My DIY ASUS 14-1 Pin TPM-M R2.0 Module

[TheJeffChen]

I needed this. So I designed one. Hope it helps some of you.

 

Parts
--------

• SLB9665TT20 TPM Chip:
  https://www.ebay.com/itm/313526673758
• 2 mm pitch double row right angle pin header
  Choose the 2x7 option
  https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32887332295.html
• 4x 100nF 6.3V 0603 SMD capacitors
• 2x 10K Ohm 0603 SMD resistors
• PCB: 
  https://oshpark.com/shared_projects/pVqwq0NS
• 3D Printed Shell
  • Print with the outside facing upwards
  • Suggested layer height: 0.16mm.
  • Suggested line width: 0.35mm.
  • Uses two 6mm M2 screw and nut.

Note: You do NOT have to follow the links I used. The specs are pretty laid out so you can source your own parts if you prefer.

 

Assembly
--------
You have to know how to solder VERY well. Experience in soldering TSSOP and SMD components is required.

Note the pin header should be keyed. You can cut a piece of the compatible pin and stuff it into the hole on the bottom row, the 3rd one from the right.

Note: if you are an amateur on soldering, this might not be a bad project to learn how to solder, since everything is quite affordable. Learn how to pre-tin SMD pads for caps and resistor, how to tack a chip in place, and then drag solder alone one side, then the other. We all have to start from somewhere.

 

Installation
-------
Jam it onto your motherboard with power turned OFF (I don't have to teach you the basics, right?) For my motherboard, once booted into the BIOS, the chip is automatically recognized and ready to go. Windows 10 also recognized it without any fuss.

 

Updating Firmware

-------

The firmware version on the chip might be quite out-dated and requires an update to work properly with Windows. Please check out the following guide on how to update the firmware on your TPM chip:

https://qzhou.dev/updating-a-vulnerable-tpm

 

Note: It is possible that your chips might come with a rare firmware version and no update could be found. You might have to find a different seller and try your luck if that's the case.

Reference
-------
Project Github Page:

DIY ASUS TPM-M R2.0 Module

 

SLB9665TT20 Datasheet: 
https://www.infineon.com/dgdl/Infineon-data-sheet-SLB9665_2.0_Rev1.2-DS-v01_02-EN.pdf?fileId=5546d462689a790c016929d1d3054feb

 

 

 

Some photos of the thing.

 

 

[TheJeffChen]

4 minutes ago, James Evens said:

Currently your post is just a link to GitHub.

Why not write a bit about the design and everything else? Just like the build log section for PCs.

Moved over the detailed info from my github page and added photos. It did not look great in the beginning for sure.

[St33v]

@TheJeffChenThis is great! I have very little soldering experience, but somehow I managed to cobble one of these together. Any advice on how I might update the firmware of one of these? My TPM chip came with firmware 5.40.1971.2 and Asus' firmware updater doesn't go that low.

EDIT: Sorry for my lack of Googling. Looks like these are easily updatable if you can find the right firmware file, but those are extremely hard to find as they are all specific for the version that they're upgrading and are only available from manufacturers that used these Infineon chips. So unless a manufacturer happened to use the same firmware you have at some point and issued an update for it, you're SOL. If anyone has access to a large repo of Infineon SLB9665TT20 firmware, please let me know.

[TheJeffChen]

On 10/19/2021 at 11:55 AM, St33v said:

@TheJeffChenThis is great! I have very little soldering experience, but somehow I managed to cobble one of these together. Any advice on how I might update the firmware of one of these? My TPM chip came with firmware 5.40.1971.2 and Asus' firmware updater doesn't go that low.

EDIT: Sorry for my lack of Googling. Looks like these are easily updatable if you can find the right firmware file, but those are extremely hard to find as they are all specific for the version that they're upgrading and are only available from manufacturers that used these Infineon chips. So unless a manufacturer happened to use the same firmware you have at some point and issued an update for it, you're SOL. If anyone has access to a large repo of Infineon SLB9665TT20 firmware, please let me know.

This is new to me. I just bought the chips from the eBay link and soldered everything together, and the BIOS simply recognized it and Windows installed the driver right away.

 

Edit: Just checked and my "Manufacturer Version" is 5.0.1089.2. It doesn't look higher than yours. And it just works. What kind of problem are you having?

[ColinLTT]

10/10, good job! 

[St33v]

On 10/27/2021 at 1:34 AM, TheJeffChen said:

This is new to me. I just bought the chips from the eBay link and soldered everything together, and the BIOS simply recognized it and Windows installed the driver right away.

 

Edit: Just checked and my "Manufacturer Version" is 5.0.1089.2. It doesn't look higher than yours. And it just works. What kind of problem are you having?

