[hpsdr] Problem getting Hermes running

Tue May 28 12:09:33 PDT 2013

Hi Don,

Sorry to hear you’re having trouble with your Hermes board.  There may be others who volunteer to help you too and if so please feel free to work with them if you’d rather. 

In any case, your comments suggest a slight mis-understanding of a couple of items:  

1)  When you load a Hermes.rbf file in bootloader mode you aren’t loading the FPGA itself, you are instead loading the EPCS-16 configuration device (the EEPROM).  The FPGA gets loaded from the EEPROM when Hermes powers up (and when it recycles automatically after loading the Hermes.rbf file in “normal” mode of the HPSDRProgrammer).  Thus, from your reports it isn’t clear that the FPGA actually gets loaded in your case.  Nevertheless, I agree with you that it seems your network connection is likely okay, as you seem to be able to load the EEPROM successfully using the network.  

2)  The debug LEDs are indicating: 
	 D12/DEBUG_LED7 = fast flash means that the DHCP negotiations have timed out
	DEBUG_LED4 = slow flash means that the ethernet speed mode is 100T 

At this stage, it would be very useful to obtain a WireShark capture of the exhanges between the PC and Hermes when Hermes is powered up to see what is being sent/not sent by both.  Do you have WireShark?  It’s a free application. 

73,  Joe K5SO

On May 28, 2013, at 10:42 AM, dlwaddel at netzero.net wrote:

> ***** High Performance Software Defined Radio Discussion List *****
> 
> Looking for pointers to help "fix" my home built Hermes. 
> 
> With J12 on, I can program the boot section with Altera software and a USB Blaster clone. Can also program using the HPSDRProgrammer with the Hermes button selected and using the Bootloader Tab. Both methods report success.
> 
> Using the HPSDRProgrammerand with J12 on, I can program an IP address and read it back after a power cycle.
> 
> I've tried using static IP on the Hermes and on my PC as well as using DHCP. With J12 off, neither PowerSDR or the HPSDR Programmer can discover the Hermes.
> 
> With J12 off for normal operation, the diagnostic LEDs initially show all on except D12 with a fast flash and D16 with a slow flash. After about 2.5 minutes, the LEDs change to:
> D10 off
> D11 off
> D12 fast flash
> D13 off
> D14 off
> D15 on
> D16 slow flash
> D17 off
> D18 off
> D19 on
> 
> When I use the HPSDR Programmer to try to discover the Hermes, I see no change in LEDs and the programmer reports 0 cards.
> 
> The fact that I can use the HPSDRProgrammer to program the FPGA seems to indicate that the network is good, but can't seem to talk to the Hermes at all unless J12 is on for programming. My PC works fine when connected to the internet.
> 
> I've tried using a fast Ethernet switch with a DHCP server on a box on one port, computer on one port, and Hermes on another port. With this configuration, I can program the Hermes and do nothing else.
> 
> With direct connection to the PC and neither PC nor Hermes assigned an address, can program the Hermes and that's all. Same is true with direct connection and both PC and Hermes assigned static addresses in the same subnet.
> 
> All the voltage regulators are outputting the correct voltage within the accuracy of my meter. All the voltage LEDs are lit. D6 is flashing slowly. Nothing seems to be getting more than warm. 
> 
> 
> 
> Don
> K3DLW
> ____________________________________________________________
> Political system upset?
> Democrats BIG advantage in America about to completely vanish
> http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL3231/51a4de9728f6f5e975cc9st04duc
> _______________________________________________
> HPSDR Discussion List
> To post msg: hpsdr at openhpsdr.org
> Subscription help: http://lists.openhpsdr.org/listinfo.cgi/hpsdr-openhpsdr.org
> HPSDR web page: http://openhpsdr.org
> Archives: http://lists.openhpsdr.org/pipermail/hpsdr-openhpsdr.org/

 1369768173.0