Tried Firmware Update w/ LAN; P2 Blank

[jonnybravo22]

Hello.

I did not follow the suggestion / warning about attempting a firmware update over LAN. It worked for me when I was being brave in the past but this time it failed and now my P2 is blank.

I read section 10.7 about firmware updates in the manual, just wondered if anyone could help me make sure I have the steps correct to try to revive the unit.

items needed:
1- RS232 Serial Cable
2- jumper
3- FMC16LX.zip with FlashLX software

general approach (in simplified terms):
1- power off, open unit, put in Jumper is specified spot
2- connect unit to computer using GHL RS232 cable
3- powr on, run software per instructions
4- power down unit
5- power on, reset defaults

Are those the main steps?

Also - I have a laptop computer and it does not have an RS232 port. What can I do? The instructions say that converters "many times" don't work. Is there one that is proven to work?

Any help is appreciated, and I realize I made this mistake by not heeding the warning.

[Ken Good]

I think that you have the steps set out correct. If you had the P3 then there would be no need for the jumper.

Most laptops today do not have a serial port. Therefore, I think all use the serial to usb converter. I have an old one from Radioshack that has never let me down.

Go for it and good luck. Since I also do not heed the warnings at times, I understand what you are going through.

Ken

[jonnybravo22]

Thanks Ken. will give it a shot. hope it works

[jonnybravo22]

I flashed it and uploaded the new firmware --- having some issues.

The controller is "responsive" now and displays the startup when it's plugged in and does the whole fish animation but i'm having two major problems:



1. The bottom line of text is all messed up, only show some of the pixels.

2. doesnt seem to "work" anymore. The temp alarm is going off nonstop and i can't turn it off. and i plugged in the temp probe and it's reading 103 degrees (same as when it is not plugged in).

any suggestions? Michael? Matthias?

[Matthias]

I can see th reason for your display problem:
you removed the upper part of the enclosure and then you put it back in the wrong direction - as you can see on the photo the enclosure has now a buckle above the display
what happened? a plastic notch pushes the display now from the top and the elctrical connection went bad
-> maybe the display recovers when you remove the upper part of the enclosure, rotate it 180° and put it back again

temperature issue:
- probe plugged into correct port?

[jonnybravo22]

thanks for your response!

think you were right on both counts, but could use a bit more help.

1. - temp probe was in the wrong slot. it is giving me proper readings now. that is a huge relief.

2. - the display seems to still have 1 row of pixels that it is not showing or only partially showing. I took the lid off and realized that the card holding the display was seated in slot 2 on one side and slot 3 on the other so it was a bit off there. i fixed that and rotated the top 180 degrees but wonder if there is something else i should be looking for. i honestly don't know how you were able to determine anything from the picture i sent but i still dont see what buckle you mean.

is it on correctly now?





thanks a lot Matthias.

[Matthias]

the "buckle" I saw: the enclosure seemed to be higher in the middle

display: possibly some contacts were damaged - you can't do more than assembling everything correctly (check the slots were the PCB is inserted, have the right rotation for the hood)

[Matthias]

COM is not lit: enable "digital powerbar"

[jonnybravo22]

got COM working -- i know i said it was plugged in...and it was... but not in S1S4...

saw that just beofre you responded so tried to edit. thanks again. I will monitor the display and take another look inside to see if anything looks out of place but thank you very much for getting me back to this point. i was worried that my unit might have been lost but it seems to be working properly now.

it's a bit funny that i've had these problems today as i've owned the unit for almost a year now. I guess it just goes to show that it really is a "set it and forget it" kind of thing.

thank you Matthias. Your help today may have saved my tank.