[time-nuts] Re: Synergy / iLotus M12M Firmware

[Bob Camp]

Hi

If you sit down with the folks who actually do this, things change a *lot* when there is
a silicon change. Going from one toolset to a completely different one is only a minor
part of it. 

The customer base that matters to all the module outfits are the large OEM’s. Many
of them are reluctant to even engage with individual users. Their customer service
is focused on the “thousand a month” folks.

Bob

> On Mar 21, 2023, at 3:31 PM, Razvan Popescu [YO8RYR] <yo8ryr at gmx.net> wrote:
> 
> Hello Bob,
> 
> You are right, it is difficult to get updates but if the firmware is
> designed correctly from start there should be no issues and making small
> adjustments to correct something like week rollover would not be much
> investment for a big company. I saw firmware engineers fixing problems
> in less than 2 minutes and creating a new file.
> 
> In the end if support is not OK they will loose in the long run.
> 
> I can tell what I saw is happening with vendors that offer bad support,
> they are excluded from future contracts and customers don't even
> consider their products anymore once they are on the "list".
> 
> Maybe new chips are needed for navigation applications but for 1PPS and
> time/date I would say 20 year old modules should be fine.
> 
> 73!
> Razvan
> 
> On 20/03/2023 17:22, Bob Camp wrote:
>> Hi
>> 
>> I think you will find that many outfits went over to some sort of “future proof” setup
>> in the last 10 years.
>> 
>> Getting firmware updates for *any* module after a decade or two is difficult for an
>> individual. Even as an OEM with all the “official” ways to do it, it can be difficult.
>> 
>> The same is true of updates for a variety of GPS based gear, modules are not at
>> all unique in this regard.
>> 
>> To a degree changes in the silicon are at the root of a lot of this. They change
>> the chip  / chips in one way or another. Now the firmware for the “old” gear is unique
>> to that generation. They simply stop the updates rather than put (the significant)
>> money into the process.
>> 
>> Bob
>>