Looking for TP-Link Archer A6 v3.20 EU full flash dump or U-Boot (GD25Q127)

Hardware Questions and Recommendations
1

Hello everyone,
I received a TP-Link Archer A6 v3.20 (EU version) router for repair.
The previous owner had flashed it with an OpenWrt version meant for a different hardware revision,
and the router stopped showing any life signs: the LEDs were faint and there was no output on the TTL serial port.
I managed to desolder the SPI flash chip (GD25Q127, 16MB) and could read it with a CH341 programmer.
I erased it to try a fresh start, but I forgot that this also removes the U-Boot bootloader.
Now I am unable to boot the router or flash the firmware via TFTP.
I am looking for a fully working SPI dump for this exact Archer A6 v3.20 EU,
or at least the U-Boot portion (~first 256KB) so I can restore the factory firmware
and bring the device back to life.
Any help, guidance, or a link to a working dump would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance!

2

You can ask it from tplink support (not included in fw upgrades) ... Provided last flash block with factory data is not destroyed.

1 Like
3

…and with that it's dead. Yes, u-boot could be recovered, uboot-env will already be challenging (MAC addresses, WPS pin, password, etc) - wireless calibration is irretrievable and device specific, without it, the wifi functionality is gone for good.

1 Like
4

Thanks for the explanation, I understand the calibration issue.

However, I’m mainly trying to recover basic functionality at this point. Even if the MAC or calibration data doesn’t match perfectly, I’d still like to attempt restoring the device with a compatible dump.

Do you happen to have access to a full dump or at least a bootloader (U-Boot) from an Archer A6 v3 or Archer C6 v3? That would already help a lot in testing recovery.

Any practical help or shared dump would be greatly appreciated.

5

You can TRY to get bootloader in tplink forum. Calibration data is based on component variety on pcb. i% is irrecoverable

1 Like
6

I tried contacting TP-Link support, but unfortunately they couldn’t help.
In the end, I managed to get a full dump for the Archer C6 v3.20 from a Russian forum (remont-aud.net). It was a Russian dump, but I decided to give it a try anyway. I flashed it, and it powered on!
After that, I installed OpenWrt, so everything is working fine now. :smiling_face:
It was time-consuming, but I enjoy challenges.
I also recommend that forum to everyone — they share a huge amount of dumped firmware and memory files there, which can be very useful for anyone.
Thanks to everyone!

1 Like