OLD 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware Topic

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n1gp
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OLD 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware Topic

Postby n1gp » Wed Aug 10, 2022 9:12 am

This topic is for historical reference only and is now locked. Look at "tacked" topics for the latest information.

Here is the Protocol 2 firmware for the Orion MKIII that is found on all 7000DLE and Andromeda's shipped from Apache after 1 July 2022 with serial numbers DX8300497A and higher. See this topic for more information on the MKIII board revision: https://community.apache-labs.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=4266

Many thanks to Rick, N1GP for this outstanding firmware development.

It's basically the same as the Protocol 2 firmware for the Orion MKII but with updated I/O assignments due to the different FPGA.

Please use the HPSDR Bootloader which is described in this thread:

https://apache-labs.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2333

As with all Protocol 2 firmware, if one version doesn't work for you, other versions might. Do be sure to read through the remainder of this topic for other options and other user reports.

UPDATE 2.1.26C 12 Aug 2022

Initial "formal" release (to the extent these things are formal).
In general good reports from most people who have tried it.
Edited original topic to mirror the format used on the other Protocol 2 firmware release topics and tacked the topic.

Metis_Orion_MkIII_Protocol_2_v2.1.26c.rbf
(1.37 MiB) Downloaded 412 times
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w-u-2-o
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby w-u-2-o » Wed Aug 10, 2022 9:28 am

While always very optimistic and excited about Rick's firmware, it would be prudent to have available the Protocol 1 firmware just in case you want or need to revert back. Find it here:

https://github.com/TAPR/OpenHPSDR-Firmware/tree/master/Protocol%201/ANAN-7000DLE_ANAN-8000DLE-Andromeda/Orion_MkIII%20(7000%20and%20Andromeda%20serial%20%23DX8300497A%20and%20higher)
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby W4WMT » Wed Aug 10, 2022 10:27 am

Just to be clear:
We're not really calling the rig a 7000MKIII are we?
Isn't it officially a 7000MKII, but with an Orion MKIII SDR board (aka Orion3)?

73!
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby w-u-2-o » Wed Aug 10, 2022 11:04 am

You are right. Any suggestion on how to better describe the configuration that isn't a mouthful?
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby W4WMT » Wed Aug 10, 2022 11:21 am

w-u-2-o wrote:You are right. Any suggestion on how to better describe the configuration that isn't a mouthful?

No clue!
Abhi is using the "Mark" designator to iterate both the rig and the board.
Sort of confusing, but we shall overcome :-)
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby W4WMT » Wed Aug 10, 2022 12:13 pm

n1gp wrote:Here is the Protocol 2 firmware for the Orion MkIII.

Hi Rick,
Thanks for bailing us out!
Did you have to fuss around a lot with the timing closure, or did it drop right in for you after making the mods?
73,
Bryan W4WMT
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n1gp
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby n1gp » Wed Aug 10, 2022 1:17 pm

Hi Bryan,

It was pretty straight forward with the changes.
The tricky parts (which Joe found out in the P1 version),
were a change in the DAC clock phase and then getting
timing to close.

As you may know using Quartus Lite forces the fitter to redo
everything each compile. I came up with a Makefile to build four
different versions with a different SEED value. Usually one of those
will work, or none then repeat. That's the tedious part.

73s

-Rick / N1GP
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby wo5m » Wed Aug 10, 2022 3:10 pm

This is great news! I've been making a habit of checking this site multiple times a day looking for updates. I had been debating on reading up a learning verilog, but quickly realized it's not as easy as others languages I've worked with. I'll probably try upgrading mine this weekend.

de wo5m
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby Tony EI7BMB » Wed Aug 10, 2022 3:19 pm

Great work Rick
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby wo5m » Wed Aug 10, 2022 6:59 pm

Well my first attempt was unsuccessful. I decided I would give it a quick try during my lunch break today(I'm working from home). Everything went fine with HPSDRprogramer and it loaded the P2 firmware without issue(other than renaming the file to Metis.rbf as the instructions mentioned). However when I launched Thetis I got nothing from the radio on the display. The Window Banner did say it recognized it as protocol 2 radio and I could hear the band filters relays clicking when I attempted to change bands, but nothing displayed is RX1 or RX2. I attempted a database reset thinking that may have something to do with it, but got the same results. Not having a lot of time to work on it and slightly worried I messed up my brand new radio(yes my heart did skip a beat), I used wu2o's advance and reverted back to protocol 1 and everything went back to working again. I did try adjusting the RX1 & RX2 Sample rate several times, but still got nothing. Any ideas?

