I have done the USB PD firmware update using Purism’s instructions. It is basically no more complicated than a reflash i.e. put Librem 5 in serial download mode and run a script on the host computer.
What are your specific goals in wanting to avoid a host computer?
It is obvious that if you need to reflash, it is guaranteed that there are scenarios where you will need a host computer - and if you want to backup and/or restore using Jumpdrive then you will need a host computer. So users should become familiar with the basic procedure of putting the Librem 5 in serial download mode and running a script on the host computer. The difference is which particular script gets run.
There are dangers in blindly upgrading though. If noone has done any integration testing to see whether the higher version works correctly in the Librem 5 and/or works correctly with other software components … you might be the one doing the testing - and fixing up the mess if the test is FAIL.
Having alternative instructions is useful for situations where a host computer is unavailable, but producing those instructions is a low priority for me at the moment due to lack of resources and demand.
I wouldn’t recommend messing with that if you don’t have some host around, as your phone may end up being a brick until you find a host anyway
Not that I want to gatekeep knowledge - to the contrary, I encourage people to learn, tweak and fix stuff by themselves - but my past experiences tell me to be thoughtful with such guides. Just look at the flashing guide - all you need to enter the flashing mode is to hold Vol+ while the SoC boots, and yet the instructions ask you to do way more to weed out as many edge cases and user errors as possible before the user reaches for support
The downside of alternative instructions is that it is confusing for users. And one set of instructions that actually work is more valuable than two half-baked sets.
I’m struggling to come up with a plausible scenario for where I would suddenly need to upgrade the firmware for the USB PD and couldn’t wait until I can access a host computer, particularly as the general advice is not to mess with any upgrade unless you have mains power available.
I emailed Purism on December 15th about this supposed private GitLab repository for the FT8006P touchscreen controller firmware blobs, but have yet to receive an official response.
Hi. Wanting to upgrade the firmware in the BM818. I found the official page where it asks you to email support to get access to the firware file(s).
It’s over a week now and there is no reply from support@puri.sm. Does anyone have a copy of the 1.0000002 BM818 firmware files?
Part of your process would probably be to get the necessary file for your current firmware version, in case the new firmware version makes the problem worse not better.
Here in New Zealand we have been fortunate to trail the rest of the world in switching off our 3G networks. Unfortunately now we only have several months until it does happen.
I have accounts for 2 of the three cellular providers. Neither work with VoLTE on the L5.
In the spirit of self help I want to try updated firmware.
OK. (Can’t be a worse debacle than here, across the ditch.)
As I said, check what firmware version you currently have and provide that info to Purism Support with your request. At a minimum Purism Support may tell you that you already have the latest. If not then, as I wrote, you want files for your current version and for the latest version in case you have to revert.
I assume that you have installed the BM818 tool in order to enable VoLTE?
Yes I installed the BM818 tool, and used it to find the existing firmware version so I could cut and paste it to my email. I even provided the order number from when I bought the phone as I read somewhere that support@puri.sm required it.
I fiddled with the BM818 tool turning it off and on a few times and rebooting etc. I get this:
root@pureos:~# bm818-volte-check
chat: Mar 05 18:22:03 +BMRAT: FDD LTE
BMRAT state active FDD LTE
yet voice calls are forced to 3G.
The NZ telcos used to only enable VoLTE for approved devices. This has been relaxed and now at least my Pixel 6a (which was purchased in Australia and is not on their approved list) works with VoLTE. Before chasing their head network engineers I thought I would at least get the firmware up to date.
Yes I included the existing firmware version (it’s different for the different regions) and provided the order number and the L5 serial number as given on the invoice. I described being in NZ and the reason I wanted the firmware. They should have been able to work it out. If they could not work it out then I would have expected someone to get back to me to ask within a day or two. It has been a week. If they are too busy, I am prepared to ask the community here on the forum. Which I have done above.
Reading the firmware upgrade instructions, the file has firmware for all 3 of the modem versions and I choose when I run the upgrade program. It should not be necessary to know which version I have to provide the file.
I would ask your carrier if they will actually support the L5. Here in Canada, having VoLTE on the L5 isn’t possible because they don’t recognize the L5 as a qualified device, I would suspect that this is happening in many other places around the globe, so before you go beating your head against a wall trying to make it work I would find out if they will support it first. My workaround will be (once HSPA is turned off here) will be to port my number to chat.jmp as they offer SIP accounts then I will just use the 4G data only to do texting and calls.
I happen to have recent (although I don’t know if they are the most recent) BM818 firmware files from Purism. And I don’t even have a Librem 5. As luck would have it, someone challenged me on whether these were actually available on the forums … and they were.
In any case, I’m not sure the version number 1.00000002 make sense. I’ve got a zip file from Purism: BM818-reflash.zip . It contains two debs:
Or, more accurately, the modem variant, which in turn determines the supported bands, which relates to but is not strictly limited by the region in which you might intend to use the modem.
I used to have issues with the modem data connection going stale, requiring a hardware switch flick or restarting the modem and the network manager service.
After upgrading the modem firmware, I’ve had no issues with the data connection anymore.
