[solved] Screen dark on FM3

[JeffS]

Hello, - I just received an FM3 built by Ardi at Van Daal and was learning and enjoying very much. However I wanted to try to load a different Scala file, and I was not able to access the internal SD card in any way, including using a USB cable to my computer [MacOS]. [this has the .96 firmware installed] Ardi also included a LogiLink coupling from male USB to SD jack, which I'm confused by. Anyway, I looked on the Forum and decided to try restarting while holding down MENU. I did that, but now the screen is completely dark and the unit does not work at all. Any suggestions? Thank you.

[Xavier]

Hello,

Restarting while holding down the MENU button enter the preenfm3 bootloader.
It does not flash anything unless you tell it to, from inside the bootloader.

So let start from your latest sentance. The screen is dark.

Is it dark when you start while holding down the menu button ?
Is it dark when you don't hold down the menu ?
Are the led at the bottom of the PCB on ?  which one ? is the blue one flashing ?

Xavier

[JeffS]

Hello Xavier,

It is dark after supplying power, holding menu button.
Also dark after starting normally, not holding the button.
It appears dead, except for some lights inside. It is in the nice case, but I can open it up. I guess I will need to do that.

The lights inside I can see through the USB jack opening, a little bit, are green and amber. I do not see a blue light, but I cannot see everything until I open it. No light is flashing -- both appear to be solid.

Jeff

[Xavier]

Hello Xavier,
It is dark after supplying power, holding menu button.
Also dark after starting normally, not holding the button.
It appears dead, except for some lights inside. It is in the nice case, but I can open it up. I guess I will need to do that.
The lights inside I can see through the USB jack opening, a little bit, are green and amber. I do not see a blue light, but I cannot see everything until I open it. No light is flashing -- both appear to be solid.
Jeff

I don't know how to unmount this enclosure.
Green and amber are for the 5v and 3.3v. So it receives power.

The back blue led is on when the preenfm2 bootloader is running.
It blinks every 2 seconds when the preenfm2 firmware is running.

Seems like the bootloader is not flashed anymore.

I don't know how this enclosure is done.
You should contact Van Daal before doing anything.

But it seems the bootloader as been erased from the CPU flash.
You can have a look here :
https://github.com/Ixox/preenfm3/wiki/Flash
In any case that requires to open the enclosure and to short 2 pins (Boot0) on the PCB.

Xavier

[JeffS]

Xavier,

OK, thank you. I am contacting Ardi.

Ach, that makes me very sad. I was having such a good time with it before it stopped working! I am quite sure I hear the upgrade in sound quality with the new sample rate, and the new color screen is fantastic. And I was really excited about the feature to allow different tuning settings on different instruments.

Best, Jeff S.

[JeffS]

Well, I managed to get the case apart, and I followed your directions on the Wiki for DFU reinstalling the boot loader. I used the Chrome method, but on a Mac computer. Now the blue LED is on, but not flashing.

Then I went to the firmware flashing stage. I saw that you have a new firmware, .97, so I put that on the SD card and tried to flash that. But when I am in the bootloader all the file names on the card are shown as gibberish, with lots ##### etc. So I am wondering, do I need to do this step with a Windows computer perhaps? Or perhaps I have to find a Windows computer even to do the bootloader flashing?

Thank you. I felt proud of myself for awhile  , but then could not read the file names to flash the firmware.

[Xavier]

Well, I managed to get the case apart, and I followed your directions on the Wiki for DFU reinstalling the boot loader. I used the Chrome method, but on a Mac computer. Now the blue LED is on, but not flashing.

Awesome congrats !!!

But Ouch... Forgot to fix this bug. 

You have to put the pfm3_0_97.bin on the sdcard at root "/" of the directory. Not in the "/pfm3/" folder.
When it does not find any bin files it displays weird chars.

[JeffS]

Xavier,

OK, yes moving the file out of the folder took care of things. I am back in business! Many thanks.

I wonder if now I will be able to access the SD card that is inside the FM3, from my computer over USB. I guess I will see!

[JeffS]

Xavier, now that that is fixed: could you tell me the method for accessing the SD card without opening the case? I can not find a way to access the SD from my MacOS computer over USB.

Thank you.

Jeff S.

[proxima]

Hi, I too just received a PreenFM3 from vandaal, 0.96 is installed but when connecting it to my computer with usb I can't access the SD card, any idea ?

[JeffS]

Actually just figured it out.

Please try this at your own risk, because this is how I accidentally erased the boot loader before.

Power it off
Power it on while holding down the red menu button

You will get a menu. For SD card access it will say to push button 3. Do this.

Wait up to 15 seconds and you will see the image appear on the computer screen.

Again, at your own risk -- and whatever you do don't accidentally push button 1 when you're in the boot loader, LOL

[proxima]

Will wait for Xavier advice 

[JeffS]

smart man

[Xavier]

OK, yes moving the file out of the folder took care of things. I am back in business! Many thanks.

Great !!! 

I wonder if now I will be able to access the SD card that is inside the FM3, from my computer over USB. I guess I will see!

Please let me know when you have a change to give a try.

Please try this at your own risk, because this is how I accidentally erased the boot loader before.

OK so you flashed a firmware without any file in the folder.
It should have not erased the bootloader which is not at the same adress. But it's difficult to guess what it did.

Anyway, i've just published a bootloader 1.07 and the weird chars bug is fixed and prevent you from doing what you did.
It's in the zip in the release folder.

[Xavier]

Hi, I too just received a PreenFM3 from vandaal, 0.96 is installed but when connecting it to my computer with usb I can't access the SD card, any idea ?

What are you trying to do? upgrade to 0.97?
What did you try ?