GT3B Hack Question and Answer Thread

[MadmanRC]

GT3B Dead after flash

Hi All (Hi Losikid),
I have flashed two GT3Bs and both work very well, I have a 3rd radio that I wanted to flash. I messed up flashing it as I flashed it with a blank file then assumed I had bricked the MCU so I cut it out and replaced it*. :x The new MCU is supposed to be the same as the old one. It accepts the hack firmware but does not turn on at all.
NOTES:
The radio has a smaller charging plug than the other 2 radios so it is different from the others - Are they ALL flashable with the same firmware ?
MCU
The original MCU that I cut out was a STM8S105K4T3 and the replacement is a STM8S105K4T3C the difference being the maximum ambient temperature it can handle, so they should be the same.
PROGRAMMER
When programming we are supposed to select the STM8S105x6 however the old and new chip is a ST8S105x4 - this, when selected gives errors.

SO, is it dead ?, can I get it going again ?, if it cannot work on the hack firmware can I put stock firmware back on - where can I download the stock firmware (Googled till my eyes popped out but could not find it)

*yes, I made very sure al the pins are soldered without solder bridges ;-)

Anyone with ANY help would be appreciated.

 

[pedemaster-rc]

Is losikid still around. I tried PMing him but it says he locked it so he doesn't receive messages. Need to get ahold of him

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[dieselmudder]

Been about a month since he checked in. It had been awhile before that as well.

 

[jar20635]

Hi guys, does anyone knows when the radios will be back in stock? Trying to get one for my Clod for 4ws, thanks.

 

[roachslayer]

Re: GT3B Dead after flash

Hi All (Hi Losikid),
I have flashed two GT3Bs and both work very well, I have a 3rd radio that I wanted to flash. I messed up flashing it as I flashed it with a blank file then assumed I had bricked the MCU so I cut it out and replaced it*. :x The new MCU is supposed to be the same as the old one. It accepts the hack firmware but does not turn on at all.
NOTES:
The radio has a smaller charging plug than the other 2 radios so it is different from the others - Are they ALL flashable with the same firmware ?
MCU
The original MCU that I cut out was a STM8S105K4T3 and the replacement is a STM8S105K4T3C the difference being the maximum ambient temperature it can handle, so they should be the same.
PROGRAMMER
When programming we are supposed to select the STM8S105x6 however the old and new chip is a ST8S105x4 - this, when selected gives errors.

SO, is it dead ?, can I get it going again ?, if it cannot work on the hack firmware can I put stock firmware back on - where can I download the stock firmware (Googled till my eyes popped out but could not find it)

*yes, I made very sure al the pins are soldered without solder bridges ;-)

Anyone with ANY help would be appreciated.

Sounds adventurous. I assume you tried everything with the old MCU before swapping. Given that the new chip wants to use ST8S105x4, it's got to be more different than just an internal spec of temp. What errors are you getting, and what does it do with STM8S105x6 selected?

 

[roachslayer]

I bought a GT3b a while ago after reading all about the hacking ability. I'm hopeless and can't just leave things alone. This forum has been invaluable! I've upgraded the battery to lipo, done the voltage regulator upgrade and finally the firmware upgrade. It wasn't so simple for me. I ended up having to reformat and old XP netbook I had laying around, as my Windows 10 desktop wouldn't play along. Anyhow, I primarily bought this for my brushless truggy in the hope to be able to control the power delivery, as it just flips on anything more than 1/4 throttle on take off and even at top speed it likes to flip when I try and feed on any more than 3/4 throttle. I hit a rock on the beach with this truggy and am out of action for a while, so unable to do what I initially intended.

However, I have a 1/8 nitro truggy that I have been running this tx with since I bought it and it has been great. But now that I have upgraded the firmware, my servos have become really twitchy. Especially the throttle. I never experienced these problems before the upgrade. Has anyone else experienced this? Also, I am having a problem that I've seen some others have in the end point adjustment of the steering. I can adjust the right turn adjustment normally, but when I turn the wheel to the left, it doesn't allow me to adjust left turn end point. I discovered that by pulling the trigger allows me to adjust the left turn end point. Strange, I know, but is there a fix for this?

