Offtopic? Upgrading built in flash to 8MB

[Oleg]

So I've performed this mod for about a year ago. Several guys asked me to publish this in english, so finally it's here: http://oleg.wl500g.info/wl700ge_flash.html

Russian mod thread is here: http://wl500g.info/showthread.php?t=7048

This mod is only needed if you to want flash "big" firmwares, which do no fit to 2MB, for example my own WL700g-... version.

[LeperKing]

Thanks for the info, would you know if this would allow DD-WRT as well?

LK

[Oleg]

Сообщение от LeperKing

Thanks for the info, would you know if this would allow DD-WRT as well?

LK

Have no idea. This extra flash space could be used for jffs to store whatever you need.

[Eric Herman]

Oleg,

Сообщение от Oleg

So I've performed this mod for about a year ago. Several guys asked me to publish this in english, so finally it's here: http://oleg.wl500g.info/wl700ge_flash.html

Thanks for taking the time to put together a nice web page on this.
I've linked it from my own
hardware hacking page.

Now we'll see how many of us can get brave enough to purchase an external flash programmer and copy your work.
(I know I am nervous to try.)

Cheers,
-Eric

[kfurge]

Good soldering job on the flash. However, I'm particularly interested in this line:

Done! It should now looks like below (well, the RAM is also doubled in size):

Any gotcha's or was the SDRAM automatically detected?

- K.C.

[Oleg]

Сообщение от kfurge

Good soldering job on the flash. However, I'm particularly interested in this line:

Done! It should now looks like below (well, the RAM is also doubled in size):

Any gotcha's or was the SDRAM automatically detected?

- K.C.

You've to correct sdram_init to use 128MB as described here: http://oleg.wl500g.info/sdram.html

But there are several problems: 1) stock firmware hangs trying to detect 128MB due to a bug; 2) I've not much experience with upgrading WL700gE RAM, but have number of WL500gP upgraded to 128MB. Some of them does not boot without capacitor (about 4pF) added to pin 51 of U4 to correct bad PCB tracing. Perhaps wl700ge traced better.

[Eric Herman]

For those of us without an external flash programmer, my friend Jim Tinney points out there is at least one place where it seems one can post an image file, specify the chip to flash to, and they'll flash it and ship it .... Not even too extremely pricey: http://bios-repair.co.uk/ (about Ј15, it seems.)

-Eric

[hggomes]

Hi, can i flash the WL-500GP with your WL-700GE firmware and then desolder it and put the flash in WL-700GE?

[mumsoft]

Hi Oleg,

I don't know who is modding this space, but your post is the only one so far that is on top of the list.
I.m.h.o. there is at least one other that deserves more attention:
http://wl500g.info/showthread.php?t=12615

Could you (or someone else) arrange this?

regards,
Marc

[p4trykx]

I have a problem because I bricked my wl-500w. I desoldered the flash chip and had it programmed. But the service guy says that he gets an error while programming. Could it be because he has a wrong programmer? Maybe the chip is broken, where can I buy it. I'm from Poland.