In the Saber display radio models, the radios will display error messages under two conditions:

• When the radio is turned on, and there exists an error condition in the radio, the radio will display an error message of the form ERR x yz for approximately 2 seconds before attempting to show the default display which is either the channel name or number (in a channel only radio) or the zone and channel names or numbers (in a zone radio).
• The error message will also be shown on the display and remain on the display until the radio is turned off (or the radio is reset by the Saber RSS) under the following conditions:
  • With the radio turned off, press and hold the MENU, SELECT and ENTER keys simultaneously
  • Turn the radio on while still holding the 3 keys pressed down
  • For a COPE 4 (A&B radio): The display should show a message of the form ERR x yz. This message should remain on the display even when you release the 3 keys. If the message does not remain on the display or does not appear at all, then you have not pressed the keys simultaneously. You will have to turn off the radio and repeat the procedure until the message remain on the display.
  • For a COPE 5 (C radio): A full eight-character display should appear for this radio unless there really is an error.

The following paragraphs will describe the meaning of the error messages. The error message has the form ERR x yz, where x is the address of the device with the error and yz is the error condition.

x can take on one of 3 values:

• 0 - CORE microprocessor
• 1 - COPE microprocessor
• 2 - external EEPROM on display board

yz can take on the following values (note that these values are hexadecimal numbers):

• 00 - no error
• 01 - internal EEPROM checksum error. This means that the data in the internal EEPROM could be corrupted or the checksum value itself could be wrong. If several reprogramming attempts do not eliminate this error, then the related microprocessor must be replaced. Applicable to COPE and CORE.
• 02 - RAM read/write error. This means that an error was detected while the processor was attempting to read from, or write into, the microcomputer RAM (random access memory, or scratchpad memory). This indicates that the related microprocessor is faulty and should be replaced. Applicable to COPE only.
• 04 - external EEPROM checksum error. This means that the data in the external EEPROM could be corrupted or the checksum value itself could be wrong. If several reprogramming attempts do not eliminate this error, then the external EEPROM must be replaced. Applicable to COPE only.
• 08 - blank internal EEPROM. This means that the internal EEPROM is blank (all locations contain hexadecimal value FF). Reprogram the radio. If unsuccessful, replace the related microprocessor. Applicable to COPE only.
• 10 - ROM checksum error. This means that the read-only-memory (ROM) of the related microprocessor has an error. Replace the faulty microprocessor. Applicable to COPE only.
• 20 - Hardware error. This means that the external EEPROM is faulty. Replace the external EEPROM and reprogram the radio. Applicable to COPE only.

The above listing contains the basic errors that can be displayed to the user. However, if more than one error occurs simultaneously, the error message is simply an addition of the values of the errors involved. A few examples will clairify this. Note that since the error values are hexadecimal, the addition will also result in hexadecimal values. Some examples of common error messages are given below.

Error message examples:

• ERR 0 X1 - The CORE micro. has an internal EEPROM checksum error (x may be any value).
• ERR 1 01 - The COPE micro. has an internal EEPROM checksum error.
• ERR 1 03 - The COPE micro. has an internal EEPROM checksum error as well as a RAM read/write error.
• ERR 1 0B - The COPE micro. has a RAM read/write error as well as a blank internal EPROM and internal checksum error (01 + 02 + 08 = 0B in hexadecimal).
• ERR 1 24 - There is an external EEPROM and hardware error as well as an external EEPROM checksum error.
• ERR 1 30 - The COPE micro. has a ROM checksum error and the external EEPROM has a hardware error (10 + 20 = 30 in hexadecimal).
• ERR 1 00 - The radio has no errors.
• ERR 1 0D - The display that comes up for a COPE 5 radio when the programmer starts writing to the radio.

Home