The Firmware Page

I forgot to mention the usb is version 2.0 on my motherboard, so the comparisons I made were with firewire 1394A versus USB 2.0.

I've just tried the firmware update- this time didn't select the verify box. Flashed ok, and came up with "Updated OK!"

But still after power-off/on of the box it reports the same f/w (03.06.19.241) very strange!

Ok, I was the original poster and haven't had time to check on this thread for a while. I had managed to get the updated firmware, the updater itself from another source and was looking forward to trying it until I was told that A revision chips can't be flashed. You lucky B and C revision chips you!! So I was stuck!

Anyway, I wrote a software fix for all those PL-3507A chip owners(and other chipsets which have delayed write errors which don't have a firmware fix)this and have setup a quick and dirty website which explains it all: http://member.newsguy.com/~siccos/

If someone who has managed to flash their B and C revision chips could see whether the new firmware actually fixes the "Delayed Write Failure" errors, could you post back? See this page for more info and a test app : http://www.bustrace.com/products/delayedwrite.htm

Hey nathane

I don't know if it would make any difference but did you power down the unit and disconnect from the usb port as well after the flash?

When I did mine, I hooked up the usb cable v2.0 and ran the flasher. It then asked me for the update hex file which I pointed it to. I set verify and let it rip. After it completed it's task, it stayed on my screen and showed me the new firmware version number etc. I then closed the flasher program window. Then I safely removed the drive from xp, powered the external box down and disconnected the usb cable from my computer.

After I got a glass of water, I came back and powered up the enclosure, plugged in the usb cable and it is the new firmware version.

So for me it all went perfectly.

My chip is PL-3507 - 03433C

For the previous post, I think that for Rev.A chip update, it may need ICP AP v2.0.4.

Can anyone provide this for download?

Thank you.

Yup done what you've said (over USB, on/remove cacble/on) nothing.

Both boxes are 3341c.

Thanks for that Bob, but again it doesn't work! The READ ROM feature works, and I can backup my existing ROM - it's 32K in size. But on Update it says "can't access the chip (be rejected)"

I tried both of them firmwares ROM files- same problem.

Details from the READ ROM within the box.

"ROM size: 32 KB
FW ver 2003.06.19.241
Endor ID : OX11FE68
ing the chip information"

WHOA NATHANE TIME OUT!

I read your previous message and got totally confused.

To whit:
----------------------------------------snippet begins---

>> Details from the READ ROM within the box.

>> "ROM size: 32 KB
>> FW ver 2003.06.19.241
>> Endor ID : OX11FE68
>> ing the chip information"

----------------------------------------snippet ends----

What is that Vendor ID: OX11FE68 all about???

That to me looks like it is identifying an Oxford 911 chipset and not the beloved PL-3507 this thread has been going on about.

Are you looking at the right external case for our discussion or did I miss something???

Regards, Bob

Proof that's it PL not Oxford!..

http://nathansilly.012webpages.com/chipset.jpg
http://nathansilly.012webpages.com/device.jpg

Make sure you've got pop up blocker, and try a couple of times with the shortcut (crappy host)

Copy the link, then open up browser. Paste then press enter. It should work (does on mine with IE)

Nah, even with the ICP AP v2.0.4, Rev.A chips don't flash. Someone gave me the newest flash utility, the one you mentioned, and the firmware for B and C revisions, and the firmware for A revisions. Tried to flash with both utilities, both wouldn't do it. The guy who gave me the software, who got it from a Prolific Tech support guy, said that the tech support guy said to flash A chips, need some hardware, can't just software flash it.

nathane, when you read the ROM(32K in size), have you checked what's in the actual file you can dump as a backup? I have an A chip, and could read the current firmware, came up as success, saved it, but when I opened it up in a hex editor, it was just 32k of blank(ie. hex value 00). Would be interested if yours is the same, even though you have a C chip.

Still can't flash with either flash utilities.

No, the firmware dump is not empty. See pic..

http://nathansilly.012webpages.com/hex.JPG

Although after 75E (the last 10%) are just 00's

ok.just checking.

Bob D Lamer and anyone else who has managed to flash their chips to the latest version, does the 128k bug still cause "Delayed Write Failures" on your enclosures? Just grab the 1394Test app from http://www.bustrace.com/products/delayedwrite.htm and run it. Still curious if the new firmware fixes that problem.

ghostdunk

Would you mind to provide the softwares for download?

Someone may be find the method to flash the chip.

Thank you.

I have not done the test on the page that was mentioned earlier regarding the 128k issue.

I have however done a successful ghost 2003 backup via IEEE1394 on my NF7S V 2.0 board. The resulting image consisted of 8 files, seven of which were 2,097,xxx bytes in length.

I have done some significant transferring of files around my network using that same external drive on firewire. I have not seen anything that would draw my attention to file transfer speed issues at all. It just works! Maybe it's my turn in the barrel to be a lucky one.... hmmm

My chip is the PL-3507-3433C and is flashed with the firmware from beach hobo earlier in this thread.

The external case is a PPA International ME-320U2FL-2100 which looks to be the same as the BYTECC ME-320U2F model. The WD 80gb SE drive is partitoned as FAT32 because NTFS doesn't seem to play well with the ghost bootdisk drivers, PC-DOS etc.

