Snap-On automotive scan tool system date not set in flash memory

[Agentfoot]

Let me start by saying snap-on no longer supports this tool so contacting them just gets a sorry we can't help you. 

I have a snap-on solus ultra automotive scan tool. The tool has a 3V coin cell battery on the main PCB that died. When this died the date on the tool became set to 01/02/1970. This also made the tool say the software was unregistered so the tool can no longer be used. I replaced the coin cell battery but the date issue still persists. The positive side of the coin cell seems to disappear to know where, and I can not seem to find anything with continuity to it.

What I do know is snap-on could fix this issue by connecting to the tool over the internet through the usb port when it was supported. The tool runs an embedded SMXcf operating system. The operating system is run off a micro SD card. If the micro SD card is removed a GEP utilities screen comes up with some information and says clock not set. This indicated to me that the clock needs set in the flash memory, but I'm just guessing. The tool has a MXIC MX29LV640EBXEI-70G flash chip and Coldfire MCF5232CVM100 processor.

Is there anyway to write the date to the chip? Or Dump the flash and edit it to add the date? This was a $3000 tool 10 years ago, and would still be usable for a very long time if it could be fixed. I'll add some pictures of the tool and main PCB front and back. I can get better pictures of anything iff needed.

[darkspr1te]

The chip that is next to J7 (top right of board, near mcu) is the RTC chip and is programmed via I2c(the pads marked SDA/SCK), if you peal the yellow tape off you will see the chips code, using this we can figure out how to set the date/time via the i2c connecter using a arduino or similar, if the date code is set right it should work, normally i assume the dealer can do this via debug software.


darkspr1te

[darkspr1te]

from the pictures and layout the rtc might be a ds1307 m if so this arduino lib will help you program it.


https://docs.arduino.cc/libraries/ds1307rtc/

[mikerj]

Can you not set the clock through the settings menu?

[Agentfoot]

You can only set the time in the settings menu. There is no option to set the date.

[Agentfoot]

Thanks for your help. That chip is marked 1371 323A2 + Picture is included. It does receive power from the coin cell battery on the pin opposite of pin 1 (pin 8?). I do not have a Arduino but will purchase one if needed. I do have a raspberry pi 4 if that would work.

[Agentfoot]

Found the data sheet for the chip.

[coromonadalix]

i used an arduino sketch and a small duino board  on the spi lines to push the clock settings to an similar one  ...

since on the main board you have the sda sck ... lines  almost all the job is already done ....

maybe one trick  would be to hold the main mcu in reset,   push the configs into the clock and try   


since the duino library is posted  ... should be relatively easy,   you may find others  who could push all the configs when you connect
...  or other who need the arduino ide terminal opened and you type the infos and send ....


the link ------>     DS1307RTC/examples/SetTime/SetTime.ino      should do the job perfectly

[Agentfoot]

I have no experience with Arduino but I'm willing to learn. Which board would be recommended for this?

To make sure I got this right
1. Get Arduino
2. Learn to program Arduino with code from DS1307RTC/examples/SetTime/SetTime.ino
3. Use Arduino to program DS1371 clock
 
Would those be the correct steps? Does that code need modified to the correct date?

Guess I have some learning to do. Any links with relevent information on any of this is appreciated.

[darkspr1te]

As you have a pi4 then use these links

https://www.instructables.com/DIY-RTC-DS1307-Module-and-use-with-Raspberry-Pi/
https://wiki.seeedstudio.com/Pi_RTC-DS1307/

you will only need SDA/SCL/GND from pi to the chip, i dont know if it will program via coin cell only power so you may need to connect the power , the i2c bus should be accesed only only a few times on boot up then the system would just hang, thats when you should be able to to connect and run the right programs

darkspr1te

[Agentfoot]

Thank you. I will give it a try.

[bson]

Isn't there a way to set the date and time from the menu? Or does that not help?

It's also possible there is a tamper sensor, in which case it needs to go to Snap-On to reactivate.  I'd contact them, Snap-On has very good customer support.

[Agentfoot]

Seems like you skipped reading much of this thread. You can only set the time in the software, no option to set the date. Snap-on is no help since the tool is no longer supported. It seems the date must be written directly to a timer chip on the main PCB.

[u666sa]

You can only set the time in the settings menu. There is no option to set the date.

Could be a long shot and totally into dark. In that settings menu could you enter 1731012801 into where you set the time?
I mean, perhaps it takes time and date formatted as one number. Nah?

[Agentfoot]

Can only enter 2 digits in an hour box then 2 digits in the minutes box. So that is not possible.

[Agentfoot]

So I got my Raspberry pi 3 out updated it, turned on I2C in the configuration and did a reboot. I then soldered jumper wires directly to the SDA and SCK pads on the solus ultra. Running the "sudo i2cdetect -y 1" command results in nothing being detected. I have tried with the solus ultra powered on, powered off with battery power, and battery removed powered by the pi 3.3V.

