Vu+ Solo2 - HW ERROR

Discussion in 'VuPlus Solo2 Hardware troubles and Repair support.' started by Piotrekop, Nov 15, 2020.

  1. Johnny B.

    Johnny B. Technical Support Staff Member Moderator

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    Yeah, I already had my doubts if it's depending on the nand chip, more logic is the fpga chip when the box only want to run on old software.

    Or it has to do with the boot screen, some receivers as meloo has this issue as I could remember.
    But this is not the case because you have a original as you claim.
     
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  2. Piotrekop

    Piotrekop Member

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    Solo2 with no signs of life. No starting. Only the LED lights up slightly. What now?
    ==================================================================

    I repeated the programming with my finger on the start diode because it refused to connect to the program. The CFE file has reloaded because Solo2 is working. Now what? Upload image from cfe via USB?
     
    Last edited: Dec 21, 2020
  3. Johnny B.

    Johnny B. Technical Support Staff Member Moderator

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    Maybe uploaded a wrong cfe file, of maybe your board is a clone version.
    Maybe if you show me a picture of your board I can see what it is.
    Or maybe has your board a hw issue as a bad cpu.
    Maybe it works again if you do the jtag thing again?
     
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  4. scooby

    scooby New Member

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    After NAND programming you should received "Starting" info bar.
    Do you have RS232, then we can check, "what's going on inside".

    What NAND do you have on the Solo box?
    Did you choose the correct Type of the memory on the BBS?
    What kind of Cfe file you use?

    Please use the same as I send on the page 3:
    https://jb8a8f8.com/support/index.php?attachments/vusolo2-flash-by-jtag-rar.2073/

    But I'm not 100% sure, that is a correct one.

    However, after loading it into the memory and running, I have a message "Starting..." and I can use USB stick.

    How to check clone/genuine:
     
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  5. Piotrekop

    Piotrekop Member

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    I repeated the programming with my finger on the start diode because it refused to connect to the program. The CFE file has reloaded because Solo2 is working. Now what? Upload image from cfe via USB?
    ========================================================================

    Gentlemen.

    Solo2 is the original.
     
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2020
  6. Johnny B.

    Johnny B. Technical Support Staff Member Moderator

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    YES

    To be clear, I assume that you are aware that after doing the jtag things, as uploading the solo2 cfe file, you must after it's done switching off your box, and turning it on and upload a image file on the normal way.
    The jtag method is only for fixing the boot loader so that you are be able to upload a image file on the normal way.
     
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  7. Piotrekop

    Piotrekop Member

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    I uploaded the original VU+ factory image via USB and unfortunately HW Error. But before the Image from CFE.
    The same commands appear as in post 1 - the initial one.
     
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2020
  8. Piotrekop

    Piotrekop Member

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    are you suggesting to use a file with the *bin extension and then via USB with a cfe file?
     
  9. toysoft

    toysoft Well-Known Member Staff Member

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    You can try to flash the latest CFE known for Solo2, via the USB, it could be fixing things... we never know.

    TS
     
  10. Piotrekop

    Piotrekop Member

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    I don't know if I am doing something wrong? I did everything by jtag. I tried with the * bin and * cfe file from @scooby and it only works on BH_2.0.7.1. Subsequent chronologically added images do not work. The newest OPLi_8.0 image also doesn't work. HW Error ... I have no idea for that ...
    Goes into a loop:

    Starting
    FPGA Update
    Checkin
    Erasing
    Writing
    Verifying
    Finished
    - HW ERROR
    2014 images are not working. I checked various, VTI, BH, OPLi, etc ....

    I found something else in the FPGA notation. I attach a picture. Will this help in resolving the error?
    ===================================================================
    is such a number of bad sectors in Solo2 logs the cause of these errors? Maybe the NAND Flash is damaged and needs to be replaced? This is what it looks like.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Dec 22, 2020
  11. Johnny B.

    Johnny B. Technical Support Staff Member Moderator

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    As for the Bad sectors, a nand flash chip, even brand new has often some bad blocks.
    Often between zero to four but as long it's not exceed the 10 bad sectors it should be fine.

    Fpga addresses, are not so interesting to see, these fpga chips are always protected for reading the data on it.

