diff -r 2638f5cf375c -r bc305adb1847 content/prologix.rst --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000 +++ b/content/prologix.rst Thu Mar 10 21:16:37 2016 +0100 @@ -0,0 +1,236 @@ +================================================== + Updating the Prologix USB-GPIB firmware on Linux +================================================== + + +:author: David Douard +:date: 2016-03-10 +:Category: Electronics +:Tags: test equipment, GPIB, Prologix + + +Prologix_ sell several low cost GPIB controllers. I have one their old +deprecated dongle "GPIB-USB Controller 4.2" and had fun with it with +my pygpibtoolkit_ project. + +It's a very simple dongle consisting in an Atmel ATMega164P +microcontroller and a FTDI FT245FL chip for the USB<->RS232 +convertion. + +.. image:: {filename}images/prologix/prologix_4.2_small.jpg + :alt: The Prologix GPIB-USB controller. + +Unfortunately, it's no longer available (I find this unfortunate +because it was really cheap, and very useful for hobbyist like me). + + +Upgrading the buggy firmware +============================ + +My controller had the version 5.2 of the firmware, which really is +buggy. For example if a device on the GPIB bus is continuously sending +data and the controller is in "auto" mode (in which it automatically +perform a reading of the available data), then it was impossible to +send it commands anymore. + +Unfortunately, the Prologix web site only describe the product as "No +longer in production". There is still an available FAQ_ and the `user +manual`_, but the firmware update procedure is not described any more. + +However, the `directory serving all the firmwares`_ for their products +still have the firmwares for this device. The latest published version +is the `4.2-6.95`_ (in fact, it's the version 6.95 of the firware for +the version 4.2 of the USB-GPIB controller). + +The content of this archive is:: + + unzip -l ~/Downloads/gpib-usb-4.2-6.95.zip + Archive: /home/david/Downloads/gpib-usb-4.2-6.95.zip + Length Date Time Name + --------- ---------- ----- ---- + 244837 2007-07-08 23:57 avrdude.conf + 186880 2007-07-08 23:57 avrdude.exe + 31162 2010-09-21 10:57 m16.hex + 31542 2010-09-21 10:57 m164.hex + 61440 2010-06-16 18:21 PxUpdate.exe + 409 2009-01-21 11:00 readme.txt + --------- ------- + 556270 6 files + + +Obviously, Windows stuff only, and no documentation on how to upgrade +the device on Linux. + +But the fact it uses avrdude_ is good sign it might to find solutions +on Linux. According the names of the hex files, it seems there have 2 +versions of the hardware, one with a ATMega16 and one with a +ATMega164P (mine uses a 164P). + +Now, the question is: haw is the AVR programmed? There are dozens of +'backends' available on avrdude. + +Doing a ``string`` on the main exe in thie archive, PxUpdate.exe, +shows a few interesting things, especially this:: + + strings PxUpdate.exe | grep -i avr + avrdude.exe -p %s -P \\.\COM%d -c avr109 -u -e -U flash:w:%s + AVRBOOT + +So we know the commande line used by this firmware update tool, and we +known it uses the AVR's bootloader as decribed in the AVR109_ +application note. + +But any attempt to read the content of the flash using:: + + avrdude -p m164p -c avr109 -U flash:r:flash.hex:i + +fails stating the avr does not respond:: + + avrdude -P /dev/ttyUSB0 -p m164p -c avr109 -v -v -U flash:r:flash2.hex:i + + avrdude: Version 6.1, compiled on Sep 11 2014 at 20:00:34 + Copyright (c) 2000-2005 Brian Dean, http://www.bdmicro.com/ + Copyright (c) 2007-2014 Joerg Wunsch + + System wide configuration file is "/etc/avrdude.conf" + User configuration file is "/home/david/.avrduderc" + User configuration file does not exist or is not a regular file, skipping + + Using Port : /dev/ttyUSB0 + Using Programmer : avr109 + AVR Part : ATmega164P + Chip Erase delay : 55000 us + PAGEL : PD7 + BS2 : PA0 + RESET disposition : dedicated + RETRY pulse : SCK + serial program mode : yes + parallel program mode : yes + Timeout : 200 + StabDelay : 100 + CmdexeDelay : 25 + SyncLoops : 32 + ByteDelay : 0 + PollIndex : 3 + PollValue : 0x53 + Memory Detail : + + Block Poll Page Polled + Memory Type Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack + ----------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- --------- + eeprom 4 10 128 0 no 512 4 0 9000 9000 0xff 0xff + flash 33 6 128 0 yes 16384 128 