It's not a problem per se. I just get some indications from Windows 11 that "attestation" is not ready and that the firmware needs to be updated. I'm not really sure what that means and I'm not too worried about it, but it's frustrating that I can't find the firmware to update it. It should be easy to do via Asus' supplied firmware updater. Infineon won't give me the files because the chips are probably counterfeit and they specifically say that they don't support purchases from unauthorized retailers. Also, the firmware shown here is different because I made another two of them with different chips. And no, clearing the TPM as recommended by the message doesn't fix anything.

[TheJeffChen]

On 11/5/2021 at 10:28 PM, St33v said:

It's not a problem per se. I just get some indications from Windows 11 that "attestation" is not ready and that the firmware needs to be updated. I'm not really sure what that means and I'm not too worried about it, but it's frustrating that I can't find the firmware to update it. It should be easy to do via Asus' supplied firmware updater. Infineon won't give me the files because the chips are probably counterfeit and they specifically say that they don't support purchases from unauthorized retailers. Also, the firmware shown here is different because I made another two of them with different chips. And no, clearing the TPM as recommended by the message doesn't fix anything.

 

I checked my status and it was broken like yours. So I started the journey trying to hunt down an update for my version. And somehow I made it. Now I've updated from 5.0.1089.21 to 5.62.3126.2, and the error is gone.

 

I then spent 2 hours trying to hunt down your version, but to no avail. It looks like my version coincides with Microsoft Surface Pro 3. And their upgrade path is a direct one as stated above. And no higher version could be found as of now.

 

Your version ends with a .2 like mine, so I suspect it was also for a small-time manufacturer (because all the big brands used .0), Worst case, you might have to pick a different seller and try your luck again.

 

This issue was something out of my expectation and is quite a bit of trouble to go through. Thank you for bringing it up.

[St33v]

14 hours ago, TheJeffChen said:

 

I checked my status and it was broken like yours. So I started the journey trying to hunt down an update for my version. And somehow I made it. Now I've updated from 5.0.1089.21 to 5.62.3126.2, and the error is gone.

 

I then spent 2 hours trying to hunt down your version, but to no avail. It looks like my version coincides with Microsoft Surface Pro 3. And their upgrade path is a direct one as stated above. And no higher version could be found as of now.

 

Your version ends with a .2 like mine, so I suspect it was also for a small-time manufacturer (because all the big brands used .0), Worst case, you might have to pick a different seller and try your luck again.

 

This issue was something out of my expectation and is quite a bit of trouble to go through. Thank you from bringing it up.

No problem. Thanks for trying so hard to find it.

[Erik Sejr]

EDIT Jan 2022: Got both of these modules working on this board and Updated to 5.62.3126.2!

 

I originally bought 2x TPM-SPI by accident only to find out my Asus Crosshair VIII Dark Hero board required the TPM-M 2.0 module (based on the keyed connector). I went looking for those and they were all out of stock.

 

I know, I know this board and the 5900X CPU in it support fTPM. However I wanted a discrete one so that I didn't have to disable bitlocker every time I flashed my BIOS. At any rate, I found this project and ordered up the parts knowing that even if I failed it would be good soldering practice.

 

Sadly (at least for me) I appear to have failed. I had to order 3 PCBs so I ordered enough parts to build 3 modules. Of the 3 I had a mishap with 1 and successfully built 2, an image of the two side by side are attached. However both are not detected by the BIOS when connected to the motherboard - I tried BIOS versions 3801 and 3904 and neither found the module when it was connected. The BIOS only indicates a TPM detected when fTPM is enabled. Attempts to update the firmware failed - the updater does not detect the TPM in windows. I didn't try Linux but I can't imagine it mattering if the BIOS does not see it.

 

The only odd thing is that when I modify the BIOS from firmware TPM to discrete and I go back into the BIOS the BIOS shows firmware TPM again, even though I saved the discrete setting. It did this for both BIOS versions. I can only assume it behaves this way because it does not detect the module.

 

If anyone has any idea what I did wrong please let me know. I ordered the connectors and the chips from the links in the article. The caps are 0.1uf 6.3V 0603 (https://www.digikey.ca/en/products/detail/kyocera-avx/06036C104JAT2A/1600414?s=N4IgTCBcDaICwHYAcBaADANjQZgwYQEY04ApAQQBUwy8KUA5AERAF0BfIA) and the resistors 10K ohm 0.1% 0603 (https://www.digikey.ca/en/products/detail/yageo/RE0603BRE0710KL/5923093?s=N4IgTCBcDaIIwGYC0AlAogBgGwYQIXQwHY4MBpAGQGEAVJAOQBEQBdAXyA)

[Boombastik]

I know that this post is old but can you tell me if you run the command in powershell as admin :

Get-Tpm

You take restart-pending always true like the photo?