FLUKE Ti45 does not boot !  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: MedMax
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2017, 07:36:26 am
content: Hi all,I have a FLUKE Ti45 which get "stuck" in the start screen,See attached pic.I tried to reset the system (as described in the manual), but this does not help !Can anyone help !!Thanks & KR

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2017, 01:11:37 pm
content: Order of events at power on:1. Microprocessor loads operating system into RAM and self tests.2. FPGA chips are programmed3. Splash screen is displayed as OS tests system components and file system for errors4. If tests complete without error the thermal core is initialised5. Thermal core instructed to carry out FFC event6. Camera is ready for useIn your case the camera microprocessor is going into a halt state or loop during its self test but without showing an error.My first thoughts would be an error or corruption in the firmware as the splash screen is being produced and such would not occur if the embedded computer system had a RAM or critical system error.A very important question .... what is the history of the camera ? Have you just bought it from someone or has it failed whilst in use ? i.e, it did work, but stopped either during use or after a restart ?The answer to this question is significant.The camera stores its firmware in flash memory and such can become corrupted or be corrupted by an attempt to upgrade or re-flash the camera.Fraser

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2017, 02:37:08 pm
content: Hmmmm, is this the SAME Ti45 that you bought without an SD card and could not find the firmware for ?https://www.eevblog.com/forum/thermal-imaging/fluke-tir2-tir3-tir4-ti40-ti45-ti50-ti55/msg1237265/#msg1237265If so, you really should have stated such in your post as it effects the situation significantly.Having read your previous posts, you bought a Ti45 with a power supply fault and no SD card. Chanc3 provided you with a copy of the TiR3 cameras SD card. That firmware did not work. You now ask about what may be preventing your camera booting but I am not clear what firmware SD card you have installed. Is it the firmware from Chanc3 ?I presume you are aware that firmware from another camera model is unlikely to work in your camera. The bootloader in your camera will carry out checks on the firmware and if it tries to boot, it will likely stall, as yours has done, during the firmware load.Please also be aware that the SD card Flash memory is only PART of the cameras firmware. It has to match that installed in the camera or things go badly during boot.Please provide us with the whole story so that we at least have a chance of advising you and not wasting our time with vital information missing from the equation. ThanksP.S. I presume you are aware that some systems require the SD card to be configured to be bootable, unlike normal digital camera SD cards ? The FAT type can also be important ! Some systems still use FAT12 ! (common Floppy Disk FAT format) Others require only FAT16 and will not work with FAT32. The memory capacity of the SD card can also be an issue. Many cameras will not recognise a card greater than 1GB capacity, even if you partition it or try to reconfigure it to look like less than 1GB.Firmware on the SD card can also be serial number specific and will not function in another camera unless its serial number data is updated.As you can see, even if you obtain a copy of the SD card from a known good camera, that is only half the story.Fraser

author: MedMax
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2017, 02:52:48 pm
content: Hi Fraser,I honestly absolutely not the specialist in Firmware and Hardware related Software.Thanks for your explanations, that makes absolutely sense.Yes, this is still the camera which i got with a hardware defect in the electronic, but without SD Card.Now I created a SD Card with an boot image from a Ti50 and the FPGA File from the TiR3 from Chanc3,where I get this situation.Based on your explanation, ( it seems that I fixed the HW issue sucsessful because ...)1. Microprocessor loads operating system into RAM and self tests.2. FPGA chips are programmed3. Splash screen is displayed...... and then I have the problem with the wrong File content.My only chance seems still to be when I get "original files" from a TI45 camera.( even then it might be that i will have problems when the SD content is locked to a serial # of the camera )KR Max