After I get done with work today I may try again tonight when I have more time to troubleshoot.
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w-u-2-o
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby w-u-2-o » Wed Aug 10, 2022 7:55 pm

Don't panic. The new firmware is most likely not working for you. Let's see how a few others make out first before you try again.
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby W4WMT » Wed Aug 10, 2022 9:10 pm

Don't forget to check the windows firewall.
It can make Thetis act as you describe above.
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w-u-2-o
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby w-u-2-o » Wed Aug 10, 2022 10:59 pm

W4WMT wrote:Don't forget to check the windows firewall.
It can make Thetis act as you describe above.

Good point, Bryan! I totally forgot about that.
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby Martyn_5B4AMO » Thu Aug 11, 2022 11:04 am

Greetings to the group. New user here. I recently received my 7000 DLE Mk 2 from India. The first thing I wanted to do was to get the firmware updated to protocol 2. After quite a bit of puzzling, flashing firmware and reading the forum posts, I realised I had one of the new Mark3 Orion boards. So I reverted to Protocol 1 firmware, and was hoping protocol 2 firmware would be available soon. So many thanks to the developer for providing it, your efforts are much appreciated by me at least!

However, when I flashed the new firmware "Orion Mkiii Protocol 2 V2.1.25.rbf" with the bootloader, I ran into problems. In Thetis 2.9.0, it is showing Protocol 2 (v3.9), version 2.1.25. The radio does not start, though some settings like sample rate do seem to have an effect.

The specific errors it is showing in red are alternately "sequence error 256 (mic)" and "sequence error 257(cc mic)".

Its a standard setup. The radio and my PC are both on the Ethernet via a dumb gigabit switch. VAC is off. I hope these comments help with fault finding the new Protocol 2 firmware.
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby n1gp » Thu Aug 11, 2022 2:00 pm

Thanks for giving this a test. The "Orion Mkiii Protocol 2 V2.1.25.rbf" has been working fine with my
unit and one other that I have been testing with.

It may take several attempts to get a build that works for all MkIII owners. I appreciate
the help.

Here's a couple more builds. "Orion_MkIII_Protocol_2_v2.1.26a.rbf" is working
fine for me.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0xfvm0fsoozquo5/Orion_MkIII_Protocol_2_v2.1.26a.rbf?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9g5xp5sr777rkpk/Orion_MkIII_Protocol_2_v2.1.26b.rbf?dl=0

-Rick / N1GP
WR4N
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby WR4N » Thu Aug 11, 2022 3:12 pm

Martyn_5B4AMO wrote:Greetings to the group. New user here. I recently received my 7000 DLE Mk 2 from India. The first thing I wanted to do was to get the firmware updated to protocol 2. After quite a bit of puzzling, flashing firmware and reading the forum posts, I realised I had one of the new Mark3 Orion boards. So I reverted to Protocol 1 firmware, and was hoping protocol 2 firmware would be available soon. So many thanks to the developer for providing it, your efforts are much appreciated by me at least!

However, when I flashed the new firmware "Orion Mkiii Protocol 2 V2.1.25.rbf" with the bootloader, I ran into problems. In Thetis 2.9.0, it is showing Protocol 2 (v3.9), version 2.1.25. The radio does not start, though some settings like sample rate do seem to have an effect.

The specific errors it is showing in red are alternately "sequence error 256 (mic)" and "sequence error 257(cc mic)".

Its a standard setup. The radio and my PC are both on the Ethernet via a dumb gigabit switch. VAC is off. I hope these comments help with fault finding the new Protocol 2 firmware.


I loaded it and got rapid fire Sequence Errors; when I opened the “Show SEQ Log,” the errors were coming so fast that they were like a blur. RX audio was cutting in and out. I restarted everything and the RX audio was great. I thought the problem was solved. Then, I began receiving the same Error Codes Martyn noted: “The specific errors showing in red are alternately ‘sequence error 256 (mic)’ and ‘sequence error 257(cc mic)’.” I can’t say for sure that there weren’t others, but those two were definitely the most frequent - and really, they’re the only two I remember seeing.

