ChipDesk

ChipDesk is a terminal workbench for XGecu T48, T56, and T76 USB programmers. Read, compare, verify, and write ROM images directly over USB—no XGPro or minipro CLI required.

ChipDesk builds on xgecu-web for its Zig/WebAssembly device logic and direct USB transport. Its catalog-backed 28-pin ROM path covers T48, T56, and T76, with shared preflight, transfer, verification, and readback guardrails. T56 and T76 remain software-qualified pending physical hardware traces.

Run

git clone https://github.com/elithrar/chipdesk.git
cd chipdesk
bun install
bun run build

Launch the app from the directory containing your ROM images:

cd /path/to/roms
/path/to/chipdesk/chipdesk

Requires Bun 1.3 or newer and OS permission to access the programmer over USB. ChipDesk scans the current directory for .bin, .rom, .hex, .srec, and .eep files. It starts without connected hardware, so you can inspect images and search the device catalog first.

T56 and T76 operations also require an algorithm.xml obtained locally from the matching XGPro installation. ChipDesk never bundles, uploads, or persists that vendor file. Point to it when launching:

CHIPDESK_ALGORITHM_XML=/path/to/algorithm.xml /path/to/chipdesk/chipdesk

The XGECU core extracts only the requested algorithm and verifies its CRC, decoded size, and catalog-pinned SHA-256 before any algorithm upload or ROM operation begins.

Keys

Tab / Shift+Tab  move focus
F                 search files
/                 search devices
P                 choose T48, T56, or T76 catalog
Enter             select
R                 refresh
Shift+R           read
W                 write
M                 compare
A                 advanced controls
?                 full keyboard reference
Q                 quit

Submit an empty device search to list every chip supported by the selected programmer catalog.

Write confirmations default to cancel. Before mutation, ChipDesk freezes and hashes the image, checks contacts when supported, can save a pre-write backup, blank-checks, verifies, and compares an independent readback. Erase and write cannot be cancelled once they begin.

Credits

Protocol and catalog support is based on minipro, with a reimplementation in Zig as part of xgecu-web to support multiple transports (incl. WebUSB).

See workbench.questionable.services and launch the ChipProgrammer app with a T48 programmer attached for a browser-based, Motronic-ROM focused version of this.

Contributing

Contributions and PRs are welcome. Keep them focused on XGecu programmers—especially T48, T56, and T76—and the workflows around them. Support for unrelated programmer families may not be accepted.