things. The final goal is to link the eVic to my Android phone down the road and have that do the work for me, but for now even simple USB host things would be great to have access to.

[1] Quantified Self is a "movement", if you want to call it that way, of people who monitor everything about themselves. I originally started light to lose weight, which I have (130 lbs) but now I am addicted to data. So for today I know how long I slept, how much rem and wake cycles I had, how many calories I have eaten, my body temperature and pulse in ten minute intervals, steps, how much I wrote (I am a writer by trade), how much water I consumed, how often I picked up my phone, how often I checked email, heck if you want to know the weight difference between this morning and after my first run to the throne, I can get you that, too. Most people consider it silly, for me it's a hobby like racing cars or lifting weights, only it makes me somewhat better at both :)
 

jluster

Full Member
Jan 2, 2013
11
9
50
Dallas, TX
I did that when I was in jail because there was nothing better to do. I kept track of everything. When I took a dump, when I clipped my finger nails, etc, etc.

Heh, for some it's jail, for others it's cancer and 130 lbs weight gains :) Pick your poison, but just from having been a CO for a while (damn Dept. made us) I prefer cancer over the SHU.
 
So I signed up to look around for like-minded individuals who, as I do, love hacking their 3rd generation mods with more than a soldering iron. Smok wasn't too pleased with me when I released a reburned EPROM for the VMax with puff counter, but I guess now that the eVic is available everywhere it's not that big of a deal for them anymore. I understand the liability issues in letting people essentially reprogram whatever power governor is in those little electronics, but for the eVic I am much more interested in dumping the data into a readable format and using it as part of a Quantified Self[1] routine.

So I am wondering - has anyone taken steps to decode both the firmware and/or the USB downloaded data? I can get basic info from the mod, such as number of puffs, current battery state, and similar, but even sniffing USB traffic for a day I am banging my head against the write side of things. The final goal is to link the eVic to my Android phone down the road and have that do the work for me, but for now even simple USB host things would be great to have access to.

I started hacking the firmware and I am stuck. I work as a computer programmer so once I am able to get a readable file, I should be able to make changes. Several observations so far:

1. the eVic has a limitation of 64kbs of memory
2. a good one third of the memory is currently just filled with holding data (you can see repeats which don't go anywhere)
3. I am not sure if the firmware is encrypted, it seems to me that it is.

I need help with this effort in able to move forward. I would like to see how to remove some limitations such as on wattage. Obviously I don't know the hardware limitation but want to discover it.
 

aqishimie

Full Member
Jan 21, 2013
21
5
Malaysia
I started hacking the firmware and I am stuck. I work as a computer programmer so once I am able to get a readable file, I should be able to make changes. Several observations so far:

1. the eVic has a limitation of 64kbs of memory
2. a good one third of the memory is currently just filled with holding data (you can see repeats which don't go anywhere)
3. I am not sure if the firmware is encrypted, it seems to me that it is.

I need help with this effort in able to move forward. I would like to see how to remove some limitations such as on wattage. Obviously I don't know the hardware limitation but want to discover it.

Thanks for the info..
 

Judge Dredd

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Nov 4, 2012
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I started hacking the firmware and I am stuck. I work as a computer programmer so once I am able to get a readable file, I should be able to make changes. Several observations so far:

1. the eVic has a limitation of 64kbs of memory
2. a good one third of the memory is currently just filled with holding data (you can see repeats which don't go anywhere)
3. I am not sure if the firmware is encrypted, it seems to me that it is.

I need help with this effort in able to move forward. I would like to see how to remove some limitations such as on wattage. Obviously I don't know the hardware limitation but want to discover it.

I'll join you in your effort. I'd like to find out if it has EEPROM or something different.
 

DJ RyckRak

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ECF Veteran
Jan 12, 2013
1,104
1,736
Somewhere in New England
My eVic comes tomarrow !!!
Used to be a programmer...way, way, WAY back. So unless it is programmed in COBOL and coded with cards, I'm of no help ! :oops:

but, I'm always interested in 'the innerds', bet is on encription (funny- from China and encripted !)- and all that data holding is probably for wait states and such...That reviewed 'Burssaro' ( or whatever his name is) on YouTube hooked it up to ossiliscope, noticed pulsing, tells me that it is pulsing to look for data changes- but, thats just my opinion.

Best to you- keep us informed.
 

Judge Dredd

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Supporting Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Nov 4, 2012
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1,000
127.0.0.1
I started hacking the firmware and I am stuck. I work as a computer programmer so once I am able to get a readable file, I should be able to make changes. Several observations so far:

1. the eVic has a limitation of 64kbs of memory
2. a good one third of the memory is currently just filled with holding data (you can see repeats which don't go anywhere)
3. I am not sure if the firmware is encrypted, it seems to me that it is.

I need help with this effort in able to move forward. I would like to see how to remove some limitations such as on wattage. Obviously I don't know the hardware limitation but want to discover it.

It looks encrypted to me as well. It doesn't seem that the voltage or wattage limitations are limited by firmware, but by hardware, so I wouldn't expect any firmware update to lift any limits.
 

Judge Dredd

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I'd love to see some progress in working out some of the flaws with the current firmware, like the useless puff counter.

If anyone were to decrypt the firmware into a reversible output, I doubt one would remove the puff counter. However if I can decrypt it, I'm planning to look at bugs like the freezing, the fact that it says "Not Atomizer Find" rather than "found," etc. If I make any progress I would definitely release it as a custom firmware that one could install onto his/her eVic.
 
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