Bricked First-Run Board

[cuteswan]

Seeing some of the new Kernal/BASIC commands on the newer BIOS releases I finally decided to update the X-16 I got in June 2023. It took a while (and using Google to search this site) to find some instructions, so first I updated VERA and that went fine.

Then I found the set of ROM, SMC, and VERA (same version I'd just updated to), and was just going to update the BIOS but the updater warned me to do SMC too. So when I ran the updater with all three updates on the card it started to check the SMC and hung. It hadn't said it was okay or asked to press any key to make sure I really wanted to do this, etc. (like when I'd successfully updated the VERA). So after 20 min. I turned it off.

…and that was it. Only then did I read this thread with a warning not to update the SMC. viewtopic.php?t=7363 (Or maybe I'd glanced at that page while searching and that's why subconsciously I was hesitant about doing the SMC…?)

So is there a way to reset it to factory on my own, or do I need to send some chips or the whole board back to be re-whatevered? No rush as I actually use the emulator more. (I live in a tiny place and setting up the X-16 to use is quite an operation.)

[Stefan]

Sorry to hear that happen.

If the SMC is bricked you can recover it yourself. But you need to have some device to program it with, for instance:

- an Arduino Uno, https://github.com/X16Community/x16-smc ... arduino.md

or

- a TLL866 series programmer

If you have any of those, I can try to help you if you need that

[cuteswan]

Thanks. The instructions do look straightforward enough, but past experience tells me that there will be some big catch at every single step if I try it. (Still, that's a better guide than most things these days. But whenever instructions give multiple options I always pick the absolute mostest wrongest one.) Also don't want to buy something I'll only use once then throw away in a few years. I should be able to find someone nearby who's got Arduino experience and slip them a few bucks, or maybe buy a ready replacement if/when available and then donate the old one for repair and re-use.

[Stefan]

Understood. Either way, I’m willing to help if you go about recovering the SMC

[cuteswan]

Thanks. Someone offered to do the flash & swap for me so it should be okay. I've learned my lesson: Just like my phone and my Windows version, never update!