Flashing HP15CE with linux

[blackjetrock]

Has anyone managed to flash with Linux?

[RPNerd]

What good would that do? Seems a bit pointless to me.

[blackjetrock]

(11-27-2024 08:31 AM)RPNerd Wrote:  What good would that do? Seems a bit pointless to me.

Without being able to flash my units with up to date code, they aren't very useful to me.
The programming tool seems to be supported on Linux and I have run it, the problem seems to be that there is no USB device present at all, ever, so programming doesn't work.

I was just wondering if anyone had managed to program the units before I either do more work on them or get rid of them.

[RPNerd]

I misunderstood your question. It looked like you were trying to flash some form of Linux onto the calculator, not that you were trying to update the calculator's firmware using Linux.

[rprosperi]

Here's the way to find out:

Looks like Linux really can't do what Windows does easily... huh, what kind of OS is that??

[AnnoyedOne]

I believe that a Linux version of SAM-BA 2.18 exists (but no Mac) so it should be possible.

A1

PS: The VoyagerSave source code has been posted here and could be converted. I think Idnarn created a script that works on Linux.

[Jase]

(11-27-2024 12:37 PM)rprosperi Wrote:  Here's the way to find out:

Looks like Linux really can't do what Windows does easily... huh, what kind of OS is that??

Yup, them's fightin' words, and will motivate someone to find a solution!

[AnnoyedOne]

(11-27-2024 12:49 PM)Jase Wrote:  ...and will motivate someone to find a solution!

I'm not a Linux user but a 5 sec web search found

https://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/aemD...rLinux.zip

The (PDF) instructions for flashing the HP-15C CE assume a Windows version but I'm sure those can be adapted.

A1

[blackjetrock]

I have the Linux version of samba installed (2.18 is needed) but I get no usb device when the cable is attached, that's the real problem.

[AnnoyedOne]

(11-27-2024 01:05 PM)blackjetrock Wrote:  I have the Linux version of samba installed (2.18 is needed) but I get no usb device when the cable is attached, that's the real problem.

With the cable attached press and hold the ERASE button then press RESET to invoke the bootloader. Just connecting the cable won't work. The same applies with Windows.

A1

PS: "ERASE" is a holdover from the HP-15C LE days. The current flash contents were erased with the LE. Not the case with the HP-15C CE.

PPS: To answer your original question I think that Idnarn used Linux to flash his CE and 12C+.

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello!

(11-27-2024 12:47 PM)AnnoyedOne Wrote:  I believe that a Linux version of SAM-BA 2.18 exists (but no Mac) so it should be possible.

A bit off-topic, but there is an open-source alternative to SAM-BA for the Macintosh called "bossa" (https://ports.macports.org/port/bossa/). I think it can be used to flash the HP-15C CE with the lastest firmware just as one would do with SAM-BA. I could use a Windows computer to update my HP-15C, but this (the computer) is gone now so I will use bossa on the Macintosh for the next one.

Regards
Max

[AnnoyedOne]

(11-27-2024 01:33 PM)Maximilian Hohmann Wrote:  A bit off-topic, but there is an open-source alternative to SAM-BA for the Macintosh called "bossa". I think it can be used to flash the HP-15C CE with the lastest firmware just as one would do with SAM-BA.

Hi Max. It'd be nice to confirm that it works. Can you (or anyone) reflash a HP-15C CE with older code using bossa?

A1

PS: I have CE 1.00 and HP-12C+ firmware but nowhere to upload it to. I store nothing online.

[Idnarn]

(11-27-2024 01:09 PM)AnnoyedOne Wrote:  PPS: To answer your original question I think that Idnarn used Linux to flash his CE and 12C+.

I didn't flash my devices. They arrived with current firmware from The Calculator Store. I only wrote a Linux program (well, Python program that works for me on Linux) to implement what VoyagerSave does: https://www.hpmuseum.org/forum/thread-22525.html

[Idnarn]

(11-27-2024 01:33 PM)Maximilian Hohmann Wrote:  Hello!

(11-27-2024 12:47 PM)AnnoyedOne Wrote:  I believe that a Linux version of SAM-BA 2.18 exists (but no Mac) so it should be possible.

