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New dymo hardware revision breaks free-dmo #50

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MeisterLone opened this issue Sep 25, 2024 · 51 comments
Open

New dymo hardware revision breaks free-dmo #50

MeisterLone opened this issue Sep 25, 2024 · 51 comments

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@MeisterLone
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I am not 100% sure about this one, but it looks like Dymo silently updated hardware in the latest batches of printers. Tested a known working stm32 in both old and new Dymo 550 Turbo printer and it doesnt work on the new printer. No obvious difference on the model numbers.
@apppie123
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apppie123 commented Sep 26, 2024 •
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Is it not being recognized? Or do labels simply not reset anymore?

They have added an eeprom to the board to store label usage.

There was a command added by dymo and this has been added to the firmware. Perhaps your board needs to be reflashed with updated firmware?

@eha002
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eha002 commented Oct 10, 2024

Any updates?

Is this just 550?

Ive seen a few comments saying newer machines not working but cant find anything concrete.

@KudzuKid
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KudzuKid commented Oct 10, 2024 via email

@MeisterLone
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MeisterLone commented Oct 11, 2024 •
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@KudzuKid in my specific case, if you read my original comment, I have deployed 550’s that work perfectly fine (counterfeit bluepills). I wont say how many, but quite a few. Over the last year, some of my 550’s have worn out and I purchased the exact same model 550 directly from Dymo and transferred the pills from the old working printers to the new ones that visually look exactly the same, without success.

I did not reflash them with the latest code from this project though, so that is something I need to try. I am just using dymo rolls until I get to that. It is just kind of odd that the exact same model printer (visually identical) with a known working pill flashed a year ago dont work together.

@KudzuKid
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KudzuKid commented Oct 11, 2024 via email

@KudzuKid
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KudzuKid commented Oct 11, 2024 via email

@eha002
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eha002 commented Oct 11, 2024

@MeisterLone Whats the first 2Letter/Numbers of your Serials that aren't working vs are?

I have 2 GQ13 5XL, 1 QG25 5XL and a QF34 550T that all work.

Im going to try on a QG41 5XL soon to see if it's a no go.

@KudzuKid
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KudzuKid commented Oct 15, 2024 via email

@eha002
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eha002 commented Oct 17, 2024

Just an update for everyone

I have got a non-working example that was purchased this year,

It's a full new mainBoard but the rest of the printer is the same including the Reader, So in theory it should be able to be bypassed in a similar way, once someone discovers how its stopping the freedmo from working.
image
image

@apppie123
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Are you running the latest firmware from here?
I see several people posting that it doesn't work, but no one is able to tell they are running the latest release that contains communication fixes... Check eevblog. There was a discussion beginning of the year.

@eha002
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eha002 commented Oct 17, 2024

Yeah mate. I have 3 working units and 1 that wont Accept the module.

Ive only pulled 2 apart completely,
But the one that works and one that doesn't have different PCBS

Is working are 2xQG13 1xQG25 & also have a QF34 550T that works.

But a QG41 doesn't work.

@xq1xq1xq1
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I am unsure where to find the Q model numbers listed above but we have just purchased 4 550 printers in the last 4 weeks so I assume these are the new vintage

We are totally bypassing the RFID board

Dymo Connect sees the printer but says the labels are empty and it does not reflect the label indicated by the firmware that I installed on the bluepill

Any ideas?

@KudzuKid
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KudzuKid commented Nov 5, 2024 via email

@xq1xq1xq1
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xq1xq1xq1 commented Nov 6, 2024 •
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Thanks for the clarification

My printers are QE4080

Are these the older model from which is NOT having the problem?

@xq1xq1xq1
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In my case the label showing up in Dymo Connect does not match the firmware I loaded and it indicates that the printer is empty

@xq1xq1xq1
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It does not seem to matter which firmware I load, DYMO Connect shows Connected/Empty with the same label every time as 30251/Not in Printer

@KudzuKid
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KudzuKid commented Nov 7, 2024 •
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It might help if you can describe your hack a little bit.  There are a couple of ways of doing it.  Some people eliminate/bypass/disconnect the RFID reader completely, while another option is to connect it. Are you for sure using a genuine BluePill? I understand the market is pretty flooded with counterfeits.

