[Elecraft] Difficulty with K3 Utility RS232 Interface

[Dick Dievendorff]

Richard: We disagree on your first point. Config restore restores what  
is destroyed by EEINIT and is not normally a required part of the MCU  
firmware load process. If you wish to save config before each firmware  
load, by all means do so. It would severely inconvenience others that  
load firmware many times a day if the utility required this step.

I'll look into the config save issue with very old firmware next week  
when I return home. I had apparently erroneously concluded that these  
issues were related to marginal cables. It now appears possible that I  
have an unintended dependency on newer MCU commands. I'll try loading  
very early firmware to verify this hypothesis and see what's going on.  
If I find something, I'll send you an early copy of a newer K3 Utility  
to verify that it addresses the issue are observing. If you'd prefer  
not to wait, go ahead and load current firmware. What's saved in  
config save is current control settings and calibration and filter  
config. If you can redo those, there's little reason to worry about  
losing config. Specifically config save does not save the frequency  
memories, CW message memories or the power on banner. It saves only  
the EEPROM that is erased during EEINIT.

73 de Dick, K6KR

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 24, 2009, at 10:56 PM, Richard Davis <richard at aroundwood.com>  
wrote:

>
>
> Dick Dievendorff wrote:
>> It could be the same issue.  I'll look into this early next week.   
>> I haven't
>> been going back to test each and MCU level with each new K3 Utility
>> revision.  Apparently I missed something.
>> Have you tried saving a configuration from a current MCU revision?
>
> Let's see....
>
> The first step in the firmware upgrade should be to save the current  
> configuration in the event that there is an unanticipated adverse  
> outcome.   Reader of this list can recall many examples.
>
> Saving the current configuration is the first step in the case of  
> the prudently skeptical user.  I am one of those users.  There may  
> be few among us K3 owners.  My view is there should be more of them.
>
> This first step must of necessity be performed with the then  
> existing firmware installed in the K3.
>
> So, my question to you Dick is:
>
> How do I get the 'current MCU revision' loaded into the K3 without  
> ignoring the configuration save step?
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
>
> ...and then there is the first principle of software engineering:
>
>    "BACKWARD COMPATIBILITY.  Subsequent releases are always fully  
> compatible with all previous releases."
>
> Perhaps that plaque needs to be dusted off and put up over the  
> entrance to Elecraft.
>
> .....'this is one fine mess you've got us in Ollie'.....   :-)
>
> Richard
> K5BWV
>
>> 73 de Dick, K6KR