Ar8200 mark I firmware needed

[seans1212]

I have an old 8200 which hasnt been used much and it looks pretty much brand new. I also had an AR5000 hence the reason 8200 wasnt used much. After 4-5 years from new, the firmware started giving problems such as jumping band changing mode whilst scanning/searching. I got in touch with AOR via a distributor and they sent me on loan a memory card with instructions (some keypad entries) to reload the firmware. All went well and for the next 5 years it worked then it started to play up again, obviously, the memory chip seems to have a problem and AOR was aware of this.
So now I am looking around to find the firmware again for another reload. Unfortunately, 8200 is no longer supported by AOR.
So I am just wondering if anyone has the firmware for 8200 mark 1, or mark 1 board as spares/for parts? A long shot, I know.
Thanks

 

[Ubbe]

It needs a modified EM8200 memory module, service tool, with the firmware on it. Maybe someone have sent in their EM8200 to be modified and returned with the firmware for mk1. It would have helped if AOR had the modify instruction available and the firmware to be downloaded.

ar8200bul.pdf

drive.google.com

/Ubbe

 

[seans1212]

I know it does, thats what I used last time. Apparently, 8200 is no longer supported and AOR' support is non-existent, I wont be buying AOR ever again.
Thanks for the PDF. I had soft reset it but no change. Today I deleted all the search & memory etc as per the PDF - It froze, I removed the power, now nothing on the display and no function, completely stopped.
I need the firmware, even if it is without the memory card, I will make something to feed the firmware in, but need the firmware first...
I wonder if Mark 2/3 firmware is available or that much different.

 

[Ubbe]

The flash memory chips of that time where not reliable. I haven't programmed my 8200mk1 much, it's been pretty much static in the programming so hopefully it will last a little longer. It's the writes that kills memory chips. Even if you edit just one character it still needs to erase a whole block and rewrite the data. I'm a bit surprised that the firmware are in flash memory and not in the internal prom. They probably wanted a way to fix bugs and reprogram the firmware, but that makes it more vulnerable to memory corruption.

You will probably not get your scanner working again even if you get hold of the proper programming tool. The AT29c512 memory chip are toast and needs to be replaced.

The firmware are probably in one half on the memory, either 0000-7FFF or 8000-FFFF as the 1000 channels capability would need the other half. In that bulletin info it says how to read and write to memory using the serial connection. If you have a suitable interface you could check address 0000 and 8000 and see what you get. If someone with a 8200 and a interface could read the memory it would show what area that are the firmware and what are the user programming and could probably read the firmware code to a file using a memory chip programming software that supports RS232 serial programming.

/Ubbe

 

[seans1212]

Ubbe, yes you are right regarding the reliability of memory chips of the time but I have another 8200 mark 1 that I bought off ebay a few years ago as a faulty unit and fixed it, it is working ok now so I can use that but then again its the challenge of getting the first one working as I also have an Icom IC-R20 that I use more that has horrific operating system compare to the 8200.

I have sold my 5000 +3 a few years ago, at one point I was repairing quite a few of them for people who couldn't find anyone to repair them and one of the main issues was memory corruption, I sourced the original memory chip, read the entire firmware from my own and used my own upload hardware to write it into the new chips. So AOR seems to have issues across both 8200 and 5000 of at least the early 2000 era.

I will have to look in to see how I can read off the firmware from the working one and feed it to the other one but I know it will go again after a few years and I know its not because of usage as it is hardly used (probably about 24 hours in total in the last 20 years!), I think there is an issue with that particular chip, so I may need to change it once I find out how to do it. Looking at the bulletin the structure of the program is very similar to 5000 i.e. the data structure of the signal strength.
I was just hoping to find the firmware and then to shortcut by feeding the firmware through the memory card slot in serial format. Need to look a bit more in-depth into the service manual and do it the hard way.

 

[Ubbe]

AOR doesn't seem to do any better today with their receivers as they seem to suffer from data corruption in memory and receivers needs to be shipped to Japan to be reflashed. Their knowledge of software design doesn't seem to be good enough. I see this as a typical Asian problem.

/Ubbe

 

[seans1212]

Strange for a once pioneering company, losing it in this way. No support, they dont care, short product life, and expensive gear. They havent even bothered responding to my email. Well I gave up with them a while back and sold all my AORs except for an ar1000 an antique receiver

 

[seans1212]

Does anyone know what chip is used in the EM8200 module or the circuit diagram of it?

 

[Ubbe]

You can still buy those for €20 from some places that wants to get rid of them. https://www.lampless.top/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_3_7_77&products_id=17195

/Ubbe

 

[morfis]

........ sold all my AORs except for an ar1000 an antique receiver

Make your mind up...for the past few days you've waffled your two AR8200s

 

[Ubbe]

I don't know if that picture will show at all times. It's an Atmel AD54D041A memory chip.

/Ubbe

 

[seans1212]

Thanks very much, Ubbe for the link and the info on the chip and the photo. I need the firmware first, without that the card would be pretty much useless.

 

[Ubbe]

Yeah, but you can read the firmware from your good 8200 using the DM command and write using MM? Everything, both user data and firmware, are in that 64k of flash memory.

/Ubbe

 

[seans1212]

That's true and is a good idea if it can be read from the receiver and stored on the memory card. Also, I would need the key combination/commands to do it. At the moment I am AOR are not even responding to the call!
I would imagine the same can be done using the computer cable as the bulletin suggest, you read and write?
Thanks again for all the good ideas!

 

[Ubbe]

If you can get hold of an interface cable you can read from 0000 up to FFFF and at the same time log the action and then edit it to only show the addresses and data, and then do the same with the working scanner and compare. It's probably only one block that have corrupted values and needs to be reprogrammed, if not the whole memory chip have gone south and doesn't accept any data to be programmed.

/Ubbe

 

[seans1212]

I do have an interface cable 8200 side and wires at the other end. I made an RS232 interface for it at some point in the past and used it before but the interface is gone. I will have to knock on up and try. What software would you suggest for pulling the firmware out? Standard comport software save to text and modify?

 

[Ubbe]

Any terminal program that can save a log, like puTTY. Do a manual read of a couple of lines and then try to program them. If that works then it's probably a way to do it automatically but don't put any work in it until you successfully can program the bad 8200.

I would expect the serial port to be driven from the rom code in the CPU that is still intact, but you'll never now that it perhaps only can communicate with the memory card.

/Ubbe

 

[seans1212]

Will give that a try. I did something like this when repairing AR5000, i.e. read pars and feed it into a new chip.
I hope as you say the serial codes are in the PROM else no use as at the moment the display shows nothing at all. I was thinking of doing a cloning between the two radios but that needs interaction with the display selection etc, besides that just clones the scan/search/bank memories. But that might have brought back the display.
Anyway, again, great ideas. I will have to make the RS232 part of the connection before attempting, that will take a while due to other commitments but I will let you know how it goes.

 

[Ubbe]

I have the same open end cable but never built an interface. I think there's a Maxim 232 IC that doesn't require external capacitors so should be easier to use.

/Ubbe

 

[seans1212]

Yeah, I had an SMD MAX232 and some SMD caps on top of it in a little serial port connector housing at some point. I have lots of chips and caps, will Vero board an interface at some point and let you know how it goes.