GM300 logic board "recovery".
Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 5:45 am
I know there are a few posts over the years on how to "blank" then re-initialize GM300 logic boards, but I have NEVER been able to get that method to work. And others have had the same error I found.
Which is that as you try to re-initialize the now "blanked" board, the RSS doesn't find the data to tell it what model radio to initialize.
So you are locked out of the init process because the board must not have enough info in it. Or perhaps this version of RSS doesn't know how.
What I found that seems to work well on corrupted logic or lower tier logic boards is a process where for all practical purposes I "clone" the radio with Maxtrac LAB.
You need a working radio that you want to make a duplicate of. Example, an 8 ch UHF with scan but masked logic board, and your bad logic board in a chassis with any RF board (just don't try to TX UHF thru a VHF PA),
Power up both radios.
Start LAB, go to the F9 EEPROM access and read the first block of memory from the GOOD radio.
Unplug your RIB from the GOOD radio, and plug it into the BAD radio, write the data ( I think F8).
Move the cable back to the GOOD radio, hit F4 to increment memory block.
Move the cable back to the BAD radio and write the data again.
Repeat the process about 18 times.
Sounds longer than it is. Takes maybe 3 minutes.
Once you have the bad logic board "recovered", everything in it will be exactly as the starting "good" radio.
Even the serial number will be the same.
I go back in and change the serial do something different, but if you do, you will have to make changes that leave the checksum the same.
The FIX CHECKSUM feature in MAX LAB won't fix it. I will make it worse.
Just increment one digit up and one digit down equal amounts.
You know you got it wrong if you get the long error tone.
If it is right, you get the usual reset beep.
I have used this to recover a few logic boards in radios that have been on the "back burner" for awhile.
Also used M10 or M120
Which is that as you try to re-initialize the now "blanked" board, the RSS doesn't find the data to tell it what model radio to initialize.
So you are locked out of the init process because the board must not have enough info in it. Or perhaps this version of RSS doesn't know how.
What I found that seems to work well on corrupted logic or lower tier logic boards is a process where for all practical purposes I "clone" the radio with Maxtrac LAB.
You need a working radio that you want to make a duplicate of. Example, an 8 ch UHF with scan but masked logic board, and your bad logic board in a chassis with any RF board (just don't try to TX UHF thru a VHF PA),
Power up both radios.
Start LAB, go to the F9 EEPROM access and read the first block of memory from the GOOD radio.
Unplug your RIB from the GOOD radio, and plug it into the BAD radio, write the data ( I think F8).
Move the cable back to the GOOD radio, hit F4 to increment memory block.
Move the cable back to the BAD radio and write the data again.
Repeat the process about 18 times.
Sounds longer than it is. Takes maybe 3 minutes.
Once you have the bad logic board "recovered", everything in it will be exactly as the starting "good" radio.
Even the serial number will be the same.
I go back in and change the serial do something different, but if you do, you will have to make changes that leave the checksum the same.
The FIX CHECKSUM feature in MAX LAB won't fix it. I will make it worse.
Just increment one digit up and one digit down equal amounts.
You know you got it wrong if you get the long error tone.
If it is right, you get the usual reset beep.
I have used this to recover a few logic boards in radios that have been on the "back burner" for awhile.
Also used M10 or M120