[hpsdr] New Metis and Hermes code.

[John]

Hi Ken,

The radio works fine now and I really appreciate your help.

I read the new Hermes manual (v 1.16; at the link you sent me) and 
studied Appendix A.  Also, I downloaded the Bootloader and .pof files, 
but did not put them in the same directory as the installed Bootloader 
program.  I followed the first section of Appendix A and it seemed to 
load the program.  However, I did not select the .pof file since 
Appendix A said use the .rbf file.  Perhaps that EPROM info is in the 
.rbf, too.  Everything seemed to go well, but then when I tried 
Programmer 2, it erased it and the red dot in the lower right corner was 
always red.  Next, I repeated what I had done in Appendix A and it 
seemed to work fine again.  This time I never used Programmer 2 and just 
opened PowerSDR (the new one).  At first it didn't read the MAC address 
or IP address, but I found I could turn on the Hermes and next time I 
checked setup, it displayed the IP and MAC as well as the new firmware 
version.

So, now I'm way ahead of where I was before I started the upgrade.  This 
time, before I try to change the IP address, I would like to be 
confident it will do what I want to do.  Perhaps I should leave it as it is.

First of all, for the immediate future, Hermes is the only device I will 
have on the Ethernet.  I don't know if it is a DCHP server or not.  It 
is an Ethernet card I added a few years ago.  All I would like is to 
reduce the time it takes to connect the PC to Hermes (now approximately 
a minute after power is applied to Hermes).  Since the software sets the 
address of Hermes in Hermes, Hermes with a static IP must somehow make 
itself quickly known to the PC (other that letting the PC try each 
address to see which answer present), if this is to reduce the time. 
Should I let PowerSDR find the IP address and just set that as a static 
address with one of the programmers?  Or is there a better way?  Or am 
way off course?

Second, I may want to take the rig to our local ham club and run it on 
someones laptop.  If Hermes does promote its address to the PC without 
being asked, I'm assuming it will work on another PC that has PowerSDR 
and the necessary .net files on it.  Is that correct, or will I need to 
reset the IP address to 0.0.0.0 at let the other PC check every address 
until it finds Hermes?

Best regards,

John,  WoGN




On 2/18/2013 3:32 PM, Ken N9VV wrote:
> Hi John,
> you probably wrote over the first megabyte of the EEPROM that contains
> the "Bootloader" code (the .pof file). The upper megabyte of the
> EEPROM contains the FPGA firmware code (the .rbf file).
> =====================================
> It is very easy now to fix both problems if you take a little care.
> Download the Bootloader *AND* the bootloader.pof file that goes with it.
> Execute that code and see if it reaches the rig. If it does not, then
> you will need to back up one step and use a ByteBlaster deice (USB to
> P2 on the Hermes board) to accomplish the bootloader operation.
> =====================================
> Second, download and install HPSDRProgrammer and the associated .rbf
> file that goes with it. Run the program and it will discover the
> Hermes board (with a bootloader properly installed) and then
> successfully load the upper 1MB of the EEPROM. Let the IP address
> DEFAULT TO WHATEVER DHCP address you have available from your router.
> I assume you have a DHCP server in your router(?).
> =====================================
> This is a video that I made for Hank K9LZJ may help you figure it out;
> http://www.screencast.com/t/0itauOkDzd3
> =====================================
> This is the Hermes manual that Phil skillfully edited and created:
> <URL:
> http://svn.tapr.org/repos_sdr_hpsdr/trunk/Hermes/Documentation/Hermes_User_Manual_V1.16.pdf
>
> >
> =====================================
> Here is the Bootloader manual that I tried to write:
> http://www.n9vv.com/Images/Apache-Labs/ByteBlaster-Instructions.pdf
> =====================================
>
> Keep those questions coming. I am sure we can help you get back on
> the air in just a few minutes.
>
> You can call me on Skype-ID "Apache-Labs" if I can help you over the
> phone, the direct phone number is 1-630-445-1194. This is a service
> that Apache Labs is pleased to provide to the OpenHPSDR community.
> BK de Ken N9VV


 1361239295.0