Bricked OWL Modular?

OWL
#1

Hi everyone.
I tried to update the firmware of an OWL Modular with a Rev06 board using this dfu-util: WebUSB DFU
I don’t know if I selected any wrong option but it seems dead now. LED stays off, and does not appear to be in bootloader mode either (I could manage to start in bootloader before that)
Did I just bricked my OWL, or is there any way to force start it in bootloader?

#2

You can still force DFU mode using jumper.

#3

Thank you, I was actually looking for that documentation!
I tried today again and got strange results:

According to the documentation, when I set the jumper to the Normal position, I can start in bootloader with those results:

Name: STM32 BOOTLOADER
MFG: STMicroelectronics
Serial: 3852344B3233
DFU: [0483:df11] cfg=1, intf=0, alt=0, name=“STM32 BOOTLOADER” serial=“3852344B3233”
Selected memory region: Internal Flash (1MiB)
0x08000000-0x0800ffff (readable, erasable, writable)
0x08010000-0x0801ffff (readable, erasable, writable)
0x08020000-0x080fffff (readable, erasable, writable)

However, I tried to install firmware, I have the “done” notification, but it keeps restarting on bootloader and I cannot use it. It’s not recognized either in the device category of my rebeltech.org page.

When I set the jumper to DFU mode, nothing happen.
The LED remains dead in any cases.

#4

Which firmware are you trying to use? Most likely you should flash the MIDI bootloader first and then use it to install OpenWare build for OWL1.

#5

I tried to follow the instructions there.

I also tried earlier to update to the latest OpenWare release but still no results.

Most likely you should flash the MIDI bootloader first and then use it to install OpenWare build for OWL1.

I’m not exactly sure on how to do that. Do you mean I should use the “advanced mode” of the webdfu to flash the bootloader with the latest OwlModular.bin?

#6

Yes, the option to flash bootloader address appears in OWL webDFU page if you enable advanced mode. But you should be using another image with bootloader in such case - https://github.com/RebelTechnology/OpenWare/releases/download/v22.2.0/MidiBoot-OwlModular.bin

#7

I got advancement, but still not there…

With the jumper to normal position, I can flash the MIDI bootloader, I got the “done” message but it keeps showing as an STM32 Bootloader and I cannot access the device from the MIDI bootloader firmware update page.

In DFU position, I can install the MIDI bootloader and update firmware from there. However,when I reset the device it starts as a normal, and after a few seconds it turns to MIDI bootloader mode without touching it, so it’s still impossible to use.

#8

I have some new results.
In Normal jumper position, I can flash bootloader using the MidiBoot-OwlModular.bin through the webDFU tool. However my OWL appears as “OWL Modular v21.2.1” and not as midiboot. If i try to hit Reset to Boot Loader, it seems to reset to DFU bootloader mode.

#9

Yes, that’s the MIDI bootloader running. You should let it run and then you can flash the firmware

#10

Sorry I didn’t explained myself clearly:
When in Normal Jumper position, even if I can flash the MIDI bootloader and flash the firmware using the links you provided, when I hit “6. Device Reset” the LED turns off, and my OWL appears again as a DFU device in STM32 bootloader. Meaning I can only try to repeat the process again, which leads to the same result.

I can flash the firmware and get the Firmware upload complete message, but whenever I reset it will turn back to that DFU bootloader state.

#11

Just in case here are the messages I have:
* Reading file OwlModular.syx
* Sending data 308770 bytes
* Program Message: Firmware upload in progress
* Program Message: Firmware upload in progress
* Program Message: Firmware upload in progress
* Program Message: Firmware upload in progress
* Program Message: Firmware upload in progress
* Program Message: Firmware upload in progress
* Program Message: Firmware upload complete
* Firmware version: OWL Modular Boot v22.2.0
* Firmware version: OWL Modular Boot v22.2.0

#12

Truth to be told, I don’t quite understand how is this possible. So you say something like this happened:

  1. DFU mode was forced with a jumper

  2. MIDI bootloader installed with OWL’s webDFU page in advanced mode to boot sector

  3. Jumper moved to normal mode

  4. MIDI bootloader ran and firmware was installed

  5. After that, DFU mode was activated again (without jumper set to force DFU)

Is that correct? Because normally you would have firmware running as the last step here.

#13

BTW, we have a detailed log from another user that mentioned everything that was performed step by step to flash it - OWL stuck after firmware upgrade . It was written for Windows, but maybe something would ring a bell for you

#14
  1. DFU mode was forced with a jumper
  2. MIDI bootloader installed with OWL’s webDFU page in advanced mode to boot sector
  3. Jumper moved to normal mode
  4. MIDI bootloader ran and firmware was installed
  5. After that, DFU mode was activated again (without jumper set to force DFU)

Yes, this is happening that way.
Thank you for the thread URL! I guess I need to try this on Windows this week end.

For the sake of it, I attached the bootloader bin dumped from the module.
bootloader.bin (1 MB)

I get a stall message when I try to dump the firmware, I guess the upload did not complete properly?
I’ll write an update when I try to flash on Windows.

#15

Well it certainly looks like both bootloader and firmware are in that flash image. I don’t have an OWL modular here with me to check what happens if the whole dump just gets flashed. But I feel like following that other thread’s guide might not make any difference if the issue is not software related. So if it won’t help, you could try writing to info @ rebeltech . org to arrange repair with Martin.

#16

Thanks alot to you guys for the support.
I guess it’s still worth to try to give it a try.