Killed my radios

[Eaton90]

Hi everyone!
I tried to upgrade my HT1250 (PMUD1482A, FW R03.01.03, model AAH25KDF9AA5AN) to the later version of firmware with the R02.08.00 US Waris Lab upgradekit. The error had occured during the upgrade process and the radio failed to power on after all.
First I tried to reprogram the firmware but it wasn't a success. Then I decided to write the same TANAPA and model # codeplug first. The software said it was written successfully, but the radio still wouldn't power on. So I tried to flash it with the firmware once again. The process went OK but after the competion only one message appears on the display: EEPROM HW ERROR.
I tried to redo all the steps for several times but it seems that the radio has finally died
I also tried to upgrade the GP380 to HT1250 but even after flashing the HT1250 codeplug from waris lab upgrade kit it also went blank and joined my previous radio....
trying to upgrade the radio back to GP380 wasn't a success too, the software refused to recognize the radio: "this model is not supported"
What a fool I am!
What have I done wrong and how can I restore my radios?
thanks in advance!

 

[radioman2001]

You may have tried to go too many revisions up in the firmware upgrade. They will probably need a trip to DEPOT, and any radio I sent in with issues like yours resulted in DEPOT replacing the entire board.
First when upgrading any radio you have to make sure that the radio is capable of the upgrade, trying to shove a "D" Tanapa in an "A" radio will brick it, besides it being a different receiver. You should also flash the radio Tanapa FIRST then firmware upgrade. I have no experience on the EU radios, but I suspect they are the same. I personally wish there was another way of installing basic firmware in the radio when this happens. You might try downgrading the firmware to an older version, and see if the radio comes back, or use the recover feature of 6.12 software. I have a few here too, out of warranty that failed on firmware upgrades, and I just don't want to pay Motorola for a whole new board when all it needs is a reboot.

 

[Skypilot007]

I think the recover feature only works for EEPROM CS ERROR. The HW error usually requires a trip to depot. Good luck with them, hope you get it sorted out.

 

[MTS2000des]

the GP380 and Euro Waris radios use a different EEPROM arrangment and firmware than the US radios, and they are not compatible. IIRC the Euro Waris has additional flash memory for handling the Euro signaling formats and is partitioned differently than other Waris radios.

As far as your bricked US 1250, what he said. Sounds like a depot trip is in order.

 

[radioman2001]

Thinking further about it, I do remember having the same error one time, you need to make sure you use the right Tanapa, there are 4 for your model. If you try putting a "D" in an "A" you can get that error and is correctable by putting the "A" back in. If the radio failed during a firmware update, not code plug insertion, then yes, it's off to DEPOT for that one. To recover the EU radio you need the EU Lab tool, the US one won't work.

 

[Ref-Jazzy]

FWIW, i used to do support for motorola canopy and ptp radios. It was really easy to brick them if you skipped FW versions, and if you didnt brick the radio, they would act really strangely until you brought them back down and then upgraded properly.

 

[KJ6HCB]

Wonder what M is going to say when you tell them the story about using Lab RSS... You know... The stuff that's not supposed to make it out of M's lab.

 

[radioman2001]

There not, and all you have to do is be able to read the radio once with standard Pro and it clears the Lab bit in the radio. Also when they see that kind of error they don't even bother with it, they just replace the whole board. I've done it about a dozen times and each time I go a new radio back. For $284.00 most radios I send in with any problem come back with a new board and 90% of the time a new case to boot.

 

[Pampered4Life]

So Let me understand this and PLEASE correct me if i'm wrong. My current firmware is R05.06.03 and I want to go to 05.17.01 then I need to find all the other firmware updates and go in order from current to the latest that I have, In order to use the latest that I have. I was trying to convert my HT1250LS+ into an HT1250. So I got lab tools and flashed this pmue codeplug.0 to it first. It took that and I was under the impression that you dont have to update the actual firmware if you stay in the like models. However after I flashed the codeplug now it no longer beeps on boot, auto back light doestnt work. Silent Sticky Squelch is not silent its static. The orange light doesnt light when it does sticky and the dtmf keypad doesnt work even though its selected in cps. Also no receive traffic light anymore. Though it does have a red transmit light and it receives quite well and transmits quite well. Scans and now does MDC and 2 tone. Still strange. Can I just flash the firmware now and it will fix this or do I have to find all the between firmwares? Can someone please help me? I bought these things out of my own stupidity and have thrown away money. Id be at anyones mercy.

 

[BigLebowski]

In reference to the OP's question...

No trip to the depot should be required. I have encountered this same issue many times myself. Sometimes a radio will fail up update using the labtool, and it will either stay in bootstrap mode or display an EEPROM CS or HW ERROR.

One thing to be sure of is that you are using the correct size firmware for the radio that you have. Don't try to load 256k firmware into a 128k radio. If it's an older radio, start with 128k firmware.

You are in EEPRM HW ERROR mode now.... Put the radio into bootstrap mode, and write the correct firmware to the radio. After you successfully write the firmware, you will likely still have the error. Then write the labtool codeplug to the radio. This may clear the error, or it may persist. Write the codeplug a few more times if it does. Failing that, load the firmware again.

I've never killed a Pro-Series radio beyond repair. Even during a failed firmware upgrade when the radio appears dead, it is actually just in continuous bootstrap mode.