Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2019 0:47 Post subject: Advanced E3000 Debricking Questions
I have an E3000 bricked by a recent load. I've tried to debrick using TFTP and the procedure found in several places.
It boots and the power light is blinking, as well as the ethernet light for the port I am connected to. Pinging it results in responses for about 5 seconds and a few more ping responses in later bursts. If I start TFPP during the ping responses, it only gives a successful upload message if a small file was uploaded. If I upload a mega file, TFTP completes with no error but also no successful upload message. If an upload was done, ping responses continue with TTL=100.
In any case, waiting for at least an hour after an upload, the power light continues to blink. Ping responses usually continue, always with TTL=100, but sometimes eventually stop.
I've found postings describing how to short pins on the flash chip, but they are somewhat generic describing several different routers. There is a dot and two pins by the flash chip. Shorting those does not seem to make a difference. If only shorting pins on the flash works, I will solder some wires to them to make that easier and leave a button attached.
I guess there is JTAG also but that involves more effort.
Any suggestions are appreciated.
Luckily, I found another E3000 at a Hamfest and just flashed it and restored the settings I saved from the original one and had it up in a few minutes.
I've had the fun of trying to recover from a bad flash doing TFTP and it not working on an E4200. Luckily, it was already set up for serial and it wasn't an issue to recover it. BUT, TFTP is usually ping, power, put and you have to be pretty quick. Have you tried doing a 30-30-30 after?
It looks like the most likely solution if you can't get it to TFTP is probably serial recovery:
<snip> BUT, TFTP is usually ping, power, put and you have to be pretty quick. Have you tried doing a 30-30-30 after?
It looks like the TFTP bootloader is loading, as I get ping responses for about 5 seconds. If I try to TFTP firmware, the ping responses continue, so something is different. But it does not appear to ever run the new firmware, whether or not the TFTP said programming was successful, times out with an error message or completes with no message.
I did try a 30-30-30 and no improvement.
Thanks for all the references, I think I have access to a 3.3V serial cable and I have a complete setup for SMT soldering, so I can work on that.
Joined: 08 May 2018 Posts: 14246 Location: Texas, USA
Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2019 3:39 Post subject:
The good thing about serial recovery I found when a recent alpha build bricked me into bootloop was I could flash a previous trailed build of DD-WRT without wiping nvram or reloading stock firmware first and it was good to go. Most likely you may have already reset it with the 30-30-30, but to be safe, follow the usual serial recovery / tftp method.
The good thing about serial recovery I found when a recent alpha build bricked me into bootloop was I could flash a previous trailed build of DD-WRT without wiping nvram or reloading stock firmware first and it was good to go. Most likely you may have already reset it with the 30-30-30, but to be safe, follow the usual serial recovery / tftp method.
Joined: 08 May 2018 Posts: 14246 Location: Texas, USA
Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2019 18:40 Post subject:
How long does it hang for? It takes a while between flash and 'programming' before you can issue the 'go' command, and that also takes a bit. If it hangs for more than 5 minutes or so, then that might be an issue, but otherwise, be patient, let it do it's thing. Did you start serial recovery with an nvram erase? If you are flashing factory firmware back to it from a bad DD-WRT flash, that's usually required AFAIK. I didn't have that issue when I reverted to a previous build via serial last time I had to do that, though. _________________ "Life is but a fleeting moment, a vapor that vanishes quickly; All is vanity"
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How long does it hang for? It takes a while between flash and 'programming' before you can issue the 'go' command, and that also takes a bit. If it hangs for more than 5 minutes or so, then that might be an issue, but otherwise, be patient, let it do it's thing. Did you start serial recovery with an nvram erase? If you are flashing factory firmware back to it from a bad DD-WRT flash, that's usually required AFAIK. I didn't have that issue when I reverted to a previous build via serial last time I had to do that, though.
LOM on the E3000
The easiest way of flashing an E3000 when you have serial terminal attached is:
Code:
nvram set safe_mode_upgrade=on
nvram commit
reboot
Then open 192.168.1.1 to the CFE recovery GUI page where you can upload the firmware.
I tried that several times too, but the browser will not connect. It scrolls a bunch of stuff on the serial port, but I don't know what it is supposed to scroll.
Re: E3000 Bricked 3 Times in a Row!!!! **bleep**? [ Edited ]
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04-24-2011 07:32 AM - edited 04-24-2011 07:35 AM
I got it... I had to open it up and short pins 8-9, then it would take a full file transfer via TFTP. Works like a champ now. FYI for others, it's not hard to short the pins, but it requres a magnifying glass and a needle or something with a small enough tip to short the pins together.
By the way, it still wasn't as easy as 1-2-3 after shorting the pins. I had to attempt the file transfer about 3 times before it took it. You'll know when it takes because the router will reboot almost instantly.
Re: E3000 Bricked 3 Times in a Row!!!! **bleep**? [ Edited ]
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04-24-2011 07:32 AM - edited 04-24-2011 07:35 AM
I got it... I had to open it up and short pins 8-9, then it would take a full file transfer via TFTP. Works like a champ now. FYI for others, it's not hard to short the pins, but it requres a magnifying glass and a needle or something with a small enough tip to short the pins together.
By the way, it still wasn't as easy as 1-2-3 after shorting the pins. I had to attempt the file transfer about 3 times before it took it. You'll know when it takes because the router will reboot almost instantly.
Didn't try this yet, but in all the other things I've done, I can see a variety of memory errors print out on the serial console. Missed reads, writes, exceptions, kernel panics, etc. I am thinking it may be an actual hardware failure. I looked around with a microscope for cracked solder joints but did not see any.
Unfortunately, long past that method. Did not work. I did connect a serial port, but that did not succeed either. I really believe there is a hardware failure. Since I found another one at a swapmeet for a few bucks, I gave up on this one, too much time taken up already.