    A for your issue, that it only works with old image files, but not newer, and flashing the box in stages not works.
    Even after you have erased the whole nand chip in the bbs tool, before flashing it with a fresh boot loader.
    Anyways, maybe that others may still be able to help you, but as for me, sorry to say but I'm afraid that I can not help you further with it.
     
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  12. Piotrekop

    Piotrekop Member

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    that's what's very strange about Solo2. Everything should work normally. Thank you for your exceptional help. Well, I will continue this topic until it succeeds. Maybe something will finally be done ..
    I noticed that the type and version of the image kernel is more important than the image volume. Kernel images from 2014 do not work with this corruption in Solo2.
     
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2020
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  13. scooby

    scooby New Member

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  14. Johnny B.

    Johnny B. Technical Support Staff Member Moderator

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    Re; I thinking, that the FPGA was broken...

    As for the link, that does not go about the fpga, but the security chip / decoding chip and to replace it for a japhar chip.
    This is only when the board is a clone, a original board does not has this chip.

    The only reason (I think) why the board does not accept newer images could be related to a locked, or not writing to, fpga chip, one which refuse to accept the fpga updates.
    This could be a communication issue to the fpga chip, or a issue between the cpu to it, or maybe but not totally sure related to the rs232 serial ic.
    But that's only to figure it out by replacing the serial ic.

    But still, these are only thoughts about this issue, for the same I may totally wrong.
     
  15. Piotrekop

    Piotrekop Member

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    @Johnny B. and if to use the FPGA chip upgrade with clone tools. You wrote once about it being risky. Maybe this will solve the problem with FPGA?
     
  16. Johnny B.

    Johnny B. Technical Support Staff Member Moderator

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    I'm not sure if you are be able to reached the fpga chip by this way with a original board, but if it does, it may work, as long you upload a original fpga upgrade file to it.
    Uploading one from a clone, and when accept it, I have no idea what the result could be, I think that there may be some risk that you may end up as a brick.
     
  17. Piotrekop

    Piotrekop Member

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    For my solo2 I have exactly the same case as with Solo2 clones despite my solo2 being original. It is known that in the case of clones, if there was a HW Error, it was a v1 FPGA. What was it showing? about the fact that you could use images eg BH to v.2.07 or VTI to v6.0.3. It is exactly the same for me. In this case, the FPGA clone upgrade from v.1 to v.2 was needed. Then from v.2 to v.4 via rs232 port. This allowed the use of images in higher versions.
    Of course, there is a risk, as you say, that our box will become a brick. The only question is who and how wrote these updates and what they followed? Maybe the source code was taken from the original files?
     
  18. Johnny B.

    Johnny B. Technical Support Staff Member Moderator

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    I've no clue who, or how it has been wrote between the two, but I can tell you that a fpga chip, the data on it is not identical between a clone and a original.
    That's why a clone board has also a extra decoding chip, and a original not because by a original it is programmed into the fpga chip.

    When I remove from a clone board the extra decoding chip, and the fpga chip, and replace only the fpga from the original to the clone board, then it will work as a original.

    Technical are both motherboards the same, the only differences is that they not could succeed to make a clone from a original fpga chip due the high security levels.

    I know this, because I own a solo2 clone board with a original fpga chip on it, and without the extra decoding chip, and it still works flawless with the newest image files.
     
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  19. Piotrekop

    Piotrekop Member

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    ok Johnny. What if I took the risk according to the description for clones like here. Only this description is probably not complete. In your opinion, it is correct or something is missing in this description. I don't think the order is right. Where to start?

    I tried again with the image of Vti. You can download drivers online. When I uploaded the drivers after November 2013, HW Error showed. The driver works only until November 2013. From December Solo2 reports an error.

    The question is whether replacing the NAND Flash chip will help? Is it enough to upload files from a cypress board in this case?
     
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2020
  20. Johnny B.

    Johnny B. Technical Support Staff Member Moderator

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    Replacing nand chip...
    Probably not, as far as I think of it is the error related to the fpga chip, an thinking on as that the read from it works fine, but the write to it failed.
    This could be related with the rs232 serial chip that is placed on the rs232 serial board, which still may be works fine for reading, but fails to give/upload the new fpga data to the fpga chip.

    In any case that's my thought about this issue because a rs232 chip failure happens more often than a damaged fpga chip.
    But I can not say for sure that the serial part is used for uploading/upgrading the fpga chip, it's just a thought that it could be.