Action Instruments - WVC16 - WV Series, I/O Communications, Interface Firmware Upgrade

SlimPak II Communications Interface
WVC16

Firmware Upgrade Page

This page contains firmware upgrades for the WVC16 SlimPak II Communication Interface Module and instructions for performing the firmware upgrade.

Contents
Firmware Selection
Firmware Upgrade Instructions
WV4xx Module Firmware Upgrade

Firmware Selection

WVC16 Firmware Revision 2.0

Attached is WVC16 Communications Interface Module firmware revision 2.0. This is the final Action Instruments San Diego release. Has support for all WV process modules.

For instructions on how to upgrade the WVC16 firmware, see the firmware upgrade page.

Important: this revision requires a WVC16-2000 module with the latest memory mapping, i.e.

Flash: 60000 - FFFFF
SRAM: 00000 - 5FFFF

To run the applet, use Sun Java Plug-in rev. 1.4.2. Internet Explorer 6 will automatically upgrade the Java Plug-in when the Data Viewer applet is invoked.

Important

This firmware revision has an EEPROM mapping that is not compatible with revision 2.0-ß2. As a result, upgrading a WVC16 from 2.0-ß2 or older to this revision (2.0) will cause all data in EEPROM to be erased and returned to factory defaults. This data includes network configuration settings (IP addresses, etc.), module name, passwords, and all e-mail related settings. You will need to reconfigure the WVC16 after upgrading to 2.0.

Download WVC16 Firmware Revision 2.0

WVC16 Firmware Revision 1.2

Adds support for the WV438 potentiometer input module.
Removes a vulnerability of the web server.

Release Date: 18-Oct-2002
Hardware Platform: WVC16-0000
WebView I/O Data Viewer Applet Revision: 1.2
Java Plug-in: 1.3.1_02 (see Note 1)

SlimPak II Modules Supported: (see Note 2)

WV408 revision 2.04/2.26
WV428 revision 2.05/2.22
WV438 revision 2.06/2.05
WV478 revision 2.06/2.25

Protocol Revisions:

WVCP rev. 1.0
I/R Communication Protocol rev. 1.0

EEPROM Format Compatibility: 0.28 (see Note 3)

Download WVC16 Firmware Revision 1.2

WVC16 Firmware Revision 1.1

Minor fixes, no functional changes.

Release Date: 19-Jul-2002

Download WVC16 Firmware Revision 1.1

WVC16 Firmware Revision 1.0

Initial Release

Release Date: 11-Jul-2002
Hardware Platform: WVC16-0000
WebView I/O Data Viewer Applet Revision: 1.0
Java Plug-in: 1.3.1_02 (see Note 1)

SlimPak II Modules Supported: (see Note 2)

WV408 revision 2.04/2.26
WV428 revision 2.05/2.22
WV478 revision 2.06/2.25

Protocol Revisions:

WVCP rev. 0.32
I/R Communication Protocol rev. 0.30

EEPROM Format Compatibility: 0.28 (see Note 3)

Download WVC16 Firmware Revision 1.0

Notes

Note 1 - Java Plug-In

Important: It is recommended to run WVC16 revision 1.0 thru 1.2 with Java Plug-in version 1.3.1_02. Use of Plug-in version 1.4.0 is not recommended. For computers running Plug-in version 1.4.0, uninstall the plug-in (in Windows, from Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs), then install Plug-in 1.3.1_02.

Note 2 - SlimPak II I/O Module Support

Verify that all signal conditioning modules have a firmware revision compatible with the WVC16 firmware revision used, as indicated in the SlimPak II Modules Supported section. To check modules' firmware revision, launch the SlimPak II I/O Data Viewer, go to the Module view, then the 'About' tab.

Note 3 - EEPROM Format Compatibility

The EEPROM Format Compatibility item indicates which WVC16 firmware revision maintains its EEPROM data in a compatible format. Upgrading from a revision older than 0.28 initializes all data in EEPROM to their factory defaults. Upgrading from revision 0.28 or later preserves the data in EEPROM. Data in EEPROM include Ethernet configuration parameters (IP address), access passwords, e-mail address book, etc.

Firmware Upgrade Instructions

The internal firmware of the WVC16 can be upgraded to a new revision in the field. To determine the current firmware revision in the WVC16 module, consult the Firmware Revision line in the WVC16 home page.

CAUTION: The firmware upgrade procedure deletes the current WVC16 firmware before loading the new revision.

The WVC16 is inoperative without firmware. Proceed with caution. The firmware upgrade procedure does not affect the monitor program; it is therefore safe to interrupt power at any time during the firmware upgrade procedure. Should a power interruption occur during firmware upgrade, simply restart the procedure from step 1.

