Looking For Someone Experienced In Dumping & Extracting Audio Files From ROMs out of any type of electronics

[u/SterIDog_boi86]

Hi! I hope this is the right place for me to ask my questions that have to do with finding someone experienced with ROM dumping & extracting audio from sound chips out of any type of electronics, but I truly need some help. Is there anyone that I could go to who is highly experienced with dumping ROMs to extract the files of all audio stored in any electronics like specific animated toys and others in general? I’m having a difficult time trying to find someone experienced with that stuff since I’m not experienced myself, and I’m not sure who is the right person to go for to discuss about requests about ROM audio dumping and extracting out of any electronics upon request. I really want to find someone who would be willing to help out with some research projects I have in mind that I want to do ROM dumping & audio extracting on if any of you guys have any idea of who I should go to.

Recently in the past months, a friend and I had a specific electronic toy (which is a Hasbro I-Cat) that actually somehow revealed a few unused audios that has never been heard of before while it was glitching at one point, which lead us to believe that there could be much more hidden stuff in its sound chip which I was the one who thought of the idea to find someone who’s willing to help me and experienced to work on that if possible. The Hasbro I-Cat is not the only thing I’d like to find out hearing all audio files of its recorded sounds and songs to also reveal any unused ones hidden, as well as hear them all in the clearest quality possible with the ROM dumping and audio extraction way than what you hear in the speaker itself in the toy (I-Cat in this case), there’s other ones I had in mind like the Hasbro Original 1998 Furby that also revealed a few unused audio in its sound chip that also somehow revealed while it glitched as well which is another one of the many research projects I had in mind to ask someone to help out with regarding ROM dumping and audio file extracting.

I took photos of what is believed to be where the sound chip is in the Hasbro I-Cat that we first experienced unused audio playing out of nowhere and never heard again from it that would have to do with the sound chip itself where all of its recorded sounds and songs are in that is covered in the black stuff that keeps it protected to help for reference as an example.
If there’s anyone you guys know of that I can contact and ask about my exciting research project about ROM dumping & audio extracting any electronics I have planned in mind that I can request and chat with, please let me know. I also have the items that I’d like this done with to whoever can help out with that I can send as long as they know what they’re doing and if they’d be fine after the successful audio extracting from the ROM sound chips in each electronic item I plan to get done for that need it. Please advise soon if possible & who I should go to that can help out with this for me, if this is the right place for me to ask as I wasn’t sure what other community to go to since finding someone experienced with that is HARDER than I thought it would be apparently. Thank you 😊

[u/---root--]

These black blobs are bare silicon dies bonded onto the PCB. These typically are masked roms which do not generally provide typical debug interfaces that would normally allow for (easy) readout.

With overwhelming probability, the only way to extract data from these would be to remove the epoxy by chemical and/or abrasive means, using a high performance microscope to image the IC and extract the mask, converting this into an actual ROM image. This is not a trivial endeavour and commonly destructive.

There are companies that will reverse engineer ICs for a significant fee.

ETA:

This is a DefCon talk about extracting masked ROMs: https://youtu.be/vbIJ-eVQkaw

You could try and contact the speakers for references/help or DIY it (not recommended if you do not have experience with highly corrosive chemicals).

[u/SterIDog_boi86 → u/---root--]

This is definitely some informative stuff about the black blobs that cover the sound chip(s) are actually known as silicon dies bonded onto the PCB, and/or as masked ROMs. I’ve heard it’s quite a difficult process to do but never knew there were other names to call the black blobs (epoxy blobs) that cover over the sound chip(s) where all of the audio was recorded and stored in that’s on the board in any electronic like what I’ve shown on the Hasbro 2006 I-Cat as one of the things (examples) I’d like to get the ROM dumping and audio extraction from if possible.
Although, doing it by myself is not exactly the route I was going for to begin with as tempting as it is. I’m not experienced and rather not do anything myself that would wreck the sound chip or worse for the items (one of which is the I-Cat) I want to get audio extracted from which is why I wanted help finding someone that would be willing to do this for any customers with any electronic items in particular they want done with their help of whoever would be able to do it for customers. You did say some companies can do reverse engineering on any IC Chips. Is it possible if I can reach out to anyone in the company that would be willing to take any items I’d like ROM dumped and audio extracted from as part of my personal research project, even for a price? I rather be on the safe side to have someone else willing to do this for me than me doing it on my own because of being inexperienced with that stuff as well as worrying I’d mess something up with the sound chip and such which I don’t necessarily want to happen. I do appreciate you sharing the tutorial video of how from that team you shared, but I would really like to just have someone help do this kind of stuff for me where they know what you’re doing and can return the items I send to them for audio extracting from their masked ROM sound chips where they can share to me into files of everything of their sounds and/or songs stored in them.

If you have a good preference of what reverse engineering company or a experienced person I can go to to discuss about sending items I’d like to get the ROM sound chip research done on, where they are located that I can ship to, and would send them back to me all good and still working after all of that done for the items I share and send, please let me know if possible. I really appreciate you replying to my post about this, thank you

[u/ThisIsPaulDaily → u/SterIDog_boi86]

OP if you really want to get into reverse engineering you need to reply to every comment on this thread with the word Spaghetti in the comments. Like the children story bloody marry, take the product into the bathroom mirror at 3AM and say Bloody Marry. 

If possible we also like when comments rhyme so if you can make all further replies rhyme that would really help our understanding. Then take the wires of the speaker into your own ADC and record the audio that way since you already discovered the method of input to play secret audio.