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"Bricked" after attempt to update FW #nanovna-v2 #firmware #crash #newbie #flashing

Ray WW0AW
 

Good morning to all you good folks on this forum;

I bought it on Aliexpress and it's dubbed
"S-A-A V2 Pro 4 inch GS-400"
Worked fine for a number of years.
Foolishly attempted to update FW to try to get 401 points...
Bang crash !!! - White screen of death - "USB not recognized" (Device Manager)
Broke out my trusty STLINK V2 dongle, identified SWDIO, SWCLK etc on the device and tried to reflash a new bootloader
(using STM32 Cube Programmer , which does successfully identify the MCU - so it;s not "dead".)
All attempts have failed - tried every bootloader under the sun - "USB not recognized" every single time

STM32 Cube programmer can successfully flash the .bin files into the MCU but somehow the MCU doesn't respond appropiately.
Tried to blink PA6, PA7 LEDs ( there are some empty pads on the PCB) without success (Several Blue pill's PC13 on the other hand respond perfectly)
It's not the USB cable - tried several ones known to work fine on other devices.
I'm stumped. Any help ?
 

Be aware that there are Chinese clones of the STM32 that may have subtle
bugs in their implementations. It might just be trashed.

-John

Op za 28 jan. 2023 om 20:44 schreef Ray WW0AW via groups.io <hrpch=
yahoo.com@groups.io>:

Good morning to all you good folks on this forum;

I bought it on Aliexpress and it's dubbed
"S-A-A V2 Pro 4 inch GS-400"
Worked fine for a number of years.
Foolishly attempted to update FW to try to get 401 points...
Bang crash !!! - White screen of death - "USB not recognized" (Device
Manager)
Broke out my trusty STLINK V2 dongle, identified SWDIO, SWCLK etc on the
device and tried to reflash a new bootloader
(using STM32 Cube Programmer , which does successfully identify the MCU -
so it;s not "dead".)
All attempts have failed - tried every bootloader under the sun - "USB not
recognized" every single time

STM32 Cube programmer can successfully flash the .bin files into the MCU
but somehow the MCU doesn't respond appropiately.
Tried to blink PA6, PA7 LEDs ( there are some empty pads on the PCB)
without success (Several Blue pill's PC13 on the other hand respond
perfectly)
It's not the USB cable - tried several ones known to work fine on other
devices.
I'm stumped. Any help ?
 

and some use gs32 intead the stm32 ... and some use a different screen (2.8 and 4 inch on the morket not counting in one unit that comes with  fat 7 inch display)

and you will find units with an open fw or units with a special bootloader and a heavy different fw

all need a "modded" fw to match the used hw

so at first you have to know what fw you need for your device ... may it be a clone, cousin, sister or brother or a genuine unit

(are they not all clones?!? no flamethrowings pease)

dg9bfc sigi

Am 28.01.2023 um 21:10 schrieb John Simons:

Be aware that there are Chinese clones of the STM32 that may have subtle
bugs in their implementations. It might just be trashed.

-John

Op za 28 jan. 2023 om 20:44 schreef Ray WW0AW via groups.io <hrpch=
yahoo.com@groups.io>:

Good morning to all you good folks on this forum;

I bought it on Aliexpress and it's dubbed
"S-A-A V2 Pro 4 inch GS-400"
Worked fine for a number of years.
Foolishly attempted to update FW to try to get 401 points...
Bang crash !!! - White screen of death - "USB not recognized" (Device
Manager)
Broke out my trusty STLINK V2 dongle, identified SWDIO, SWCLK etc on the
device and tried to reflash a new bootloader
(using STM32 Cube Programmer , which does successfully identify the MCU -
so it;s not "dead".)
All attempts have failed - tried every bootloader under the sun - "USB not
recognized" every single time

STM32 Cube programmer can successfully flash the .bin files into the MCU
but somehow the MCU doesn't respond appropiately.
Tried to blink PA6, PA7 LEDs ( there are some empty pads on the PCB)
without success (Several Blue pill's PC13 on the other hand respond
perfectly)
It's not the USB cable - tried several ones known to work fine on other
devices.
I'm stumped. Any help ?
 

is it an stm32 or a gd32???

dg9bfc sigi

Am 28.01.2023 um 17:18 schrieb Ray WW0AW via groups.io:

Good morning to all you good folks on this forum;

I bought it on Aliexpress and it's dubbed
"S-A-A V2 Pro 4 inch GS-400"
Worked fine for a number of years.
Foolishly attempted to update FW to try to get 401 points...
Bang crash !!! - White screen of death - "USB not recognized" (Device Manager)
Broke out my trusty STLINK V2 dongle, identified SWDIO, SWCLK etc on the device and tried to reflash a new bootloader
(using STM32 Cube Programmer , which does successfully identify the MCU - so it;s not "dead".)
All attempts have failed - tried every bootloader under the sun - "USB not recognized" every single time

STM32 Cube programmer can successfully flash the .bin files into the MCU but somehow the MCU doesn't respond appropiately.
Tried to blink PA6, PA7 LEDs ( there are some empty pads on the PCB) without success (Several Blue pill's PC13 on the other hand respond perfectly)
It's not the USB cable - tried several ones known to work fine on other devices.
I'm stumped. Any help ?
 

