Corrupt bootloader recovery for WRT1900AC

Nedd · July 23, 2021, 1:41am

I'm trying to follow the corrupt bootloader recovery for WRT1900AC at this link:

I'm doing this after I mistakenly flashed
openwrt-19.07.7-mvebu-cortexa9-linksys_wrt1900acs-squashfs-factory.img
onto the WRT1900AC (thinking it was a V2, errp!).

Prior to this, the WRT1900AC was working fine with the Cisco firmware,
so I don't think there is any hardware issue with the unit.

I downloaded

http://www.protechs-online.com/downloads/McDebian/u-boot-recovery/WRT1900AC_V1/WRT1900AC_uboot_v1.3.25.bin

Then I connected a USB-serial to TTL cable and ran this command (as root from a Debian Sid system, using the kwboot from the Debian repository "apt-get install u-boot-tools"):

/usr/bin/kwboot -t /dev/ttyUSB0 -b WRT1900AC_uboot_v1.3.25.bin -p

(I now power on router while it's connected to the USB-serial to TTL cable)

# /usr/bin/kwboot -t /dev/ttyUSB0 -b WRT1900AC_uboot_v1.3.25.bin -p
Sending boot message. Please reboot the target.../
Sending boot image...
  0 % [......................................................................]
  0 % [......................................................................]
  1 % [......................................................................]
  2 % [......................................................................]
  3 % [......................................................................]
  4 % [......................................................................]
  5 % [......................................................................]
  6 % [......................................................................]
  7 % [......................................................................]
  8 % [......................................................................]
  9 % [......................................................................]
 10 % [.............................Step 1: First phase of PEX-PIPE Configuration
Step 2: Configure the desire PIN_PHY_GEN
Step 3 QSGMII enable 
Step 4: Configure SERDES MUXes 
Step 5: Activate the RX High Impedance Mode  
Step 6: [PEX-Only] PEX-Main configuration (X4 or X1)
Step 6.2: [PEX-Only] PCI Express Link Capabilities
Step 7: [PEX-X4 Only] To create PEX-Link 
Steps 7,8,9,10 and 11
Steps 12: [PEX-Only] Last phase of PEX-PIPE ConfigurationSteps 13: Wait 15ms before checking resultsSteps 14: [PEX-Only]  In order to configureSteps 15: [PEX-Only]  In order to configureSteps 16: [PEX-Only] Training Enablestep 17: max_if= 0x7
step 17:  PEX0  pexUnit= 0
** Link is Gen1, check the EP capability 
 --> 0050
mvPexConfigRead: return addr=0x%x0050
 --> 7001
 --> 7001
 --> A005
 --> A005
 --> 0010
 --> 4C12
Gen2 client!
step 17:  PEX1  pexUnit= 0
step 17:  PEX2  pexUnit= 0
** Link is Gen1, check the EP capability 
 --> 0040
mvPexConfigRead: return addr=0x%x0040
 --> 5001
 --> 5001
 --> 7005
 --> 7005
 --> 0010
 --> DC12
Gen2 client!
step 17:  PEX3  pexUnit= 0
PEX3 : Detected No Link. Status Reg(0x0004DA64) = 0x00000001
step 17:  PEX4  pexUnit= 1
PEX4 : Detected No Link. Status Reg(0x00081A64) = 0x00000001
step 17:  PEX5  pexUnit= 1
PEX5 : Detected No Link. Status Reg(0x00085A64) = 0x00000001
step 17:  PEX6  pexUnit= 1
PEX6 : Detected No Link. Status Reg(0x00089A64) = 0x00000001
DDR3 Training Sequence - Ver 4.5.DDR3 Training Sequence - Static MC Init 
DDR3 Training Sequence - HW Training Procedure 
DDR3 Training Sequence - FAILED (Write Leveling Hw) 
DDR3 Training Sequence - FAILED  
+xmodem: Protocol error

This output exactly matches the trouble seen at this old archive of a forum post:

https://forum.archive.openwrt.org/viewtopic.php?id=68905

Is there some solution?

anomeome · July 23, 2021, 1:50am

What makes you think uboot was fracked. OpenWrt does not update the bootloader, although maybe now it is too late. What do you see when you just boot the thing with the serial connected.

If you follow the link off my avatar you will find a directory support under the wrtxx00acx which has pdf document and assorted bits, may be of some help.

Nedd · July 23, 2021, 2:02am

sudo screen -U /dev/ttyUSB0 115200

(and just turn the WRT1900AC on using the switch, it gives this in the screen output...)

BootROM 1.20
Booting from NAND flash
Step 1: First phase of PEX-PIPE Configuration
Step 2: Configure the desire PIN_PHY_GEN
Step 3 QSGMII enable 
Step 4: Configure SERDES MUXes 
Step 5: Activate the RX High Impedance Mode
Step 6: [PEX-Only] PEX-Main configuration (X4 or X1)
Step 6.2: [PEX-Only] PCI Express Link Capabilities
Step 7: [PEX-X4 Only] To create PEX-Link 
Steps 7,8,9,10 and 11
Steps 12: [PEX-Only] Last phase of PEX-PIPE ConfigurationSteps 13: Wait 15ms before checking resultsSteps 14: [PEX-Only]  In order to configureSteps 15: [PEX-Only]  In order to configureSteps 16: [PEX-Only] Training Enablestep 17: max_if= 0x7
step 17:  PEX0  pexUnit= 0
** Link is Gen1, check the EP capability
 --> 0050
mvPexConfigRead: return addr=0x%x0050
 --> 7001
 --> 7001
 --> A005
 --> A005
 --> 0010
 --> 4C12
Gen2 client!
step 17:  PEX1  pexUnit= 0
step 17:  PEX2  pexUnit= 0
** Link is Gen1, check the EP capability
 --> 0040
mvPexConfigRead: return addr=0x%x0040
 --> 5001
 --> 5001
 --> 7005
 --> 7005
 --> 0010
 --> DC12
Gen2 client!
step 17:  PEX3  pexUnit= 0
PEX3 : Detected No Link. Status Reg(0x0004DA64) = 0x00000001
step 17:  PEX4  pexUnit= 1
PEX4 : Detected No Link. Status Reg(0x00081A64) = 0x00000001
step 17:  PEX5  pexUnit= 1
PEX5 : Detected No Link. Status Reg(0x00085A64) = 0x00000001
step 17:  PEX6  pexUnit= 1
PEX6 : Detected No Link. Status Reg(0x00089A64) = 0x00000001
                                                            DDR3 Training Sequence - Ver 4.5.DDR3 Training Sequence - Static MC Init
DDR3 Training Sequence - HW Training Procedure
DDR3 Training Sequence - FAILED (Write Leveling Hw) 
DDR3 Training Sequence - FAILED

Nedd · July 23, 2021, 2:11am

Hi anomeome,

I guess the reason I tried to recover the uboot was because when I saw
those messages, they matched the page where they were trying to
recover the bootloader. Thanks for pointing me to the wrtxx00acx
support directory your profile, I'll have to study that.

anomeome · July 23, 2021, 2:22am

Probably nothing in there that is not in the OpenWrt link you posted above.