1. What did you personally accomplish this week on the project?
This week, I continued advancing the software recovery framework and addressing the development delays identified during our team review. Building on last week’s work, I expanded the byte-by-byte recovery script to communicate directly with an actual USB drive rather than local files. During this testing phase, we encountered access problems when interfacing with the Windows operating system’s USB layer. Windows automatically attempted to mount and manage the USB device, which blocked our low-level read operations and restricted access to raw data sectors.
To address this, I began experimenting with PyUSB, which provides more direct control over USB endpoints and allows communication at a lower level without relying on the operating system’s mass storage drivers. Early tests showed that PyUSB can successfully open the device and issue control transfers, though additional handling is required to manage device permissions and stability under Windows. This testing confirmed the feasibility of our software-based recovery approach while revealing key challenges we’ll need to solve for reliable data capture.
In parallel, I integrated the updated GPIO mappings and timing parameters from Mars’s hardware interface specification into the software control layer, ensuring synchronization with the redesigned PCB. I also implemented initial error detection features to flag incomplete reads and permission faults, setting the foundation for the raw sector imaging mode that will be finalized during the hardware fabrication period.
2. Is your progress on schedule or behind? If you are behind, what actions will be taken to catch up to the project schedule?
I am currently behind schedule, as core recovery algorithms and data capture functionality still require further development. The USB communication layer is operational but needs additional debugging to handle OS-level access restrictions and stability concerns. To catch up, I am focusing exclusively on the core recovery functionality and will use the one-week hardware delay caused by the redriver redesign to accelerate development. Mars will also assist with software work during the fabrication period so we can recover schedule alignment before the new boards arrive in mid-November.
3. What deliverables do you hope to complete in the next week?
Next week, I plan to:
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Implement the raw sector imaging mode for complete drive-level data capture through the USB interface.
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Continue refining PyUSB communication routines to ensure reliable and permission-safe access under Windows.
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Add integrity verification tools such as checksum validation and recovery logging.
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Develop test datasets across multiple file types to evaluate recovery accuracy and throughput.