128 4500 4500 0xff 0xff + lock 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 9000 9000 0x00 0x00 + lfuse 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 9000 9000 0x00 0x00 + hfuse 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 9000 9000 0x00 0x00 + signature 0 0 0 0 no 3 0 0 0 0 0x00 0x00 + calibration 0 0 0 0 no 4 0 0 0 0 0x00 0x00 + + Programmer Type : butterfly + Description : Atmel AppNote AVR109 Boot Loader + + Connecting to programmer: .avrdude: ser_recv(): programmer is not responding + avrdude: butterfly_recv(): programmer is not responding + + +So there is something else required to put the device under firmware +upgrade state. I was wondering is there is an undocumented controller +commands (anything starting with ``++`` is interpreted as a controller +command, so I searched for the ``++`` string in ``PxUpdate.exe``:: + + strings PxUpdate.exe | grep ++ + Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library + ++rst + +No magic undocumented command, but a reset of the controller is +performed by this tool. Let's try this:: + + stty -F /dev/ttyUSB0 speed 115200 cs8 -cstopb -parenb + echo -en '++rst\r' > /dev/ttyUSB0; avrdude -P /dev/ttyUSB0 -p m164p -c avr109 -v -v -U flash:r:flash2.hex:i + avrdude: Version 6.1, compiled on Sep 11 2014 at 20:00:34 + Copyright (c) 2000-2005 Brian Dean, http://www.bdmicro.com/ + Copyright (c) 2007-2014 Joerg Wunsch + + System wide configuration file is "/etc/avrdude.conf" + User configuration file is "/home/david/.avrduderc" + User configuration file does not exist or is not a regular file, skipping + + Using Port : /dev/ttyUSB0 + Using Programmer : avr109 + AVR Part : ATmega164P + Chip Erase delay : 55000 us + PAGEL : PD7 + BS2 : PA0 + RESET disposition : dedicated + RETRY pulse : SCK + serial program mode : yes + + parallel program mode : yes + Timeout : 200 + StabDelay : 100 + CmdexeDelay : 25 + SyncLoops : 32 + ByteDelay : 0 + PollIndex : 3 + PollValue : 0x53 + Memory Detail : + + Block Poll Page Polled + Memory Type Mode Delay Size Indx Paged Size Size #Pages MinW MaxW ReadBack + ----------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- --------- + eeprom 4 10 128 0 no 512 4 0 9000 9000 0xff 0xff + flash 33 6 128 0 yes 16384 128 128 4500 4500 0xff 0xff + lock 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 9000 9000 0x00 0x00 + lfuse 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 9000 9000 0x00 0x00 + hfuse 0 0 0 0 no 1 0 0 9000 9000 0x00 0x00 + signature 0 0 0 0 no 3 0 0 0 0 0x00 0x00 + calibration 0 0 0 0 no 4 0 0 0 0 0x00 0x00 + + Programmer Type : butterfly + Description : Atmel AppNote AVR109 Boot Loader + + Connecting to programmer: . + Found programmer: Id = "AVRBOOT"; type = S + Software Version = 1.0; Hardware Version = 1.0 + Programmer supports auto addr increment. + Programmer supports buffered memory access with buffersize=128 bytes. + + Programmer supports the following devices: + Device code: 0x76 + + avrdude: devcode selected: 0x76 + avrdude: AVR device initialized and ready to accept instructions + + Reading | ################################################## | 100% 0.00s + + avrdude: Device signature = 0x1e940a + avrdude: safemode: Fuse reading not support by programmer. + Safemode disabled. + avrdude: reading flash memory: + + Reading | ################################################## | 100% 0.26s + + avrdude: writing output file "flash2.hex" + + avrdude done. Thank you. + +Much better! + +Now I can upgrade the firmware:: + + echo -en '++rst\r' > /dev/ttyUSB0; avrdude -P /dev/ttyUSB0 -p m164p -c avr109 -v -v -U flash:w:m164.hex + +Et voilà! The Prologix GPIB-USB interface is upgraded to the latest +available software. From what I've seen so far, it seems more stable +(at least I can read data from my HP5442A and HP3456A in "fast" mode +without loosing my GPIB controller.) + + +.. _`4.2-6.95`: http://prologix.biz/downloads/gpib-usb-4.2-6.95.zip +.. _Prologix: http://prologix.biz/ +.. _FAQ: http://prologix.biz/gpib-usb-4.2-faq.html +.. _`user manual`: http://prologix.biz/downloads/PrologixGpibUsbManual-4.2.pdf +.. _pygpibtoolkit: https://www.logilab.org/project/pygpibtoolkit +.. _`directory serving all the firmwares`: http://prologix.biz/downloads/ +.. _avrdude: http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/avrdude/ +.. _avr109: http://www.atmel.com/Images/doc1644.pdf