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2017, 05:37:28 pm
content: Medmax,Does the camera boot sequence get further with the SDCard fitted than when the SDCard was missing ?Are you aware that an SDCard can have a bootable partition written to it, yet still not be seen as a boot device by the host ? A bootable SD card has a different low level identification than a standard SDCard. If the SDCard ID is not correct, it will not be seen as a bootable memory device.The FPGA file is very important as it sets up the FPGA to suit the hardware configuration in which it is installed. The TiR3 is a very different camera to the Ti45. I would very much bout that the FPGA file is compatible between the two.Your best chance is to find someone willing to let you clone a Ti45 SD card onto an industrial SDCard that is pre-configured to be a boot device. Finding someone willing to open their camera and send you such a valuable and easily corrupted memory card could be a problem however. Sorry the news is not better.As to serial number locking, I am sorry that I cannot be certain of such a requirement in the Ti45. There is more memory in your Ti45 than just that on the SDCard. Memory is used to store the boot loader and essential information like the Microbolometer calibration files that are uniwpque to each camera. I just hope that the calibration data does not reside on the SDCard as basically that would be 'game over'Have you considered finding a Thermal camera Hire company that you can hire a Ti45 from ? I will say no more on that route of exploration but I am aware of others who have accessed firmware on hire cameras to investigate content.I hate to say it, but this may be an unrepairable camera. FirmwRe is not easy to come across and, as you know, it is essential for the camera. Without it, the camera is really just an embedded computer that has no idea of its purpose..... a paperweight. You may need to consider recovering any investment in it and selling the camera as a parts donor on eBay. At least you can describe the situation and someone with a Ti45 may be willing to risk buying it as spares or repair.As a side note:I have to wonder why the camera had been effectively 'erased' by removal of the SDCard. One common cause is data protection or classification. Many manufacturers now provide detail of where user created data is stored within an appliance and how it may be removed. I have seen specific IC numbers detailed so that they can be destroyed as part of a data purge operation at time of disposal. The type of memory is also detailed, either voltatile, with battery life support, or non-volatile, such as flash.If your camera came from a company that has strict data purge requirements on disposed equipment, it is quite possible that the camera suffered a power related fault and before disposal had its flash SDCard removed to remove the customer data and effectively declassify it. Evidence of such an act is lack of care in opening and re-assembling an appliance. It is going for disposal so no one cares if it is roughly put back together with ribbons disconnected , screws missing and dust covers not re-fitted.The old trick of smashing an appliance with a hammer blow through the screen is ineffective if the Flash memory remains intact. Hence the effort to remove the data repository from the appliance rather than going to the expense of appliance shredding by a specialist company.An example of data sanitization protocols from Fluke is to be found here:http://assets.fluke.com/manuals/9640A___mveng0000.pdfFraser

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2017, 05:54:32 pm
content: I found the data sanitization instructions for the Ti45.http://assets.fluke.com/manuals/Ti4xTi5xmveng0100.pdfThe user data is stored on the CF card. According to FLUKE, to sanitize the camera user data, only The CF card needs to be erased.From a Government data erasure point of view, I totally disagree with them and the CF card erasure process, but that is another story !It remains a possibility that the SDCard was removed in the mistaken belief that it could contain users data.It is also possible that the camera was used as a parts donor to repair another camera. We will never know.Fraser

author: MedMax
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2017, 06:34:47 pm
content: Hi Fraser,there was a big difference, between empty SD Card, and the new mixture SD-Card that I created.I made a comparison between the files that I have currently. ( from the TiR3 und the TI50)There are 2 files which are identical, (DOAS.KEY and DOAS.HEX)Even the SPLASH.RGB are different.When I use the FGE_FPGA.RBF File from the TiR Camera i get the start image.Every other setup that I tried was without an Image on the screen.Additional I tried to check the Pin's on the spare connector,which is also accessable from the outside when I open the SD-Card Door of the camera.I wanted to check If there is maybe any "serial terminal communication".......As you said,currently this Hardware "seems to be repaied" but is absolutly useless without the Firmware ......Thanks for your assistance, Max

author: Chanc3
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2017, 08:35:16 pm
content: Find a Fluke technician on LinkedIn and ask them nicelySent from my iPad using Tapatalk

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2017, 08:45:21 pm
content: The 'unused' port that may be accessed from the outside of the cameras is the diagnostic port for use by a service agent. It connects to a break-out module and PC running the service software. Sadly I do not have that software or know what communications type is used.Thermal cameras I have worked on use one of the following communications types on the diagnostic port:RS232C with true +5V and -5V levels.RS232 UART with +5V or +3V3 and 0VRS232 UART inverted. As above but with inverted logic for Mark and Space.RS422RS485USBIEEE1394aSCSI 2 (rare but on some industrial cameras)IRDA !Common signals on the diagnostic port areAll major supply rail monitorsExternal power to power the camera on testCommunications portReset and key fault interrupt linesSometimes video output as analogue composite or digital format.Sadly some cameras disable the diagnostic port I/O until placed in the Service mode, or until an "Activation" voltage is applied to the correct pin on the port.In general, the service port is not that useful unless you have either the service software or knowledge of the various diagnostic commands. I have worked on cameras that have a dedicated PIC serving the diagnostic port. The PIC carries out system tests under external command via the diagnostic port.Sorry I cannot help more but I specialise in FLIR industrial cameras and not FLUKE.Fraser

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2017, 11:21:56 am
content: I am pleased to see that 'ali' has just provided the content of the SDCard that is fitted in his Ti45.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/thermal-imaging/fluke-tir2-tir3-tir4-ti40-ti45-ti50-ti55/Fraser