I don't have an answer, nor experiencing anything similar, but I would start with flashing again just to be sure it's not due to memory not fully/successfully being written. That's the cheap/free fix that requires nothing else.

I would then try the RX in a different esc/servo combo. I would then try a different RX. This will all help whittle down whether the TX is really to blame, or something else.

 

[MadmanRC]

Roachslayer,

The recommended chip to program to is the same for both chips, It all looks like it works fine except the unit does not boot up. I am not sure if the "good radios" use the same chip as my dead radio. I have a new one arriving in a few days so I will pop the lid and answer that question. I will also copy the firmware and try putting it on the dead unit.

Failing that, I will order the exact chip and try again.

I also though that the interface on the hack is just plain horrible but well done given the limited resources. A PC app will be fantastic and will empty this thread out alot as users will be able to get up and running faster with less "how to? " questions.

In essence, if the STVP can talk to the chip, any other custom software can too, it just needs to code the hex file correctly, there-in lises the challenge.

More power to you, keep us updated. "thumbsup"

 

[losikid]

Seriously brilliant! I just flashed THREE brand new GT3C radios. There is something quite satisfying about opening up, soldering, and flashing stuff before even using the thing (or even putting the battery in for that matter). I then immediately configured 4ws on a little 3ch RX, and it ROCKS!

Who do I owe lunch to? This is really well done. I'm a UX zealot, and the menu nav is horribly cryptic and useless without the manual, but... that's just a limitation inherited from FlySky, not from firmware modders. Also, I've done many, many flashing of Atmel microprocessors from Arduino to Netduino, ESP8266 and more. But I gotta say, as a first time STEM experience, this was the easiest one-step process I've ever seen.

So... I got to thinking, there should be a desktop app for configuring this radio and updating user settings. Not only a great way to tweak, test, and save things yourself, but a way we could all share our favorite config/mix settings with others in the community. But that requires two things:

1. Is it possible to read/write data to the eeprom from the SWIM/STEM interface? (or DSC port?)
2. What is the data format we can emulate and create on the PC to send to the GT3B/C?

If #1 is not possible, this idea is dead in the water anyway. Sure would be cool though. Who would have knowledge on this topic that I can reach out to? I'd build the desktop app if data sync is even doable here.

STMicro has some resources for developing your own application for communicating with the micro controller using the programmer. The documentation sucks though. So the PC app has been put on the backburner with all my other projects stuck in the mud.....Eventually I'll get around to it.

Hi All (Hi Losikid),
I have flashed two GT3Bs and both work very well, I have a 3rd radio that I wanted to flash. I messed up flashing it as I flashed it with a blank file then assumed I had bricked the MCU so I cut it out and replaced it*. :x The new MCU is supposed to be the same as the old one. It accepts the hack firmware but does not turn on at all.
NOTES:
The radio has a smaller charging plug than the other 2 radios so it is different from the others - Are they ALL flashable with the same firmware ?
MCU
The original MCU that I cut out was a STM8S105K4T3 and the replacement is a STM8S105K4T3C the difference being the maximum ambient temperature it can handle, so they should be the same.
PROGRAMMER
When programming we are supposed to select the STM8S105x6 however the old and new chip is a ST8S105x4 - this, when selected gives errors.

SO, is it dead ?, can I get it going again ?, if it cannot work on the hack firmware can I put stock firmware back on - where can I download the stock firmware (Googled till my eyes popped out but could not find it)

*yes, I made very sure al the pins are soldered without solder bridges ;-)

Anyone with ANY help would be appreciated.

I highly doubt you bricked the MCU....You just flashed zeros to the radio. If you loaded the firmware then reflashed you probably would have been fine.

Also, the label on the chip is misprinted. It is indeed an x6 MCU, the x4 has less memory in it so you probably aren't getting the whole firmware on it.

