Sound Cards and HEX Editing

whitesox4life · #1 (**permalink**) 10-12-2009, 12:18 AM

I have 2 questions/problems.

I am wanting to run 2 different sound cards. I am not quite sure how to go about successfully doing that. Can someone help me with that issue?

My other question/problem is HEX Editing. This problem probably belongs in the radio area but it is in the Source Code itself. I have an old version of firmware for a portable radio and am looking to start playing around with it to see what i can get it to do. Can someone guide me on how to figure out / where i can find what line(s) are for what functions?

Any and all help with both of these will be greatly appreciated.

poltergeisty · #2 (**permalink**) 10-12-2009, 05:01 AM

As for the first question, you can just install them both with no issues. You will have to double click your speaker icon and configure what input is what and so forth.

If you have built in audio on the MOBO, then all you need is one sound card...

I have used a hex editor once and I can tell you it's a pita. Not sure about RSS editing and their functions. That may be proprietary. Especially if it's /\/\otorola. Come to think of it you may need an idea on what the hardware is capable of, otherwise it proves fruitless to HEX edit anything.

What are you trying to do? Maybe others will know.

whitesox4life · #3 (**permalink**) 10-12-2009, 10:50 AM

I have an onboard sound card, however, i have my feed running through that one and if i have anything except the line-in unchecked it will send sounds for games and other things i am doing on the PC. That is why I am looking to run a second sound card (output).

As for the HEX editing firmware, I have run across 2 bugs in my portable radio (freezing and constantly sounding as though pager tone is being sent when none is on every channel). I am looking to fix those bugs and to change the alert in selective call / "pager" mode to something that is more attention grabbing.

mike_s104 · #4 (**permalink**) 10-12-2009, 11:37 AM

For the sound card issue, you can use USB sound "cards". You'll need to play around with the settings until you get it the way you want it. If you tell us what OS you're running, it might help.

There are some free Hex editors out there and some demo ones but some may not let you save chnages or anything over a certain file size. WinHex is the one that comes to mind first, but its not free. You may want to Google for what you're trying to do with the Hex editor.

gmclam · #5 (**permalink**) 10-12-2009, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whitesox4life

My other question/problem is HEX Editing. This problem probably belongs in the radio area but it is in the Source Code itself. I have an old version of firmware for a portable radio and am looking to start playing around with it to see what i can get it to do. Can someone guide me on how to figure out / where i can find what line(s) are for what functions?

My forte is assembly language programming and machine languages. It sounds like you are trying to change the firmware in a radio directly; that is without having source code. The first thought that came to my mind is wondering what type of device the existing code is stored in. I'd expect most mass produced devices to have their firmware stored in ROM or a mask-programmed device - which are not re-programmable.

So, what is the brand & model of the radio you are working on? Have you extracted the existing firmware from the radio? Do you know for sure you can reprogram the radio (after you make the changes)? Are you only wanting help with finding a HEX editor, or other aspects of this? If so, what CPU is being used?

For HEX editing I have lots of different programs I use. It really depends on the specific project. I can often read firmware and then make edits right there in the software I used to do the reading. This is also true when using an (E)PROM programmer (which can handle out of circuit Flash).

whitesox4life · #6 (**permalink**) 10-12-2009, 08:02 PM

The radio is a Kenwood TK-270(G). I have the program to write the firmware back to the radio. I have an older version than is on the radio right now. I am looking to see if I can get rid of the bugs (freezing after 10-15 minutes of being on; constant sound as if someone is encoding a pager tone).

The computer is a Gateway desktop with a P-3 processor and am running XP Pro SP2.

mike_s104 · #7 (**permalink**) 10-12-2009, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whitesox4life

The computer is a Gateway desktop with a P-3 processor and am running XP Pro SP2.

Yeah, that should be easier than Vista or Windows 7 to configure.

gmclam · #8 (**permalink**) 10-13-2009, 12:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whitesox4life

The radio is a Kenwood TK-270(G). I have the program to write the firmware back to the radio. I have an older version than is on the radio right now. I am looking to see if I can get rid of the bugs (freezing after 10-15 minutes of being on; constant sound as if someone is encoding a pager tone).

So I am going to guess that with this program you can read the current firmware programmed in the radio. I guess this program saves it to a file. What you want to do is modify the file and write it back to the radio. Am I correct?

If my assumptions are correct; my next question is what file format is the file in? Is it pure binary, ASCIIHEX or something else? Additionally there are a few different types of HEX files; Motorola, Intel, etc. Some are Big Endian and some are Little Endian. They also incorporate a checksum, so when you change code values, you have to adjust the checksums as well.

The next question I asked earlier was what CPU is the radio running? you need to know the instruction set for that CPU in order to make changes.

Quote:

The computer is a Gateway desktop with a P-3 processor and am running XP Pro SP2.

The computer you are using to do this is meaningless.

whitesox4life · #9 (**permalink**) 10-13-2009, 02:40 AM

The program that I have can not save the firmware, only reads it (that i know of). The firmware is in .hex format. This is the first line: 020000020000FC. The CPU for the radio? I have no clue.

poltergeisty · #10 (**permalink**) 10-13-2009, 04:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whitesox4life

The radio is a Kenwood TK-270(G). I have the program to write the firmware back to the radio. I have an older version than is on the radio right now. I am looking to see if I can get rid of the bugs (freezing after 10-15 minutes of being on; constant sound as if someone is encoding a pager tone).

The computer is a Gateway desktop with a P-3 processor and am running XP Pro SP2.

Retune the radio. Go to a dealer.

poltergeisty · #11 (**permalink**) 10-13-2009, 04:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmclam

you only wanting help with finding a HEX editor, or other aspects of this? If so, what CPU is being used?

For HEX editing I have lots of different programs I use. It really depends on the specific project. I can often read firmware and then make edits right there in the software I used to do the reading. This is also true when using an (E)PROM programmer (which can handle out of circuit Flash).

Have any experience with blackcat?

May have to hire you.

J/K

gmclam · #12 (**permalink**) 10-13-2009, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whitesox4life

The program that I have can not save the firmware, only reads it (that i know of). The firmware is in .hex format.

Then how do you expect to change what is in your radio?????

Quote:

This is the first line: 020000020000FC.

Looks like 'standard' ASCIIHEX format to me. LOL
02 = number of bytes in this record (2)
00 = high address of record (0)
00 = low address of record (0)
02 = 1st data byte
00 = 2nd data byte
00 = Record type
FC = checksum

This code just says that memory location 0x0000 = 0x0200.
Funny thing, I am working on some firmware for Intel right now. The code is well over 64K x 8 in size and the first line of my code is exactly the same as what you've posted.

Quote:

The CPU for the radio? I have no clue.

Then how do you expect to know what to change that is in your radio?????

whitesox4life · #13 (**permalink**) 10-13-2009, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmclam

Then how do you expect to change what is in your radio?????

The version of firmware that i am looking to edit is not the same version that is written to the radio. I am planning on saving the edited file from the editor and then writing it using the firmware programmer for the radio.