Patch 5200D USB Super fail & how I fixed it!

[stuartherring]

Hi,

I thought I'd share this with the board as I was pulling my hair out and thought I'd killed my TM 5200D USB Super with the latest patch (134p), but today I've got it working again!

What happened :

I downloaded patch 134p for my box. Yes, it was the correct version! Copied it to USB flash driver, plugged into TM5200 and flashed the box. Box tried to reboot, and failed. Power off, reboot : nothing. I got 4 lines across the box display, then nothing.

Dismayed, I googled a bit and found info on how to recover the box using a serial cable and the Technomate downloader program. I bought a 9 pin female to female serial cable from Amazon (?2! don't pay Maplin ?10 for one!), and connected it all up, ran the uploader program, selected a genuine Technomate flash image (116) to load and..... nothing.

The loader program told me to connect the receiver and switch it on. Well I did, repeatedly, and nothing, except the display on the Technomate box showed dashes moving - different to what happened when I powered it on without the serial cable connected. This looked hopeful, but it wouldn't do anything else, and the Technomate loader program didn't seem to be seeing it. I scanned the serial ports, nothing. Tested serial port & cable by connecting to an old Lidl sat receiver I've got, using their own loader program - this worked fine. So my serial port and cable were probably ok.

When I reconnected the Technomate and ran the Technomate loader program, I was back to where I started - box had moving lines on it's display, loader was waiting for the box to be switched on and doing nothing else.

After a few retries, and getting nowhere, I left it sitting there waiting for the box to power up (which it was - the lines were still moving on it's display) and went off to make a cup of tea and get something to eat.

I came back an hour later and - it had worked!

Curiously, the technomate loader had detected I was running v134 (the patch that had failed), and had flashed it with the v116 I'd originally asked it to. The box was now displaying 0000 and waiting for me to configure some satellites.

Hooray!

So, if you find yourself in this situation, connect it all up, and leave it trying to connect - seems it will eventually manage it. Shame I wasn't there to see how long it took, or what it had done. When I was trying and failing, I'd left it for several minutes whilst it waited - it didn't tell me it had connected, nor did I get any moving display on the PC to tell me something was happening.

So, go and have a cup of tea!

Now, to end my tale - of course, I wanted to reflash with the latest patched version, but was now nervous. So I downloaded the patch from two different boards, unzipped/rar'd them, and used DOS FC (file compare) in binary mode. They were identical.

I then used FC to check the patch I'd attempted to load that had killed the box. Although the filename was identical, the contents weren't!!

Somehow, it had got corrupted, even though it had orignally unzipped ok.

Anyway, with a new copy of the patch I've just flashed it, and am all happy and content again after several days of sweating and missing Mythbusters on 1w!

Stew

[Manic01]

How to do a forced download

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1) Download latest patch for your model
2) unzip/unrar patch
3) Open Darkman loader 187
4) locate the file you have just downloaded
5) click connect
6) switch your reciever off at the back
7) switch it back on again
8) loading will start automaticaly

This may have to be done a few times till it actually loads but it will definately load and then all will be ok again.

[stuartherring]

How to do a forced download

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1) Download latest patch for your model
2) unzip/unrar patch
3) Open Darkman loader 187
4) locate the file you have just downloaded
5) click connect
6) switch your reciever off at the back
7) switch it back on again
8) loading will start automaticaly

This may have to be done a few times till it actually loads but it will definately load and then all will be ok again.

That's pretty much what I was doing, with the Technomate loader and image file, although I did also try the Darkman loader as well.

What frustrated me was the apparent lack of connection - the TM or Darkman loader seemed to be waiting for me to power up the Technomate, which I had done. I wasn't seeing a progress bar indicating flashing taking place.

But going off and leaving it waiting gave it chance to get it's act in gear and get going. I'd probably tried 10 times or so up to that point, often waiting several minutes before retrying.

