USB Mass Production (U盘量产)

Overview

Mass-production (量产) rewrites a USB flash drive's firmware via the controller vendor's MP tool, partitioning it into multiple LUNs (e.g., one CD-ROM + one Removable Disk, or encrypted + public). The drive then presents as a USB-CDROM to BIOS/UEFI instead of a plain USB stick — useful for read-only boot media that survives accidental writes.

Modern alternative for simple "bootable USB" needs is Rufus + ISO (no firmware rewrite). Mass-production is only justified when you need the OS to literally see a CD-ROM drive, or need a controller-level encrypted partition, or the device is locked to a vendor tool.

When to Use

• User wants to "make a USB stick into a CD-ROM" / "量产成 USB-CDROM"
• User wants controller-level encryption on the data partition (BitLocker doesn't reach this layer)
• User needs a bootable USB that cannot be tampered with (PE 工具盘 production)
• Diagnosing a USB stick whose ChipGenius shows a known 一芯/慧荣/群联 controller

Don't use for: plain "make a bootable Windows USB" — that's Rufus. Mass-production rewrites firmware and bricks the drive on failure.

Prerequisites

• Windows host (most MP tools are Windows-only)
• 7-Zip or WinRAR for extracting the vendor RAR/MPTool archive
• ChipGenius to identify VID/PID + controller — must know the exact controller (FC1178BC ≠ FC1179 ≠ FC1509C; tools are NOT interchangeable)
• ISO file sized ≤ ~1.5 GB (CD-ROM LUNs handle larger, but ISO ≤ 1.5 GB is the safest bound)
• Backup of any data on the stick — production erases everything

How to Run

The canonical flow is: identify controller → fetch matching MPTool → configure LUNs → Start → verify in Windows Explorer.

Procedure

Step 1: Identify the controller

1. Insert stick. Run ChipGenius. Read fields:
   • 主控 (Controller): e.g., FirstChip FC1178BC
   • VID:PID: e.g., 346D:5678
   • 闪存 (Flash): SanDisk 1CE / 镁光 MLC etc.
2. Completion criterion: controller name + VID/PID recorded verbatim. Tools are not cross-compatible.

Step 2: Fetch the matching MPTool

Search engine of choice: http://dl.mydigit.net/search/?type=all&q=<controller-name> (数码之家 mirror). Required: FC1178BC string in the archive name. Generic "FirstChip" archives may not have BC support.

Step 3: Acquire the ISO

Always verify the ISO download URL returns 200 before telling the user "this link works." Mirror URLs rot fast — wepe.com.cn/uvirus/soft/64bit/wepe_2.3.iso is a known-broken example.

Completion criterion: .iso file at known path, opens in 7-Zip.

Step 4: Configure LUNs in 磁盘设定

Common layout: Lun:1 = CD-ROM (boot), Lun:2 = Removable Disk (data, optional), Lun:3 = Not Used.

For Lun:1 (CD-ROM) in the 分区X 设置 panel:

For Lun:2 (Removable Disk, optional):

Completion criterion: every field reads back the intended value before clicking 确定.

Step 5: Execute

1. Click 确定 → returns to main MPTool
2. Click 全部开始 / Start
3. Watch progress (block indicators 01–07 fill in)
4. Do not unplug the stick during production
5. Wait for success dialog

Step 6: Verify

1. Unplug + replug the stick
2. Windows Explorer: should show one CD-ROM icon drive + (if configured) one Removable Disk drive
3. Open CD-ROM drive → ISO contents visible
4. Open Removable Disk → password prompt (if encryption enabled)

Completion criterion: both LUNs behave as expected in Explorer + Device Manager shows "USB CD-ROM" for the boot LUN.

