SOLVED - How can i flash the MTK 3329 GPS on my apm 2.0 ?? - Discussions

Hi !!

I am currently messing around with MTK GPS stuff and the binary protocol.

Assuming my APM2.0 GPS has the 1.6 loaded, i want to upgrade the GPS FW. Since the gps is directly mounted to the mainboard i don't know how to do it.

The APM wiki http://code.google.com/p/ardupilot/wiki/MediaTek gives no hints.

Please help!

So long

Kraut Rob

EDIT: SOLUTION FOUND:

UPDATE 12/28/2012

I included a zip file with all the needed files and a complete guide below.

It contains basically the same files than the previous version but an extended guide and the source code.

UPDATE 12/28/2012

Added German guide.

UPDATE 19/01/2013

FTDI Hardwareflash on APM 2.0 (Set your FTDI to 5V, if you have one of these Breakoutboards)

1. Download the zip below to have all the files needed - and a flashguide.

2. Load MP and save all your parameters to a file (if desired).

3. Do Arduino / eeprom clear on your main CPU so that no serial traffic can disturb the process. Do not omit this step. It won't work with the arduino still talking on the serial line - i tested it. P.s. You can also use the precompiled hex from my post here: http://diydrones.ning.com/xn/detail/705844:Comment:1094234

4. Unpower APM for soldering. If FTDI connection is already established, powercycle to reset GPS to its' default state.

5. Locate the external GPS port (UART1). If you have not the right plug (like me) you have some solder pads right behind it. You will need GND/RX/TX. Look at this picture for the right connection: http://diydrones.com/forum/attachment/download?id=705844%3AUploadedFile%3A1057797

Note: I labeled RX and TX relative to the GPS not the CPU (like printed on the PCB). I showed 3 points where you can get access to the important datalines, besides the obvious connectionport (that would be number 4:)).

6. Power APM Board, fire up the flashing soft and follow the documentation -> Point 8 in MTKFlashGuide2.pdf or point 7 in MTKFlashGuide2German.pdf. Reading the complete pdf is also ok.

7. Reload Arducopter FW on mainboard and reload your saved settings (if desired). Perhaps recheck calibrations (ACC etc.)

8. Done.

UPDATE 21/01/2013 - 02/03/2013

Here is a Must Try List - if you have a persisting flash problem (Thanks Anton for the idea)

- http://diydrones.ning.com/xn/detail/705844:Comment:1094071 (Thanks Anton)

- http://diydrones.ning.com/xn/detail/705844:Comment:1094290 (Thanks William Stoner)

- http://diydrones.com/xn/detail/705844:Comment:1097033 (Thanks Isaac)

- http://www.diydrones.com/xn/detail/705844:Comment:1097725 (Thanks Chris Webb // Mac running VMWare WinXP)

- http://diydrones.ning.com/xn/detail/705844:Comment:1140259 (Thanks "exaustgas" // Win serial port)

- http://diydrones.com/xn/detail/705844:Comment:1146635 (Thanks Cody // serial port in flashutil config)

- Try to rule out a driver/win firewall/administrator/viruskiller thing

UPDATE 02/03/2013

Due to the outstanding work of Perecastor here: http://diydrones.ning.com/xn/detail/705844:Comment:1149155

We have a French guide now as well !!

I took the liberty to put it here as well.

UPDATE 21/05/2013

Hardware - "Hack":

Use your PC - RC Transmitter Adaptercable as FTDI:

http://diydrones.com/xn/detail/705844:Comment:1252901 (Thanks Jan Boermans)

Cheers

Rob

MTK_RobVersion2.zip

MTKFlashGuide2German.pdf

MTKFlashGuide2French.pdf

Hi Rob,

I can't thank you enough for the MTK RobVersion2 firmware and guides. I followed them and everything worked perfectly the first time. I performed the update on the APM 2.0 MTK, but my real reason for using the passthru code was to get to the U-Blox GPS to use 'u-center' to monitor the U-Blox GPS performance while testing various different groundplane systems to try to enhance & verify GPS performance. I was concerned because of the proximity of my telemetry antenna to the U-Blox GPS. My APM is set up to either battery back up the MTK or disable it by simply moving a plug on the battery backup board. This works very well and the MTK and the U-Blox GPS's still work fine with the V2.91 firmware.

The problem is with the passthru code while using the 'u-center software'. The first time I tried it, everything worked perfectly. As I clicked around in u-center I MAY have altered the configuration because now although it appears to be communicating, I see no screen evidence of that in 'u-center' at all other than the blinking comm icon at the bottom of it's screen. The APM also blinks as though it's talking. Do you or does anyone else know any way to verify or load the correct config into the U-Blox GPS.

My next step is the get hold of the adapter cable to go from the FTDI cable direct to the U-Blox, but I'm afraid that I'm going to be up against the same issue if I somehow altered it's configuration. Again - it seems to work just fine with V2.91 firmware installed in the APM, but I'm afraid to fly it until I somehow verify the U-Blox configuration.

Thanks for all of your insights and efforts!

APM_setup.jpg

Q1_full.jpg

Replies

Scott Berfield March 14, 2013 at 9:12pm

woot! got this to work finally. used the apm2.5 as the programmer for my external GPS and follwed the excellent instructions and it worked perfectly - even resurrected the one I thought was perma-bricked. Now have 2 MTK2.0s updated to the 1.9 firmware. Look slike my problems were due to the FTDI I was using. Thanks guys!
Scott Berfield March 2, 2013 at 10:17am

Ahas anyone successfully flashed 1.9 onto the 3DR Mtek v2 add on GPS? I gave it a try and appear to have bricked one. I get to the point of doing the flash and get the red progress bar but not the blue one and that's it. The GPS is now unresponsive - solid blue light and no response to any commands.
T3

Ted Van Slyck February 24, 2013 at 9:15am

Hi Guys, here is how I got my APM 2.0 updated to the 1.9 firmware via USB:

1. Use Mission planner to change the Arduino firmware to make it an FTDI adapter for the GPS (in the download .zip at the beginning of the thread)

2. Connect via USB, go to device manager, right click on the "Arduino Mega 2560", properties, "port settings", "advanced". Change the comport to anything other than 1-3. I made mine 10. Hit OK, then change Bits per second to 38,400.