In my hack, I used the RFID board and kept it intact since I already had a fair supply of "AUTHENTIC" D*mo labels (I occasionally use a larger shipping label, etc.), but since I typically run brand X labels (Betckey work GREAT for my in my 5XL) - standard address size, there's no RFID core to detect, so it defaults to the 'pill, which is flashed with the appropriate image. 

One time earlier this year, after some experimentation in the early stages after I did the initial hack, I experienced exactly the same issue you are seeing!  Connect said the printer was "Empty" / couldn't detect label type (forget exact verbiage). So I carefully disassembled the 5XL, after examination, I realized one of the 2 flex ribbon cables was not completely seated in the DIP/LIF socket.  It initially LOOKED good but wasn't firmly seated. I pulled and reseated the flex ribbon, reassembled it, and all was well once again.  I'm not saying THIS is your issue categorically, but it might be worth a check.  If Dymo has redesigned hardware somehow to 'work around' the 'pill, I bet there's a way to hack the redesigned units similarly. I do see visual differences between the older and newer boards in a couple photos @eha002 posted recently, but I can't discern component function & placement.  I'm not really into SMT much and it's easy (for me) to get lost reverse engineering it. I'm not a hardware engineer, nor do I play one on the internet, LOL.

Best wishes & keep us posted. 

@xq1xq1xq1
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xq1xq1xq1 commented Nov 9, 2024 •
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I checked the ribbon cables you mentioned and they looked good

When I connect in the RFID board I have from a different 550 printer, DYMO Connect recognizes the label correctly for the printer I am working on

But when I plug in the BluePill Dymo Connect shows labels are empty and the last label type that was read by the DYMO RFID board is displayed

Secondary question:

How do I select which label to use that is stored in the Firmware?

@apppie123
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apppie123 commented Nov 9, 2024 •
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It might not be the hardware.
I just tried several of the SKU's in this repo and so far only some of them work.

Then I loaded the data from some SKU's I got here and they work flawlessly.

Perhaps d*mo has banned the data for the SKU's in this repo? Or could labels be regio locked?

For example DMO_SKU_30578, DMO_SKU_30252 and DMO_SKU_30572 don't work for me in a 5XL but DMO_SKU_S0904980 and DMO_SKU_S0722400 work fine.

@xq1xq1xq1
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Thanks so much for your insights.

Did you build your own firmware for these SKUs or is there some some other method of selecting the working SKU?

@apppie123
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apppie123 commented Nov 11, 2024 via email

@xq1xq1xq1
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xq1xq1xq1 commented Nov 11, 2024 •
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Cool - I have not built firmware before - i am spinning up a Debian VM and will give it a shot

I will let you know how I make out

Thanks for helping me move down this path!

@xq1xq1xq1
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xq1xq1xq1 commented Nov 11, 2024 •
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I installed the required software from the readme file on a Debian VM

Option 1: Install the required ARM toolchain from distribution

install the ARM toolchain from distribution (e.g. on Debian-based GNU/Linux install the gcc-arm-none-eabi and libnewlib-arm-none-eabi packages)

run make to compile the firmware

I did an initial make on the given Makefile to prove that I have what I need but I get this error:

Src/main.c: In function 'InitEmulationWithDefaultData':
Src/main.c:572:31: error: 'DMO_TAG_SLIX2_BLOCKS' undeclared (first use in this function); did you mean 'EMU_SLIX2_BLOCKS'?
  572 |   memcpy(EMU_SLIX2_BLOCKS,    DMO_TAG_SLIX2_BLOCKS, SLIX2_BLOCKS*sizeof(uint32_t));
      |                               ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      |                               EMU_SLIX2_BLOCKS

line 572 is contained in this block:

void InitEmulationWithDefaultData(void) {
  //copy default tag data
  memcpy(EMU_SLIX2_INVENTORY, DMO_TAG_SLIX2_INVENTORY, SLIX2_INVENTORY_LEN);
  memcpy(EMU_SLIX2_SYSINFO,   DMO_TAG_SLIX2_SYSINFO, SLIX2_SYSINFO_LEN);
  memcpy(EMU_SLIX2_SIGNATURE, DMO_TAG_SLIX2_SIGNATURE, SLIX2_SIGNATURE_LEN);
  memcpy(EMU_SLIX2_BLOCKS,    DMO_TAG_SLIX2_BLOCKS, SLIX2_BLOCKS*sizeof(uint32_t));
}

As this is my first time I am a bit stuck in what to do to move forward?

