Just lost two controllers... can't upload firmware

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   Two of my ACx8s just became unresponsive.  They will not discover, and I cannot connect to them with the firmware updater via I/O 1 jumper to force bootload.  I'm out of spares, so I'm hoping someone can tell me how to restore these to working condition.

It would happen on Christmas day, wouldn't it???

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LightsOnLogan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 11 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3187	Quote Reply Topic: Just lost two controllers... can't upload firmware Posted: 25 Dec 2009 at 8:19pm
	Two of my ACx8s just became unresponsive. They will not discover, and I cannot connect to them with the firmware updater via I/O 1 jumper to force bootload. I'm out of spares, so I'm hoping someone can tell me how to restore these to working condition. It would happen on Christmas day, wouldn't it???


deweycooter Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Development Joined: 14 Oct 2007 Location: League City, TX Online Status: Offline Posts: 674	Quote Reply Posted: 25 Dec 2009 at 8:27pm
	PM sent
	Aurora Lights Wiki

Jonathan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Beta Testers Joined: 07 Sep 2008 Location: SoCal Online Status: Offline Posts: 1237	Quote Reply Posted: 25 Dec 2009 at 8:44pm
	Ha! Just saw this on D-Light and responded with the exact same thing. Well, I hope the 'hail mary' trick works for you.
	~Jonathan

LightsOnLogan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 11 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3187	Quote Reply Posted: 25 Dec 2009 at 8:53pm
	Didn't work... if anyone knows the EEPROM address where the controller ID is stored on an ACx8, please let me know. I suspect from testing that part of the issue is a lost ID and I could slap the PIC in a programmer and rewrite the ID into the EEPROM address. I noticed that I have other ACx8s on the network which are still "working" but will not discover in HWUtil. I suspect they will be dropping out soon.


LightsOnLogan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 11 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3187	Quote Reply Posted: 25 Dec 2009 at 9:09pm
	My wife just handed out some candy canes and explained that we'll be working on it. Everyone seems to be enjoying it even with 16 of 48 mini trees missing, so I'm going to keep it running instead of switching to the tech difficulties message. One car had a 2 year old who said... "I can fix it! I got tools!"


Jonathan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Beta Testers Joined: 07 Sep 2008 Location: SoCal Online Status: Offline Posts: 1237	Quote Reply Posted: 25 Dec 2009 at 10:01pm
	Time to grab as many extension cords and power strips that you have and plug the trees into whatever else works. It will look painfully strange but people are more interested in the lights doing anything than they are in having them doing them in the right order.
	~Jonathan

LightsOnLogan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 11 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3187	Quote Reply Posted: 25 Dec 2009 at 10:14pm
	It's not the ID... I figured out the EEPROM address for the ID by reading a good PIC and the non-responsive one still has its ID in that address. I wonder what makes these become unresponsive?? Note: I already PIC swapped one earlier this year which exhibited the same inability to discover and accept firmware. That makes 3 PICs down, all ACx8s. There are others in the yard that are still running but will not discover. I'm wondering how many hours it will be before they vanish too. I thought about retiring the ACx8s this year but instead decided to put that on next year's budget. I'm regretting that decision now. Edited by LightsOnLogan - 25 Dec 2009 at 10:15pm


Jonathan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Beta Testers Joined: 07 Sep 2008 Location: SoCal Online Status: Offline Posts: 1237	Quote Reply Posted: 25 Dec 2009 at 10:18pm
	It's happening to the ACx16's too. I think it has less to do with the controller and more to do with firmware but that's just my gut feeling. Since I'm not an expert I can't comment with any real authority.
	~Jonathan

ChrisL1976 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Beta Testers Joined: 01 Sep 2008 Location: Kankakee, Ill Online Status: Offline Posts: 1341	Quote Reply Posted: 25 Dec 2009 at 10:32pm
	you guys got me worried now. I checked my controllers and lights before the show. All controllers got discovered but no lights on one full controllers. Had to unplug it before it would kick the lights back on.
	Chris www.lightsonsixth.com

LightsOnLogan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 11 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3187	Quote Reply Posted: 25 Dec 2009 at 10:40pm
	I'd agree, except these two ACx8s were rolled back to 1.06 after I had problems with 2.0. I ran 1.06 for 3 years without incident. Of course, that is unless 2.0 did something that a 1.06 rollback doesn't reset. That wouldn't surprise me given some of the oddities going on with ACx16 1.17 and roll down/up procedures that I've read about. I kept my ACx16s on 1.13 this year (I'm thankful I did that now).