SDRC Crashes with RX888 under Windows7

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DR53
Posts: 15
Joined: Sat Oct 17, 2020 11:40 am

SDRC Crashes with RX888 under Windows7

#1

Unread post by DR53 »

I received an RX888 yesterday and hit a problem with SDRC in that it crashes when initially searching for the radio at the "Select Radio - Definitions" stage; this is on my main PC (AMD R9 3900X / 32GB / RTX2070) under Win7x64. However, the radio runs perfectly on this PC under HDSDR and SDR Sharper using ExtIO 0.4. The radio also works in SDRC on two laptops running Win10, but when I tried it on a third laptop running Win7x64, SDRC crashed again with the same symptoms as per the main PC. On both Win7 computers a system message appeared as SDRC crashed saying "USB Hub Power Exceeded" - I think this is false, as the RX888 was measured drawing only 0.56A running 32MHz on the Win10 laptops, well within the USB3 port capabilities.

Screenshots are attached of the two SDRC error messages, but the dump files are too big to be attached, apparently, as this is my first message in the forums.

I guess I must be the first one to try running this radio under Win7?

Regards,
Dave
Attachments
RX888 Crash Message (Win7 Laptop).jpg
RX-888 Crash (Win7 PC).jpg

DR53
Posts: 15
Joined: Sat Oct 17, 2020 11:40 am

Re: SDRC Crashes with RX888 under Windows7

#2

Unread post by DR53 »

Some more to add. Yesterday, I tried it on my wife's PC: it also runs Win7x64, and the results were just the same as on mine - the RX-888 works perfectly under HDSDR and SDR Sharper, but SDRC crashed soon after the search for the radio started (I think it actually finds the radio ok, but crashes as soon as it finds it).

On my PC, all the USB-powered radios are connected to a Startech 4-port, 4-controller USB3 card, so power to the radio shouldn't be an issue. However, the card was connected to a festoon cable feeding power to the DVD drive and SSDs, so to rule it out I connected the USB3 card directly to the 850W power supply via a separate cable, and disconnected the other radios: SDRC still crashed as before, and the "USB Hub Power Exceeded" message appeared - yet the radio happily performed seconds later on the same card and port under HDSDR and SDR Sharper at 32 MHz bandwidth, without a stutter, and barely getting warm!

Out of curiosity, I tried connecting the radio to a USB2 port: this time SDRC found the radio and went though the motions of starting it before crashing - however, the StreamerExample Device was, for once, left in a working state, and the Definition was now installed in SDRC, so when I restarted SDRC it actually found and started the radio without any ado (playback was rubbish, of course, but things were at least moving forward a little). Next, I plugged the radio back into the USB3 card and tried to start it (the RX666/RX888 Definition now appears to be permanently installed), but SDRC crashed just as before.

Any thoughts as to where the problem lies, Simon, please?

Regards,
Dave

Peter
Posts: 35
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2020 12:59 am

Re: SDRC Crashes with RX888 under Windows7

#3

Unread post by Peter »

G'day Dave,

I found the following worked ( but I'm sure Simon will chuck a fit ) ...

plug in RX888 on a USB 3 port
install the Cypress FX3 USB Bootloader Device driver ( as available from the Cypress site )
unplug RX888
go to the HDSDR Program folder and find and copy rx888.img
go to the SDR-Console Program folder and drop the copy of rx888.img
find in the same location the file BBRF103.img and rename it to BBRF103.old.org
rename rx888.img to BBFR103.img
plug in RX888
run SDR-Console and create a definition for your RX888
save the definition
select RX888
select bandwidth ( seems more stable selecting here rather than from Home tab in SDR-C )
start.

Doing this allows me to happily run my RX888 on my i7-3770 / 16 GB / W7-64 PC all the way up to 32 MHz ( more like 30 ).
On apparently random occasions, after changing bandwidth, the audio goes bad ( choppy ) ... exiting SDR-C, re-plugging the RX888, and starting again seems to fix this.

Hope you have some luck,
Pete.

DR53
Posts: 15
Joined: Sat Oct 17, 2020 11:40 am

Re: SDRC Crashes with RX888 under Windows7

#4

Unread post by DR53 »

Hi Pete,

Many thanks indeed - your solution works a treat!! All I had to do was copy over the .img file and rename it (to BBRF103_SE.img), and rename the existing definition to RX-888, and it was up and running at 32 MHz. I don't know why the radio should need a different firmware image to be loaded in Win7, but I'm sure Simon will be able to work it out :).

Like you, I found that changing bandwidth causes Console to crash (in my case whether I do it from within the program, or after stopping the radio and doing it from the "Select Radio" options), but at least it leaves the device in a stable state so that I only need to restart the program again - no more bending under the table to unplug and replug cables! I also got the "choppy audio" fault a couple of days ago when running SDR Sharper, but just changing from AM to LSB and back to AM sorted it out: it might work in SDRC if / when I come across it again.

Thanks again for the help, and 73s.

Best regards,
Dave

bagmouse7
Posts: 43
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2020 4:24 pm

Re: SDRC Crashes with RX888 under Windows7

#5

Unread post by bagmouse7 »

Yes!!!
Thanks for posting this.
This has fixed my issue with the RX888 on W7 and SDR Console.
I had the exact same issue as DR53 described above, the 888 would work with HDSDR and with the ExtIO, but would crash SDR console and trigger a USB power error.
This same RX888 would work correctly on my W10 box with SDR Console.

This DLL copy/rename has fixed my issue on the W7 box.
Thanks!

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Simon G4ELI
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Re: SDRC Crashes with RX888 under Windows7

#6

Unread post by Simon G4ELI »

What is this .img file?
Simon Brown :shock:
www.sdr-radio.com

Do not send me direct e-mail, thank-you!

Peter
Posts: 35
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2020 12:59 am

Re: SDRC Crashes with RX888 under Windows7

#7

Unread post by Peter »

Hi Simon,

I've answered that over in the test team ... see
Kits Topic 3.0.26 b2040 / RX888 / W7 startup crash msg #6

Pete.

bagmouse7
Posts: 43
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2020 4:24 pm

Re: SDRC Crashes with RX888 under Windows7

#8

Unread post by bagmouse7 »

Simon,
You download the RX888.zip package that the developer has created for the RX888:
https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1hqV2-ZC ... t=download

In the HDSDR-RX888-v04-2020609.zip file you can find the rx888.img file.
It looks like a version of the firmware that the cypress driver loads when it starts up the RX888.

I am not sure why the BBRF103_SE.img file that your provide works with the RX888 on W10 and not W7 (both 64bit), but that seems to be that case.
Thanks!

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sm6fhz
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Re: SDRC Crashes with RX888 under Windows7

#9

Unread post by sm6fhz »

bagmouse7!
Your link seems to contain a 32bit version of the dll-file.
Have you got a 64-bit link as well or a link to a page where the developer posts their files?
73 / Ingolf, SM6FHZ

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Simon G4ELI
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Re: SDRC Crashes with RX888 under Windows7

#10

Unread post by Simon G4ELI »

So, is rx888.img for the 888 only or the 666 as well?
Simon Brown :shock:
www.sdr-radio.com

Do not send me direct e-mail, thank-you!

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