I have noticed that when I call a number that doesnāt answer, the phone frequently keeps trying to complete the call, continuing to ring the called phone long after I press āHang upā, and even after Iāve gone back to other menus. I would think āHang upā ought to immediately terminate a call.
Note: it doesnāt do this all the time, and when it does, a reboot seems to bring it back to properly hanging up, at least for a while. This is with a 4G cellular module.
Hey Frank,
That is very odd, as nobody has encountered that problem yet.
Can you please record a short video of that occasion so that we can check out what is really going on?
Thanks in advance,
Robert
Robert, here are 2 videos. The first shows the problem occurring. Then I powered down and powered back up and repeated the same test; in the second video, the call is terminated immediately when I press āHang upā.
Okay, but when does the problem re-appear?
Does it happen immediately on the second call after restarting the phone or is it random?
I just tried it 3 times in a row after a reboot. It worked perfectly each time. After the phoneās been on for many hours, then it seems to eventually occur. In other words, itās random (or seemingly so). Iāve seen this more than a half dozen times during testing over the past few days, but I canāt create a scenario that reproduces it (I know, those are the worst!)
Iāll keep looking for something that reproduces the problem.
Yes, we know about that one!
Having a problem and then not being able to recreate it when you want it - the worst.
Keep on a lookout and send us a message if you notice some patterns.
Also, we are pushing a new firmware update as we speak so that might fix the problem as well.
Cheers,
Robert
Updated to firmware 1.0.1, but I still saw this situation occur once. Still hoping to find out what sequence of events triggers it.
It seems that you have some troubles with the SIM module, because you have several problems from the same source.
Tell me when you find out or at least get an assumption.
You may be on to something there, Robert! This SIM7600SA-H was a replacement I bought from Erik Rudec on 18 October because my original 2G module could not receive a consistent signal from Ting/T-Mobile in my area. When I started using the 4G module, the signal situation improved but I did notice 3 things different:
. The boot up took much longer (perhaps 30 seconds vs. 10 seconds for the 2G.
. When I ask for āForce time syncā under āDate & timeā, the time gets set 4 hours later than the current time (with 2G module, it got set to current time when I could get a signal).
. Twice now (in very many power ups), Iāve gotten āNo moduleā on the home screen (restarted again and worked ok).
Erik said he sent me the SA module because it covers the most frequencies; however it is missing the 700MHz Band 12 that Ting/T-Mobile says provides the very best signal in my area. Only the A module covers that frequency. Still, it works well enough to satisfy me, but now you cast some doubt on its operation based on these other two issues.
Iāll try again today to find a way to reproduce both of them, but it doesnāt seem very predictable. I know the 4-hours in the future time setting is reproducible (perhaps UTC isnāt getting converted to a local time by Ting/T-Mobile because of the SA module?)
After reproducing my other problem this morning (see topic " Strange notification on home screen"), I tried calling my cell phone from the Makerphone (without cycling power). The signal was good. On the first try, it said āCallingā for nearly a minute but I heard no ring either from the Makerphone speaker or the cell phone. I pressed āHang upā, then dialed it again. This time it rang through; I didnāt answer, but pressed āHang upā. As before, the cell phone continued to ring. I then went all the way back to the āPower offā option and turned it off. Curiously, the cell phone STILL continued to ring for about 10 or 15 seconds AFTER power off! I know the power turned off immediately because the little dim LED on the back of the main board went off. Strange goings on.
That then certainly shows that the hardware is not the problem. If the phone is turned off and it still gives out signal calls, that means that provider didnāt get the info that it should stop the call on time. That would definitely suggest that the signal in your area is very weak (as it was the case with the 2G module).
In the area of good signal that information should arrive instantly and the call will be dropped at the same time.
Did you have these problems in some other areas, perhaps here the network is a bit better and where the signal bar is full?
