Re: Firmware nightmare — gibberish (!) help needed
Randy, I think that was about when the firmware started using all 8 of the LCD data lines. Prior to then it only used 4 of them. One of the 4 others may not be soldered well. Good luck.?
Ron
Ok, I've figured this out.
?
Firmware versions 19 and earlier work on my QMX — every one of them back to v6 (the earliest one I tried). Thank goodness for Terminal mode.
?
Firmware versions 20 and later do not work on my unit. This was a very early unit — not sure if that matters.
?
So I asked ChatGPT (the oracle, hi hi)... and it suggests a few possibilities (pasted below).
?
Now I'm going to update my newer QMX (hopefully without trouble)! I do wonder if the older one can ever run the newer firmwares, though.
?
73, Randy K7RAN
?
? Results Recap:
| Version Range |
Display Status |
| 1.00.006–1.00.019 |
? WORKING — screen readable |
| 1.00.020+ |
? BROKEN — gibberish display |
? What Likely Changed in v1.00.020?
Though QRP Labs doesn’t publish full changelogs, this kind of breakpoint often indicates:
-
A new display init routine
-
A change to font handling or character encoding
-
Swapping display libraries or restructuring how the OLED is accessed
It might’ve been something meant to improve performance or reduce memory usage — but it probably made assumptions about the display controller that don’t hold for yours.
?
?
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Re: Firmware nightmare — ibberish (!) help needed
At one point, the number of data lines used by the display increased, I think from 4 to 8.?
?
Paul -- AI7JR
On Apr 1, 2025, 19:58 -0700, Randy K7RAN via groups.io <padawer@...>, wrote:
Ok, I've figured this out.
?
Firmware versions 19 and earlier work on my QMX — every one of them back to v6 (the earliest one I tried). Thank goodness for Terminal mode.
?
Firmware versions 20 and later do not work on my unit. This was a very early unit — not sure if that matters.
?
So I asked ChatGPT (the oracle, hi hi)... and it suggests a few possibilities (pasted below).
?
Now I'm going to update my newer QMX (hopefully without trouble)! I do wonder if the older one can ever run the newer firmwares, though.
?
73, Randy K7RAN
?
? Results Recap:
| Version Range |
Display Status |
| 1.00.006–1.00.019 |
? WORKING — screen readable |
| 1.00.020+ |
? BROKEN — gibberish display |
? What Likely Changed in v1.00.020?
Though QRP Labs doesn’t publish full changelogs, this kind of breakpoint often indicates:
-
A new display init routine
-
A change to font handling or character encoding
-
Swapping display libraries or restructuring how the OLED is accessed
It might’ve been something meant to improve performance or reduce memory usage — but it probably made assumptions about the display controller that don’t hold for yours.
?
?
|
Re: Firmware nightmare — gibberish (!) help needed
Ok, I've figured this out.
?
Firmware versions 19 and earlier work on my QMX — every one of them back to v6 (the earliest one I tried). Thank goodness for Terminal mode.
?
Firmware versions 20 and later do not work on my unit. This was a very early unit — not sure if that matters.
?
So I asked ChatGPT (the oracle, hi hi)... and it suggests a few possibilities (pasted below).
?
Now I'm going to update my newer QMX (hopefully without trouble)! I do wonder if the older one can ever run the newer firmwares, though.
?
73, Randy K7RAN
?
? Results Recap:
| Version Range |
Display Status |
| 1.00.006–1.00.019 |
? WORKING — screen readable |
| 1.00.020+ |
? BROKEN — gibberish display |
? What Likely Changed in v1.00.020?
Though QRP Labs doesn’t publish full changelogs, this kind of breakpoint often indicates:
-
A new display init routine
-
A change to font handling or character encoding
-
Swapping display libraries or restructuring how the OLED is accessed
It might’ve been something meant to improve performance or reduce memory usage — but it probably made assumptions about the display controller that don’t hold for yours.
?
?
|
Chuck--
?
If I understand correctly, it's only the QMX+ that gets powered up, firmware loaded, and tested...
On Apr 1, 2025, 19:47 -0700, Chuck Harris via groups.io <cfharris@...>, wrote:
A really good question that you should ask yourself is:
Does your radio work when you power it up?
