Modero 8400 problems...

adys

Hi all

I have 2 non working 8400 TP's.

First TP, after a TP4 update, stop loading. The TP stays on the AMX logo, non of its buttons are working, no calibration, nothing. The green dot at the bottom right is on, but I can't telnet, and cant load from netlinx.

The other TP have no communication, and I can't enter the protected setup from some reason (maybe someone change the password but hard to believe, anyway I can't enter).

I called local support and they said bring the TP's so we will send them to be fix, but I need them now (one is the main bedroom TP, the other is Cinema room...)

What are my options?

Thanks

Ady.

John Nagy

If it never leaves the boot screen (LOGO), it has never completed booting. And like any computer, until it boots, you can't talk to it, get to calibration, etc.

The FLASH memory card that carries the OS and settings and firmware tends to wear out, first symptoms being loss of calibration on reboots, last symptom being failure to boot. Search the forum for FLASH and you'll find plenty of discussion, methods of cloning good ones, and such. Or just buy one from AMX.

adys

Thank you

I looked on a lot of threads, I didn't find any solution for the password issue.
I thought about creating a simple TP4 file with system page with access to the password reset/ change, but I can't connect it via usb...

What I wanted to know if the internal chip gone or its the flash card that I can replace by myself.

This is very annoying, I currently have 2 TP stuck in the logo, one is with not network with out access to protected setup... not good.

This should not happen to such an expensive device, and its not the first time.

John Nagy

The card is just slide in but internal, you need to open the case. The card is available programmed with current firmware from AMX, but isn't cheap. The card itself is generic and you could use any you can buy cheaply, if you have a good one and a cloning software. This is discussed in detail elsewhere on the forum.

You can't load, you can't enter a password, because the unit has never got to the point of running. When the flash fails, it hangs in mid boot, that's all she'll do.

pdabrowski

I saw exactly what you have seen recently and completed recovery without much trouble.

The fix is relatively easy as long as you are confident with linux command line and have another working panel with the same firmware version.

I simply created a bit by bit copy of the good card using dd and then rewrote this back to the corrupted card. The panel files and password that is now on the card is the same as the good card.

There are 2 partitions on the card, so if they both don't appear when you mount the bad one to copy the good version back then you may not be able to recover the card.

John Nagy

Don't trust the old card even if it takes the rewrite and works. The cards fail due to eventual media failure after many write-backs that occur in normal use. Once you have a bad spot, it is likely to fail quite soon again.

We have seen MANY cards follow the same path- first, you find that panel calibration appears to be lost on reboot and needs to be set often. Then you upgrade firmware, and it won't boot at all anymore. The bad area that was in the calibration save area (worn out) is now in the middle of the new firmware and can't boot.

the8thst

pdabrowski wrote: »

I saw exactly what you have seen recently and completed recovery without much trouble.

The fix is relatively easy as long as you are confident with linux command line and have another working panel with the same firmware version.

I simply created a bit by bit copy of the good card using dd and then rewrote this back to the corrupted card. The panel files and password that is now on the card is the same as the good card.

There are 2 partitions on the card, so if they both don't appear when you mount the bad one to copy the good version back then you may not be able to recover the card.

This post touched on one of the big warnings that Tech Support has always told me about reflashing CF cards, and that is the card you flash should be the same firmware as the panel was running when the CF card died.

I don't know how much of a concern that is in real life, but tech support has mentioned it to me every time I mention flashing a CF card myself.

jjames

I've never been told that when I mention it, but would only make sense in certain cases - such as the panel itself being very old. I went against their advice in that instance (we HAD to have the panel fixed the next day) and put in a new card with newer firmware and it worked fine. Luck or hot air from someone? You decide.

Flashing a card with newer firmware would be no different than receiving a card from AMX with newer firmware.

I've mentioned it elsewhere here on the forum, but I think having a repository of the images of different card sizes (I was never able to flash a 512 onto a 128, even though less than 128 was being used) and firmware revs would be very handy.

DHawthorne

The reason they want the firmware to be the same is because a small portion of a panel's firmware does not reside on the CF, but in a non-volatile memory location that acts as the boot-loader. If that segment gets scrambled, it has to go back to AMX. However, if you can restore operations with a cloned flash enough to get communications, and the firmware isn't too far off, you could then update the firmware to make them match again.