4 ms·

Whodathunkit? "CA card" isn't exactly a Google-friendly phrase, even with the quotes. Which means this article doesn't say much.

officialchicken 10y ago
Totally agree - to the point that the Arduino is running a "bespoke" MCU... I wonder if it was available in an artisanal mason jar would improve the appeal.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
jonah 10y ago
From the Jalopnik comments[1] it appears to be the docking port which connected to an optional "Automobile Adapter" #4 in this image[2]. [1] http://jalopnik.com/it-s-a-completely-proprietary-interface-that-s-used-to-1773687753 http://jalopnik.com/it-s-a-completely-proprietary-interface-... [2] https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/xazddfqwsvuxfbfxjgwj.png https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/xazddfqwsv...
- EvanAnderson 10y ago
  While I don't doubt that the dock connector is in play, the "automobile adapter" is a charging accessory (per pages 12 and 13 of the manual: http://www.elhvb.com/mobokive/edwin/laptops/Compaq/Compaq%20LTE/Compaq%20LTE%20Elite.pdf http://www.elhvb.com/mobokive/edwin/laptops/Compaq/Compaq%20...).
  - jonah 10y ago
    Aahh. Good info. But, yeah some sort of proprietary connector/accessory.
- cnvogel 10y ago
  The "Automobile Adapter" indeed is only a switching power supply. I still own mine, with the proprietary Compaq connector chopped off. It's laying in my junk drawer and inside is guest a boring switched step up converter. It could connect to the docking station just as easy as to the laptop itself, the connectors are identical on both.
wvenable 10y ago
From the comments: "Conditional Access - basically a 'dongle' card that responds to a security challenge with an appropriate response." So the horrors of DRM strike again.
- stevetrewick 10y ago
  Interesting. I had a consulting gig for a client with a similar problem (though his dongle was LPT based, it wouldn't talk to anything but an actual original hardware port). Extremely specialist software system core to business, protected by hardware dongle. Permanent license but the vendor went away. As did the dongle OEM. The extent of their problem in replacing the current system is really determined by just how bespoke the dongle is. I had the luxury of working with a windows based stack for the dependent software, albeit 16 bit. Not quite sure how I'd start on DOS, probably time to crank out SoftICE. First step is to hook into the bitstream between SW and HW (write a filter driver on Windows), likely encrypted so one must RE the routines out of program disassembley and put them in the filter driver (or whatever DOS equivalent hack). Thanks to __asm (no longer allowed in Win kernel?) in the MS compiler this may be slightly easier than you'd imagine. Once you're looking at the raw challenge/response you're back to tracing through disassembley in the debugger to find the places where the response is checked. If the system in use is one that was widespread, most likely the challenge/response system was implemented in a predictable way (after the code was written, often not by the original programmers, usually following step by step guides from the dongle OEM) which in some circumstances makes it possible to emulate a sufficient portion of the hardware without knowing any more about it than how it responds to a small subset of challenges. This is 'easy mode', and it only takes a tiny bump in complexity to ramp it up to 'you'll be lucky' territory. Completely custom hardware and/or non extant vendors will do it. People have mentioned decapping the chips, but you don't do this to legacy gear that is in your core business path. One of the 'fun' parts of these kinds of gigs is that the client will likely only allow you limited access to the hardware as their business relys on continued access.
  - jimbobimbo 10y ago
    That was my thinking too. Chances are, the dongle is not some kind of a pinnacle of crypto. People we emulating Aladdin HASP dongles for ages, for example, - and those were quite tough. I doubt that something done for DOS would be much harder.

officialchicken 10y ago

Totally agree - to the point that the Arduino is running a "bespoke" MCU... I wonder if it was available in an artisanal mason jar would improve the appeal.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

jonah 10y ago

From the Jalopnik comments[1] it appears to be the docking port which connected to an optional "Automobile Adapter" #4 in this image[2]. [1] http://jalopnik.com/it-s-a-completely-proprietary-interface-that-s-used-to-1773687753 http://jalopnik.com/it-s-a-completely-proprietary-interface-... [2] https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/xazddfqwsvuxfbfxjgwj.png https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/xazddfqwsv...

EvanAnderson 10y ago
While I don't doubt that the dock connector is in play, the "automobile adapter" is a charging accessory (per pages 12 and 13 of the manual: http://www.elhvb.com/mobokive/edwin/laptops/Compaq/Compaq%20LTE/Compaq%20LTE%20Elite.pdf http://www.elhvb.com/mobokive/edwin/laptops/Compaq/Compaq%20...).
- jonah 10y ago
  Aahh. Good info. But, yeah some sort of proprietary connector/accessory.
cnvogel 10y ago
The "Automobile Adapter" indeed is only a switching power supply. I still own mine, with the proprietary Compaq connector chopped off. It's laying in my junk drawer and inside is guest a boring switched step up converter. It could connect to the docking station just as easy as to the laptop itself, the connectors are identical on both.

wvenable 10y ago

From the comments: "Conditional Access - basically a 'dongle' card that responds to a security challenge with an appropriate response." So the horrors of DRM strike again.

stevetrewick 10y ago
Interesting. I had a consulting gig for a client with a similar problem (though his dongle was LPT based, it wouldn't talk to anything but an actual original hardware port). Extremely specialist software system core to business, protected by hardware dongle. Permanent license but the vendor went away. As did the dongle OEM. The extent of their problem in replacing the current system is really determined by just how bespoke the dongle is. I had the luxury of working with a windows based stack for the dependent software, albeit 16 bit. Not quite sure how I'd start on DOS, probably time to crank out SoftICE. First step is to hook into the bitstream between SW and HW (write a filter driver on Windows), likely encrypted so one must RE the routines out of program disassembley and put them in the filter driver (or whatever DOS equivalent hack). Thanks to __asm (no longer allowed in Win kernel?) in the MS compiler this may be slightly easier than you'd imagine. Once you're looking at the raw challenge/response you're back to tracing through disassembley in the debugger to find the places where the response is checked. If the system in use is one that was widespread, most likely the challenge/response system was implemented in a predictable way (after the code was written, often not by the original programmers, usually following step by step guides from the dongle OEM) which in some circumstances makes it possible to emulate a sufficient portion of the hardware without knowing any more about it than how it responds to a small subset of challenges. This is 'easy mode', and it only takes a tiny bump in complexity to ramp it up to 'you'll be lucky' territory. Completely custom hardware and/or non extant vendors will do it. People have mentioned decapping the chips, but you don't do this to legacy gear that is in your core business path. One of the 'fun' parts of these kinds of gigs is that the client will likely only allow you limited access to the hardware as their business relys on continued access.
- jimbobimbo 10y ago
  That was my thinking too. Chances are, the dongle is not some kind of a pinnacle of crypto. People we emulating Aladdin HASP dongles for ages, for example, - and those were quite tough. I doubt that something done for DOS would be much harder.