Use cases for this debug board
Disabling firmware write protection on your chromebook without having to open it up.
Unbricking your chromebook
This debug board is especially useful for Chromebooks that are hard to open up like the Pixelbook and Pixelbook Go.
Note: The GSC Debug Board requires a USB-C cable which can transfer data. It can be a USB-A to USB-C cable or a USB-C to USB-C cable. Most USB-C chargers that come with phones are compatible with this product. A quick way of testing if your cable is compatible is to try accessing your phone’s files through your chromebook by connecting your phone and Chromebook with the cable; if it works, then the cable is compatible with this board. If you don’t have a compatible cable then you can buy a cable as a variation of this item.
Mission Statement
Provide cheap, reliable Chromebook debug boards to as many customers as possible in a fair, transparent way.
The price of this product is determined by the costs to make the product. No extra profit is kept. I design / order PCBs in bulk so everyone can have the lowest price possible, so that customers know they are getting the lowest, fairest price.
Shipping Information
Shipping Schedule
I will try to ship items every day (besides Sunday) at ~4pm PST. Depending on what time the mail person picks up the items, they may be picked up on the same day or the next day.
Shipping to outside the US
This item should be able to ship to almost all countries worldwide. If you see that your country cannot be shipped to, message me on eBay.
USPS First Class Mail International Parcel
When I print a shipping label for this, I will not print a USPS First Class Mail International Parcel shipping label, because it does not have shipping insurance. I will instead print an eBay international shipping label, because it has shipping insurance. It may take longer to be delivered than a USPS First Class Mail International Parcel label.
Bulk Orders
Do you want to resell the boards in your country so that others can purchase it at a lower cost with faster delivery? Do you want a lot of boards for some other reason? Message me on eBay or contact me on the Chrultrabook forum. I can provide a more accurate shipping cost.
Guidelines for reselling
Make sure that customers will save money compared to buying it from me with international shipping
Be transparent. Show your costs and explanation for any additional price.
Don’t abuse your advantageous position. Don’t sell for a high price just because you can. Sell for a reasonable price based on your time and energy needed.
Ship with environmentally friendly packaging if you can. I use compostable mailers and labels from EcoPackables. If you want, I can resell some of my compostable mailers and labels along with the boards (although I’m not sure how the added volume would impact shipping costs).
Handling Fee
An additional fee is included in the shipping cost in addition to the cost of a label. The shipping cost you see on eBay already includes this handling cost.
The handling cost is for creating shipping labels on eBay, packing the items, printing and applying the labels, and answering questions on eBay.
About the Cables
Note: The Cr50 chip communicates as 12Mb/s. Using faster cables will not improve CCD speed. The debug board itself doesn’t consume power. The Cr50 chip will never consume more than 500mA. The Cr50 chip uses ~35mA.
About the Adapters
The adapter is so that you can use a USB-A to USB-C cable with Chromebooks that don’t have a USB-A port. The adapter is a good choice if you already have a USB-A to USB-C cable with data transfer but don’t have a USB-C to USB-C cable, an adapter, or a USB-A port.
Questions you may ask:
How do I check if this board will work with my chromebook?
Search “developer information for chrome os devices” online and go to the ChromiumOS web page. If your device says “Yes” in the “Closed Case Debugging” category then this board will work with your chromebook.
Make sure your Chromebook is not enrolled (enrolled means managed by a school or organization). This board will not work on enrolled devices.
How do I use this board to disable firmware write protect?
For this step, you do not need to have a debug cable plugged in. Note: After running the command, your Chromebook will return to not-developer mode, erasing all user data on your Chromebook. Run `sudo gsctool -a -o`. The command will say “Press PP button now!” Whenever it says that, press the power button on your Chromebook. Keep pressing the power button when needed until the command successfully completes. It will take around 3 minutes.
