Autoranging CombiScope PM3380B full calibration Flash-ROM

[zoltanh]

Hi,

I bought a broken CombiScope PM3380B and I repaired it however Flash-ROM is full. Ten saves have been done in the past. In service manual is saying that:

"The Flash-ROM’s contain blocks of calibration data (of which the most recent block is valid) and the
operating software. After operation of softkey ’save calibr data’, the text ’XX CALIBRATION FIELDS
FREE’ is displayed. XX can be a figure between 10 ... 1 or ’NO’. In case of ’NO’, the Flash ROM must
be emptied and redundant blocks of calibration data must be removed. To have this done, send your
oscilloscope to the nearest Service Center."

There is no Service Center near to my location. Is somebody willing to help me to sort out the issue and free up Flash-ROM? I will really appreciate any help/advice.
Thank you.

[shakalnokturn]

Have you tried searching the forum for Combiscope / PM3380 / PM3384 / PM3390 / PM3394 ?
I can't remember if there was a solution but the question has been asked here at least once before your topic.

[zoltanh]

Thank you. Yes. I checked it and I did not find any answer to this issue.

[kripton2035]

Chatgpt answer... not sure it is the good one !!!

The calibration flash ROM on the Fluke Combiscope PM3380 is used to store calibration data for the instrument. If you need to empty the calibration flash ROM, you can do so by following these steps:

Turn off the instrument and disconnect all probes and cables.

Turn on the instrument while holding down the "STORE" key. The instrument will display a message asking if you want to clear the calibration data.

Press the "STORE" key again to confirm that you want to clear the calibration data.

The instrument will display a message asking if you want to restore the default calibration values. Press the "STORE" key again to confirm that you want to restore the default calibration values.
The instrument will restart and the calibration flash ROM will be empty.
Note that clearing the calibration data will cause the instrument to lose any customized calibration settings that may have been saved. It is important to only clear the calibration data if you are sure that you want to do so and have a way to re-calibrate the instrument if necessary.

[kripton2035]

sorry but there is no "store" key on a PM3380

I apologize for the confusion. On the Fluke Combiscope PM3380, the calibration flash ROM can be reset by following these steps:

Turn off the PM3380 and disconnect all probes and cables.

Press and hold the "SHIFT" key while turning the PM3380 on.

Continue to hold the "SHIFT" key until the display shows "Service Mode."

Press the "STOP" key to enter the service mode.

Use the arrow keys to select "Calibration," then press the "ENTER" key.

Use the arrow keys to select "Clear Calibration Data," then press the "ENTER" key.

Use the arrow keys to select "Yes," then press the "ENTER" key.

The PM3380 will display a message asking if you want to restore the default calibration values. Use the arrow keys to select "Yes," then press the "ENTER" key.

The PM3380 will restart and the calibration flash ROM will be empty.

Note that clearing the calibration data will cause the instrument to lose any customized calibration settings that may have been saved. It is important to only clear the calibration data if you are sure that you want to do so and have a way to re-calibrate the instrument if necessary.

[kripton2035]

there is no "shift" key either ...

more luck ?

I apologize for the confusion again. Here are the steps to reset the calibration flash ROM on the Fluke Combiscope PM3380:

Turn off the PM3380 and disconnect all probes and cables.

Press and hold the "TRIGGER" and "STORE/RECALL" keys while turning the PM3380 on.

Continue to hold the "TRIGGER" and "STORE/RECALL" keys until the display shows "Version" and "Startup Passed" messages.

Release the "TRIGGER" and "STORE/RECALL" keys.

Press the "STORE/RECALL" key to enter the diagnostic mode.

Use the arrow keys to select "Calibration," then press the "ENTER" key.

Use the arrow keys to select "Clear Calibration Data," then press the "ENTER" key.

Use the arrow keys to select "Yes," then press the "ENTER" key.

The PM3380 will display a message asking if you want to restore the default calibration values. Use the arrow keys to select "Yes," then press the "ENTER" key.

The PM3380 will restart and the calibration flash ROM will be empty.

Note that clearing the calibration data will cause the instrument to lose any customized calibration settings that may have been saved. It is important to only clear the calibration data if you are sure that you want to do so and have a way to re-calibrate the instrument if necessary.

[zoltanh]

Thank you. I will give a try. I did not think about asking AI.

[zoltanh]

It does not work.

[GioCosco]

Hi,
very interesting thread. I have this problem with same scope too.
There is also another thread about all scopes of this family
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/fluke-philips-pm3394a-combiscope-preventive-maintenance/50/
and there is an user which is supposed to have all the required stuff to reflash the firmware.
BTW I have tried all key combinations with no success.
I there are more ideas i will try them for sure.
Regards

[kripton2035]

Quote from: zoltanh on Today at 13:03:36

It does not work.

this does absolutely not surprise me. I would have been surprised if it had worked !
if it had been a key combination like chatgpt tried to explain, it would have been on the service manual.
pretty sure you need to re-flash the chip with some base calibration data nobody has.