Programming volatile memory boards in older Icom Rigs and radio upgrades

[Marcony]

Hello everyone,

I recently got an Icom IC-745, with dead RAM battery.
After battery replacement, I tried N2CBU programmer, but without success.

Also, I tried Arduino programmer from randman80 - still no success (I've replaced HEX values for IC-745).

Wiring in txt file (751ProgrammerWireList.txt) says that Arduino pin D11 goes to RAM board A0.
But, when you look at the Arduino code (Arduino751ProgrammerCode.txt), you can see that pin2 (D2) goes to A0: "pinMode(2, OUTPUT); //ADD 0".

Tried both solutions, still nothing.
Did anyone else have success with this programmer?

Is there a way to read the content of RAM through Arduino?

[Mildi]

For the N2CBU programmer, you need a computer with OS DOS or Windows 95. With direct access to the LPT port.

I used Xgpro TL866 II Plus with an adapter board from this topic.
I chose the Dallas DS1220 microchip
Everything is programmed perfectly.

Check that the code placement in the program matches the adapter. If the lower halves of the byte are unsoldered to the data bus, then the code in the program must be in them, any older ones.

[seb21051]

Hi Everyone, new member here.

I 'm retired and recently decided to try my hand at Ham radio. I picked up an IC-745 on ebay, it should arrive in next week. In the meantime I have been reading up on it.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about this radio and find the collective wisdom on this board to be fascinating!

With that in mind I wanted to ask Buddy if he's selling his programmer and AM conversion kits yet?

Regards,

Stefan.

[Mildi]

I am looking for the original memory dump of Icom Ic-471, in any format (screen, bin, hex). .
We need information on the numbers on the ram-boards of the icom ic-471 A / E / H transceivers.


Presumably:
 icom ic-471 A - #05
 icom ic-471 E - #10 or #4
 icom ic-471 H - ??

In which devices are there ram-boards with numbers: # 9 # 10 # 13?

[DL8EBD]

Hello, Mildi,
I have the RAM content of the IC-471(Version E 430-440MHz) as HEX file.
Read out with the adapter board as shown in post #171 from user "Radio Tech" - and a GALEP programmer (I chose DS1220)
Where can I send you the HEX file?

btw: I don't have the RAM board number anymore because the battery and therefore the sticker has been changed before.

I also have the files for the IC-271 and IC-1271 too 

73
Thomas, DL8EBD

[Mildi]

Hello Thomas.
Can be sent by email: ***********************.
If you have ram content IC-271 and IC-1271 read from original boards, then I would be very grateful to you for them.

Now I can make the contents of the ram board for any device of this series. But there are some controversial data that differ slightly in the content files of the RAM boards.
I would like to compare with the original and understand the nuances.

In the screenshot I marked these areas, for example.
Some of them are completely incomprehensible.
For some there is an assumption, but there is no way to check.
Complicating further is the lack of a service manual from the IC-471 in the network.

[DL8EBD]

E-Mail is on the way   

[Mildi]

Thanks. Received.

[UR4MDE]

Good afternoon, help me to flash the IС-745, I didn't quite understand how to remake the firmware file for the TL-866 plus programmer. Please share the prepared file. I burden the board with an adapter from this forum. Thanks in advance to everyone for such a great programming job. Best regards Denis UR4MDE .

[BG9ICN]

Hello Thomas.
Could you send me an IC-1271 RAM file?
My email: BG9ICN@hotmail.com.
I use a old programmer to operat it as EEPROM mode. It's works well.
73

[Igloo]

Hello is there anybody that have IC-471 ramfile that works with TL-866 programmer.

[UR4MDE]

It feels like the forum is dead , with the answers somehow not thick. Someone please publish an archive with the firmware files of the transceivers for the TL866 programmer .
Такое ощущение что форум умер , с ответами как-то не густо. Кто-нибудь пожалуйста опубликуйте архив с файлами прошивок трансиверов под программатор TL866 .

[Mildi]

Take the usual firmware 741 or 745 in the n2cbu format (available on the Internet).
Use the .hex editor or utility to remove the even bytes from it.
Get a 1KB file.
Using a .hex editor or utility, increases the size to 2KB.
Fill the second kilobyte with data from the first kilobyte, so as not to worry about how the A10 address line is routed.
The file for tl866 is ready.

[bejoysat]

Best wishes and good luck.....

Chuck  KX4SB

Thanks a ton! The program worked flawlessly and I was able to restore a RAM board for IC751 which was left unused for 30+ years.