Re-enter developer mode
Plug in your USB-C cable into the debug board, orientation does not matter. Plug the debug board into the left USB-C port of your chromebook, Side A up. Plug the other end of your chromebook into a different USB port on your chromebook or into a USB port of a linux computer. On the linux computer which you plugged the cable into (which is your Chromebook if you plugged the board into your Chromebook) and run this command: `watch -n 0.1 'lsusb | grep -E "18d1:5014|18d1:504a"'`. The command will show all connected Cr50 or Ti50 USB devices every second. You should see a device called “Cr50” or “Ti50”. If you don’t, try plugging the debug board in with Side B up. If that still doesn’t work, try all other USB-C ports on your chromebook with both Side A and Side B until it works. If you’ve tried every combination then double check that your cable is working and contact me for help.
Run `ls /dev/ttyUSB*`. It should show `ttyUSB0`
Run `sudo bash`. This will switch to a root shell.
Run `echo "wp false" > /dev/ttyUSB0`
Run `echo "wp false atboot" > /dev/ttyUSB0`
Run `echo "ccd reset factory" > /dev/ttyUSB0`
Type `exit` to exit root shell
Run `gsctool -a -I`. All flags should show “Y/Always”
Run `sudo crossystem wpsw_cur`. It should output 0, which means firmware write protect is successfully disabled!
What do you mean by “Debug Board”? I’m looking for a “Debug Cable”
The original SuzyQ sold by Sparkfun was a cable. Many people make DIY debug cables by cutting and soldering normal USB cables to a breakout board. The debug board works similar to a breakout board which you solder on a USB cable, except instead of soldering, you simply need to plug in a normal USB-C cable into the debug board.
Basically, This Debug Board + A normal USB-C cable (with data transfer) = Debug cable.
A debug board is cheaper and stronger than a hand-soldered debug cable, and uses less materials because you can use your own cables without damaging them.
What if the debug board is not working?
Make sure that your chromebook supports CCD
Try all of your chromebook’s USB-C ports
Try to connect the debug cable upside down
You can message me through eBay and I will try to help you, but note that help with troubleshooting is not guaranteed with the purchase of this item.
How is the price determined?
The price is split up into different costs. Here is a chart of the costs:
GSC Debug Board Cost
GSC Debug Board + Cable Cost
GSC Debug Board + Adapter Cost
PCB Design Cost: Time spent designing the PCBs, other people reviewing the PCBs, sourcing PCBs, and communication related to importing PCBs.
PCB Cost: Cost of the PCB, PCBA, and shipping
eBay Fees: Ebay takes a cut of the money earned by sellers
Future Purchase Fund: Will be used for the purchase of the next batch of PCBs, so I don’t have to pay for it with my own money and risk not making it back. Currently this is set so that eventually there will be a future purchase fund of $2000. Once it reaches that the future purchase fund will be $0 for future items.
Donation: For creating a positive impact on the world in addition to selling this product
Why are returns not accepted?
I would have to sell used boards at a lower cost
eBay does not allow returns with partial refunds, so I would have to give a full refund and I would lose money
I would have to open returned packages and verify that they are in working condition
After you’re done using it, I encourage you to resell the board, keep it in case you need to unbrick your Chromebook, or give it to someone else to use.
Why does part of the revenue earned go to you?
These are the things I did / do which I am paying myself for:
Research in how to make the debug cable, research in what materials to buy
Designing the PCB
Getting the PCB double checked by other people
Contacting multiple PCB manufacturers, finding the best price
Adjusting PCB to meet the manufacturer’s requirements
Some of the money from selling these PCBs covers the cost of prototype PCBs for this item
Testing the debug board
Packing and shipping the debug cable
Why do you sell on eBay, even though it has fees?
The item can be found on eBay and Google search results.
eBay is a trusted website for buying stuff
You can see the reviews of the item and the seller’s reputation on eBay
Customers are protected by the eBay money back guarantee
eBay provides an easy to use buying, shipping, feedback, and refund platform
eBay handles collecting taxes