I havenāt rebooted the phone since that last try, so I tried again and the problem remains. I checked the signal strength before and after the call and it was 18, which is 2 bars on the triangle. Once and a while it goes down to 7 (1 bar), but the problem is consistent regardless until I reboot. I donāt think your explanation applies here.
Also, when I got that empty notification yesterday at the supermarket, I had been checking signal level around the market and it was rather consistently 3 bars, so I donāt think weak signal explains that problem either. When I only had the 2G module, I drove about 2 miles around and the signal triangle was either empty (no bars) or had an X next to it (no signal at all). So there is a difference in reception with the 4G module, itās just that at my house, I need to be near a window to get it up to 1 or 2 bars, which is consistent with the Ting coverage map for 1900MHz 4G at that location.
So I think the phoneās reached its terminal state without doing a reboot. I took it to Home Depot with me where the signal was very strong. I tried the outgoing call and it wouldnāt hang up (the reported problem). Later, after the cell phone timed out, I tried placing an incoming call; instead of either the call going through, or the empty notification coming up, what happened is that the home screen lit up but with the colon (and other things on the screen that normally blink) blinking very slowly, perhaps 2 seconds per blink. No ring, no screen showing incoming call. As soon as I hung up the calling cell phone, the blinking resumed at its normal rate. So this is sort of the terminal state in my mind, and Iām now going to try a power cycleā¦
After a power cycle, the incoming call was once again ringing through, and the outgoing call terminated the moment I pressed āHang upā. Both with only 2 bars signal level. In other words, the power cycle returned operation to normal.
So the mystical magical factor that is causing both of these problems is apparently ātimeā; that is, as time elapses since the last power cycle, something deteriorates. Some memory is getting corrupted, or something of that sort, as a result of the passage of time. Starts off good, later goes bad. Iām out of experiments. Any suggestions?
Hey @frankprindle and @glennjammin,
We think we have found a simple solution for your problems.
One of our customers also had a similar problem and it disappeared when he changed the microSD card. So I would like to ask you to acquire a new micro SD card (or if you have another one at home, use it), format it to FAT32 and copy everything from this repo to it https://github.com/CircuitMess/CircuitMess-Ringo-SD-package .
Ringo SD card contains some data and settings files that handle these kinds of things, so if an SD card is corrupted, some of the basic functions will not working properly.
If you fix it by changing an SD card, we will send you a new one for free.
Thanks in advance and stay in touch,
Robert
Well, you had me pretty excited though it sounded a little far-fetched. I used a SanDisk 32GB SD card and copied just those files to it (from the link you gave). Powered up and tried incoming and outgoing calls. Incoming call immediately displayed the blank notification with various misplaced text on the home screen, while outgoing call worked (and hung up) just fine. Waited approximately an hour and a half and tried same. This time incoming call produced the slowly blinking colon and no ring (what I had previously called the terminal state), while outgoing call went through but refused to hang up when the āHang upā button was pressed. So not only did replacing the SD card not help, but the situation seems to be getting worse; when I first received the 4G card, none of this was going on and it seemed to work fine for a few days at least; now itās all poop.
Later today Iām going to go back to the 2G card and see if it also experiences any of this. I need to go outside (itās raining now) and about stand on my head to get a 2G signal, but Iāll try to see if I can reproduce any of this with the 2G card.
And just to check againā¦ this couldnāt be the result of the South American 4G module being somehow incompatible with the T-Mobile/Ting system here in the USA???
All right folks, finally an experiment that successfully isolates the problem. I powered the phone down, opened it up, removed the 4G module, installed the 2G module, put it all back together and fired it up. Went out on my back patio and wandered around until I got a signal level of 2 to 4 and repeated the incoming and outgoing call tests. With the 2G module, the incoming call registered the correct number in the notification, while the outgoing call hung up immediately when I pressed the āHang upā button. Left it powered on for 1.5 hours, went back outside, found a signal, and repeated the tests with the same results (i.e.: perfect, even though the signal strength was minimal). Lastly, with the 2G module still in place, I tried the āForce time syncā and it worked perfectly, setting the clock to the local time (EDT).
