I managed to get the device working by replacing the broken CF card socket and copying over the files in the firmware update package to a CF card. Maybe this method did not work for some people because the card was not formatted correctly. I formatted the card using the bootstrap firmware. The option "Format internal memory" under the "Load applications" menu formats the internal CF card, not the BGA chips. It puts a FAT 16 filesystem on it directly without partitioning it. I had already put the device back together by the time I remembered what minfo was called. So this is all I noted about the format. DOS/MBR boot sector, code offset 0x3e+2, OEM-ID "VXDOS16", sectors/cluster 32, root entries 512, Media descriptor 0xf8, sectors/FAT 250, sectors/track 63, heads 64, sectors 2041200 (volumes > 32 MB), reserved 0x1, serial number 0x4b3c156e, label: " ", FAT (16 bit)
Below are things I noted when repairing it.
Among the 6 SRAM chips, U3005 and U3008 which are in the same place on opposite sides of the board share data lines. The other 4 chips, U3004, U3006, U3007, and U3009, share data lines. They all share address lines.
There is an option in the bootstrap firmware to update the firmware using USB. It seems to be for when the device is connected to a computer via USB instead of when a USB drive is connected to the device.
The battery cover seems to be supposed to clip on to the case. It is hard to get right. I 3D-printed 2 pieces that are held together by an M3 screw and standoff. I stretched and glued a flat rubber sheet. The files are attached.
A sweep is fixed to 551 points. There is a "Freq Step" option in the menu. It changes how fast the center frequency changes when the knob turns.
The tracking generator puts out at most 0 dBm. It does go up to 7.1 GHz though. Cheers for sticking to the Renard series.
The display back light starts dim until the firmware increases the brightness. One may wish to get the application working before deciding that the back light needs to be replaced.
The connector for the charger is 2.1 mm ID, 5.5 mm OD. The negative side is connected to ground in the device.
The hole next to the CF card socket is useful in case a wire has to go from 1 side of the board to the other because the via for the coin cell is damaged. There is little clearance from the edge of the board to the case.
The buttons for the bootstrap firmware are not the buttons that say 1, 3, and 5. They are the first, third, and fifth buttons under esc. Neon Kev has a picture on his web site.
Maybe I was just lucky to have acquired a unit that is new enough. It looks like the FPGA does not need to match the application version. I followed the old wisdom of not repairing what is not broken. I did not update the firmware again because the device worked after I put the files in the CF card. On the status screen, I got Bootstrap Version = V2.06; Package Version = V1.51; OS Version = V3.21; Base Version = V5.71; SPA Version = V5.73. On the self test screen, I got CPU FPGA Version: 3.02; Clock PLD Version: 2.02; Decode PLD Version: 2.07; DSP FPGA Version: 3.06; SPA FPGA Version: 1.12; Track Gen FPGA Version: 1.05.
I had trouble finding the same parts for the DRAM and SRAM chips as the original. I used W9825G6KH-5-ND and IS61WV5128EDBLL-10TLI.
The capacitors next to the SRAM chips are not all oriented the same way.
The RF deck is required for the application to boot. If it is not connected, the device gets stuck at the boot screen with the message "Application running!".
Pin 39 CSEL of the CF card is not connected on the board.
It is normal for the Ethernet chip to be 40 °C above room temperature.