[Elecraft] K3 Summary of brick issue

[Jeff Wandling W7BRS]

I was somewhat nervous about the error message I sent so I had not thought 
through my email message clearly.

The issue is not any of the following:

1.  Firmware version
2.  Utility version
3.  Cable, serial port, or communication over RS-232.

The issue is this:

In a nutshell, user error.  But the user (me in this case!) was un-aware 
of the rules to follow:

The Utility was directed by the user to move certain firmware files to the 
K3 and the configuration of the Utility interface was not concordiant with 
the version of the firmware files.  In short, I did not realize I had left 
the check-box checked above the button "Check new version".

After a few attempts, I was able to make the Utility load without error.

It was nervous for me because being firmware, seeing errors on the load 
raised the hair on the back of my neck because things like that can often 
render the platform a brick.  I knew in the back of my mind that Wayne and 
Lyle had made the process robust and enough bootstrap code should/would be 
on the K3 to bring up the executable on the K3 to handle a new MCU DL.

In the documentation there are two methods described for resetting the K3 
if the MCU load fails:

1 a) pull the power
   b) Hold the POWER button and wait about 10 seconds then go to step 3.

2 a) pull the power
   b) HOLD HI/LO while TAP POWER and wait about 2 seconds then go to step3

3 a) Re try loading the MCU - starting the Utility, re-confirming
    communication to the K3, and then choosing the firmware, etc..


The resynchronization error is a loading error by the Utility getting in 
the weeds because of the aforementioned configuration of the firmware data 
and the Utility settings (AFAIK).  I've been trying to think of the 
use-case for what caused it, but it becomes nebulous because I don't know 
enough about the protocol used by the Utility and the meaning of the data 
in the S-code files.  A block diagram of how the  Utility works would be 
great.  How it parses the first file, and etc.

Why was it so difficult to get the MCU load to work after the Re-synch 
error?

Method #1 did not work for me to re-try the MCU load.  I was only able to 
get the K3 to succeed in testing the Serial port after a failed MCU load 
if I used method #2 to re-start the K3.

The good news is that I was able to reload the MCU w/o Resync errors, but 
it was that moment of "uhh oh", you know what I mean?

If I could make a suggestion to the documentation team about this:

The documentation of the error messages in the Utility doesn't seem to 
cover this error.  I searched the Help file on the Utility.  There also 
could be a little more treatment in the K3 manual over loading MCU and 
fool proof steps for loading in these use cases:

1.  Upgrading to a newer MCU
2.  Downgrading to an older MCU

And, for the support team, I'd suggest putting much more online with 
respect to past versions of the MCU.  2.57 isn't _that_ old, right?  It's 
not on the web site in a downloadable form, unless you know the secret 
URL.


All is well that ends well.

-jeff