[suhar777777]

Hi. All I have issue with my router Netgear Nighthawk x10 R9000. When I am power on, always light LED POWER, WAN, USB 3.0 x2 and 2 last LED Wi-Fi, WPS. That is all happened((( Usually, when my router was good condition, it light LED(POWER, WAN, USB 3.0 x2 and 2 last LED Wi-Fi, WPS) only 2-3 second, after they are light off and light only LED power with lan port testing.
I decided to open case of router and connect to UART pins. After I power on and I saw in console terminal only "C" after 1 second another "C" and so go without stop.
I think it corrupted CFE or nandflash? How it recover?

[labo]

Did this happen while you were upping the firmware?
If yes, please try to update the firmware via tftp first.

[suhar777777]

No this is not FW((( It simple i am power on and that all((( TFTP not working if CFE not boot.

[suhar777777]

May be flashing nand flash, but need full image of it and adapter for programmer.
May be you know how CFE booting?

[suhar777777]

I little draw))) May be somebody usefull!

[labo]

If the serial port is working then it could be the baud rate issue.
What is the baud rate you have set? it should be 11500
Also as soon as you power on the router keep hitting Control-C from computer to get control to console prompt.

[labo]

Please resize the snapshot, its too big

[suhar777777]

Serial port not working!!!
I think buy another the same router and unsolder slc nand flash, then read it in programmer, after solder in broken router and if boot CFE, then buy new slc nand flash and write in programmer or if old nand flash will not broken then I'll writing it(((
It is very expansive but I not see another way(((
I do not have programmer which can work with jtag arm cortex A15(((

[labo]

Serial port should work.
Can you please provide the serial port settings?
Also, what usb to serial adapter you are using?
Is this 3.3v compatible?
For the serial port pins, only three are needed to be connected.
Tx, Rx and Gnd.

[suhar777777]

1. Not working - i mean not usually work, when in console of Putty not go many raw with code of bootloader. In my case in console of Putty go only "C" and 1 sec wait again "C" and again "C" and again....."CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC". Only this i saw. I have many different router (r8300, r8000 and others) and that i am looking first time.
2. Settings in usb-serial port and in Putty: speed - 115200, data bits - 8, stop bits - 1, parity - none, flow control - none.
3. Usb-serial-CH341A.
4. Yes is 3.3 v compatible.
5. Yes only 3 pins (Rx, Tx, GND) are connected.

[labo]

@ suhar777777,
Sorry, looks like you have done every thing correctly.
Only thing that we need to double check is the serial port pin order.
From where you got this pin order? From pic. not able to see any pinout marking and Seems not consistent with R8000 and R8500.

[suhar777777]

Order pins in pic. it is find with multimetr and light diod. It is very simple.
Yes order pins it different from R8300 and R8000.

[labo]

Multimeter, led for sure we can identify VCC and GND but not Tx Rx depending on Rx might behave like a weak ground and Tx may be weak vcc.
You may want to cross check the pinout with Netgear. I couldn't find pinouts anywhere from google.
I have two R9000s never opened it even after flashing frequently for the last one year
At least with your exisitng connection you can swap Gnd and Rx which will match with other routers order: Rx, Tx, Gnd, Vcc. My two cents

[suhar777777]

I open to you little secret))) When I open my router I was some shock!!! All space near and under nand flash was in oil from the thermal pad!!! I try to clean, but router not run bootloader((( My trouble i think from it. And under some metal protection cover was rust, corrosion!!!
For about Rx and Tx it always need to check and prove! In my case it like I show in pic.

[labo]

Hmmm, interesting. Oil doesn't seem like thermal paste.
The heat sink compound is a white thick sticky paste and some are silver gray color paste, but nothing close to oil.
More over they are insulators electriclly even the artic silver paste(may capacitive effect on high freq)
This may be some electrolyte leak from nearby capacitor which probably swollen or busted and this electrolytes sure can corrode. Please check.