Reverting back to RAK10701 tester - no luck

mucflyer · April 23, 2025, 1:05pm

Please include the following information, in order for us to help you as effectively as possible.

What product do you wish to discuss? RAK10701
What firmware are you using? RUI3
What firmware version? Can it be obtained with AT+VER=? - cannot
Computer OS? Windows
What Computer OS version? W11

I tried to install RUI3 to use wisblock software to reinstall RAK10701 tester software (it was converted to arduino bootloader to try meshtastic).

C:\RAK4631-R Update>adafruit-nrfutil --verbose dfu serial --package rak4631_factory_softdevice.zip -p COM13
Upgrading target on COM13 with DFU package C:\RAK4631-R Update\rak4631_factory_softdevice.zip. Flow control is disabled, Dual bank, Touch disabled
Opened serial port COM13
Starting DFU upgrade of type 1, SoftDevice size: 151016, bootloader size: 0, application size: 0
Sending DFU start packet
Sending DFU init packet
Sending firmware file
########################################
########################################
########################################
########################################
########################################
########################################
########################################
###############
Activating new firmware

DFU upgrade took 16.285964488983154s
Device programmed.

C:\RAK4631-R Update>adafruit-nrfutil.exe --verbose dfu serial --package rui3_nrf52840_bootloader_latest.zip --port COM13 -b 115200 --singlebank --touch 1200
Upgrading target on COM13 with DFU package C:\RAK4631-R Update\rui3_nrf52840_bootloader_latest.zip. Flow control is disabled, Single bank, Touch 1200
Touched serial port COM13
Opened serial port COM13
Starting DFU upgrade of type 2, SoftDevice size: 0, bootloader size: 36184, application size: 0
Sending DFU start packet
Sending DFU init packet
Sending firmware file
########################################
###############################
Activating new firmware

DFU upgrade took 2.6618168354034424s
Device programmed.

C:\RAK4631-R Update>nrfutil.exe dfu serial -pkg rui3_rak4631_latest.zip -p COM3
  [####################################]  100%
Device programmed.

C:\RAK4631-R Update>

Seems correct (RAK rebooted around 36% when uploading rui3_rak4631_latest.zip) then continues. After finish I hear tone of disconnection from windows, but it never apears back as serial port, hence I cannot use wisblock software to reinstall tester soft on it. Any help please ?

mucflyer · April 23, 2025, 1:26pm

Also tried : C:\RAK4631-R Update>nrfutil.exe dfu serial -pkg RAK10701_L_P_Latest_Firmware.zip -p COM3 [####################################] 100% Device programmed.

But no serial port apears after reboot.

beegee · April 23, 2025, 1:39pm

Welcome back to the forum @mucflyer

It looks like bootloader/softdevice combination got messed up during your update try.
Sequence is usually
First Bootloader
Second Softdevice
Third Application

From your logs it looks like you flashed Softdevice first. That could be the reason.
If Bootloader and Softdevice don’t match it is a problem. You would have Arduino Bootloader and RUI3 Softdevice on the module. That doesn’t work well.

Do you have access to a JLink or a DAPlink to flash the firmware?

mucflyer · April 23, 2025, 1:42pm

Unfortunately no access to JLink or DAPlink…

beegee · April 24, 2025, 12:57am

Then it will be nearly impossible to flash anything without the USB port showing up.

mucflyer · April 24, 2025, 4:29am

Oddly enough, port does appear when I press reset button. I was able to flash it back to arduino bootloader with softdevice and then flash successfully meshtastic again.
However, flashing RUI3 always render to unusable status.

beegee · April 24, 2025, 5:12am

I tried the steps by myself and it works.
If you still have a USB port showing up, retry and skip the softdevice flashing:

(1) ./adafruit-nrfutil.exe --verbose dfu serial --package rui3_nrf52840_bootloader_latest.zip --port COM71 -b 115200 --singlebank --touch 1200
(2) ./nrfutil.exe dfu serial -pkg rui3_rak4631_latest.zip -p COM77`

After step (2) it takes some time before the USB port shows up. For me it was up to 10 seconds before I got it back.

mucflyer · April 24, 2025, 6:14am

C:\RAK4631-R Update>adafruit-nrfutil.exe --verbose dfu serial --package rui3_nrf52840_bootloader_latest.zip --port COM13 -b 115200 --singlebank --touch 1200
Upgrading target on COM13 with DFU package C:\RAK4631-R Update\rui3_nrf52840_bootloader_latest.zip. Flow control is disabled, Single bank, Touch 1200
Touched serial port COM13
Opened serial port COM13
Starting DFU upgrade of type 2, SoftDevice size: 0, bootloader size: 36184, application size: 0
Sending DFU start packet
Sending DFU init packet
Sending firmware file
########################################
###############################
Activating new firmware

DFU upgrade took 2.6229989528656006s
Device programmed.

