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Please add automatic selection/download of firmwares


ZigmaDK

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Let me get straight to the point.

 

I find it very odd, that I have to download a new FLIRC tool, in order to get the latest firmware for my FLIRC.

Why not just make it autodownload the latest firmware or even better, let me select which version I want to download and then program my FLIRC with.

 

We use it in our company in our store displays and when the FLIRC sometimes gets stuck in bootloader, we have to guide our store managers to download a specific version of the FLIRC tool, to make sure they get the version that we have tested.

 

First time we ran into issues with this, was when the firmware was updated from 2.6 to 3.x.

The configuration we had made and distributed to all dealers stopped working, when they used the latest FLIRC tool.

 

Could it not be made, so the force FW upgrade gives a dropdown of some select firmware versions within 1.x, 2.x, 3.x etc.?

That way, it is possible to download the latest FLIRC.exe and then still get the 2.6 firmware that we have tested with.

 

Just an idea that would make my life as a supporter easier :)

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It's not in my power to make such decision so I'll skip the subject of the way firmware upgrade works right now.

 

Why would you need to re-download Flirc software every time a unit is stuck in bootloader? You actually just need a single PC in the store with a Flirc software where you can fix your problem. Also there is usually really no reason to upgrade Flirc software other than upgrading the firmware bundled with it. If the software is changed somehow it is because that change is required for the new firmware.

 

It is not a surprise that your config stopped working after upgrading from 2.x to 3.x, because IR signal processing algorithm has changed in 3.x making old configs incompatible - formatting and re-recording is required with that upgrade.

 

I think the real problem here is why some of your units are getting stuck in the bootloader. If such thing happens again can you post which bootloader version you have? Also can you post what device is driving your displays? Maybe there is a problem with power supply and/or unstable voltage on USB ports.

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It's not in my power to make such decision so I'll skip the subject of the way firmware upgrade works right now.

 

Why would you need to re-download Flirc software every time a unit is stuck in bootloader? You actually just need a single PC in the store with a Flirc software where you can fix your problem. Also there is usually really no reason to upgrade Flirc software other than upgrading the firmware bundled with it. If the software is changed somehow it is because that change is required for the new firmware.

 

It is not a surprise that your config stopped working after upgrading from 2.x to 3.x, because IR signal processing algorithm has changed in 3.x making old configs incompatible - formatting and re-recording is required with that upgrade.

 

I think the real problem here is why some of your units are getting stuck in the bootloader. If such thing happens again can you post which bootloader version you have? Also can you post what device is driving your displays? Maybe there is a problem with power supply and/or unstable voltage on USB ports.

 

The store owners don't install the FLIRC program unless they experience a problem with it. So it might happen now, it might happen in 6 months.

 

The units that get stuck in bootloader are usually fixed by just connecting them to a PC running FLIRC.

It will say "FLIRC in bootloader" load something in the top left corner of the tool and then be back to working again.

 

It was a bigger issue in the beginning (around May '14) but not so much lately. So maybe 3.x fixed some instability for us.

 

How can I check the bootloader version? Is this the same as firmware version?

 

The FLIRCs are connected to the USB 3.0 port of a Madcatz M.O.J.O.

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Do you maybe have USB2.0 ports on the board? I think I saw some posts before about problems with USB3.0 but I'm not sure right now. Did you had any bootloader issues on firmware 3.x at all?

 

The bootloader is programmed into a microprocessor during Flirc production and AFAIK is not upgradable by the user. The version should be engraved on the microprocessor and you can see it through the transparent case (at least in case of 2.0 and 2.1 bootloaders). You can also see the BL version during firmware upgrade or you can force Flirc to go into BL mode by using flirc_util dfu command in the CLI. When Flirc is in bootloader mode then you should be able to see bootloader version in Flirc GUI (can be a little cropped) or you can display it using flirc_util version command in the CLI. It should also be visible when Flirc is stuck in the bootloader.

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Do you maybe have USB2.0 ports on the board? I think I saw some posts before about problems with USB3.0 but I'm not sure right now. Did you had any bootloader issues on firmware 3.x at all?

 

The bootloader is programmed into a microprocessor during Flirc production and AFAIK is not upgradable by the user. The version should be engraved on the microprocessor and you can see it through the transparent case (at least in case of 2.0 and 2.1 bootloaders). You can also see the BL version during firmware upgrade or you can force Flirc to go into BL mode by using flirc_util dfu command in the CLI. When Flirc is in bootloader mode then you should be able to see bootloader version in Flirc GUI (can be a little cropped) or you can display it using flirc_util version command in the CLI. It should also be visible when Flirc is stuck in the bootloader.

It has been a little while since I last got a report about this, but I will remember to get the bootloader version.

And I will also let our teams know that they should use the 2.0 port instead of the 3.0.

 

Thank you for your help on this, but I still hope that it would become possible to select which firmware should be loaded into the flirc in the future :)

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