[Elecraft] Elecraft Utilities

Fri Apr 8 18:33:15 EDT 2016

Agreed.  Let's end the thread for now. (feel free to email with any questions.)

I apologize, but open sourcing the utility would create a number of problems and 
significant extra support expense that we can not afford. Improper use of that 
proprietary interface can certainly brick the radio, and in some cases actually 
damage the hardware. That's something that would not be a warranty repair..

We are not staffed to develop and support utilities for a wider range of 
hardware and operating systems right now. We're already support multiple 
versions of Windows, Mac OSX, and some versions of Linux. That's a lot more than 
most radio companies. Continually expanding beyond that also becomes 
exponentially expensive in a specialized market the size of this one.

That's likely the max we can do in the near term as we're primarily focused on 
designing new cool products for everyone. I'm not ruling out other OS utilities, 
but its likely nothing will appear near term as we have our hands full on other 
projects.

Feel free to email me directly with any questions.

  73,

Eric
moderator
and COO
/elecraft.com/

Eric
/elecraft.com/

On 4/8/2016 1:57 PM, Tim Henrion wrote:
> People building their own firmware loaders is a really bad idea if one possible outcomes is brick’d radios. Consider the potential support costs of these types of things. Java is not the answer. It is too dependent on the quality/buginess of VMs on less mainstream platforms.
>
> I’m a Mac guy and I can’t tell you how many pieces of embedded hardware I own whose updaters only run on Windows. There’s a real easy solution. Get a cheap Windows machine, run the software under VMware or Wine or whatever you need to get the job done. The LAST thing I’d want to see is Elecraft wasting valuable development time on stuff other than designing/building radios. Multiplatform software, unless its the primary business you’re in, is a sinkhole waiting to happen from a development and especially support perspective.
>
> Tim, KC1EOQ
>
>> On Apr 8, 2016, at 4:24 PM, Jessie Oberreuter <joberreu-elecraft at moselle.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>> W5QD et. al.,
>>
>>      Ken is referring to the following message, which essentially requests a simple command-line firmware loader program.  Note that this is NOT a request for DNA level access to the radio's internals.
>>      The communication protocols for most of the Elecraft radio functions are described in the public documentation, enabling people to write their own code for most functions.  The firmware loading protocols, however, are not. The only way to update the firmware (not generate our own!) is to download and run platform specific GUI applications from Elecraft.  For most users running Windows or MacOS, this is fine: virtually all of these users expect GUI software, have their computers directly connected to their radios, and aren't aren't running on unusual computer hardware.
>>      For those of us running Linux (or even more obscure operating systems), a GUI application that only works on x86 machines that are directly connected to the radio is awkward.  My laptop and all of my shack machines are ARM based, so when I need to upgrade my K3, I need to extract it from all of its cables and haul it over to my x86 work machine.  My work machine is running 64bit linux, while the Elecraft tool is 32bit, so I also need to install 32bit versions of several libraries to run it. Similarly, all of my radio gear at home is actually hooked to a serial-to-ethernet device, which is great for all of the software I use, but not fine for K3Util, which expects to talk specifically to a directly connected hardware serial port.
>>      There are several approaches to solving this problem.  The first is to ask Elecraft to provide more versions of their software: can I get an x86_64 build?  ARM7 please!  Actually, I use my Android for everything ... can I get an Android app?  Fortunately, we recognize that Elecraft is a /radio/ company, /not/ a consumer software company, and we don't want to ask them to spend time supporting dozens of firmware loaders.  Ideally, we would like to see or, with access to the protocol documentation, develop an open-source library for updating the firmware. Then we can build our own firmware loaders for whatever platforms we choose.
>>      Recognizing that this may be asking for proprietary and/or licensed information, Bruce has suggested a middle ground -- offer a simple "glue" interface (a command line firmware loading tool) that would be much simpler for Elecraft to build for lots of different platforms and would be more in line with the linux philosophy of starting with light weight command line tools, and adding far more difficult to develop and maintain GUIs on top as desired.
>>
>>      Perhaps a simpler option would be to offer a library or command line tool in a portable format that still obscures the proprietary protocol implementation.  Java is a good candidate for this, as there are Java VMs for practically every platform out there.
>>
>> -kb7psg
>>
>>
>> Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2016 17:52:34
>> From: Bruce Nourish <w0mbt at w0mbt.net>
>> To: Elecraft Reflector <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
>> Subject: [Elecraft] Feature request: Command line firmware updater
>>
>> Hi folks,
>>
>> As the subject suggests, I'd like to put in a feature request, for a simple, command line firmware updater tool, for all applicable Elecraft rigs. To update the firmware on my KX3 and PX3, I need to download and set up two separate programs, most of whose functionality I won't ever need.
>>
>> Such a tool would be easy for Elecraft to write and maintain, and would be easy to make work on different platforms, which brings me to the next part of this feature request. I'd like to be able to run this tool both on my Intel Linux machines, and my Raspberry Pi, which is hooked up to my KX3 and PX3 whenever my KX3 is home. Cross-compiling such a simple tool should also be pretty easy.
>>
>> I'm sure there are other people who're in similar situations, and would appreciate something to address these use cases. Firmware updates are one of the few things where you can't roll-your-own.
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> Bruce
>>
>>
>>
>> On Fri, 8 Apr 2016, Ken G Kopp wrote:
>>
>>> Wayne and Eric:
>>>
>>> PLEASE don't cave in to the requests of those on the reflectors who are asking you to disclose the "genetic makeup" of their radios by publishing the software that would enable anyone to modify how a given radio operates.
>>>
>>> I see this as no different than a breeder of a thoroughbred breed of dog opening the pen and letting all comers mate with the females.  You would end up with a "contaminated" breed.
>>>
>>> I envision an increased workload at Elecraft in dealing with the customers who manage to "mess up" their radio's "brains" and want help in restoring them to the original state.  Nothing but non-profit overhead.
>>>
>>> I would be wary ... read "never" ... of buying a used Elecraft product for fear that it's genetic makeup had been altered and really wasn't an Elecraft anymore.
>>>
>>> Perhaps I'm not understanding something ...
>>>
>>> 73!
>>>
>>> Ken Kopp - K0PP
>>> Full K-line, KX3, PX3, KXPA100, K2/100, W2's, etc.
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