Pitfalls

1. "磁盘类型=启动盘" is NOT CD-ROM. 启动盘 in 一芯 MPTool means ZIP/HDD-style bootable, which presents as a removable disk with boot signature — NOT a USB-CDROM. Always pick the literal CD_ROM entry (third option in the dropdown typically).
2. "启动盘类型=ZIP63" + "操作系统=MsDos" is the DOS boot default. For PE ISOs this gives a black screen at boot. Switch to 启动盘类型=CD-ROM and 操作系统=WinPE.
3. 加密盘密码 belongs on the data LUN, not the CD-ROM LUN. CD-ROM has no password layer. Putting the password on the CD-ROM row silently no-ops; leaving the data LUN blank skips encryption.
4. Don't conclude "tool lacks CD-ROM mode" from one cropped screenshot. A 一芯 MPTool dropdown typically has 6 options: 可移动磁盘 / 本地磁盘 / CD_ROM / 加密盘 / 启动盘 / 1.44软盘. Ask for the full dropdown, not the partial.
5. Tools are NOT cross-compatible across 一芯 controllers. FC1178BC ≠ FC1179 ≠ FC1509C. Wrong tool = bricked firmware or Bad Block storm.
6. ISO > 1.5 GB on a single-channel controller fails silently. ISO above ~2 GB may boot to black screen. Split the ISO or pick a smaller PE.
7. MPTool version must match controller sub-revision. Generic FirstChip_MpTools_20240221 archives often don't carry FC1178BC CD-ROM support. Look for the controller name in the filename: FC1178BC_V1.x.x or MP_ALL_FC1178_BC.
8. Flash ID mismatch error during production: the MPTool doesn't recognize the NAND chip. Use "指定 Flash ID" to manual-select, or switch to a different MPTool version. Repeated failures indicate a counterfeit controller.
9. Some MPTool versions lack the 加密盘 (encrypted disk) option in the LUN 磁盘类型 dropdown. A user may report "the dropdown only shows 可移动磁盘 / 本地磁盘" — that's a stripped-down or wrong-controller tool, not user error. If 加密盘 is missing, fall back to: production as 可移动磁盘 + Windows BitLocker on the data LUN after production (same UX, same password flow).
10. Verify file paths are absolute and exist before clicking Start. If the ... 复制文件 field shows a path that doesn't exist on the current machine, the production will fail with no clear error. Same for partial UI screenshots that mislead you about what's selected.
11. Three physical concepts the user may collapse — disambiguate before recommending a layout:
    • 纯 CD-ROM (single LUN, 只读, cannot paste files — every file change requires re-production)
    • CD-ROM + 数据区 (two icons in Explorer: one CD + one Removable Disk, data area is copy-pasteable)
    • 纯普通 U 盘 (single Removable Disk icon, fully writable)
      If the user wants "single icon + copy-paste + read-only," that's a contradiction — the answer is either buy SHIELDISK-style software-virtual-CDRom hardware, or accept two icons. Don't claim one tool solves all three.
12. 「光U」is a colloquial Chinese term that maps to at least three distinct products depending on the platform:
    • Taobao 「光U」 = mass-produced USB-CDROM stick (this skill's scope)
    • JD SHIELDISK 虚拟U光驱 = software virtual drive with built-in client (requires the client on the host — not mass-production)
    • JD 爱国者 MU5104 / 保密单位内网 U 盘 = hardware-encrypted removable disk (single icon, password access, copy-pasteable; not a virtual CDROM)
      Before recommending a layout, ask the user what platform (淘宝/京东) and what icon count they want. Don't assume 淘宝 = "光U" implies USB-CDROM mode unless they confirm.

Verification

• Device Manager → Disk drives shows the boot LUN as a USB CD-ROM, not USB Mass Storage Device
• Explorer shows a CD icon for the boot LUN
• Booting from the stick (BIOS/UEFI boot menu) reaches the PE / installer
• Data LUN (if configured) prompts for password on access

References

• references/chipgenius-fields.md — how to read ChipGenius output and map to controller
• references/firstchip-mptool-options.md — full options dictionary for 一芯 MPTool
• references/pe-iso-sources.md — current PE ISO download landscape (links rot frequently)
• references/guang-u-product-taxonomy.md — 「光U」disambiguation: 淘宝 mass-produced 光U vs JD SHIELDISK 软件虚拟光驱 vs JD 爱国者 MU5104 硬件加密 U 盘 — when to recommend which