Add to documentation: K5TOOL OpenSource software for flashing the device without webbrowser

[fizr5]

The wiki currently tells here:
https://github.com/armel/uv-k5-firmware-custom/wiki/Flashing-the-firmware

"Flashing firmware is possible with a separate program, ..."

The person who reads this line and do not use any google chrome based software is left in the dark about the usable software.

I have done some research and there are two tools that can be used. K5Prog is from my experience for no reason way to complex. I bricked my device with K5Prog. But K5TOOL is great and easy to use. Here the link:
https://github.com/qrp73/K5TOOL

It would be nice if you could mention K5TOOL in the wiki. For example:
"Flashing firmware is possible with a separate program like K5TOOL (make "K5TOOL" blue and a link to https://github.com/qrp73/K5TOOL ) , but can now be done..."

Additional note:
Its recommended at first use to make a full EEPROM-backup and then flash the custom firmware. The developer of K5TOOL have dome some research at the webflasher and reported, that they are doing some things wrong. Using those without a EEPROM-backup that have been done first could be risky.

[armel]

Sorry, but I've never tested K5Tool. It's certainly a very good tool, as are others. But until I've had a look at it, I wouldn't put it forward. By the way, I never received message on how to flash.

Now, the idea for me has always been simplicity. And using an online flasher based on a Chrome or Chromium browser is still the simplest.

As for its reliability, you know, I've flashed thousands of firmwares over the last few months. And I've NEVER found the online flasher to be faulty.

Armel F4HWN.

[fizr5]

Thanks for the quick answer.
I am not using Google Chrome or Chromium based tools. I am using Firefox based browsers. So no online flasher available. Also forcing people to use Chromium based things include the risk of them sticking to this browser. But as known one goal of google is to get much money with Adds. They are now removing uBlock-origin capability to dig deeper into the traffic. This is a example why there should be more then one browser out there.

Second point: I already had to do offline-flashing few times. To be out in the wilderness and just tell the person should bring its new uv-k5 to a meeting in the wilderness without any internet access also breaks the ability to use some chrome-based internet thing.
Instead i just have the firmware file on the computer, i create a eeprom-backup from the new device with K5TOOL, flash your firmware with on it and hand over the eeprom-file (usb-drive) and the flashed uv-k5 back to the person.

About wrong implementation of the firmware writing procedure,i can just point out to the developer: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/rf-microwave/quansheng-uv-k5(8)-firmware-modding/msg5510503/#msg5510503
On github the developer also wrote some more information about that. The developer also explained at a post why the wrong web-flasher implementation is working but is still wrong. But lets keep this part optional, because i am not expert at this. I just had to spend much time into figuring out how to flash without Chrome based webbrowser and such a tiny note in the wiki about the tool would have helped me to give me a starting point.

Yes, i can understand that of course you would like to test the K5TOOL first yourself and not just add this to the wiki. Would be nice if you could test this out and add it afterwards to the wiki to help others.
I have spend the time writing this here just to help others with similar use-case.

[armel]

Chrome (Chromium) versus Firefox is not my war, sorry.

If you don't want to use it, of course, feel free to use other tools. And there are plenty of them.

As far as I'm concerned, downloading a client application like K5Tool, compiled for Windows (my god...) and then having to deploy the Mono runtime to run it on my Macbook Air, thanks but it's not for me :)

Armel F4HWN.

[f1ixx]

Hello all

Firefox have a advenced system security : can't acces local file, can't acces to hardware (ttyUSB or COMx:), can't acces on
bluethoot, .... and you must use Eadge or Chrome.

For me, i'm use only : k5prog
i'm modif the code to have a progress bar (original display on multi line)
and with my new uv-k5, i'm must modify the magic key (to certify it' a good talky)
I know a windows version existe (beuk) but never download and never tested.
With k5prog, you must use the unpacked firmware (without xxx.packed.xxx in filename)

Best 73's
Boris

[armel]

I also use K5prog, in CLI mode, to save / restore the eeprom (and sometimes to flash).

[F4HWD]

Hello everybody !

I have a working solution for those who wants to flash their UV-K5 with Firefox. It's possible, you can install this extension : https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/webserial-for-firefox/

Next, you will have to follow this tutorial : https://github.com/kuba2k2/firefox-webserial

It works very well on my computer, like with Chromium, but with Firefox this time on the GNU/Linux OS Fedora 40 (x86_64). Not tested on Windows, but supposed to work according to the tutorial.