To upgrade the WVC16 firmware, first download the desired revision from the section above, then follow the firmware upgrade instructions below.

1.	Remove power and disconnect the Ethernet cable from the WVC16.
2.	Connect the administration console port to the computer's serial port using the WVC16 serial cable accessory. The serial cable is part of the C650 accessory kit (P/N: 936-0383-00).
3.	On the computer, start a serial communications program.
4.	Configure the communication program for 115200 bits per second, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity, and XON/XOFF flow control. If 115200 bps is not available, a lower data rate can be used. Doing so will increase the download time.
5.	Power up the WVC16, and *within the first 3 seconds after power-up,* press the 'a' key. It may be necessary to press the 'a' key a few more times. The system should start the E86MON monitor and reply: `Welcome to AMD's EMon 186! (? <Enter> for help) es86mon: _`
6.	At the `es86mon:` prompt, enter the following command: xa This command instructs the monitor program to erase the WVC16's flash memory. The WVC16 should reply: `Erasing flash sector at 70000..... Erasing flash sector at 80000..... Erasing flash sector at 90000..... Erasing flash sector at A0000..... Erasing flash sector at B0000...... Erasing flash sector at C0000..... Erasing flash sector at D0000..... Erasing flash sector at E0000..... Erasing flash sector at F0000..... Note -- the flash operation used (overwrote) the RAM. es86mon: _` The xa command should take approximately 8 seconds to execute.
7.	Verify that no flash sectors were reported protected. Some older WVC16 units shipped with sector 7 (E0000) protected. If sector 7 is protected, the WVC16 will show the following line for sector 7: `Erasing flash sector at E0000... Protected! (not erased by XA)` If this is the case, it will be necessary to erase sector 7 separately. To do so, enter the following command at the `es86mon:` prompt: x7 This command instructs the monitor program to erase flash sector 7. The WVC16 should reply: `Erasing flash sector at E0000..... Note -- the flash operation used (overwrote) the RAM. es86mon: _` It is possible to configure the E86MON monitor to unprotect all flash sectors so that the x7 command will no longer be necessary when reflashing the WVC16 in the future. See Note 4 below for instructions.
8.	After the xa command has completed and the `es86mon:` prompt is displayed, send the firmware upgrade HEX file (wvc16_xx.hex, where xx represents the desired firmware revision code) from the communications program using *plain ASCII text* (some programs use the Send Text File... menu item) (do not use communication protocols such as ZModem or other). The monitor program should then start reflashing the WVC16. The entire reflashing process takes approximately 3 minutes. The WVC16 should reply: `es86mon: :0200000270008C Transferring hex file (Press Esc to abort)...................................... ................................................................................ ................................................................................ (approx. 50 more lines of dots) ..................................... Device programmed successfully Note -- the flash operation used (overwrote) the RAM. es86mon: _`
9.	After the download has completed and the `es86mon:` prompt is displayed, close the serial communications program, remove power from the WVC16, disconnect the serial cable from the WVC16, and reconnect the Ethernet cable to the WVC16.
10.	Some firmware revisions initialize the EEPROM when executed for the first time. See Note 3. If the new firmware revision initialized the EEPROM, perform the Ethernet configuration procedure (i.e. IP address assignment). See the Ethernet Configuration section of the user's guide.
11.	Power up the WVC16 and let it boot, start a web browser to display the WVC16's home page, and verify that the Firmware Revision line shows the correct firmware revision code. The WVC16's firmware upgrade procedure is now complete.

Note 4 - Unprotecting All Flash Sectors

When erasing the flash memory (using the xa command), some older WVC16 units do not erase sector 7 (at address E0000); an x7 command is then necessary to complete the flash erase operation. To unprotect the entire flash memory and avoid having to use the x7 command during future firmware upgrades, follow the instructions below.

1.	At the `es86mon:` prompt, enter the following command: p protectflash 0 The WVC16 should reply: `protectflash =000e0000 You can make your system unbootable if you program invalid values into the flash. Would you like to test by rebooting with this value before you make it permanent? (Y/N): _`
2.	Answer N. The WVC16 should reply: `Make the permanent value of 'protectflash'=0? (Y/N): _`
3.	Answer Y. The WVC16 should reply: `Permanent variable successfully updated. Note -- the flash operation used (overwrote) the RAM. es86mon: _`
4.	The configuration procedure is now complete. Reboot the WVC16, start the E86MON monitor, and run the xa command. Verify that the monitor erases all flash sectors and that it no longer reports any protected flash sectors.

WV4xx Module Firmware Upgrade

The firmware of the SlimPak II I/O signal conditioning modules (WV408, WV428, WV438, WV478) is not upgradable in the field. The modules must be returned to Action Instruments for upgrading the firmware.

Last Updated Thursday, September 01, 2005