AR5006 - should it work?

AR5006 - should it work?

[Krzysztof Halasa]

Hi,

I'm trying to use AR5006* mini-PCI cards with no success - should
I expect them to work with madwifi ath5k branch and/or
linux/kernel/git/linville/wireless-dev.git ath5k branch on kernel.org?

AR5004X seems to work fine.

Don't work:
ENGENIUS EMP-8602(+) 400 mW a/b/g AR5413 rev 1.0 and 1.1
AR5006X PCI ID 168c:001b 168c:2063

SparkLAN WMIA-166AG a/b/g AR5414A
AR5006XS PCI ID 168c:001b 17f9:000d

Testing with:
# modprobe ath5k
# ifconfig wlan0 up
# iwlist wlan0 scan

wlan0     No scan results


madwifi.org ath5k dmesg (with 2.6.22 kernel, EMP-8602):
ath5k: MAC revision: 5413  (0xa4)
ath5k: PHY revision: SChip (0x63)
ath5k: EEPROM version: 5.2
wmaster0: Selected rate control algorithm 'simple'

John's git repository (2.6.23-current, EMP-8602):
wmaster0: Selected rate control algorithm 'simple'
ath_pci 0000:00:0d.0: AR5212 chip found: mac 10.10 phy 6.1

This is ARM-based system (Intel IXP425) but just tried with
AMD64 (madwifi ath5k only) - results are the same.


AR5004X based card shows few devices in the neighbourhood, max
signal ~ 20/127.

Any ideas?
-- 
Krzysztof Halasa

Re: AR5006 - should it work?

[Nick Kossifidis]

2007/9/18, Krzysztof Halasa <khc@pm.waw.pl>:
> Hi,
>
> I'm trying to use AR5006* mini-PCI cards with no success - should
> I expect them to work with madwifi ath5k branch and/or
> linux/kernel/git/linville/wireless-dev.git ath5k branch on kernel.org?
>
> AR5004X seems to work fine.
>
> Don't work:
> ENGENIUS EMP-8602(+) 400 mW a/b/g AR5413 rev 1.0 and 1.1
> AR5006X PCI ID 168c:001b 168c:2063
>
> SparkLAN WMIA-166AG a/b/g AR5414A
> AR5006XS PCI ID 168c:001b 17f9:000d
>
> Testing with:
> # modprobe ath5k
> # ifconfig wlan0 up
> # iwlist wlan0 scan
>
> wlan0     No scan results
>
>

Are you sure 5413 didn't work ? (it has poor signal quality etc,
perhaps you can try getting closer to the AP -just for testing-).
Because it worked for me, i haven't tested 5414.  We know we don't
initialize single-chip radios the right way but we are working on
it...

That's the card i've tested...

---
02:09.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications, Inc. AR5006X
802.11abg NIC (rev 01)
        Subsystem: Atheros Communications, Inc. EnGenius EMP-8602
(400mw) or Compex WLM54AG
        Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 168, IRQ 11
        Memory at ee010000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=64K]
        Capabilities: [44] Power Management version 2
---
168c:001b (rev 01) Subsystem: 168c:2063
---

Can you try ath_info tool ?
(http://madwifi.org/browser/trunk/tools/ath_info.c) it'll give us more
infos about your hardware ;-)

> madwifi.org ath5k dmesg (with 2.6.22 kernel, EMP-8602):
> ath5k: MAC revision: 5413  (0xa4)
> ath5k: PHY revision: SChip (0x63)
> ath5k: EEPROM version: 5.2
> wmaster0: Selected rate control algorithm 'simple'
>
> John's git repository (2.6.23-current, EMP-8602):
> wmaster0: Selected rate control algorithm 'simple'
> ath_pci 0000:00:0d.0: AR5212 chip found: mac 10.10 phy 6.1
>
> This is ARM-based system (Intel IXP425) but just tried with
> AMD64 (madwifi ath5k only) - results are the same.
>

ath5k branch on madwifi.org is more up-to-date we'll soon commit changes back

> AR5004X based card shows few devices in the neighbourhood, max
> signal ~ 20/127.

AR5004X series worked ok in all of my tests, i guess that if you try
with the binary HAL (madwifi driver) you'll get the same results.


-- 
GPG ID: 0xD21DB2DB
As you read this post global entropy rises. Have Fun ;-)
Nick

Re: AR5006 - should it work?

[Krzysztof Halasa]

"Nick Kossifidis" <mickflemm@gmail.com> writes:

> Are you sure 5413 didn't work ? (it has poor signal quality etc,
> perhaps you can try getting closer to the AP -just for testing-).

I don't currently have any AP, just few cards and two IXP425
boxes (and PCI-miniPCI converter).
People around here use APs and they easily show up on 5004X.
BTW the IXP425 (ARM) CPU is usually in big-endian mode.

> 02:09.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications, Inc. AR5006X
> 802.11abg NIC (rev 01)
>         Subsystem: Atheros Communications, Inc. EnGenius EMP-8602
> (400mw) or Compex WLM54AG

Same cards here.

