I often see pads on boards where it looks like another connector or chip would have been, and wonder how hard it'd be to add one myself; if the device would be capable of using it immediately or with a firmware hack or if it'd need other things replaced/upgraded as well. There's also a lot of spots for small things like jumpers and resistors and I'm always wondering what'd happen if I shorted them or added the missing component... it's neat to see someone actually doing this.

Good work. Before starting to solder, I have a question concerning a inconsistency in your article: Should I populate C91 with 100µF capacitor as written in the text, or should I leave it unpopulated as shown in the photo of the finished mod? Thank you.

How to boot a flash image through USB if USB is brand new soldered? Does router trz to boot from USB device which is not actuelz factorz done? What is possible to do with JTAG port?

@RI: this board can be found in edimax br6104k.

Hi, any idea where could I get this router? Any other current router that could be transformed?

I had to lower the 1 kOhm resistor connecting the Oscillator to the ADM processor to make it work: Currently using 270 Ohms without problems.

This hack is for sweex lb000021 (edimax br-6104k rev. B), is it good for edimax br-6104k rev. A too?

thanks for this nice device. howto build my own usb-enabled kernel? ipv6 (tunnel) support is on my nice2have list. and second: I'd like to use the nic-ports in non switching mode. btctl only adds adm0 and adm1 to br0. adm2,adm3,adm4 are missing (but working).

A few problems left after my previos problem , mentioned above: 1. any lan port connected to another machine gives a lighning led for status on the sweex, so i presume the hardware still works. but the led on the usb stick doesn't lightup? 2. is there any way of connecting to the sweex without telnet? 3. is it possible to connect a computer to a router through the sweex? 4. My usb stick got a lost+found file, but that is still present after putting the root fs files onto the stick.

You can use the 2nd USB port with a 2nd USB stick or a USB hard disk - plug it into the USB port next to the ethernet ports midge# mount /dev/scsi/host1/bus0/target0/lun0/part1 /mnt/usb http://www.sunspot.co.uk/Projects/sweexproject.htm

Does the 2nd usb port work or does that need some kernel hacking? Also, can standard webcam drivers be compiled for the router or are they specialised?

See http://www.sunspot.co.uk/Projects/sweexproject.htm for some new features and a sort of "distro" I can play .WAV sounds from the power LED line now and Basic is great if you are not too proud.... as well as the usual - Linux + 19 input or output lines + i2c bus + 2 RS232 ports + FTP + Samba + Basic + PHP + USB Memory stick or hard drive

Bit of a newbie to this router but I flashed my firmware using flash_usbroot-1.0.bin which was provided by Elekor Electronics (http://www.elektor-electronics.co.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=27&art=52976&PN=On) but now it doesnt work. Cannot connect to the router at all with / without DHCP. Not made any mods to the router yet other than this. Is it because it's trying to talk to USB but as it's not installed yet it's hanging? Any ideas people?

@chromo according to http://www.linux-mips.org/wiki/Adm5120#USB, it's usb 1 (the text mentions ohci)

what speed does the usb port support?

How about the empty space on the pcb for a crystal? could that be used to make the installation more clean-looking? Once the USB port is working correctly, you could add a hub, and a wireless adapter, making it a cheap wireless router/firewall/NAS/print server/etc...

Wagner: Nope, it doesn't, it becomes a general purpose ultrasmall Linux-box. outlaw: Google knows.

wagner: The firmware is from an usb-enabled version of the router, so yeah.

If i use this formware, the router keeps the functionality of a router (dhcp, routing) ?

bu I can't see how did you manage to attach the serial port. What is the pin layout and how do you wire the RS-232 connector?

Jeroen! Ik heb de router geflasht en een USB-stick geprepareerd. De webpagina's doen het, telnet niet: jaap:/# telnet 10.0.0.2 Trying 10.0.0.2... telnet: Unable to connect to remote host: Connection refused jaap:/# Hoe los ik dit op? Jaap.

Here are the commands to make a USB root file system: login, and plug in the USB stick in your machine. You should see something that something is /dev/sda1 is present. login as root. /# fdisk /dev/sda1 remove all partitions, create a new one, save and exit /# mke2fs /dev/sda1 filesystem created /# mount /dev/sda1 /usbstick usbstick mounted /usbstick# tar -xjf /where you put the root file system/rootfs /# umount /usbstick plug into router, and boot. it should work. if not, check connections!

Heb de sweex router voorzien van usb uitgang, hierna deed de originele software het nog prima, ik heb geen scoop dus kan de klok niet controleren. maar is het normaal dat na het booten van de aangepaste firmware het powerlampje bij het aanzetten van de stroom kort oplicht dan uitgaat en niet meer aangaat?

Your firmware is working and so is the rootfs image.. I just miss the information about the rootfs. What did you use to compile it? gcc version information etc.. Because i would like to compile some custom software to rootfs. And also the kernel config would be cool. Anyway, thanks. :) P.S I had to edit with hex editor the first 4 digits to be BRKP for Edimax BR-6401KP.

After flashing your firmware into the router, the router hangs... jumping to linux! (hangs) Any sugestions?

Thanks to Jeroen for getting me into this! If you are also new to Linux some notes are here http://www.sunspot.co.uk/Projects/sweexproject.htm

I have a Sweex with a USB stick and a serial port all running. I can see the web page from the LAN but not the console prompt. That is swamped by a repeating message

You are 100% correct. I'll correct that as soon as I find the instructions. Short version: create an ext2/3 FS on the first partition of the storage device and unpack the archive to that.

"A root filesystem to copy to an USB-storage device is retrievable here, instructions on how to use it are inside the archive." -- I can't find the instructions, they seem to be absent.