Thought I'd share the joy that is patience and a cup of tea, which rescued me

Stew

[Manic01]

The post I made is the standard way of reflashing a stb that has a corrupt file. Thanks for your post as it confirms it works. I have used the forced download way many times.

[stuartherring]

I've broken it

Apologies for replying to my own thread !

Yesterday I tried to flash new firmware onto my 5200D USB Super, and it failed, like it did once before (as described in my earlier post).

Since then I've been trying to recover it, but don't get anywhere. The Technomate or Darkman loader says "connect receiver and switch it on", which I do, and the TM5200D has dashes moving across its display, but nothing else happens. As with my original post, I tried leaving it like this for a long time - overnight! - but nothing. I keep retrying, I keep getting nothing

Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Serial cable and PC serial port seem OK, as I'm able to connect to a different sat box using different software ok.

HELP!

[dick b]

start by turning the box off at the back then try a forced download as outlined by manic01 above but use official software fromthe TECHNOMATE UK website.if it fails the 1st time just keep trying.

[stuartherring]

Been trying that lots

*something* happens, as I get the moving lines across the TM5200 display when it's connected to the PC amd I'm runing the loader program. Otherwise, I get the lines once, then the TM5200 is dead after that.

But the loader program sits there and does nothing beyond telling me to plug the receiver in and switch it on. Which I have been repeatedly doing. I am using the mains switch on the back to switch the TM5200 off and on.

Will keep trying though, if you think it might suddenly spring into life. Took me a lot of goes last time, but suddenly worked after I'd left it trying for an hour. But this time...

(I have had many succesful updates via USB in the past! But this is the 2nd failure)

Frustrated, but thanks for your help

[dick b]

yeah null modem cable is reckoned on being the safest way to patch although I"ve never had a prob with usb.post the outcome though.

[stuartherring]

still no success

Well, repeated trying, still fails to get past the "connect receiver and switch on" message. 5200D sits there with moving dashes on its display, but nothing else happens. Even tried it on a different PC, still the same.

Spoke to Technomate, who said it ought to work - and that it can take a few goes to work - but I've been repeatedly trying and not got anywhere.

Anyone got any other hints?

If I've killed it and it's not worth repairing, what should I buy as a replacement? I like it's recording feature, and the patches are nice when they don't kill it

Frustrated!

[stuartherring]

working again - here's how!

I thought I'd reply to my own thread in case this is of use to anyone else in the future.

Gave up trying to get PC to flash the firmware, so took it along to Technomate in London. They tried for some time while I watched, they couldn't get it to respond either. They tried swapping PSU in the box, still nothing. Told me it was corrupt. I ended up buying a new one - the slightly faster 5200D USB Super +.

Set it up, new box working lovely. Out of curiosity, I connected the two boxes together with my null modem cable, and got the new box to transfer it's original technomate software to my dead box. And after a bit of faffing, it did!

I used my new TM5200 to flash my old TM5200! (I;d already checked with Technomate that the Super and the Super + run the same firmware)

So, bit annoyed I'd had to buy new one now that old one working, but couldn't have fixed old one without new one anyway. So I have two now. Might set one up in the bedroom or something, on a smaller non motorised dish.

So, anyone with a dead Technomate that won't respond to a PC firmware flash, try connecting it to another Technomate and see if that works

[makumlad]

having similar problems with a 5200. had it sitting around for ages and decided to use it as a freesat box on a fixed dish, while i play with my 600 on a motorised dish. problem is i cant get itv3 bbc3 or e4 (probably more missing). tried patching it with 145 using darkman loader with null modem cable. didnt seem to get any response from either the box or loader so i left it for an hour and hoped for the best. tried this four times up to now but still missing channels. should i keep trying or am i flogging a dead horse?
any help or advice would be appreciated

[dick b]

a few channels have changed frequency lately try a re scan on the following frequencies 10.906V,10.729V,10.788V10.773H,10.802V,10.847V,10. 817V all 22000 and 11.953H 27500.