"End of Life" receiver firmware

I am certainly not a programmer, but I think it would be less expensive to purchase a used or new receiver than go down the path of what you are suggesting.

If you own a computer you are entitled to buy and install any program on it. So first opinion is you own the receiver hardware, and if it still works you may continue to use it. Chevrolet cannot prevent you from driving a car that is out of warranty. Based on that Topcon cannot tell you your receiver is end of life. Problem is your receiver will not work without software (firmware) which Topcon asserts has a life that they are entitled to end. That may be akin to the government telling you they can force an abortion when they want to.?ÿ

Question is can they prevent you from altering their software in your computer. I believe the courts have sided with third party software in vehicle computers, which may void the warranty. Not to worry Topcon has in affect voided your warranty already. You would most likely be in trouble if you tried to sell modified Topcon firmware, but if you have a program that can tell your Topcon receiver to instead do something else at some step in the program process then that should be sell-able. There are plenty of third party programs that take GNSS observations and convert that to downloadable files. Simplest solution is to find where the raw observation data is sent to the Topcon data processor and instead send it externally to a computer.

Paul in PA

I haven't studied the software license in question, but every one I have looked at says you may not reverse engineer or disassemble the program.?ÿ

If you could independently write a program for it, that "should" be legal, but I don't think anyone can do that without lots of proprietary information about the internal interfaces and/or disassembling the firmware the company provided.

The only thing that might be both practical and legal is to get data out of the machine and post-process it with custom software.

I downloaded the firmware for each board in the various receivers I own. Back a few years ago it was a FREE DOWNLOAD to anyone that owned a Topcon receiver. So they didn't 'sell' the software, it was free, as was the F-loader software to upload it to the receivers. They have since pulled those files off the Topcon free download site.

?ÿ

I do not remember seeing ANY copyright on any of the files but I'd probably be surprised if there wasn't . They did put a warning that it was 'use at your own risk'?ÿ because a wrong firmware on a incompatible board would brick the receiver in a heartbeat. And it was extremely difficult to fix once the bad firmware hit the board.?ÿ

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I don't know how important it is going to be as/if software kicks the files out, but I think we are only looking to change the roll-over date (GPS week = correct date). I guess that is going to be key to if I could sell an updated firmware to keep the old receives running. That was really the reason behind the question.?ÿ If we wrote it, could we 'sell' it.?ÿ

You need to check what the board in the receivers are. Alot of the Hiper models use the board HGGDT.

My Hiper+ is marked end of life but it has the HGGDT board. I was able to upload the firmware and it is working fine.

Supported Products
Systems
ƒ?› Topcon HiPer Pro, HiPer+, HiPer Ga, HiPer Gb, HiPer XT, HiPer Lite+, HiPer GL, HiPer M, Map HP, Map-RT, HiPer AG, IP-S2, Legacy-E+, Odyssey-E, Odyssey-RS

You could see where that would be correct. You likely own the hardware in full, but the software may be patented or trademarked .. copyrighted?ÿ ?

Where you couldn't use it in part or whole without the express written permission.

I was reading about the right-to-repair, and John Deere customers are basically locked in to the dealer, for anything.

Apparently one of the workarounds was to purchase the equipment software from Eastern Europe somewhere.

?ÿ

edit:?ÿ Repairing Apple phones was another of the latest right-to-repair legal cases. Not sure what the outcome was.

I have been informed that on occasion I am considered a radical with very radical ideas but try to follow me here if you can.

I have witnessed many surveyors through the years driving ragged out pickups and other manner of work vehicles that are an embarrassment for a professional to be seen in. I have witnessed these same surveyors using cobbled together computers to support a software program that was obsolete in the 90's and came on one of those large floppy disks. I have seen these same surveyors using all manner of mystical magic and incantations to keep old total stations and data collectors working decades past their end of life. They struggle daily with old stuff that cost them money to keep going instead of making them money. Now I get it that some folks are conditioned from being birthed as a surveyor that you have to get the most out of your equipment, squeeze that last bit of useful life out of you equipment.

However this trauma can be avoided rather easily by doing one thing, and that is quite simply.......................................................................................................................................................................

CHARGE MORE MONEY & PLAN FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF ALL YOUR EQUIPMENT BEFORE IT IS PAST END OF LIFE!

RAISE YOUR DAMNED RATES! RAISE THE COST OF EVERYTHING!?ÿ

What firmware is it that you are referring to?

I was looking to download and was not able to get anything.

It looks like the info I have is:

BS Model=HE_GD,mem=1024, ver={main="2.3 Oct,17,2003 ,board=HE_GD_3

HR model=HIPER,mem=1024, ver={main="3.1 Jan,24,2007 ,board=HE_GD_3

HS model=HIPER,mem=1024,ver={main="2.3 Apr,28,2004 board=HE_GD_3

OB model=ODYSSEY,mem=1024, ver={main="2.3 May,13,2003?ÿ board=JPS_4_2

OW model=ODYSSEY,mem=1024,ver={main="2.3 Apr,28,2004 p4",,board=JPS_4_2

?ÿ

I am a bit embarrassed that I have not looked at firmware in so long.?ÿ I guess when something works - don't break it.

I am setting receivers out now to test.

?ÿ

Even though Topcon says my Hiper GGD is at "End of Life", I tested it yesterday and it still works!!

I tested my Hiper Lite + rover today connected to NYSNET and hit a couple of control points well within tolerance.?ÿ Whew.

It looks like the boards you have are older versions. I downloaded firmware from here https://www.topconpositioning.com/gpsrollover#feature-110916

I performed my test.

Sent all the files into OPUS, and everything processed OK.  I compared nail positions before and after rollover, and using default OPUS options, all of the positions agree within a couple of hundreds of each other.

I will say that even with the old firmware the oldest Topcon Hiper, the Legacy H-GD and the Javad (Topcon) Odyssey receivers are all functional and record the correct dates and the correct number of leap seconds.

Crisis averted.  On to the new battery systems I go!

Just A Surveyor, what you propose is a business decision.  There's a couple of ways to run a business: one is to buy all new equipment and lease new vehicles every few years and be on a perpetual couple of thousand or so monthly payments; two, is to use all old equipment and vehicles and don't have any monthly payments.  I don't have any monthly payments except for repair bills every blue moon on the survey equipment a little more so on the vehicles.  I love old jeeps.

Ditto here, though I've got a couple of GPS-intensive jobs coming up and I hope my post-rollover testing didn't overlook anything.