Sara R5 Tacker v1

Development Boards MicroMod
1

Hi,

I have a AWS IoT ExpressLink SARA-R5 Starter Kit (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/18450) and I’m trying to use the commands in the AWS programming guide but the firmware on this is old and I mean really old. After reading the produce page which says:

Note: Our partner, u-blox, will continue to enhance the firmware for this product. To support this effort, SparkFun will provide u-blox the contact information for customers who purchase this kit to contact you for firmware feedback.

I reached out to the sparkfun email for support and got an answer back to post my issue here, so here I am.

Here is what the module currently shows:

AT+CONF? About
OK u-blox AWS IoT ExpressLink SARA-R510S
AT+CONF? Version
OK awsapp.bin: 0.1.847416, modem: 03.22

This is unusable in its current state due to outdated firmware. Expresslink definition is on v1.2 and this is v0.1.8!

Where can I find new firmware available for this module?

Is there a generic SARA-R5 firmware I can use if I want to use the module without ExpressLink?

Thanks

2

There are a few ways described in this guide https://cdn.sparkfun.com/assets/5/d/2/2 … 33314_.pdf - personally I’d try section 6, the EasyFlash app that Ublox offers and see how that goes

3

Thanks for providing the link to the application note, I have seen this pdf before in my research. Now there are 2 methods described in this doc for updating firmware (+UFWINSTALL and EasyFlash).

+UFWINSTALL requires a .bin file, but no explanation of where to get this from!

EasyFlash requires a .dof firmware file. again no explanation of where to get this from!

@TS-Russell where do you download the firmware files from in order to perform these steps?

4

To follow up on the comment on EasyFLash, try finding the EasyFlash download from ublox or by googling it. There is no mention of where to download this at all.

One comment on the ublox forum suggests that sparkfun should provide this utility https://portal.u-blox.com/s/question/0D … h-software . I have not seen any indication of this being available from sparkfun either.

Is there anyone officially supporting this forum from Sparkfun who can help here? This is a very simple ask and is clearly indicated on the product page of this item.

5

I understand that you’re attempting to use the AWS IoT ExpressLink SARA-R5 Starter Kit but are encountering issues due to the outdated firmware. I’m here to help you find the latest firmware and guide you through the update process.

Finding the Latest Firmware:

The latest firmware for the SARA-R510S module can be found on the u-blox website. Here’s how to download it:

Go to the u-blox SARA-R510S product page: https://content.u-blox.com/sites/defaul … 037376.pdf

Under the “Resources” section, click on the “Firmware” tab.

Select the latest firmware version from the list. For example, the current latest version is R510S_03.10.00.A03.04.

Download the firmware package.

Updating the SARA-R510S Firmware:

Before updating the firmware, make sure you have the following:

A computer with a USB port

A USB cable to connect the SARA-R510S module to the computer

The downloaded firmware package

Once you have everything ready, follow these steps to update the firmware:

Extract the downloaded firmware package. Inside the extracted folder, you should find a file named “flasher.exe” and a folder named “R510S_03.10.00.A03.04”.

Connect the SARA-R510S module to the computer using the USB cable.

Run the “flasher.exe” file.

In the flasher window, select the “R510S_03.10.00.A03.04” folder you extracted earlier.

Click the “Start” button. The flasher will start the firmware update process.

Once the update is complete, the flasher will display a message indicating success.

Disconnect the SARA-R510S module from the computer.

Using SARA-R5 Firmware:

If you want to use the SARA-R5 module without ExpressLink, you can use generic SARA-R5 firmware. This firmware will not have the ExpressLink features, but it will allow you to use the module for basic cellular communication tasks.

Here’s how to find generic SARA-R5 firmware:

Go to the u-blox SARA-R5 product page: https://content.u-blox.com/sites/defaul … 314%29.pdf

Under the “Resources” section, click on the “Firmware” tab.

Select the firmware version that starts with “R5”. For example, the current latest version is R510S_03.10.00.A03.04.

Download the firmware package.

Updating SARA-R5 Firmware:

The process for updating generic SARA-R5 firmware is the same as updating the ExpressLink firmware. Follow the steps outlined above to update the firmware.

6

@CharlotteFilemdar, I appreciate your reply, this gives me hope that I can get some life back into my module. The links in your post direct me to PDF documents and not the product page. Are you referring to the PDF docs in your instructions or is this an error in posting the links?

Thanks,