They all come with firmware installed for the factory
tests of the SMT parts on the board, so if your radio
is assembled correctly, it should play.
If it doesn't, concentrate on that. Save the firmware
loading for after you have fixed any construction errors.
-Chuck Harris, WA3UQV
Tue, 01 Apr 2025 18:22:27 -0700 "Bill KJ5IVB via groups.io"
<Wdbuck@...> wrote:
Just finished QMX build and I can’t get my Mac to recognize the USB
so as to upload firmware. ?I am powering with a 7v power supply. ?I
am using USB c to usbA and then an adapter. ?Have tried two other
cables with no success. ? I have seen all the tips on YouTube and
also page 63 in the manual. ?Feel like I’ve wasted $150 on this radio
and likely never to get it to work. ?I will try on a Windows machine
if I can borrow one this week. ?Other than that don’t know what to do.
Bill, KJ5IVB
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Re: Firmware nightmare — gibberish (!) help needed
Hi Randy. I know it seems like updating the firmware caused this but it may have been a coincidence. Gibberish on the screen usually means that one of the data lines to the display has come loose. You might inspect those connections closely while you are at it. ?
Ron
Unfortunately for me, copy-pasting the file (instead of drag-dropping) made no difference. Still back to gibberish screens. :(
Randy K7RAN
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A really good question that you should ask yourself is:
Does your radio work when you power it up?
They all come with firmware installed for the factory
tests of the SMT parts on the board, so if your radio
is assembled correctly, it should play.
If it doesn't, concentrate on that. Save the firmware
loading for after you have fixed any construction errors.
-Chuck Harris, WA3UQV
Tue, 01 Apr 2025 18:22:27 -0700 "Bill KJ5IVB via groups.io"
<Wdbuck@...> wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Just finished QMX build and I can’t get my Mac to recognize the USB
so as to upload firmware. ?I am powering with a 7v power supply. ?I
am using USB c to usbA and then an adapter. ?Have tried two other
cables with no success. ? I have seen all the tips on YouTube and
also page 63 in the manual. ?Feel like I’ve wasted $150 on this radio
and likely never to get it to work. ?I will try on a Windows machine
if I can borrow one this week. ?Other than that don’t know what to do.
Bill, KJ5IVB
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Re: Firmware nightmare — ibberish (!) help needed
Did it work before, or is this the initial turn-on?
?
Paul -- AI7JR
On Apr 1, 2025, 18:47 -0700, Randy K7RAN via groups.io <padawer@...>, wrote:
Unfortunately for me, copy-pasting the file (instead of drag-dropping) made no difference. Still back to gibberish screens. :(
Randy K7RAN
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Re: QMX+ Power Output Question
I have a factory built unit and your output looks good to me. Very similar. ?Those that tinker trying to get a little bit more out of theirs write up their sad stories here and ask for help. Don’t worry. Be happy.
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Apr 1, 2025, at 3:40?PM, secondchancesailor via groups.io <jagillaspie@...> wrote:
? I finished my QMX+ kit 2 weeks ago.? I built it for 9V, and held my breath as I powered it up for the first time.? ?Everything seems to work fine, and all bands receive and transmit.? I called CQ a few times on CW and saw typical results on the reverse beacon network.? ?I have also worked some FT8 on various bands.? ?So overall, I feel like it is a successful build.? ?That being said, I do have a question about the power output.? ?Running into a dummy load, I get the output as listed below.? ?Are these figures typical on the higher bands, and if not is there anything I can do to help increase the output to where it should be?
?
73, Jim (w8ykg)
?
160M? 5 Watts
80M ? ?5 Watts
60M ? ?5 Watts
40M ? ?4 Watts
30M ? ?4 Watts
20M ? ?3.5 Watts
17M ? ?3 Watts
15M ? ?3 Watts
12M ? ?3 Watts
10M ? ?2 Watts
6M? ? ? 1 Watt
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?I am powering with a 7v power supply.
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Perhaps that's not enough ... I found that my QMX+ won't really run below about 7.5 VDC.? Below
that, it flashes the "flashing battery" icon.
