OpenWRT fixup in a hurry

I modified my network configuration files in a Linksys wrt54GL in such a way that I could no longer access the router via the network. I had to solve the problem as fast as I could, so, I started looking for information on how to restore the firmware. Meanwhile, I found that the router actually has a serial port interface exposed in the hardware. The JP1 connector offers two serial ports. Moreover, OpenWRT has wisely used these ports as consoles. Using these consoles you can access the system and gain root access to the router. Detailed information can be found at : http://wiki.openwrt.org/OpenWrtDocs/Customizing/Hardware/Serial_Console.

I connected ttyS0 to a MAX232 (http://focus.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/max232.pdf) I had. I used two 0.47uF capacitors because I didn't have 1uF capacitors, but that was enough.

Finally, I connected the serial port to a usb-serial interface in such a way that I could use minicom at 115400 on /dev/ttyUSB0.

The whole thing was performed in an hour. I just wanted to share how easy it is to do it. The Linksys WRT54GL is very versatile and powerful enough to run interesting small programs.