Firmware Reverting
From Zerobeat
This page describes how to revert your K3 firmware to a previous version.
Many thanks to the author of the K3 Utility, K6KR (this does not imply Dick has endorsed the content of this page).
Please Note this is a summary of the instructions in the K3 Utility help pages for manual downloads. Caveat Emptor.
Contents |
Here are step by step instructions
Basically, you copy all the relevant files for a specific release (see What Constitutes A Release below) to a folder (directory for the two letter brigade, a.k.a Linux) and point the K3 Utility to it instead of the normal directory. Don't forget to switch back to the normal directory before doing another download from the Elecraft site, so you don't change the content of your specific release directory.
- Create a new folder below the parent of the firmware folder
- on Windows 98, the parent is normally C:\Windows\Profiles\username\Application Data\Elecraft
- on Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows NT, the parent is normally C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Elecraft
- on Windows Vista, the parent is normally C:\Users\username\Documents\AppData\Roaming\Elecraft
- on Mac OSX the parent is normally HD:Users:username:Library:Application Support:Elecraft
- on Linux the parent is normally /USER$/Elecraft
- where username is your user name and HD is the hard disk.
- The simple way to find this is to look at what the K3 Untility is using and use the parent of that
- Give this new folder a meaningful name
- Copy or alias (link) all the files that make up a given release to your new folder (see below for File Naming and Content explanation), that is :
- the files beginning with the text DTBL, HAUX, HDSP, hmcu & TBOOT and ending with a .HEX extension
- on a Mac hmcu appears in lowercase, on a PC this may be in uppercase
- all the files will have digits after the first 4 letters indicating the firmware version. i.e. hmcu0175.HEX indicates the MCU file for version 1.75
- there may only be one TBOOT file and it will most likley have just one digit after it.
- double check the date of the files to confirm they all match.
- you don't need to copy the files, an alias or symbolic link (Linux) works fine. Sorry, havn't been able to confirm that on Windows
- You do not need to copy the hfwnotes.txt or K3UtilityVersionInfo.txt files to it, but it does no harm to do so (see File Naming and Content explanation below)
- Except that if you are copying from the original and you have a later firmware version in there too, the hfwnotes.txt file will contain information about a version later than the version you are planning to install
- Change the folder the K3 Utility is using to be the one you created
- Switch to Advanced Mode
- Using the View Menu, select Advanced Mode
- This enables the Load check boxes necessary to load a back level firmware version. If you don't have Advanced Mode checked, the only send button is Send All New Firmware to K3, and that button is disabled if the version in the radio is >= the file firmware version.
- Ensure the check boxes for the various files to load into the K3 are checked
- Click the Send Checked Items to K3 button.
- Don't forget to switch your folder back if you want to maintain a normal setup. Just click the Default button, but don't send new firmware to the K3.
I make a copy of a good working release (or preferred release) prior to performing an upgrade, then I have something all set to go back too.
Notes
What Constitutes A Release
There is no implication in the version numbering that a given MCU version corresponds to the same-numbered DSP revision number. The files are written by two different authors and the revision number sequences are not synchronized. The ONLY way to be sure they go together is to note what you get when you download from the elecraft site. Using the file dates is a pretty good indicator too. It is quite possible a DSP version will change and an MCU will not.
File Naming and Content
From the Mac Utility Troubleshooting section ...
- MCU firmware file, "hmcuNNNN.hex", where "NNNN" is the revision number.
- DSP boot loader file, "tbootN.hex", where "N" is the revision number.
- DSP1 firmware code file, "hdspNNNN.hex", where "NNNN" is the revision number.
- DSP firmware data table file, "dtblNNNN.hex" where "NNNN" is the revision number.
The following additional file is required to load firmware into the DSP2 of the optional KRX3 second receiver:
- DSP2 firmware code file hauxNNNN.hex", where "NNNN" is the revision number. This file may not be available on the Elecraft file server until the KRX3 second receiver option is available.
Supplimentray files:
- "hfwnotes.rtf" is required for the K3 Firmware Release Notes Help menu item.
- "K3UtilityVersionInfo.txt" file is used to detect that the K3 Utility is no longer current.
M0XDF, 21-Mar-08
