I had to dig up communications.. it turned out that the Arnova he had, had the serial console disabled together with an unknown version of the bootloader.

There are like 6 or more different Arnova models. On the outside we can only differentiate two models.
The Arnova is very hard to open if you do not want to leave any traces and want to close it in its original state.
Once it is open we can determine some more model differences but not all yet.
Finaly after connecting to the device we can see what has happened and if it can be fixed.
For some models it is really easy. For other models it is very complicated. I know of two models that have the serial console disabled.
On one it should be possible to replace the bootloader while on the other, although technically possible as well, we do not have a proper bootloader to put on it.
So in that last case it is game over.

If you count opening the device in a gentle way, soldering, connecting an interface, determining which model it is and a few tests to see how badly it is damaged you are already counting the hours.
Remember that from the whole family of devices the Arnova is the one where they left out things like the FM radio chip to save 10 cents on production.
They are glued together in such a way that they can not be opened without removing (and in most cases damaging/destroying) the front metal speaker covers.
I can not justify spending maybe 4 to 8 hours on a Arnova device. They are simply not worth such a repair time.

You are free to try yourself and I can look over your shoulder and give tips/help but know in advance that you might hit a brick wall and not be able to fix it in the end.
For non Arnova models of the SkyTC family of devices chances to fix a crashed device are much higher.

~William

Read about the timebomb in the Original firmware and difficulty of fixing Arnova's.

You need to supply more information.
What brand and model are your device.

You will need a standard terminal software. Windows XP has it.
You can also use software called Realterm or similar.

http://realterm.sourceforge.net/

~W.

Hi Penbex,

All right, and thanks again for explanation, I'll buy and hook up the RS232-TTL interface.

I’m really sorry but I do have hard times to find the correct RS232-TTL interface with only 3.3 Volts ;(

 => Please let me know, if one of the following RS232-TTL interfaces will work or can you please recommend me one?
1.http://www.ebay.de/itm/Max3232-5V-3-3V-RS232-Serial-Port-to-TTL-Digital-Converter-Module-CP12008-J33-/271412437785

 => It seems it’ll work with 3.3 and 5.2 volts

2. http://www.microbot.it/documents/mr002-001_datasheet.pdf
=> It seems it’ll work with 3.3 and 5.2 volts

PS: Can you please let me know, how to contact you by chat (coz I have not found any chat function on the website) or maybe Skype?

Thanks for all your support and patience with me,
Greets Nixsen

J4.

Quote:

No, it needs to be 3.3 volts.

Quote:

Sorry but it does not work that way.
There is no way to tell in advance what is needed. As said before. It is even possible there is no way to fix the thing.
In most cases the data obtained from the device will tell what to do next. In some cases it might mean a manual reflash.
In other cases it might mean installing the recovery and working from there. But .. some Arnova's have J4 disabled!
In that case we can not see anything and the only way to fix it in that case will be by reflashing the entire system including the bootloader.
Since we do not have all the possible software mixes it is still possible to get stuck.
Also, if I would post here something to do for your device and someone else will try it on his device too it is VERY likely that it is not the right step for his device and it will make it harder to fix the thing.
Best is to hook up an interface and contact me by mail or even better by chat.. so that we can take next steps based on observed results.

OK - I think we're coming a little closer to solve my problem

I have some more questions or maybe you have somewhere in the forum a HOW 2 (I was looking already but everytime it said, they could contact you and you'll fix it for them)?

1. Where can I find the serial port of the Arnova or on which Pins of the PCB of the Arnova do I need to solder/connect the 3.3V serial interface?

2. Do you think, that this RS232 to TTL serial interface will work?
www.amazon.de/Big-Bargain-Converter-MAX232CPE-Transfer-Chip/dp/B00AAYOTT4

3. Once I have serially connected the PC with the Arnova, which SW do I need, in order to find out the status of my Arnova?

The status that I mean can only be observed when you connect the PC serial port to the serial port of the Arnova.
This needs to be done with an interface. Because voltage levels are different otherwise you will kill the serial port!

You could check ebay for a rs232 to ttl serial interface. It needs to support 3.3 volt. Price should be in the range of 1-10 euro

You can also build one yourself based on a MAX232 or similar chip.
There are tons of scematics on the net.

It is explained in various posts that opening the Arnova is a pain.
There are 4 screws located above and below the speaker.
This means behind the black metal faceplate.
The only way to reach them is to lift the black metal which is held in place with glue.
To lift this metal I use a precision knife. However, it is nearly impossible to lift it and later on close it in such a way that you can not see it was opened.
In short: opening leaves traces.
Once opened there is a 4 pin location on the PCB.

What I meant with status is not how it visually performs at the moment but the status of the firmware.
What is the error that the OS gives, how many bad blocks and what exactly is defective.
Only with this information we can decide what software is needed.
Note that in some cases, like a bad block on the very first secord of the flash memory, the device can not be fixed.

I think you did everything right, it is just that your Arnova was already too far gone.

Note that most of the Arnova's will die between their 2nd and 3rd year of life.
The earlier you switch to listenlive the longer it will keep on working.
Besides the Listenlive firmware, also the recovery mode can be installed (when they still work!)
Which will help in fixing them.