3. Unplug and plug back in the APM.

4. Hook up a jumper cable between as shown in this picture. I used a female-female cable I got at Radio Shack.

5. Open the mini GPS utility and make sure it connects on your selected com port. Close that down.

6. Open the power flash utility and follow the directions in the .PDF. I had to try twice. The first time it failed, the second time I tried it worked.

Hope this helps.

Don't forget to change your comport settings back to 115k

My reason for doing this was an attempt to make the GPS get a lock faster as has been a known issue with APM 2.0. After doing this I got in lock in less than a minute, indoors.
Cody O. February 14, 2013 at 3:52pm

I tried upgrading both of my APM 2.0 units and had one success and one failure.

The first one hadn't been used in months. I followed the pdf instructions to the letter (did not use the reset jumper) and the firmware update went perfectly. No problem at all.

I pulled the second APM from a quad which had already been flying with 2.9.1. Again, I followed the instructions to the letter. When I opened PowerFlash, the COM port for the APM was not listed as an option. I became stuck at this point, so I tried w/ & w/o the reset jumper, tried on a different computer, tried selecting all the COMs in PowerFlash, and increased all the timeouts in the ini x10. Nothing worked.

What's causing the APM to not show in PowerFlash, but work fine with everything else?
Jim Kahl February 12, 2013 at 12:18pm

Hi Rob,

I can't thank you enough for the MTK RobVersion2 firmware and guides. I followed them and everything worked perfectly the first time. I performed the update on the APM 2.0 MTK, but my real reason for using the passthru code was to get to the U-Blox GPS to use 'u-center' to monitor the U-Blox GPS performance while testing various different groundplane systems to try to enhance & verify GPS performance. I was concerned because of the proximity of my telemetry antenna to the U-Blox GPS. My APM is set up to either battery back up the MTK or disable it by simply moving a plug on the battery backup board. This works very well and the MTK and the U-Blox GPS's still work fine with the V2.91 firmware.

The problem is with the passthru code while using the 'u-center software'. The first time I tried it, everything worked perfectly. As I clicked around in u-center I MAY have altered the configuration because now although it appears to be communicating, I see no screen evidence of that in 'u-center' at all other than the blinking comm icon at the bottom of it's screen. The APM also blinks as though it's talking. Do you or does anyone else know any way to verify or load the correct config into the U-Blox GPS.

My next step is the get hold of the adapter cable to go from the FTDI cable direct to the U-Blox, but I'm afraid that I'm going to be up against the same issue if I somehow altered it's configuration. Again - it seems to work just fine with V2.91 firmware installed in the APM, but I'm afraid to fly it until I somehow verify the U-Blox configuration.

Thanks for all of your insights and efforts!

APM_setup.jpg

Q1_full.jpg
John Campen February 10, 2013 at 12:14am

I cant get this to work at all on APM1 boards. Everything is fine up until I get to the Download at instruction No:22 and Then I get Failed down load and the No 23: Rare Case error. Ive tried this a lot of times and checked com port and baud are correct. Selected all the proper versions. I manage to connect to the Mini GPS and it shows the old firmware AXN_1.30 2278 so it is connected on the correct ports. Any ideas?
criro1999 February 4, 2013 at 7:11am

How should I know which version is installed on my APM2.0 GPS before doing this update?

Is any CLI command to show you the GPS version?

It is possible my APM2.0 MTK GPS already to have version 1.9?
Emin Bu January 31, 2013 at 3:26am

ok..there is new GPS module(it have all the new things it must be better..is there possibility tu use it with APM2??

http://www.csgshop.com/product.php?id_product=131

http://www.u-blox.com/en/gps-modules/pvt-modules/neo-7.html

i post here bcs i know no other experts like Kraut Rob...any opinions?price seems ok....
AlexP January 26, 2013 at 12:59pm

Great write up by Kraut!

However, I'm getting the dreaded 'rare case red X', point 23. I'm using an APM 1 and do not see the solution described when this happens on APM1. MiniGPS results perfect results, so the connection (FTDI) works fine.

Any idea's? I don't believe the APM1 has a reset pin available to connect to 5V, but I could be wrong.

Thanks!

Alexander
Technobabbler January 24, 2013 at 7:09am

Thought I would share my process as well as I hit a small snag with the com port, may be because I run Windows XP SP3 in a VM.

My Gear:

APM 2.5

Mediatek 2.0

Note: Only power source via USB.

System: Mac Pro running VMWare Fusion with a Windows XP VM.

1. Upload UpdateGPS.hex to APM using Mission Planner
2. Cycle power on APM
3. Test with miniGPS, working on COM 3
4. Connected the jumper http://diydrones.ning.com/xn/detail/705844:Comment:1094290
5. Opened PowerFlash.exe

- Bumped into a snag here COM 3 was not being listed under ComPort

- Went to working directory for PowerFlash.exe and modified Powerflash.ini
ComSelect=3,
- Then skipped com portion of step 13 but still set the Update Baudrate

6. Followed the rest of the steps for PowerFlash and it worked perfectly.

7. Confirmed firmware update with MiniGPS

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This reply was deleted.