Pluto no longer visible to PC or dfu-util, LED 1 on dimly, and permanently

  • I am using a RevB Pluto for narrow and wide band Oscar 100 and maybe it got RF into it, but for whatever reason after 18 months trouble free usage it stuck in TX mode. I rebooted it and although I can now update or change firmware its off frequency. Both TX and RX, SDR Console for example sees no sat signas on either wide or narrow band frequencies, and it did before. The Pluto is outputting RF on command but unfortunately I have no means of verifying the frequency it's sending.


    I have used dfu mode a couple of times before, but now, although I can get the single LED to show I am unable to proceed further. dfu-util -l shows the below response, is it fixable and how might I proceed please? Thanks.



    C:\>dfu-util -l



    dfu-util 0.9


    Copyright 2005-2009 Weston Schmidt, Harald Welte and OpenMoko Inc.

    Copyright 2010-2016 Tormod Volden and Stefan Schmidt

    This program is Free Software and has ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY

    Please report bugs to http://sourceforge.net/p/dfu-util/tickets/


    Device has DFU interface, but has no DFU functional descriptor

    Deducing device DFU version from functional descriptor length

    Cannot open DFU device 0456:b674

    Device has DFU interface, but has no DFU functional descriptor

    Deducing device DFU version from functional descriptor length

    Cannot open DFU device 0456:b674


    C:\>



    EDIT.....


    I wrote the above earlier but didn't post it here. Since then following has occurred.


    Well one step forward and several back. I found the Plutodrivers were corrupted so downloaded them afresh and reloaded them. This then allowed me to enter dfu and I used dfu-util to update pluto.dfu, boot.dfu and u-boot-env.dfu


    The Pluto accepted these commands and returned no errors. But it still was not transmitting or receiving on frequency. I checked the master oscillator frequency setting with Putty was correct and it appeared to be so.


    In desperation I then used dfu-util to update u-boot-extra-env.dfu


    It seemed to accept this, and presumably rewrote any settings in the device. However, my Pluto now is not recognised by my Win 10 64 bit PC at all, dfu-util -l sees and returns nothing at all, and the Pluto sits there with LED1 glowing very dimly. The other LED never lights at all. Device Manager does not show it, nor for it to be in DFU mode So I seem to have made matters worse. Is this now a lost cause or is there still any hope please?


    Thanks. I had high hopes earlier when I found it was actually in DFU mode...

  • I cross posted this to a dedicated Analog Devices forum and a company representative has said I will need to use a JTAG cable and adapter to resurrect it. He gave no further details... Has anyone done this, what's involved and is adequate software available free of charge? I have to balance the cost of the hardware JTAG stuff (about £100 UK Sterling), plus the risk it still will not work, against buying a new Pluto.


    Thanks.