Furthermore, nothing was showing up in the “Show SEQ Log.”
RADIO: ANAN 7000 DLE MK2 (Black Version) Thetis 2.8.11.
PC: HP Desktop - Intel Core i7 (10th Gen) - 16GB memory - 512GB SSD - Intel UHD Graphics 630 - WINDOWS 10 (100% Dedicated to ANAN)
PS: ASTRON 35 AMP (100% Dedicated to ANAN)

Best 73s,
WR4N - David
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby n1gp » Thu Aug 11, 2022 4:12 pm

For those new to running protocol 2 it is advised to tweak the NetworkThrottleIndex in the registry.
You can find more info on that by searching "NetworkThrottleIndex"

Thetis can make this tweak:

Make sure the checkbox is enabled to tweak NetworkThrottleIndex registry entry in Setup->General->H/W Select tab, in the network settings group.
Note: Thetis needs to be running as Administrator to make any change to this registry entry. State is read from registry.

Also when testing please indicate which firmware filename you loaded.

Tnx

-Rick / N1GP
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby ea3aqr » Thu Aug 11, 2022 6:56 pm

Read this thread for "NetworkThrottleIndex" tweak:

https://community.apache-labs.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3787&hilit=ea3aqr
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby rdwing » Thu Aug 11, 2022 10:24 pm

Windows 10, up to date. Direct ethernet connection. All tweaks already in place.

V 2.1.25. Radio does boot and Thetis runs, but when xmitting receive sequence errors 1, 8, 257, 259, 265, 267.

v 2.1.26a Radio does boot and Thetis runs, but when xmitting receive sequence errors 2, 10.

v 2.1.26b Radio does not boot and cannot be found on the network.

Puresignal works after resetting the cal factor to the P2 one.

and Rick, thank you for all you do.
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby wo5m » Fri Aug 12, 2022 3:52 am

Martyn_5B4AMO wrote:
However, when I flashed the new firmware "Orion Mkiii Protocol 2 V2.1.25.rbf" with the bootloader, I ran into problems. In Thetis 2.9.0, it is showing Protocol 2 (v3.9), version 2.1.25. The radio does not start, though some settings like sample rate do seem to have an effect.

The specific errors it is showing in red are alternately "sequence error 256 (mic)" and "sequence error 257(cc mic)".
.


Tonight I flashed v 2.1.26a and I can confirm exactly what Martyn is reporting, its rotating between sequence error 256 (mic)" and "sequence error 257(cc mic) with no receive. I verified windows firewall is disabled and I've implemented the registry entry recommended earlier . One thing I did find interesting, is the wideband window does appears to work. At first I wasn't sure it was actually working, but when I disconnected my antenna you clearly the noise floor drop.

One thing I am doing differently is I have a direct ethernet link to the radio on my second 1gbit interface and I'm still using the APIPA 169.254 addressing. I don't think that would cause a problem, but I figured Id mention it.

Also I also tried 2.1.26b, but Thetis failed to recognize the radio. The version of Thetis 2.9.0.6
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby n1gp » Fri Aug 12, 2022 2:16 pm

Thanks for your feedback folks.

Even if the firmware is not working in default ethernet speed @ gige,
one thing you can try as an experiment when you have the new firmware loaded:

With the 7000 powered off, insert a keyer paddle or key in to the 'CW Key' jack.
Hold the key down or paddle in either dit or dah state.
While holding the key/paddle, turn on the 7000.
Hold for 5 seconds then release.

This will put the Ethernet connection at 100 Mb/s and will only negotiate at that rate.
Now try to use it with Thetis and report back your findings.
Look for sequence errors, transmit signal quality, ... Running at 100T should be
very much the same as running Protocol 1 firmware but with the percs of protocol 2 (higher sample rates).
NOTE that with 100T rates you can't expect to run both RX1 & 2 at 1536 K sample rate.
Stick to 384K and below. Also, the 100T speed is not remembered after power off.
You will need to hold down the key on next power up.

