Photon setup flashing cyan with a "quick red burst" (now orange burst) [Solved]

[wmoecke]

From a Git bash window:

@mdma

make a file containing just the byte 255 (all ones)

echo -e -n "\xFF" > FF_file

File was created successfully.

@mdma

write this to the device to trigger new keys to be generated on-device

dfu-util -d 2b04:d006 -a 1 -s 34 -D FF_file

Got:

File too short for DFU suffix
A valid DFU suffix will be required in a future dfu-util release!!!
Opening DFU capable USB device...
ID 2b04:d006
Run-time device DFU version 011a
Claiming USB DFU Interface...
Setting Alternate Setting #1 ...
Determining device status: state = dfuIDLE, status = 0
dfuIDLE, continuing
DFU mode device DFU version 011a
Device returned transfer size 4096
DfuSe interface name: "DCT Flash "
Downloading to address = 0x00000022, size = 1
Download [=========================] 100% 1 bytes
Download done.
File downloaded successfully

Then:

@mdma

this step is only needed if the device has previously connected to the cloud

particle keys send <device_id> photon.pub.pem

Got:

attempting to add a new public key for device 370022001447343339383037
submitting public key succeeded!

Looking good so far - after a reset, device started flashing white. Held Setup and waited for it to (hopefully) flash blue, but instead it went into alternating bursts (cyan/orange) for a short time, then breathing purple (not necessarily bad, I see my photon listed as "active" in the Web IDE), so let's see if I can flash something from the cloud.
...
No luck. But then I remembered [something else][1] that I keep stored in a separate folder, for cases when WW3 bursts out. This is something "someone" [posted a small procedure elsewhere on rescuing lost photons][2].
I reproduce their words of wisdom below:

@mdma

I have an update. There's a new version of reset.bin on the release page

Please download it, and flash to your device:

dfu-util -d 2b04:d006 -a 0 -s 0x8020000 -D reset.bin

When the device reboots, and flashes green, hold SETUP for 10 seconds to clear wifi credentials.

On reset, the device should enter setup mode (slow flashing blue) automatically.

I haven't gotten to the root of the problem, but some corruption in the DCT area is preventing it from being rewritten normally. The new reset code fully erases the DCT area which should get you out of the problem.

There will be more steps needed to get on the cloud, but go ahead and fill in your wifi credentials. You should see the device flash green, then cyan...and cyan with intermediate blips of red.

So I did the following:

dfu-util -d 2b04:d006 -a 0 -s 0x8020000 -D reset.bin
dfu-util -d 2b04:d006 -a 0 -s 0x8020000:leave -D system_pad_BM-09.bin

And got my photon immediately back into breathing cyan state. Yaay.

You guys absolutely rock. Big time. Van Halen style. Panama, baby. Haha.
(We're engineers - patience, if not embedded in birth, has to develop over time - after a few occasional bursts of frustration)
[1]: Release modular photon firmware - 0.4.1 · particle-iot/device-os · GitHub
[2]: Photon Initial Setup Error - #47 by Carsten4207