Firmware upgrade disaster!!!

[kurtus420]

smae results here as well, led flashes if I hold left button while powering up the megadrum, let go of button flashing light stops, select fw updater 16mhz, press down enters send sysex and led lights up. I was able to send midi info to midi-ox by pressing left button as well.

The Atmega32 displays "Fw updater 16MHz Down-ok.Up-clock", while the 644 says something like "Firmware updater Press Down", the Atmega32 reacts to the Up button on the fw screen, the Atmega 644 doesn't.

Where did you get both Atmega32 and Atmega644?
What exactly does the bootloader show with Atmega644?

When booting with the LEFT key pressed do you see the MIDI LED fast falsing until you release the key? Is it the same with both Atmega32 and Atmega644?

They're both from Synthex. The MIDI LED is flashing as you described with the 32 and isn't with the 644. The 32 display reads "Fw updater 16MHz Down-ok.Up-clock", the 644 reads "Firmware updater Press key Down"

Isn't it possible that it's sg to do with the latest fw? kurtus420 has the same issue.

[dmitri]

the 644 reads "Firmware updater Press key Down"

This is not my version of the bootloader. I can only continue to help you with Atmega32 at 16MHz.
Install Atmega32, 16MHz crystal, make the changes to PIC18F2550 as I suggested before then repeat the whole update procedure using MIDI-OX and then step-by-step described what you did with smallest details.

I just remembered that you tried with a standard MIDI port. Don't rush to make any changes to PIC18F2550 just yet. Take PIC18F2550 out of the socket and repeat the whole update procedure using MIDI-OX over a standard MIDI port and then step-by-step describe what you did with smallest details.

[kurtus420]

should I try this as well, I have a midi to usb cable and could try this on my lunch break in a couple of hours. I run megadrum with usb power, will this be a problem or can I plug a usb cable into a wall adapter to get power to the megadrum while using the midi to usb cable to update firmware, will it power up if the pic18f2550 chip is pulled?


[dmitri quote]
I just remembered that you tried with a standard MIDI port. Don't rush to make any changes to PIC18F2550 just yet. Take PIC18F2550 out of the socket and repeat the whole update procedure using MIDI-OX over a standard MIDI port and then step-by-step described what you did with smallest details.[/quote]

[dmitri]

should I try this as well, I have a midi to usb cable and could try this on my lunch break in a couple of hours. I run megadrum with usb power, will this be a problem or can I plug a usb cable into a wall adapter to get power to the megadrum while using the midi to usb cable to update firmware, will it power up if the pic18f2550 chip is pulled?

You should have told me that you had a MIDI port, I would suggest this route first. Of course try it. You can power it over USB with PIC18F2550 pulled out, it will work.

[kurtus420]

I'll let you know in a little bit here, sorry to have left out this detail.

should I try this as well, I have a midi to usb cable and could try this on my lunch break in a couple of hours. I run megadrum with usb power, will this be a problem or can I plug a usb cable into a wall adapter to get power to the megadrum while using the midi to usb cable to update firmware, will it power up if the pic18f2550 chip is pulled?

You should have told me that you had a MIDI port, I would suggest this route first. Of course try it. You can power it over USB with PIC18F2550 pulled out, it will work.

[kurtus420]

Guess what, I have a working megadrum . So it looks like the usb firmware is the issue. I did this using my midi to usb cable with the pic18f2550 pulled and powered the megadrum using a usb to wall adapter, then I just followed the steps to a tee for the update sending erase sysex first then the update and 20 seconds later I have a perfectly working Megadrum. I guess I have to update the pic18f2550 firmware and use the resistor and all problems should be gone as pulling the pic18f2550 out of the socket is not very easy and I don't want to wreck it. Hope this helps and let me know if there is anything else I can or should do. Thanks and good luck

[dmitri]

Guess what, I have a working megadrum . So it looks like the usb firmware is the issue. I did this using my midi to usb cable with the pic18f2550 pulled and powered the megadrum using a usb to wall adapter, then I just followed the steps to a tee for the update sending erase sysex first then the update and 20 seconds later I have a perfectly working Megadrum. I guess I have to update the pic18f2550 firmware and use the resistor and all problems should be gone as pulling the pic18f2550 out of the socket is not very easy and I don't want to wreck it. Hope this helps and let me know if there is anything else I can or should do. Thanks and good luck

Good! Let us know how it went when you have PIC18F2550 fixed.

[kurtus420]

Will do, do you think windows millenium os will give me issues or should midiox and winpic work fine? Thanks for the advise

Guess what, I have a working megadrum . So it looks like the usb firmware is the issue. I did this using my midi to usb cable with the pic18f2550 pulled and powered the megadrum using a usb to wall adapter, then I just followed the steps to a tee for the update sending erase sysex first then the update and 20 seconds later I have a perfectly working Megadrum. I guess I have to update the pic18f2550 firmware and use the resistor and all problems should be gone as pulling the pic18f2550 out of the socket is not very easy and I don't want to wreck it. Hope this helps and let me know if there is anything else I can or should do. Thanks and good luck

Good! Let us know how it went when you have PIC18F2550 fixed.

[dmitri]

Will do, do you think windows millenium os will give me issues or should midiox and winpic work fine? Thanks for the advise

If you're talking about programming PIC18F2550 with Winpic, I think you should not have any problems. As for MIDI over USB, Windows Millenium most likely doesn't have Class Compliant USB MIDI drivers. It should be at least XP.

[el-dr]

I just remembered that you tried with a standard MIDI port. Don't rush to make any changes to PIC18F2550 just yet. Take PIC18F2550 out of the socket and repeat the whole update procedure using MIDI-OX over a standard MIDI port and then step-by-step describe what you did with smallest details.

It worked for both MCUs!!! I took the PIC out and successfully updated in a minute. The difference between your bootloader in the Atmega32 and the other one in the Atmega644 is that the latter doesn't allow for selecting the clock speed with the Up button and is no too verbose either: it doesn't display an "Erased" message only confirms the successful update, but most importantly it works.

Then I put the PIC back and updated again a few time through the USB. The first 2 attempts were successful, but then it failed just like how this whole mess started. I took the PIC out again and updated through the MIDI port. So the bad news is that I'm infected with this PIC plague. I'd like to overwrite the PIC fw with yours, but I couldn't find a step-by-step description of the procedure, I only saw it being mentioned in various threads about issues with Winpic and ICSP cable wiring etc. Is there a single thread where all the necessary info is gathered (wiring, programmer settings...)?

I'd also like to know if there's one on writing the Atmega bootloader via a serial programmer.

Thanks.