Experimental Baofeng RD-5R version
Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2020 11:35 am
Thanks to Dzmitry EW1ADG I'm pleased to announce that we now have an experimental version of the OpenGD77 for the Baofeng RD-5R / DM-5R (Tier 2 version)
Note.
This firmware will not work with the old Baofeng DM-5R which is a Tier 1 radio. It only works with some of the newer Tier 2 version of the DM-5R and the RD-5R (which seems to be identical to the newer DM-5R)
Dzmitry did the initial port, and I have spent about 2 weeks, cleaning up Dzmitry's code and making the entire code base more generic.
To do this, there have been some minor graphical position changes on some of the less critical screens, like the RSSI screen and the Battery screen.
However the main screens e.g. the Channel mode and VFO mode screens etc, should be identical in revised version of the firmware.
Hence I've also posted the latest versions of the GD-77 and DM-1801 firmware for people to test, so that I can know whether the integration of RD-5R support has definitely not caused any problems with the GD-77 etc.
FYI.
The RD-5R has one key drawback, because the volume - On / Off control, actually switches the power to the whole radio on and off.
So its not possible to save the settings when the operator turns the radio off. Unlike the GD-77 and DM-1801, where the CPU actually turns the radio off, after the operator has turned the radio off, (after its saved the settings)
Hence every time a change is made by the operator e.g. change channel or frequency, the RD-5R must immediately write this change to the EEPROM.
Luckily the EEPROM has around 1,000,000 write cycles, so I don't think its likely that anyone could wear out the EEPROM, but it still is not ideal from the hardware design standpoint
The RD-5R / DM-5R firmware can be loaded using the official firmware loader or using the Firmware loader in the last OpenGD77 release
See the Assets section in https://github.com/rogerclarkmelbourne/ ... /R20200411
I've no idea what format codeplug the RD-5R uses. I suspect its a lot different from the OpenGD77 format.
So anyone who wants to give this a try will need to upload a new codeplug using the OpenGD77 CPS.
See https://github.com/rogerclarkmelbourne/ ... /R20200315
The firmware seems to be stable on my RD-5R, but should be considered as highly experimental.
Update 16th April
I have noticed that I get a lot of audio noise if I try to use the RD-5R on FM when its in the charger. This is likely to also have a problem on DMR, so I recommend that the radio is not used when its in the charger.
If you need to run the radio as a hotspot, in the charger, you should check how much FM modulation audio is produced, and possibly use a better PSU or better charge controller
Update 21st April
Note.
FM broadcast band reception ( 88Mhz - 108Mhz) is no supported, because the RD-5R does not have the additional IC needed to receive on that band.
Update 5th May
There is something seriously wrong with the PA, causing Tx power to be very high and also PA current to be too high
I have asked Dzmitry to investigate
Note.
This firmware will not work with the old Baofeng DM-5R which is a Tier 1 radio. It only works with some of the newer Tier 2 version of the DM-5R and the RD-5R (which seems to be identical to the newer DM-5R)
Dzmitry did the initial port, and I have spent about 2 weeks, cleaning up Dzmitry's code and making the entire code base more generic.
To do this, there have been some minor graphical position changes on some of the less critical screens, like the RSSI screen and the Battery screen.
However the main screens e.g. the Channel mode and VFO mode screens etc, should be identical in revised version of the firmware.
Hence I've also posted the latest versions of the GD-77 and DM-1801 firmware for people to test, so that I can know whether the integration of RD-5R support has definitely not caused any problems with the GD-77 etc.
FYI.
The RD-5R has one key drawback, because the volume - On / Off control, actually switches the power to the whole radio on and off.
So its not possible to save the settings when the operator turns the radio off. Unlike the GD-77 and DM-1801, where the CPU actually turns the radio off, after the operator has turned the radio off, (after its saved the settings)
Hence every time a change is made by the operator e.g. change channel or frequency, the RD-5R must immediately write this change to the EEPROM.
Luckily the EEPROM has around 1,000,000 write cycles, so I don't think its likely that anyone could wear out the EEPROM, but it still is not ideal from the hardware design standpoint
The RD-5R / DM-5R firmware can be loaded using the official firmware loader or using the Firmware loader in the last OpenGD77 release
See the Assets section in https://github.com/rogerclarkmelbourne/ ... /R20200411
I've no idea what format codeplug the RD-5R uses. I suspect its a lot different from the OpenGD77 format.
So anyone who wants to give this a try will need to upload a new codeplug using the OpenGD77 CPS.
See https://github.com/rogerclarkmelbourne/ ... /R20200315
The firmware seems to be stable on my RD-5R, but should be considered as highly experimental.
Update 16th April
I have noticed that I get a lot of audio noise if I try to use the RD-5R on FM when its in the charger. This is likely to also have a problem on DMR, so I recommend that the radio is not used when its in the charger.
If you need to run the radio as a hotspot, in the charger, you should check how much FM modulation audio is produced, and possibly use a better PSU or better charge controller
Update 21st April
Note.
FM broadcast band reception ( 88Mhz - 108Mhz) is no supported, because the RD-5R does not have the additional IC needed to receive on that band.
Update 5th May
There is something seriously wrong with the PA, causing Tx power to be very high and also PA current to be too high
I have asked Dzmitry to investigate