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sdlocker-tiny

Attiny85-based device to enable and disable write-protection on any SD card.

nephielNephiel
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I routinely use USB drives loaded with software tools and benchmarks to diagnose and fix computers. I wanted a way to protect those drives from viruses, malware, filesystem corruption and accidental erase.

USB drives with a write-protect switch do exist, but are hard to find and expensive. Full-sized SD cards have a slider tab to write-protect them, but it actually does nothing - it's up to the card reader to report it to the OS, and it's up to the OS to decide whether to comply and mount the card read-only or not. Most of them simply ignore it, so SD cards may be overwritten regardless of the write-protect tab.

The sdlocker allows me to truly write-protect any SD card by toggling the TMP_WRITE_PROTECT bit on the flash memory controller of the card itself. Together with a USB card reader, this write-protected card can then be used as a read-only USB drive.

This is my own fork of the original sdlocker by Karl Lunt, tailored to suit my needs - smaller, simpler, and USB-powered.

Changes from original sdlocker

  • Ported from Atmega328 to Attiny85
  • Removed all the UART code and unused functions
  • Rewrote the user interface (1 button, 1 LED)

Device Usage

The LED shows the state of the inserted card at all times:

  • Steady off: card is unlocked (writable)
  • Steady on: card is locked (write-protected)
  • Blinking, fast: device is reading the card
  • Blinking, slow: card is faulty or not properly inserted

Holding the button down (over half a second) toggles the write-protection of the inserted card.

  • 1 × ATTINY85 Microprocessors, Microcontrollers, DSPs / ARM, RISC-Based Microcontrollers
  • 1 × Tactile switch
  • 1 × LED, Green Fiber Optics / Emitters
  • 2 × Resistor, 300 Ohm current limiters for the LED and the switch
  • 1 × SD card socket

View all 10 components

  • 1
    Step 1

    The provided makefile uses avr-gcc and avrdude. Edit it to match your programmer.
    Run make to compile and make program to flash.

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inxx wrote 09/26/2016 at 07:54 • point

Nephiel, where  can I find the electronic schematic,please?

  Are you sure? yes | no

Nephiel wrote 09/26/2016 at 08:29 • point

The original schematic by Karl Lunt can be found here: http://www.seanet.com/~karllunt/sdlocker.html. The pinouts and details for the ATTTINY85 are on sdlocker-tiny.cpp

  Are you sure? yes | no

sign321 wrote 08/19/2016 at 19:01 • point

@Nephiel Another question for you. I am totally knew to building any kind of electronics, so bear with me.  I just came across this product: https://www.adafruit.com/products/1500 (the Trinket).  It seems to include the ATTiny, LEDs, and a a micro-USB socket.  It comes in 5v and 3.3 v models.  If I bought a 3.3 volt model, should I be able to add a Switch and an SDcard socket and program it and have it work?  I realize this is not quite as DIY but it might but a little easier and cleaner for me.  Thanks again.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Nephiel wrote 08/21/2016 at 17:31 • point

The 3.3V Trinket should do fine, but the code might need a few tweaks to get it to work on it.

  Are you sure? yes | no

sign321 wrote 08/19/2016 at 18:47 • point

@Nephiel when I look at the TI specification for the LM3840 it says the 33 capacitor should be "Low ESR".  Is that significant?  I don't really know exactly what I'm looking for/where to find it.  Thanks for sharing this interesting project.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Nephiel wrote 08/21/2016 at 17:44 • point

Pretty much any Low ESR capacitor that is at least 33μF should do. See the datasheet http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/lm3940.pdf, section 8.2: Typical Application (page 9). You don't really need the 0.47μF capacitor, though It's always best to match the datasheet to be on the safe side.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Eric Hertz wrote 12/13/2014 at 00:28 • point
Hah, it was already done on the 328! Maybe you should submit to the Trinket Everyday-Carry contest?

  Are you sure? yes | no

Nephiel wrote 12/13/2014 at 00:50 • point
Nah, it wouldn't be fair. It was completed months ago, doesn't meet all the guidelines (not battery-powered and not using a Trinket), and it was already featured on HaD. But it's neat and useful, so I thought it'd make a good first entry here.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Eric Hertz wrote 12/13/2014 at 00:07 • point
Awesome! I saw that bit in the register and thought "How come no one seems to use this?!"

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Nephiel wrote 12/13/2014 at 00:48 • point
Thanks! I thought the same when I saw Karl's project. It does come in handy for some applications.

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