Any guidance is appreciated!

@xq1xq1xq1
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xq1xq1xq1 commented Nov 11, 2024 •
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Looking more in the main.c, I found this section:

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// DMO emulation data (default emulation after power up)
//

//choose between one of the dumped SKU (roll types) for emulation
//#define DMO_SKU_S0722430  //  54 mm x 101 mm / 2.125 in x 4 in    /  220 pcs.
//#define DMO_SKU_S0722550  //  19 mm x  51 mm / 0.75 in x 2 in     /  500 pcs.
//#define DMO_SKU_S0722400  //  36 mm x  89 mm / 1.4 in x 3.5 in    /   50 pcs.
//#define DMO_SKU_1744907   // 102 mm x 152 mm / 4 in x 6 in        /  220 pcs.
//#define DMO_SKU_30857     //  57 mm x 104 mm / 2.25 in x 4 in     /  250 pcs.
//#define DMO_SKU_30336     //  25 mm x  51 mm / 1 in x 2.125 in    /  500 pcs.
//#define DMO_SKU_30332     //  25 mm x  25 mm / 1 in x 1 in        /  750 pcs.
//#define DMO_SKU_30256     //  59 mm x 104 mm / 2.3125 in x 4 in   /  300 pcs.
#define DMO_SKU_30252     //  28 mm x  89 mm / 1.125 in x 3.5 in  /  350 pcs.
??#define<200e>DMO_SKU_S0722540  //  57 mm x  32 mm / 1.25 in x 2.25 in  / 1000 pcs.
//#define DMO_SKU_S0904980  // 104 mm x 159 mm / 4 in x 6 in        /  220 pcs.
//#define DMO_SKU_

and

//choose one of the dumped original tags for UID + signature emulation. It does not have to match the dumped data
#define SLIX2_TAG_EMU 1  // 1-12](url)

so I think that it should have tried to use this for the label configuration

I am unsure if I am misinterpreting or if there is an error in main.c (which I doubt )

I am stuck for now :-(

@xq1xq1xq1
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very much a rookie mistake - there were no option uncommented

once I uncommented an option it worked as expected

@xq1xq1xq1
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xq1xq1xq1 commented Nov 12, 2024 •
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No success but then I read the main.c comments closer

I will add the Inventory, sysinfo and signature data into main.c tomorrow and let you know how I make out

@xq1xq1xq1
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xq1xq1xq1 commented Nov 13, 2024 •
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I added all of the Tag information
241113_main.c.txt
into the appropriate spots in main.c and reflashed the bluepill for label 30323

DYMO Connect shows:

  • Label 30251 not 30323
  • Connected
  • Empty

I am not using the RFID Board

Has anyone has success with not using the RFID board as part of the emulation?

@apppie123
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apppie123 commented Nov 13, 2024 via email

@xq1xq1xq1
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xq1xq1xq1 commented Nov 13, 2024 •
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I purchased a new box of 30323 labels from DYMO and extracted the RFID Tags and inserted them into main.c

These are the labels that we need to print on.

My thought was that if the label is current and that RFID tag is extracted that it should work but I could be totally off base.

@apppie123 Do you have an example of a label that did work for you?

@xq1xq1xq1
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xq1xq1xq1 commented Nov 13, 2024 •
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@apppie123 Do you have the original RFID board connected to the Bluepill?

@Axis-3790
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Axis-3790 commented Nov 13, 2024 •
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Are you running the latest firmware from here? I see several people posting that it doesn't work, but no one is able to tell they are running the latest release that contains communication fixes... Check eevblog. There was a discussion beginning of the year.

I can confirm this is working on my end. I bought a brand new 5xl about a month ago and no problems on my end using the latest firmware.