 

[MadmanRC]

Hi Losikid,
Thanks for the info. The chip that came out is... 5K4T6C and the one I put in is 5K4T3C so they have the same memory. When I flash it I get no errors. Is there any way I can check if the chip is running, with a scope or something or via the STM software?
Thanks Dude.

 

[losikid]

Hi Losikid,
Thanks for the info. The chip that came out is... 5K4T6C and the one I put in is 5K4T3C so they have the same memory. When I flash it I get no errors. Is there any way I can check if the chip is running, with a scope or something or via the STM software?
Thanks Dude.

The label on the stock MCU is wrong. They are the x6 version

 

[MadmanRC]

Ok, I understand now. I bought wrong chip. I must get the x6 version to replace the misprinted original chip.

Cool thanks.

 

[losikid]

Ok, I understand now. I bought wrong chip. I must get the x6 version to replace the misprinted original chip.

Cool thanks.

"thumbsup"

The firmware was designed for...

STM8S105K6T6C

 

[MiteyF]

Anybody here have a link to a lipo that I can use to replace the AA's? Haven't gotten to the reprogramming yet (still not sure of the parts and software I'd need) but really hate the whole 8 AA deal.

 

[ssh22]

Hello,
I have tried to flash my gt3c with the hacked firmware from Index of /GT3X-Firmware/0-6-1/
When flashing completed, radio died... display was dark, all buttons were not working at all. I have returned the original firmware, but the problem persist.

I have also replaced this micro-controller STM8S105K4T6C with STM8S105K6T6C and uploaded the custom firmware again. This time some of the buttons were functional, and display backlit is working... but the display is completely blank. Tried to return the original firmware but radio died again.
Any ideas?

 

[MadmanRC]

Losikid, Thanks a heap for your help with the mcu, I installed the correct one, flashed it and VIOLA! It works. You're my hero.

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[roachslayer]

STMicro has some resources for developing your own application for communicating with the micro controller using the programmer. The documentation sucks though. So the PC app has been put on the backburner with all my other projects stuck in the mud.....Eventually I'll get around to it.

I'll team up with you on this. My expertise is in user interface and data (desktop/mobile apps), and in using APIs, but not in pushing bits at the driver level (though I have written drivers for MCUs, it's not my strong point). Maybe there is a good division of work we can find.

 

[durfeec]

Anybody find a way to get ahold of losikid? Placed an order on the site on the 15th and it hasn't shipped. I've tried the email listed and PayPal. He cannot receive pms.


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[lilws6]

Anybody find a way to get ahold of losikid? Placed an order on the site on the 15th and it hasn't shipped. I've tried the email listed and PayPal. He cannot receive pms.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

When I made my order a while back he was building kits he's pretty busy. I emailed him back through the confirmation email I got from overkill. He responded within a day. Let me know he was in the process of filling ordered.


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[nzcrawl]

Hi guys, not exactly related to hacking the GT3B (at least I don't think it needs to be hacked for this), so just a general question about how to..No doubt it will be something really simple..

How do I set (both) end points on the 3rd channel? I can set one of them easy enough (i.e go to endpoints, select channel 3, press the "end button", spin the wheel to get the value I want), but I cant figure out how to swap it to the "other" end point after I have set the first one for the 3rd channel.

e.g. I want to make one of point on channel 3 +80, and the second end point +100.
I cant figure out how to make the arrow point the other direction in order to change the other end point on ch3 if that makes sense.

Thanks

 

[honchojoe]

Hi guys, not exactly related to hacking the GT3B (at least I don't think it needs to be hacked for this), so just a general question about how to..No doubt it will be something really simple..

How do I set (both) end points on the 3rd channel? I can set one of them easy enough (i.e go to endpoints, select channel 3, press the "end button", spin the wheel to get the value I want), but I cant figure out how to swap it to the "other" end point after I have set the first one for the 3rd channel.

e.g. I want to make one of point on channel 3 +80, and the second end point +100.
I cant figure out how to make the arrow point the other direction in order to change the other end point on ch3 if that makes sense.

Thanks

Disconnect your motor and pull or push the trigger.

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