Bad firmware on EMX module

NETMF & Gadgeteer
1

Hello,

I have an EMX module with 4.3 SDK on a custom board that worked for a while on a customer site, but the display would go blank (black) randomly and the only way to bring it to life was to cycle power.
I received the board today and it doesn’t boot up. When I connect to it with COM port and say run ®it says Bad Firmware.
This board was tested before shipping to customer and as I said was somewhat working. My question is that what can cause the Tiny Bootloader to corrupt?

2

Have you tried to reflash the firmware? If it’s just corrupt, hard to say what exactly caused it. It could be any number of things.

3

Maybe it is the config region that is corrupt. You can try to update the config alone to see if this is the problem, not the firmware.

4

I can’t update the config because I can’t connect to it through USB.

5

I reflashed ghiloader and it is still giving bad firmware error. This is the message I see in Tera Term:
GHI Electronics, LLC
EMX™ loader Rev 1.02
Bad firmware detected…try to reload the firmware

GHI loader commands are now active

6

Once you get into the loader and you see

“Bad firmware detected…try to reload the firmware
GHI loader commands are now active”

what did you do, step by step, to reload TinyBooter? Just so we can verify.

7
  • Type E, then Y to erase everything
  • Type X to transfer files
  • Open File/Transfer/XMODEM/Send/Loader.ghi (from GHI 4.3 SDK folder)and option 1K
    After the file is transferred I receive a transfer was successful message, but when recycle power I get the bad firmware message.
8

There are 2 cases after this:

  1. You will see BL
  2. Nothing happen and bootloader will execute the firmware.

I guess you were in first case?

9

Number 1. I see BL.

10

In that case it seems like an internal component (RAM, flash, processor) is not working correctly anymore.

11

Sorry for late response, but I was on vacation.
In this case is there anything I can do to fix it?

12

If it is a physical damage like we are assuming, there is no fix unfortunately.

13

What could’ve caused the physical damage?

14

Static is one