@KudzuKid
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KudzuKid commented Nov 13, 2024 via email

@xq1xq1xq1
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xq1xq1xq1 commented Nov 14, 2024 via email

@Axis-3790
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Well I finally got the new revision.. Any suggestions? I have 2 Dymos with the new board. The printer refuses to take the emulated tag. I even extracted data from a new roll of Dymo labels and nothing. I am willing to experiement if someone has any ideas.

@Darxtek
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Darxtek commented Dec 2, 2024

I added all of the Tag information 241113_main.c.txt into the appropriate spots in main.c and reflashed the bluepill for label 30323

DYMO Connect shows:

  • Label 30251 not 30323
  • Connected
  • Empty

I am not using the RFID Board

Has anyone has success with not using the RFID board as part of the emulation?

Did you ever get a resolve for this?

@Darxtek
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Darxtek commented Dec 2, 2024

After tinkering with a few 550 turbo units, I get my printer connected but stuck on mismatched label (30251) can’t change the label size, and says (i) not in printer.

wondering if this is a patched printer or bad SKU
SERIAL QF42

@xq1xq1xq1
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xq1xq1xq1 commented Dec 3, 2024 via email

@apppie123
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apppie123 commented Dec 3, 2024 via email

@Darxtek
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Darxtek commented Dec 3, 2024

@apppie123 let me know how I can retrieve the logs. I have 30 printers here and I’ll be going through them today to see which ones are compatible on which ones are not, also have 50 blue pills to test with.

@Darxtek
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Darxtek commented Dec 3, 2024

@xq1xq1xq1 what does your device serial number start with?

@xq1xq1xq1
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QE40800

@Darxtek
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Darxtek commented Dec 3, 2024

Found an article on eeblog stating all new MB are indeed patched , new boards have a 128kbit eeprom, there is a fix but requires MB soldering on the eeprom, I’ll be testing this shortly

IMG_5296

@KudzuKid
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KudzuKid commented Dec 3, 2024 via email

@xq1xq1xq1
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In my case my bluepill board seems like it may be a fake stm32 chip, could this be part of my issue?

I flashed the Bluepill diagnostic firmware, can connect to the board but get no response on my screen using putty on windows

@Darxtek
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Darxtek commented Dec 4, 2024

@xq1xq1xq1 Serial number QE4 is patched, there is a fix for this that requires you to sort out something on the motherboard. If you check the picture I posted above, but it also involves a new Bin File. I haven’t tested this fully yet but I should within the next day or so.

@xq1xq1xq1
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Thanks for confirming that.

I look forward to hearing how you make out.

@Axis-3790
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@xq1xq1xq1 Serial number QE4 is patched, there is a fix for this that requires you to sort out something on the motherboard. If you check the picture I posted above, but it also involves a new Bin File. I haven’t tested this fully yet but I should within the next day or so.

I have 2 QF4's. Are you stating soldering pins 7 & 8 for the patched printers? This looks like it was performed on the older board and not the new ones that are patched. I did attempt to find a similiar component on my patched 550. I soldered pins 7 & 8 but I had no success in using the bluepill. I am also curious as to what you mean by a new bin file. I compiled by own bin file using v1.0.7 but I am running into issues on the patched printers. I have a handful of 550's from before the patch and the bluepill is working wonderfully. If there is anyway I can assist in getting a fix for this, let me know and I will make it happen.

@Darxtek
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Darxtek commented Dec 4, 2024

@Axis-3790 yes they also modify the firmware so the Bin files that we have access to here are no longer gonna work. I’m working out that today when I get home I’ll figure that part out.

@Darxtek
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Darxtek commented Dec 4, 2024

@Axis-3790 update blog, GitHub blog has been dead looks like, all development is talked here.
start on page 6

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/dymo-550-thermal-printer-drm-hacking/125/

@xq1xq1xq1
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xq1xq1xq1 commented Dec 9, 2024 •
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Has anyone had any success with modding the eeprom and using new firmware to accommodate the dymo board changes?

The link above didn't seem to make sense to me, if I'm missing anything please let me know.

@xq1xq1xq1
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The discussion you're talking about was not readily displayed, I found it.

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7 participants
@MeisterLone @KudzuKid @xq1xq1xq1 @eha002 @apppie123 @Axis-3790 @Darxtek