> (http://madwifi.org/browser/trunk/tools/ath_info.c) it'll give us more
> infos about your hardware ;-)

Well...
# modprobe ath5k
PCI: enabling device 0000:00:0d.0 (0140 -> 0142)

# setpci -s d command
0146
# setpci -s d cache_line_size
08

# ath_info -v 0x48000000
#DBG main: sleep_ctl reg 00000000   reset_ctl reg 00000000
(pressed ^C)

# ath_info -v 0x48000000
Unable to handle kernel paging request at virtual address e1a00fc0 :-)

(rebooting little-endian system)

#DBG main: sleep_ctl reg 00000000   reset_ctl reg 00000000
 -==Device Information==-
MAC Version:  2424 (0xa0) 
MAC Revision: 5413 (0xa4) 
5Ghz PHY Revision: SChip(0x63) 
2Ghz PHY Revision: SChip(0x63) 
 -==EEPROM Information==-
EEPROM Version:     5.2 
EEPROM Size:        16K
Regulatory Domain:  0x37 
 -==== Capabilities ====-
|  802.11a Support: yes  |
|  802.11b Support: yes  |
|  802.11g Support: yes  |
|  RFKill  Support: no   |
|  32KHz   Crystal: no   |
 ========================
GPIO registers: CR 00000000 DO 00000000 DI 00000012

> AR5004X series worked ok in all of my tests, i guess that if you try
> with the binary HAL (madwifi driver) you'll get the same results.

It works for me as well, 5006X doesn't.

Is it possible that a signal which shows as 20/127 on 5004X
is too weak for 5006X to be detected by scanning?


BTW: on the 5004X I'm connecting the antenna to AUX connector
(CM9 card - AUX in the middle), it doesn't work in MAIN (the corner).
Should I connect the antenna to AUX (the corner) or to MAIN (middle)
on 5006X?
Is the antenna selectable?
-- 
Krzysztof Halasa

Re: AR5006 - should it work?

[Nick Kossifidis]

2007/9/20, Krzysztof Halasa <khc@pm.waw.pl>:
> "Nick Kossifidis" <mickflemm@gmail.com> writes:
>
> > Are you sure 5413 didn't work ? (it has poor signal quality etc,
> > perhaps you can try getting closer to the AP -just for testing-).
>
> I don't currently have any AP, just few cards and two IXP425
> boxes (and PCI-miniPCI converter).
> People around here use APs and they easily show up on 5004X.
> BTW the IXP425 (ARM) CPU is usually in big-endian mode.
>
> > 02:09.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications, Inc. AR5006X
> > 802.11abg NIC (rev 01)
> >         Subsystem: Atheros Communications, Inc. EnGenius EMP-8602
> > (400mw) or Compex WLM54AG
>
> Same cards here.
>
> > (http://madwifi.org/browser/trunk/tools/ath_info.c) it'll give us more
> > infos about your hardware ;-)
>
> Well...
> # modprobe ath5k
> PCI: enabling device 0000:00:0d.0 (0140 -> 0142)
>
> # setpci -s d command
> 0146
> # setpci -s d cache_line_size
> 08
>
> # ath_info -v 0x48000000
> #DBG main: sleep_ctl reg 00000000   reset_ctl reg 00000000
> (pressed ^C)
>
> # ath_info -v 0x48000000
> Unable to handle kernel paging request at virtual address e1a00fc0 :-)
>
> (rebooting little-endian system)
>

hmm my fault i forgot to swap values for big endian machines...

> #DBG main: sleep_ctl reg 00000000   reset_ctl reg 00000000
>  -==Device Information==-
> MAC Version:  2424 (0xa0)
> MAC Revision: 5413 (0xa4)
> 5Ghz PHY Revision: SChip(0x63)
> 2Ghz PHY Revision: SChip(0x63)

It's a 5413 i must fix that function that matches ids with names soon :P

>  -==EEPROM Information==-
> EEPROM Version:     5.2
> EEPROM Size:        16K
> Regulatory Domain:  0x37

FYI later 5424/2424 have a 4K EEPROM (v 5.3) that is not supported
yet, also your regulatory domain is ETSI1_WORLD

>  -==== Capabilities ====-
> |  802.11a Support: yes  |
> |  802.11b Support: yes  |
> |  802.11g Support: yes  |
> |  RFKill  Support: no   |
> |  32KHz   Crystal: no   |
>  ========================
> GPIO registers: CR 00000000 DO 00000000 DI 00000012
>

32KHz crystal is used for power saving

> > AR5004X series worked ok in all of my tests, i guess that if you try
> > with the binary HAL (madwifi driver) you'll get the same results.
>
> It works for me as well, 5006X doesn't.
>
> Is it possible that a signal which shows as 20/127 on 5004X
> is too weak for 5006X to be detected by scanning?
>

Nope it's fine, it might be that 5006X's RF part is not initialized
propertly so it doesn't "hear" 5004X.

> BTW: on the 5004X I'm connecting the antenna to AUX connector
> (CM9 card - AUX in the middle), it doesn't work in MAIN (the corner).
> Should I connect the antenna to AUX (the corner) or to MAIN (middle)
> on 5006X?

Typicaly you should connect the antenna on main (actually on my CM9
-lol we also have the same 5004X card- i connected both antennas so i
haven't checked that).

> Is the antenna selectable?
>

yup but it's not implemented yet in ath5k (hw functions for this are
ok we just don't use them yet as far as i know -i'll check it out to
be sure).


-- 
GPG ID: 0xD21DB2DB
As you read this post global entropy rises. Have Fun ;-)
Nick

Re: AR5006 - should it work?

[Krzysztof Halasa]

"Nick Kossifidis" <mickflemm@gmail.com> writes:

>> Is it possible that a signal which shows as 20/127 on 5004X
>> is too weak for 5006X to be detected by scanning?
>
> Nope it's fine, it might be that 5006X's RF part is not initialized
> propertly so it doesn't "hear" 5004X.

Thanks. I will try the binary HAL to see if it changes anything,
there is always a chance the cards are damaged (not very likely,
I have 4 AR5006X).
-- 
Krzysztof Halasa