Then, I again disassembled the case, removed the 2G module, re-inserted the 4G module, put it all back together, and repeated the tests yet again. Immediately after power up an incoming call showed as a blank number with the text āOKā below it and more text āRINGā below that. The call log showed āOKRING+CLCC: 1,4,4,0,ā, whatever that might mean. The outgoing call test worked this time. I waited about 45 minutes and tried the outgoing call again. The first time I tried, there was no ringing on either the Makerphone or the called phone; I hung up. The second time I tried, I could hear ringing at the Makerphone and the called phone rang, but did not stop ringing until long after I pressed āHang upā. In other words, the problems listed above came back. Furthermore, I tried the āForce time syncā and it came back 4 hours in the future, just as before.
I believe todayās experiments show that the problem follows the module, not the phone nor its firmware nor the SD card, since the only thing I changed was the module. Somehow this South American version of the module is NOT compatible or is going flakey and a power cycle restores some functionality briefly (though not the ability to properly sync time).
Could you swap this suspect SIM7600SA-H for a known working SIM7600A-H? Then you could test the suspect module at your end to see what its failure mode is, and I might have a 4G module that actually works.
Thanks for putting up with this long drawn out problem isolation - I should have thought trying this sooner.
Hey Frank,
The problem is that you cannot just switch between the 2G and 4G like that.
Each 2G and 4G module have their own DIFFERENT main boards, which you have been informed about when we sent out the second module to you.
2G and 4G modules do not work on the same board!
That is why youāre experiencing issues, I had no idea that you installed 4G module on the 2G module board. The main difference between the boards is that 4G board has some additional components right below the SIM module, which you will easily see if you compare those two.
You would have to install the components to the 4G board along with the 4G module if you want them to work properly.
Robert
Iām afraid youāve missed the point, Robert. The 4G module came (via DHL) mounted on a main board that I can only assume is a 4G main board because that is what Erik Rudec said he was sending. I did not try the 4G module on the 2G board, but I did try the 2G module (on Thursday) on the 4G board and it worked fine. But the 4G module on the very board it arrived mounted on (which I can only assume is a 4G main board) is the one that Iāve been reporting this problem about since the beginning of this topic on October 29th. As I said, the 4G module (on its 4G board) seemed to work at first try but I quickly noticed the strange hangup behavior which is the whole purpose of this topic.
So please donāt jump to conclusions that are unfounded. My conclusions are based on a proper scientific approach to troubleshooting (which Iāve been doing from both a hardware and software perspective for over 50 years).
And all this is at odds with Albertās statement in Kickstarter Update #35 where he said:
"ā¦every MAKERphone will come with an interchangeable socket that will allow you to easily swap your 2G module for a 4G one (it uses a standardized mini PCIe socket). We will sell 4G upgrade modules separately and will make them available in our shop later this year."
And all this is at odds with Albertās statement in Kickstarter Update #35 where he said:
"ā¦every MAKERphone will come with an interchangeable socket that will allow you to easily swap your 2G module for a 4G one (it uses a standardized mini PCIe socket). We will sell 4G upgrade modules separately and will make them available in our shop later this year."
Iām sorry, but we didnāt manage to make that happen. I think Iāve addressed that in one of the updates, but I am sorry if it got lost in all the other info that Iāve been writing over there.
2G module in a 4G main board will not work as expected. Same goes for the 4G module in the 2G main board.
Iāve been following your thread here and I must say Iām a bit overwhelmed with all the info that youāve posted here.
Please, can you please tell me again what exact problem youāre having with your phone?
Keep it short and sweet, please 
Thank you for your support and Iāll see you around at the forum
Ok, short and sweet (all about SA version of 4G module in a 4G board, and all with a 3-bar signal strength):