Just Because I can
So this entry is going to be pretty technical...but I feel its significant to me so its going here anyway.
Today I engineered the first ever (at least as far as i can tell from searching and researching information on this topic for almost 4 hours online) simple single cable solution for flashing the firmware on motorola's super expensive PRO/WARIS series portable radios! (HT750, HT1250, HT1550, etc)
Now dont get me wrong I'm a huge fan of motorola's products. In fact the only brand cell phone I've ever owned was motorola, and their radios really nudge up the bar when it comes to quality. But their products just cost SO much! Yea, yea, "you get what you pay for" does apply here...but certain things shouldn't cost $250, such as the equipment needed to upgrade firmware on their radios (this isnt even including the price of the firmware upgrade software)!
So today I set out to find an alternative to the commonly used (because its what motorola makes) string of random blocks, boards, lights and wires for doing a firmware upgrade. Because really...is it necessary to need all this:
1) A 9 to 25 pin serial adapter
2) A Flashing adapter (essentially a SPDT switch with two DB25 connectors on it)
3) A 25 pin serial RS232 to RIB cable
4) A RIB
5) And a RIB to Radio cable
Just to update firmware or upload new programming?
Here you will find the solution I came up with and how to make it including a step by step with pictures description of what I did.
In the end, I had one cable, with no adapters, and it only cost me $25 for parts including shipping for the cable!
--Will
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Today I engineered the first ever (at least as far as i can tell from searching and researching information on this topic for almost 4 hours online) simple single cable solution for flashing the firmware on motorola's super expensive PRO/WARIS series portable radios! (HT750, HT1250, HT1550, etc)
Now dont get me wrong I'm a huge fan of motorola's products. In fact the only brand cell phone I've ever owned was motorola, and their radios really nudge up the bar when it comes to quality. But their products just cost SO much! Yea, yea, "you get what you pay for" does apply here...but certain things shouldn't cost $250, such as the equipment needed to upgrade firmware on their radios (this isnt even including the price of the firmware upgrade software)!
So today I set out to find an alternative to the commonly used (because its what motorola makes) string of random blocks, boards, lights and wires for doing a firmware upgrade. Because really...is it necessary to need all this:
1) A 9 to 25 pin serial adapter
2) A Flashing adapter (essentially a SPDT switch with two DB25 connectors on it)
3) A 25 pin serial RS232 to RIB cable
4) A RIB
5) And a RIB to Radio cable
Just to update firmware or upload new programming?
Here you will find the solution I came up with and how to make it including a step by step with pictures description of what I did.
In the end, I had one cable, with no adapters, and it only cost me $25 for parts including shipping for the cable!
--Will
views