Vu Duo V3 security chip repair project.

Discussion in 'VuPlus Duo Hardware troubles and Repair support.' started by Johnny B., May 1, 2016.

  1. Johnny B.

    Johnny B. Technical Support Staff Member Moderator

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    Sorry to say, but it was wrong.
    It needs to be reversed if you use the adapter between it.
    In any case see this topic, Mini VuDuo Rs232 information for the correct information.
    This I have tested today.
     
  2. fingersd

    fingersd Member

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    Thanks for the Head´s up Johnny B, and please Don´t be sorry, for me it´s new hope, and a whole lot more testing!! lovely.
     
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  3. Brianmullen8

    Brianmullen8 New Member

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    I've been reading up on the ST Link v2 programmer and it seems it can enable and disable reading of the chip. I have ordered one for testing. Hopefully this will work.

    Johnny have you got a diagram of the board you made to flash using rs232. I have a prebuilt max232 board and wired rx, tx, vcc, Gnd and the crystal directly to the chip. I don't get any output on terminal but when attached to the box I get '''.

    Thanks
     
  4. Brianmullen8

    Brianmullen8 New Member

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  5. Johnny B.

    Johnny B. Technical Support Staff Member Moderator

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    Interesting information which I shall try, thanks for sharing it. :)
     
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  6. Johnny B.

    Johnny B. Technical Support Staff Member Moderator

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    The question.. Johnny have you got a diagram of the...
    No, but I could make one tomorrow.
     
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  7. Brianmullen8

    Brianmullen8 New Member

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    That would be great Johnny but don't go out your way.
     
  8. Johnny B.

    Johnny B. Technical Support Staff Member Moderator

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    Okay, here it is.
    Note that the leds are not necessarily needed, it's more a luxury.
    The St chip Rx/Tx connections are not sure, maybe it must be swapped.
    And I have also my doubts about the ground pad connection, maybe it has also some ground connection to the pins.
    But this I can tell later when I have done some measurements on the vu mini board.

    Update about the ground pad,
    This type mcu chip has only one ground, which is the ground pad.


    Rs232-programming-module.jpg
     
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  9. Brianmullen8

    Brianmullen8 New Member

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    That's fantastic Johnny. Can't wait to get started.
     
  10. fingersd

    fingersd Member

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    Ditto, thanks Johnny B
     
  11. Brianmullen8

    Brianmullen8 New Member

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    Hi Jonny, just got delivery of my st link debugger/programmer. I also bought a stm8 dev board with an stm8s103k4 already on board (i pulled one of these from a could ibox)

    I'm hoping to connect to the dev board as is and make sure I'm reading and writing ok to the ic. I will then remove the ic and install the one I pulled from the ibox, I'm hoping I can read this or unlock then read this ic but this is currently giving me a tune failed error when on the ibox.

    If I can read ok from the ic I will then install the (non working) ic from the vu mini duo and hopefully read the data on this.

    If this all goes to plan and testing complete I will install the working vu mini ic and take a backup then write this to all the failed ic's that I have.

    I have a working ibox ic too but this is in use at the moment so if the vu muni backup is not compatible with the ibox I will get that ibox and so the same.

    Hope to update you soon.
     
  12. fingersd

    fingersd Member

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    Nice Plan Brianmullen8, wishing you every success, if it works I´ll be getting a ST Link programmer myself, I´ve 5 x 8s103k3 on order and will be looking for a programming solution when they arrive. Will be waiting on an update with great interest.
     
  13. Johnny B.

    Johnny B. Technical Support Staff Member Moderator

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    Hi,
    Yes, the STM8 chips (ibox) I have also, but I still have to try them.
    Keep in mind that the STM32 ST-Link Utility has an unlock option.
    This works fine, but may result in the loss of data.
    This I have experienced with STM32 mini solo chip.

    But success, hopefully with some good result.
     
  14. Brianmullen8

    Brianmullen8 New Member

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    So I have connected up the dev board and it is communicating ok with the onboard stm8 ic.

    I put the ic from the ibox in and it detects the ic but it is readout protected. I don't want to try unlock just yet as it may mass erase the ic.

    That got me thinking, the ic is functioning ok but is readout protected but I don't get a good output from rs232 when installed in the box.

    So I connected up it up to max232 and still get no output.

    Just had a quick read about the ic and it says the boot loader is separate from the main flash to protect it from accidental wipe when flashing.

    Is the problem we have here a corrupt boot loader and that is why we can't get output from rs232 and why renewares doesn't detect the ic.

    I hope they use the standard boot loader on the ic and it can be flashed and Hopefully restore functionality. little bit more reading to do.
     
  15. Johnny B.

    Johnny B. Technical Support Staff Member Moderator

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    As for the Stm8 chips and the rs232 readout.
    I do have test this with one working chip, and I get a smiley from it.
    I think that I had uses a 18.000mHz crystal, bps 115200 and the terminal emulation at ansiw.
    But this I still need to test further when I have received the test socket for it.
     
  16. fingersd

    fingersd Member

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    That does sound extremely plausible, just to add a little input, I did swap out the max3232 and the 12mhz crystal in one of my boxes just to eliminate these as faulty but with no change.

    Good luck finding a bootloader. I wish my replacement IC´s had arrived, I would happily of sent you one for testing.
     
  17. Johnny B.

    Johnny B. Technical Support Staff Member Moderator

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    At fingersd

    Not sure what you mean with the replacement IC´s.
    Are they pre-programmed, or just new ones?

    Meanwhile also tested a security chip from a cloud ibox on the vuduo mini, but didn't work.
    Maybe a bad chip, but I also have my doubts if these works on the mini box because the vu boxes uses the Rx/Tx and Scl/Sda pins, and the cloud mini box use only the Scl/Sda pins.

    Pics...
    vuduomini-with-stm8-snap1.jpg

    vuduomini-with-stm8-snap2.jpg
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2016
  18. fingersd

    fingersd Member

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    Johnny B. my previous post was intended for Brianmullen8 but you posted before i finished typing. The chips mentioned are new so probably useless as will be without a bootloader but thought they may of been helpful to Brianmullen8 to test if a standard bootloader would work without destroying his own chip.

    Johnny B, I´ve only just found your "Mini VU+ Mini repair trip" thread, and have found it most interesting and enlightening.
    I loved your comments on the datasheet being incorrect, I had come to the same conclusion while trying to reprogram one of mine with the chip still onboard but using an external programmer.
    Also all 5 of my Mini Duo´s use a 12mhz crystal as standard for the security chip

    I myself have a dead lorinsun VU+ Solo knocking about somewhere and will tale a look later to see what it uses as a security chip (all i can remember is it´s on board and not a separate security board as with the Duo´s)

    Wishing you and Brianmullen8 every success and Please do keep updating both threds
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2016
  19. Johnny B.

    Johnny B. Technical Support Staff Member Moderator

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    It looks to me that the security chip from the lorinsun VU+ Solo may work on the duo mini.
    Offcourse you need to adapt it due the pins differences.
     
  20. Brianmullen8

    Brianmullen8 New Member

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    More info on the boot loader.

    The boot loader can be disabled (hopefully this is the issue) and the good news is it the ic is erased it automatically enables the boot loader.

    The fact we don't get output on hyperterminal suggests the boot loader is disabled and the flash is intact as it would have a boot loader if it was erased.

    I'm going to put the original ic back on the dev board, make sure rs232 is ok. I will then disable the boot loader to see if I get the same result as the ibox ic.

    I will then try enable the boot loader and compare the flash before and after to make sure it doesn't corrupt the flash.
     
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