| Products > Test Equipment |
| 121GW multimeter firmware hack to prevent remembering last mode |
| << < (4/6) > >> |
| J-R:
Maybe the original agreement was to provide firmware updates for a certain period of time and then after that it would cost Dave money. Maybe it's the other reason I gave which is that UEi wants to keep any further developments for themselves and their own products. Maybe the reason is somewhere in one of the other 121GW threads... Regardless, the best solution in my opinion is still for Dave to have his own firmware developed. Some killer features could be: more dual display configurations, adjustable update rate/precision, download logged data from the SD card over Bluetooth, and of course adjustable settings for the mode memory as discussed in this thread. |
| coromonadalix:
hum well now the answer is : hack the firmware if UEI doesn't help or Dave cant do nothing, butr IP breach and cease and desist may rose Or create something new for FW point of view, the 121 use a know dmm chip front end ... we may never know the full story if Dave can't talk about this, ask him and see the answer(s) he may give back ?? speculations etc ... wont get far. the 786 is now a replacement of some sort .... and sadly the 121 may or will die if no more support is given |
| J-R:
I'm no coder, but I have followed some game reverse engineering and emulation projects over the decades. The current firmware file is only 140k, and there are some sizeable chunks of redundant data, as well as some that is clear text. So reverse engineering the compiled code is probably not a huge task, but would be a landmine legally at some point. So a clean-room process could be a way around that. From what I've seen of general DMM functionality, and especially UEi's DMMs, I just do not see writing new firmware from scratch being a difficult task. There are a specific number of switch positions and modes where you are basically just reading data from hardware. Min/Max/Avg, Hold/AutoHold and some other functions are obviously a bit more involved. But lay the groundwork and the community might latch on and take it from there. |
| JDW:
I've lived in Japan working for Japan-based employers since 1994 and have cooperated with manufacturers in China and Taiwan for decades. During the years that we have continuously been buying from various factories, the designs created between my employer and the factory (not too dissimilar from the joint effort between Dave and UEi) were never a focus on IP. It was about our ability to keep buying the product and selling in our chosen markets. And while it could be different for Dave, I don't see why it should be, nor do I see any evidence that the 121GW is largely a UEi device. How can it be when the most glaring "IP" of all is Dave's face! Need proof? Open the manual here: https://www.eevblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/121GW-Manual-5.pdf Whose face is that in the upper left with his hand stuck out? That's not only Dave but "iconic" Dave -- basically his digitally insignia. When anyone sees that, it's like seeing an Apple with a bite out of it or the 4-letters that spell the word SONY. You immediately know the association with the logo and the entity behind it. That alone shows how much of a "Dave Jones" product the 121GW is, especially when you ponder the fact that the word "UEi" is nowhere to be found on the front cover of the manual. If there was a legal landmine ready to explode, you'd think UEi would have insisted on their name appearing on the front cover of the manual. But they didn't. It's not there. I keyword-searched the 121GW manual, but there isn't a single instance of UEI or Kane that I can see. Nope, not even a single line legal disclaimer that associates the 121GW with them! Yes, yes... On the 121GW product page, I see this text... The meter is manufactured by UEI Test Instruments, a reputable US based designer and manufacturer of high quality test gear. The design work was primarily done by UEI, but with a great deal of design input and direction from Dave. The meter is manufactured in South Korea. But that "input and direction" is rather clear. Just pop your meter out off the blue rubber bumper and whose face appears on the inside of the bumper? The president of the company who "primarily designed" and who currently "manufactures" the 121GW? No, we see Dave. This seems a lot like the situation I myself have seen over the years, with a company in Japan working closely with a manufacturer here in Asia (usually Taiwan or China to keep costs lower), with a large part of the design being the factory, and with that same factory building the resulting product, always with significant "design input and direction" from the company in Japan. And when there's an ongoing business relationship of the entity continuously buying the said item, the cooperation continues such that firmware updates happen upon request, and that is often free of charge in light of the ongoing business. How is that possible? Reality. Nothing remains static forever. To keep business alive you must do something, and most factories are realists about that. They know you have to spend money to make money, so making rather insignificant firmware changes to keep customers excited and happy is worth it in the end. Yes, yes... None of us know what the deal is with Dave and UEi, but like I said, I doubt it's a legal landmine. If he asks, he probably shall receive. That encourages more geeks and engineers to buy the meter, just as I did for the first time in January this year. It's good for everyone in the end, and not a single lawyer need be involved. If anyone here is not convinced, perhaps Dave himself can reassure us. Open the 121GW manual and keyword search for "hack" so you can read this... And remember, don't turn it on, take it apart! This meter is hackable, go for it. Have fun. Dave Jones www.eevblog.com That kind of wording doesn't indicate a lawyer read to pounce. It is saying: "make changes for the joy and productivity of it!" :-+ And while that doesn't necessarily mean Dave will always keep firmware updates alive, I see no evidence to indicate why it would be impossible, time consuming or costly to have Dave prod UEi to implement the ideas of this thread in a new firmware update. The change really is that small, guys -- and yet, oh so wonderful. Hacking around with electronics is what this meter is all about, and to some extent, Dave's Youtube channel too. |
| EEVblog:
--- Quote from: J-R on March 03, 2023, 08:35:36 am ---The 121GW schematic is "open". I'm not exactly sure what that means, other than it's published. UEi owns the firmware, as it contains their IP. The UEi DM5x5 series has some design similarities to the 121GW, and the Bluetooth & app functionality of the DM525 is similar to the 121GW. We probably need another Kickstarter campaign or similar to develop a clean-room copy of the UEi firmware or new firmware from scratch. Then the community could build upon that with other functionality as desired. --- End quote --- Correct, the Kane 555 is a spin-off of the 121GW http://cn.kanetest.co.kr/shop.php?goPage=GoodDetail&g_code=20220330171318692&cat_no=2 They sent me an EEVblog 555 version a long time ago, completely out of the blue, I had no idea they were working on it. You might have seen it make an apperance in several videos. The deal with the 121GW was they they did the development with input from me, and I got to sell it exclusively, but they were free to use the new case design and features developed and spin off their own version(s) and sell to others. But I get the vibe from Kane that they might not manufacture the 121GW forever, as it's quite labour intensive to calibrate. But I did just get another order from them delivered. But I work on the assumption that at any time they will say sorry, we just don't want to make it any more. So doesn't make sense to put effort into custom firmware for a meter that has no guarantee of production. |
| Navigation |
| Message Index |
| Next page |
| Previous page |