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Hello,

Yesterday, I build the gateway (ordered from opentherm-gateway.com, including TTL / USB converted), I ran all the hardware tests and all was fine.

This morning I connected the device to the computer, after some search for the manufacturer, I installed the the Prolific drivers and then the device was recognized. As far as I now the PIC was pre-programmed with the Diagnostic firmware I first tried the connection with Putty in serial mode. I did not know what to expect but it responded to an enter with "Opentherm Gateway 3.3" or something alike, of the 3.3 I'm sure. It also displayed SE if I pushed enter.

Since that worked I decided that I could upgrade to the real firmware, since I assumed I could go back easily. I downloaded the monitoring software, and version 3.4 of the firmware. After clicking the program button the application (quite quickly) responded something like "upgrade failed. no errors." Now it doesn't reply anymore when connecting, it doesn't allow we to send anything via serial. And on a new upgrade it keeps asking: "Please manually reset the opentherm gateway" even if I remove the power or short the reset pins, it will not upgrade.

What are my options now, it looks like I 'bricked' the PIC, but what went wrong and how can I fix this.

Thanks in advance.

Best regards,

Martin

Martin,

That sounds like the normal procedure and you have tried the right steps to try to revive it. I have frequently reflashed the firmware on my gateway this way and never have any problem. You must have been quite unlucky to have bricked your PIC. To fix it you will have to remove the PIC from its socket and find someone with a PIC programmer to reprogram it.

That sounds bad. We just tried to desolder the PIC (it was delivered without a socket) but I won't come out, we used a "desoldeer-zuigpomp". My father (since he is experienced) did the (de)soldering but the only option he sees now is cutting off the legs. Which means it is not only bricked but will even not survive

You may be able to reprogram it in-circuit. Since low voltage programming has been disabled in the CONFIG bits, you will have to put a "high" voltage (13V) on the MCLR pin. That pin is connected to RB1, which won't like that. So you first have to sever that print trace. That's not really a problem because that connection isn't essential.

Martin,

I'll send you a new pic with socket at no cost. Shall i flash the 3.4 or 4.0 firmware so you're ready to go?

That would be fantastic, the new features that I heard about 4.x sound promising, so I would like to request the 4.x version.

Thank you very, very much.

After some long time of gathering dust, I finally made the time to look at it again.

The connection with PuTTy works, some more efforts seem to be needed for my Raspberry Pi, but http://www.domoticaforum.eu/viewtopic.php?f=75&t=8346 will be of help. And then time to finally connect it

Thanks for developing it and your support, when I have a(n) (real interesting) end result I will post it.

Hooray, its up and running via my raspberry Pi. Setting the temperature remote works but with a large delay which seems caused by the thermostat only.

All is at least working now, time to mount it to wall and build some software to log and store the data.