Paid job for a Cf card request / Need a crazy programmer

[N.Mendes]

Hi All,

Red one user here with Cf module, i would like to use 3rd party Cf cards on my camera but because of a firmware limitation, only cropped resolutions are available with "Non Red cards".
I know what some of you guys are capable of, so can someone replicate the Red Cf card code to 3rd party cards so the camera will be tricked thinking that a Red card has been inserted?
Red cards are Lexar cards originally but rebranded with an added code i guess (i'm only guessing), i can provide a card if needed and i will pay for that feature.
Here is an old thread showing the inside of a Red Cf module, maybe that can help:
https://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=5470.475

Thank you in advance all,

All the best

[yourboylloyd]

So it's the cards are basically Lexar CF cards with a red sticker slapped on it and it's 4x the price?? No wonder why I never trusted them.

I've changed flash drive properties using diskpart in windows before. But it was all basic things like changing the drive size or changing from NTFS to exFAT. I don't have any experience in programming, but in case you can't find anyone on this forum then google 'diskpart help' around enough you can probably get it done.

[N.Mendes]

Thank you for your answer Lloyd, i'm not a Red fanboy by any means but guys at Red are great people and this camera is 10 years old..
For example, they are about to launch the Red Komodo camera using Cfast and the cards they sell are Angelbird rebranded ones, they say it clearly and their price is even slightly cheaper than the Angelbird non rebranded..
And they listen their customer like no other company, this line just to be fair to them..
As for the initial question, you seem to know the underground programmer scene, maybe can you redirect me? I googled Dskpart help but there is way too much websites and i don't know where to look..

Thank you!

[Walter Schulz]

About "underground programmer scene": Diskpart is an official Microsoft command line utility included in Windows 10. And it won't do the job, I bet!

[Ant123]

The camera also can check the name of the card manufacturer or the model name of the card, which are contained in the drive's passport and cannot always be changed.
Some software protection techniques use this information and card's serial number.

[reddeercity]

Interesting , I've been looking a used RED ONE MYSTERIUM-X 4K on adorama.com , not too bad of a price (2k) .
Best part about Red there's a plugin for FCPX , so you adjust raw data & do grading inside of FCPX 
Still undecided about yet , if the price was around $1200-1500 i would jump on it but .......

I agree with @Ant123 , The Red CF card should have a hidden directory with that info i bet , What I would try is to "clone" the Red card to a non Red CF card with the identically size .
This should copy any hidden files/directory or even a boot selector maybe ? no sure i haven't seen the red card structure before .
One last thing came mind at the moment , you could backup the Red CF card to a ISO file and read it in a HEX Editor and look for info .
   

[N.Mendes]

Thank you for your answers, some news here..
I know for a fact that Red are hard workers and love what they do, but some times ago, Jinnitech has opened a Red SSD and found out a Chinese media inside, with no ip or special code nor special way of writing..

Things seem kind of easier i guess if no code has been applied? What you would suggest? I would like to find the detailed informations of my Cf cards, if anyone has an idea (@Reddeercity, i'll try yours), as for the Red one at 2000$, depending on what kind of work you do, it can be a no brainer..
Just remember that it is a heavy beast, and if you are after that old school look you'll find no better camera trust me, that's the reason why i've never upgraded actually..

Ps: Please, let's not make that thread about the polemic, i published this video to help understand what is inside a Red media so you could help me better at finding a solution to my attempt..


Thank you!

[Ant123]

I would like to find the detailed informations of my Cf cards, if anyone has an idea

You can try to use devices like this and special software that can show at least S.M.A.R.T info.

For example look at page 58 to understand what could be inside your CF card.
But it is very likely that you will not be able to change this information.

[names_are_hard]

If you can give me a disk image of a magic Red card, I can look for some obvious ways they may have put the check in.  Format card in camera, create disk image from that, then zip.  Personally I would use dd to image the disk.  You can use dd to do reddeercity's suggestion of image from Red card, write image to non-Red card.  If that test doesn't work, they're most likely either doing something in HW on the disk, or in SW inside the cam.  Either of those will be much harder to circumvent (and we can't help you without access to the HW so you're probably out of luck).

[Ant123]

You can use dd to do reddeercity's suggestion of image from Red card, write image to non-Red card.  If that test doesn't work, they're most likely either doing something in HW on the disk, or in SW inside the cam.

Do you think they are so greedy that they have saved on what to order from the manufacturer a customized series of memory cards?
Unlike RED SSD they used the standard CF interface. Maybe they use custom filesystem?

[Walter Schulz]

Custom filesystem for storing footage would require custom cardreaders able to translate custom-to-standard for PCs to process files or restrict file transfers to wired/wireless camera-to-PC connections.

Custom filesystems hidden to standard access by card readers (but readable by cam) would render cards incompatible to RED cams after low level formatting using a card reader.

Has anyone tried to read CIS from Red's cards?

[Ant123]

Custom filesystem for storing footage would require custom cardreaders

No custom card readers are required to access the sectors on the disk.

[histor]

The first thing, which comes to my mind, is checking the card serial number (in-camera). If it's out of the Red-range, then it reduces writing speed. There are people, wanting to change these serial numbers but they lack low-level tools for CF. The other way is to find and patch these ranges in camera firmware. This may be a long way or a very long way 

And the last thing to try - switching cards in some way. What if the range check is done just once? When the card is initiated? Can we block the card-door sensor? The latest way of downgrading canon firmware appeared from such card fiddling.

[N.Mendes]

Some news here, Jinnimag shows exactly how the media restriction is made in Red cameras and things seem way easier than i thought, we just need to write the right line in the S.M.A.R.T. log, more details here :

Please read the comments too, a lot of valuable informations there.. The video is about Red SSD mags but i'm sure that applies to Red compact flash.
Does someone feel ready to accomplish such a feat?

[names_are_hard]

Ugh, the pacing in that video.  I have skimmed it.  It does not show exactly how to do it.  Since the maker of the video was selling unofficial Red compatible cards, I'm pretty sure he deliberately didn't give all the information required.

CF cards may or may not support SMART, and probably support it less completely than SSD, so there's no guarantee the same scheme is used.  I give it a 70% chance, because devs are lazy.  The "scrambling" method used for the serial number is not given (or I got unlucky and skipped it, but the comments suggest it's not given).  That makes cloning a card to a CF card of the same model easier than modifying an arbitrary card to work.  Both may still be hard, if knowledge of the "scrambling" is required.

Assuming the same scheme is used in both, I'd need a physical Red CF card to play with, and ideally the cam, too, to test if it worked.  I am doubtful anyone is going to post me a Red cam + card.

[Ant123]

Does someone feel ready to accomplish such a feat?

You!
Just get CF->SATA adapter and start experimenting.

"If you want a thing well done, do it yourself"

[N.Mendes]

You!
Just get CF->SATA adapter and start experimenting.

"If you want a thing well done, do it yourself"

I have this very mindset too but programming is not my field and it would take way too long to make that happen, i'm working on my upcoming film right now so finding a talented man who knows his craft is my best bet..
I've found him actually, great man, crazily talented and hungry for challenges, i'll let you know how it went!

Thank you all for your answers !!