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Good luck!
?
- Bruce K1FFX
?
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Have you heard about Jeff Moore? He can help.
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Apr 1, 2025, at 7:22?PM, Bill KJ5IVB via groups.io <Wdbuck@...> wrote:
? Just finished QMX build and I can’t get my Mac to recognize the USB so as to upload firmware. ?I am powering with a 7v power supply. ?I am using USB c to usbA and then an adapter. ?Have tried two other cables with no success. ? I have seen all the tips on YouTube and also page 63 in the manual. ?Feel like I’ve wasted $150 on this radio and likely never to get it to work. ?I will try on a Windows machine if I can borrow one this week. ?Other than that don’t know what to do. ?
Bill, KJ5IVB?
--
Gary W0CKI
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Re: Firmware nightmare — gibberish (!) help needed
Unfortunately for me, copy-pasting the file (instead of drag-dropping) made no difference. Still back to gibberish screens. :(
Randy K7RAN
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Re: Firmware nightmare — gibberish (!) help needed
Aha, Roger, thank you. I dragged-and-dropped. Using the Terminal app to get back to it, I'll try copy-pasting the file instead. I didn't attempt to delete the old firmware. Will report back.
Randy K7RAN
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Re: Firmware nightmare — gibberish (!) help needed
How are you copying the firmware?? Drag and drop has been problematic for some people.? Copying/cutting the source file and pasting to the destination is recommended.? Also, do not attempt to delete the old firmware from the QMX drive.
-- rec --
I'm wondering if the "EEPROM.???" file I see there became corrupted (???) ...
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Re: Firmware nightmare — gibberish (!) help needed
I'm wondering if the "EEPROM.???" file I see there became corrupted (???) ...
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Re: Firmware nightmare — gibberish (!) help needed
Update... still no solution... but I was able to use the Terminal to enter the QMX's Terminal apps... I tried a factory reset, but it still booted into gibberish... So I then rebooted into the Terminal apps, and I selected the firmware function, and loaded "1_00_027.QMX"... but it rebooted into gibberish yet again. I tried that a few times, hoping that doing the same thing repeatedly would merit a different outcome, hi hi. No dice.
?
Any help would be appreciated!
?
73, Randy K7RAN
?
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Just finished QMX build and I can’t get my Mac to recognize the USB so as to upload firmware. ?I am powering with a 7v power supply. ?I am using USB c to usbA and then an adapter. ?Have tried two other cables with no success. ? I have seen all the tips on YouTube and also page 63 in the manual. ?Feel like I’ve wasted $150 on this radio and likely never to get it to work. ?I will try on a Windows machine if I can borrow one this week. ?Other than that don’t know what to do. ?
Bill, KJ5IVB?
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Firmware nightmare — gibberish (!) help needed
I attempted to update the firmware using my MacBook Pro. I followed the manual as follows:
?
- I navigated to the firmware menu choice and clicked "TUNE"
- Then I used a USB-C cable to connect to my Mac, and the drive appeared on my desktop no problem
- Then I copied the new file (yes, unzipped, named "1_01_003.QMX") to the drive
- It copied over no problem; and then it rebooted into screens that look like the screenshots below
I have a second QMX, but I'm too spooked to try it with that one now!
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Has anyone ever seen this before? Is there a way out? I'd rather not have to open the radio (I bought it assembled). Help! :)
73, Randy K7RAN
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Re: LIVE: SOTA+ is trying to do SSB on 10 GHz with a QMX
I was really hoping for coverage on the prototype? QMX+/- that uses SSB into a DSP with AI? to generate CW from the spoken word and decode? CW back to the spoken word.? Currently it? only understands? the Meskhetian Turkish dialect due to compatibility problems training the AI to phome interface.? Due to the limited memory and processing capabilities this had to be written in machine language and is not likely to be ported to the universal babelfish protocol any time soon.? It may be another year before we can even hope for an update.
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Re: QMX+ Power Output Question
Thanks Jeff, I'll do that next chance I get!
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Ronald Taylor
Paul - AI7JR
Randy K7RAN
David Wilcox K8WPE
Tom Clifton