Recover Bricked EA6350 v2?

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dawger1
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 28 Sep 2008
Posts: 7

PostPosted: Sun Dec 31, 2017 20:41    Post subject: Recover Bricked EA6350 v2? Reply with quote
Hi guys,

I bought a second hand Linksys EA6350 v2 yesterday for the express purpose of installing DD-WRT and using it as a second VPN router on my network. I managed to successfully install linksys-ea6400-numinit-super-hacky-smaller-version.bin, but managed to brick the router after following LOM's instructions to modified .bin file to boot (I received an error 0 when attempting to write the modified file from terminal within WinSCP).

Now when I start the router, the light goes solid green immediately and stays that way. I've set my IP to 192.168.1.5, and pings to 192.168.1.1 return continuous "Destination host unreachable." I've tried Linksys' recommended hard reset procedure (ie. 10s reset button), other procedures (30/10/10, 30/5/5 resets), to no avail. The green light turns on and remains on each time, and the destination host and web portal remain unreachable.

Since I cannot connect to the router, I'm guessing TFTP recovery is out as an option. I'm thinking that a JTAG recovery (if even possible on this router) is my only alternative. Any advice or suggestions, or should I just throw the thing in the garbage? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers and Happy New Year everyone!
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native_tx
DD-WRT User


Joined: 26 Feb 2014
Posts: 169
Location: Texas

PostPosted: Mon Jan 01, 2018 20:46    Post subject: Reply with quote
Have you considered using a USB serial or TTL adapter? There are tutorials here in a dd-wrt post. I don't think you can get away with the 30ish technique means on the arm based routers. There is a technique to run the router for a moment to when light blinks rapidly then pulling the power 3 x's that should put you back to stock, that is if you get a rapid blinking light?
dawger1
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 28 Sep 2008
Posts: 7

PostPosted: Mon Jan 01, 2018 21:28    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks for the reply. The light immediately goes solid green when the router is powered (no flashing at all), so the 3x power cycle didn’t work for me.

I think my only option at this point is the USB / TTL adapter. I’m now trying to decide if I should pay $30-40 for a cable to revive a $50 router, or just accept that I boned this up and move onto something else Embarassed
ian5142
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 23 Oct 2013
Posts: 2318
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Mon Jan 01, 2018 22:26    Post subject: Cheaper Reply with quote
They are much cheaper online: https://www.adafruit.com/product/954

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1PCS-PL2303TA-USB-TTL-to-RS232-Converter-Serial-Cable-module-for-win-XP-VISTA-7-8/32667380006.html

Just make sure it is 3.3V, not 5V or 12V. Never attach the red, VCC, wire, it is not needed.

_________________
Before asking a question on the forums, update dd-wrt: Where do I download firmware? I suggest reading it all.
QCA Best WiFi Settings


Some dd-wrt wiki pages are up to date, others are not. PM me if you find an old one.

Atheros:
Netgear R7800 x3 - WDS AP / station, gateway, QoS
TP-Link Archer C7 v2 x2 - WDS Station
TP-Link TL-WDR3600 v1 - WDS Station
TP-Link 841nd v8 - NU
D-Link 615 C1/E3/I1 x 7 - 1 WDS station
D-Link 825 B1 - NU
D-Link 862L A1 x2 - WDS Station
Netgear WNDR3700v2 - NU
UBNT loco M2 x2 - airOS

Broadcom
Linksys EA6400 - Gateway, QoS
Asus N66U - AP
Netgear WNDR3700v3 - not used
MediaTek
UBNT EdgeRouter X - switch
dawger1
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 28 Sep 2008
Posts: 7

PostPosted: Tue Jan 02, 2018 2:38    Post subject: Reply with quote
Awesome, thanks so much Ian! I found a USB to TTL cable locally, and have ordered it.

To get ahead of the game a bit, I opened up the router to have a look around. I believe I’ve identified the serial pins (circled in blue), and the JTAG pins (circled in red). From another thread, I learned that the pins from left to right are pwr, tx, rx, gnd (I won’t connect to pwr as per Ian). I’ll follow the serial recovery procedures once I receive the USB to TTL cable, and report my results back in case anybody needs this in the future.

Once I recover the Linksys firmware, do you guys think the easiest way to re-install DD-WRT on this router is to flash both partitions over serial, or try to upload the stripped down version via the Linksys WebGUI?
ian5142
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 23 Oct 2013
Posts: 2318
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Tue Jan 02, 2018 2:55    Post subject: Serial Recovery Reply with quote
It is best to get back to stock (Linksys) firmware first. Then try and get dd-wrt on the router.

I will better be able to help you when the serial cable arrives and you post an output from it. I would check

Make sure to attach the output as a zip file, not a screenshot (the forum is old and does not resize photos to fit the screen).

_________________
Before asking a question on the forums, update dd-wrt: Where do I download firmware? I suggest reading it all.
QCA Best WiFi Settings


Some dd-wrt wiki pages are up to date, others are not. PM me if you find an old one.

Atheros:
Netgear R7800 x3 - WDS AP / station, gateway, QoS
TP-Link Archer C7 v2 x2 - WDS Station
TP-Link TL-WDR3600 v1 - WDS Station
TP-Link 841nd v8 - NU
D-Link 615 C1/E3/I1 x 7 - 1 WDS station
D-Link 825 B1 - NU
D-Link 862L A1 x2 - WDS Station
Netgear WNDR3700v2 - NU
UBNT loco M2 x2 - airOS

Broadcom
Linksys EA6400 - Gateway, QoS
Asus N66U - AP
Netgear WNDR3700v3 - not used
MediaTek
UBNT EdgeRouter X - switch
Malachi
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 17 Jul 2012
Posts: 7209
Location: Columbus, Ohio

PostPosted: Tue Jan 02, 2018 10:29    Post subject: Reply with quote
Smaller picture.
_________________
I am far from a guru, I'm barely a novice.
dawger1
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 28 Sep 2008
Posts: 7

PostPosted: Wed Jan 03, 2018 21:04    Post subject: Reply with quote
I received my Adafruit USB to TTL Serial Cable today. I hooked it up as I thought it was supposed to be (nothing on pwr, tx, rx and gnd), setup and opened the serial connection through PuTTY on COM3, powered up the router, and didn't see anything in the terminal. I unplugged the router, tried switching the tx and rx connections, restarted the router, and again saw nothing happening in PuTTY. What am I doing wrong?
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