[Solved] New VanDaal build, control board does nothing

[Eamoex]

Hi,

I've succesfully built a PreenFM2 a few years ago and I love it.

I've assembled an FM3 kit from VanDaal. I flashed it using DeFuse. It boots to the main screen but I can't do anything from there. It does the exact same thing with the control board removed.

• Mainboard LEDs: green and yellow on, blue blinks slowly.
• Control board LEDs: blue flashes once at boot and then nothing.

I've checked continuity of the board to board headers and pins and it's all right.

Don't know where to search next, any help much appreciated.

[Eamoex]

I've whipped out the magnifier and noticed that two legs of the CPU are shorted. Is this normal?

[Eamoex]

Like this:

[Xavier]

Hi,

I don't see your screenshot, but there are actually 2 pins shorted on the CPU.
It's because they're both connected at the pin level. That's not nice, i should have connected them outside.
But it's normal.

The leds you describe are normal.

The important pins for the control board (buttons and encoders) are the 5 pins connector GND,VCC + 3 other pins.

Can you try to check also the 3.3v on the 4 74HC165.
VCC is pin 16, opposite pin to the number 1 (white circle).

[Eamoex]

Thanks for your reply. I get 5v everywhere, not 3.3v (interboard Vcc/Gnd pins, both sides, and all 4 74HC165 power pins). Why? Did I miss some jumper?

EDIT: Or is 5v OK?

EDIT2:

I don't see your screenshot

That is most probably because my domain is non-secure http. Sorry. The picture was nice, though. 

[Xavier]

Oops, you're right it's 5v on the control board VCC and 74HC165.

I think if the problem came from GND you'll get random button click.

The problem seems likely to be on the 3 other pins of the 5 pins connector (Clk, Load, Data)
Here is the bottom left of the CPU, you can see those 3 pins Clk, load and Data.

First check from the connector 2 by 2 that there's no shortcut.

Then it's not easy but it's doable, put one probe of the multimetter to the CPU pins and the other one to the pin of the connection. And check all 3 connections are OK..

Can you post a picture of your control board ?
I verify them before shipping, but there were one some time ago with a shifted 74hc165 and the board did not work at all.

Xavier

[Eamoex]

Thank you for your instructions.

Tested for shorts on the 5 interboard pins, on all possible combinations of pairs, on the main board and control board. No short detected.

Tested continuity from the 3 pins to the CPU legs, from the main board connectors and from the control board connectors when assembled. Continuity OK in all situations on all pins.

Attached is a series of pictures. I can't see any problem with the HC chips.

Weird... did a chip die?

[Eamoex]

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[Eamoex]

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[Eamoex]

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[Xavier]

Thanks for the pictures. I don't see obvious problems.

Other questions :

When in the main firmware screen, do you get sound or midi indicator on the screen if you send midi notes ?

Can you enter the bootloader by pressing MENU button when powering the preenfm ?

Weird... did a chip die?

Or a button ?
Can you check that there's not continuity between up and down pins of each button ?
There should be continuity when you press the button.

[Eamoex]

I do get MIDI indicator AND sound output when the firmware screen is on and I send MIDI note messages.

I cannot enter the bootloader by pressing MENU when powering. I’ve tried with the Boot/DFU jumper on and off. The MENU keypress looks simply ignored. What is the bootloader supposed to look like?

Continuity/interruption of buttons is as expected.

New thing: since I’ve tried the MENU button thing, I get an « SD CARD ERROR » message at boot, which disappears after ~2 seconds, and then the firmware screens appears exactly like it’s done before, and I can play notes.

EDIT: it really behaves as though there’s no control board whatsoever. The only sign of life in this board is the blue flash at boot. Then nothing.

[Xavier]

I just realized you wrote:  "I flashed it using DeFuse."
It was supposed to be flashed with the correct firmware version.

What firmware version did you flash ?
New PCB (1.6-100) only works with firmware 1.09 and newer.
As written in firmware 1.09 : "With these new PCBs, the knobs and butons won't respond with earlier firmware."

Please flash latest version :
https://github.com/Ixox/preenfm3/releases
https://github.com/Ixox/preenfm3/wiki/Upgrade-firmware-(Flash-bootloader)

The pfm3 bootloader won't recognize the controlboard neither.
You'll need to flash it too.




Misc info :

The led on the control baord uses a different pins from the button/encoders.

Boot/DFU jumper on boots to System (STM32) bootloader.
Pressing the menu buton enteres the preenfm3 bootloader (which looks different from the firmware). It's written boot loader at the top.

SDCard error is something different, connection to the SD Card is the 4 top pins of the display.
This cannot be link to the fact that you press the MENU button.
Make sure the SD card is formated, contais the pfm3/ folder and is well inserted.

[Eamoex]

What firmware version did you flash ?

Can't tell for sure right now but pretty sure it wasn't the one you give here. I just used the link from VanDaal's instructions. So this must be the culprit. I'll let you know tomorrow night.

SDCard error is something different

I thought so but when you're groping in the dark, anything looks important...

Boot/DFU jumper on boots to System (STM32) bootloader.
Pressing the menu buton enteres the preenfm3 bootloader (which looks different from the firmware). It's written boot loader at the top.

Thanks for this and the rest of the extra info.

[Eamoex]

Having no joy.

Used webdfu on latest Chrome to flash:

• p3_boot_1_09.bin
• p3_0_110.bin

I get this error (see image) when uploading both files. Tried with two cables.

Now the display remains black. No blue LED activity. Unsurprisingly, bootloader doesn't display when I press MENU on boot. 

NOTE: I had initially flashed 0.90 using the link in the DfuSe section of this page. Trying to flash it again to revert to the previous state (when display was turning on) gives the same error in webdfu and results in the same situation.

I hear this is unbrickable. Let's see how much it actually is, because it very much looks like a block of terra cotta right now.