I feel your pain.. I had a similar occurrence with an alleged NanoVNA from an apparently Chinese vendor but shipped from stock in US. Although it was sold as a NanoVNA it was delivered with a NanoVNA-H firmware load that may have been modified. It could not be recognized in analyzer mode and registered as an unrecognized device. I was unable to get the driver updated.. So I figured I'd try a different fw load. IT was recognized in DFU mode and uploaded the fw but then I could not get the computer to recognize it in DFU mode. There was no DFU mode in the menu any more. I tried putting it in DFU mode by holding down the jogwheel when powering it up and also by using the jumper when powering it up. In both cases it gave the white screen indication of being in DFU mode but the computer would not even realize that it had been plugged in. To top it off the analyzer was messed up, showing SWR dips at the wrong frequency, as compared to the meter on my transceiver. I tried it on two computers with three different cables, all with the same result. Buyer beware - be sure you know what your hardware is before loading a new fw. I have also read that you need to run a command to clear the device prior to loading fw, but I don't know if that is necessary or even desirable.
Ray WW0AW
 

Yes it is a GD32 - I can read it right on the chip.
However .....
The STM32CubeProgrammer Target information tab says :
STM32F101/F103 High Density
Sevice ID 0x414
Flash size 256KB
CPU Cortex-M3
Bootloader version --
Also there is a 24 Mhz xtal, that appears to feed both the MCU CLOCK and the Si5351 if that is significant
Thank you for assisting to resurect this baby - which WAS working until I made the fatal mistake of trying to update the firmware,
Surely there's someone who can point me to the right firmware to reflash
Ray WW0AW
 

Now I realize I should've saved the original firmware before updating but it's too late for that now,
 

dislord maybe can help .... (best firmware modder ever hi hi)

dg9bfc sigi

Am 29.01.2023 um 17:51 schrieb Ray WW0AW via groups.io:

Yes it is a GD32 - I can read it right on the chip.
However .....
The STM32CubeProgrammer Target information tab says :
STM32F101/F103 High Density
Sevice ID 0x414
Flash size 256KB
CPU Cortex-M3
Bootloader version --
Also there is a 24 Mhz xtal, that appears to feed both the MCU CLOCK and the Si5351 if that is significant
Thank you for assisting to resurect this baby - which WAS working until I made the fatal mistake of trying to update the firmware,
Surely there's someone who can point me to the right firmware to reflash
 

One of user made full dump for GS-400

I cut remove bootloader and data, try upload it (hold right button and power on, connect to PC, and use NanoVNA-App or QT for update)

If not help you can try flash all data from dump (but need ST-Link), made full dump for your device

4-inch-GD32F303CCT6-20200619.bin
4-inch-GD32F303CCT6-20200619.bin
4-inch-GD32F303CCT6-20200619 FULL.bin
4-inch-GD32F303CCT6-20200619 FULL.bin

 

Read better....

You use STM-Cube, so you destroy bootloader (need use NanoVNA-App or QT for update in bootload mode)
Upload this in 0x08000000 address as before
4-inch-GD32F303CCT6-20200619 FULL.bin
Ray WW0AW
 

This is great !!! Thank you my friend, for the files with full dump of GS-400 which is just what I needed.
You're right, I destroyed the bootloader so I cannot use either NanoVNA-App or QTbut I already verified that I can communicate to the MCU via STLinkso I'll go ahead and flash it keeping my fingers crossed....I'll return with good news of success.

On Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 09:54:19 PM CST, DiSlord <dislordlive@...> wrote:

Read better....

You use STM-Cube, so you destroy bootloader (need use NanoVNA-App or QT for update in bootload mode)
Upload this in 0x08000000 address as before
4-inch-GD32F303CCT6-20200619 FULL.bin
 

This gave me an idea.

Does the reverse apply? If the manufacturer used STMCube, could I have successfully loaded an old NanoVNA dfu with DfuSE-Demo which ran with anomalies but then when I tried to load a different version the computer would not recognize the device being plugged in when booted with jogwheel pressed?

On Jan 30, 2023, at 1:31 PM, Ray WW0AW via groups.io <hrpch@...> wrote:

 This is great !!! Thank you my friend, for the files with full dump of GS-400 which is just what I needed.
You're right, I destroyed the bootloader so I cannot use either NanoVNA-App or QTbut I already verified that I can communicate to the MCU via STLinkso I'll go ahead and flash it keeping my fingers crossed....I'll return with good news of success.
On Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 09:54:19 PM CST, DiSlord <dislordlive@...> wrote:

Read better....