One place mentioned the pi needs a Bi-directional level shifter because I2C bus of Raspberry Pi uses 3.3V, however the chip DS1307 works at 5V. So I looked at the DS1307 and DS1371 data sheets and noticed some differences.

DS1307  Vcc=4.5-5.5V typical 5V   Then pin3 is Vbat for the 3V battery

DS1371 Vcc=1.7-5.5V typical 3.3V Then pin3 is WDS for the watchdog timer.  This chip is powered by the coin cell directly and the tool provides 3V when its on.

So it appears the DS1371 I'm dealing with does not require the 5V. Am I doing something incorrect?

[darkspr1te]

did you enable i2c ?
https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/supportpkg/enable-the-i2c-interface-onraspberry-pi-hardware-kernel.html
i would also put a multimeter on the sda /sck lines to see it it changes when you run the i2c detect command.

another mad option is to use this app
https://github.com/superzerg/logic-analyzer
on the pi as well and see if it does pickup data on the i2c bus both when you power up the device and when you run the i2c detect command.

darkspr1te

[MrAl]

Let me start by saying snap-on no longer supports this tool so contacting them just gets a sorry we can't help you. 

I have a snap-on solus ultra automotive scan tool. The tool has a 3V coin cell battery on the main PCB that died. When this died the date on the tool became set to 01/02/1970. This also made the tool say the software was unregistered so the tool can no longer be used. I replaced the coin cell battery but the date issue still persists. The positive side of the coin cell seems to disappear to know where, and I can not seem to find anything with continuity to it.

What I do know is snap-on could fix this issue by connecting to the tool over the internet through the usb port when it was supported. The tool runs an embedded SMXcf operating system. The operating system is run off a micro SD card. If the micro SD card is removed a GEP utilities screen comes up with some information and says clock not set. This indicated to me that the clock needs set in the flash memory, but I'm just guessing. The tool has a MXIC MX29LV640EBXEI-70G flash chip and Coldfire MCF5232CVM100 processor.

Is there anyway to write the date to the chip? Or Dump the flash and edit it to add the date? This was a $3000 tool 10 years ago, and would still be usable for a very long time if it could be fixed. I'll add some pictures of the tool and main PCB front and back. I can get better pictures of anything iff needed.

Hi,

I am just curious, how did you come to the conclusion that setting the date would make it work again?
I am not saying you are wrong, just how you figured that out.  Or is that just a guess in a last ditch attempt to get it working again?
I am wondering if the activation code has to be changed or reentered also after a battery change.

[Agentfoot]

I’ve called snap-on and they have confirmed the battery probably died causing the date changed and license issue. They confirmed the battery needs changed and date reset. They just won’t do it anymore since this tool is no longer supported. They say sorry we can’t help that tool is unsupported but a new one.

[Agentfoot]

I did enable i2c. A multi meter did show some activity. I have an automotive oscilloscope I should be able to view the signals on, so I’ll try that. I also ordered a RTC board for the pi so I can verify I can program that. One thing I noticed is my PCB has a SCK pad is this the same as SCL? I understand this should be the clock signal. On the back of the PCB it does have a pad labeled clock out. I’m wondering if my connections are right.

edit: I see SCK and SCL are both names for the clock line. So my connections are right.

[darkspr1te]

your ground looks very wrong, use the battery ground point for this as we know it goes almost direct to the chip.
i looked up the pinouts for rasp pi,
according to your wire colours green from pi is going to SCL or clock but that pin is SDA, so with bad ground choice and swapped SDA/SCL it wont work, fix those two issues and it should work.

so to confirm,
when looking at the pads with the RTC chip above SDA is on the left and SCL on the right , on the Pi pin 3 is SDA and pin 5 is SCL.

darkspr1te

[darkspr1te]

see this picture wiring

[Agentfoot]

Tried today again making sure the wires were correct. Also used the battery ground even though the ground I was using was a direct connection to the battery. Used power from the pi and power from the tool and still couldn't detect the chip.

I also hooked up my Oscilloscope and was able to see activity from the tool and the pi. I will add a pic of what the pi sent out during detection. I was expecting to see the line high at 3V and low at -3V, But the line stayed at 0 and was pulled down to -3. When starting the scan tool I did see both lines go high to probably around 3V for a second.

I get my DS1307RTC for the pi tomorrow and will see if I can program that. If I can't program that then I know I'm doing something wrong. If I can then it must be something with the DS1371 chip that won't work. At that point I may just buy a new DS1371 to see if it will program off the PCB.

[MrAl]

I’ve called snap-on and they have confirmed the battery probably died causing the date changed and license issue. They confirmed the battery needs changed and date reset. They just won’t do it anymore since this tool is no longer supported. They say sorry we can’t help that tool is unsupported but a new one.

Yeah these companies are nasty sometimes.  Maybe you can claim the "right to repair" law.  Would have to contact a lawyer.

[darkspr1te]

things you could try,
wait a little while before trying to detect the chip. plug in usb side as tthis may put the cpu into a different mode and bus contention wont be a issue. i think you cant detect it because the cpu is talking to it maybe.


darkspr1te