Reverse-engineer an MP3 player's firmware using LLMs
2 days ago
- #firmware-modding
- #reverse-engineering
- #LLM-collaboration
- The author has a nostalgic obsession with music storage media, from childhood tape recordings to a desire for a cassette Walkman.
- Due to the high cost and impracticality of Walkmans, the author settled for a Fiio Echo Mini, an MP3 player designed to resemble a mini cassette machine.
- The Fiio Echo Mini is criticized for its poor design, including a pixelated screen, terrible UI, and blurry icons, despite having some redeeming features like dual headphone jacks.
- The author attempted to improve the device's firmware through reverse engineering, leveraging large language models (LLMs) like GLM 4.7 and NotebookLM for analysis and modification.
- The reverse engineering process involved extracting bitmaps, analyzing font storage, and identifying rendering issues, with significant challenges in data interpretation and context management.
- Collaboration between multiple LLMs was essential, with NotebookLM handling knowledge accumulation and GLM focusing on execution, though emotional and context pollution issues arose.
- The author developed tools for firmware modding, leading to community contributions and themed modifications for the device.
- The project highlighted the risks of LLM collaboration, including continuous reward stimulation that can lead to overwork and mental strain, particularly for individuals with ADHD.
- The ease of reverse engineering with LLMs raises concerns about lowering the barrier for 'script kiddies' and the potential for fully automated exploitation pipelines in the future.