Firmware update question

[Salim Hameed]

I received a unit whose front panel says "Hermes-lite 2+" - can/should  I update the firmware on this ? Here is what SparkSDR shows:

Any helpful comments appreciated !

73 de salim N8LI / VU2LID

[Alan Hopper]

Hi Salim,

that all looks a bit odd, where did you get it from?  It might be worth finding out what fpga is on the board as the only reason I can think for it only having two receivers is that it has a smaller fpga, but there may be another explanation.  A picture of the board might give some clues.

73 Alan M0NNB 

[ron.ni...@gmail.com]

There appears to be a separate Hermes Lite 2+ groups.io mailing list here:

 https://groups.io/g/HermesLite2Plus 

with a photo of a case labeled "Hermes Lite 2+" and a completely different set of front panel jacks.

Is there already an alternate manufacturer or distributor other than Makerfabs, of something HL2-like?

73,

Ron

n6ywu

[Steve Haynal]

Hi Ron and Group,

About 18 months ago this group forked off. They have an i2s-based companion board which adds local audio and CW sidetone at the HL2. This requires software to send audio back to the HL2, and not all software (SDR Console, Quisk for example) does this. It also uses IO intended for radio synchronization, ATU, fan, etc. for other mutually exclusive purposes. It requires users to remove a surface mount component which voids the warranty. It takes the HL2 project in a direction which excludes remote use of the HL2 as a network appliance. It originally required older gateware which the project developers were not willing to update and port back into the main repository so that newer HL2 features such as network gateware updates would be available. This complicated support. (About 9 months ago a project developer did port the gateware back to the main repository and it is the AK4951v3 variant now available with every stable release.) This project was developed and sales started on this list without discussing these concerns with me or other HL2 developers. This resulted in the contributor guidelines being established. For these reasons, we mutually agreed that this project fork and establish another group to clarify exactly where people should go for support. But after the fork, they decided to market their project as the HL2+ even though it is just a companion card. They made the contents of their group not accessible to the public unless one joins the group, which inflates their group numbers and obscures the fact that this is just a companion card. They have stated that their design is not open hardware and do not make their recent content available on github, which goes against the original spirit of the HL2. Finally, I started receiving e-mail full of criticism and outright name calling from one of the project developers. (That stopped once I automatically sent all e-mail from this person to my spam folder.) This whole experience was by far the absolute worst experience with amateur radio I've had in 40+ years and dealing with 500+ HL2 users. I estimate about one or two dozen companion boards have sold ($80 per board for a BOM <$10), with even less than that in actual use. I have received private e-mail from users saying that it doesn't work that well, primarily with all software. I have built my own board to evaluate and also was not impressed. At one point a project developer asked for positive user feedback on their groups.io, received no responses, and subsequently deleted that post. And now I will probably have extra e-mail in my spam folder calling me biased along with other names... Maybe I am a little bitter and biased, but read the posts from that group (and all historical posts from this group, I never delete posts but others might) and decide for yourself.

On more constructive notes, I want to mention two things. First, I and several other developers are working on a CW keyer solution with low latency sidetone that enables both remote and local use. This is to address some concerns that some hardcore CW users have with the HL2. It is meant to be a replacement for any person tempted by the AK4951v3 companion board. I test side-by-side and feel confident this new CW keyer solution will have lower latency, more features and cost less while still allowing remote operation.

Second, the HL2 is and always has been completely open source and open hardware, even down to many of the design tools. Anyone can create a fork and take the IP in any direction they like. This includes selling clones/boards/kits or using another manufacturer besides Makerfabs. Search e-bay for Hermes-Lite today and you will find bare PCBs available. I did exactly this when I forked off of the openhpsdr code, and I have no problems with others doing the same provided the open software/hardware licenses are adhered to. However, I am very careful about how and where I spend my time and energies with the HL2, as well as quite opinionated about which direction the HL2 should go. So people should not always expect (nor need) my support, time or approval for every idea or question that comes along.

73,

Steve

kf7o

[Robert Benedict]

I also found the HL2+ forum early on in my HL2 adventure. Being interested in CW and eventually a Hardrock 50 I put my name on the list for a companion board. After some digging I found that the companion board doesn't work with SDR Console, my favorite HL2 software, so I asked to be removed from the list.

I'm following Steve's keyer development with interest.

    73

    Bob   KD8CGH

[Sid Boyce]

Hi Steve,
Remember --- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.
Hold fast, you always deliver. The number of HL2's says everything that
needs to be said.

I have seen this sort of behaviour repeatedly from some who show scant
or no appreciation for one's time and dedication.

One that always stick in my mind was from the early days of Linux
development when the networking developer was asked by others to publish
his code so that they could help with the effort.

Having done so he received a torrent of posts from another set of guys
criticising him of having the audacity to publish non-working code.
At that point he felt so put upon that he abandoned his effort, leaving
it to those who appreciated his work to take it on.
73 ... Sid.

On 07/03/2021 07:57, Steve Haynal wrote:
> Hi Ron and Group,
>
> About 18 months ago this group forked off. They have an i2s-based
> companion board which adds local audio and CW sidetone at the HL2.
> This requires software to send audio back to the HL2, and not all
> software (SDR Console, Quisk for example) does this. It also uses IO
> intended for radio synchronization, ATU, fan, etc. for other mutually
> exclusive purposes. It requires users to remove a surface mount
> component which voids the warranty. It takes the HL2 project in a
> direction which excludes remote use of the HL2 as a network appliance.
> It originally required older gateware which the project developers
> were not willing to update and port back into the main repository so
> that newer HL2 features such as network gateware updates would be
> available. This complicated support. (About 9 months ago a project
> developer did port the gateware back to the main repository and it is
> the AK4951v3 variant now available with every stable release.) This
> project was developed and sales started on this list without
> discussing these concerns with me or other HL2 developers. This
> resulted in the contributor guidelines

> <https://github.com/softerhardware/Hermes-Lite2/wiki/Contributor-Guidelines> being

> <http://groups.io> mailing list here:
> Â https://groups.io/g/HermesLite2Plus
> <https://groups.io/g/HermesLite2Plus>Â

> with a photo of a case labeled "Hermes Lite 2+" and a completely
> different set of front panel jacks.
> Is there already an alternate manufacturer or distributor other
> than Makerfabs, of something HL2-like?
> 73,
> Ron
> n6ywu
>
> On Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 12:14:55 PM UTC-8
> ahop...@googlemail.com wrote:
>
> Hi Salim,

> that all looks a bit odd, where did you get it from?  It

> might be worth finding out what fpga is on the board as the
> only reason I can think for it only having two receivers is
> that it has a smaller fpga, but there may be another

> explanation.  A picture of the board might give some clues.
> 73 Alan M0NNBÂ

>
> On Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 7:35:02 PM UTC vu2...@gmail.com
> wrote:
>
> I received a unit whose front panel says "Hermes-lite 2+"

> - can/should I update the firmware on this ? Here is what
> SparkSDR shows:
>
> Screenshot from 2021-03-06 14-28-12.png

>
> Screenshot from 2021-03-06 14-32-14.png
>
> Any helpful comments appreciated !
>
> 73 de salim N8LI / VU2LID
>

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--
Sid Boyce ... Hamradio License G3VBV, Licensed Private Pilot
Emeritus IBM/Amdahl Mainframes and Sun/Fujitsu Servers Tech Support
Senior Staff Specialist, Cricket Coach
Microsoft Windows Free Zone - Linux used for all Computing Tasks