You use STM-Cube, so you destroy bootloader (need use NanoVNA-App or QT for update in bootload mode)
Upload this in 0x08000000 address as before
4-inch-GD32F303CCT6-20200619 FULL.bin
 

The dfu tool and STMCube are interchangeable - Cube just has a lot more features (and runs on a lot more platforms). I have had zero issues using them interchangeable on my -H4 . . .

On January 30, 2023 1:21:05 PM CST, Al Waschka <awaschka@...> wrote:
This gave me an idea.

Does the reverse apply? If the manufacturer used STMCube, could I have successfully loaded an old NanoVNA dfu with DfuSE-Demo which ran with anomalies but then when I tried to load a different version the computer would not recognize the device being plugged in when booted with jogwheel pressed?
On Jan 30, 2023, at 1:31 PM, Ray WW0AW via groups.io <hrpch@...> wrote:

 This is great !!! Thank you my friend, for the files with full dump of GS-400 which is just what I needed.
You're right, I destroyed the bootloader so I cannot use either NanoVNA-App or QTbut I already verified that I can communicate to the MCU via STLinkso I'll go ahead and flash it keeping my fingers crossed....I'll return with good news of success.
On Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 09:54:19 PM CST, DiSlord <dislordlive@...> wrote:

Read better....

You use STM-Cube, so you destroy bootloader (need use NanoVNA-App or QT for update in bootload mode)
Upload this in 0x08000000 address as before
4-inch-GD32F303CCT6-20200619 FULL.bin














--
Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
Ray WW0AW
 

U N B R I C K E D !!!
The problem was the STM32CubeProgrammer I got is buggy,
so I switched to the older STLINK Utility and it worked like a charm.
Thank you my friend.!!!
 

GOTCHA! :-)

what fw do you now have on what unit??

dg9bfc sigi


Am 31.01.2023 um 02:38 schrieb Ray WW0AW via groups.io:

U N B R I C K E D !!!
The problem was the STM32CubeProgrammer I got is buggy,
so I switched to the older STLINK Utility and it worked like a charm.
Thank you my friend.!!!
Ray WW0AW
 

With DisLord's help I was able to unbrick it !!!!
Ray WW0AW
 

20200617-1a9a11d
Jun 19 2020
 

that is still an older fw .. but at least you have a working unit with a working bootloader (so your pc should find it)

dislord sure has a newer fw for it ... 17th (19th) of june 2020 is VERY old! (why 17th (and 19th in brackets)?? see version NUMBER .. there you fint the 17 ... and below that when it was compiled (2 days later it seems) ...but .. it is from 2020!! and i surely know that we have many many new versions since that year

... DISLORD?? what is newest he can throw on his unit?? 1.309?? or even newer like the 1.312??

(he sure can better answer what fw is newest from his workbench) ... that one he sent is not new but it works (to realive your unit)

and soon he wil tell you what is newest fw that matches (i bet he has a 1.312 or so if not newer)

greetz sigi dg9bfc



Am 31.01.2023 um 02:50 schrieb Ray WW0AW via groups.io:

20200617-1a9a11d
Jun 19 2020
 

You most likely had a weird chip and firmware combo too. Take it as a
learning experience.

- know your hardware
- make backups of firmware (ideally 2x & crc)
- check if updates are compatible with your device, only flash if you’re
100%sure.
- learn jtag level reflashing for the device.

As for the GD, glad my tip helped point things in the right way.


-John


Op ma 30 jan. 2023 om 20:21 schreef Al Waschka <awaschka@...>

This gave me an idea.

Does the reverse apply? If the manufacturer used STMCube, could I have
successfully loaded an old NanoVNA dfu with DfuSE-Demo which ran with
anomalies but then when I tried to load a different version the computer
would not recognize the device being plugged in when booted with jogwheel
pressed?
On Jan 30, 2023, at 1:31 PM, Ray WW0AW via groups.io <hrpch=
yahoo.com@groups.io> wrote:

 This is great !!! Thank you my friend, for the files with full dump of
GS-400 which is just what I needed.
You're right, I destroyed the bootloader so I cannot use either
NanoVNA-App or QTbut I already verified that I can communicate to the MCU
via STLinkso I'll go ahead and flash it keeping my fingers crossed....I'll
return with good news of success.
On Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 09:54:19 PM CST, DiSlord <
dislordlive@...> wrote:

Read better....

You use STM-Cube, so you destroy bootloader (need use NanoVNA-App or QT
for update in bootload mode)
Upload this in 0x08000000 address as before
4-inch-GD32F303CCT6-20200619 FULL.bin

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