Flashing newRPL from the desktop version?

[yoeljacobsen]

Is there any plan to support flashing the calculator over USB directly from the desktop version?

This will assist users of calculators lacking an SD card slot.

[grsbanks]

Which calculator?

[yoeljacobsen]

Sorry. The title wasn’t correct. I refer to newRPL on all supported HW platforms.

[pier4r]

I did it here http://www.hpmuseum.org/forum/thread-8152.html for the 50g.

Although if you have the 50g getting a SD card, although old, is not that hard I think.

[yoeljacobsen]

I hoped to take advantage of the USB capabilities of the newRPL PC version (the emulator).

I use the same process you have used every time I want to update the 39gs. I do update my 50g using e SD card.

[Claudio L.]

(02-18-2019 06:55 PM)yoeljacobsen Wrote:  I hoped to take advantage of the USB capabilities of the newRPL PC version (the emulator).

I use the same process you have used every time I want to update the 39gs. I do update my 50g using e SD card.

The issue is that flashing the firmware is done by the bootloader. In order to avoid bricking people's calculators, newRPL does not touch or replace the original bootloader. While it's possible to write a process that runs in RAM and does a firmware update from newRPL, it's a dangerous operation and if it is anything less than perfect it can cause your users a lot of grief (look at the Prime forum and you'll see how many issues with firmware update are there). I think it's best to keep using the original bootloader at least for the time being. It may be inconvenient, but it's proven to work well.

[Claudio L.]

(02-18-2019 07:06 PM)Claudio L. Wrote:  In order to avoid bricking people's calculators, newRPL does not touch or replace the original bootloader. While it's possible to write a process that runs in RAM and does a firmware update from newRPL, it's a dangerous operation ...

... and I had to try, of course, with catastrophic consequences. What kind of fool wouldn't follow his own advice? That's Me!
I still don't know what happened, but it seems my "erase sector" procedure received the area it was supposed to erase over the USB wire, then went out of control and erased the whole flash, boot loader and everything (I said erase ONE sector, only one!!!). My daily driver 50g is officially dead (for now anyway, I might try a JTAG reanimation procedure next weekend).

[pier4r]

I am sorry to hear that claudio! But somehow I have the feeling you will fix it!

Although I am not sure if in the 2.15 flash version there is also the bootloader included. That is an interesting question to answer.

[Claudio L.]

(03-11-2019 09:35 PM)pier4r Wrote:  I am sorry to hear that claudio! But somehow I have the feeling you will fix it!

Although I am not sure if in the 2.15 flash version there is also the bootloader included. That is an interesting question to answer.

I have the bootloader from the x49gp emulator. I just don't have the right hardware yet, but looks like FlashcatUSB will quickly revive it. Or, I might try a more generic JTAG interface that might have other applications afterwards, but require more work from me to flash it.