Can you try with another ethernet source, for example a switch? Do you have a PoE source? It could be that the laptop has some power saving feature and so doesn't bring up the PHY in time, resulting in failure on the MR42 and proceeding to boot normally. At the very least can you try disabling power management on the device?
I was finally able to get it to pull the initramfs supposedly. It just boots up orange after I do all the steps and won't show up on my router. With a direct ethernet connection, LuCi is not accessible at the IP listed, assuming this build has that package built in already and assuming it held.
The LED should be white, not orange. The IP will be 192.168.1.1 and you shouldn't be able to telnet in, only ssh. There will be no DHCP request.
So I have been working on my mr42
It will not go to recovery mode with a long reset on powerup
I have a uart connection and I can run the python script
C:\TFTP-Root>python \TFTP-Root\ubootwrite.py --write=mr42_u-boot.bin --serial com3 --verbose
Waiting for device...
Writing:'mw 4204e054 4204e830' at: 0x4204e054
Waiting for prompt...
Ok, prompt received
Writing:'mw 4204e058 00000004' at: 0x4204e058
Waiting for prompt...
Ok, prompt received
Writing:'mw 4204e05c 000f0011' at: 0x4204e05c
Waiting for prompt...
Ok, prompt received
Progress 100%
Waiting for prompt...
Prompt 'b'\r\r\n(YOWIE)# '' not received. Instead received 'b'\r\r\n## Starti''
Done
C:\TFTP-Root>
nothing seems to happen after that.
No activity on the TFTP server running on 192.168.1.250 (My laptop with an ethernet cable to the mr42)
when I load putty on com3
All I get is a repeating capital T
Thoughts?
Steve
I'll need to find the time. So far it's been on my couch in the evening when I have a small window of time, so far I've wasted around 4+ hours on this. I'm not sure what you mean though.
So it's working for steps 1 or 2 via TFPT, but what you're saying is that the laptop won't bring up the interface in time, so that it turns it off within the 10 seconds where I just got done sending it the "/etc/update_uboot.sh 192.168.1.250 mr42_u-boot.mbn" command where it works. I turn it off and then bring it back up and the laptop has turned off the NIC already?
This is very unlikely, I guess I could try with a switch. I'll check if it has any power management, but as a rule I disable this on all NICs usually on every device where I can.
I am using a power supply for the MR42, not POE.
update: looks like it has a "energy efficient ethernet" setting enabled - it's been disabled. I'll give it a go tomorrow again, but I think it may be the MR42 as the blue light thing isn't the same...
Are you able to try the python script from linux? A live distro would probably do it. The MR33 ubootwrite.py also had issues in windows.
Could be power saving at bus level which isn't bringing up the port in time, which may be influenced by whether the laptop is running on battery or AC. Not sure EEE will influence things much.
Really would suggest using a switch/router. I'd say its more likely this than something with the MR42.
Yes let me try with a linux box this evening
I have UART as an option as well. All of there directions seem incomplete, requires more than listed, or are not applicable because of some confounding factor nobody knows yet but lots are running into. Within the UART directions for example, where does ubootwrite come from?
One user was told not to use Windows. Great. There were no Linux specific directions listed for either of the processes, end-to-end, which I would love. I see no blue lights, only a white one occasionally. The only file that uploads from the tft server is the initramfs. Nothing else uploads. Can I just write the image with a chip clip?
EDIT: I found the ubootwrite.py where we were told to get the images from the post but not the script: https://github.com/clayface/openwrt-cryptid
EDIT2: I was able to SSH in once there was a fast flashing ORANGE light.
Luci isn't coming up and I see no sysupgrade image anywhere.
FWIW, some progress! I did end up trying with a different unit. Can't figure out what the difference is. First time, it pulled the ITB file @sumo provided (~7MB), but it would just get stuck in a flashing orange/rainbow cycle. I tried the ITB linked in the original post (~9MB) and it worked. (went to a white LED). I do have Wireshark open, and hold the reset button while powering on until I see activity.
I was able to get to http://192.168.1.1, but flashing via luci wouldn't work (couldn't verify the BIN, and if forced, just sit in flashing orange/rainbow). Connecting via SSH is bizarre - it connects fine, but only ever lets me type ONE character of anything before it freezes up the connection.
Wait what? Why are there 2 different files? Whe. You say original post are refering to the repo link posted and the files there???
Thanks, this gives some hope 
The ITB linked from the PR: https://github.com/clayface/openwrt-cryptid
And there was one linked to by @sumo - the link is gone or I can't find it. I want to respect his edit by not reposting it here.
In any case, for me, it's the one linked from the PR that worked. Maybe some different rev or other condition that changes compatibility?
Frankly, I'm not even sure why I'm doing this, except to have something interesting to work on. (That and I have a giant pile of Meraki equipment from a dead company.)
Not working for me. I just thought of this, a different ITB file won't change anything, at least for me, because I can't even get to the point where it's pulling it from TFTP.
The step before works, but I cannot get it to pull the ITB file, regardless of how I press and for how long I hold reset pressed.
I don't get a blue LED but I can get to here:
Writing data to block 0 at offset 0x0
Writing data to block 1 at offset 0x20000
Writing data to block 2 at offset 0x40000
After that it's a no go, I also tried to change my laptop's NIC to turn off any energy savings, or the like. I don't have a switch to try this at this point.
Are you using Linux or Windows? Something is not working as expected here, if writing the data above is ok, then why on next boot won't it even try to get the ITB file from TFTP??
I'm on windows 10. MR42 is connected directly to the laptop (192.168.1.250). Do you have another MR42 to try on? My first had me tuck at the same step as you, so I pulled another one out and it worked fine. Got the blue LED (it only appears briefly), installed u-boot, got the proper output, powered off. Powered on while holding the reset button -- longer than I thought I had to. Again, I was doing so until Wireshark showed TFTP activity, but I'd surmise it was about as long as I had to hold it for the first couple of steps (~5s or so). Now if only I could get a working BIN.
Finally got SSH access. SCP'd the sysupgrade.bin from @sumo . It immediately disconnected after running sysupgrade command. I waited ten minutes. I rebooted. Can't SSH in. About to try UART. No lights come on. SoC is warm to the touch. Possibly bricked.
It seems to me we need to figure out if the blue vs white lights and other anomalies are software version or hardware revision related.
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I'm going to hold off till this is figured out and there is a proven way that will work (for those like us that don't get the blue LED)
Does the TFTP server you have running on the laptop not have a mode where it shows the transfers? I've kept the reset pressed anywhere from 3 to 20 seconds, and no difference.
gonna wait till this gets resolved....
It does. I'm using TFTP32 (well, 64 but still). I run that and wireshark side by side, and let go as soon as I see activity in both windows/logs.
Could you please detail which initramfs image you used and which steps you took, precisely? Did you install u-boot on this occasion or had you done so prior? Do no LEDs come on at all, including the orange LED when powering on?
Yeah, sorry about that. I posted it in good faith that it would be helpful. However, at least for the initial install one will need @clayface's openwrt-cryptid stuff. But now, I noticed that only containing an initramfs and no sysupgrade image. So I can post that one here again. As mentioned above my two devices are successfully running that one with an uptime of more than 23 days now:
https://www.ziswiler.net/owncloud/index.php/s/En8im2mW5iN82dM
And today, I actually rebuilt it all with @clayface's latest push from 6 days ago which runs successfully on my devices now:
https://www.ziswiler.net/owncloud/index.php/s/1D7xujiiaA47hjH