Dennis HilkLinux diagnosticsDE

Bluetooth

Atheros AR3012 USB patch/sysconfig family

An Atheros USB loading path using both a ROM-version patch and a reference-clock-specific system configuration.

Editorial source review: Share public profileOpen in the identification tool
On this page
  1. Overview & identity
  2. Driver & binding
  3. Firmware
  4. Read-only diagnostics
  5. Limitations & related issues
  6. References

Overview & identity

0cf3:3004 is in the AR3012 loading and patch/sysconfig tables. It is distinct from QCA ROME USB IDs, even though both use Atheros/Qualcomm vendor identities.

Curated identifiers
usb 0cf3:3004

A numeric match establishes a candidate family within the reviewed evidence. Marketing names, board variants, subsystem conditions and successful operation remain separate questions.

Driver & binding

ath3k chooses AthrBT and ramps filenames using ROM version and clock data. btusb also marks this identity for the AR3012 handoff rather than treating it as a generic ready controller.

  • ath3k — kernel driver/module candidate
  • btusb — kernel driver/module candidate

Detected, bound, operational: learn the difference

Firmware

Host-loaded firmware required

The source generates patch names from ROM version and sysconfig names from ROM version plus reference clock. Exact values require the device’s initialization data.

Checked examples or filename branches, not a complete installation list:

  • ar3k/AthrBT_0x*.dfu
  • ar3k/ramps_0x*_*.dfu

Inspect firmware packaging on your distribution

Read-only diagnostics

Run one displayed command at a time. Replace uppercase placeholders with the affected device, interface or module from your own output. Commands are never executed here. Read-only output can still contain private identifiers.

Read USB transport binding

lsusb -t

Find the controller’s port and interface in the USB tree. Driver=btusb is transport binding, not proof that firmware setup or audio profiles succeeded. This query normally needs no root privileges.

Read controllers visible to BlueZ

bluetoothctl list

This asks the BlueZ daemon for known controllers without discovery or pairing. An empty response can mean daemon or D-Bus access problems as well as absent controllers; compare kernel enumeration. Normally no root privileges are needed.

Read controller initialization

journalctl -k -b --no-pager

Read the current boot’s kernel messages for the controller, requested firmware and setup result. Journal visibility depends on local permissions; an unreadable log is not evidence of no errors. This command does not change the device.

Limitations & related issues

The two patterns are complementary loading components, not interchangeable patches. A controller visible to BlueZ only proves a later stage became visible.

These guides are linked for relevant observations, not as known defects of every device in this family.

Choose a hardware diagnostic workflow · Inspect a log excerpt in Fix Lab

References

Source review records a checked implementation or document, not a reproduced hardware test. Version-specific tables do not establish a minimum kernel or guaranteed operation.