C:\RAK4631-R Update>nrfutil.exe dfu serial -pkg rui3_rak4631_latest.zip -p COM3
  [####################################]  100%
Device programmed.

C:\RAK4631-R Update>

After step 2 red LED is lit, dimming slightly every 10 seconds, no COM port showing up even after minutes or so.

I does appear after removing and pluging back in USB cable. (Red LED is flashing irregulary, quickly)

But WisToolBox does not recognize anything :

After some time, COM is gone again…and red LED is back to diming sequence every 10 seconds or so.

beegee · April 24, 2025, 10:13am

Try to download the files again. Maybe there is a problem with the files you are flashing.

These are the RUI3 files I am using:
rak4631_factory_application.zip (180.0 KB)
rak4631_factory_bootloader.zip (38.7 KB)
rak4631_factory_softdevice.zip (148.3 KB)

mucflyer · April 24, 2025, 10:27am

I took files from your post and :

c:\RAK4631-R Update>nrfutil --verbose dfu serial --package rak4631_factory_bootloader.zip -p COM3
  [####################################]  100%
Device programmed.

c:\RAK4631-R Update>adafruit-nrfutil --verbose dfu serial --package rak4631_factory_softdevice.zip -p COM13
Upgrading target on COM13 with DFU package C:\RAK4631-R Update\rak4631_factory_softdevice.zip. Flow control is disabled, Dual bank, Touch disabled
Opened serial port COM13
Starting DFU upgrade of type 1, SoftDevice size: 151016, bootloader size: 0, application size: 0
Sending DFU start packet
Sending DFU init packet
Sending firmware file
########################################
########################################
########################################
########################################
########################################
########################################
########################################
###############
Activating new firmware

DFU upgrade took 16.256030321121216s
Device programmed.

c:\RAK4631-R Update>

After this commands I can see RAK4631 as Windows drive. Seems It is adafruit bootlader / softdevice pair.

After I did :

c:\RAK4631-R Update>adafruit-nrfutil.exe --verbose dfu serial --package rui3_nrf52840_bootloader_latest.zip --port COM13 -b 115200 --singlebank --touch 1200
Upgrading target on COM13 with DFU package C:\RAK4631-R Update\rui3_nrf52840_bootloader_latest.zip. Flow control is disabled, Single bank, Touch 1200
Touched serial port COM13
Opened serial port COM13
Starting DFU upgrade of type 2, SoftDevice size: 0, bootloader size: 36184, application size: 0
Sending DFU start packet
Sending DFU init packet
Sending firmware file
########################################
###############################
Activating new firmware

DFU upgrade took 2.632714033126831s
Device programmed.

c:\RAK4631-R Update>nrfutil.exe dfu serial -pkg rui3_rak4631_latest.zip -p COM3
  [####################################]  100%
Device programmed.

c:\RAK4631-R Update>

But results are the same, RAK is rebooting, no serial port, BUT when I double press reset, serial ports is showing. Only for double press, not for single, not for USB disconnecting/connecting.

beegee · April 24, 2025, 11:00am

Double push reset works only with Arduino bootloader. RUI3 does not have this feature.
That means your flashing RUI3 bootloader doesn’t work.

No idea why the tool insists it works, but it doesn’t.

mucflyer · April 24, 2025, 1:50pm

I have ordered new RAK4631 board, will replace this one in RAK10701 currently I have and see. Seems this one is locked and without interfaces won’t be able to reflash it.

beegee · April 25, 2025, 1:07am

Make sure you ordered the RAK4631-R, so you get it with RUI3 bootloader already.

mucflyer · April 25, 2025, 7:35am

As a test I found another 4630 board, took also RAK19007 ver C to have new enviroment. I took other PC and cable. And guess what…exactly the same situation…