73
VU3BOJ
Bejoy

[Mildi]

Thanks to Igloo, it was possible to restore the original ram board dumps except for ic-1271 (there are 4 versions, I know only two versions).
The files have been redesigned for different programmers.
All data in archived.



PS: Для русскоговорящих Просьба не дублировать на CQham и QRZ....

[BG9ICN]

Thanks your work.
I have an IC-1271(not A or E), and the number of RAM board is #14.
I didn't have another RAM file. Now it only works on 1260MHz-1299MHz.
Maybe I flash a wrong version.

[Mildi]

IC-1271 (not A or E), this is  guess Japanese version of RAM # 14.
Should work in the 1260-1300 range.
IC-1271 (A or E) have 3 versions.
Europe, America, Australia RAM # 15,16,17
They work in the range of 1240-1300.

Perhaps the IC-1271 (not A or E) differs in hardware from the IC-1271 (A or E), I don’t know, I only have a service manual from the IC-1271 (A or E) and I cannot compare it with the usual one.

Since I could not find all four versions of RAM board dumps and service manual from IC-1271 (not A or E), I did not examine the contents of these RAM boards and did not compare them .

If you have the original RAM board # 14 dump, I would be glad if you published it.

I am attaching two versions of the RAM board dump
They are in different formats:
in N2CBU format from IC-1271 (not A or E)
in format for TL866 from IC-1271E

[fedecortes1]

Hi everyone. First of all, I thank Lex for sharing such valuable information with us. I would like to know if you can send me the file that I should use to reprogram an ICOM RAM BOARD from an IC 751A. I have built an interface whose diagram is based on an IC CD4040 + a 5V regulator and using the ICOM-RAM.EXE program which indicates that the recording process has been carried out correctly, when reading the ICOM RAM again I see that it is indeed the same It contains information, but when installing the board in the IC 751A the equipment does not work correctly, I would like to try it with a different .BIN than the one I have if you can send it to me. Thank you again for your attention. Greetings from Argentina

[4K6EH]

Hello, I have an icom745, its RAM has been erased. I tried to program it with TL866 as you explained in the video. Even though it says "Programming succes", when I read the RAM it seems to be empty. It also doesn't work when I plug it into Icom.

[Mildi]

What firmware did you use?
If in your firmware the second kilobyte is filled with FF or 0F, then when the second kilobyte is written, it is written over the first.
The first and second kilobytes must duplicate each other, or the firmware must be contained in the second kilobyte.

[wirstinson]

First post. I thank the people who contributed by publishing the programming data of the ex-314. I have successfully programmed 3 ex-314 with the programmer published by N2CBU on a Compaq p3 200Mhz windows 98 per Lpt port, 2 from Icom IC-751, IC-751A and one Icom IC-271H.

[hostile]

Updated 8/21/22
updated RAM14 array size
Updated 8/20/22 
Now includes all of the memory dumps from Original_icom_ram_multi_format archive from this topic.
Expanded on Randman80 Arduino code. Thanks
Used on IC-745
Made it easier for myself to follow, others may disagree. 
Select the RAM to be programed from the #defines in header
Changed the pins to re-definable constants at beginning of code.
-  Change these to match how you jumper the Arduino to J1, J2
Changed the WR  CS timing to help avoid clashes.
added dumping of memory and verification.
use the Arduino console with 115200bps.
commands are single letters with enter
p, programs, reads, verifies
d, prints memory to console
v, verifies last dumped memory
c, clone memory, requires hot-plugging ram module with Arduino on
There is a custom slot for the RAM defines.  you can dump memory and copy paste it there, to do many clones without hotswapping

[Mildi]

Very well.
It remains to be done using the free ports of the Mega 2560: Selecting the firmware number (dip switches or jumpers). Start read/write button. Indication of reading / writing and the end of reading / writing. Add firmware for 1271.
And there will be a completely ready, stand-alone programmer.

[hostile]

Very well.
It remains to be done using the free ports of the Mega 2560: Selecting the firmware number (dip switches or jumpers). Start read/write button. Indication of reading / writing and the end of reading / writing. Add firmware for 1271.
And there will be a completely ready, stand-alone programmer.

I was afraid to add additional inputs from the Mega2560 so it would be compatible across all the arduinos.  Would be pretty easy to change it over to that if someone wanted it to be a complete standalone, let me know if that is something of interest.  You get the information on when write is done and verification, would also be easy to toggle an led based on the pass or failure.
I will add the 1271 firmware you supplied of not A or E as soon as I finish up some work.

[Mildi]

I just suggested additions that will turn this version into a functional analogue of the original "icom EX-428 ram writer" programmer.