When you have installed the loader and you get only the Arnova letters, the device is probably bricked.
It can only be fixed by opening the device and using special tools and software.

1. FW-Loader process was successful:
- I have an Arnova KM104xxxxx with the original "FW-Version 1.7”
=> so I used this FW-loader „Llfirmware Loader V2 For Arnova Kmp511.2.1 Rm001“
(http://www.listenlive.nl/dlpagerep.php?file=LLFirmware_loader_v2_for_Arnova_kmp511.2.1_RM001.zip).
- I copied the "update-firmware.bin" file to the internal memory
=> A message “Successful update, now rebooting” was shown and the Arnova was rebooting and now it just shows the white “ARNOVA” letters

 2. Installing the latest FW v1.52 not OK:
- I downloaded the file “LLFirm_V1.52_All_3.5inch_models.zip” and copied this contents to an empty SD-card.
(http://www.listenlive.nl/dlpagerep.php?file=LLFirm_V1.52_All_3.5inch_models.zip)
- I turned the Arnova off and put the SD card in the Arnova
- I turned the Arnova on and now nothing happens ;(
=> The Arnova shows still the white “ARNOVA” letters and stays in this mode forever

Info for Arnova users (useful for other SkyTC device owners too)
Although there visually only appears to be one "Arnova Web Radio & TV" device, internally there are some differences leading to a number of different models.
On the bottom of the device is a model sticker. The model is KMP511 and the part number is PN 501602 on all of them!
Below the barcode is another identifier, the older models are KM104xxxxx while the newer models are KM111.
From the outside there are no further differences.

What they all have in common is that they have the same "bad" firmware.
With bad, I do not mean the poor functionality but the fact that some pieces of the firmware are able to destroy the device.
The is done by marking parts of the internal memory as "bad". When this marking is done on "unused space" you wont notice it.
However, when this marking is done on a part of memory that contains needed/critical software the device starts to get problems
The older the device gets the higher the chances are that a critical memory block is marked as bad and the higher the risk of a crashed device.
This behaviour is not limited to just the Arnova's but in fact is present on all models that originate from this Asian manufacturer (SkyTC).
However, for the Arnova models this is more of a problem than for the others because it is very difficult to open the Arnova in such a way that it can also be closed without leaving marks.

When the Arnova has crashed, it starts with the Arnova logo, shortly shows a dark screen and then shows the arnova logo again and stays on the logo forever.
Non-Arnova models either have the same behaviour showing a logo twice or have a logo with jumping icons and after jumping to the last icon (internet radio) the device hangs.

To open the Arnova, 6 screws need to be removed. Two of them are easy to reach in the battery space. The other four are located behind the metal face place below and above the speakers.
Lifting  the face plate is possible but it leaves marks that it has been lifted.
Once opened the KM104 models can be fixed. For the KM111 things are more complicated and some devices simply refuse to take any fixes.
For non-Arnova models the fix ratio is much higher but there are occasional issues.

The Arnova models do not have a recovery mode from factory. It is possible to instal the recovery mode after installing the Listenlive loader.
The recovery mode adds a dual-boot option. When the normal bootup is corrupted the alternative bootup can then be used to fix the normal bootup.
However, on systems that have crashed more than once, the recovery sometimes needs additional fixes before it can be applied.
If you can still get into the listenlive Loader you should not run the recovery. In that case contact me to check for alternative paths.
(See below for firmware updating)

I have fixed a large number of Arnova's and other SkyTC devices. I have done this for free just asking that the device owner pays for the return shipment.
Some fixes only take 30 minutes others take many hours/days!
Due to lack of time I cannot take new repairs and make sure that they are send back within a short timeframe.

In short, if you own an Arnova and visit this site for the first time only after the device crashed, you dont have the recovery mode and chances that you are getting it fixed are very small.
You can contact me for repair options. A quick fix is no problem ofcourse. But spending many hours on one device simply is far above the 'value of the device.
So, quick fix is fine, long fix means it has to be trashed.  

Updating from the Original to the Listenlive firmware:
The update process is done in two steps.
First a "loader" program is installed. Each model has a different loader. To identify what loader you need you need to know the name and model of your device.
In most cases the name and model are obvious. In some cases like with Arnova an additional identifier is needed: the RM number.
On the about screen within the original firmware you can find a RM00x identifier.
If RM00x is not printed (usually not for 1.7 firmwares) the RM version is RM001.

Once you have collected the brand/model/rm number you can download the firmware from the files section.
The loaders for Arnova are:
Llfirmware Loader V2 For Arnova Kmp511.2.1 Rm001
Llfirmware Loader V2 For Arnova Kmp511.2 Rm002
Llfirmware Loader V2 For Arnova Kmp511.2.1 Rm003
You only need one. Note that the others are rejected anyway.
Once you have updated you can load the full Listenlive firmware:
Llfirm V1.49 All 3.5inch Models

Before doing any updating you might want to read the firmware manual describing most of the features.
Llfirmware Manual V1.0

~William