Hi
After completing our custom trial PCB shown above (i believe reflow soldering was successful) and powering it for the first time, the RGB LED blinked red in SOS pattern (3 short - 3 long - 3 short - 1 short) indicating a Hard fault. Connecting to PC over USB to use the CLI, i had continuously connection - disconnection. With the CLI - “particle doctor update” I did a firmware update with success (i followed exactly the instruction given till the LED starts blinking yellow), and the version installed is “system-part1-0.7.0-rc.4-p1” and the communication with PC over USB established in port COM6. In properties of COM6, the driver shown is Particle and that is working normally.
The PC OS is Windows7 Pro - x64 bit.
I tried everything with CLI, i did numerous firmware updates but P1 breathes white. If i press the SETUP for 10 sec, it turns in the red SOS pattern for a while and then it again returns in breathing white. The Wi-Fi is not working at all.
Today i tried to assemble the second trial PCB with new P1, but i had an accident: during the liquidus reflow stage, the P1 shield cover desoldered and moved together with all tiny parts mounted on P1 board. Thus the second P1 is useless anymore. I will order 2-3 new.
And a small detail: i also have a Photon module which i used for the first experiments. With it everything went as expected, and i gave it the name RAVEN. Using CLI, with the P1 connected to PC, and selecting “particle list” it shows the RAVEN and that is offline.
Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks
Just now installed the windows app particle firmware manager. Drivers etc are installed, port P1 COM6 is recognized but nothing more. The app stuck in: connect a particle with usb. The led blinks either red (disconnect) or breathe white (connect). After a while pops-up a windows message “fatal error”. Nothing for nothing.
I am sure that P1 wifi does not work. With CLI and command “particle serial list” the P1 is recognized - connected to COM6. I can’t put the module in safe mode, by no way. The only action i can do is DFU. Pressing the setup button it turns in red blinking code Hard Fault for a while, disconnects from COM6, and then again turns in breathing white and connects to COM6. I tried everything with “particle serial ----” and except “particle serial list” all other commands return “serial timeout!”. I do believe that the MCU STM32 is working but not the BCM43362 WiFi chip. Do you think that something went wrong during reflow soldering? Unfortunately, the P1 package (flip chip?) does not provide any chance for inspection after soldering. The only you could do is… to keep your fingers crossed. I would prefer the LCC package instead because offers castellation pads and could be soldered yet with soldering iron.
In another post i read that pin 26 - 27 power was good, while in pins 2 - 3 not. Just now i checked the voltage and is OK, 3.3V at pins 2 - 3 and 26 - 27 in my custom PCB.
Fortunately, my Photon is working just fine. I expect 3 new P1 tomorrow. Till then i will try Modbus decoding with Photon.
@fotis, just to be sure, did you flash the 0.7.0-rc-1 bootloader to your P1 (bootloader-0.7.0-rc.1-photon.bin)?
Thanks.
How i can do that?
This bin file is installed at: C:\users\FOTIOS\Downloads\bootloader-0.7.0-rc.1-p1.bin.[quote=“peekay123, post:6, topic:37462, full:true”]
@fotis, just to be sure, did you flash the 0.7.0-rc-1 bootloader to your P1 (bootloader-0.7.0-rc.1-photon.bin)?
[/quote]
@fotis, you can use:
particle flash --usb <binary>
for the system parts and for the bootloader:
particle flash --serial <bootloader.bin>
Nothing.
Typed exactly: particle flash --serial bootloader.bin
Returns the message: PROTIP: Hold the setup button on your device until it blinks BLUE and then press ENTER.
As i mentioned above, is impossible to enter in SETUP mode. Only DFU is available.[quote=“peekay123, post:8, topic:37462, full:true”]
@fotis, you can use:
particle flash --usb <binary>
for the system parts and for the bootloader:
particle flash --serial <bootloader.bin>
[/quote]
@fotis, if you can put it in Safe Mode, you can flash the bootloader over with:
particle flash <devicename> <bootloader.bin>
Many thanks for the support
No, I can’t put P1 in Safe Mode (LED breathes magenta).
As mentioned above, the only available mode is DFU. When the board is connected to PC, it starts breathing white and is assigned COM6. If setup button is pressed, for long or for short, the device enters in SOS (red blink 3-short, 3-long, 3-short, 1-short). If the setup is released, it returns in breathing white. Pressing setup + reset --> releasing reset it enters in DFU mode (yellow fast blink). That is all. Only white, red and yellow.[quote=“peekay123, post:10, topic:37462, full:true”]
@fotis, if you can put it in Safe Mode, you can flash the bootloader over with:
particle flash <devicename> <bootloader.bin>
[/quote]
This caught my eye, just how are you reflowing that device?
What is your power supply and 3V3 circuit?
Does it connect to WiFi and run Tinker?
- With a TENMA hot air station. Temp is set at 250C and air flow at 2 (very low to not move the tiny 0805 parts). A thermocouple connected to digital multimeter is used to get the actual temp on PCB surface. I never exceed the 200C. The flux of solder paste that i use is activated at 150C and the solder melts at 180C. The time from 180C to 200C is 5sec as much and is enough for the solder to "boil" sufficiently.
- The module is supplied from the VBUS of PC USB and the SMPS of PC is a ZALMAN Goldrock 750W. No power problem. The 3V3 supply is provided by a ONsemi NCP1117LPST33 LDO-Low Power fixed regulator.
- It looks like the P1 WiFi is inactive. I don't know why. So is impossible to run Tinker or anything else.
For 2 days i tried everything using CLI.
A ST-link/V2 programmer is also available, i purchased it together with the P1 modules from Mouser.
Tomorrow i expect the delivery of 3 new P1 that i purchased from another shop over there in Greece.
Some times parts of different lot solve the problem.[quote="Viscacha, post:12, topic:37462, full:true"]
This caught my eye, just how are you reflowing that device?
What is your power supply and 3V3 circuit?
Does it connect to WiFi and run Tinker?
[/quote]
Did you provision your device?
OK, so your voltages should be fine,and you know the processor is/was running and you are presumably confident in the rest of your circuit. Soldering a device like that with a hot air rework pencil is not exactly the easiest thing to achieve, indeed even aligning such things correctly by hand is quite tricky as there are no external references…
My guess is one of two things has happened
A short or dry joint to something critical to WiFi function or perhaps ground
Damage to the P1 - something perhaps got a bit hotter than you think or moved.
That said its still worth getting a scope on there and checking the 3V3 isn’t crapping out when WiFi tries to run and other sensible checks like that.
Hi Robin
Thank you very much for your help.
Replying your first point, yes the rest of circuit, by moving the jumpers, it can be completely independent of P1and is working just fine. It is a MAX485 transceiver and an FT232 UART to USB interface which can communicate either with the P1 or with a PC according to jumpers position.
Indeed hot air is some difficult method and always i heat the PCB from underneath.
I don't know what went wrong, voltages look OK.
But i have good news. Today i received 3 new P1 and assembled a second PCB. This time everything went just fine from the beginning!
I'm very happy. I have access to P1 from smartphone and from PC. I tried Tinker and works just fine.
A side note: in the pads of new P1 i applied flux paste. No use of solder paste. And this time instead of hot air, i did the reflow into a frying-pan on the electric stove! 
I assembled a second board with new P1 that i purchased from a different shop. This time everything worked just fine.
Thanks for the help. With new P1 purchased from different shop and assembly of new board everything went OK this time.