NAME

       firmdl3 - A firmware downloader for the RCX.  Version 3.0.

SYNOPSIS

       firmdl3 [options] srecfile

DESCRIPTION

       This manual page documents the firmdl3 kernel download command.

       firmdl3  is  a  program which is used to download the brickOS kernel (firmware).  firmdl3 Supports single
       and quad rate downloading (quad-rate is default).

       Quad-rate downloading is a feature that significantly reduces firmware download times.  It is implemented
       on  top  of  a fast serial protocol that has a 2x baud rate with no complements or parity bits.  The fast
       protocol is enabled by a short firmware stub that reconfigures some control registers and tweaks some ROM
       program  state.   Once  the firmware stub is downloaded and executed, the ROM responds to the fast serial
       protocol, which the downloader then uses to transfer the  actual  firmware  file.   Because  the  initial
       firmware  stub  is  small,  all  but the most trivial programs see a download time improvement when using
       quad-speed downloading.

       The caveat to using quad-speed downloading is its sensitivity to lighting conditions.  Getting quad-speed
       downloading  to  work  right  might require some trial and error.  In addition to avoiding harsh lighting
       conditions, it is important to place the RCX around 4-12 inches from the IR tower.

OPTIONS

       This program follows the usual GNU command line syntax, with long options starting with two dashes (`-').
       The options supported by firmdl3 are:

       -h, --help
              Show built-in help (summery of options)

       -f, --fast
              Use 'fast' (4x) download algorithm (default)

       -s, --slow
              Use 'slow' (1x) download algorithm (Use if experiencing download problems)

       --tty={ttydevice}
              Specify serial serial tty where IR tower is connected.

              NOTE: The environment variable RCXTTY may be used in place of -tty

       --debug
              Enable debugging. (Mostly displays raw bytes).

ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES

       firmdl3  will  respond  to  the  environment variable RCXTTY.  This should be set to the serial device to
       which the IR tower is connected.  Use of RCXTTY is equivalent the using the -tty command-line option.

EXAMPLES

       firmdl3 is a simple command to use.  The following examples show most of the uses.

       Ex1: download the brickOS kernal to ttyS0.

          $ firmdl3 -tty=/dev/ttyS0 /usr/lib/brickos/brickOS.srec
          Transferring "Fast Download Image" to RCX...
          100%
          Transferring "/usr/lib/brickos/brickOS.srec" to RCX...
          100%
          $

       Ex2: download the brickOS kernal to ttyS1 (set env var 1st).

          $ export RCXTTY=/dev/ttyS1
          $ firmdl3 /usr/lib/brickos/brickOS.srec
          Transferring "Fast Download Image" to RCX...
          100%
          Transferring "/usr/lib/brickos/brickOS.srec" to RCX...
          100%
          $

       Ex3: download the brickOS kernal using slow protocol (assumes RCXTTY is already set).

          $ firmdl3 --slow /usr/lib/brickos/brickOS.srec
          Transferring "/usr/lib/brickos/brickOS.srec" to RCX...
          100%
          $

       NOTE: the missing indication of the "Fast Download Image" being sent.

       We'll leave the experiment of running firmdl3 with --debug set as an exercise for you our reader...  (You
       really interested in seeing all the bytes fly by? ;-)

ERROR MESSAGES

       (excerpt from brickOS HOWTO)

       delete firmware failed
              Because  of  a  limitation  in  the  Lego  firmware, firmdl3 cannot delete LegOS.  Instead, before
              downloading the new firmware, you must first stop the old LegOS program, and then  hold  down  the
              Prgm  button  while hitting the On/Off switch. This will delete the old LegOS firmware, allowing a
              new download.  Alternately, if you see no green light on the IR box and get this error message, it
              may indicate you have a dead battery in the IR tower.

       /dev/ttyS0: Permission denied, com1: Permission denied, or a similar message.
              The  first  part  of  the error message is the output port that firmdl3 is trying to use. This can
              mean two things. Either you have specified the wrong device or  you  have  specified  the  correct
              device  but  do  not  have  permission  to  access  it.  If it is an access problem, speak to your
              sysadmin.  If not, you can use the --tty argument to  specify  another  device.  For  example,  to
              specify  the  standard  device  under  linux,  try  ´firmdl3  --tty /dev/ttyS0´. Under cygwin, you
              probably probably want to use ´firmdl3 --tty com1´. If you discover that this is the case, you may
              wish to recompile firmdl3 to make your setting the default.

       /dev/ttyS0: Input/output error or a similar message.
              You forgot to plug the tower in, most likely.

       unlock firmware failed
              This  indicates  that there was a slight corruption in the download. Clear brickOS and download it
              again.

       no response from RCX
              This error should be called "you forgot to turn on your RCX, moron." If I hadn't done it about  10
              million times, I'd submit the patch to change the error myself.

       If  firmdl3  gives  you repeated problems, you may want to try using the --slow argument, which will make
       your download much slower but can correct for certain errors caused by ambient light.

SEE ALSO

       dll(1)

AUTHOR

       Laurent Demailly, Allen Martin, Markus Noga, Gavin Smyth, and Luis Villa  all  contributed  something  to
       some version of firmdl3.

       firmdl3 was written by: Kekoa Proudfoot
       <kekoa@graphics.stanford.edu> - 10/13/99

       This  manual  page  was written by Stephen M Moraco <stephen@debian.org>, for the Debian GNU/Linux system
       (but may be used by others).