[time-nuts] Ublox Neo M8T no output on TP2 question please?

[Bob kb8tq]

Hi

This has swung over to the “is it legit” / supported question. What’s below is *only* in reference to that part:

There are various levels of “legit” when it comes to these modules. Some are 100% uBlox produced 
units with flash code. Some are equally 100% uBlox, but have the firmware in ROM. If you get the
flash version *and* if a public update comes out, you might be able to do a field upgrade. With the
ROM version … not so much. 

In a gray area are units made with uBlox parts (they will happily sell you all the chips), but assembled
by somebody other than uBlox. Same flash vs ROM thing applies there. I’d say it is very unclear if being 
made from “genuine” parts makes them legit or not. 

In the case of ROM parts, you get whatever is in there when the ROM was generated. That’s all 
there is to it. If you have an old image in the ROM, you are stuck. 

In a not so gray area at all are the modules assembled in who knows where by who knows who 
with “uBlox like” firmware in them. Indeed they are out there. Since somebody cloned a ROM, there
is essentially no way to just ask the device if it’s legit. With enough time, a good lab, and a lot 
of examples of parts, you could work it out. 

Having used uBlox parts in commercial products, the only way they really stand behind the stuff is 
if you sign all the paperwork and buy from them. Stuff from distribution, they really don’t have any
idea about. That may have changed in the last couple years. It most  certainly was the way it
worked not so long ago. 

A lot of the module people are a bit behind supporting Galileo. It’s hardly a uBlox only sort of thing. 
Some outfits are making the upgrade a “pay for it” sort of process. I have a box (not a module) in 
the basement that can get a Galileo upgrade for *only* the modest sum of $15,000 (or something 
like that). So far I have not pursued that any further than the quote stage :). That whole thing is a
bit independent of the “legit” question.


Bob

> On Jan 19, 2019, at 3:04 AM, David J Taylor via time-nuts <time-nuts at lists.febo.com> wrote:
> 
> From: Chris Wilson
> 
> Hello David,
> 
> Thanks  for  the  reply,  it  came froma recommended Lithuanian source,
> where  others  have no issues with similar devices. I e-mailed them re
> this  but  got no rely, sadly. Is there any way to interrogate it (not
> the suppliers.... ;)) to see if it's legit?
> 
> Thursday, January 17, 2019
> =========================================
> 
> Chris,
> 
> IIRC, mine would not switch to Galileo.  I'd be interested to know which source (if you can say), as I'd like a few more of my GPS receivers to be Galileo enabled.
> 
> Cheers,
> David
> -- 
> SatSignal Software - Quality software for you
> Web: http://www.satsignal.eu
> Email: david-taylor at blueyonder.co.uk
> Twitter: @gm8arv 
> 
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