A bit off-topic, but there is an open-source alternative to SAM-BA for the Macintosh called "bossa" (https://ports.macports.org/port/bossa/). I think it can be used to flash the HP-15C CE with the lastest firmware just as one would do with SAM-BA. I could use a Windows computer to update my HP-15C, but this (the computer) is gone now so I will use bossa on the Macintosh for the next one.

Regards
Max

This is a good find, but I think it would need the patches from this PR request: https://github.com/shumatech/BOSSA/pull/143

Specifically, the CPU in the HP 15C CE per Wikipedia is an Atmel ATSAM4LC2CA. Its CPUID appears to be 0xAB0A07E0 which the PR adds support for (0xAB0A07E0 & 0x7fffffe0 = 0x2b0a07e0):

Code:


    case 0x2b0a07e0:
        _family = FAMILY_SAM4L;
        flashPtr = new CalwFlash(_samba, "ATSAM4Lx2", 0x0, 256, 512, 1, 16, 0x20001000, 0x20008000, 0x400a0000);
        break;

If anyone manages to patch and build, please report on the result of the flashing.

[Idnarn]

(11-27-2024 01:05 PM)blackjetrock Wrote:  I have the Linux version of samba installed (2.18 is needed) but I get no usb device when the cable is attached, that's the real problem.

Did you follow the instructions in SAM-BAv2.18forLinux.zip/doc/README.linux?

[blackjetrock]

(11-27-2024 03:35 PM)Idnarn Wrote:  

(11-27-2024 01:05 PM)blackjetrock Wrote:  I have the Linux version of samba installed (2.18 is needed) but I get no usb device when the cable is attached, that's the real problem.

Did you follow the instructions in SAM-BAv2.18forLinux.zip/doc/README.linux?

Yes, I have followed those instructions. I get this:

-I- Waiting ...
-I- TCL platform : Linux
-I- SAM-BA CDC 2.16 on : linux
-I- Connection : /dev/ttyACM1 (target(comType) = 0)
-I- Board : sam4l-ek[not factory programmed]
-I- Traces Level : 4
-I- target(handle) : file5
-I- sourcing board description file /home/menadue/tree/hp15ce_programming/sam-ba_cdc_linux/sam-ba_cdc_linux/tcl_lib/at91sam4l-ek/at91sam4l-ek.tcl
Read device Chip ID at 0x400E0740 --- get 0xffffffffab0a07e1
-I- Found chip : at91sam4l_1 (Chip ID : 0xffffffffab0a07e1)
-I- Loading applet applet-flash-sam4l4.bin at address 0x20002000


from the GUI now and then it locks up. It seems to be a very old version of SAMBA and doesn't see to
work with modern Linux versions (It seems to have been tested on Ubuntu V10).

[AnnoyedOne]

(11-27-2024 04:09 PM)blackjetrock Wrote:  at91sam4l-ek/at91sam4l-ek.tcl

Did you select the correct "board"?

The HP-15C CE uses a ATSAM4LC2CA chip. The old/obsolete LE uses the AT91SAM7L128 one. They're NOT the same.

The latter uses a serial interface and the former USB.

A1

[blackjetrock]

I used the

at91sam4l-ek.tcl

board as that is the one in the calculator store instructions, I think?

The output shows that a
at91sam4l_1

was found, so I think it's the right chip or chip family.

[AnnoyedOne]

(11-27-2024 05:21 PM)blackjetrock Wrote:  ...so I think it's the right chip or chip family.

I'm looking at the programming instructions (PDF dated 24th July 2024) I have.

The default, at SAM-BA 2.18 launch, is "COM1" as the (serial!) interface and at91cap9-dk_mem18 as the "board".

That needs to be changed to "USBserial\COMx" where x may change and the board as "sam4l-ek".

Note the lack of any AT91. Different hardware/bootloader/firmware/cable etc.

A1

[Idnarn]

(11-27-2024 04:09 PM)blackjetrock Wrote:  -I- Found chip : at91sam4l_1 (Chip ID : 0xffffffffab0a07e1)

The fact that it found the chip ID 0xab0a07e1 (Atmel ATSAM4LC2CA) suggests that USB communication is working fine. Can you strace the process and see where it's blocking?