Update/bootloader problem (chinese/weird characters)

erwanone

Hi!
After playing with the unoficcial firmwire, I just try to reupdate to julian's firmwire and i can't.
 i can read
bootloader v1.2 and them the lxr show chinese weird characters...First time i see that and only after tryng to update.
SO i Tried to
reformat my sd card (fat 32)
re download all the sd card image
try to upload older julian's firmwire... None of this work
ANd i can't update to the fusion new firm too
If i try an update without sd card, i get chinese caracters too

Egnouf suggest a on/off plug problem in his topic
Hum, It happenned to me to see Chinese characters.. it was due to the fact that I did not have a ONOFF switch on the machine.

I
was using my LXR directly to a power socket no OFF, no ON, direct
electricity connexion... not good, many times (1 out of 3) I add to
disconnect and reconnect the LXR power socket (chineses characters).

I added recently an ONOFF switch and I don't get anymore this issue.

Can you try the following:
1- Get a plug that has a ONOFF button.
2- Put your LXR power in the plug but not in the LXR socket (you will do this later).
3- then switch on the PLUG (1)... wait few seconds
4- then plug the cable of your power supply inside the LXR

Switch ON.
I
guess doing this you will give enough time to electricity to come to an
certain average.. well, I am not good in electricity!!!

I don't know if I am clear, but I can tell you that I can switch from Julian'code and mine without any issue :-)

Waiting for your feedback.



Can anyone confirm before i buy a cheap plug with a on/off button?

EDIT: Now, no more chinese signs, it' just that the bootloader start and stop after 2 seconds, them the lxr start normally, instead of update.


THANKS!

egnouf

Well, you can try just by waiting few seconds before plug in the socket into the LXR, like this the power electricity is at is average ... and not as its PEAK value (when you switch on your plug on hte wall, i guess the electricity will start with a PEAK before coming back to an average and normal state).

no?

erwanone

Egnouf i understand you are french can you try to explain this in french in PM?? thanks you my english is not very good...  But i think your problem is not related since i never got chinese character before, and because mine appears only if  i try to make an update.
I try without the mainboard today, chinese as well. I'm very sad
Maybe an AVR problem? Do you have to control some soldering point before try to change it??

egnouf

oki, I will send you a PM in french

erwanone

Thanks!

admviolin

Probably not a thing, but a few months ago I had a problem updating and what fixed it was making sure the usb cable was not plugged in while trying to update.

erwanone

Thanks you but it was not connected . I try to update with usb connected too... Also, i can upload samples without problem.

erwanone

Sorry for the BUMP... @julian Is buying a new pre programmed ATMEGA will solve this problem??? THANKS

julian

If you see the bootloader screen this normally means the AVR is working fine.
Chinese characters are a sign of an unintentional reboot. :-/

just to recap:
it only happens while trying to update?
AVR sits tight in its socket?
You just see the "bootloader v1.2" and then it crashes?
besides updating everything works fine?

erwanone

Hey Julian thanks!
It's YES to all.
It's doesnt really crash because i can use the lxr after that, even with the chinese. It just show bootloader v1.2 and then boot normally/ or show chinese characters...
Besides updating, everything is working

julian

did the updates work before?
so where you able to update the previous versions?

erwanone

YEah i did maybe 7 or 8 updates with no problem! I just tried to upload  a previous version but it didn't work.

erwanone

( this one https://github.com/SonicPotions/LXR/blob/6a3e20e3c5199cefae47ecebc7384acf7b6d9533/firmware image/FIRMWARE.BIN )0.23 i guess

julian

could you check the NRST line to the cortex for a short?
either at the AVR or near the P2 connector for the mainboard.

this line restarts the cortex during the update process. otherwise it is not used.
So if there is a short somewhere it could crash the AVR during the update (wild guess)

erwanone

Ok thanks!  i'm a noob . Do i need to check the continuity between those point? Is the green or the red means anything? It's seems i have continity (it makes beep with my voltage tester) between all the points you highlight on the picture
. 

erwanone

I tried to reheat some solder joints too, no results.

erwanone

I saw nrst inscription on the mainboard but i don't know how to search the line/ shorts on this one.

julian

sorry for the late reply. i was away for a few days.

red/green just means the trace is on the top (red) or green(bottom)

i would just make sure that the 2 yellow highligted pads make beep and that the pads don't beep/have no connection to any pads next to them.

For example make sure there is no connection between the NRST and the (AVR_)RST pin on the P2 header.
NRST resets the mainboard and (AVR_)RST the AVR

so a short between those 2 pins would also reset the AVR while it is trying to update the mainboard.

erwanone

That's not a problem!

Ok i need to recheck in depth tonight since i did this during my lunchbreak in a hurry but,

-Continuity between the highlighted pad.
-No continuity between NRST and AVR RST line and pins arounds.

Sometimes, i get an upside/down menu instead of the chinese characters.

erwanone

Ok i did recheck and evrything is as I said before! WHat i need to do now???

erwanone

hi all! TO keep update this topic, i have to say  i just buy a new avr and it did solve my problem! I guess i could burn the avr i had but i didnt know how to do it. Lately, the bug was different... I was getting weird parameters values, only numbers and some funcions called k2 instead of their real name... But now everything works fine including update.
Thanks Julian for your help!