tektronix TDSxxx tektool tekfwtool legal modification - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / repair

author: Tantratron
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2023, 05:46:49 am
content: Hello all,Some of TDSxxx owners have used either tektool or tekfwtool software for repairing, upgrading through GPIB communication. These tools were developed around 10 years ago by Sven Schnelle in Germany (member DXL). For those with no GPIB interface, there have been options based on floppy disk method developed by Wim De Muynck (member FLYTE) in Belgium.Early 2020, Ragnar Sunblad (member RAGGE) in Sweden spent lot of time to create a GitHub repositoryhttps://github.com/ragges/tektoolshosting the different software source file (original C, compiled executable) due to many versions or hard to locate on different servers. Myself in France have forked the repohttps://github.com/tantratron/tektoolsbecause I'm using MacOS, in fact the general Make file made by Ragnar makes it possible to automatically compile all C files wether Windows, MacOS or Linux.One interesting situation occured when Mathias Korn (member MADAO) in Germany kind of rewrote a heavy change on tektool.c so it could flash many memories beyond 28F160S5 28F016SA (it is able now to flash 28F008SA 28F010 and 28F020 found in very old TDS models).Another interesting situation occurred that the tekfwtool would not work correct on 28F160S5 so it would brick my oscilloscope. In the past, the same tekfwtool would brick an oscilloscope on 28F016SA then Ragnar change bit of the program. The tekfwtool now works fine on 28F016A so I’ve decided to understand source code written in C because it bricks any 28F160S5 oscilloscope. The tekfwtool is not easy to understand because it creates kind of 68k cookie downloaded in the DRAM of the TDS so I've decided to rewrite tektool to work on buffer mode for 28F160S5 flash so very fast on its execution.I plan to write the buffer-page version for 28F016SA later for tektool (maybe do the same for 28F008SA) because the actual unified tektool is very slow when using a GPIB-USB interface. To correct the bug of the tekfwtool is really more complex, one needs a 68K cross compiler which I cannot find working on MacOS.Matt kindly warned me there is a risk to publish the source file, he did not do it because the legal status or ownership of initial tektool.c and tekfwtool.c are not described anywhere (i.e. no GNU).So we are in a situation of Github reposting say the original files, tracking where they come from in internet, how to compile them, understand why tektool and tekfwtool do not work both on 28F160S5 and 28F016SA. However if modifying these files like to improve their features or solve bugs (i.e. 28F160S5 and 28F016A, old flashfile types), is it legal to re-use the original work of Sven Schnelle ?Furthermore does tektronix company could complain even though these TDS500 TDS700 oscilloscope are very old ?Thanks for any comments, advices and suggestions.Albert

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2023, 02:07:52 pm
content: Well you could ask Tek how they would react to this .... having their consent or not is the 1st thing to doYou'll know how to act .... because your coding, even if you try to protect it in a way could leak in the web ... or you put a warning that it is not approved by Tek ...If the 2 github repo havent been taken down is a good sign or not

author: dxl
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2023, 02:59:21 pm
content: Feel free to use my source as long as you're using it in GPL2 compatible ways. There's nothing Tek could do about the tekfwtool package i wrote. It just uses the bootloader protocol to download a special firmware and flash the firmware.

author: alm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2023, 05:37:53 pm
content: Quote from: coromonadalix on January 28, 2023, 02:07:52 pmYou may not want to wake up sleeping lawyers.

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2023, 04:42:39 am
content: Indeed ....

author: madao
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2023, 07:03:06 am
content: Thanks..I'll reading about GPL v2Then, i'll take time and clean up my source file (specially 28F008SA and 28F0x0 parts ).I haven't learing C programming, only a autodidact and i was bullied from a arrogant programmers.While i modification and write "old flash"-part, i have c programming skill since one years.regardsmatt

author: madao
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2025, 03:08:16 pm
content: Alright, sorry for delayed action from me.https://github.com/matt1187/unified_tektool/blob/main/README.mdi and albert work in background on working makefile (Multiplattform) but you can help me.

author: Tantratron
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2025, 04:08:01 pm
content: Again many thanks Matt (@madao) for this tremendous work you did on original tektool source file modification which helped me save back my TDS784D bricked by tekfwtool then very lately, upgrade my TDS510A firmware which was again bricked so another TDS saved. In other threads, clearly your unified tektool has saved many TDSxxx of other members where the very fact your upgrade first identify which flashrom model is so important then take appropriate programming + flashing protocol.Ideally it would be great for the community to have an unified C source file and Makefile able to be automatic compiled then run from Windows, Linux and MacOS. Few years ago, I've been able to recompile Matt's source (Windows NT) into MacOS which is basically Unix when run under Terminal mode, I'm sharingmy MacOS codeto be sync to GitHub of Matt so all will be public under GPL-2.0 to keep the spirit of @dxlMaybe someone could try run the Makefile on Linux or resolve a small problem related to usleep() function when compile under Windows.

author: Tantratron
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 26, 2025, 10:02:25 am
content: P.S If any of you knows a simplified solution, otherwise I've created a specific thread on another sectionhere