Does anyone have an idea how to get the Reach working again. I do not want to make more problems while trying to fix this one.
Larry
Larry, could you try reflashing the firmware so that we can rule out hardware issues?
Igor
Thanks for you reply.
Is it better to use a Mac or Windows PC to flash FW?
Larry
Larry,
Iāve seen that circle of dots far too much too. I eventually realized that half the time it was due to me being impatient or the web page becoming stale. Since the web pages donāt give an error when the connection is lost it can be a real pain. Another thing is that if you have your module outside you canāt see the lights and you donāt know what itās always doing. You may issue a command but it might not be ready yet. Iāve had one module connect to a different wireless network by accident. Even something like that can waste 30 minutes by the time you figure it out. Having access to your router or an app on a cell phone works well to diagnose problems. I now donāt even try to access the Reach until I have verified it has connected to the correct network.
The last problem I had took two updates to fix. I have flashed the firmware a few times as well. Not sure if it was needed but it seemed like everything else I tried wouldnāt work. Flashing the firmware with Linux worked well and after doing it a few times it is very easy. Even though I only use Linux a few times a year. Iāve now flashed with 3 different versions of Linux on a 32 bit machine (Ubuntu 14.04.4, Ubuntu 12.04.5 and now LXLE Lubuntu 12.04.5). It took me a few tries to get a distro that wasnāt too sluggish on an old PC and would still work with another program I want to use. As Egor said above, xFSTK isnāt needed unless you have real problems. I did need to install dfu-util in the last install but it was easy with the Synaptic Package Manager. If you have an 8 gig USB stick you could use a live version of Linux to do the flashing. See image below for a procedure for that. Iāve edited that original Intel post that I first followed to reflect our situation. This is the procedure I did for my last install but I installed to a hard drive of an old PC instead of a USB stick.
Larry,
I think Windows depends on what version you have. Donāt even try Windows 7 Pro 64 bit or XP Pro 32 bit. I canāt comment on Mac but had good results with Linux as mentioned above.
Robin.
This a very good point! Added fix for this to our todo, will appear in one of the next updates. There will be an error on disconnect. Appreciate your report.
Linux is actually preferred. Unfortunately we have little influence on Intel flashing tools and if they are unreliable on Windows there is not much we can do.
Robins and Igor
Igor
I will try to flash the Reach with a Mac PC.
If the Mac fails Iāll mail the Reach to a friend with more computer experience than me.
Robins I very much appreciate all the information you have provided. My experience with Linux very limited and Iām busy building my large octo so if itās not going to be easy Iām going to let a more experienced person flash the Reach.
I think the problem Iāve had with cycling the power to the Reach is somehow related to using the TW2405 antenna.
Larry
Igor
Iāve read the instruction on how to use a Mac to flash the firmware and I donāt feel experienced enough to risk messing up my wifeās Mac PC trying to flash firmware.
When I connected the Reach to the Mac PC for the first time just now the Reach appeared to be working. I was able to read the line at the bottom of the Status page that said āWaiting for GPS timeā¦Is antenna connectedā.
After about a minute the messaged changed to āReach time synced with GPSā. I changed the settings back the way it was and saved them but it still would not function. Cycling the power caused all the settings to go back to the way they were when the Reach did not work.
So getting a synced time is not the issue.
Iāll mail the Reach to get it flashed and Iāll try again to use it in a couple of weeks.
Larry
We have added disconnect detection and you can update your ReachView. Thank again for the report.
Igor
Good to know. I guess itās time to go to Windows 10 while itās still free.
Iāll have my computer ready for when I need to flash the Reach again, which I hope does not happen.
Larry
Iām the one Larry sent his Reach to for re-flashing. But Iām pretty sure I discovered the actual issueā¦ full disk. I suspected this, which was one reason for the disk space question I posted earlier. This also correctly answers the question of how much disk space is available for logging.
Deleting the logs let me update ReachView and now everything boots and runs again. Until that it wouldnāt hold any settings or be able to update itself.
Some kind of log rotation mechanism, or other way to ensure enough free disk space, is needed.
The problem I had with flashing on Win7, so far at least with the Phone Light GUI method, is that the bootloader mode is never activated. The loader tool sees the bootloader device for a second but then it disconnects again and the Edison boots like normal. There needs to be a method to force it into bootloader mode. Intelās procedures recommend powering the module some other way besides USB while flashingā¦ which is impossible with the Reach. Not sure if this is one reason for the difficulties or not. I will try with dfu-util next.
Cheers,
-Max
Thanks, note taken. We will definitely figure something out here.
By the way, Intelās flash tool actually uses dfu-util.