Here are two new builds. These both work on my MkIII with no sequence errors in RX or TX at
gige speed.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6obiq9iyop5mxez/Orion_MkIII_Protocol_2_v2.1.26c.rbf?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/momja50o3b6nlo4/Orion_MkIII_Protocol_2_v2.1.26d.rbf?dl=0

Tnx

-Rick / N1GP
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby w-u-2-o » Fri Aug 12, 2022 2:28 pm

That's a fantastic debugging idea, Rick! I hope people try it. If things work great at 100Mbit/s then that's more confirmation of our continued concern that the GigE timing in the build remains the root of the timing closure issue with P2.
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby wo5m » Fri Aug 12, 2022 3:40 pm

Both C and D Builds were unsuccessful. I can conform that neither of these had the sequence errors of the previous versions however still no receive(even with DB reset). I also did as you suggested using the key port to force it negotiate 100MBps and i confirmed it did in fact negotiate 100Mbps but I got the same result. Not that I think this would change anytime, but I also tried using a different interface adapter since they have different chipsets, but again I got the same result.
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby rdwing » Fri Aug 12, 2022 5:22 pm

Build C works on my radio with no apparent SEQ errors.
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby wx7y » Fri Aug 12, 2022 6:23 pm

I am very new, on 3 days in to the ANAN line and Thetis but the firmware version "D" worked 1st try here, I have not seen any errors and every thing is smooth.
I followad the instructions preceslie from the APACHE web site and a direct connection cable as I couldn't see the radio through my switch and Router.
I DID NOT have to hold the key down to get it to boot
So anyway I am tempted to test the other versions but I think I'll wait and let the dust settle and just learn the Radio and Thetis.


May have spoke to soon, turned it all off again and let it sit for 20 minutes or so then when I brought the radio up it said it couldn't find the radio,
Turned the Power switch off on the radio a few times then I was finialy able to get the radio to come online for me, BUT I have seen no errors other then can't find the radio.

Thanks so much

Bret
WX7Y
Last edited by wx7y on Fri Aug 12, 2022 6:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
W4WMT
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby W4WMT » Fri Aug 12, 2022 6:32 pm

I believe the wideband data and the DDC data arrive at the computer on different UDP ports, right?
Can something be blocking the DDC port, but not blocking the wideband port?
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby wo5m » Fri Aug 12, 2022 6:42 pm

I may have discovered something. This afternoon I tried something different. Before going back to the P1 Firmware I pulled an old laptop out of my junk box and tried to use it on that and it worked (using the P2 C firmware). So, I'm thinking it has something to do with the way my computer is configured. So now that I have proven p2 works on another computer the question is why will P1 work on my computer, but not P2,

Unfortunately, the other computer really doesn't have the horsepower I really need to run it like I want.
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby n1gp » Fri Aug 12, 2022 6:48 pm

The wideband data is on port 1027.
The DDC (RX1&2) data is on ports 1037 & 1038.

I bet your 1st PC's firewall is blocking those 103X ports...? (UDP)
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby rdwing » Fri Aug 12, 2022 8:06 pm

Just wanted to chime in again and say that the "C" build seems to be fully working. Gigabit ethernet with no issues, both via a router and direct connection. WB was not working for me on P1 at all but on this P2 build it finally works, so thanks for that. No configuration was changed other than P1/P2. No other issues seen.

Also want to call out, that if you're going from P1 to P2, make sure to reset PureSignal to its default state otherwise it wont work.
Last edited by rdwing on Sat Aug 13, 2022 12:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 7000MKIII Protocol 2 Firmware

Postby w-u-2-o » Fri Aug 12, 2022 11:32 pm

It seems like a lot of people may be having Windows firewall issues. After loading P2 firmware (any version) and running Thetis (please only be testing with version 2.9.0.6), go to Thetis Setup > General > H/W Select and click the "Firewall Check" button. Make any corrections to firewall settings if necessary. Then restart everything and try again.

Also, WB is not supported with P1 firmware. Nor are any sample rates above 192KHz.

And, just in case you are a super-newb, PowerSDR (any version) does not work with P2 firmware.

Eta: fixed the sample rate, thanks rdwing

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