Do you have "don't let this drive go to sleep" or something along that line ticked or unticked as would be desired? I don't have my drive hooked up at the moment to tell you exactly where to look. I think in the properties of the drive.

There is nothing in the device manager to accomplish this !!!

Check out Power Options / Power Management in Settings!
There is an option for Harddisks.

Ok, I've posted the firmwares in my possession on my website http://member.newsguy.com/~siccos/ so feel free to give them a shot if don't already have them.

Bob D Lamer, if you could, could you run the 128k test on your drive? Its hard to see if you've actually got the problem, which might appear later to haunt you if all you're doing is just copying files back and forth. The problem usually only appears when you're running stuff off the external harddisk itself. And since you're Ghost runs off PC-DOS, and this is a Windows specific problem, it wouldn't appear when running off DOS.

Even with my dodgy firmware, I've managed to Ghost to my external firewire disk(120gb NTFS) with no problems before in the past, so that's no real indicator.

_Chef_ is correct, but there is yet another area to check. In device manager right click on the OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller properties and then click power management. There should be an option regarding turing off the device to save power. On the USB side the similar settings is/are on the root hub(s).

I opened up my enclosure today and much to my disgrace it has the PL-3507 chipset revision 03316A. Am i completely out of luck for firmware updates? I have an Optorite dd041 writer inside and have several of the problems that the readme.txt included with the newer firmware claims to fix.

Yup..pretty much out of luck....heard from Prolific tech support that it is possible to flash the chip if it's A, but you need some specialised hardware to do it. I've only got a hd in my enclosure and I seem to have no more problems with it, but if you've got a writer in it and you've got problems, I would return the unit because you're s**t out of luck. Sorry

OK ghostdunks here's what you are looking for. This is my WD 80gb drive in the external case with the PL3507-3433C controller. The drive was connected via IEEE1394 for the test, but you can see that without me telling you......

This case has the firmware update from beach-hobo. 040422.

It looks like mine came back with that magic number you were looking for of 2093056.

---------------------------------------------------------
Investigating DeviceName:\\.\PhysicalDrive2
---------------------------------------------------------
Cylinders = 9729
Tracks per cylinder = 255
Sectors per track = 63
Bytes per sector = 512
Disk size = 80023749120 (Bytes) = 74 (Gb)
---------------------------------------------------------
Device Details
---------------------------------------------------------
Version: 40
Size: 88
DeviceType: 14
DeviceTypeModifier: 0
RemovableMedia: 0
CommandQueueing: 1
VendorIdOffset: 40
ProductIdOffset: 49
ProductRevisionOffset: 66
SerialNumberOffset: 71
BusType: 4
RawPropertiesLength: 0
BusTypeString: IEEE 1394
---1394 Drive Found
Vendor ID : WDC WD80
Product ID : 0JB-00FMA0
Product Revision:
Serial Number : 0e6969696969696
---------------------------------------------------------
Adapter Details
---------------------------------------------------------
Version: 32
Size: 32
MaxTransferLength: 2093056
MaximumPhysicalPages: 511
AlignmentMask: 3
AdapterUsesPio: 0
AdapterScansDown: 0
CommandQueueing: 1
AcceleratedTransfer: 1
BusType: 88580
BusMajorVersion: 0

And now just a tad off topic..

I think you mentioned before about having your external drive partitioned as NTFS and using ghost with it. I have been unable to get my drive enumerated and assigned a drive letter as NTFS with a boot disk created by ghost 2003. If I have the drive FAT32, it then gets "seen" and assigned and of course works fine. The problem is that the drive is seen at boot by the aspi driver in config.sys(as NTFS), so it knows something is there, however the "disk manager" driver doesn't understand what it is and then does not assign it a letter. Now you enter ghost and sure the drive is there(sort of grayed out) but it has no letter, so therefore I can't backup to it. This is all pure dos environment.

I can see what's going on here, but it sure is tough to explain. Maybe you can make a bit of sense out of it.

Are you loading something like ntfsdos.exe in your config.sys before doing your controller scouring? Would you freely share your wisdom and experience with one who is so unworthy??

Here are the results after the max128k driver install.

---------------------------------------------------------
Investigating DeviceName:\\.\PhysicalDrive2
---------------------------------------------------------
Cylinders = 9729
Tracks per cylinder = 255
Sectors per track = 63
Bytes per sector = 512
Disk size = 80023749120 (Bytes) = 74 (Gb)
---------------------------------------------------------
Device Details
---------------------------------------------------------
Version: 40
Size: 88
DeviceType: 14
DeviceTypeModifier: 0
RemovableMedia: 0
CommandQueueing: 1
VendorIdOffset: 40
ProductIdOffset: 49
ProductRevisionOffset: 66
SerialNumberOffset: 71
BusType: 4
RawPropertiesLength: 0
BusTypeString: IEEE 1394
---1394 Drive Found
Vendor ID : WDC WD80
Product ID : 0JB-00FMA0
Product Revision:
Serial Number : 0e6969696969696
---------------------------------------------------------
Adapter Details
---------------------------------------------------------
Version: 32
Size: 32
MaxTransferLength: 131072
MaximumPhysicalPages: 511
AlignmentMask: 3
AdapterUsesPio: 0
AdapterScansDown: 0
CommandQueueing: 1
AcceleratedTransfer: 1
BusType: 117252
BusMajorVersion: 0
BusMinorVersion: 63302